Twenty-two

Lord Harcourt's housekeeper bustled into the guest bedchamber where the miller's wife had been ensconced and, with a wave of her thin hand, shooed away the pair of maids who, after her morning meal, had bathed and freshly gowned the young woman.

"You have visitors, Mrs. Elston," Mrs. Rosedale announced with a pleasant smile. "Lord and Lady Randwulf have come to see how you are, and of course, my employer, Lord Harcourt, is inquiring into your health this morning as well. Are you up to seeing anyone after your ordeal?"

"I must look terrible," Felicity replied, clasping a hand to her bruised face.

Mrs. Rosedale smiled. "My dear, if most young ladies looked half as fine when they're at their prettiest as you do after being so sorrowfully used, then this would be a very fine world indeed."

Felicity smiled, but immediately winced as she was harshly reminded of the cut on her lip. For the moment she could bear no more display of enthusiasm and carefully responded to the housekeeper's inquiry. "I'd be honored by such a visit."

The young woman whom Felicity had once imagined thatshe detested swept into the room with a smile and a large bouquet of flowers. Following close on her heels was her handsome husband. Lord Riordan sauntered in behind them at a more leisurely pace and came to stand at the end of the huge Gothic bed as the couple approached the invalid's bedside.

"You're looking quite remarkable in spite of the recent trauma you've been through, Miss Felicity," Adriana bade cheerily. "I should hope to fare so well under similar circumstances."

"Thank you, my lady. You're very kind to visit me after my hateful behavior toward you. Please forgive my foolishness."

"All is forgiven, Miss Felicity," Adriana said kindly and, reaching out, gently squeezed her hand. Then she laughed as she indicated the bouquet she carried. "We stole these from Mama Philana's garden. Aren't they lovely?"

"Oh, yes, they're beautiful," Felicity agreed, thankful she was alive to see such a wondrous array of flowers.

Adriana handed them to the smiling housekeeper. "I'm sure you're better at arranging these than I am, Mrs. Rosedale. Would you be so kind? My sisters always demeaned my lack of ladylike talents." She chuckled deviously as she lifted her elegant chin. "Aye, but I often enjoyed my revenge when they tried to remain seated in a sidesaddle while racing over the hills and vales we traversed."

Felicity's eyes dropped to the gentle protrusion underneath Adriana's shawl and grew suddenly misty-eyed before she averted her face.

"It's all right," Adriana soothed gently, catching the young woman's glance. Reaching out, she rubbed Felicity's arm sympathetically. Riordan had told them everything, sparing the blonde the difficult task. "You'll have another baby by a husband who'll treat you like a rare treasure, mark my words."

"Where is Roger now?" Felicity asked, searching the faces of her three visitors. "Have the authorities been able to find him?"

"Not yet, Miss Felicity," Colton said, settling an arm behind his wife's back as he stepped to her side. "I imagine Roger lit out for places unknown when he received news that you hadbeen found alive. He'll likely be afraid to show his face in the area."

"Nevertheless, I won't feel safe until he's caught."

Riordan pulled up two more chairs for Colton and himself as Adriana settled into the wing chair in which he had ensconced himself the night before. Smiling at Felicity, he stated, "I've told the Wyndhams everything we discussed last night and our theories about the elder Lord Randwulf's death. Have you been able to recall anything more that may be of further value to them?"

"I'm afraid not," Felicity murmured sadly. "Had I known sooner what Roger was doing, I may have been able to save Miss Mayes, but I wasn't aware of his murderous attempts on the Wyndhams until he admitted taking his revenge. As far as I'm aware, he had only met Miss Mayes for the first time when she came into the shop at the mill." Felicity turned to meet Colton's gaze. "Was she a friend of yours? She said she knew you."

"I became acquainted with Miss Mayes a number of years ago," he acknowledged. "We were friends until some months ago, at which time she led me to believe she had died giving birth to my daughter." He reached across to gently squeeze his wife's hand. "Since then, there has been evidence to indicate that the girl I was led to think was mine is actually the offspring of my cousin who was killed when their coach overturned. The child was taken shortly after her birth and later presented to me as my own progeny. We're still searching for the woman who actually stole the babe away and later delivered her to Pandora. Frankly, I doubt that either woman was cognizant of our relationship to the child. However, I do consider it something of a miracle that Genevieve is where she belongs, for she has no blood kin other than my mother, my sister, Uncle Alistair, and myself."

Felicity was amazed that Lord Colton could be so frank about his liaison with Pandora. "I shall not breathe a word of this to anyone, my lord. I may have been foolish once, but I was forced to grow up under difficult circumstances while living with Roger. I now regret being cosseted by my father. I should've more closely adhered to my mother's instructions rather than to his. I'd truly be honored if you and Lady Adriana were to forgive my past offenses and consider me as a dedicated ally."

Under Adriana's smiling regard, Colton reached across and squeezed the young woman's hand. "We would be pleased to have you as a friend, Miss Felicity. Although fairly soon we must be going to our home in London since Parliament is in session, your visits there would be greatly welcomed. As my wife nears her time, we'll be going out less, and would enjoy your company if you're of such a mind to travel that distance. We'll be returning here to the area about the middle of August, at which time we'll be neighbors again."

