the guards who still had their attention on the front of the house and poor Throck. He hoped the giant was still alive, but didn’t hold out much hope. There was only one way to stop him from protecting Genalynn and that was to kill him. No doubt, this is just what the viscount’s men had done.
He restored the floorboards to their original position and did the same with the carpet. He purposely left the window open, wanting the viscount to notice it and start worrying about who was in the house.
Then he made his way downstairs toward the dining room where he heard voices and a young woman crying.
Genalynn.
The front door crashed open and the viscount’s men dragged Throck’s body inside.
The viscount stormed out of the dining room. “Don’t bring him in here, you idiots! Toss him in one of the caves. The tide will carry his body out to sea.”
“M’lord, the man is the size of an ox. It’ll take us an hour to move him there. We’ll be seen.”
“Drag him away, I said! I don’t want him found here.”
Genalynn was tied to one of the chairs, but she began to struggle out of her bindings, managing to free one arm. “Bring him back! Let me see him!”
The table had been set in preparation for a party, but there was no one here besides her uncle and his men. There had to be other guests attending, but who? None of them had arrived yet. What did any of this have to do with Winthrop grabbing Genalynn and killing Throck? What plan was he now setting in motion?
“Release me, you disgusting vermin!” Genalynn was still struggling against her bindings, about to free her other arm, when one man made the mistake of bending down to tighten them. She grabbed a dinner plate and slammed it into his face.
More men rushed forward to pin her down.
Her angry uncle backed away like a coward while his men fought with Genalynn. Surprisingly, not one of them struck her. Perhaps under strict orders from the viscount not to damage the goods?
Which meant he planned to ship her off to one of his cohorts.
Who?
He used Genalynn’s furious distraction to grab her uncle as soon as his men had dragged Throck’s body out of the house again. “Call your men off Genalynn or I’ll slit your throat.”
The viscount froze as he felt the pinch of Gideon’s cold blade at his neck.
Coward.
He detested such men who thought nothing of killing others but would crumble to save themselves the moment anyone touched them. “Tell your men to let Genalynn go.”
“Back away from her! You heard him. Bastard, I thought we’d killed you. You’re mad to come back here. You’ll never make it out of here alive. I have fifty men to stop you.”
“Perhaps, but I guarantee you’ll be dead before I am. So what’s the point? It’s over Lord Winthrop. We have Lord Leinster in custody and the king’s men are seizing The Dolphin as we speak.” That latter part wasn’t quite true yet, but how was he to know?
“Gideon!” Genalynn scrambled out of her bindings and rushed to his side. “How...?”
“It’s over, sweetheart,” he said quietly, motioning for her to stay behind him. All the while, he kept his eyes on the viscount’s men. “Gentlemen, you have approximately two minutes before the king’s finest regiment bears down on you. I suggest you leave while you can or you’ll be hanged for treason along with Viscount Winthrop and Lord Leinster.”
“He’s bluffing. He has no evidence against me.” The viscount’s voice was shrill and panicked. “Stay here and fight!”
“You have a safe hidden in the floorboards of your bedchamber. It is now empty and the papers and funds you’d hidden in there are on their way to the Prince Regent as we speak.”
The viscount blanched and turned to Genalynn. “You did this! You told him!”
That was all his men needed to hear. They deserted him like rats abandoning a sinking ship.
Gideon let them go.
Sergeant Travers would be waiting along the hillside to round them all up.
He turned to Genalynn. “Do you know why he abducted you now?”
“No.” She stared at her uncle but he looked ready to spit at her, so Gideon shoved him into his study. “Stay with me, Genalynn. We’ll be safer in the study as fighting breaks out.”
“What about Throck?”
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “There’s nothing we can do for him right now. If he’s still alive, I promise we’ll see that he has