* * *
Jim rested his back against a tree trunk. “You’ve got to come back, our Dace. There’s mischief brewing. Someone is stopping carriages, dressed like a highwayman. Everyone thinks it’s you.”
“Why would they think that?” Dace asked, though he knew his youthful escapade had been whispered about for years.
“Who else would stop people and then not steal anything?” Jim shook his head. “They think you are searching for Lady Felmont and, if she is not returned to the Folly soon, there are some as think Mr. Whittaker should investigate.”
“Hellfire! It couldn’t be Con, could it? Is he pretending to be me, to have me charged with highway robbery? But why hasn’t he robbed anyone? It doesn’t make sense.”
“That’s what I said. Some think you’ve gone insane and killed Lady Felmont and buried her body on the fell. That you’ve lost your wits and are searching for her, just like your uncle looked for his dead wife.”
“Nonsense! But I know how rumors spread and have a life of their own. There is no help for it, we must return. I shall be sorry to do it. I wonder if Lizzie will feel the same?”
James snorted a laugh. “I bet Lady Felmont wants to see her house again. She must be right tired of looking at you all the time.”
“Your confidence in my power to appeal to my wife is encouraging, Jim. Shall I toss you in the river to teach you how to swim?”
Lizzie Tempest Ruins A Viscount (Felmont Brides Series Book 1) Page 59