More footsteps on the stairs sounded and Sophie watched in horror as the two men who’d brought them here dragged a kicking, fighting Lord Bellingham down the stairs. The marquess’s ankles and wrists were shackled, but he still managed to get a few good licks in on his captors.
Valentina moved to the side to allow room for the trio. She spun her pistol toward Lord Bellingham. She shook her head and glared angrily at Hugh and Hillsdale. “You dolts. You should have sent for me the first night. You’re both too timid to do what you must. If you want something done right, send a woman to do it. Just like when I had to take care of Malcolm.”
Sophie had to bite her cheek to keep from gasping and making noise. Valentina had killed Malcolm too?
Valentina turned to Phillip. “Now. I’m going to kill you and your friend here, the marquess. Then I’m going to put the pistol in his hand to make it look as if he did it. And then Hillsdale’s doctor will come and declare this a horrible falling out between two friends.” She laughed a humorless laugh. “No offense, Lord Bellingham, but we’ll also tell everyone that you killed Malcolm as well. You’re a spy. You must have your reasons. Perhaps the good brothers were up to something nefarious. Only Phillip here must have got off one excellent shot before you killed him. Such a shame.”
Sophie’s shaking intensified. Her heart raced so quickly she couldn’t breathe. This had to be what it felt like just before one fainted. Surely, she was about to. But she shook her head and forced herself to breathe more slowly. She’d never been a fainter, and she did not intend to become one now. She could not fail Phillip and Lord Bellingham. Not when her own evil stepmother was to blame for all of this. Valentina had murdered Malcolm Grayson. And now she intended to kill both Phillip and the marquess.
Not while Sophie had breath in her body.
Valentina stepped forward. “Who’s first?” she asked in a silky, calm purr. “I daresay the good duke should be the first to die! He’s made me the angriest.”
“Why’s that?” Phillip asked quickly, clearly attempting to delay Valentina from her task.
Valentina’s smirk widened. “Why, isn’t it obvious, Your Grace? You’ve caused all this trouble. If you’d only died on the Continent like you should have, none of this would have happened.”
“You killed Malcolm because you believed I was already dead?” Phillip asked, anger making his voice sharp. He was obviously trying to delay the inevitable.
“Yes,” Valentina replied, giving Phillip her most charming catlike smile. “And it was all going quite well, too. We had the blasted title…until you resurrected yourself.”
“My apologies for remaining alive,” Phillip said with irony dripping from his voice. “But how exactly did you have Malcolm’s title? It belonged to Hugh, didn’t it?”
Valentina impatiently waved the pistol in the air. She gave Phillip a tight smile. “Hugh couldn’t find his way out of an opened door. We tell him what to do, how to vote, and…who to marry.” She slithered over to Lord Hillsdale and kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t we, darling?”
“That’s right, my love,” Hillsdale replied, kissing Valentina fully on the lips.
Sophie nearly gagged. Valentina and Lord Hillsdale? Ugh. In addition to being a murderer, the woman was apparently a cheater, too.
“You do not!” Hugh insisted, stamping his foot.
“Shut up, you fool,” Valentina shot back at him without even looking in his direction.
“Right, then,” Hugh replied, hanging his head and kicking at the ground like an errant schoolboy. Sophie fought the urge to roll her eyes.
Valentina moved back over to stand in front of Phillip and waved the pistol in the air again. She jerked her chin toward Hugh. “If you hadn’t fouled this up, I wouldn’t have to do this.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hugh replied, closing his eyes and turning away. “In fact, I was never here and I’m not here now. I know nothing about this. I’m going back to London immediately.”
“That’s a good idea,” Valentina replied. “Go. We’ll tell you what to do next when we get back.”
Hugh wasted no time making his way up the stairs and out the door.
Sophie watched him go with disgust. It was just like that ninny to run away at a time like this.
Standing only a few lengths from Phillip, Valentina raised her arm and pointed the pistol at his chest. “Very well, dukes first.” She cocked the hammer.
Just as Valentina pulled the trigger, Sophie launched herself from the darkness and flew between her stepmother and Phillip. “Nooooooo!” she screamed. A horrendous pain tore through her chest, and she fell to the ground in a heap in front of Phillip. The last thing she saw before her world went black was all the blood.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Phillip didn’t think. He sprang into action, leaping at Valentina and tackling her, knocking the pistol out of her hand.
Bell quickly bent over and grabbed the pistol and broke off his shackles on his knee. Then he stuck his fingers in his mouth and made a loud whistling noise that pierced the air. Meanwhile, Phillip grabbed Hillsdale with an arm around the neck, the knife to his throat.
“Give me a reason to kill you right now, please,” Phillip growled into the older man’s ear.
“Don’t hurt me!” Hillsdale begged, quickly offering his pistol to Bell, who ripped it from his limp hand with obvious pleasure.
