Before he could recover, Lady Jo leapt atop him, her teeth bared and dagger flashing. He caught her wrist with his hand, the tip of her knife hovering inches from his throat. He grunted with effort, trying to keep the blade from sinking into him, while her eyes glowed with murderous triumph.
“I’m going to gut you like a fish,” Lady Jo crooned.
“Go to hell,” Ethan retorted.
He’s here.
Hearing her beloved’s voice, Xenia scrambled to open the secret panel in the fireplace. She activated the hidden mechanism, which made the side of the firebox swing open again. As she crawled out, her mother’s voice rang with menace.
“Prepare to die, you bastard. As you bleed out in your fine manor, know this: I’m going to take my daughter back with me and make her suffer in ways you cannot begin to imagine.”
I cannot let my mama hurt Ethan. I must get to him.
There was no time to squeeze through the tight alley between the cabinet and the wall. Terror gave Xenia strength, and she charged into the back of the cabinet. It swayed, rattling the objects inside. Putting her entire weight against the heavy mahogany, she pushed again. The cabinet tilted…and then it toppled.
The crash echoed through the room, the floor vibrating with the impact. Xenia spotted Ethan on the ground nearby and clambered over the cabinet to get to him.
“Ethan!” Kneeling beside him, she saw the blood on his sleeve. “Are you hurt? Did my mother?—”
“I’m fine, love.” He sat up, catching one of her hands. “Especially now that you’re safe.”
“Well done, Mrs. Wood.”
This came from the Earl of Manderly, who was accompanied by Lord Owen. Both looked disheveled but unharmed, the cutthroats they’d defeated now being led away by the constable’s men.
“Where is my mama?” Xenia asked. “Did she get away?”
“You, er, prevented that, pet.” Ethan cleared his throat. “When you pushed the cabinet over, your mother was on top of me, trying to slit my throat. I saw the cabinet tilting and managed to push her off and roll away. Lady Jo, however…”
Whipping her head around, Xenia felt her jaw slacken. Her mama was lying trapped beneath the cabinet, her legs poking out. One of her leather shoes had fallen off, revealing her clocked stockings.
“Odds bodkins,” Xenia croaked. “Did I…did I kill her?”
Xenia had wanted to protect herself and defend the manor. But she’d never imagined killing anyone. Not even her monster of a mother.
“No, you worthless child, you couldn’t even do that properly.” Lady Jo groaned, her voice muffled by the wood. “But you’ve crushed my blooming arm.”
Ethan and his brothers lifted the cabinet. Xenia saw that Lady Jo had been lucky: most of her body had been protected by the space between the narrower top section of the cabinet and the floor, thus avoiding any critical damage. Her right arm, however, had been pinned by the heavy base; it was bleeding and lay at an odd angle.
Just in case, Xenia kicked the dagger out of her mother’s reach. “She needs a physician.”
“I don’t need a damned sawbones, you ungrateful bi?—”
“Shut your mouth,” Ethan growled. “Or we’ll let you bleed to death where you are.”
“My men will see that Mrs. Wardell is taken care of.” Rawlins hobbled over.
“Are you all right, sir?” Xenia asked anxiously. “I saw my mama shoot you.”
“Luckily for me, this stopped the bullet.” The constable showed her his notebook, which now bore a large dent. “Now, I believe you and I have some things to discuss…Miss Bernice Wardell, is it?”
Xenia wanted to deny it. She’d fought with everything she had to leave that person behind. Truth be told, she was tired of running—of living in fear. It was time for her to face the consequences of being her mother’s daughter, whatever those may be.
She was about to speak, but Ethan beat her to it.
“My fiancée’s name is Xenia Loveday,” he said. “Soon to be Xenia Harrington. If you wish to interrogate her, I must insist upon being present.”
The miracle of this man swelled her throat. Hearing Lady Jo cursing and screaming as the constables carried her out, however, Xenia felt it was only fair to give him a choice. To make certain he still wanted to honor his proposal.
