Chapter 25

He looked bloodied and rough, and she forgot all about Stefan for a moment as she tossed aside the chair and rushed to her husband, touching his cheek where he was bleeding and frowning at the gash in his lip. “What happened to you, Colin?”

“His goons decided I was not going to enter the house.” He gave her a laconic grin, though he winced when his split lip spread apart and started bleeding more. “I disagreed.”

She shook her head, admiring his ability to overcome the three goons she well remembered from their size, while also questioning his logic in trying to do so. “Surely, there must have been someone who could help you?”

“They are en route, but I found myself unable to wait for them. The idea of what that sick monster might be doing to you spurred me on, and I found it was quite a bit easier to take out all three than I had imagined. No doubt, my great rage contributed to the ease of the situation.”

She hugged him then, wrapping her arms around his waist, and relief filled her as his arms wrapped around her as well. She knew they didn’t have time to linger, in case there were more of those goons, but she lifted her head and brushed her lips against his cheek. “Thank you for coming for me, Colin. I love you.”

His eyes widened in shock as Stefan howled in rage and agony upon hearing the words. It was a firm reminder he was still there to be dealt with, and Maddy found herself shunted behind Colin as he drew his sword, walking closer to Stefan. “Get on your feet and face me like a man.”

Her pathetic stepbrother whimpered, giving every appearance he would continue to cower on the floor. When Colin’s sword touched his throat, he soiled himself, the front of his breeches turning a darker color as he stained them with his urine.

She let out a groan of disgust and clamped her hand over her lower face. “He is absolutely pathetic,” she said through her hand, which muffled the words, but Colin either understood them or at least the gist of them, because he nodded.

“I do not wish to murder you as a defenseless weakling. If you do not get on your feet, I promise you, I shall see you rotting in Newgate until the noose tightens around your neck. This is your only chance to escape that fate.”

Stefan seemed on the verge of tears, and Maddy truly expected him to just continue to cower on the floor, so it was a surprise when he started to get to his feet, though he was trembling. He was sweating profusely, and it could’ve either been perspiration or tears that streamed down his cheeks, since it was difficult to tell with all the sweat pouring off his forehead. “You do not have to do this. You have won. I shall consign myself to Spencerville Park and not return to London.”

“No, you will return there and foment on your sick obsession until you find another way to get Maddy.” He spoke with some conviction, and Maddy wondered if Colin was aware of some of the parallels between his actions and her stepbrother’s. How could he not be, for he was generally a perceptive man? It must sit uneasily with him to realize he shared obsessive tendencies with a man who was so weak and far beneath them.

Without thought, she reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing in a soothing fashion. She certainly wasn’t about to discuss the situation in front of Stefan, but having made peace with the differences between the men, and certain she could continue to help Colin overcome his need to possess her completely, she wanted to give him some reassurance.

“I promise I shan’t.” He started to sob then.

Her estimation of him dropped even further, though she might have considered that impossible before it actually occurred. She thought she could think no less of her stepbrother, but he had proven her wrong.

It wasn’t his display of emotion, for she considered emotions important, and she didn’t think women had the sole claim to tears. Rather, it was just his general demeanor and actions, along with his overall personality, that made her think less of him. He was disgusting in every way.

“Draw your sword or face Newgate.” Colin punctuated the words by prodding him in the shoulder with the tip of his blade.

With another sob, Stefan finally dragged himself over to the wall and removed one of the swords there. Maddy wondered if it was strictly ceremonial, but as he got closer, she could see the sharpness of the blade gleaming in the light provided by the oil lantern, along with what was coming in through the window as the sun fully rose.

Despite his reluctance, Stefan appeared to throw himself into the match with vigor. Apparently, the need to survive could drive even a little weasel like him. And a weasel he was, she soon observed, for he wasn’t above any dirty trick. Twice, he tried to stamp on Colin’s foot to distract him, and both times, he barely averted the sword Colin wielded.

He let out a sound she couldn’t quite identify, though it definitely had elements of anger and pain, when Colin left a long diagonal slash down his chest before stabbing him in the side.

“That is for Bellingford, though I doubt you are the one who inflicted the injury.” Colin was shaking, his rage obvious as he stood over her stepbrother as Stefan collapsed to the ground on his knees, leaning back against the bed. He was pale, and he seemed to be losing blood quickly. It was obvious he was ceding, and after staring at him for another long moment, Colin shook his head and turned away.

As he did so, Maddy saw Stefan reach into his boot. She called a warning as she lunged for the sword her stepbrother had dropped. Colin was turning back to face the danger, but not before Stefan managed to slash down his thigh with the hidden knife.

Colin let out a small grunt of pain, but he continued turning, acting as though he hadn’t been injured. He brought back his sword, clearly intending to ram it through a delicate part of Stefan’s anatomy, but Maddy reached him first. She brought back the sword with all her strength and slashed through his throat, partially decapitating him in the process.

Stefan let out a gurgling, choking sound as he lifted his hands, clearly trying to keep his life blood from flowing from him, along with his head in place. She was panting with exertion, and a fierce pride filled her as she stood over him, watching the blood drip from his body. “Remember as you die, I was the one who ended you.”

With that, she tossed aside the sword and turned away from him, realizing she had no interest in watching his final death throes. It was obvious he wasn’t going to survive the deepness of the cut, and she just wanted to leave his townhouse on Knight Street.

Colin looked shocked for a moment, but as she hurled herself toward him, he moved his sword aside and wrapped his arm around her. They looked up at the sound of feet bursting into the room, and she recognized Lord Stratford and Glynnis, though she didn’t know the rougher-looking men surrounding them.

There were a half-dozen lads, most around late teens to early twenties, and they all looked hard and capable of handling themselves. She noticed a startling resemblance between Glynnis and the one who was standing closest to her, and she suspected they were related in some fashion.

She gave them a smile of relief. “I thank you for the rescue, Glynnis and Lord Stratford, but Colin has already dealt with it. Just now, he ended Mr. Hearthstone for good.” As much as she wanted to take credit for it, she knew she would bear harsher scrutiny for the action than her husband, a marquess, would. They would take his word for it, and the Runners would wrap up the situation quickly.

She had no doubt a magistrate would sign off on the report, and that would be the end of it. There was no need to admit she had been the one to murder him, especially since she probably hadn’t actually needed to do so. She hadn’t been actively defending herself at the moment, but she had been defending the life she wanted, and the future she wanted to build with Colin.

If Stefan had lived, he would’ve remained a cloud always hanging over them, and this was the only way they could truly move forward. She had no regrets for her actions, though the need to take a life did slightly sicken her.