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Gideon watched her. He could tell she was plotting. And then she lifted her eyes to his.

“Upstairs,” she said, her voice loud. Then she raised her arm, turned, and threw the statue against the mantelpiece with such force that it shattered into fragmented pieces.

Kerrigan let out a terrible yowling cry of horror and bolted for the mantelpiece.

As soon as he brushed past her, Electra lifted her skirts and ran for the stairs.

Gideon followed on her heels.

“I saw her,” she said, as she climbed the stairs. “He took her upstairs. She resisted, fought him. If you look beneath his collar, there will be scratches on his neck.”

In the upstairs hallway, Gideon turned to her. “Which door?”

“I don’t know.”

Two of the doors were open, and two were closed. Gideon went to the first, turned the handle, and it opened immediately into what looked to be an empty bedroom.

Electra had already rushed past him to the other door. “It’s locked.”

“Stand back.” Gideon heard Kerrigan shouting at them, then heavy footfalls on the stairs.

He hauled back and launched himself at the door. It shuddered but did not give way. He stepped back again, bracing himself, and launched forward with as much force as he could, ramming his arm and shoulder into the wood of the door. It cracked but still held fast.

Once more, he stepped back; this time he lifted his boot and slammed it against the lock.

The door burst inward, and he stumbled to get his footing. Electra rushed past him. A girl’s voice could be heard, muffled. Electra went to a large wardrobe in the corner of the room that took up one entire wall, opened the door, and there she was. Eyes wide. Her hands tied and a cloth tied around her mouth.

Electra quickly worked Iris’s hands free, even while her own hands were shaking. Then she struggled to untie the knots at Iris’s mouth. “Gideon, I can’t get this knot.”

“Here, let me try.” He drew up beside her, and he could just ease the knot slightly, but it was tied tight and tangled in Iris’s hair. He didn’t wish to injure the young lady her further. But as soon as he got it slightly loosened, Miss Delacourt reached up and yanked the gag out of her mouth, dragging it down her chin.

“He’s lost his mind,” she cried.

Electra put a hand on Iris’s arm, and the young woman all but collapsed toward her. Electra pulled her into a tight embrace. “You’re all right now.”

Gideon turned back to the door. He scanned the room, went to the fireplace, and picked up a fire poker that was lying on the hearth. Then he went out into the hall, expecting to find Kerrigan, but the corridor stood empty. He went back to the top of the stairwell and heard shouting. Two voices. Wickford had come in.

“Keep your voice down,” Wickford yelled.

But Kerrigan was bellowing curses at him.

Gideon took the stairs down quickly and found Wickford trying to clap the man into irons.

“You have no right to restrain me,” Kerrigan roared. As soon as he spotted Gideon, he pulled Wickford nearly off his feet to lunge toward Gideon. “How dare you!”

Wickford finally managed to get the second cuff closed, and he directed Kerrigan to sit in a chair, which he fought, pushing his body back against Wickford. Gideon grabbed Kerrigan’s arm, Wickford took the other, and they forced him down into the chair, hands braced on his shoulders.

“What you’re doing is illegal,” he growled.

“We just found a woman in one of the rooms of your house, Mr. Kerrigan, tied, battered, and terrified.”

“I did not batter her.”

“But you abducted her, kept her captive in your house in London and here.”

“I was keeping her safe,” he bit back haughtily.

“Safe from what, Mr. Kerrigan?” Gideon asked.