Had there been a chair close by, Hugo would have collapsed into the seat. “Northcott is working for the French? Is he insane?”
“No, desperate.” She gathered the white sheet off the floor and covered Bellham’s body. “He’s been paid a substantial amount of money to make three crossings. The docks in Southampton carry less risk.”
Did the lord not know that after committing treason his French counterparts would hold him to ransom? He would be forever ferrying people back and forth until the authorities caught up with him.
“So why did you meet Mr Bellham at the gate?” Lara asked.
“I had the information he needed. I meant to meet him before we left London. But after the first heavy snowstorm, Miss Harper wanted to leave early. I sent him a message, telling him to meet me at the gate, but it took me a while to slip away.”
“And so you gave him the note with information about the Strawbridge.”
“Yes, but I swear on my father’s grave, he was alive when I left him.” Tears trickled down her cheeks, and she placed a hand on Bellham’s lifeless body.
All the pieces of the puzzle were fitting together nicely. Still, a few questions remained unanswered. “What I fail to understand is why Miss Harper provided you with an alibi when you were absent from her room.” Knowing of Miss Harper’s vindictive nature, she would not tolerate deceit. “Does she know you frequent her brother’s bed?”
Miss Venables’ cheeks flamed as red as her hair. “Miss Harper pays me to discover her brother’s secrets. Not the secrets Mr Bellham wanted, but Miss Harper likes to know where her brother goes and how much money he spends.”
“And the viscount tells you?” Hugo mocked.
“He believes he can trust me. Most of the time, I lie to Miss Harper just to appease her.”
“If you didn’t kill Mr Bellham,” Lara said, “then it must have been the viscount. He must have seen you at the gate and sought revenge for the betrayal.”
“No,” Hugo replied. “As you said, a man of Northcott’s standing would not wield a table knife.”
They were so engrossed in the conversation they failed to hear the pad of footsteps outside. Indeed, they were unaware they were about to be confronted by the killer until Miss Harper barged into the cottage, brandishing a pocket pistol.
If anyone had ever imagined the devil rising in the guise of a woman scorned, one look at Miss Harper’s distorted features would bring the vision to life. The lady stood shrouded in a dark blue cloak, her mouth twisted in an ugly sneer as she waved her weapon back and forth.
“What a shame it has to end like this.” Miss Harper’s sinister chuckle sent the hairs on Lara’s nape bristling to attention. “It seems one cannot trust their servants with anything these days. And to think I’ve got a lovely box for you, my dear Miss Venables. Silk stockings from Paris which would have worked a treat with my brother.”
This insane creature sounded as if she were the victim in this whole debacle.
“After your brazen attempt to seduce me earlier,” Hugo began, “I should have known you’d be capable of something like this.” He gestured to the body concealed beneath the white sheet. “Are we permitted to know why you saw fit to steal the life of my friend?”
Miss Harper gave a hapless shrug. “I haven’t the faintest notion what you mean.”
To call this lady unstable was a gross understatement. “So you just happen to be out walking, wielding a pistol on a cold winter’s night?”
“I might ask you why you’re all gathered around a corpse?” the devil woman countered.
A tense silence ensued.
“So, what now?” Hugo asked with a disdainful snort. “You’ve one shot in that pistol, and there are three of us. Perhaps you should have given the matter more thought before charging in here ready to seek vengeance.”
The comment captured the spitfire’s attention. She fixed Hugo with a vicious stare. “I thought the little lesson earlier would have taught you not to underestimate me. I shall shoot you through the heart, Lord Denham. Then no one shall have you.”
Fear grabbed Lara by the throat and squeezed. People willing to commit such atrocities lacked a conscience. “And what will you do with us?” Lara said, knowing the woman must have a wicked plan.
“Miss Venables and I will say we followed you out of the house to find you’d met Lord Denham for a tryst. When he refused to marry you, you shot him. Simple.”
The lady truly was deranged if she thought Miss Venables her ally.
“If Miss Venables refuses to comply,” Miss Harper continued, “I shall inform the coroner that I was mistaken, that my dear companion had left the room on the night of poor Mr Bellham’s accident.”
“It was murder, not a damn accident,” Hugo growled. “You drove a knife into a man’s chest because you knew he had evidence to implicate your brother in a crime. And I shall make sure the whole world knows it’s true.”
The witch cackled. “Not if you’re dead.”