The earl merely shrugged. Then he tossed the necklace to Gervaise. He said nothing, merely watched as Gervaise slipped it into his pocket. He now pointed the weapon directly at the earl. “You know, my lord,” Gervaise said easily, “it should have been so very simple for me to fetch the emeralds. But no, you had to meddle. You had to tell the world that there are loose floorboards, thus the locked door.
“And, Arabella, yes, she had to meddle as well. You forced me to go to desperate lengths, my lord, to retrieve what was by all rights mine. The old servant Josette was an encumbrance, with all her righteous rantings about conscience and duty. It was a pity, her death. It really does not matter now if you believe me, but I will tell you. I sought only to speak to the old woman that night, but she fled from me—afraid, she was, so afraid that she ran down the dark corridor, tripped, and fell down the stairs. As to causing the rocks to collapse in the old abbey ruins, I had no wish to harm you, Arabella, merely to empty Evesham Abbey of his lordship’s interfering presence. Well, the game has taken a complicated turn, my lord, but I shall contrive. I know that you would not face me without a weapon unless you had an army of men waiting just outside this room. That is true, isn’t it?”
“Perhaps. You will not know until you try to leave.” Gervaise paused, then continued in a meditative voice, “You know, my lord, I have never liked you. Arrogantly proud you are, just like the old earl, that filthy old man. Of course, I could not come for my birthright while he lived. Thomas de Trécassis cautioned me to wait, to be patient.”
“No! Gervaise, no! It cannot be true! You are a thief? You are stealing from Justin?”
All of them stared blankly at Elsbeth, who stood just inside the bedchamber, breathing hard, for she had run as fast as she could up the stairs. “No, Gervaise, stop it now. You love me, don’t you? At least you love me as you would a cousin? Don’t do this. I cannot bear that you are doing this.”
It was Gervaise who recovered first. He stared at Elsbeth, as emotionless as he would regard a stranger. “Elsbeth, you should not have come. I was just on the point of leaving. I have stolen nothing at all. I have what is mine.”
“You came here just to seduce me, didn’t you? It was some sort of twisted revenge?”
“No, my dear,” he said, his voice oddly gentle, “I came here to find the de Trécassis emeralds. You were like a ripe plum to fall into my hands. I have always enjoyed virgins, Elsbeth, their anticipation, their fright, their little whimpers of pain. But even as a virgin you were of little interest to me. Forgive me, Elsbeth, but that wasn’t what a gentleman should say to a lady, is it?”
Elsbeth drew herself up. She said very slowly, “I believe that you are no gentleman, sir. You seduced me, you professed to love me, and you cared not a whit for me. What did you want?”
He drew the emerald necklace from his pocket. “This,” he said. “The emeralds are mine. I came only to get them. Now that I have them, I will leave you. I don’t wish you ill, Elsbeth. But you won’t interfere now.
Stand very still, my dear girl, or you will not like what I will do to your sister.”
Arabella laughed. “I thought you told me twice, Gervaise, that you wouldn’t hurt me. Why, you made me feel like a helpless little maiden who should twitter behind her hand.”
“Shut up, damn you.”
“Gervaise,” Elsbeth said, not moving an inch, “this is all a mistake. Do you swear to me that you will simply leave? Do you swear that you will not harm anyone?”
“No, my dearest cousin, I cannot swear to that. If you weren’t so utterly credulous, so completely simple, you would realize that there are a score of men waiting for me to emerge from Evesham Abbey. Indeed, I can’t imagine why they let you pass. Did you not see them? You’re shaking your head. Well, perhaps they were told to remain hidden until I appeared.
They also doubtless have orders from the damned earl to kill me. That is why he looks so calm, so arrogant.
“Though I am not by nature a murderer, unlike your father, madame,” he said, staring at Arabella, “I do not think, my lord earl, that I shall be overly troubled at your unfortunate demise. It is an eye for an eye, as you English say. Then I shall take your lovely Arabella. She will be my hostage. I won’t take Elsbeth. Ah, but the countess is another matter.
She is his daughter, that dirty bastard. None of the men you have waiting for me will dare to touch me as long as I have her. Yes, I think this the wisest course to follow.”
The earl swiftly measured the distance between him and the comte, saw the pistol had yet to be cocked, and dived his hand into the pocket of his cloak for Arabella’s small gun that he’d taken from the bedside table.
“I hope you rot in hell with her father,” Gervaise yelled as he whipped back the hammer and stepped forward even as he fired.
“Damn you, no!” Arabella threw herself in front of her husband.
A deafening roar rent the silence of the room. Arabella felt a great force hit dead on into her body, its impact flinging her backward. She was vaguely aware that Justin’s arm was about her waist, keeping her upright. She saw Gervaise frantically leaping for her pistol on the table, his face distorted with frustrated rage. She felt Justin’s arm jerk up, saw her own small pistol in his hand, and heard its staccato report. How odd Gervaise suddenly appeared. He
