“Not quite.” Lady Chilton pursed her lips. “The truth is, we argued, because my damn foolish sister kept insisting she was going to keep the babe and travel to America to start a new life. Can you believe she would think to do such a thing? Especially when she knew perfectly well that my husband is looking for a position in the prime minister’s cabinet! Could you imagine the scandal if it ever became known she had not only had a child out of wedlock, but she had kept the darn thing and was raising a bastard? I couldn’t allow that to happen. My husband’s ambitions would have been over even before they’d begun.”
“What did you do to Alice?” Livie slowly ground out, her hands fisting together on the table as she stood glaring at the lady.
“I did what I had to, to stop her. To save my family from suffering further scandal, greater than what Alice had already subjected us to!” Lady Chilton straightened her shoulders. “We were arguing and, as usual, she was failing to see reason. When she turned away from me, I grabbed the ash shovel from the fireplace and struck her on the back of her head with it. She fell to the ground, but she wasn’t dead, the wretch. No. I had to strike her head a further three times until she was still. Lord Chilton helped me by taking her body up to the roof in the dead of night and throwing it from the railing.”
“Throwing it? That was your sister, you heartless monster.” Tears burned down Livie’s face and an overwhelming rage filled her. “You murdered your own pregnant sister all because of some potential future scandal? You’re a horrendous excuse for a human!”
“How dare you judge me! You’re a meddlesome cripple who should never have stuck her nose into Alice’s death. If you had left well enough alone, my husband wouldn’t have had to approach several cutthroats about getting rid of you. And if Alice had listened to reason, she would not be dead,” Lady Chilton yelled, spittle flying from her mouth. “But she was the fool who listened to a scoundrel’s promise of love, when all he actually wanted was a tumble between the sheets. She brought this upon herself. Her death was her fault and it was deserved.”
“You bitch!” Livie roared, lunging across the small table and grabbing Lady Chilton by the collar. “How dare you blame her.”
Lady Chilton screamed. “Do something!” The woman turned to Clint, her eyes wild with fear.
Livie swung her fist back, and in a frenzy of rage and despair she launched it straight into Lady Chilton’s face, punching her first in the nose, then the cheek, and then the mouth.
Taking in a shuddering breath, Livie let go of the woman’s blue jacket and watched as she fell back into the chair, out cold. A strange sense of satisfaction filled her upon seeing the blood oozing from the woman’s nose and lips.
“Bravo, Lady Olivia.” Clint applauded from where he was still seated, having made no move to interfere, but still holding his pistol. “I knew you were a firecracker, but I didn’t think you had it in you to punch another woman. I’m very impressed. And you’ve knocked her out, too. Wonderful, just wonderful.”
Livie barely heard him. Instead, she glanced down at her bloodied knuckles. She’d never punched someone before. Slowly she unclenched her fist, wincing at the pain.
“She was a disturbed lady,” Clint tittered, as he stood and wandered over to the woman who still hadn’t moved, but for her chest taking in breaths. “Killing her own sister and unborn niece or nephew. Tsk. Tsk. A damnable sin, to be sure. The world will be glad to be rid of such a woman.”
And before Livie knew what he was about, he raised his pistol to Lady Chilton’s forehead and pulled the trigger.
Chapter Forty-Nine
As soon as Seb saw the glimmer of light shining from the hunting lodge in the distance up ahead, he knew Livie was inside. He also knew it was a trap.
Halting in his tracks, he turned to his two men traveling alongside him. “Looks like they’re in there.”
“How many do you reckon there are?” Curtis asked, peering toward the building.
“I don’t know.” Seb shook his head. “If it were me, I’d be choosing quality men over quantity, and I’d have some hidden in the forest, close to the lodge, ready to ambush whoever arrived.”
“Sounds likely,” Crandell whispered.
“I want the two of you to circle wide around the side and try to catch them by surprise at the rear of the lodge,” Seb directed. “Crandell, you go to the right and Curtis, you go to the left. Be careful, though, they know we’re coming. If you find anyone, try to sneak up on them and incapacitate them as silently as you can. The only thing we have going is the element of surprise, and even that we don’t really have, as he’s certain to be expecting us.”
The two men nodded and pulled out their pistols.
“And what are you going to do, boss?” Crandell asked.
“I’m going to walk straight up to the front door. I imagine Clint will want to keep me alive for a bit to lord his betrayal over me. While he does that, I’ll keep him talking so you can both try to sneak in and position yourselves to help. It’ll also give the others a chance to get here. And if either of you see an opportunity to get Lady Olivia out of there, you take it, no matter what, even if that means leaving me behind. You get her out of there and to safety.”
“But boss, we can’t leave you.” Crandell looked stricken at the thought.
“You can, and you will, if it means saving Lady Olivia.” Seb pulled out his pistol and checked the chamber. Five bullets were happily nestled inside. “I can take care of myself. She’s the priority.”
“Understood, boss.”
