Page 71 of The Confessions of a Lady
‘Is this the girl?’ His gaze flicked to Philippa. ‘She doesn’t look like a servant.’
Philippa’s crimson lips pressed together, tasting the man’s words and finding them sour. She removed her own mask so Penny followed suit, grateful to be free of the itchy thing. ‘Her name is Penny. And she doesn’t look like a servant because she is wearing the dress of a lady. Some might say there really isn’t any more difference between the two than that.’ Philippa turned from the commissioner and stepped away. When she looked at Penny, her lips softened. ‘Tell him what you know, Penny.’
Before she could begin, the door opened and Millicent, Ivy, Hannah, Drake, and Killian filed into the library, all bereft of masks. It would seem the time for concealment was over. Killian’s brows rose when he saw the commissioner.
‘Worthington. What the devil is going on?’
Philippa waved her hand impatiently. ‘Not now, Killian.’
Hannah looked between Philippa and Worthington. ‘This can’t be you’re informant from Scotland Yard? The man you refused to ever tell me about? The one you implied was actually a woman?’
Worthington glared at Hannah, then Philippa. His face flushed and the tips of his ears turned pink.
Philippa shrugged. ‘Unfortunately, he is not a woman. But yes. Commissioner Worthington is the informant who has been helping us with this case.’
Killian’s mouth almost fell open as he moved opposite the commissioner and Philippa. He stared at Worthington. ‘You are working for the Queen? Does the prime minister know?’
Commissioner Worthington straightened his jacket, his face in profile as he glared at Philippa. ‘I suppose you think this is funny.’
Philippa arched a brow. ‘Nothing about this situation is remotely amusing. But I am enjoying your discomfort.’ She turned to Killian. ‘Yes, he works for the Queen. No, the prime minister doesn’t know.’
‘He soon will,’ Drake thundered as he strode across the library floor, joining Killian while Millie and Ivy gathered by Penny near the settee.
Philippa fixed her gaze on Drake. ‘Telling the prime minister about this would be a very, very stupid thing to do. I can assure you, Queen Victoria would not be pleased. Millie has repeatedly told me you are not an idiot, but time and your actions will tell, Major General Drake.’ Her head swivelled to Killian. ‘The same is true for you, Lieutenant General Killian. Please don’t make me regret letting Hannah marry you.’
‘You realise what kind of position this puts us in.’ Killian’s green eyes flashed with controlled fury. ‘Drake and I report to the prime minister. We believe in the sanctity of law. Commissioner Worthington, are we to assume you support the kind of vigilante justice the duchess is determined to enact?’
Ivy’s nervous gaze jumped from Killian to Philippa. She slid closer to Millie. Millie put a reassuring hand on her friend’s arm.
Hannah walked past the ladies and entered the fray. She crossed between Killian and Philippa and notably joined the duchess though her focus stayed sharp on her husband. ‘You’d better include me in your accusations, darling.’ She slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a pistol. ‘Or have you forgotten I work for the Queen?’
Ivy’s face grew noticeably paler.
Killian leaned toward his fierce companion, nearly breaking his line. His eyes strayed to Hannah’s mouth before he growled, ‘I don’t forget anything, sweetheart. As you are well aware.’
‘Please. I don’t have time to watch the two of you drool over each other.’ Philippa rolled her eyes.
‘Perhaps you have time to explain exactly how your version of justice is any better than an emperor ruling with no checks or balance on his power?’ Drake widened his stance, nearly brushing shoulders with Killian. They were a battalion of two creating clear battle lines against enemy forces.
Millicent patted Ivy’s hand, then gently removed the woman’s grip, whispering something in her friend’s ear.
The commissioner’s gaze flicked to them, catching on Ivy for a moment before he tracked Millie as she traversed the library to the centre, joining the skirmish. Drake watched her too, like a dragon mesmerised by a bright, flashing jewel. Millie took her place next to Hannah with Philippa and the commissioner on her left. She put a hand on her hip. ‘I think we can all agree a corrupt system of law is not capable of delivering justice at all, Beau. Who was the last lord convicted of a crime? I can’t recall.’ Her brows pulled down, and she tapped a finger against her temple.
Drake smouldered at his wife, shaking his head, and licking his bottom lip like a man desperate for something sweet. ‘Minx.’
She winked at him.
Philippa clicked her tongue and shook her head. ‘I might be ill on the carpet. Millie, Hannah, please, control yourselves.’ She glanced at both women, then Commissioner Worthington, silently emphasising a clear fact: Drake and Killian were outnumbered.
Ivy stepped further away from the brewing battle, putting the settee between herself and the fierce warriors staring each other down. The commissioner’s gaze strayed beyond Penny to where Ivy must be hiding in the shadows before he pulled his focus back to the men across from him.
‘We are wasting time,’ Philippa said. ‘Penny, you have information to share. Please. Do so now.’
Penny wanted to join Ivy in the darkness. But she never backed away from frightening fights despite the seven pairs of eyes all turning their gazes on her. Needing something to do with her hands, she fiddled with the lace on her dress, focusing on the rough surface. Tension pulled tight in the room, and she feared one wrong word might snap the string holding each person in a state of carefully controlled stasis. Taking a deep breath and keeping her eyes on the commissioner, she told him everything in a rush. The letters she found. The missing servant girl who Liam claimed was living happily in Holly House. And most damningly, the conversation she’d overheard just moments ago. The commissioner listened to every word in absolute silence. When she stopped, he exhaled a long breath.
‘So, he made a deal with the Devil’s Sons?’
She bit her lip, willing herself not to burst into tears. ‘Yes,’ she whispered.
