Free The Notorious Widow by Allison Lane Page A

and paying for service?” She glared until he acknowledged that truth with a nod. “Carruthers’s crime was not calming Dougan’s fury but understanding Jasper’s ways. Beyond that, he discussed Jasper’s misdeeds with others. Jasper is attacking me for the same reason. Turning down his advances would have drawn a reprisal, but it is my knowledge of his other attacks that drove him to destroy me.”
    “He fears exposure.” It fit with his own thoughts, though the apparent depth of that fear still surprised him.
    “It is not fear so much as annoyance. Carruthers could never undermine his credit – he is merely a tradesman, so who would believe him? But Jasper would have to spend time refuting the charges.”
    “How awful,” he said with a sarcastic snort. “It would divert him from worthy endeavors like seducing girls and damaging property.”
    She laughed, but quickly sobered. “You forget that understanding him destroys respect.” Her head shook. “Another attack occurred just before harvest. Jasper and several friends destroyed a tenant’s grain fields in a reckless midnight race. Jones had complained to Lord Rankin’s steward after another of Jasper’s rides disrupted the planting last spring.”
    “Yet he waited several months.”
    “If he had retaliated immediately, Jones could have repaired the damage and realized a reasonable profit from the crop. By waiting, he inflicted severe losses that will cause distress for at least a year.”
    “I cannot believe anyone would be that devious.” Nor did he believe that a man would do so much harm for so little cause – and so little personal gain. The long wait eliminated anger as a factor.
    “That was my first reaction when I heard the earlier stories,” she admitted. “But the pattern of abuse is clear. Take Jones. Four fields were destroyed, though the plots were widely scattered. Yet no other tenant suffered the least bit of damage.”
    “None?”
    “Not one, though the smallest of Jones’s plots is surrounded by other fields and can be reached only by a narrow path. High-spirited riders indulging in a cross-country race would hardly enter and leave in a single line along the same trail.”
    “Persuasive evidence, so why would others believe it was an accident?”
    “Jasper claims he sobered up enough to realize what they were doing, so he forced his companions to leave in an orderly fashion. He has been praised for his concern and swift action.”
    Blake shook his head. The gossips of Exeter must lack reason.
    Catherine continued. “Another fact is that every victim provoked him, though few did so wittingly. If he was merely careless or subject to high spirits, that would not be the case.”
    “And this has been going on for years.”
    “Two or three instances a year that I know of. Sometimes more. It may have been more when he was younger. Since the lower classes rarely travel – some of our villagers have never even seen Exeter, though it is barely four miles away – it would have taken time for word to spread. Now the lower classes for miles around are so cowed they avoid him, reducing the potential for irritation. But there is nothing you can do to stop him. I doubt even his father could control him anymore. Jasper believes the man is an old fool whose best contribution to the world would be to die.”
    “I can see why the task is so formidable,” Blake said, frowning. Though he had peppered her with skeptical questions, he believed her. Yet few would. And others would applaud Jasper’s ability to control the lower classes. Fear of the French contagion permeated society. French émigrés were always at hand, a perpetual reminder of what could happen when people forgot their place.
    He shook his head, taking a turn about the room while he digested her information. Despite her misgivings, he must try to stop Jasper. But it would be difficult. The man ruled by fear, forcing people into servility. By mimicking the heedless behavior of