Surrender (70 page)

 
Edgeworth is bringing him here so that

you both may die together in this room.

It will all be excessively tragic and very

romantic, I assure you. We should not

have much longer to wait."

Victoria smiled coolly.
 
I fear you have

made a mistake in sending Edgeworth to

fetch my husband. stone vale will be here

soon, of that I have no doubt. But it is

my guess that Edgeworth will not survive

to accompany him."

Isabel walked over to the window, gazing

at the dingy alley that ran alongside the

Green Pig.
 
I fear you have a great deal of

misplaced faith in your husband's abilities,

Victoria."

 
I have a great deal of faith in his

knowledge of strategy, madam."

From the dark confines of Edgeworth's

carriage, which was parked in a lane near

the Green Pig, Lucas watched Victoria

alight from the coach and go into the

gaming hell. His hand tightened into a

fist.

 
You have just sealed your own death,

Edgeworth. You should never have in

volved my wife in this business," he said

icily.

 
Your wife was involved before I was,"

Edgeworth said with a thin chuckle of

satisfaction.
 
Her death is as important to

Isabel as yours is to me."

 
What is your plan?"

 
I suppose there is no harm in telling

you now. You are known for your ability to

plot tactics and strategy, stone vale, so you

should be able to perceive the cleverness

of my scheme."

Lucas did not take his eyes off the

front door of the Green Pig. He could

feel Edgeworth's tension filling the coach.

The man smelled of it.
 
You are a coward

and a fool, Edgeworth. The combination

means that whatever you have planned is

bound to end in failure."

Edgeworth raised the pistol slightly, his

smile of satisfaction turning to a snarl.

 
You will see, stone vale. This time your

luck has finally run out. It is not only your

life you will lose tonight, but your precious

honor. Tomorrow morning all London will

be talking about how the Countess of

stone vale left Lady Atherton's reception

to carry out a secret rendezvous with an

unknown lover in the upstairs room of a

gaming hell. They will delight in saying

how you followed her and discovered her

in bed with another man."

 
Who is this other man?"

 
No one will ever know because he will

have mysteriously escaped while you were

busy killing your wife."

 
And my own death? How will it be

explained?"

 
Very easily. What else could a man in

your situation do except put a pistol to his

own head?"

 
Tell me, Edgeworth, was it you who

notified Lady Nettleship of Victoria's

whereabouts on a certain evening?"

Edgeworth smiled dryly.
 
I followed her

from the ballroom that night, as usual.

When I realized you were taking her to

that inn in order to seduce her, I thought

I saw my chance to enjoy a most agreeable

vengeance against you. I was certain that

when you were discovered, your reputation

would be in shreds. I thought you would

be shunned by Society afterward and cast

out of the clubs. But you moved too

quickly and married the lady within hours.

And once Lady Nettleship and Jessica

Atherton made it clear they approved the

marriage, there was nothing to be done."

Edgeworth motioned with the weapon

in his hand. The movement was jerky,

betraying the man's anxiety.
 
I think we've

given my associate enough time alone with

your wife. Isabel has the instincts of a

cat, you see. She wanted to toy with her

victim a few minutes before she delivered

the death blow."

Lucas started to step out of the carriage.

He stumbled in the process and grabbed

at the edge of the door, stifling a groan.

 
Damn you, stone vale." Edgeworth moved

back hurriedly, the pistol coming up sharply

as he made a grab for his own balance.

 
Sorry. My leg, of course. It has a habit

of giving way at inappropriate moments."

 
Shut up and get out of the carriage,"

Edgeworth said nervously.

Lucas obliged, moving cautiously. He

watched Edgeworth alight behind him.

 
There is a flight of stairs at the back.

We will use those," Edgeworth said.
 
I

don't intend to have you try to escape in

the tavern, where there would be witnesses

if I was forced to shoot you."

 
Very farsighted of you." Lucas started

into the dark alley that led to the back

of the building that housed the Green

Pig. The shadows suited him well. All

that running around at odd hours with

Victoria had paid off, he thought wryly. He

had become quite accustomed to moving

about in the deepest part of the night.