"Have you a preference as to the gender of your child?" Felicity asked tentatively. "I was hoping for a daughter myself…." She could not bring herself to continue and, in the following moment, found Adriana's hand replacing Colton's and gently squeezing hers.

"It would be nice if we had a boy to continue the Wyndham dynasty," Adriana explained. "After that, whether girl or boy, we'll be grateful for whatever will be born to us. I think we both would enjoy having a large family. ‘Tis sure, with the scarcity of Wyndham kin, we need to have a houseful."

Colton grinned as he boasted, "After all the animals my sister and wife rescued when they were young, I'm sure they'll both prove wonderful mothers. I've already seen evidence of that with Genie. She loves my wife as dearly as she would a mother."

A subtle rap of knuckles on the chamber door and a prompt response from Riordan preceded Mrs. Rosedale's entrance into the room. All eyes turned to mark her advance as she came toward the bed, smiling brightly as she bore the enormous bouquet of flowers beautifully arranged in an elegant vase.

"Have you ever seen such lovely blossoms?" the older woman warbled. "Makes me wish I were a gardener."

"I'm glad you're not, Mrs. Rosedale, or else I'd be out the best housekeeper in these parts," Riordan quipped with a grin.

"Oh, don't waste yer time sweet-talkin' me, ye handsome rogue," the woman teased with an infectious chortle. "I'm too old for ye ta flatter. Ye'd be better off devoting your attention ta either Miss Felicity or her ladyship instead o' tryin' ta wheedle a smile from me."

Riordan grinned at the beautiful invalid with the loosely curling blond hair flowing across the pillows. "Well, since her ladyship is already married, I guess I shall have to bestow my consideration upon Miss Felicity, seeing as how she'll be coming available in the not-too-distant future."

Colton smiled wryly. "Just make sure your decanters are all tightly sealed to keep the contents pure, at least until Roger is imprisoned. One never knows where culprits might be lurking."

Alice Cobble was not nearly so difficult to bear when she was facing a charge of murder. She seemed almost humble and contrite as she sat in the presence of her former employer while guards stood near enough to ensure their prisoner didn't misbehave or attempt an escape, though there was little chance of that. She confessed all, but denied she had killed the lady who had given birth to the girl child.

"I was makin' me way past the bridge when I caught sight o' the carriage comin' down the road an' men on ‘orseback chasin' aftah it. I nearly broke me bloomin' neck, jumpin' off'n the bridge in time ta save meself from ‘ose miscreants. Just ‘bout ‘at time the team come free an' the coach went careenin' o'er the edge. I hid ‘hind some trees near the bridge an' watched as the soldiers climbed down ta search the coach. Well, pretty soon ‘ey lit out, an ‘at's when I decided ta ‘ave a look-see at wha' maybe ‘ey left behind. ‘Ere I was, wit' a dead chit in me satchel an' no idea ‘ows I was gonna find ‘nother ta give Miss Pandora so's I'd gets me money. Well, me luck proved good for a bloomin' change. I sneaked a look inta the coach an' seen the liedy astrainin' down like she was gonna bear the li'l bugger right ‘way, so's I thought ta meself I'd ‘elp ‘er deliver the babe an' then switch it wit' me own dead chit. Well, ‘ere weren't no real need for me ta worry what theliedy'd think aftahward, considerin' she was near dead. She died aftah the babe slipped free, so's I took the li'l tike as me own, an' left me li'l boy aside the liedy. By then, I'd already painted the mark on ‘is hind end jes' like Miss Pandora's brother said for me ta do. They tol' me ta put the mark on regular like in months ta come, usin' the patterns what ‘er brother made, an' lettin' ‘em sorta grow wit' the chit, so's Miss Pandora could come back ta fleece yu regular like once she returned wit' her rich fella. I heared some rumors ‘bout ‘er bein' cast off by the bloke what found a younger liedy more ta ‘is likin', an' ‘ere yu're tellin' me today Miss Pandora's been murdered by an ornery miller."

Colton peered at the hag. "Did you happen to know the rector who was there the night Pandora supposedly died?"

"Aye, we ‘ad it all worked out, jes' like a play, yu might say. Miss Pandora's brother played the part o' Rev'ren Goodfella. Jocks were a real wily li'l critter, ‘at ‘e were, more'n ‘alf as young as ‘e made ‘imself out ta be ‘at night. O' course, the way Miss Pandora painted ‘im up, not e'en ‘is own ma could've guessed ‘is age."

"And the marriage certificate? Was it a forgery?"

"Aye, Jocks were real clever ‘bout doin' ‘at kind o' stuff. I seen ‘em fixin' it up meself. Whilst ‘e was doin' ‘at, Miss Pandora boasted a lot ‘bout what Jocks ‘ad done in the past. ‘E seemed ta think ‘e were a real smart fella, ‘e did, but ‘ey also said ye nearly carped ‘im when ye caught men sellin' English arms ta the French."

