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“I am not a spy,” Aloria insisted hotly. “I would never do such a thing.”

“Then how do you explain eavesdropping at Lady Jordan’s door?” William fired back.

“I was not eavesdropping,” she said persistently. Oh, Lord, he had to believe her. “I told you the truth. I was coming to thank her for her support and the door was slightly ajar. I did not know that you were in the room with her.”

William clenched his teeth. True, she didn’t know he was in the bedchamber with Jordan. And, true, the door was ajar. But the woman had just discovered Northwood’s mightiest secret, and all of their lives were now in jeopardy. She had to be silenced, unfortunately for her.

He lowered his gaze but did not release her. “You leave me with no choice.”

“No, English.” Jordan suddenly cried, racing to him. “Dunna do it.”

Jemma opened her bedchamber door, having heard the entire conversation. She wasn’t about to let William kill Aloria, either. But instead of going to stop him, she fled the room in search of Kieran or Paris. They were the only men who could stop him, if at all.

“Jordan, go back into your bedchamber and close the door,” he told her calmly.

“Nay!” she cried, clutching one of his arms. “Dunna kill her. Oh, please, no.”

Jordan was starting to cry and Aloria was already sobbing. But William was hard and knew what he had to do. Too many people’s lives depended on it.

“Jordan, do not argue,” he yelled at her. He never yelled at her. “Go back into your room.”

She was tugging at his arm, her beautiful face coated with frightened tears. “I willna let ye.” she wept. “Ye canna murder her.”

“Jordan, I have no time for this! Do as you are told.”

She began beating on his arms, trying to force him to release his hold on the woman. But it was like striking iron and her hands were smarting.

“I willna let ye kill her, Sassenach,” she wept, furious as well as frightened. “She says she wasna spying. Why dunna ye listen to her?”

He could not think with his wife hysterical. Grasping Aloria by the hair, he freed up one of his hands and took his wife by the arm and attempted to shove her back into her bedchamber. Jordan, however, proved to be uncannily strong and fought him every step of the way.

He grunted with exertion. Aloria was struggling on one hand and Jordan was fighting like a tiger on the other hand. As intense and focused as he was, all of a sudden the situation with his wife struck him as comical and he fought off the desire to laugh. He was trying to save her life and she wasn’t cooperating in the least.

“Let me go!” She twisted and tried to slug him.

He sidestepped the blow and pushed her into the bedchamber, slamming the door close. There was a small bolt at the top of the door; he slid it through and locked her in.

He had to close his ears to her screaming and kicking; hating himself for being so cruel, but knowing what he had to do. She would understand, too, eventually. He only hoped she didn’t hate him for an overlong amount of time.

Pulling Aloria to him, he hastened to the antechamber door when he was suddenly met by Paris and Kieran. Jemma stood behind them, shaken and tearful.

“What goes on, William?” Paris asked, eyeing the hysterical Aloria.

William was in no mood to be challenged again, but he did his knights the courtesy of explaining. There was no telling what Jemma had told them.

“She is a spy,” he said quietly, quickly. “She was eavesdropping at Jordan’s door and discovered the truth about her.”

Kieran and Paris looked at the big woman. “Christ,” Kieran muttered in disgust. “A plant from Henry, no doubt.”

“Give her to me,” Paris said quietly. “I shall take her.”

“Nay,” William replied. “I will do this. I will not have her blood on your hands.”

From behind Jordan’s locked bedchamber door there was suddenly a frenzied burst of cursing and pounding, all directed at William. Jemma, behind the knights, thrust herself forward.

“What did ye do to her?” she demanded harshly to William.

William wasn’t going to dignify her question with a response; he had no time for her. When she tried to move past him and to Jordan’s door, Kieran reached out and grabbed her.