Page 83 of In the Midnight Hour

“I know that wasn’t his intent, but the fact that the three of you then tried to cover it up by making Sir Radnor’s death appear to be an accident is a crime,” North informed her evenly. “Whose idea was it to hide what happened?”

“Mine,” both Cora and Samuel responded.

Hypatia looked over at him, her brow creasing. Was she thinking the same thing he was—that something wasn’t right?

“We both suggested it,” Cora explained. “I came up with the idea to take him back to his chamber and make it look like he hit his head. Samuel carried him, and Gemma and I cleaned up the blood. We transferred as much as we could to Sir Radnor’s chamber.”

“Including putting some on the bedpost?” Hypatia asked.

“Yes,” Cora replied plainly. “What would you have done?”

Hypatia hesitated, her eyes dark. “I don’t know.”

North heard the honesty in her voice. He didn’t know what he would have done either.

He regarded the three servants. “I’m going to do everything I can to keep you all from prison. But to do that, you must tell the complete truth. You can’t keep covering things up and hiding what really happened.”

Cora put her hand on Gemma’s and squeezed. No one said anything.

Frowning, North turned toward Hypatia, angling his body so the others couldn’t see his face. “They’re lying about something,” he whispered.

She nodded. “I think I know.” She gave him a confident look, her eyes sparkling, and North didn’t think he’d ever seen a more attractive woman.

Hypatia regarded the servants as North resumed his place beside her. “I want to make sure I understand what happened. Samuel, you picked up the basin, and you hit Sir Radnor in the head as he was on the bed covering Gemma.” She put her hands over her head and brought them down as though she were striking someone. “Is that right?”

“Yes,” Samuel replied, his eyes fixed on Hypatia.

Exhaling, Hypatia’s features softened. “Sir Radnor’s wound was on the right side of his head. You would have had to swing the basin at him from the side, not over your head. If you’d hit him in the manner I displayed, striking from over your head, his injury would have been to the back of his head.”

“I must have hit him from the side then,” Samuel rushed to say, his face turning red. “I wasn’t paying attention to how you were moving with your arms up. I just—I hit him with the basin. I don’t remember how I swung the basin, and why does it matter?”

North shook his head. “It matters because your stories must match when you talk to Mr. Drummond. He will question you most thoroughly, and he’ll be much better at detecting any falsehoods than we are.”

“I did it,” Cora said.

Gemma let out a sob.

“It’s all right, Gemma,” Cora spoke in a low, soothing tone. “You heard Lord Northwood. I won’t hang.” She lifted her gaze, which for the first time held a shadow of something—perhaps fear. “But I’ll likely go to prison, won’t I?”

“I don’t know,” North said. “I wish you’d all just come forward and told the truth.”

“How would we have done that?” Cora asked bitterly. “Should we have gone to the inquest and volunteered our testimony in front of everyone from Pemberton Square?”

“No, you could have told me and Mr. Drummond what happened on Saturday morning.”

Cora lifted her chin. “We thought we stood a better chance making it look like an accident, and I don’t regret it. I’d make the same choice again.”

Samuel put his arm around Gemma as she cried, her head bowed. “Why can’t you just let me take the blame for the murder? What difference does it make?”

“It is my hope that since Cora was also a victim of Sir Radnor’s, her motive for defending Gemma will be seen as pure and true,” North replied. “I’m sorry, but I must send for the coroner and Bow Street.”

Gemma’s cries grew louder. North wished none of this had happened.

“We will do everything we can to help you,” Hypatia said. “I will testify about my own experience with Sir Radnor, and I may be able to convince another woman to do the same.”

“You would do that?” Cora asked with surprise.

“Of course. It isn’t justice for you to be punished for protecting Gemma.”