Colton sat back in his chair, remembering that incident very well. Only one of the thieves had been able to escape, and that had only been because a strumpet had enticed English soldiers to watch her lewd dance instead of the prisoner. Though the men had only described her at the time, Colton now considered the possibility that they had been entertained by none other than Pandora Mayes.

"Why didn't Pandora just ask a real rector to come and marry us?" Colton had also been wondering about that possibility long before he had heard evidence to prove his theoriescorrect. "That would've been the simplest thing to do, and then Pandora would've had real proof of our marriage."

Alice Cobble cackled in glee. "Yu don' thinks yu were the only bloke what she pretended ta marry, do ye? She tricked some real ‘igh an' ‘aughty lords so's she could threaten ta bring ‘em down ta the gutter wit' what she knew ‘bout ‘em if'n they didn't give ‘er what she asked for, only some o' ‘em first fellas she really did get hitched ta, wit' proper licenses an' all. Accordin' ta rumors I heared ‘bout her, she were a real looker back maybe eight or ten years ago, an' she ‘ad ‘em ‘ristocrats feedin' out o' ‘er hand, so ta speak. Then she wed this ‘ere real wise ‘awk, a magistrate, ‘e were, jealous ta ‘is very bone. ‘E started lookin' inta ‘er past, an' learned ‘e weren't the only one what she'd married. She'd been wed ‘most as many times as ‘e ‘ad toes. Well, ‘e threatened ta cut ‘er up an' feed ‘er ta the fishes, so's she skedaddled fo' ‘er life. Aftah ‘at, Pandora was kinda skeered ta be callin' on rectors what'd turn ‘round an' file papers in places where this ‘ere magistrate could look ‘em o'er."

"Didn't this magistrate know she worked at the theatre?"

"Aye, ‘e did, at least whilst theys were sparkin' together." Alice cackled in glee. "Aftah ‘is ‘awk got real mean, Pandora ‘ad Jocks an' a friend watchin' for the bloke, an' whene'er they'd see ‘im comin', Pandora'd pay ‘er understudy ta perform an' say she'd been ‘ere all along, pretendin' ta be Pandora."

"How do you know all this?"

Chortling, Alice laid a grimy finger to her temple. " ‘Cause I'm clever, I am, an' gots ears ta ‘ear. ‘At's what I do best, listenin' in on folks, jes' like I knowed yur ma an' yu wanted ta gits ‘nother wet nurse ta replace me. Whilst I weren't cleanin' the theatre, it tickled me fancy ta listen in on Miss Pandora an' ‘er lovers. Don't remember yu, though, maybe ‘cause yu were off fightin' the war so much. Pandora an' Jocks talked many a night when ‘ey thought no one was ‘round. ‘Ey were real cozy, yu might say."

Colton cocked a brow at the hag in silent question.

Alice cackled at his shocked expression. "Like two lovebirds, ‘ey were."

Colton shook his head, wondering how in the world he had ever let himself get mixed up with such a woman. For too long he had considered himself safe because of Pandora's claims of being barren, but like all the rest of the fools she had led along on her silken string, he hadn't realized just how great an actress she had really been. It was probably a miracle that he hadn't come down with something that would've ruined him for the rest of his life. "And Jocks? What happened to him?"

"Latest word is ‘e gots ‘isself killed in a knife fight shortly aftah Pandora went ta Bradford."

Having been burdened by a pressing desire to hurry home to his wife almost from the time he had departed, Colton excused himself momentarily from Alice and went to discuss the accusations against the scruffy woman with one of the officers in charge. "In this instance, I'm convinced that the crone is telling the truth. In view of the fact that my cousin's husband and driver were both killed when their carriage came free of the four-in-hand and overturned, there is no reason for me to believe that my cousin would've survived the crash without also suffering fatal injuries. If Alice hadn't come along and helped the lady deliver her child, likely her daughter also would've died. Therefore, if you have no other charges against the woman other than what I've laid against her, then in my opinion she can be released. Should you feel a need to question her further, I'm sure she'll be at the theatre where you found her working."

Returning to the room where he had left the hag, Colton dropped a small purse upon the table before her. "This is a reward for saving Genie, but if I ever see you anywhere around Randwulf Manor, Bradford on Avon, or my home in London, I'll have you arrested for sheer spite. Do you understand me?"

"‘At I do, gov'nor," Alice assured him, totally convinced that he was serious. "I thank yu kindly for the coins, an' yu can bet I'll be keepin' me distance from yu. Ain't no reason for me ta leave the theatre an' trot on o'er ta where yu live or ta ‘at li'l hole in the wall yu call Bradford."

"Good. Then we understand each other."

Startled upward from an afternoon nap, Adriana sat with a hand clasped over her palpitating heart as her eyes carefully searched the familiar nooks and crannies of the spacious bedchamber that she shared with her husband. Nothing seemed different, everything appeared to be in its place.Yet something had snatched her awake. Whether it had only been a bad dream or some distant sound, she could not say, but the lingering impression now hovering in her mind was of a sound similar to the mourning moan of an animal that had just lost its lifelong mate.

