"Put down the pistol, Lady Sudley," Elliot repeated.
He could sense the lady growing more agitated as she struggled to make a decision. Her gaze flitted back and forth between him and the bed. Her breathing sounded short and shallow.
The creak of a board outside the door caused Lady Sudley to swing around, and she jumped back in shock. Her hand jerked upwards just as the loud crack resonated through the room. Lady Sudley's shocked gasp was accompanied by Evelyn's high-pitched scream.
The pistol slipped from her hand and hit the floor with a clunk. She plastered her hands to her mouth and dropped to her knees. "Oh, Lord. What have I done?" she cried.
Elliot raced to the door. Leo groaned as he lay stretched out, a trickle of blood running down his cheek.
"Bloody hell," Elliot yelled as he joined Alexander and Evelyn at Leo's side.
"Oh, no," Grace called out from the doorway. "Will … will he be alright?"
Mrs. Jones rushed past them. "I'll go and fetch some clean water."
Alexander handed Evelyn a handkerchief, and she patted the obvious mark on the side of Leo's head. "Thank God," she gasped, glancing up at the ceiling and exhaling deeply. "His skin's badly grazed, but there's no wound."
Elliot looked up at the hole in the crumbling plaster. "I think the wall took the brunt of it," he said as relief turned to anger. He jumped to his feet and stormed over to Lady Sudley, who was still sitting huddled in a ball on the floor. "You shot the Marquess of Hartford," he said coldly. "You know what that means."
"I didn't mean to fire. I
did not mean to hurt anyone," she said, looking up at him as she sniffed away her tears. "I can't think. My mind is all a blur. Will he live? Tell me he will."
"Oh, he'll live. Thankfully, it is just a superficial wound. But you must answer for what you have done here."
Grace came to his side and placed her hand on his sleeve. "You mean to alert a constable? Is there no other alternative?"
After all Lady Sudley had done, Grace wanted him to show clemency.
It beggared belief.
Had it been his sister, he would not rest until he'd taken his revenge.
He turned to face her. "What if she'd given your sister an overdose of laudanum? What if she'd lost her child as a consequence? What if the shot had hit Leo in the head? Lady Sudley could have caused the death of three people. I cannot just let her walk out of here as though nothing has happened."
"I know that. But she is just a foolish woman, driven to the brink of insanity by her own perceived inabilities."
Elliot sighed as he pushed his hand through his hair. "There are women thrust from their homes by abusive landlords, left to beg on the streets. Walk through the alleys at night and you'll see men, women, young couples all huddled round a brazier in a bid to keep warm for it's too cold to sleep. Are they not driven to the brink of insanity? Yet do they go around determined to manipulate others for their own ends?"
Grace shook her head. "I know."
The look of sorrow in her eyes was like a spear to his heart. "What do you want me to do, Grace? I can allow you to make the choice for your sister. But I must give Leo the opportunity to do what he feels is right."
While Mrs. Jones tended to the abrasion on Leo's head, they spent the time deciding how best to proceed. Alexander and Evelyn were to take Caroline back to Duke Street. Elliot and Grace would escort Lady Sudley back to Hanover Square to wait for her husband. Joined by Mrs. Jones and Leo, they would explain the circumstances to Lord Sudley and agree to take no further action if the lady finds a way to redeem herself by helping the poor and needy.
"Thank you for doing this." Grace stared into his eyes, and he knew he would do anything in his power to please her. "You have a good heart, Elliot."
It had nothing do with being good or kind. He just couldn't say no to her.
Elliot shrugged. "Based on her reaction, I imagine Lady Sudley would rather spend twenty years in Newgate than face the wrath of her husband."
Grace sighed. "I know what it's like to feel fear at the hands of one's husband. But I know she must pay for what she has done. I'm just thankful we've found Caroline. Do you know if there'll be any lasting effects from the tincture?"
"Once the laudanum has worked its way out of her system, she'll be fine. Caroline's lucky to have you. There are not many siblings who would make the sacrifices you have."
She gave a weak smile. "It's strange, but I do not see it as a sacrifice. I have always been there for her and in the process of scouring the ballrooms of London I've had the opportunity to meet you. Perhaps I should thank her."
Elliot swallowed in a bid to dislodge the boulder-sized lump in his throat. "What will you do now?"