The Secret of Hollyfield House by Jude Bayton (first ebook reader TXT) 📕

you over the day we met, for you have done nothing but bring me strife since you set foot in my house.” She pulled hard on the oars, heading straight for the centre of the lake.

And then all at once, everything started to make sense. “You are not taking me to see Peggy, are you, Evergreen?”

Her pretty eyes gleamed with malice. “Of course not. You really are quite stupid, Jillian—or perhaps gullible is the better word.”

“And you have no intention of ever helping your brother, Billy.”

Her face flushed red with indignation. My using the word ‘brother’ hit the mark. Instantly agitated, she scowled.

“As far as I am concerned that imbecile can swing. Imagine having a half-wit for a brother?” She laughed, and the sound was maniacal. “With him out of the way, Dominic can return to London and his painting. We can be together, and I shall introduce him to society. He’ll make quite a name for himself.”

I did not take her bait. “You are completely mistaken.” I responded, forcing my voice to remain calm though my heart hammered against my ribs. “Should anything happen to Billy Wolfe, Dominic would never leave the farm. He would be too heart-broken.”

She stopped rowing and glowered at me. “And how would you know? I’ve loved Dominic for years, since I was a child! You’ve spent a handful of weeks with him. That does not equate to your knowing him better than I. Dominic has always been in love with me.”

“You are wrong. You mistake the infatuation of a boy for the passion of a man. The only person Dominic loves beyond measure, is Billy. And do not forget, Dominic knows much of what you have been up to. Would he ever forgive a woman who contributed to the incarceration of his brother? Think about it. After all, do you not feel that way about Perry? You would do absolutely anything for him, wouldn’t you?”

And then the penny dropped. The little scrap of information that had rested just out of reach in my brain finally revealed itself. It was love—everything that had occurred had happened because of love.

“You killed Flynn. Didn’t you, Evergreen? You discovered he was blackmailing Marik and Perry, and you had to protect your brother.”

Her expression did not change. She stared at me as we floated aimlessly out into the middle of the vast lake.

I continued, “You were seeing Flynn, meeting him at the boathouse. But when Marik confided that Flynn was blackmailing him, threatening to expose he and Perry’s homosexuality, you decided to get rid of him. How did you manage it?”

Her face remained impassive—and then she grinned. Not the smile of the person who had bought me tea and crumpets all those weeks ago when we first met. Or the girl who laughed as we shopped for hats in Kendal. The woman who faced me in a small boat, isolated upon the waters of Lake Windemere, smiled at me like the madwoman she was.

“You think yourself so damn clever, don’t you, Jillian? So clever that you have come out here alone and your fate rests in my hands.” She paused, as though considering her options.

My mind raced ahead, composing what actions she planned to take and what I could do? Yet though I was frightened, I was sick and tired of her games. It was time for her to tell me the truth.

“Not as astute as you believe yourself to be, Evergreen.” I taunted. “You think yourself infallible, yet ultimately you have been bested by a mere blacksmith.”

That got her. Her upper lip rose in a snarl, I had managed to land a hit to her fragile ego.

“Flynn, was an utter moron,” she said. “But he was a wonderful lover. So passionate, so handsome. I knew he was a rotten scoundrel when he couldn’t wait to tell me all about Louisa. She had fallen for the man—the stupid sap. Yet I’ll admit, it was deliciously fun stealing him away from her.” Evergreen arched a brow. “I didn’t care one whit about Jareth. He meant absolutely nothing to me, other than a welcome distraction to my boring existence here in this godforsaken village. He was just an amusement, someone to play with. Until he became a liability.”

She tilted her lovely face up at the sun and sighed with pleasure. “I do so love it out on the water.” She looked back at me. “When I ended our liaison, Flynn threatened to tell my father about our affair. Well, I could not have that, could I? Especially after London. But really, it was all Marabelle’s fault. She started the whole mess.”

“Marabelle?” A shiver passed through me.

“Yes. The self-righteous bitch. She had caught Marik and Perry together, in flagrante and planned to tell Father. She threatened Marik and demanded money. The woman was obsessed with becoming the matriarch of the family. Marik told me what had happened, and so I confronted her. I said, in return for her silence, I would help ingratiate her with my father. That I would encourage his attentions towards her if she kept the boys’ secret.

“It would have ended there, except Jareth Flynn spotted Marik and my brother at the waterfall one evening while on his way to meet me. He planned to approach Perry with his demands, but Marik intercepted and dealt with him instead. I met Marik in the woods, and he gave me Flynn’s blackmail letter. I tore it up and tossed it away.”

My mind conjured up the image of the pieces of note Billy had found and hidden.

“Marabelle was keeping her end of our bargain. My only problem was with Flynn. He might expose Perry’s love for Marik and tell Father about his previous involvement with me.” Evergreen gave a sigh and smiled at me. She was enjoying herself. Now she had started I could see she could not stop. It was as though she had bragging rights. She was insane.

“I sent for Jareth. I told him I missed him, that I couldn’t