Read Lie by Moonlight for Free Online

gave the one who wielded it great power, but it exacted a heavy price.
    â€œIf you would prefer, we can conduct this conversation in the morning after you have had some rest,” he said, surprising himself with the offer. He had not intended to make it. He wanted answers immediately, not tomorrow. So much had gone wrong today. All of his carefullyconstructed plans had gone up, quite literally, in smoke. A new scheme had to be formulated as swiftly as possible.
    But he could not bring himself to push her any further tonight.
    â€œNo.” She lowered the sherry and faced him resolutely. “I think it would be best if we answered each other’s questions now. To begin, I wish to know how and why you came to be at the castle tonight. What was your purpose there?”
    â€œI have been watching the comings and goings at the castle from the cover of an abandoned farmer’s cottage nearby for twenty-four hours. I was waiting for a certain man to arrive. My informant told me that he was due soon. Tomorrow or the next day at the latest. Given events this evening, I think it is safe to say that it is more than likely that he will not show up, however.”
    â€œWho is this man?”
    â€œAlexander Larkin.” He watched her closely to see if the name meant anything to her.
    Her eyes widened behind the lenses of her spectacles. “I heard the name Larkin spoken occasionally at the castle, but always in hushed whispers. It was clear that I was not meant to overhear any references to him. But tonight his name came up again, in a manner of speaking.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œThe second villain from London, the one who confronted us in the stables, said something about me being a complete fool to think that I could get away with stealing Larkin’s property.” Her fingers tightened visibly on the glass. “He also said . . . well, never mind. It is no longer important.”
    â€œWhat did he also say?” Ambrose prodded gently.
    â€œHe said, ‘You’re a dead woman, that’s what you are.’” She straightened her already very straight shoulders. “What do you know of this Alexander Larkin?”
    â€œHe is one of the most notorious figures in London’s underworld, a master criminal or a sort of crime lord, if you like. He worked his way up from the toughest streets in the city. He now lives the life of a wealthy gentleman, but he lacks any genuine social connections and, of course, is not received in Society.”
    â€œAll of the trappings of the upper classes but not a part of that world.” She turned the sherry glass between her palms as though trying to warm her fingers. “Just like any other wealthy man who made his fortune in trade, I suppose.”
    â€œHe is certainly in trade. Larkin has financial interests in a variety of illegal enterprises including brothels and opium dens. He has been suspected in a number of murders over the years. But he has always been extremely careful to keep a discreet distance between himself and his criminal activities. The result is that the police have never been able to obtain enough evidence to arrest him.”
    Her mouth tightened. “That would appear to confirm my students’ theory about what happened to my predecessor at the castle.”
    â€œThere was another teacher before you?”
    â€œYes. A Miss Bartlett. She was there for only a few weeks. One afternoon Rimpton and his companion arrived at the castle. That night the girls were locked in their bedroom. When they were let out the next morning, Miss Bartlett was gone. So were the two men from London.The castle staff told the girls that Miss Bartlett had been dismissed from her post and that the men had escorted her, together with her trunk, to the train station very early that morning. But the girls were convinced that the men had done something terrible to Miss Bartlett.”
    â€œWhat made them