Ignoring him for a moment, Adrian glanced at the table that stood near the wall as Murry set down the lamp.A glimpse of the past stiffened his spine – his father’s hand closing around the whip he’d selected, the anguish that followed.
He blinked, focused on all the tools Murry had gathered, made a mental note of each one, and went to undo Newton’s gag.
“You’ll be arrested for this,” Newton seethed.“My father will make sure you hang.”
“You’re assuming your father will take your side in all this,” Adrian murmured.“I’ve got my doubts.When he learns of what you’ve done, there’s a good chance he’ll cast you off.Not just because your actions repel him, but because you’ll have shamed your family once you make the newspaper headlines.”
Teeth bared, Newton jerked his arms against his restraints.“You’re a bloody bastard, Croft.”
Adrian tilted his head in quiet reflection.“You’re not wrong.I can be harsh and unforgiving, but I also have a clear understanding of right and wrong.You, on the other hand, are a monster.”
“Because I tried to prevent trusting men from being deceived?”A snort of disgust followed.“I’m not the monster in all this, Croft.The whores are.”
“Those young women’s actions may have been selfish, immoral even, but that didn’t give you the right to kill them.Their sins did not warrant death.In Miss Fairchild’s case, the only victim who affected you directly, social ruin would have sufficed.No other man would have touched her had her behavior been revealed.But that wasn’t enough for you, was it?Because deep down, this is who you are, a madman looking for any excuse to spill the blood of others.”Adrian crossed to the table and slid his hand over a length of rope before picking it up and testing its strength.“Be honest, Newton.You enjoyed it.”
“You’re wrong.”Newton’s gaze tracked Adrian’s every movement with pure contempt.“It was unpleasant, but necessary.I merely did what had to be done.”
“So you found no thrill in knowing they came to you with the expectation of finding pleasure?”Adrian circled the room slowly, until he stood at Newton’s shoulder.“Tell me, did they mistake you for their secret lovers?”
A rough bit of laughter escaped Newton’s throat.“Always.”
Adrian’s grip on the rope tightened.He sent Murry a quick glance and saw his own fury reflected in every tight line of the valet’s face.“But not my sister.”
“No.She met with me for a different reason.”
“What was it?”
“As if I’d tell you.”
Fueled by the rage that had taken root at The Toothless Cat Inn, Adrian wound the rope around Newton’s neck and pulled it tight.A gasp and a strangled sound followed along with a series of spasmic movements.
This was just the beginning.
Adrian loosened the rope and Newton wheezed as he drew in some air, upon which he started to cough as though he were choking.
“I’ll ask you again,” Adrian told him, his hand pressing down against Newton’s right shoulder.“How did you lure my sister?”
“Go to hell, Croft.”
The rope was tightened once more, then again, and a fourth time, until Newton sputtered and swore when Adrian let it go slack.
Red-faced and watery eyed, with each breath scraping his throat, he surrendered.“I…I told her I’d…give her the name of the person…who’d spread the rumor about her.”
The comment was like a stab to Adrian’s chest.He’d promised Evie he’d find that information for her, but rather than wait, she’d accepted help from another source.
How could she have been so careless with her own safety when he’d warned her against going out on her own?It was hard to comprehend as he stood there, a mixture of loss and failure spearing his soul.
“Whose name did you sign to the letter you sent her?”
One corner of Newton’s mouth rose.“My own.”
Of course.Evie had known him well.They’d moved in the same circles, danced at various balls.He was a viscount’s son, for crying out loud.If he’d told her he had information to give her, what reason would she have had not to trust him?
Despite his every intention to leave Newton’s body unmarked, Adrian’s gaze slid over the tools that lay on the table.The temptation to use them was irresistibly strong.“You despicable son of a bitch.”
“Your sister didn’t think so.”Newton managed a hoarse laugh.“She was more than happy to pay for what I’d promised.Hell, I can still taste her sweetness upon my tongue.”
Adrian lunged.
