The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh (Cynster #20) - Stephanie Laurens Page 0,152
also means I can act as the authority.”
“We saw her.” The older of the pair nodded at Lavinia. “Plain as day saw her stab Snickert right in the eye with that pin of hers. Killed him, she did. In cold blood an’ all.”
“Yes, I know,” Ryder replied. “But that’s not what I need you to tell me. Both of you helped Snickert abduct my wife from the grounds of our home yesterday afternoon.”
The man who’d spoken looked at Mary. “She can’t’ve known it were us—none of us was ever in her sight, and Snickert was the only one who spoke.”
“Indeed.” Ryder inwardly shook his head. “But as you’ve just confirmed, you were there. Don’t waste time trying to deny it. Abducting a marchioness, incarcerating her, shooting at us—”
“That were Snickert.”
“Regardless, by helping him, you are guilty of the crime, too. For doing those three things alone, you are headed for the gallows. However”—Ryder held up a finger—“if you cooperate, given that I am the Lord Marshal and it was me and my wife you sought to harm, I will agree to convert your sentence from hanging to transportation.” He paused, then went on, “But that will only occur if you tell me all I want to know.”
The stable hands exchanged a long glance, then they looked at Ryder. Resignation seeping into his expression, the older man asked, “What do you want to know?”
“I want you to tell me, and all those here, everything you know, everything that Snickert told you, about his plans to murder me and my wife.”
The man pursed his lips in thought, then said, “Don’t know much about what happened in Lunnon, but he did say as how he’d hired this bent lawyer who knew some navvies weren’t too particular—”
The story came tumbling out, more or less whole. Lavinia’s initial plan to murder Ryder, subsequently expanded after his and Mary’s marriage to include Mary, too.
“He said as she said”—the stableman nodded toward Lavinia—“that now you was married, she needed your missus bumped off first, because if we bumped you off first, you might already have knocked her up, and as her family’s right powerful, they’d have swept her up and off and no one would have been able to touch her and your babe, and for some reason that weren’t any good, either. You and your get—she wanted you wiped from the earth.”
Rand shot a glance at Lavinia that was close to hate.
“So then—”
The stablemen continued, detailing how Snickert had got into the abbey, first to plant the adder, then the scorpion, by using a secret tunnel that led from the Dower House priest hole, hidden behind the mantelpiece in the dining room, to the chapel on the first floor of the abbey.
Ryder turned to his half siblings. “What tunnel?”
They all blinked at him. “Didn’t you know?” Godfrey asked.
When Ryder shook his head, Kit humphed. “I suppose we all just assumed you did.”
Turning back to the stablemen, Ryder gestured for them to continue. With a prompt here and there from Mary, and a question from Rand, they confirmed the entirety of Snickert’s actions on Lavinia’s behalf, ending with them using Mary to bait their trap for him, and then locking him and Mary in the cellar beneath the basement.
“Snickert thought the poisoned water was a nice touch, and apparently her ladyship agreed. We thought when her ladyship came home, we’d be opening up the door under the sacks there and finding your dead bodies laid out all neat and nice.” The stableman looked at him with a certain shrewd acceptance. “Weren’t to be, though, was it? Told Snickert it were never a good thing to cross swords with a nob.”
Ryder met his gaze. “You should have listened to your own advice.”
The older man inclined his head. “Aye, so I should.” He straightened. “So, what now?”
“Now I’m going to hand you over to my men. They’ll take you to the abbey—there’s a holding cell there. You’ll be placed in it until I can summon the constables to take you away.”
“Wait.” Rand walked to Lavinia and halted directly in front of her. He looked into her face. “Do you deny any of what they’ve said?”
She looked flatly back at him, then sneered. “Of course not.” She glanced at Ryder with naked hate. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t find more competent staff.”
Rand studied her for a moment more, then turned and faced Ryder. “Kit and I will take her upstairs and lock her in her room.”