He caught her hand.“It’s just my arm.No need to fret.”
She relaxed a little.Her shoulders sagged.And then her face crumpled.“Murry.”
Adrian brushed a stray lock from her cheek.“I need to see him.”
He stood and helped her rise as well, then crossed to where Ashburry lay and retrieved a key.Adrian unlocked the door and it swung open, putting him face to face with Chief Constable Kendrick’s grim expression.
* * *
Samantha couldn’t stop her hands from shaking, for although she’d no doubt in her mind that Mrs.Lester would have killed her if given the chance, Samantha knew she could have avoided taking the woman’s life.Restraining her would have been enough.She could have stood trial.Her sentence would without doubt have been death, her execution enacted by someone else.
That was how it should have been, but that blow she’d given Samantha, straight to her stomach, had clouded her judgement.Instinct had taken over and she’d reacted because of the threat made to a child she might not even be carrying.
But in the moment, she’d only known rage.Not the kind she was accustomed to experiencing on occasion, but a deeper, all-consuming beast driven by a primal need to protect.
She stared down at the face of the woman whose common sense had been so misplaced she’d taken lives in the pursuit of what she’d perceived to be the greater good.Her glassy eyes stared up at Samantha, her lips slightly parted on that final breath she’d expelled.
Samantha’s fingers twitched.Cool air curled over her shoulders.Voices drifted around her yet she couldn’t focus on what was said.Had no sense of who was talking.Her mind felt numb, her ears plugged as though with cotton.Everything seemed to be happening far away, separate from her.
“Mrs.Croft?”Someone touched her arm and she flinched, jerking back as she turned.Her gaze met Kendrick’s, the gravity in his eyes adding weight to her conscience.He tilted his head, leaned forward slightly.Cautious.“Are you well?”
“I…” She swallowed, managed a nod.“I will be.”
The words, the act of speaking – the focus required to do so, grounded her.She felt the shivers subside as muscle tightened beneath her skin.A deep breath of air brought additional calmness with it.She sighed it out, reconnecting a little bit more with her inner strength.
Breaking eye contact with Kendrick, she scanned the room.“Where’s my husband?”
“With Mr.Murry.”
“Of course.”Hadn’t Adrian told her he needed to see him?She blinked, not quite ready for reality yet knowing she couldn’t hold it at bay any longer.“He’s dead because of me.”
Her voice cracked as she forced the words out – forced herself to acknowledge what had occurred.Good grief.Adrian would never forgive her for this.How could he?
“Mrs.Croft.”Kendrick’s voice again.He gripped her arm a bit harder, forced her to look straight at him.Deep creases lined his brow.“Mr.Murry is gravely injured, but he’s not yet dead.”
“What?”She shook her head, unable to comprehend what the man was saying.“Ashburry shot him and he collapsed.Blood stained his jacket and…” He hadn’t moved; he’d just lain there, lifeless.
“He may have been knocked unconscious when he fell,” Kendrick said.“And there’s still a chance he won’t make it.The injury appears to be extremely severe, but my men are already working on—”
“Samantha.”Adrian’s voice redirected her attention.She stared at her husband’s harsh expression, at the fear in his eyes and the gravity lining the corners of his mouth.“Murry lives.For now.I need to get him the medical help he requires.Kendrick, can you see my wife home while I get Murry to the hospital?”
“I’m coming with you,” Samantha said, already in motion.
Adrian placed a palm against her shoulder.“Go home.Clean up and rest.I’ll see you there as soon as I’m able.”
“But—”
He dropped a swift kiss to her cheek while Kendrick protested, “We need to discuss what occurred here, Croft.You cannot—”
“Trust that I won’t abandon my wife or my valet.You can find me later.Either at St.George’s or at my house.For now, I must leave.Haste is of the essence.”He spoke the last words as he left the room, leaving her alone with Kendrick and one of his Runners.
“Do you plan to press charges against us?”she asked the chief constable while he assessed the scene.
He glanced at her.“There will be an investigation.I’ll need to interview both of you, get your statements for my records.Based on what I already know, I believe my findings will show that neither you nor your husband bear any responsibility for these deaths.You came to save a man – Doctor Islington, I presume?”
Samantha nodded when Kendrick gestured toward the still unconscious physician.
“In doing so, you risked your own lives and managed to stop a pair of killers.I’d say you acted justly, Mrs.Croft.”He turned aside and spoke a few words to his remaining Runner before addressing her once more.“Allow me to assist you in getting home.”
