Rose felt the trap closing around her. “And if I refuse?”
“Then I shall present everything I’ve heard tonight to the proper authorities. Your father hangs for murder, you face charges as an accessory after the fact for concealing evidence, and your precious gardener here meets the same fate as his father. Though this time for the very real crime of trespassing and conspiracy.” White’s voice remained maddeningly calm. “The choice is entirely yours, my dear. A comfortable marriage to me, or the gallows for everyone you hold dear.”
The silence stretched between them, filled only by the distant sound of laughter from the ballroom. Rose realized with growing horror that White had outmaneuvered them all. He didn’t need violence or threats. He held their very lives in his calculating hands.
“I’ll give you until tomorrow morning to decide,” White said pleasantly. “Though I suspect you already know there’s truly only one choice, don’t you?”
Chapter Seventeen
“Indeed there is.”A calm voice from the shadows behind the rose trellis. “Though perhaps not the choice you imagine.”
White spun around, as Constable Stephens stepped into the lamplight, his expression grim but unsurprised.
“Constable.” White’s voice had lost all its calculating smoothness, replaced by something that almost resembled panic. “I… we were just…”
“Discussing blackmail, extortion, and accessory to murder?” Stephens said. “Yes, I heard quite enough.” His steady gaze moved to Rose. “Lady Rose, are you unharmed?”
White’s mind was clearly racing, searching for an escape route. “This is all a misunderstanding. A lovers’ quarrel, nothing more.”
“Baron White, you are under arrest for the assaults committed against Lady Margaret Jones, Miss Catherine Mills—maids whose testimonies you no doubt thought would remain buried.” He took a step forward, his expression cold and resolute. “And based on what I’ve just witnessed, I’m adding conspiracy and attempted extortion to the charges. And there’s your smuggling operation. I would venture to guess if anyone is to hang, it will be you.” He paused, letting the silence stretch. “I came here tonight to take you into custody. I didn’t expect you to be so obliging as to confess to additional crimes in front of witnesses.”
White staggered backward, his composure cracking visibly. “Thisis impossible. How long have you been—”
“Long enough.” Stephens stepped closer, his hand resting on the pistol at his side. “Mr. Hale brought me compelling evidence this afternoon regarding both your illegal activities and Lord Wentworth’s smuggling operation. I’ve been observing the estate since dusk, waiting for the appropriate moment to act.”
“Constable, surely we can discuss this as gentlemen,” White said, his voice taking on a wheedling tone completely at odds with his earlier confidence. “I can provide you with information about Lord Wentworth’s operations that would prove far more valuable than—”
“Than watching you attempt to blackmail his daughter with threats of false imprisonment and murder?” Stephens’s voice turned arctic. “I think not.”
White’s face contorted with desperate fury as he realized his situation was hopeless. “You have no idea what you’re interfering with. The profits from our arrangements could make you a wealthy man—”
“And there’s the attempted bribery of a peace officer to add to your charges.” Stephens drew his pistol with practiced ease. “Place your hands behind your back, Baron White. You’re coming with me.”
“This is outrageous!” White’s mask of civility finally shattered completely. “I am a peer of the realm! You cannot treat me like a common criminal!”
“You are a common criminal,” Rose said quietly, finding her voice at last. “You prey upon women who cannot defend themselves. You threaten and manipulate for your own gain. Your title means nothing when weighed against your actions.”
White turned on her with venom. “You self-righteous little chit. Do you think this changes anything? Your father is still a murderer, and without my protection—”
“Your protection?” Stephens interrupted with cold amusement. “The protection of a man who just attempted to extort sexual compliance through threats of false accusation?” He shook his head. “Ithink Lord Wentworth will find his situation much improved without your particular brand of assistance.”
Sebastian stepped forward, his voice carrying years of suppressed rage. “Baron White, you’ve spent your entire adult life harming innocent people. Tonight, that ends.”
“You have no right to speak to me, you worthless—”
“Sebastian Ashford has every right,” Stephens said firmly. “As does Lady Rose. As do all the women you’ve hurt over the years.” He gestured with his pistol. “Now turn around and place your hands behind your back, or I will be forced to make this arrest far less comfortable for you.”
Faced with no other choice, White slowly complied, his shoulders shaking with impotent rage. “This isn’t over. I have connections, influence.”
“Had,” Stephens corrected as he secured White’s wrists with iron shackles. “Past tense. I suspect your connections will quickly distance themselves from you once the truth comes out.”
As if summoned by the commotion, footsteps approached through the garden. Tobias Hale emerged from the shadows.
“Constable Stephens,” Hale said with evident relief. “Thank God you arrived in time.”
“Your information proved invaluable, Mr. Hale,” Stephens replied.
“We’ll need formal statements from all of you,” Stephens said. “But first, we must locate Lord Wentworth and search for the evidence Lady Rose described.” He turned to Sebastian. “Mr. Ashford, I believe you deserve to witness your father’s name being cleared at last.”
