Miss White sat inside, pistol aimed at Madelina’s chest. She made to slam the door closed, but Miss White stuck out a foot and kicked. The door swung outward with enough force to pull the handle from Madelina’s hand.
“Get in or I’ll shoot you where you stand,” Miss White ordered, voice hard.
Chagrin shot through Madelina. Her mind whirled through possibilities. She could scream. She could run.
“Run, and I’ll shoot you. Scream, and I’ll shoot you. Now, get in. I won’t invite you again, my lady.”
Madelina could see the muscles in Miss White’s hand tense. Just as the night her father had chased her, Madelina read murder in the other woman’s eyes. She harbored no doubt that Miss White would shoot. She climbed into the carriage.
Miss White scooted away, across the seat, as Madelina entered. “Sit in that corner and close the door.”
Madelina took the indicated spot, diagonally across the carriage from Miss White. The coachman appeared. He didn’t look at Madelina as he secured something across the outside of the door, then disappeared. Miss White relaxed marginally. The windows, curtains open, were not overly large. They offered some hope of escape but would not be easy to climb through. Madelina eyed the pistol still leveled on her. She’d been in such a hurry to sneak out before the maid returned, so certain that Mister Mclintock waited for her, she hadn’t brought even a knife.
“What do you want with me?” she asked. The carriage rolled into motion, stirring worry in Madelina’s gut.
“With you? Nothing, really,” Miss White replied, her hand steady as she kept the pistol aimed at Madelina. “But I do want Jasper.”
“You needn’t worry. I already refused him.” Madelina worked to contain a wince, for refusing him stung like a fresh wound. Using her discomfiture as an excuse, she stole a quick look out the window, marking the street, trying to work out where they headed.
Elegant fingers rippled through the air as Miss White made a dismissive gesture with her free hand. “It doesn’t matter. He’s in love with you, the fool. First, he stopped sharing my bed. Now, I’m losing my hold on his heart. His affection for me won’t stand up to the suspicions you’ve planted in him. Yes, he refuted them, but they’ll wiggle their way into his mind, and then he’ll begin searching for proof.”
So, he hadn’t only told Miss White about Madelina being Little Hook, but also her accusations about Madam Dequenne. Fear joined the worry roiling within Madelina. Miss White wouldn’t permit her to live, knowing the truth as she did.
A second realization drove some of the fear away. Elation shot through Madelina despite the pistol and the barred door, making her lightheaded. “He truly doesn’t know you are Madam Dequenne.”
“No, but he will soon.” Miss White’s eyes narrowed. “Now that you’ve planted the notion in his head.”
Madelina tamped down her excitement. Jasper had still gone straight to his mistress with her words and now a very jealous, very dangerous woman sat across from her with a gun. “You must realize he’ll no longer have anything to do with you, at the least.”
“Oh, not only that. He’ll have me locked away. Maybe even see me hung,” Miss White spoke lightly.
“You don’t seem very worried.” The realization cut through Madelina’s joy like a knife. She stole another quick look out the window.
“I’m not.” Miss White shrugged, the movement graceful but the gun unwavering as it pointed at Madelina’s chest. “But as you’ve pressed my hand, there’s only one thing to do now.” Her lips stretched in a slow, wide smile. “And you should know it is your doing. You’ve driven me to it.”
She paused, seeming to savor having Madelina as her audience. Madelina steeled every muscle. She wouldn’t give this woman the satisfaction of a response.
Miss White’s smile only grew. She lowered the pistol to her lap but didn’t release it. Leaning closer as if to impart a secret, but not close enough that Madelina dared dive across the carriage, she said, “Jasper Mclintock and I must marry.”
Madelina’s heart made a leap for her throat. She gaped at the other woman. “He won’t.”
“He will if I promise to give up my evil ways.”
Something in Miss White’s smile told Madelina that promise would be hollow. Would Jasper believe her? “He still won’t. He’ll hate you for what you’ve done.”
“Of course, he will, at first, but once we’re wed, I’ll have years to win back his affection. I did it once. I can do it again.”
Madelina shook her head, struggling to think through the horror of Jasper bound to this woman. “Did it once?”
Miss White’s expression lit with glee. “But don’t you know, we nearly married once before. He offered for me, and I accepted.”
Madelina stilled. “No.”
“I assure you, it’s true. It broke his poor little heart when I backed out.”
“I don’t believe you. Why would you back out?”
Miss White waggled the gun at her. “I became Madam Dequenne. I couldn’t risk having Jasper so close, or have him gain access to my finances. Even I couldn’t lie my way out of that. I needed time to perfect my cover. I thought I had to choose between Jasper and being Madam Dequenne, but now that he knows the truth, there’s nothing to stop me from marrying him.” She paused to study Madelina, satisfaction overtaking her features.
