Page 100 of Tempting the Highland Spy
She fought it. She had to remain strong.
She had to keep her wits about her.
It was the only way to survive this.
The only way to ensure Harrison and Mrs. Carmichael made it out of this place alive.
In her mind’s eye, she pictured her sister. Claire needed her. And Aunt Thelma would crumble if something happened to her.
She had to endure this.
Whatever it took, she had to live.
Heavy footsteps thudded toward the door. She turned to face the leering features of the massive brute who’d attacked her in Edinburgh.
O’Hanlon.
Recognition slammed into Grace like the most vicious of blows. She choked back a cry. It all made sense now. O’Hanlon was here. He knew who she was. He knew enough to shred the disguises she and Harrison had crafted.
“Ye look surprised to see me,” he said with an ugly sneer. “That soddin’ jail couldn’t hold me. Not when I had something as temptin’ as you to hunt down.”
“If you want to keep all your parts, you’ll stay away from her.” Lady Edythe spoke in a cool, controlled tone—a monarch addressing a servant. “Do something with Sybil, will you?”
With a curt nod, he dragged Sybil’s body closer to the corner. “I’ll be back for ye, later,” he said to Grace with a tip of his flat-brimmed hat as bile rose to the back of her throat.
Lady Edythe kept her eyes on him as he left the room, seeming not to trust him to follow orders. As his footfalls plodded down the corridor, she closed the door behind him.
“I actually regret you have to be a part of this. I rather liked you. If only you hadn’t interfered.” Lady Edythe spoke so very coolly, so logically, it was clear her soul had gone dark. “Everything was going according to plan with that dull little cow. But then, you had to start putting ideas in her head.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Grace said, drawing her out. The longer Lady Edythe talked, the more chance Grace had to position herself for escape.
“Of course you do. Don’t pretend to be dense. You know quite well I’m referring tohis heiress.”
“Raibert is a part of this—why? What could he possibly have to gain?”
“And I thought you were clever.” Lady Edythe frowned. “The answer to your question is—everything. Soon, it will all flow to us. Every penny of her father’s fortune will be ours.”
“Dear God—she was right. The two of you…”
A low, ugly laugh escaped Lady Edythe’s lips. “It’s always been the two of us. Long before he ever laid eyes on her. Of course, she didn’t know that, not until he returned to Scotland. While she was in America, she could delude herself that he loved her. But she’s only a pawn.”
“Why did Raibert pursue her if he wants you?”
“And settle for a life of poverty? His family squandered his estate. That’s no way to live now, is it? A life in the gutter is not for me.”
“So he found an heiress.”
“He certainly did. It wasn’t as if he could be satisfied with me. I’m not even alady.I’m just plain old Edythe. Sybil and I made up those titles. Foolish Americans, so eager to believe.”
Grace pulled in a breath, shifting her tactics a bit. If she could sow doubt, she might set Edythe off kilter. That would work to her advantage.
“What do you see in the man? It’s clear he doesn’t love you.”
She shrugged. “What is love? Some bloomin’ fantasy. His choice was perfect. She even fancied herself to be a blasted witch. Just like Sybil did.”
“But the spells…the potions you referred to?”
Edythe laughed, a low, ugly sound. “I was playacting for that meek little bird’s benefit. She believed I had powers, that I could put hexes on people. Dear Sybil even tried to protect you. She’s the one who put those trinkets in your bed.”
