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"You had no right to go digging everything up, bringing the inspector to my house You’re as much to blaht anymore Her whole body wanted simply to stop She’d die here in Thomas’s little church, not ten yards froht she heard the lectern door squeak, and she saw Tho by it in the white cassock she’d darned so often His dark hair was gray at the teht he said It’s alers still gripping Beth’s hair "Who are you talking to?"

Shouting interrupted her, deepBeth in front of her like a shield Beth groaned in agony

Ian, his face white, eyes wild, barreled into Mrs Pal, but Beth couldn’t hear him, couldn’t understand his words Mrs Palht Beth as she fell

He was beside her, warm, solid, and real Beth tried to reach for him, but her arainst hiht into hers

"Ian" Beth smiled and touched his face She was the one who couldn’t hold the gaze, as her eyes drifted sideways In her peripheral vision, she saw Hart rush in, followed by Caainst the wall

"I’ll not hang for that slut," she said in a loud, clear voice Her knife gleaht between her brsts

Beth heard Hart’s cry, saw Mrs Palht her in his arms Mrs Palmer looked up at Hart "I love you"

"Don’t speak," Hart said, his voice incredibly gentle

"I’ll get a doctor"

She shook her head, her sroped blindly for hiainst hi a kiss to her hair "I’m here, love I won’t leave you" Ian didn’t even look at the Beth Beth tried to say, "I knew you’d find er move She slid into unconsciousness just as Mrs Palh her throat

Ian used Hart’s opulent carriage to take Beth home to the ducal mansion on Grosvenor Square Hart’s house was always staffed, always at the "ready for any business the duke ht want to conduct in town Ian carried Beth inside, and the well-trained servants scrambled to obey his frantic commands

Ian carried Beth to the bedchamber set aside for his use A doctor came to clean Beth’s wound and sew it closed, but Beth wouldn’t wake up

Cameron had stayed with Hart and Inspector Fellows at the church while Fellows fetched who he needed to fetch and tried to make sense of what happened Ian didn’t care what had happened It was over, Mrs Pal to put everything right Fellows could do as he liked

Beth lay in a stupor, feverish and sweating No matter how much Ian bathed the cut in her side, it swelled and reddened, and fever set in