With This Ring (36 page)

diversion, she did something that she never permitted her heroines to do. She screamed.

"Noooo.' Her feminine shriek of fright and rage reverberated in the room. It echoed against the stone walls. It seemed to Beatrice that it actually picked up energy from the eerie atmosphere that permeated the chamber. Saltmarsh flinched. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Leo wince.

The effect on the already-jittery Sibson was electrifying. His mouth opened and closed. He jerked once, twice. His hands tightened convulsively around Leo's pistol. It roared.

The ball crashed into a nearby cabinet, shattbring the glass panes.

Saltmarsh's face contorted with fury. "You bloody, stupid, useless little man." He turned toward Sibson and fired. Sibson's scream took up where Beatrice's left off. It did

not last long. He clutched at his chest, where blood spouted in a ghastly red plume. He crumpled toward the cold stones, an expression of horrified disbelief on his face.

Leo launched himself at Saltmarsh before Sibson struck the floor. Beatrice saw Saltmarsh toss the empty pistol aside and reach for the one in his trousers. He was off-balance and clearly rattled by the realization that the situation had escalated beyond his control. He managed to free the second pistol, but he could not get it cocked in time.

Leo smashed into him. The momentum carried both of them to the floor.

Beatrice heard the sickening sound of fists thudding against flesh. Hoarse grunts and dull, heavy blows echoed into the chamber.

The men rolled wildly across the stone floor, crashing into cabinets and fetching up against table legs. It was impossible to tell which onewas winning the vicious fight.

Beatrice cast about desperately for some object to use against Saltmarsh. Her gaze fell on a heavy vase decorated

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with a funeral motif. She dashed to the cabinet in which it stood, seized the vessel in both hands, and whirled around.

Before she could sort out the combatants, she heard a dreadful thud. For a timeless instant, both men lay utterly still on the floor.

"L e o. "

He raised his head to look at her. She shivered when she saw the icy flames of violence that burned in his eyes.

"Are you all right?" she whispered.

"Yes.' He lurched free of Saltmarsh and levered himself up off the floor. He stood looking down at his opponent. Beatrice glanced at Graham. He lay on his stomach,

motionless. His face was turned away from her. Blood matted his golden hair. The edges of his torn shirt drifted across his back, mute testimony to the violence.

"After the last blow, he fell backward. I think he struck his head against that cabinet." Leo leaned down and touched Saltmarsh's throat. "He is dead."

"They were all involved in Uncle Reggie's murder," Beatrice whispered. "All three of them."

"So it would seem. But there is still something about this affair that does not feel right."

"The Rings are still missing, if that is what you mean." "I was not referring to the Rings."

A low groan from Sibson interrupted him. "Leo, Mr. Sibson is still alive."

Beatrice hurried to the fallen man. "He is not fully conscious." She knelt beside Sibson and went to work to fashion a bandage out of his shirt. "The bleeding is not too bad."

Leo looked back at Graham's prone body as if seeking answers from the dead. He sucked in his breath. "Hell's teeth."

"What is it?"

"Look at his back." Leo crouched beside the dead man. Beatrice shuddered, but she made herself look at the

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skin that was visible through the torn linen shirt. She saw a long welt etched into the flesh just above his hip. "I don't understand."

Leo jerked a larger piece of the ripped garment aside to expose another welt. "I believe that we are looking at the results of a rather vigorous application of the rod."

For a second, Beatrice was at a loss. And then it all came together. "Dear God. The House of the Rod."

"Come." Leo rose quickly and stepped across Graham's body. "We must get out of here immediately."

"What about Mr. Sibson? We cannot leave him here." Leo eyed the unconscious man. "He is small Idnd light. Do you think you can manage his feet while Itake his shoulders? We may be able to get him up the stairs."

"Yes." Beatrice leaned down to grasp Sibson's thin ankles. "He is a nasty little man, but he does not appear to have been directly involved with the murders."

"Too nervous for that sort of thing." Leo bent down to get a grip on Sibson's narrow shoulders.

A dark shadow moved at the top of the stone staircase. "Good evening." Madame Virtue, elegant in a black gown, a matching black pelisse, and a rakish black-veiled hat, descended the steps with a pistol in her hand. "I trust that you two have tidied up most of the loose ends for me. Now we can proceed to the business at hand."

