Page 94 of Honor Unbound

“Papa can’t help you now.” Marcus stepped in Platt’s path.

The next few seconds were a blur.

Platt raised his cue stick and swung at Marcus.

Marcus blocked it with his arm, cursing.

Burton dove at Platt, the man screaming as he was taken down at the knees. When the scuffle ended, Platt was pinned to the floor on his stomach, Burton on his back, he and Marcus pulling the man’s arms behind him.

My heart was just beginning to slow when I heard Marie squeak.

Slowly, I turned.

Randall held Marie about the waist, the finely honed tip of a gold pen pressing into the soft flesh of her neck.

A strangled choke came from Burton’s throat. “Please,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving Marie’s face.

Marcus dug his knee into Platt’s back. “Go,” he told Burton.

Burton rose, hands raised, palms out. “Please, let her go. It won’t benefit you to hurt her.”

Randall dug the pen’s tip deeper, making everyone freeze. A bead of blood rolled down Marie’s neck. “Please, please,” Randall mocked. “I do so love to hear people beg.”

“Did Trent beg you? Did Hicks?” I watched Marie’s face drain of color, hoping she wouldn’t lose her senses.

Randall smiled. “We didn’t have to be so quiet with Hicks. There wasn’t a houseful of servants that could be roused.”

I took a tiny step closer. “How did Hicks know it was the two of you who had taken the tins that were supposed to be destroyed?”

“Because we’d volunteered to dispose of them,” Randall said. “Told Trent that we’d take care of it for drinking money. He knew we were always purse-pinched.” He grinned. “That’s whatmade it so easy to convince Georgie to kill him. His brother-in-law had all this money and never shared.”

Marie arched her neck back. “That was another reason why you had to kill him. Platt owed his brother-in-law money and couldn’t pay him back, could he?”

Platt started crying, heaving sobs interrupted by eerie, high-pitched giggles. The sound made my flesh crawl.

Randall huffed, shooting his friend a look of disgust. “You’ve got it all wrong. We didn’tneedto kill Trent. Georgie was his brother-in-law. Trent wouldn’t have wanted to bring disgrace to the family, either by exposing our theft or calling in Georgie’s debt. Trent even said he’d tell Montague that it was a mistake the tins hadn’t been destroyed.”

My stomach twisted. “Then why did you?”

Randall shrugged. “Why not?”

The gold pen dug further into Marie’s flesh, making her whimper.

Burton’s arms shook, his hands clenching.

The look that passed between Marie and Burton made my heart ache. They were only at their beginning, and Randall threatened to take away their middle and end.

Marie slid her hand to her reticule, loosening the drawstring and probing inside.

“You do like to pocket items, don’t you?” I said quickly. Whatever Marie was up to, I didn’t want Randall discovering it. “The crystal swan from Mrs. Shaw’s house. A file from the cannery. A lady’s glove.” I nodded to his hand. “And that gold pen from Trent’s study. You took it when you killed him.”

Randall tilted his head. “You’re more clever than you look.”

I’d always liked to think so, but now I wasn’t so sure. I’d been arrogant, thinking I should catch Trent’s killer on my own. Arrogant to assume that once confronted with their misdeedsthat Platt and Randall would go quietly to the magistrate. And because of my arrogance, Marie’s life was in the hands of a killer.

“And you’re going to be deader than you want if you don’t let her go.” Burton’s face was a thunderstorm.

Randall turned to face Burton, swinging Marie along with him.