He did not make his move until they

reached the stairs. Then, in obedience to

Edgeworth's command, he started up the

steps ahead of his captor.

Hurry," Edgeworth muttered, his voice

quavering and anxious now.

 
This must be exceedingly difficult for

you, Edgeworth. Your nerve was always

somewhat weak, was it not? I can just

imagine what a strain this must be on

you."

 
God damn you, stone vale. You will

soon pay for that, I swear it. Hurry."

Lucas waited until he was on the third

step before he deliberately let his bad leg

go out from under him again. He started

to reel backward, flailing wildly.

 
What in hell's name are you?" Edge

worth instinctively tried to get out of the

way, but the stairs were narrow and he

wound up having to grab at the shaky

railing as Lucas's full weight hit him. He

fought to get the pistol back in line to fire

but it was too late.

The struggle was brief. Both men rolled

together down the three steps. Lucas paid

attention only to the pistol in Edgeworth's

hand. Edgeworth's finger began to tighten

and Lucas used both hands to force the

man's arm across his body.

Edgeworth heaved frantically, just as the

pistol exploded. He cried out as the bullet

went into his own chest at point-blank

range.

Lucas felt the shock and the sudden,

terrible limpness that went through the

other man. He was vaguely aware of a

ringing in his ears caused by the noise of

the pistol. Then he felt the unmistakable

sensation of warm blood pumping over his

fingers.

 
God damn you to hell, Edgeworth." He

levered himself away from the dying man.

 
He did that a long time ago. The day

I turned and ran on the field of battle."

Edgeworth's eyes were already closing.

 
You never told anyone about that."

 
Each man must see to his own honor."

 
You and your bloody damn sense of

honor," Edgeworth said, his voice strained

and not much above a whisper.

 
Which room is my wife in, Edgeworth?

Do not go to your maker with murder

on your conscience along with everything

else."

Edgeworth coughed and choked on

blood.
 
Find her yourself, stone vale." He

fell silent.

Lucas got to his feet, certain the man

was already unconscious. He dried his

hands on Edgeworth's coat and picked

up the pistol.

He had just turned to start back up

the steps when Edgeworth spoke one last

time.

 
Should have slit your throat that day

when I saw you lying on that goddamned

battlefield, stone vale. Should have killed

you when I had the chance. You have

haunted me ever since, like some damned

ghost. And now you have had your

vengeance."

Lucas said nothing. There was nothing

left to say. He bounded up the stairs as

fast as he could without jeopardizing his

balance.

At the top he found himself on a narrow

landing. There was a door at one end

which opened onto a dingy hallway. The

grunts and groans and laughter that came

from behind the closed doors told him

where he was.

He could start throwing open each

door as he came to it, but that would

cause alarm and give Isabel Rycott too

much time and warning. Lucas reluctantly

stepped back out onto the outside landing

and eyed the narrow ledge that ran

beneath the windows. It was a lucky

thing he had a head for heights, he

decided.

Victoria was still leaning against the

mantel when she caught the trace of

movement outside on the window ledge.

She knew immediately who was out there.

Relief soared through her. Lucas was here

and everything was going to be all right.

She redoubled her efforts to keep Isabel

talking and to make certain the other

woman's attention did not stray to the

window.

 
Tell me, Isabel, do you think you will

be able to give up the habit of going

about in men's clothing now that you have

discovered the freedom associated with it?

I vow, I will have a hard time resisting the

temptation. It is a marvelous sensation, is

it not? Think how much better off the

world would be if all women felt free to

wear breeches when it suited them."

Isabel shook the pistol menacingly.

 
Shut up, Victoria. You will not have

to worry about that particular temptation

after tonight."

Victoria smiled and used the toe of

her boot to poke a small stick back into

the fire.
 
Edgeworth will let you down,

you know. Weak men may be useful on

occasion, but I fear they cannot be counted

upon in a crisis. I shall be the first to