Oapler 20

'Tis a bold scheme constructed in the shadows

and carried out in darkness....

FRom CHAPTER TwENTY oF The Ruin BY MRs. AmmA YORK

eo watched Madame Virtue come to a halt at the foot of the steps. The pistol in her hand was rock steady. "You were behind it from the start," he said.

"Of course." Madame Virtue raised her veil with a black-gloved hand. She kept the pistol trained on him, but her attention was clearly focused on Beatrice. "In the course of my career I have learned many useful secrets from my clients, but the affair of the Forbidden Rings was by far the most intriguing."

"Who told you about the Rings?" Beatrice asked. "'Your uncle first mentioned the rumors that were circulating one evening after he had indulged in a bit too much claret." Madame Virtue shrugged. "It is odd how frequently

my clients wish to brag about their business affairs. It is as if they seek to impress me."

"What did Uncle Reggie tell you?"

Madame Virtue raised one shoulder in a graceful shrug. "He believed he knew where to find the Rings. And he also thought that he knew the whereabouts of the alchemist's statue."

"He had traced it to Trull's Museum."

"Yes." Madame Virtue glanced at the figure of Aphrodite. "He learned that it was in a shipment of artifacts that survived a fire in the home of a man named Morgan Judd. Judd himself died in the blaze. Several items from his collection were purchased by Trull. But Glassonby said that Trull did not know the significance of the statue."

Leo glanced at the figure. "Assuming that is the right Aphrodite, it has no value at all without the Rings. And they seem to have disappeared."

"Indeed." Madame Virtue flicked an impatient glance af him. "After Glassonby told me his tale, I had Mr. Saltmarsh, another one of my clients, an extremely devoted one as it happens, make some discreet inquiries."

"Saltmarsh went to Sibson to verify the rumors and Glassonby's story," Leo said.

"Yes. But the fool was always one step behind Glassonby. Glassonby got to the Rings before we did."

"So you brought in Dr. Cox and his poisons," Beatrice said.

Madame Virtue smiled. "Indeed."

Leo leaned back against the cabinet on which he had earlier placed the lantern. He planted his hands on either side of his thighs. "Neither Sibson nor Cox knew that you were the one in charge of the scheme, did they?"

"Of course not. As far as they were concerned, they took their orders from Saltmarsh. Cox and Sibson were both fools. Neither of them would have believed that a mere

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woman, a brothel keeper at that, could find a great treasure that had eluded generations of collectors."

"What went wrong the night Glassonby died?" Leo asked.

"In the course of our regular appointment, he confided that he had that very day concluded a bargain to purchase the Rings. He said it had cost him virtually his entire fortune but that he now possessed them. He also said that he intended to make an offer to Trull to purchase the Aphrodite."

Beatrice's mouth thinned with rage. "You assumed that since you knew the whereabouts of the statue, the only thing you required from Uncle Reggie was the location of the Rings."

"I added some powder that Cox had prepared to your uncle's usual dose of the elixir. But he drank too much of it too soon. It was too strong for his heart. It was supposed to put him into a trance long enough for me to question him. But he collapsed just as I began to ask him about the Rings."

"He died before he could tell you where they were," Leo said softly.

Madame Virtue looked at him, eyes slitted with disgust. "He just kept shouting something about being ruined. The drug obviously affected his mind before it stopped his heart. He died with the word ruin on his lips. It was very vexing." Leo saw Beatrice stiffen, but she said nothing.

"At least you knew where the Aphrodite was," he said. "You got rid of Trull and acquired the entire museum in order to get your hands on it."

Beatrice frowned. "You are the new owner of Trull's Museum?"

"It makes a change from brothel keeping," Madame Virtue said. "Graham made the arrangement for Trull's accident." Madame Virtue glanced regretfully at Saltmarsh's body. "Graham was so very useful. I also sent him to search Glassonby's town house. He found his lordship's personal

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journal, but it told us nothing that we did not already know. I was extremely frustrated, as I'm sure you can imagine."

"The only thing left to do was to have Saltmarsh keep watch on Mrs. Poole, Glassonby's nearest relative in Town, in case the Rings turned up in her possession," Leo said.