"Leo? Aris? Are you there?"

No answering bark or similar reassuring response from the animals was heard. In fact, the house seemed strangely, almost deathly quiet. Colton had left for London very early the previous day to talk with Alice. Having had no desire to sit in on that conversation, or endure the lengthy ride in a jouncing carriage when their baby seemed especially restless and wont to roll and twist in her womb, Adriana had begged to be excused from the trip in spite of the fact that her husband had been totally against the idea of leaving her. While Roger was still free to commit mayhem, Colton had argued, it wasn't safe for her to be alone. Even when she had smilingly reminded him there were many, many servants in and about the house, his concern for her welfare remained of paramount importance to him. She was tired, she had admitted when he had kept insisting, and might just sleep the day through, which had definitely been her intentions while he was gone. If he wanted to stay home and watch her sleep, she had said with a coy smile, then that was entirely up to him. But, of course, there was the matter of Alice to deal with, and he could do that more efficiently without her tagging along or delaying his progress with her frequent trips to the privy. Reluctantly he had acquiesced but had given Harrison implicit instructions that everyone in the house should watch over their young mistress and, if necessary, guard her with their lives. Maud had fervently assured him that she would stay near.

Samantha's time was near at hand, and shortly after Colton had left for London, Philana had departed in the opposite direction for the Burkes' country residence where she planned to stay until her grandchild was born. Samantha had been pleading for her to come and spend some time with them anyway, Philana had explained, and this seemed her best opportunity yet.

Leaving the enormous Jacobean bed, Adriana slipped a silken wrapper over her chemise and brushed out her long hair, allowing the softly curling tresses to flow freely down her back. Departing the master's chambers, she progressed toward the staircase. She was anxious to alleviate the sudden trepidation that had swept over her and to affirm that everything was just as it should be in the manor. She had no idea when Colton would actually return. He had only told her that he would rush back as soon as he concluded his business with Alice. Having had a fair sampling of how ornery and difficult the woman could be, Adriana didn't hold out any hope that he'd be home soon enough to please her, or in any kind of good humor after questioning the vexatious hag.

Adriana's slippered feet beat a rapid staccato on the stairs as she made her descent. When she came to light upon the marble floor in the massive great hall, she glanced around apprehensively, hearing nothing, seeing no one. By rights, she should've heard some sound from the servants as they went about their duties or even the patter of rushing feet as they hurried through the manse. Instead, the house was as quiet as a tomb.

"Harrison? Where are you?"

No answer came, giving rise to a goading fear. Harrison was entirely dedicated to the family. Had he been able to, he would've responded to her call.

Throwing caution to the wind, Adriana raced through the archway leading into the vestibule and snatched open the front door. Stepping beyond the portico, she glanced about the immediate grounds. No one was in sight, not even the gardeners.

In deepening confusion, she returned to the interior and glanced briefly toward one end of the drawing room beforewandering back to the massive great hall. There she turned slowly about in a circle as her eyes swept the corridors and probed the nooks and crannies beyond the stone archways surrounding the central room on both levels. There was absolutely no sign of any servant, much less Harrison.

In renewed determination, Adriana decided that she had to be more methodical in her search and began in that endeavor by returning to the drawing room, this time entering it rather than merely glancing into it. She had barely moved past the tall wing chair residing near the entrance when she halted with a sudden gasp, espying Harrison's crumpled form in front of the massive fireplace. A thin trickle of blood trailed from his temple into his gray hair, causing her heart to lurch with sudden fear.

Flying across the room with her dressing gown spreading outward like giant wings, Adriana knelt beside the steward and frantically searched for some sign of life. Greatly relieved by the steady pulse she found beneath his stiffly starched shirt-cuff, she sought to reassure herself that he had not been assaulted but had merely stumbled and hit his head. Considering his advancing years, there was always that possibility. Yet, after straightening his thin legs and placing a pillow beneath the elder's head, she espied a diminutive, blood-smeared marble bust lying on the floor near the corner of the marble hearth. Its present location and somewhat gory condition was enough to send her apprehension soaring, for that particular bust usually sat on a table near the entrance to the room.

Leaving the man, Adriana hurried downstairs to the kitchen to fetch a bowl of water and a cloth with which to cleanse his wound, but when she entered, she promptly halted, seeing it completely devoid of those who usually worked there. Even so, water was boiling in several pots, and in a large bowl whipped egg whites had begun to lose their consistency.

"Cook? Where are you?"

Silence continued to reign unbroken, congealing her fear into a cold, hard lump in her throat.

Of a sudden, Adriana realized her heart was thudding against the wall of her chest. An abandoned kitchen at Randwulf

Manor was definitely not normal. Indeed, as tightly as Cook ran her domain as well as the help allotted her, preparations should've been in progress for the evening meal.

Catching sight of a pitcher of water, Adriana snatched it up, grabbed a cloth and a small shallow basin, and then ran out. In spite of its length, she was sure her hair was standing on end as she hastened upstairs again.

