Wild Roses Read Online Free Page A

it is the truth,” he replied. “I find their tale of an errant, imaginative child far easier to believe than your story of conspiracies and attempted murder.”
    Ella turned in her seat slightly, so that she was facing him more directly. “I begin to think, Mr. Mahoney, that you have some deep mistrust and dislike of rich people. I also suspect that those feelings are even stronger when the rich person happens to be of English descent. So why do you so quickly and firmly reject the idea that such people could conspire against each other, even to planning the death of one of their own?”
    â€œIf they wished to murder you, they would not involve strangers. They would have come after you themselves.”
    â€œThe Carsons do their own dirty work? Surely you jest. They would never sully their hands so. And, if they were convicted of my murder, they would lose all that they can gain from my untimely death. It might behoove you to watch your back a little more closely. The Carsons may well have a plan to implicate you in my death.” She peeked at George, pleased to catch the dark frown on his face, for it meant that she had at least roused some suspicion and doubt in his mind. “In truth, I am surprised that my relatives would even know an Irishman.”
    â€œThey know me well enough. It was one of their closest friends who stole my father’s business, and, as a result, my inheritance,” Harrigan said coldly.
    â€œAh, and therein lies the dislike of my kind.” Ella inwardly cursed. Reminding him of the many wrongs done to him was no way to sway him to her side. “I would wager that you refer to the Templetons. I doubt that it will do me any good to remind you that women are usually given little control over or knowledge of business dealings.” When Harrigan just scowled at her, she shrugged with an air of disinterest, then abruptly tensed. “Mahoney? Wasn’t Templeton’s daughter Eleanor acquainted with a man named Mahoney?”
    â€œYou could say she was acquainted with one. She was engaged to me.”
    Worse and worse , Ella thought. “Was?”
    â€œShe called off the wedding when my father lost the business to her father.”
    Distracted from her own troubles for a moment, Ella closely studied Harrigan.
    Eleanor Templeton was a voluptuous blond, beautiful and haughty. It had astounded Ella when she had heard that the woman had betrothed herself to some unknown Irishman. When the wedding had been abruptly canceled, no one had been surprised, least of all herself. Gossip about the ill-fated match had been thick and constant. It was at that time, however, that Ella had discovered the perfidy of her relatives, realized her life was in danger, and fled to Wyoming. In the nearly three years since then, she had had far more important things on her mind than the whims and follies of Philadelphia’s elite. She supposed that was why the name Mahoney had roused no memory when she had first heard it.
    Now, however, memories flooded her mind, including the memory of a few suspicions she had had about Eleanor, as well as about her own cousin Margaret. The small crimes she had begun to suspect them of had faded into insignificance when she had realized her life was threatened. Both Eleanor and Margaret were society beauties and both had shown a tendency to become engaged to men their society considered unsuitable. Those engagements were usually short-lived as the young men or their families had suddenly had an unexpected turn of bad luck. At the time, she had begun to wonder if the two young women had had something to do with that bad luck, especially since their families had almost always benefited from the downfall of their betrotheds. Breaking a betrothal was also scandalous, and it had seemed curious that Margaret and Eleanor had risked their much prized reputations so repeatedly.
    â€œYou are staring,” Harrigan said quietly, a little discomforted