Kisses and Scandal (A Survivors Series Anthology ) - Shana Galen Page 0,33
voice. “Get off me!”
The cloud of pain dissipated, and James’s focus narrowed. The door to the cellar was open, and a faint light illuminated the stairs. Clutching the thin railing, James started down. He immediately spotted two figures on the ground, one beside the other. The light reflected off Phil’s honey-blond hair, spilling out of her coiffure and onto the dirty ground. She looked up at him as he raced to her side. “I’ll fight you too, if I have to!” she said.
“Jaysus, Phil.” James shook his head. “Ye know I had no part in this.”
She seemed to crumple, and James caught her. She pushed him away then gave in to his touch.
“Are ye hurt? What did he do? I’ll kill him, I will.”
“I think I might have already killed him,” she said weakly. He wanted to hold her tighter. He’d never seen her looking or sounding so frail. Instead, he turned his attention to Patrick, who lay on his face with what appeared to be a knife sticking out of his back. But when James finally released Phil and moved closer, he saw it was a piece of wood.
“I stabbed him with it,” she said, wrapping her arms about her body. “Twice. I had to.” Her voice broke, and James gathered her in his arms again. She didn’t fight him this time. He pulled her to her feet, both of them unsteady, and moved her toward the stairs.
“Shh, lass. Of course, ye did. Ye had no choice. Sit here now. Give me a minute.” He lowered her to the steps, and her head fell in her hands and she began to weep. James would take her in his arms again in a moment, but first he took the lantern and moved closer to Patrick. With one foot, he nudged his former friend. Patrick grunted and one arm flailed back, trying to reach the wood in his back.
He moved back. “He’s still alive, lass. Come upstairs with me before he regains his strength.”
She stared at him. “I don’t understand any of this. Why are you helping me now?”
“I’ll explain everything. Upstairs.” He helped her to her feet and together they climbed the steps. At the top, James closed the door and locked it. Then he led Phil to a chair. “Sit here a minute while I go tie up the other one. I don’t want them running before I call the constables.”
He went out, returned to the carriage, and took the rope Sean had intended to use to tie him. After securing Sean, James started back in, had to pause a moment to wait until the dizziness faded, then went to his knees before Phil. “Christ Jaysus, me lady. I never meant for this to happen. Are ye hurt? Did he touch you?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. He slapped me, but I’ll be fine.”
James drew in a sharp breath. “I could kill him for that. I would too, if he wasn’t already going to the hangman. Can I leave ye for a few minutes to look for a constable?”
She grabbed his hand tight. “No! If you fetch the constable, you’ll be implicated too.”
It was true enough. “Isn’t that what ye want?”
She gave him a hard look then closed her eyes. “No. God help me. I still care for you.” She whispered the last. “The constable will lock you up.”
“Sure and well I deserve it too. I should have reported those two long ago. I was a fool to think I could protect ye from them. Ye were right to think I betrayed ye. I was part of their plan at the start.” He told her about life before Dublin with his parents and siblings, how their family had lost everything and been forced to move to the slums of Dublin. Then he explained how he’d met Patrick and Sean. He told her the plan they’d made. “But then after I met ye, after I started working at Southmeade, I knew I couldn’t do it. For months now I’ve been trying to think how to keep ye safe.”
“That’s why you kept telling me you would keep me safe.”
“Ye may not believe me, but that’s all I care about. I never lied to ye when I said I loved ye. I do. And I deserve what’s coming to me, lass. It’s my own selfishness that’s responsible for this. If I hadn’t wanted to stay close to ye—”
“I wanted you close too.” She grabbed his hand. “I would have told you