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She stood calmly. “This visit today was just a courtesy. I am sending those letters as soon as I get home. So you better prepare yourself for the trial.”
Lady Montbrook stood slowly, her lips thinning into an angry line.
“You have no proof of anything. And even if you manage to take us to court, your precious husband will be dead by then. And you will be the one entwined with the scandal! You will become a laughingstock, and so will the title you hold so dear.”
“You are right,” Evie agreed easily. “But if my husband dies, nothing is going to matter to me anymore. I might not survive the scandal, but neither will you.”
“Evie, dear.” Lord Montbrook finally found his voice. “What do you want? We shall do anything!”
Lady Montbrook shot daggers at her husband.
Evie took a step back, composing her features. “I have another letter here with me. This one is addressed to the House of Lords. And it says that I am conceding my title and my lands to my dear cousin, Lord Montbrook, on my own volition, citing my ineptitude to successfully run the dukedom.”
Evie saw Lady Montbrook’s eyes glint with greed, while Lord Montbrook’s gaze turned hopeful.
“What do we have to do for you to send it?” he asked.
“Simple. Give me the antidote to the poison you used on Gabriel, and I shall hand this letter to you. You can send it with the footman right at this moment. It won’t be taking effect for months, and there probably is going to be a hearing, but as long as Gabriel lives, you have nothing to worry about.”
There was a beat of silence. “What if I give you the antidote and your husband still dies?” Lady Montbrook asked.
“Do you have the antidote or not?” Evie narrowed her eyes on the woman.
Lady Montbrook eyed Clydesdale and the Earl of Winchester warily.
“There is truly no choice for you, Lady Montbrook,” Clydesdale spoke up. “You either hand us the antidote, or we ruin what is left of your good name.”
“And seeing as how you are already impoverished. I do not think you’d want that,” Winchester chimed in.
Lady Montbrook shifted in place.
“Oh, for God’s sake!” Lord Montbrook exclaimed. “Give them the damn antidote! Do you want to be shunned for life? They are giving us what we wanted, anyway!”
Lady Montbrook spun on her husband. “Hold your tongue, you idiot!” She then pivoted and regarded Evie once more. “First, hand me the letters. All of them. The statements from your commoner witnesses and the one I am to send to the House of Lords.”
Evie stretched her arm and handed the vile woman the letters. “You are despicable,” she said.
“Yes, well… Sometimes one has to be despicable to save one’s family,” Lady Monbrook intoned as she ran her gaze through the letters.
One does. Evie swallowed. “Is it to your satisfaction?”
Lady Montbrook ripped up the statements and threw them into the fire. Then she handed the letter meant for the House of Lords into Montbrook’s hands. “Be a dear, send a footman to deliver this letter, with all haste.”
She then rang the servants’ bell, and they waited as a heavyset woman entered the room. “Gertrude, the powder you gave me a few days ago, the one you said to use sparingly, or it can turn into a poison. Could you bring the antidote to it?”
“Pardon, ma’am, but—”
“Just do as I ask,” Lady Montbrook said, slowly enunciating every word.
The woman lowered her head in submission, curtsied, and scurried away.
Evie slowly backed away until she was flanked by her companions. “Thank you, Lady Montbrook,” she said with a smile. “This is all I needed.”
Lady Montbrook turned, confusion marring her face.
“The statements you just burned. They were just copies. The originals were sent to every major paper in London this morning. And yes, you are right, they are not enough to start a criminal trial, at least not against peers, but they are enough to stir the gossip. You will be shunned by the polite society you so tried to be a part of without any hard evidence. But now, I have two peers with me in the room who can testify to hearing you admit to possessing an antidote to a poison you used on my husband should this case move to trial. Attempt on the life of a peer? A hanging offense.”
“You stupid cow!” Lady Montbrook cried. “There is no antidote. I used arsenic, and if St. Clare is not dead yet, it just means he didn’t finish the entire dose, which is too bad. But he will die. Painfully.”
“Then you will hang,” Evie said coldly.
“You think after all this, you will continue to enjoy the life of a duchess? Your name will be attached to ours. Your name will be synonymous with scandal you won’t be able to shake off for years. A peer of the realm might shrug it off, but not a peeress. This is the way of the world.”
Evie took a step toward Lady Montbrook. “I eloped with the most notorious rake London has ever known. I have wagered in the most scandalous gaming hell in London. Just yesterday morning, I galloped across town dressed in breeches to stop a duel. Do you truly think I am afraid of a little scandal?”
Lady Montbrook was so red she was about to burst.
“The papers with the printed statements come out on the morrow. You better leave England before they surface.” With these words, Evie spun on her heel and stalked out of the room.
