Stephanie Laurens - Mastered By Love

Last time he and the last traitor had crossed swords, the traitor had won. That wasn’t going to happen this time, not with what was at risk; he wanted to learn everything he possibly could before he took the field.

Letitia, still standing with Rose, was already alerted, restive and restless, when he halted beside her. “Can you and Rose find Ellen, and bring her to me in the hallway beyond the side door?” Briefly he met her eyes. “Don’t ask, but hurry-and don’t alert anyone else bar the other Bastion Club wives.” He glanced at Rose. “Or Alice and Eleanor. No one else.”

Both wanted to ask why; neither did. Lips tightening, they nodded, exchanged glances, then separated and slipped through the crowd.

Searching. He searched, too, but, finding it harder and harder to keep his expression impassive, he went back into the hallway and left the hunt to the women.

Minutes later, Leonora slipped through the door. “They’ve found her, but she was conversing with others. Eleanor, Madeline, and Alicia are extracting her.”

He nodded, pacing, too tense to remain still.

The other ladies joined them, one by one slipping into the hallway, all aware something was amiss. They threw him searching glances, but none asked. Last to join them were Eleanor, Alicia, and Madeline, shepherding Ellen, wide-eyed, before them.

She didn’t know him; sensing the anger he was trying to contain, she was already skittish.

“Just ignore the growling,” Letitia curtly advised her. “He won’t bite.”

Ellen’s eyes widened even more.

“I don’t have time to explain,” Royce said, speaking to them all, “but I need to know who Minerva came out here to meet.”

Ellen blinked. “One of your cousins asked me to tell her your half brother’s children were here, asking to speak with her. Apparently they had a gift they’d made her. He said they were waiting in the garden.” She nodded down the corridor. “Out there.”

Royce felt a sudden sense of inevitability. “Which of my cousins?”

Ellen shook her head. “I’m sorry, I can’t say. I don’t know them, and you all look so alike.”

Phoebe stirred. “How old?”

Ellen glanced at Royce. “Of similar age to His Grace.”

Letitia looked at Royce. “How many is that?”

“Three.” But he already knew which one it was, which one it had to be.

The door to the ballroom cracked open; Susannah peered around it. She took in the ladies, then focused on him. “What’s going on?”

He didn’t answer, instead said, “I need to know if Gordon, Phillip, and Gregory are in the ballroom. Don’t speak to them, just go and check. Now.”

She stared at him, then closed her mouth and went.

Clarice, Letitia, and Penny headed for the door. “We know them, too,” Penny said as she passed him.

Bare minutes later, all four came back. “Gordon and Gregory are in there,” Susannah reported. “Not Phillip.”

Royce nodded, half turned away, his mind churning.

Alicia said, “That’s not conclusive. Phillip might be anywhere-the castle is huge.”

Mystified, Susannah appealed to the others; Letitia explained they were trying to learn which of the cousins had lured Minerva away.

“It’ll be Phillip.” Susannah was definite. Royce looked at her; she went on, “I don’t know what bee he’s got in his bonnet about you, but for years he’s always wanted to know every last thing about you and your doings-and recently…it was he who suggested I invite Helen Ashton. He who told me Minerva was your lover and…not suggested but led me to think that engineering a situation might be a good thing. Of course, he never dreamed you loved her-” She broke off, paled. “Oh, God-he’s taken her, hasn’t he?”

For a long moment, no one answered, then Royce slowly nodded. “Yes, he has.”

He glanced at Alicia. “The last traitor we’ve been hunting over the last year? We concluded he had some connection with the War Office. Of all my cousins, of all those here, only Phillip qualifies.”

He felt a certain sureness infuse him. It always helped to know who he was hunting.

Minerva struggled through clouds of unconsciousness. Her head felt woolly; thoughts half formed, then slipped away, sank into the murk. She couldn’t think-couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t formulate a coherent wish, much less open her eyes. But inside, where a cold kernel of panicked helplessness clung to reality, she knew.

Someone had seized her and carried her away. She’d gone to the door, looking for Hamish’s children-and someone, some man, had come up behind her. She’d sensed him an instant before he’d grabbed her, tried to turn her head, but he’d slapped a handkerchief over her nose and mouth…

It had smelled sickly sweet, cloying…

Reality inched closer, seeped into her mind. She breathed in, carefully, but that horrible, nauseating smell was gone.

Someone-the man-was talking, the sound distant, fading in and out.

Familiar. He was familiar.

She would have frowned, but her features were still not her own. She was lying on her back…on stone, its rough surface beneath her fingers, under one palm…she’d been here before, lain just like this not long ago…

The millstone. She was lying on the grinding stone in the mill.

The realization evoked an inpouring of awareness; the clouds dissipated; she came fully awake.

Just as the man halted beside her. She sensed him looking down at her; instinct kept her perfectly still.

“Damn you-wake up! ”

He’d spoken through clenched teeth, yet she placed him. Phillip. What the devil was he up to?

With a muttered curse, he swung away. Her hearing focused, her mind followed; still too weak to move, she listened as he paced, talking to himself.

“It’s all right. I have time. Plenty of time to set the stage-to rape her, and beat her, then kill her-perhaps slit her throat, let her blood flow artistically over the stone-yes!”

His shoes scraped on the floor as if he’d swung around. She sensed him looking at her; she didn’t move a muscle.

“Damn!” he muttered. “I forgot to bring my knife.” He paused, then said, “No matter. I’ve ball and powder-I can shoot her as many times, in as many places, as I like.”

Again she felt him studying her, then he started pacing again.

“Yes, that will do nicely. I’ll rip her gown to shreds, shoot her in the head, then again in the belly, and place that damned crown in the blood.” He laughed. “Oh, yes , that will work. He has to be shattered by the sight. Completely and utterly broken . He has to finally see that I’m more powerful. That because he took my treasure, I’ve taken something he valued from him-that in our game, I’ll always win. That I’m the truly clever one. When he comes in here, and sees what I’ve done to her-his new duchess, the woman he today vowed to honor and protect-he’ll know I’ve won. He’ll know that everyone will know what a failure he is-that he wasn’t even clever enough, strong enough, powerful enough, to protect her .”

His long strides brought him to the millstone again; again she felt his gaze. Unlike Royce’s, his made her skin crawl. She fought to remain lifeless, utterly lax-battled the compulsion to tense, to hold her breath, to raise her lids enough to see.

She nearly sighed with relief when he said, “Time’s on my side.” He moved away again. “I’ve got more than an hour before that valet gives Royce the note. Plenty of time to enjoy debauching and killing her, and then get ready to welcome him.”

Facts fell into place with a suddenness that left her mentally reeling. Treasure . Phillip had said treasure. He was Royce’s last traitor.