Enticing Temptation

Chapter 23

            Cat walked into Myles study a short time later to find a well dressed grayed haired man around fifty seated in front of her husband's desk. "I thought you would have a footman to take my missive to Sir Alex waiting for me, Myles," Cat questioned her husband as she entered the room.

            "You can hand it to him now, in person, Cat," Myles said smiling at the two men rose from their chairs as she came forward. "Sir Alex, my wife, Catherine Cameron, Cat this is Sir Alex Crofton."

            "I'm glad to see you are doing much better today, Countess," Sir Alex told her. "You had this husband of yours very worried last night, you know."

            "So I understand," Cat replied giving Myles a quick glance remembering how upset he was with her this morning. "I am happy to finally meet you, Sir Alex."

            "And I you," Sir Alex replied smiling at her. "Amanda spoke about meeting you before you sailed for China with Captain...the Earl. She did not however inform my wife and me of your marriage."

            "I've had just as hard a time getting used to the title, too," Myles said smiling at Sir Alex. "I've convinced Sir Alex to stay andjoin us for luncheon, Cat. He's much to tell he told me just before you joined us. He should have enough time to relate what he's learned before Crichton announces the meal is ready."

            "I am most anxious to hear what have you learned?" Cat asked right away as she came forward to sit in one of the two chairs in front of Myles's desk, Sir Alex took the other one as Myles sat back down in his chair behind the desk.

            "What is in your missive?" Sir Alex smiled at her a long with his question.

            Cat handed him her missive and waited while he perused it then laid it aside on Myles's desk with a smile aimed toward her.

            "We spent most of the night searching Lord Plympton's house until early this morning and just about to give up when we found papers with Andrew Farthington and Colonel Bishop's names on them along with just a little over fifty thousand pounds under several floorboards in his study where a safe was concealed. One of the papers we found was a missive from Farthington replying to one sent by Plympton saying that he would have Colonel Bishop arrange for your death, Countess, once you arrived in India. The missive was sent from France in October of last year."

            "Probably after he accidently ran into us in Marseille," Myles said. "It was in India that the first attacked on my wife took place."

            "I still don't understand why he wanted me dead or how they would know Bruce was with the Viceroy in Trivandrum?" Why wouldn't they wait until she found her uncle then kill them both, she wondered. Instead of finding the answers she just had more questions now that needed more answers instead.

            "Nothing in the missive sent from Farthington gives a reason for them wanting your death. It simply states that Plympton's orders would be carried out in India. As for knowing you would be in Trivandrum at the same time as the Colonel, it might have been no more than a coincidence. Mr. Farthington might have arranged it without the help of the Colonel if he wasn't there."

            "Yes, I guess you could be right. So my death was ordered before I left England," Cat mused. "I wish I could remember what happened last night?"

            "You have no memory of the events which occurred when you went to meet the unknown man in the missive?" Sir Alex asked her.

            "No," she sighed. "I remember is finding the missive on my dressing table when I went up to bed last night. I remember writing a missive for Myles letting him know where I'd gone and putting the missive I received along with it. I remember handing the missive to our butler as I left the house. I also remember questioning Crichton if he left the missive there for me on my dresser but he said he didn't. The last thing I remember is getting on my horse and leaving our stables in the back mews, but not a single things after that."