He brought his gaze back to the grave faces. “He took her less than fifteen minutes ago-he won’t be expecting us to have even noticed her absence yet, so we have a small amount of time to plan.”

Rupert, on his left, shifted, caught Royce’s eyes when he glanced his way. “Whatever we do, secrecy is imperative. No matter he’s a traitor, and deserves to be brought down, you can’t bring down the Debraighs as a family. You, especially, can’t do that.”

Because the Debraighs, his mother’s family, had always supported him. Because his Debraigh grandfather had been so much a part of his formative life. Jaw set, Royce nodded. “As far as possible, we’ll try to keep this secret, but I won’t risk Minerva’s safety, not even for the Debraighs.”

He looked at the grouped ladies, at Letitia, Clarice, Rose, and all the rest. “You ladies are going to have to give us cover. You’re going to have to go back into the ballroom and spread some story-of how we’ve adjourned for a meeting on whatever topic your imaginations can devise. You’re going to have to hide your apprehension-make it appear as irritation, annoyance, resignation-anything. But we’ll never keep this concealed without you.”

Clarice nodded. “We’ll manage. Just go”-she waved them off-“do what you’re so good at, and get Minerva back.”

Her waspish tone was reinforced by the looks on the other ladies’ faces. Royce nodded grimly, and looked at the men. “Come up to the battlements.”


He led them up the battlement stairs in a thunder of heavy feet. Just in case he’d guessed wrongly and Phillip was somewhere in the house, Handley, Trevor, Jeffers, Retford, and Hamilton were alerted, and a quiet search was under way. But as he walked to the battlements, waited while the others joined him, he knew he was right. Phillip was outside-somewhere in the grounds, all the relevant parts of which were visible from this vantage point.

Bracing his hands on the stone, he looked out. “He’ll have taken her to one of the structures. There’s not that many. There’s-” He broke off. He’d come to the same spot to which he’d brought Minerva, twice. The view was to the north, up the gorge to the Cheviots and Scotland beyond.

The mill was in the foreground.

He straightened, his gaze locked on the building. “He’s taken her to the mill.”

All the others crowded the battlements, looking.

Before any could ask, he went on, “There is no one on the entire estate who would close those doors-for excellent reasons, they’re always left open.”

Christian was assessing the terrain, as were the others. “Two levels.”

“Can he get out along the stream?” Tony asked.

“Not easily-not safely.”

“So.” Devil Cynster straightened, cocked a brow his way. “How are we going to do this?”

In a few succinct phrases, he told them.

They weren’t entirely happy, but no one argued.

Minutes later, they were streaming from the house, slipping into the gardens, a silent, deadly force intent on only one thing-ending the last traitor’s reign.

Royce was at the head of the pack, saving Minerva his only real aim.

Twenty-two

M inerva had weathered the prick of the cravat pin-more through sheer terror than anything else. She’d managed not to flinch, but her muscles had tensed. Phillip had noticed; he’d nudged her, slapped her cheeks, but when she’d stirred, mumbled, then slumped as if comatose again, he’d muttered a raw expletive and swung viciously away.

He’d fallen to pacing again, but closer, watching her all the while. “Damn you, wake up! I want you awake so you’ll know what I’m doing to you-I want you to fight me. I want to hear you scream as I force my way inside you. I specifically brought you here-far enough from the house and with the noise of the water to cover all sounds-just so I could enjoy your sobbing and pleading. And your screaming-above all, your screaming. I want to see your eyes, I want to feel your fear. I want you to know every little thing I’m going to do to you before I do it-and for every second while I am.”

He suddenly swooped close. “You won’t be dying anytime soon.”

She jerked her head away from the hot waft of his crooning breath, tried to disguise the instinctive flinch as restless ness.

He drew back, his gaze heavy on her face. Then, “You aren’t pretending to still be asleep, are you, Minerva?”

His tone was taunting; he slapped her cheek again. Then he sneered. “Let’s see if this will wake you up.”

He roughly seized her breast, hard fingers searching for, then framing her nipple. Her breasts were tender; she cracked open her lids, looked up-

Saw him above her, one knee on the millstone beside her, his features distorted into a mask of pure evil, looking down to where his hand imprisoned her flesh. His eyes glittered; his other hand rose, holding his cravat pin.

Her hands came up; with all her strength, she pushed him off.

Releasing her breast, he rocked back-laughed in triumph. Before she could move, he swooped and seized her arm.

He dragged her half upright, shook her like a doll. “You bitch! Time for your punishment to begin.”

She fought him; he shook her viciously, then slapped her hard.

The crack of his palm on her cheek echoed sharply through the mill.

Something fell to the ground.

Phillip froze. Standing with his knees against the side of the millstone, with her on the stone before him, her legs trapped in the lace froth of her wedding gown, one of her arms locked in a painful, unbreakable grip, he stopped breathing and stared across the race.

The sound had come from the east side-the lower side of the mill. There were no doors on that side of the building; if anyone was going to come in unremarked, they would have to come that way.

“Royce?” Phillip waited, but no answer came. No hint of movement. No further sound.

He glanced down at her, but immediately snapped his gaze up again, locked it on the gangplank, presently set over the race connecting the two levels; his eyes searched the clear space on the lower side beyond it.

Minerva felt him shift his weight from one foot to the other; he was uncertain-this wasn’t what he’d planned. Her gaze fixed on him, her senses locked on him, she waited for her chance.

