Chapter Twenty-three
He did it. Mortimer Blackstone killed my sister.
Jocelyn sank back against the seat of her carriage as it jerked into motion, knowing that she’d just been face to face with a monster. Tremors started deep inside her and spread, until she was shivering from far more than the cold. Wrapping her arms around her, she blinked back the sting of tears, determined not to give into them.
She never should have gone to see Mortimer. She should have known that he’d never confess. All she’d done was make things worse, put herself in danger, and perhaps Sebastian as well.
I’m sorry, Evelyn. I don’t know what else to do.
The tears came then despite her best efforts, and she cried deep, wrenching sobs as she thought of Evelyn going to meet with Mortimer, thinking him just an annoyance, having had no idea that she was meeting The Viper. How she must have suffered. How it must have pained her to know that someone she’d trusted could do something so terrible.
By the time she reached her house, just blocks away, her fear had ramped up to nearly an unbearable level. The moment she arrived, she summoned her butler Winston into her small office at the back of the house. “Winston, I have reason to believe that the monster who killed my sister might come after me next.”
He mutely handed her a handkerchief, and she hastily blew her nose and scrubbed the tears from her face as best she could. “I want all the doors locked at all times,” she continued, trembling. “I want one of the footmen on both the front and back doors, monitoring who comes in or out. Let no one but Inspector Ness and Allison and Quinn O’Brien in. I especially want you to make sure that neither of the Blackstone brothers are allowed to enter, no matter what they say.”
Winston raised his eyebrows at that, but in true butler fashion, he didn’t comment any further. “Of course, my lady. Anything else?”
“I think I’d like an additional footman in the hallway outside my room,” she said, her heart still thundering in her ears at the danger she’d put herself in.
“Yes, my lady,” he replied, turning toward the door. But then he paused and looked back at her. “Your entire staff loves you, my lady. We’ll keep you safe.”
“Thank you, Winston,” she murmured, sinking into her chair. “Can you send Abbie and Oliver to me?”
She would keep those she loved as close to her as possible and hope that Winston was right.
* * *
SEBASTIAN AND BLACKSTONE had left Blackstone’s townhouse, where it wasn’t safe to talk, and gone to O’Brien’s home in Belgravia. There the three men had talked about their plan to bring down Danbury for hours, until Sebastian finally felt that he could trust that Blackstone’s plan might work. Far better than just going to the commissioner and hoping the man would do something about it with next to no evidence.
The sun had already set by the time they stood in O’Brien’s entryway, waiting for Blackstone’s carriage to be brought around.
“It’s a good plan,” Sebastian told Blackstone grudgingly. “But I’m still worried.”
“As I am,” Blackstone admitted tightly. “But I don’t know what else to do.”
“Nor do I.” Before he could say more, he caught sight of Allison’s lady’s maid, Heather Fields, coming down the hall. “Miss Fields,” he said, nodding to her. “Thank you for your help the other day.”
Miss Fields changed direction, her lovely face troubled. “Were you able to find out who Evelyn met with?”
Sebastian exchanged glances with Blackstone. “We’re working on it.”
Heather’s gaze went to Blackstone, and Sebastian felt compelled to make the introductions. “Mandrake Blackstone, the Assistant Metropolitan Police Commissioner. Blackstone, Miss Heather Fields.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Fields,” Blackstone said politely, though Sebastian could tell he was wondering why he was being introduced to a lady’s maid.
She managed a smile and a curtsy, though Sebastian could tell she was still upset about her friend. “Well, I hope you find out who did this before he strikes again,” she said, then glanced over her shoulder. “I’d best be going, but it was nice to see you again, Inspector.”
“Who was that?” Blackstone asked as she hurried away.
“Allison’s lady’s maid,” Sebastian answered as he saw the carriage pull up outside through the leaded glass windows on either side of the door. “She was great friends with Evelyn. She’s the one who told me what Evelyn said about meeting with the man whose proposal she’d turned down.”
Blackstone stared after her for a moment, then nodded and went outside. “Would you rather I dropped you off at the precinct or your flat?”
“Take me to Lady Aston’s,” Sebastian replied, not caring what Blackstone thought of it. “I need to be certain she’s safe.”
Blackstone looked a little taken aback but didn’t argue. To Sebastian’s relief, the other man didn’t say anything at all as the carriage made its way to Jocelyn’s townhome. He imagined the man was haunted too much by his own thoughts at the moment to wonder about Sebastian’s relationship with Jocelyn.
All the fear that Sebastian had felt when he’d seen Jocelyn’s carriage in front of the Blackstones’ townhouse came rushing back to him, and he turned his gaze out the window, not wanting Blackstone to see his inner turmoil.