At the entrance to the drawing room, she momentarily set aside the items she had collected and dragged the wing chair away from the doorway, providing herself with an unobstructed view of the passageway and the great hall beyond it. She had no wish to be caught unawares by an intruder in the same manner as Harrison had.

Collecting the items she had brought from the kitchen, Adriana knelt beside the elderly butler and began bathing the blood from his temple and cheek, all the while keeping a wary eye out for the culprit whom she now feared was lurking somewhere within the house. All she could think about was Roger, and the people he had poisoned. Somehow he had managed to get past the dogs and slip into the house. As much as that idea terrified her, it seemed the only logical explanation for Harrison being unconscious and the servants missing.

As many times as she glanced toward the drawing room entrance, absolutely no one came within range of her vision. Realizing that her fears were mounting with each passing moment, Adriana resolved to search the house from end to end in a quest to find some help. Someone of a friendly nature had to be in the house! He just had to be!

"Aris? Leo? Where are you? Come here, boys!" she called, desperately hoping she'd hear their toenails clicking against the marble floor as they responded to her summons. "Oh, please, please come…."

Then the thought dawned. Perhaps Roger had poisoned the animals! He had always been afraid of them. How better to dispense with the pair than to poison them! But how? He'd be too afraid to approach them. Even if he did, they'd never take anything from his hand.

The terrifying thought sent her flying down the corridor toward the gallery where the pair enjoyed sunning themselves. Reaching the archways that served to divide the room from the corridor, she peered within. Although less brilliant than in the winter, the strange configurations of colored lights streamed into the room, making it difficult to accurately discern what was real and was not. Holding up a hand to shade her face from the subdued radiance, she moved past the entrance, not at all certain what she'd find.

"Aris? Leo? Are you here?"

"As a matter of fact, my dear, they are," a familiar voice replied, snatching a startled gasp from her. Frantically she glanced about, searching out the devil who had entered her home.

"Roger! What are you doing here?" she demanded, her spine prickling with fright as she espied him sitting much like a king in a large wing chair. He looked very lofty, smug, and amused. Obviously he was enormously pleased with himself.

Searching back through her memory, Adriana wondered how she could have overlooked his presence in her anxious quest to find servants. Yet even this late into spring, the sun still created strangely deceptive shafts of light that confused the eye. Less than a month from now, that problem would cease, at least until the coming of late autumn. She was now convinced that Roger had been sitting exactly where he was for some time, no doubt smirking in demented amusement as he watched her dashing hither and yon.

"I've come to pay my respects, my beauty," he stated, seeming very self-possessed. His eyebrow arched to a lofty height at the scar that fractured it as his eyes lowered to her rounded stomach. Then his upper lip lifted in a disdainful sneer. "I see your husband has been taking his pleasure of you, my dear, but I can almost promise you by the time I'm finished with you, that little part of him will be dead."

Clasping a trembling hand over her belly, Adriana stumbled back, her heart chilling with fear. Once again, she searched about with her eyes, wondering why she had heard nothingfrom the dogs, and then gasped in sudden agonizing horror as she found them both lying on the floor beyond Roger. Their tongues hung unnaturally out of their mouths as they lay sprawled upon their sides. She had no other recourse but to believe they were dead.

"You've killed them!" she railed, tears filling her eyes. "You foul, stinking son-of-a-bastard!" At the moment, it was the worst name she could think of, but almost as soon as it came out of her mouth, Adriana realized it didn't sound quite the same way that Shakespeare had phrased his defamation in King Lear and had to conclude that she had probably besmirched the man's talents by seriously misquoting the insult. Nevertheless, her slander suited this particular popinjay perfectly, considering the insinuated affront made its descent from the sire rather than from the mother.

"I certainly hope so, and as you can see"—Roger casually swept a hand about to indicate the pair—"‘twould seem so in spite of the fact that I was in somewhat of a rush to leave the mill after receiving word that my wife was still alive. I had cause to momentarily reflect on whether I had grabbed the right bottle from the chest of little treasures that Thaddeus Manville has been keeping well stocked for me. In my haste, some of the contents sloshed over the outside of the vial, smearing the ink so badly I could no longer read the writing, but in any case, whether I inadvertently picked up the laudanum instead of the poison, the animals cannot help you now."

"Aris and Leo would never have taken anything from your hand!" she declared. "How did you manage it?"

The miller chortled in amusement, as if truly reveling in his clever feat. "I searched about the area outside the manse for the dogs' most recent kill, knowing they'd go back to it. I dribbled poison over it and then waited. They returned to the house soon after feeding upon their spoils and were let in by Harrison, as is his usual wont. If the dogs are not already dead, I'm sure they will be in time. I don't make too many mistakes."

"How did you get in?"

"I slipped in behind the scullery maid after she went to collect vegetables from the cold bin. Once we gained the kitchen, I held her hostage with a pistol pressed to her temple and threatened to shoot her or the first one who moved. Now they're all snugly locked up in the cold bin outside, along with the gardeners and the vegetables."

"And the rest of the servants?"

