Lord Satan Read Online Free

disgrace that a person of such
high rank—Cauldreigh, I mean—is at the mercy of his uncle’s devilish schemes.”
    Libbetty voiced her doubts. “Really, Francis, if one person
wished to kill another, tampering with the stone and trusting that he would
fall from the parapet would be an exceedingly stupid way to do it. How could
Lord Neil know his nephew would go up there? If anyone did go there, it would
more likely be one of the servants.”
    Francis said, “I understand he suggested it—Lord Neil that
is. It rained earlier that day, and he claimed the ground would be muddy,
suggesting his feet—Cauldreigh’s I mean—would become muddy and lead to a
renewal of his fever.”
    “What moonshine. Even if he suggested the roof, how could
he ensure the dizzy spell, or the loose stone? As a plan of murder, it leaves
as much to chance as the hope of his lordship’s dying in the Peninsula … ”
Libbetty stopped, inadvertently pulling on the reins so the mare also halted.
She remembered many people’s belief that Lord Neil had purchased Cauldreigh’s
army commission and allowed his deployment to the Peninsula for just such a
purpose.
    Francis leaped upon Libbetty’s sudden doubts. “Aha! And
maybe that’s just what Lord Neil wanted, send him up there and leave the rest
to chance, just as in the war. If he’s killed—Cauldreigh that is—he can
persuade himself he has nothing on his conscience—I mean Lord Neil—if he even
has a conscience, which I doubt. He cannot be charged with murder either, or
at least it is highly unlikely. It’s quite perfect.”
    Libbetty looked to Tom and Edwina for help, but their
expressions showed her they did not agree with her. They had obviously
convinced themselves of Lord Neil’s guilt. Edwina was still enthralled by the
thought of capturing Cauldreigh’s interest.
    With Tom, perhaps it only lent some excitement to his daily
routine of studying Greek every morning before he was allowed to go out.
    If only Libbetty could be so easily convinced. She kept
seeing Lord Neil’s dark eyes as he explained Cauldreigh’s illness to her
father. “Well, it wasn’t so perfect if it did not work.” Despite her
ineffectual arguments, the rumors were likely true. Her throat burned.
    Tom and Francis raced ahead of the girls. Libbetty was
forced to a slower pace to provide escort for Edwina, a cautious horsewoman.
    A bright sun shone, but the ground felt springy underfoot
from recent rains. Libbetty breathed in the softly perfumed air, letting it
wash away the taint of their discussion. Masses of plum and pear blossoms lent
their delicate tints of greenish white and snow white to the flat landscape.
It looked like a good crop of fruit would bless the village this harvest
season.
    Edwina wore a new habit of a deep cherry color, set off with
a dashing hat styled like a hussar’s. “I wonder where the aunt who reared him
is now?” the older girl said, bringing up the subject Libbetty thought laid to
rest. “She should not sit tamely by while her sister’s son is done to death.”
    “Lord Cauldreigh is a man now, not a little boy. Presumably
he is capable of taking care of himself,” Libbetty countered.
    “But he has been ill. What if he did not suspect his uncle
previously, and now is too weak to escape? Perhaps Lord Neil is even giving
him some weakening drug.”
    Libbetty looked at her in dismay. Such a thought had not
occurred to her, but it was possible. Perhaps Lord Neil had even given him a
drug before sending him up on the parapet. Her heartbeat slowed as she
pictured Lord Cauldreigh, lying helpless in his bed.
    “I am going to take action to save Lord Cauldreigh’s life,”
said Edwina with an uncharacteristic tone of resolution.
    “What are you going to do?”
    “I do not know as yet. I am trying to think of a plan.
Will you help me, Libbetty?”
    Fixed with the penetrating gaze from those brown eyes,
Libbetty’s own path became clear. She would not help Edwina to trap