Crowned and Dangerous (A Royal Spyness Mystery) Read Online Free Page A

handle a big powerful motorcar like this. Having never owned a motorcar, my driving had been limited to the estate wagon on the grounds of Castle Rannoch or into the nearest villages, where the only traffic on the road would be an occasional Highland cow or sheep. I’d taken out our ancient Rolls a few times but usually it was the chauffeur who drove while I sat in the backseat. But I pushed these thoughts hurriedly from my mind, trying to come to terms with everything. One thought, more than others, shouted in my head and I blurted out, “Why would you go to him? You told me what he thinks of you. Would he even want to see you?”
    Darcy gave a hopeless little chuckle. “Probably not. In fact almost definitely not. He’ll probably tell me to go to hell, but someone has to be there for him. He’s his own worst enemy, Georgie. He’ll lose his temper and say stupid things he doesn’t mean and alienate the jury. Someone has to stick up for him and there’s nobody else.”
    “What about your sisters?”
    “He doesn’t like them any better than he does me. And besides, one is in India and they are both busy with their own families.They’ve little children and husbands. They just can’t drop everything and rush over to Ireland. And they don’t know anything about courts and legal procedure and how to investigate a crime.”
    I didn’t want to ask whether he thought his father was innocent. A man with a violent temper who hated his own son and who had had everything he loved taken from him might well have been tempted to commit murder.
    “I’ve no idea how one gets from York to Holyhead and the ferry.” He was already walking ahead of me back to the motorcar, talking more to himself than me. “Change in Manchester?” He turned back to me. “You’ll be all right driving back to London? I don’t think there should be snow on the roads south of here. I’ll write down the address for you. It’s Eaton Square. You know it, of course. It’s just around the corner from your place. Explain what happened. . . .”
    The words were just coming out of his mouth, as if he couldn’t control them. I caught up with him and put a hand on his arm. “Darcy, calm down. I’ll come with you.”
    He shook his head violently. “No. Absolutely not. I don’t want you there.”
    I suppose he must have noticed the hurt look on my face. “You don’t understand,” he said hastily. “I was waiting for the right moment for you to meet my father and to tell him about us. This would be a disaster. He’d resent your being there, seeing him in a position of weakness, and he’d take an instant dislike to you. And I’m afraid he’s like my namesake, Darcy in
Pride and Prejudice
: his ‘good opinion once lost is lost forever.’ He is famous for harboring grudges.”
    “How did such a disagreeable person manage to produce such a wonderful son?” I said, gazing up at him with love in my eyes.
    “My mother, I suppose. She was a lovely person in all ways, inside and out. She made my father behave himself and she turned him into a better person when she was with him. And then she died. And he lost hope, I suppose, and reverted to his former crotchety self. I wish you could have met her, Georgie.”
    “I wish that too. But we have to accept things as they are, don’t we? My father died, as did your mother, and we’ve both been left to fend for ourselves. But the good thing is that we have each other. I’ll do what you want, Darcy. Whatever makes it easier for you. Why don’t we drive together to Holyhead and I’ll see you onto the ferry and then take the car back to London if that’s what you want.”
    He touched my cheek. “You’re a wonderful girl, Georgie. I’m so sorry it all went wrong and my lovely surprise didn’t work out and we never got to Gretna Green. But I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
    “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get married soon, when this horrid business is all sorted out. We’ll have a big