"Oh, I had the scullery maid summon them downstairs, too. She didn't want to, poor little thing, but the pistol barrel boring into her cheek convinced her that she'd better cooperate or else. Except for poor Harrison, all the other servants are in the cold bin, including your maid who received a large bump on her noggin for trying to attack me. She fell like a plummeting stone."

"And Harrison? What did you do to him?"

"Well, I thought I could sneak up behind him, but for an old man he has amazingly keen hearing. After he caught sight of me, he ran to get the iron poker from the fireplace, but I threw a small statue at him and took him down with a blow to the head. Is he alive?"

"Barely."

"Too bad. I thought I had killed him."

"You're evil, Roger. Very, very evil. When I think that you murdered Lord Randwulf because of me …"She searched her mind for a way to make him fully aware of the remorse and agony she had recently suffered after learning he had poisoned the elder. Her eyes hardening, she looked at him coldly. "I can only plead to God that I'm forgiven for ever allowing you to follow me here. I should've declared you a nuisance long before you ever thought of murdering Lord Randwulf. How could you have done such a horrible thing to that fine gentleman? He never did you any harm."

"Didn't he?" Roger shot back, growing incensed. "He tried to separate us! He couldn't stand the idea that you would marry someone other than his precious son! Well, that was enough motive for me!"

"As you have since discovered, Roger, his death availed you nothing," she pointed out acidly. "I would never have marriedyou. You were merely an acquaintance, and certainly not a very commendable one. You were disagreeable and petulant, short of temper with anyone who seemed even remotely interested in me, yet most of them were friends I had known all my life or nearly so. In fact, you were envious of people I never would've considered marrying."

"I hated them all, especially Lord Sedgwick and that other one you married. Lord Colton!" Roger's upper lip lifted in a contemptuous sneer. "I loathe him more than anyone. I tried to poison him, too, but from what I hear, the Jennings slut helped herself to the brandy I spiked with poison the afternoon he returned home."

Adriana swept her gaze scathingly over the miller. "‘Twould seem you used any petty excuse to kill those you consider your enemies, Roger, even Pandora Mayes, whom you sought to hold captive for your own sordid little pleasures. As much as I pitied you for what you once suffered as a boy, that is no longer the case. You're not worthy of anybody's compassion. In fact, you're nothing but a spineless coward. Your very presence here in the home of that grand gentleman you murdered sickens me to the core." Her own lips turned, clearly conveying the revulsion she felt toward him. " ‘Twould have been a merciful act for the world had you been killed right along with your mother when your father ran her down with a livery. You and your father are truly alike, both vile, depraved, wicked murderers!"

"What are you talking about?" he barked irately, bolting from his chair and striding forward.

Adriana stood her ground and lifted her chin, defying him to strike her as she met his gaze. "Obviously, you've been ignorant all this time of the extent of your father's sins."

"Whoever told you that my father ran over my mother?" he railed in her face.

"Please,Roger, lower your voice. There's absolutely nothing wrong with my hearing."

"Tell me!"

With a casual shrug, Adriana complied. "There was a witness to that event, Roger. Unfortunately, that witness was dispensed with in the same manner in which your mother was killed. ‘Twould seem the driver of the livery who ran over both women was none other than your father. In fact, he probably married and killed his second wife for the sole purpose of acquiring the mill and her wealth."

Roger staggered back in shock and laid a hand across his brow as he struggled to recall the incident that had taken his mother's life. He could remember jumping aside just as the livery came upon them. Had he not done so, he would've also been killed. "Are you entirely certain about this?"

"How can I be? I wasn't there, but you must have been. Weren't you? What did you see?"

Clenching his hands into white-knuckled fists, Roger twisted this way and that, as if wrestling with a demon … or his own memory. A low snarl escaped his lips and quickly gained in volume and raging intensity as he raised his fists skyward and shook them violently as if berating the very heavens for his troubled past.

" 'Twill do you no good to shake your fists at God, Roger," she quipped with a full measure of sarcasm. "Perhaps you'd better aim your fury in the opposite direction, for I'd be willing to guess that in the not-too-distant future you'll be in the netherworld, screaming in agony as the devil's welcoming heat singes your hide."

"What devil?" Roger scoffed in rampant derision as he turned a sneer upon her. "You don't believe in those old wives' tales, do you?"

She smiled complacently. "When I look into your eyes, Roger, I see vivid proof that the devil exists, because right this very moment I can see how successful he has been at bedeviling you."

The miller stalked toward her threateningly, but again, she stood her ground. He lifted an arm to backhand her, but she raised her chin with all the pride she could muster, hoping he couldn't discern how violently she trembled.

"You seem to enjoy abusing women, Roger," she dared totaunt, despite the intense glower flaming in those green eyes. "Why is that? Didn't you love your mother? From the little you've told me about your past, I can only believe you did, so why this hatred of women?"

"You don't know what I've had to suffer beneath their cruel devices," he sneered, lowering his arm as if the idea of beating her senseless right then and there was inconvenient for him. "Had you that knowledge, you'd be pitying me instead of heaping your sympathy on those whom you claim I've abused."

