the day. I do not wish to be obvious about it. We are all trying to go about our assignments unobtrusively.”
Unobtrusively? He did not think there was a man breathing who would overlook this beautiful girl, but he did not remark on it. Surprisingly, she did not appear to realize just how beautiful she was. There was an earnest innocence about her that he liked very much and inspired his trust. “Thank ye, Taffy. Sincerely.”
“It is our duty, my lord.” She cleared her throat. “But it would make our task so much easier if you allowed us to help you identify this villain. Right now, I feel as though we are guarding you and Master Rafe from a wraith. An unseen ghost. We can be so much more effective if we know who we are dealing with.”
“Verra well.” He wasn’t pleased to be divulging information about his private life. Her questioning would concentrate on the personal aspects, it would have to if she were to do her job properly. Since she was ready to risk her life to protect him and Rafe, he could do no less than cooperate and be honest with her. “What do ye wish to know?”
“When did these attacks begin?”
He moved to the chair opposite hers and settled in it stiffly. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs. “About three weeks ago. I was planning a trip down to London and decided to take my son with me. However, I did not plan for him to stay in London with me. I have too many responsibilities there and did not think I could spend much time with him.”
“Where did you intend for him to stay?”
“I thought it was a good opportunity for him to get to know my youngest brother, his Uncle Adam. I meant to drop him off with Adam, who is vicar in Wellesford, a small town in the Cotswolds, not far from Oxford. He and his wife, Lady Remi, are eager to spend time with my son.”
She pursed her lips as she took in the information he was providing. The gesture drew his attention to her nicely shaped mouth and made him want to kiss her.
Och, dinna be a damned idiot.
“It’s a long journey from Inverness to London, and having the lad with me…well, I thought it best to break it up a little. We stayed at Coldstream Castle for a few days before continuing our journey south. Coldstream is the seat of the Earl of Hume. His grandson, Thaddius, is married to Penelope Sherbourne, sister of the Earl of Welles. Welles is a good man, even if he is a Sassenach.”
She smiled. “And the town of Wellesford is part of the Earl of Welles’ holdings?”
He nodded. “I thought it would be helpful for my son to get to know Lady Penelope and hear her stories of Wellesford. I hoped he would feel a little less lost when I left him there for a few weeks. Of course, he would be in the excellent care of my brother and his wife. Still, since we lost Rafe’s mother only about a year ago, I felt he needed that extra bit of comfort.”
He sighed and continued. “We were a half day’s ride south of Coldstream when our carriage suddenly overturned. My son and I would have been hurt, except by chance we were riding beside the carriage and not sitting in it. Since the day was fine and sun was shining, I had taken him on my lap as I rode my horse alongside it.”
“Did you immediately suspect foul play?”
“No, lass. Wheels are known to break on occasion, but it wasn’t until a day later when the wheelright reported his suspicion to me. The wheel had been partially cut through, designed to break as we rode along the rougher patches of road. I didn’t know what to make of it. To be cautious, I sent word to Lord Hume to report what had happened. Not to blame him, for I do not hold him responsible at all. But I wanted to alert him in the event someone intended to cause him mischief and had tampered with my carriage mistaking it for his.”
“You had a mishap in York only last week,” she said, seeming to absorb his every word. “Was it the second incident? Or were there others prior?”
“A few others immediately prior, while we were in York. The weather was bad, so I decided we should stay there for the holidays, just me