His tone had turned to ice. He lifted Penny’s chin higher until she whimpered; the knife pricked. “Where are they?”
Nicholas met Penny’s eyes, then looked at Fothergill. “In the priest hole that opens from the master bedchamber.”
“Priest hole? Describe it.”
Nicholas did. For a long moment, Fothergill said nothing, then he quietly stated, “This is what I want you to do.”
He told them, making it abundantly plain that he would feel not the slightest compunction over taking Penny’s life should either of them disobey in the smallest way. He made no bones of his intention to kill Nicholas; it was Penny’s life only with which he was prepared to bargain.
When Nicholas challenged him, asking why they should trust him, Fothergill’s answer was simple; they could accept his offer, show him the pillboxes, and Penny might live, or they could resist, and they both would die.
“The only choice you have to make,” he informed Nicholas, “is whether Lady Penelope’s life is worth a few pillboxes. Your life is already irredeemably forfeit.”
“Why should we believe you?” Penny managed to mumble; he’d eased his hold on her chin enough for her to talk. “You killed Gimby, and Mary, and now another young fisherman. I’ve seen you-you won’t let me live.”
She prayed Nicholas could read the message in her eyes; the longer everything took, the more time they could make Fothergill spend down there…it was the only way they could influence anything.
Briefly, Nicholas met her eyes, then looked at Fothergill, clearly waiting for his response.
Fothergill hissed a curse beneath his breath, a French one. “After today, my identity here will no longer be in question-why should I care if you’ve seen me or not?”
He paused. A moment passed, then he softly, menacingly drawled, “I’m not interested in wasting further time convincing you-I want to be finished and away before Lostwithiel and his friend return. So…”
Again he lifted Penny’s chin, drawing her throat taut. Again the blade of his knife caressed. “What’s it to be? Here and now? Or does she live?”
Nicholas’s face was white, his lips a tight line. He nodded once. “We’ll do as you ask.”
“Excellent!” Fothergill wasn’t above sneering.
Turning, Nicholas walked to the door. Reaching it, he halted and looked back, waiting.
At Fothergill’s direction, Penny rose slowly from the chaise, then, chin still held painfully high, the knife riding against her throat, she walked before Fothergill to the door.
Her neck ached.
Halting her a yard from Nicholas, Fothergill spoke softly by her ear. “Please don’t think of acting the heroine, Lady Penelope. Remember that I’m removing the knife from your throat only to place it closer to your heart.”
He did so, so swiftly Penny barely had time to blink; she lowered her chin and simultaneously felt the prick of the blade through her gown, had an instant to regret she’d never taken to wearing corsets.
Fothergill clamped his left hand over her left arm, holding her to him, also hiding the knife he held pressed to her ribs between them.
He studied her face, then looked at Nicholas, and nodded.
Nicholas opened the door, scanned the front hall, then glanced back. “No one there.”
Fothergill nodded curtly. “Lead the way.”
Nicholas did, walking slowly but steadily across the front hall and up the main stairs. Locked together, Penny and Fothergill followed.
In slow procession they approached the master bedchamber. Once inside, Fothergill told Nicholas to lock the door. Nicholas did.
Penny gasped as Fothergill seized the moment to release her arm and lock his arm about her shoulders, once again placing the knife at her throat.
Nicholas swung around at the sound, but froze when he saw Fothergill’s new position.
Fothergill backed, dragging her with him to the side of the room opposite the fireplace. With the knife, he indicated the mantelpiece. “Open the priest hole.”
Nicholas studied him, then slowly walked to the heavily carved mantelpiece. He took as long as he dared, but eventually twisted the right apple. Farther along the wall, the concealed panel popped open.
Fothergill stared at it. “I’m impressed.” He motioned to Nicholas. “Prop the panel wide with that footstool.”
Still moving slowly, Nicholas obeyed.
“Now walk around the bed, and sit on the side, facing the windows.”
Feet dragging, Nicholas did.
“Keep your gaze fixed on the sky. Don’t move your head.”
Once assured Nicholas was going to obey, Fothergill urged her forward. He steered her to the corner of the bed, closer to the priest hole. When they reached it, he turned her so her back was to the bedpost; the tip of his knife beneath her chin held her there while, with a violent tug, he ripped loose the cord tying the bed-curtain back.
He lifted the cord, gripped it in his teeth, then grabbed first one of Penny’s hands, then the other, securing both in one of his on the other side of the bedpost, stretching her arms back so she couldn’t move. Only then did he take his knife from her throat, deftly placing it between his teeth as he removed the cord and quickly used it to lash her wrists together, effectively tying her to the post.
She mentally swore, searched desperately for something to slow things down, to delay or distract.
Fothergill tied the last knot, took his knife from his mouth, and moved around her; silent as a ghost, he glided toward Nicholas.
Who was still staring, unknowing, at the windows.
Penny kicked out as far as she could-and managed to tangle her feet and skirts in Fothergill’s boots. Fothergill staggered, tried to free himself, tripped, fell. His knife went skittering across the floor.
“Nicholas-run!
Penny fought to keep Fothergill trapped, but he rolled away, wrenching free of her skirts.
Nicholas sprang to his feet, took in the scene, saw the knife lying free. His features contorted. Instead of obeying Penny, he flung himself on Fothergill.
“
Rolling on the floor, Nicholas grappled with Fothergill. Even had he been hale and whole, it would have been an uneven match. But Nicholas was injured and Fothergill knew where. Penny saw the punch aimed directly for Nicholas’s injured right shoulder, saw it land, heard Nicholas’s shocked, pained gasp. Fothergill’s next blow plowed into Nicholas’s jaw and it was over. Nicholas slumped unconscious; Fothergill clambered to his feet.
Swearing softly, continuously, in French.
From beneath lowered brows, his gaze locked on Penny.
She screwed her eyes shut and screamed-
He struck her savagely with the back of his hand.
Her head cracked against the bedpost, pain sliced through her brain. She sagged against the post, momentarily nauseated, dizzy, her wits reeling.
Fothergill swore viciously in her ear; she understood enough to know what he was promising. Then he moved away.
She dragged in a breath, forced her lids up enough to see. Through her lashes she watched as he swiped up his knife. Hefting it, he turned to her, then his gaze went past her-to the priest hole.
The glittering boxes distracted him. She didn’t move, sagging as if unconscious. He walked past her without a glance, paused on the threshold of the priest hole, then stepped inside.
Should she scream again? She had no idea whether there had been or would be anyone in the front of the house to hear. Her head was ringing; just thinking was painful. If she screamed again, now he had the knife once more in his hand…
Before she could decide if it was worth the risk, she heard a faint scraping sound. She thought it was Fothergill in the priest hole, but then it came again-she looked at the main door.
Nicholas had locked it, yet now it slowly, very slowly inched open.
She knew who stood in the shadows beyond even though, with the sun slanting in through the windows, with