Royce was somewhere on the lower level; her senses told her he was there. But Phillip couldn’t see him because of the cupboards lining the race, not unless-until-Royce wanted to be seen.

Apparently realizing, Phillip snarled, and grabbed her with both hands; hauling her off the millstone, he dragged her up against him, her back to his chest. With one arm, he locked her there; he held her so tightly she could barely breathe. With his other hand he fished in his pocket; turning her head to the side, she saw him pull out a pistol.

He held it down, at his side. His body at her back was unbelievably tense.

He was using her as a shield, and she couldn’t do anything; her arms were trapped against her body. If she struggled he’d just lift her off her feet. All she could do was grasp her skirts in her hands, hold them as high as she could-at least enough for her feet to be free-and wait for an opening. Wait for the right moment.

Phillip was muttering beneath his breath; she forced herself to focus, to listen. He was talking to himself, reworking his plan; he was ignoring her as if she were some inanimate pawn-no threat whatsoever.

“He’s down there somewhere, but that’s all right. As long as he knows I’ve killed her, I still win. And then I’ll kill him.” He hauled her with him as he edged around the huge circular stone. “I’ll get into position, shoot her, then I’ll have to grab the gangplank and swing it to this side-he’ll be shocked, he won’t be expecting that, I can have it done by the time she hits the ground.”

His whispered words tripped over themselves as he frantically rehearsed. “Then I’ll reload-and shoot him when he comes for me…”

She felt him look up; she looked where he did-at the big beams forming the heavy structure supporting the waterwheel.

“With the gangplank gone, he’ll have to come that way. He might not love her, but he won’t let me get away with killing his duchess. So he’ll come for me-and I’ll have more than enough time to reload and shoot him before he can reach me.”

She sensed welling triumph in his tone.

“Yes! That’s what I’ll do. So first, I get in place.” Renewed confidence infused him. He tightened his arm, lifted her from her feet, and walked forward-toward the upper end of the gangplank.

She’d run out of time, but with her arms locked to her body there was nothing she could do.

Above her head, Phillip muttered, so low she could barely hear him. “Close enough to the plank ropes, close enough to my powder and shot.”

He moved her forward. And she saw the powder horn and shot canister he’d left on the flat top railing, a few feet left of the gangplank.

She couldn’t use her arms, but could she possibly raise her feet high enough to kick powder or shot away? Either would do-then he’d have only one shot. Only one person he could kill.

If he shot her, he couldn’t kill Royce. Phillip slowed as he maneuvered into position; she was gauging the distance, tensing to try to kick up-

Something flashed across in front of them, right to left-and hit the powder horn and canister, sending both spinning.

The powder horn spun off the railing and fell into the race.

Something clattered on the wooden floor. Both she and Phillip instinctively looked.

And saw a knife. Royce’s knife.

Like most gentlemen, he always had one somewhere about him-but she’d only known him ever to have one.

A thump had their heads snapping around-

Royce had leapt onto the lower end of the gangplank.

He stood directly before them, his gaze locked on Phillip’s face. “Let her go, Phillip-it’s me you want.”

Phillip snarled; backing quickly, he pressed the muzzle of the cocked pistol to Minerva’s temple. “I’m going to kill her-and you’re going to watch.”

“You’ve only got one shot, Phillip-who are you going to kill? Her…or me?”

Phillip halted. He rocked back and forth, heels to toes, indecisive, undecided.

Then his chest swelled; with a roar, he flung Minerva to the side, and swung his pistol up to aim at Royce. “You!” he screamed. “I’m going to kill you!”

“Run, Minerva!” Royce didn’t even glance at her. “Through the doors. The others are outside.”

Then he charged up the gangplank.

Having landed on her side on the millstone, she was frantically hauling up her skirts.

She sat up-saw Phillip brace his pistol arm with his other hand. His face aglow with maniacal joy, laughing, he aimed for Royce’s chest.

Her fingers closed about the hilt of her knife. She didn’t think, didn’t blink, just threw it.

The hilt appeared on the side of Phillip’s neck.

He choked, pulled the trigger.

The shot rang out, filling the enclosed space.

Phillip started to crumple.

Minerva scrambled off the millstone. Her eyes locked on Royce as he halted before Phillip, looking down on his cousin as he slumped to the floor. Her gaze raced over Royce, seeking the wound…she nearly swooned with relief when she finally accepted that there wasn’t one. Phillip’s shot had gone wide.

Her gaze returned to Royce’s face; behind his mask, he was stunned. In that instant she knew he hadn’t expected to survive.

He could have run for cover, but he’d run toward Phillip to give her time to get away, to make sure Phillip shot at him, and not her.

Dragging in a deep breath, she went to join him.

Just as the doors at both ends of the mill swung open, and Christian and Miles appeared at the lower end of the gangplank.

Reaching Royce, she laid a hand on his arm. He looked at her then, met her eyes, then he looked down at the knife in Phillip’s throat, and didn’t say anything.

The others gathered around; what expressions were discernable were unrelentingly grim. She glimpsed pistols being slipped back into pockets, the flash of knives being put away.

Royce drew in a breath-almost unable to believe he could. Almost unable to believe that Minerva stood, shaken but otherwise well, beside him-that he could sense her there, steady and sure, that he was still alive to feel her comforting warmth, her vital presence.