“Tony would never try to sell me off. He loves me.”
“Does he? He was commissioned to find the secret too. How do you know his feelings are real? Perhaps your dowry was too good to resist. He is a younger son after all.”
Lucinda shook her head. “No! I will never believe you. He does love me.”
“Perhaps he does, perhaps he does not. I have not had him standing in my office ready to sacrifice his position for this so-called love.”
Lucinda suddenly fought against her restraints. She screamed at him to let her go.
As soon as Stafford turned away, Tony rushed into the room.
“Stop right there, Stafford. You slimy bastard. I trusted you and all you did was lie for your own benefit.”
Stafford turned and laughed when he saw the dagger in Tony’s hand. “Name calling is beneath you, Ashton. And are you going to peel potatoes with that thing? It is good for nothing else. I am surprised you found us so fast.”
“Tony!” Lucinda’s voice was full of relief.
“I am taking Lucinda home with me.” Tony stood behind her chair, his hand on her shoulder. It was all he could do right now to reassure her as he dared not take his eyes off Stafford.
“Home? To where? She does not have a home, do you, dear? She is an orphan. Do not fall for those sad eyes, Ashton. She knows exactly what we are talking about, don’t you?” He turned to his young protégé. “Your whole family will be under suspicion for a while after you both disappear but in time the scandal will die down. I hate to have to kill a good agent, but such is life in this business.”
“Do you think Warrington will not find us?” Lucinda asked.
“He can try but the Thames has a way of getting rid of evidence. Ashton, you could have been one of my best if not for your brother, but like a puppy the duke wanted you close by. His shackles must have chafed.”
Tony bristled, anger flowing through him. Stafford intended to stab him in the back and make him thank him for the privilege. Fuck that. He was going to kill the man.
“It is true. The duke requested no overseas missions. Why do you think you were not sent to get Markham? We had an understanding, the duke and I. Better that you concentrate on Miss Sterling here. And you could not even get that right.”
Both his brother and Stafford had set him up from the start. Betrayed him in the worst way. Lucinda had been right not to trust a man she had not met. To think he may have just handed over the formula just because the man wanted it. Because he thought he was a man of integrity. Now he knew Stafford thought little of him and Edward had prevented him from leaving the country. This was all too much. Everything he thought was real was a lie.
Stafford picked up the gun from the table and aimed it at Tony. “You have one minute to save your own hide. Leave nowand live, but show your face in my affairs again and I will take that face from you.”
“I’m not leaving her here with you. I love her.”
Stafford rolled his eyes.
“What happened to your oath? We do not hurt innocents, remember? It was in the bloody oath we all took when we joined the Ring.”
“That oath does not apply to me. I am Spymaster. You do as I say or pay the consequences.”
“Your lies and deceit have gone far enough.”
“Oh, my dear boy, how are you going to stop me? I have a gun, and you have that puny… knife.”
Tony did not wait a second more but threw the dagger, hitting Stafford in the arm that held the gun. The pistol fell to the floor. Stafford howled and pulled the dagger from his arm. Tony grabbed the pistol off the floor. “Dunstan!”
Dunstan came into the room and quickly went to Lucinda. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as he cut the rope with his own dagger. “Go!” he said, and Lucinda jumped to her feet. She dashed to the door. Tony handed him the pistol and took out his own. Having two pistols aimed at him did not seem to deter Stafford.
“Damn you, Dunstan. I should have killed you when you defied me,” Stafford yelled, holding his arm and still holding Tony’s dagger.
“Your word will be mud once she tells the duke what you have done,” Dunstan said.
Both Tony and Dunstan advanced on Stafford. He flung his good arm from side to side in wild arcs as he held Tony’s dagger. Then he charged at them, yelling at the top of his lungs.
There was a boom of gunpowder and then silence. Stafford stopped, dropped the dagger, and looked down at the wound in his belly that was now soaking his waistcoat and jacket.
Lucinda gasped from the doorway at the sight of the blood that was now seeping down his leg and onto the floor as he fell to his knees.
