Page 98 of Lady Gambit
No, not unless it was part of the plan.
Dorian scoured his mind for answers.
The best solution to Bertie’s problem was to blame Meldrum for Delphine’s murder. Perhaps he meant to wait until the morning before launching an attack. He might hold them up on the road, make murder look like a highway robbery gone awry.
No.
Wicked men often revisited the scenes of their crimes.
Arrogant men liked to outwit their opponents.
Bertram would do the deed tonight under cover of darkness, which meant Delphine would need a reason to visit Meldrum’s room or vice versa.
“Have you spoken to anyone since you entered this room?”
Meldrum shook his head and gestured to the crumpled bedclothes. “I’ve not moved from the bed. Well, except to read the note from Aaron Chance. It’s on top of the chest of drawers.”
Dorian’s hands shook as he peeled back the folds and read the brief missive. Aaron advised Meldrum to check on his sister hourly.
“I’d have gone but fell asleep,” Meldrum said.
“This letter isn’t from Aaron Chance.” They’d agreed not to veer from the plan. He was suddenly glad Meldrum had slept. Had he gone to Delphine’s room, they would both be dead.
Still, they were missing something crucial.
Dorian was considering the possibility that Bertram had abandoned his plan when Daventry burst into Meldrum’s room. “You’re not going to like this. I’m unsure how to proceed, but I know where Bertram is hiding.”
“Where?” Dorian said, fear lancing through him as he realised there was only one place Bertram could hide without them spotting him. A place he could achieve his goal without worrying about witnesses.
“The woman manning the counter in the taproom said a man arrived twenty minutes before us. He paid for Miss Chance to have her favourite room, said he was her brother and it was a surprise. The point is, it’s the only one with a hidden cupboard.”
Dorian didn’t need to ask Daventry what that meant.
Bertram had been lurking inside Delphine’s room for hours.
The devil was merely waiting for the right moment to attack.
Delphine peered through the dusty windowpane into the dim courtyard below. Her heart thundered so fast she could hardly breathe. A murderer lingered in the darkness, waiting for her to make a mistake.
Was this how her mother had spent her last night?
Had she known a monster lay in wait?
Sofia must have known something was wrong. She was found face down on the cobbled walkway. Bertram had waited until the toll of the bells to shoot, hitting her in the back as one did a fox fleeing a hen house.
For the third time in as many minutes, she checked the door was locked and moved to sit on the bed.
Her leg hadn’t stopped shaking since Dorian left.
But she was safe in the room. Her brothers had taken one close by and would watch the door like a hawk did prey.
Nerves forced her to the window again. Dorian had gone tearing after the villain, risking his neck to ensure she could live the rest of her life in peace. Love wasn’t about gifts or nice outings. Love wasn’t about reaching a climax while locked in a warm embrace. Love was a selfless act. A sacrifice made for the good of another.
There was no question her mother had loved her.
There was no doubt Dorian loved her, too.
Perhaps that’s why she felt so afraid.
