Page 38 of A Treacherous Treasure

“I shall do what must be done. A woman should be able to take a walk on her own property without being shot at. I detest men who terrorize other men, but how much worse to threaten a woman.”

“I appreciate your chivalry, Mr. Westbrook, but cannot the Justice of the Peace simply arrest him and put him in jail?”

“That is what I was hoping. I spoke with Mr. Strader, the Justice of the Peace, this morning but he refused to arrest him until after the three of us meet. I am meeting with him and with Mr. Fogg tomorrow at noon, and I trust at that time that the constable will be taken and bound over to the assize.”

“Shall you need me to come with you?”

“Not unless you can swear that the man who was shooting at you was Mr. Fogg.”

“Unfortunately I couldn’t see him well enough. But it certainly could have been Mr. Fogg. He appeared to be the same size and build, although he was too far away for me to say with certainty. I suppose I’m of no use to you. Forgive me.”

“There is nothing to forgive. I thank you for being willing.”

Truly, this was unsettling. Mr. Fogg had been constable since before Rebecca had come there to live, and she’d never heard anything that would have disparaged his character. How could a man committed to uphold the law have so blatantly broken it? Everyone trusted him, which made it all the more vexatious.

“I am sorry this is upsetting your peace,” she said, considering how Thomas must feel. “It is unfair that you must involve yourself in this dangerous matter.”

“Do not trouble yourself. It is a privilege to defend my neighbors, if I am able. I would not be a man if I could not stand up to a troublemaker, thief, and murderer so close to my home. I am only annoyed that I allowed him to be at liberty all this time. I blame myself for not apprehending him when I caught him digging several days ago, but I was trying to wait and see if he would somehow leave evidence . . . It was foolish.”

“You are too hard on yourself.” Rebecca shook her head. “Please do not take on any blame, for I’m sure the Justice of the Peace—Mr. Strader, is it?—should have arrested Mr. Fogg as soon as you informed him of what you saw.”

“Yes, that was my thought as well.”

“This is all very unsettling.” How could they be safe if they could not rely on their Justice of the Peace and constable? “I do hope there is no corruption on the part of the Justice of the Peace.”

“I fear there may be.” Mr. Westbrook’s expression was very grim.

Truly, Rebecca had always thought that a man in Thomas Westbrook’s position—wealthy landholder, from an old, well-respected family—was too powerful for any person to ever be able to harm him. But obviously, with her husband murdered, and with the local authorities unwilling to arrest the person Thomas Westbrook said was responsible, even he was not untouchable.

“I do not like the idea of you being here alone without means of protection,” Thomas said.

For a moment, she was taken aback, but then she said, “I have menservants.”

“But do you know how loyal they are to you? You have not been mistress of Heywood House long.”

“That is true.” Rebecca had been thinking these same thoughts, but she didn’t want to appear cowardly. “I am sure they would not allow harm to come to me. Besides, my mother is coming for a visit and is expected to arrive tomorrow.”Finally,Rebecca added silently. She was so ready to see her mother.

“Will your father or brothers be coming?”

“No, they are all too busy just now.”

“I was hoping you might have a male member of your family come. I do fear for your safety, Mrs. Heywood.”

“As long as I stay in the house, I should be safe, I think.” But she was getting rather tired of not being able to even take a turn about her own grounds.

He sighed, a barely audible sound. “I don’t like this. I shall bring you a gun to keep beside you.”

“I’ve never used a gun before. I don’t know if I’d be able to shoot it.”

“I shall teach you how to use it, just in case you need it.”

“That is very kind of you.” Her heart fluttered a bit, staring at his face. Was he so disinterested and yet concerned about her? She could hardly believe he would want to protect her so much that he would teach her how to use a gun.

But that was just the kind of person he seemed to be. He was kind to everyone. She remembered something his sister Caroline had said once, that he was “kind to everyone except me.” She’d said it playfully, as if in jest, but Rebecca could easily believe the truth behind it, which was that he was kind to servants, tenants, and peers alike.

“There are guns here, in the house.”

Thomas Westbrook gave her a questioning look.