Free Curse of the Gypsy by Donna Lea Simpson Page B

roads.
    Darkefell considered his plan of action as they rode east away from Canterbury. “We’ll head directly toward Harecross Hall, Osei, instead of going to Hawk Park first. I will not risk Anne’s life with any delay, for if Hiram Grover is in Kent, it can only have one meaning. He intends to see her dead.”
    “Why would he do such a thing, sir? Perhaps he was in Kent preparatory to making his escape to the Continent. Is that not a more reasonable surmise?”
    Darkefell thought about it. He had taken Hiram’s sending of the family ring to Theo as the last gesture of a man who thought he would end up dead, but could it be as Osei proposed, his last deed before leaving England forever? The man had traveled widely as a wine merchant before settling in Yorkshire after his inheritance. He knew Italian, and could no doubt find a home and employment in Italy among the many English expatriates who had escaped crime or bankruptcy there.
    But still … “No, I really don’t think he has any intention of leaving England. And in any case, I will not risk Anne’s safety, not for anything.”
    Osei didn’t reply. They cantered along the road, the rhythmic sound of the hooves blending with birdsong from the hedgerow to create a country melody. It was odd to speak of such dark things as murder and madness on a lovely spring day in the English countryside, but Darkefell went on to explain his reasoning.
    “I know Hiram Grover, and you should, too, Osei. Has he once looked at you with anything but loathing? He should have begged your forgiveness for the way his hired sailors treated you and the others, but he blamed you and me for his downfall instead of taking the responsibility upon his own shoulders.”
    “That does appear to be his character, my lord.”
    “And now we know more about his finances, that he has no money remaining from his fortune that is not owed to someone. He blames me more than you, and I fear he knows how much Anne means to me.” Anger boiled up in his gut. “He is not man enough to face me, but we already know he is willing to kill an innocent woman to make his point.”
    “You still think Lord Julius followed Mr. Grover to Kent?”
    “Why else would he be so close to Harecross Hall? Grover is after Anne and Julius is after Grover. It explains why my brother left without a word to me; he had no time. I’ll stop Hiram Grover and deliver him back to justice, or kill him myself in the attempt. We must get there quickly!” He spurred his horse to a gallop.

Six
     
    Anne, anxious and unable to settle to anything but the problem at hand, returned to the gypsy camp to check on the condition of Madam Kizzy and try to trace the origin of the illness that had stricken her, Robbie, and Mrs. Jackson. She was alone except for Irusan’s accompaniment, but took a slightly different route and kept her eyes open for someone with a gun. She was convinced, though, that the gunshot was a poacher who would be long gone, but that didn’t stop her from walking more quickly than usual and arriving out of breath.
    Irusan disappeared before she entered the camp, but she had no worry, for he would find her at some point. Anne glanced around the encampment, but most of the gypsy women either would not meet her eye or actively avoided her, hustling their children away at the sight of her strolling through the circle of tents and carts. Anne sought out the young woman who was her best source of information, Florrie, taking dry laundry down from a line near the gypsy mother’s cart. They spoke for a moment, but she seemed abstracted.
    Anne became weary of hedging and decided to be blunt. “Florrie, if you and the others care about Madam Kizzy’s illness, you must tell me about your diet. I only wish to discover what the source of the illness is, not to trap or trick you. Please believe me. What has the mother been eating that the rest of you have not?” Anne said, doing her best to be patient. “I wish to help