"She was my only hope," Madame Virtue admitted. "The rumors of the Rings had completely dried up on the antiquities scene. All of the serious collectors had concluded that the whole thing had been a hoax."

"In the process of keeping an eye on her, Saltmarsh stumbled onto the information that Mrs. Poole was the famous authoress Mrs. York," Leo said.

"Indeed." "And when I brought Monkcrest into the affair," Beatrice added quietly, "you realized that I had begun to search for the Rings myself."

"It was a stroke of genius to seek out Monkcrest's assistance." Madame Virtue gave her an approving smile. "It was also extremely risky. After all, there was only one reason the Mad Monk would get involved in such a search. He obviously wanted to obtain the Rings and the statue for himself."

"Why the attempt to kidnap me early on?' Leo asked. "Cox arranged that on his own. The stupid fool was the most unpredictable one of the three. He believed you had valuable information. He thought he could drug you and persuade you to talk. I was furious when I learned what had happened."

"You tried to warn me off, " Beatrice said.

"Yes. I really hoped you would be wise enough to stay out of the affair. Believe it or not, I did not want to have to kill you, Mrs. Poole. I am well aware of your work at The Academy. It is naive, but rather touching."

Leo glanced at Beatrice. "What the devil do you mean, she tried to warn you?"

"Never mind," Beatrice said. "It doesn't matter now."

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Leo turned back to Madame Virtue. "Tonight you intended to get rid of the remainder of your accomplices."

"Yes. But you have simplified that problem for me." She aimed the pistol at his chest. "We have chatted long enough. Where are the Forbidden Rings?"

Leo eased one hand closer to the flaring lantern. "We don't know."

"You lie." Madame Virtue's hand tightened on the pistol. "I think you came here tonight to unlock the statue." Leo shook his head slightly. "We came here looking for more answers."

"Bah. This is a waste of time. I no longer require your services, Monkcrest. The only one I need is Mrs. Poole." "She does not have the Rings," Leo said.

Madame Virtue's eyes narrowed. "I overheard you tell Graham that she knew where they are."

"I lied.ff

Madame Virtue's face tightened with rage. "Bastard. You're all the same."

Beatrice cleared her throat. "I have one of the Rings." Stunned, Leo took his eyes off Madame Virtue just long enough to glance briefly at Beatrice. She raised her hand to the front of her shirt and tugged on a golden chain that hung around her neck.

Madame Virtue turned quickly toward Beatrice. "You have it on you? Let me see it at once."

Beatrice slowly hauled the delicate chain out from under her clothing. Leo saw the bloodred ruby of the Monkcrest ring blaze in the glow of the lantern light.

"Give it to me.' Madame Virtue stretched out her free hand and took an impulsive step toward Beatrice. "My God, it's a treasure in itself. I need nothing more. Give it to me."

He would never get a better chance, Leo realized. He had to make his move now while Madame Virtue was transfixed by the sight of the glowing ruby. He swept out his hand

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and sent the lantern crashing to the floor. Glass shattered. Oil ran out onto stone. The flame followed it hungrily.

"Damn you." Madame Virtue turned back toward Leo and raised the pistol.

Leo rolled across the top of the cabinet, seeking to put it between himself and the pistol.

"Bloody bastard." Madame Virtue pulled the trigger. His luck in dodging bullets had run out. To Leo's chagrin, Madame Virtue moved far more quickly than he had anticipated. He felt the familiar icy fire scorch his shoulder. That made twice in less than a fortnight. Perhaps he really was getting too old for this kind of thing.

Behind him he heard the crash of broken pottery and a shriek of pain. Behind the cabinet he scrambled to his feet and raced around the corner. He stopped short when he saw Beatrice with the remains of a shattered vase in her hands, standing over Madame Virtue.

Madame Virtue did not move.

Beatrice stared at his shoulder. "Oh, Leo, not again." "I'll survive." He grabbed his greatcoat and began beating at the flames. "Help me. If we don't get this out, this whole building will go up in flames."

I think that there are some things in here that should burn," she whispered.

He glanced at her, astonished. "Why do you say that?" "Never mind. You're right. If this chamber goes, the whole neighborhood may well follow." She seized her cloak and threw it over a small tongue of fire that raced along the thin line of spilled lamp oil.