"Then tell me, and perhaps I'd be able to feel more compassion for you."

"Who wants your compassion?" he jeered. "I wanted your love, and you refused to give it. I have no need of your pity."

"Everyone needs a little pity now and then, Roger," she reasoned. "If we were all infallible, we wouldn't need anything or anybody. We'd be towers of perfection and piety unto ourselves, and we all know that isn't possible."

"I could've used more of someone's benevolence in the orphanage, but there was none to be had. I was starved, beaten, hung by my wrists until I was sure my arms were being torn from their sockets, but did I get mercy when I pleaded and sobbed for it? Ha! Miss Tittle beat me with a rod until blood oozed from my lacerated back. That day I swore to wreak vengeance upon that bitch and her minions, and I had it, too. If there is a hell, then I'm sure they're writhing in it now."

Shivering at his cold-bloodedness, Adriana had serious cause to wonder after listening to his ranting if there was any end to the wickedness he had committed. "You killed the women at the orphanage?"

Flicking his brows upward above a lazy smile, he slowly waggled his head. "Not all at once, you understand, but that's where I learned the benefits of poison … rat poison, to be exact … arsenic, if you will. I made everyone there think there was an epidemic going around, except, oddly enough, it was only happening in the home where I had been imprisoned. There were five altogether I killed there, and no one ever became mindful of what had been done to them. No one everthought to look at the supplies of rat poison. We had lots of those foul critters running around, and many's a time the orphans had to eat their droppings right along with whatever was cooked for them from the stores of vittles those vermin had been chewing on."

Adriana clasped a hand over her mouth as her gorge came threateningly close to erupting. Her whitish pallor drew a smirk from the apprentice.

"If you think I exaggerate, my dear, then you should visit some of the orphanages in London sometime. I'm sure you'll see much the same thing."

The sound of a carriage arriving in the drive in front of the entrance steps down below brought Roger spinning around in sudden alarm. Adriana seized her chance, fearing what would happen if she didn't warn the arriving party of the dangers that awaited them.

The miller may have been fast, but, even as a child, Adriana had played enough games of tag with Samantha and other children to know how to skirt around an extended hand, which was precisely how Roger sought to catch hold of her. He missed on his first attempt, and when he lunged toward her again, she whirled quickly about, causing him to lurch off balance as he found nothing in his arms but thin air. He teetered on one leg, trying to regain his equilibrium as she scurried toward the front entrance, all the while screaming at the top of her lungs in an effort to warn the ones who were about to enter.

Colton hadn't been able to wait until the landau came to rest. He had flung open the carriage door and lit at a run toward the stone steps, bolted up them three at a time, and arrived at the front door in a frantic attempt to abate the nagging dread that had haunted him all the way from London. Throwing open the door, he charged inward to find Adriana racing toward the entrance with the miller stumbling and sliding on the marble floor behind her. Colton raced toward his wife and, wrapping his arms about her, swung her around out of harm's way, just as Roger launched himself off the floor in an effort to tackleher and take her down. The best the miller caught was her slipper, which readily slid off her foot as he fell to earth.

Colton pushed Adriana toward the entrance, bidding her to leave, and turned to lunge at the man. Alas, Roger snatched forth a loaded pistol from his coat, the sights of which he quickly directed toward the face of the retired colonel.

"Twitch your lip and I'll put another hole in your head right above the one you call a mouth," the younger man warned with a snide smile.

Colton had no choice but to spread his arms. Even so, he stepped this way and that to keep his wife safely behind him though she sought in desperation to move around in front of him. "Stay where you are, Adriana," he bade sharply. "If you don't, I'll have to attack him!"

Rising cautiously from the floor, Roger smirked at them. "So quaint the way you two are trying to save each other, but ‘twill do neither of you any good. Before I leave here, you'll both be dead, and this time I'll be the one who'll be laughing in triumph."

"Why must you kill Adriana?" Colton demanded. "She has never done you any harm."

Roger shrugged, as if somewhat amused by the man's question. "I'm afraid your wife must pay for making the wrong choice. You see, she chose you over me, and I won't take any of your leavings, especially since she has your brat growing inside her. You'll both die, and the babe right along with you. Actually, you could say that I've had my revenge upon this household in many different ways. First Lord Sedgwick"—he chortled as Colton's eyes narrowed ominously—"then the dogs …"—he watched the man glance in surprise at his wife, who nodded sadly—"and, of course, ‘twill give me the greatest pleasure to do away with you, milord. That will truly be an achievement I can revel in for many a year to come. A decorated hero who fought under Wellington. Forsooth, dealt a death blow by a simple miller. How sad, they'll lament. Then, finally, my beautiful Adriana, whom I will truly regret losing,but there's no help for it, you see. If left to live, she'll manage to tell someone of my deeds eventually, and I can't allow that to happen. I must protect myself."

A sound thoroughly familiar to both Colton and Adriana made them peer curiously beyond the miller. A smile tracing across the manly lips caused Roger's hackles to rise, and then he heard it, too, the sound of toenails clicking against the marble floor.

