Page 83 of An Extraordinary Lord

Her face twisted into grief at not being believed. “I’ve told you the truth! You can ask General Liggett. He’ll tell you the same. Go on—go ask him yourself.”

“Oh, I’m certain I will.” Clayton kicked out his long legs in the posture of a man who had nothing to lose. “But first I want to give you the chance to clarify your details. After all, memories can get rather blurry, can’t they? Let’s start with this.” Clayton held up the necklace. “Liggett has a pin just like this pendant.”

“He probably does since he gave that one to me. That necklace is nothing more than a cheap token. He most likely gives them away to women like ha’pennies to children.” She swiped at her eyes. “I told you. Liggett means nothing to me except as a way to appease Malmesbury.”

Madame Noir let out a tired sigh. “I really do not have time for this.”

She coolly walked into the dining room, handed her teacup to Clayton, who scrambled to his feet in surprise, and stepped straight up to Miss Jones. Then she stunned them all by slapping the woman.

With a gasp of surprise, Veronica started forward, but Merritt stopped her with a hand to her arm and a shake of his head not to interfere. Clayton, too, was smart enough to stand back out of the fray.

“Listen to yourself, for heaven’s sake,” Madame said calmly and leveled a hard look at Miss Jones. “You are lying to protect a man who is willing to kill innocent people. Do you really think he cares about you, a woman he’s used only to further his career?”

The woman’s hand rose slowly to her red cheek. For the first time since the interrogation began, real tears watered her eyes.

“There was no message from Malmesbury about any debt needing to be repaid.” Madame punctuated that accusation by crossing her arms over her chest in an imperial pose that Veronica was certain she used at her business to maintain the peace. “Lies. All of it. All said to protect a man who doesn’t deserve your sympathy.”

Miss Jones stared at her, saying nothing. But her bottom lip quivered, and Veronica thought she might just let out a true sob.

“You foolish girl.” Madame shook her head with grim disappointment, as if Miss Jones had betrayed all of their sex. “At the very least, Malmesbury will find out that you’ve been cheating on him and will cast you out.” She leaned forward, placing her hands on both chair arms. “And hewillfind out because I will make certain of it when I offer my services in finding him a new mistress.”

Miss Jones glanced desperately at Clayton, begging silently for help. But this time, her tea-bearing knight wisely stood back and did nothing.

“At the very worst, you’ll be implicated in the riots and if not hanged at Newgate then surely transported to Australia, where you’ll wish the crown had had the mercy to hang you after all.” Madame shook her head. “Do you really think the Home Office is here to play games?”

“No,” Miss Jones whispered, barely louder than a breath, and grew deathly pale.

“The only thing preventing any of that from happening to you is Mr. Elliott.” Madame smiled at him conspiratorially, although knowing her, it was to gauge if she could demand double payment for her unexpected services tonight. She took the necklace from him and looped it around Miss Jones’s neck. “So if I were you, I’d cooperate and tell him the truth. Otherwise…” Madame trailed her forefinger around the woman’s throat. “This necklace of yours will surely be replaced by a noose.”

Miss Jones stared at her, knowing she’d been bested. With a fierce cry born of fear and rage, she threw her teacup as hard as she could against the wall. It smashed against the blue wallpaper and fell to the floor in a shower of black tea and shattered china.

“Fine,” she seethed, the anger that pulsed from her so palpable that Veronica could feel it from across the room. “I’ll tell you what I know. But if I do, you don’t arrest me.” She jabbed an accusing finger at Clayton. Her murderous gaze swung to Madame, as did her jabbing finger. “Andyoudon’t tell Malmesbury.”

“The Home Office agrees to your terms,” Clayton answered with a calmness born from years spent on the battlefield. “And you, Madame Noir?”

“Deny myself the fun of informing Malmesbury?” Yet she acquiesced as she tugged her long black gloves into place. “Very well.” She sighed with disappointment. “I’ll keep my silence.”

Veronica breathed her own sigh of relief. They were making headway.Finally.

“My work here is done.” Madame retrieved her teacup and finished the last swallow, then handed her cup and saucer to Merritt as if he were a footman. “I’ll see myself home.”

As she glided toward the entry hall, she stopped in the doorway and turned back to rake a blatantly suggestive look over Clayton.

“I’m assuming you’ll pay me for my services in person, Mr. Elliott.” A smile teased at her red lips. “I’mverymuch looking forward to it.”

Clayton replied to her challenge with a rakish grin. “So am I.”

She called over her shoulder as she sauntered toward the front door, “Perhaps next time, you’ll let me use whips and spurs.”

Clayton’s smile faded as the door closed after her. He arched an incredulous brow at Merritt.

“I told you she’d be helpful,” Merritt replied.

Wisely not replying to that, Clayton turned back toward Miss Jones, took his chair, and spun it around before sitting directly in front of her. He straddled the seat and rested his arms across the back in a no-nonsense position that announced he’d just transformed from questioner to interrogator.

“We found the money and goods you’re keeping upstairs to pay men to riot. We know you’ve been doing it since the riots started, long before Liggett arrived in London,” Clayton explained in a low and steely voice. “Why?”

“Because the general asked me to.” Hatred for Clayton blazed in her eyes, but she understood the deal she’d struck with him and grudgingly answered, “Horatio has been my lover for the past six months. Malmesbury doesn’t know, of course.”