“So what did you do? Lace his tea with laudanum as you did mine?”
“Not tea,” she said, still smiling. “It’s too weak to mask the bitterness of laudanum. You complained your tea was bitter, remember? I had to add four lumps of sugar and that still wasn’t enough.” She paused. “But for him, it was simple. I gave him a flask of brandy laced with laudanum. It masked the color of the drug and was strong enough to mask the taste. He drank it and dozed off, which caused his carriage to veer off the road.”
Kate’s eyes burned with tears.There.The confession she’d sought hung in the air. She didn’t have to pretend anymore or hide her true feelings. “You’re evil.”
“He was going to leave me—marry you and kick me out like a dog—after all we’d been through.” She held up the letter. “I suspected he’d been keeping something from me, so I searched his bags, and I found two letters—one from Lord Knox to Theo and another addressed to you.” She held the letter out to Kate, almost tauntingly.
Kate snatched it from the woman’s grip. Surprisingly, Fanny allowed her to unfold it and begin reading silently.
Her head swam. It was all there. The letter confirmed everything Emilia had said. Theo had confessed the truth and pledged his love for her and their child. He intended to talk to her father as soon as he returned from his trip to London, where he was going to meet his sixth cousin, the Earl of Knox.
When your Papa learns that I am to inherit an earldom, he will surely not refuse to let us marry. All will be well in a few days, my love. One day, you will be Lady Knox, the wife of a future earl who adores you.
Yours truly for life,
Theo
A tear leaked from Kate’s eye and rolled down her cheek.
“Don’t cry for him. He doesn’t deserve tears. He thought he was clever, but I was cleverer. I killed him and got away with it,” Fanny boasted. “And now, I’ll kill you and no one will know. I’ll tell Oliver you fell down or fell asleep and never woke up. I haven’t decided yet.” She grinned, her eyes glittering insanely. “And I’ll be here to lift his spirits, and then—in time—I’llbecome his wife.”
“No, you won’t.” Both Kate and Emilia turned to see Oliver standing in the doorway with that magistrate. His eyes were fiery as he glared at Kate’s former friend. Or tormentor. At this point, Kate wasn’t sure.
“Oliver!” She leapt to her feet and ran to her husband, longing more than ever for his protective embrace.
“Fanny Birch”—the magistrate strode forward—“you are under arrest for the murder of Mathew James Harrington.” He gripped her by the arm and bodily dragged her to her feet.
Fanny struggled. Her eyes softened, and her tone was wheedling, almost shrill. “No, please. Kate, help me! Don’t let them take me. I beg you! We’resisters!”
“We were never sisters. I know that now. Would that I had realized it when we first met,” Kate said, looking directly into Emilia’s cold blue eyes. Then she turned to the magistrate. “Get her out of my house. This woman is a liar and a murderer. I never want to see her again.”
The magistrate dragged Fanny away and though they could still hear her protesting shrieks, a peace fell over the room. Oliver drew Kate to him. “Well done, my love. I must confess, I was a bundle of nerves, ready to spring into the drawing room and save you at any moment. But you didn’t need saving. You stayed calm in the face of her anger and tricked her into confessing. Even Magistrate Thomas was impressed.”
“I never want to have to do anything like that again.” Kate buried her head in his chest and breathed her relief as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. It felt as though the weight of an elephant had been lifted off her back.
“And you won’t have to. It’s all over now.” Oliver stroked her hair. “You were so brave. You got justice for Theo. And now, he can rest in peace.”
Chapter Fourteen
Seven Months Later
Oliver paced outsidethe bedchamber, his heart pounding as he heard his wife’s screams. “It’s perfectly normal for birthing women to scream, the doctor had told him. It’s a painful process, but she won’t remember the pain once it’s over. All she will remember is the midwife placing her beautiful son or daughter in her arms.”
Oliver kept reminding himself of these words, hoping they would ease his fears. He wanted to rush into the room and save Kate from whatever horror she was experiencing, but all he could do was pray. For the second time in his life, he felt completely powerless. The first had been when Beatrice had fallen ill, and he could do nothing to save her. And now that same helplessness overwhelmed him.
Finally, the screams stopped, and all was silent.
Oliver ceased pacing.What’s happening? Why has everything gone silent?
He could take no more. He had to go inside and get answers. As Oliver pushed open the bedchamber door, an animal-likecry sounded, followed by his wife’s wail. “No more! Please, I’m exhausted.”
“What’s going on?” Oliver rushed inside, unable to see Kate, whose canopied bed was curtained off.
The midwife turned; her eyes wide with shock at seeing him enter the sacred birthing space. Oliver’s gaze fell on the little bundle in her arms. He blinked, so mesmerized he was unable to move.
“Make haste,” the doctor ordered from behind the canopy. There’s another one coming.”
“Another?” Oliver’s heart raced.Two babes?