Startled, he twisted half around to look behind him, and immediately his breath was snatched sharply inward as he saw the lone figure standing at the arched entrance separating the great hall from the vestibule. There stood Leo, the largest of the wolfhounds, with his hackles erect, his head lowered at a menacing depth, and his fangs bared in a sinister grin. The low growl that issued forth from the canine's throat caused Roger to scramble frenetically about as he sought to find a place of safety. He saw the door of the drawing room ahead of him, but in his haste, his metal-clad soles seemed inclined to slip on the marble floor. He just couldn't seem to get enough traction to move, much less advance. Even so, when Colton sought to charge him, Roger swung his pistol around as he shakily aimed it somewhere in the area of his lordship's chest. When his feet finally ceased their frenzied shuffling, he was able to sidle around toward the entrance of the drawing room.

Leo moved forward, slowly stalking his prey, placing one paw on the floor in front of him before bringing forth the other, causing Roger to whimper in terror as he saw a very real possibility of his impending doom. This time, to be sure, no commands to "sit" or "stay" were forthcoming from either Colton or Adriana.

"Call off that animal!" Roger shrieked in panic. He swung his pistol about, turning it on Adriana. "Or, by heavens, I'll blow her beautiful head off her shoulders!"

The sudden flash of pain that in that instant seemed to fill Roger's head was enough to drive him to his knees. His jaw descended ever so slowly as the outer corners of his eyelidsdrooped heavily over a dazed stare. Another blow was delivered against the side of his head, and a third slammed into it from the opposite side. Tongue lolling loosely from his mouth, Roger collapsed facedown on the marble floor.

With quiet dignity, Harrison withdrew a handkerchief from the inner pocket of his coat and proceeded to wipe away the blood and hair that encrusted the end of the poker as Adriana raced toward him with arms held wide and tears filling her eyes.

"Oh, Harrison! Dear, dear Harrison, you saved our lives!" she cried jubilantly, hugging and kissing the servant, who tried not to smile. Still, he was inclined to turn his cheek to get the most from her kisses.

"My pleasure to be of service, madam. I couldn't let that brute get the better of us, now could I?"

Colton chuckled as he joined his wife in conveying his heartfelt gratitude. The three of them soon turned to extend their enthusiastic gratitude upon Leo, who yawned as if extremely tired.

"Roger said he poisoned the dogs,"Adriana informed the two men, "but he also admitted he may have picked up the wrong vial by mistake. ‘Twould now seem he did and gave the dogs a sleeping potion rather than the arsenic."

"Then where is Aris?" Colton asked, glancing around.

"He's in the gallery," she replied, leaning against her husband's long frame as he slipped an arm about her. "I'm sure since Leo is alive, Aris must be, too."

"And the servants, where are they?"

"In the vegetable cold bin, outside."

"I shall let them out immediately," Harrison informed the couple and gingerly felt the large lump on his head before drawing away his hand and rubbing his fingers, which were now stained red. "Mayhap I can get Cook to wrap a bandage around my head. I fear it's still bleeding."

"I'll be pleased to do that for you right now, Harrison," Adriana offered. "His lordship can let the servants out andsend someone to fetch the sheriff, and then we'll have a look at Aris."

Not too many moments later, the household was pretty much back to normal. Roger had been tied up and dragged behind the tea table where no one would stumble over him and where he'd be easily accessible to the sheriff. He still hadn't regained consciousness, and it seemed doubtful that he would before the authorities arrived.

It was soon officially determined that the two wolfhounds had merely been given a dose of laudanum rather than poison, for Aris awoke yawning as if from a long nap. The dogs enjoyed the attention Adriana bestowed upon them in the drawing room as she knelt beside them and taught Genie how to stroke their long coats. Colton opened a fresh bottle of brandy just in case Roger had been tampering again with any of the brews in the decanters, and he proceeded to pour Harrison a glass and one for himself. Watching as the pair of dogs eagerly bestowed their affection upon Adriana and Genie, the two men chortled in hearty amusement as the pair made faces evidencing their disgust after being licked across their mouths and cheeks by the hounds. Nevertheless, Adriana sputtered in happy protest, not only thankful that the animals were alive, but that they themselves were, too.

Moments later, Philana swept in, waving her arms excitedly as she fairly scurried to the door of the drawing room. "Finally, at long last, I'm a grandmother! I rushed here to be the one to deliver the news to everyone. I now have a grandson."

" 'Tis wonderful news, Mama Philana!" Adriana cried with a joyous laugh and accepted Colton's smiling assistance as she scrambled to her feet. Running to her mother-in-law, she embraced her affectionately before leaning back to ask, "Is Samantha all right?"

"Of course, dear child. She's happy as a lark," Philana declared lightheartedly. "But I must confess, I'm feeling a little spent after all the pacing Percy and I were doing outside their bedchamber while Dr. Carroll was with Samantha. I can definitely

assure you that no one in this house has had such a traumatic day as I. Very happy I am that it's over, and I can finally relax."

The hearty laughter made the woman stop and stare at family members and servants in some bemusement.

"Well, I am!"