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“Elias gave you it?” Kit asked as she reached the end of her tale.
Stephanie saw he was rather agitated on her behalf, and she patted his muscled thigh to soothe him. She pulled the trap out of her bag, and Kit let out a cry of delight. Then she yanked the second item out, and Kit’s mouth dropped open.
“That’s Elias’s diary of kills,” he whispered as his fingers touched the leather cover reverently.
“Is that what it is?” Stephanie appeared rather bemused.
“Yes,” Kit replied, unable to take his eyes off the book. “We all had one. The book detailed the kill and how we managed it. Elias was a member of the team that defeated the Human Killer in the past. The details will all be here. I read the other book, and while helpful, it didn’t detail the killing method.”
“Wonderful!” Stephanie exclaimed.
“For Elias to give you this, he must have trusted you. None of us would part with this. On our deaths, these were meant to go to Wollscombe’s library. I suppose the fact that there was nobody left to collect them means everyone still has theirs. I know I have mine.”
Stephanie watched as Kit’s lean fingers opened the book, and a message fell out.
“What?” he asked in surprise before reading the note. “Brother, how typical of your memory to fail you, and I would imagine it is only on one word you can’t remember. The chant below is the banishment for a hell’s spawn demon. Use it and free yourself from your imprisonment. And she’s rather delightful, unlike my pest, who is a complete harpy!”
“I didn’t see him write that!” Stephanie gasped.
“Lucian said Elias was always the sneaky one. And Lucian never lied,” Kit muttered with a chuckle.
“Who is Daniel Harrington?” Stephanie asked.
Kit paused in his review of Elias’s diary and looked at her, confused.
“Where did you hear that name? That is a blast from the past. Harrington was a snot who was the Marquess Blackwood. He and five friends were known as the Rakehell Six. Viscount Ravenell, Harrington’s best friend. The Earl Mortimer was the thinker of the group and their trusted confidant.
“The next member was a chap called the Black Duke. His moods were dark and terrible, and he didn’t suffer fools easily. That was the Duke of Monmouth. There was the Duchess Windmere, the only one who was married, and finally Lady De’Lacy. The six of them were bright and beautiful and filled with finding their own pleasure.
“They’d ride steeple races one day, and the next be at a duel or in a back street fight house. Normally, society would have shunned the women. Still, they were rich and prosperous, andHer Grace’s husband, Henry Harcourt, was a powerful duke. Nobody wanted to cross Windmere. From my recollection, the Rakehell Six gave him hell for over a year while he waited to marry Emile. I will say it must have been love because anyone else would have left the country to flee them. Harcourt held on tightly.
“The Rakehell Six were society’s indulged, naughty children, highly sought after catches, and many attempted to trap one of them into marriage and failed. I recall a tale of Mortimer hanging over the walls of a castle to escape some woman who had tried to proposition him.” Kit laughed. “They were decent people, I would say, although empty-headed and aimless.”
“Daniel Harrington is alive,” Stephanie said, and Kit blinked. She waited for his response.
“Sorry, dove. But I thought you said he’s alive. Blackwood passed away three centuries ago.”
“That was a better reaction than Elias. This Daniel, he announced all the Rakehell Six, Henrietta and Harcourt, were returned to life,” Stephanie elaborated.
Kit’s sudden movement sent him to his feet as he leapt up and began pacing back and forth.
“The Rakehell Six are alive? Is this some terrible joke the universe is playing on us? And Blackwood definitely stated Henrietta and Windmere were too?”
“Henrietta, yes, and someone called Harcourt.”
“Well, who’d have seen that one coming? Talk about a kick in the teeth. We sacrifice our lives to stop the spread of evil. Still, the Rakehell Six, a blight on society, are given a second chance,” Kit announced with bitterness.
“Daniel made it appear as if something bigger was in motion,” Stephanie said.
“Oh, Blackwood would. He was a pompous little arse at times. Not as bad as Monmouth or Mortimer, but he had his moments.We were somewhat adversaries. Nortons were taught to play hard in our quiet times, so we had balance. And the Rakehell Six were our rivals and certainly not above cheating!” Kit exclaimed.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Never fear confiding to me,” Kit ordered, pulling her into his arms.
Stephanie rested her head on his chest. “Okay,” she whispered.
They stood like that for several moments, content in one another’s company.
