When a Rogue Meets His Match - Elizabeth Hoyt Page 0,153

stood. Without warning she brushed a stray piece of hair from his temple, her fingers lingering against his skin.

“How did he kill Evan?” she asked.

He had known the question would come eventually, had prepared answers in his head that would satisfy her without giving away too much. Yet right now, he couldn’t seem to think of those answers. Not with her silver eyes watching him, her touch unapologetic.

“He hit him,” King heard himself say. “A blow to the head that killed him instantly.” King made a fist with his injured hand, and the resulting sting of the wound across his palm was a welcome pain.

“Tell me why.” Adeline’s tone was businesslike, devoid of pity, and King was grateful for that small mercy.

“Why?” he stalled.

“Tell me why he killed Evan.”

“To gain access to the title.” That was one of his prepared answers. An answer that kept the true horror of that day at a safe distance.

Adeline’s hand dropped and her eyes glittered. “Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?”

“Lie to me.”

King sucked in a breath. It was terrifying how easily she seemed to be able to read him. It was equally terrifying just how much of the truth he wanted to tell her.

King swallowed. He would need to give her some of the truth. “Marstowe—” He stopped. God, after everything that he had seen, everything that he had survived, speaking of a single, violent moment in a life full of violence should not have been this difficult. He was letting weakness creep in again.

King cleared his throat. “Marstowe had a fondness for young boys. I suspect he still does.”

Adeline was silent.

“Evan resisted his advances. And paid for that with his life.” He braced himself for her response.

“That’s better. Thank you for the truth.” Again there was no pity, just a steady acceptance of what he had told her.

It took a moment for the realization to sink in that Adeline Archambault was only the third person to whom he had ever told that truth.

And she was the first person to believe him.

“Why didn’t you just tell me this at the beginning?” she asked.

“Because I was there and I couldn’t stop it.” Not the whole truth, but close enough. “And I hate myself for not saving him.” That was real.

“You were a child.”

“That may have been an excuse then, but I am no longer a child. What he did to Evan he’ll have done to someone else. He’ll do it again now that he’s back. And I won’t allow that to happen,” he said roughly. He felt unaccountably shaky, as though he had just run a footrace to the point of exhaustion but a hundred stone had slipped from his shoulders along the way.

Adeline picked up her knife and slid it back into the sheath at her waist. “I think we should have someone watch his house,” she said slowly. “To do a better job of keeping track of his movements. If he…if he tries to abuse another child, we will be able to stop him before it happens. You and I can’t do it by ourselves. Do you have men who might be able to observe in a rotation so that they are not so conspicuous?”

King mentally berated himself for not doing this last night. Like everything else, he’d blame the oversight on the loss of his wits in the face of meeting a dead man. “Yes. I can have Smithers organize that.”

“What will you tell him?”

“Nothing. My men are not friends entitled to explanations. They are paid to obey orders and not ask questions.” King reached for the tasseled bellpull and gave it a yank. He’d tell Elliot to fetch Smithers immediately. The man would be in a hurry to redeem himself.

A minute later, a sharp knock sounded on the study door before it opened. Smithers appeared in the doorway, key in his hand, his narrow gaze skidding away from Adeline. “Yessir?”

King frowned slightly. It was Elliot’s responsibility to answer summonses, though Smithers’s presence saved some time.

“I need you to watch a residence,” King said briskly. “From now until midnight. And I’ll need to arrange a scheduled rotation of men to continue after your shift. I want him watched every minute of every day.”

“Of course.” Smithers nodded curtly. “Anything in particular we should be looking for?”

“I need to know when the owner of that residence goes out, where he goes, and what he does. Do not let him out of your sight. You or any of the men are fully encouraged to intervene