Page 90 of Mesmerized

“She was insane,” Lady St. Leger put in tartly. “The magistrate came by yesterday evening. From what the constable told him, he is going to rule that Lady Olivia killed the woman in self-defense, which of course she did. It’s just a miracle that she was able to overcome her. The constable is of the opinion that Irina was trying to steal the Martyrs’ treasure from you. That is why she attacked you.”

“I see.” Stephen’s eyes went from his mother to Olivia, but he said only, “And what about the others? Madame Valenskaya and Mr. Babington?”

“They will be going back to London tomorrow. Rafe and Olivia felt sure that you would not wish to press charges against them because of the scandal it would mean.” Lady St. Leger paused, then added, her voice husky with tears, “I am so sorry, Stephen. I know it is for my sake that you don’t want to charge them. You would hate for the world to know what a fool I was.”

“Don’t worry about it, Mother.” Stephen patted her hand. “You were not a fool. You were merely a grief-stricken mother taken in by a pack of charlatans.”

“But to think that you were nearly killed because of my folly!” Lady St. Leger cried, her voice breaking. “I shall never forgive myself.”

“But I didn’t die.” Stephen smiled reassuringly.

Lady St. Leger got to her feet. “I must go and tell Belinda and Rafe. He bandaged you, you know. The doctor said he did an excellent job.”

The older woman stood up and hurried out of the room. Olivia suspected that she might stop for a good cry in her own room along the way. Olivia felt like indulging in the same thing herself.

Stephen squeezed her hand. “Are you all right?”

“Oh, yes, I’m fine. She didn’t really hurt me much.” Her hand went unconsciously to her throat. “Babington has come to.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I don’t know if it was because of my killing Irina or what, but he woke up yesterday evening and seems all right, even though he’s a bit hazy about things. It looks as though he was largely a dupe in this whole thing, used by Irina and—”

“Sir Raymond’s spirit?” Stephen suggested.

Olivia nodded. “I think so. Yesterday, the way she was, the way she spoke. I could see him looking out of her at me.”

She shivered, and Stephen squeezed her hand, bringing it up to his lips to kiss. “I am sorry you had to face her.”

“It was frightening, but—no doubt this will sound as mad as the rest of it—but when I was fighting her, I was still holding on to the rosary, and suddenly I felt more powerful. It seemed as if Alys was there with me, inside me somehow, helping me. Is that possible?”

Stephen nodded. “I believe it.” He paused, then added, “Do you think the evil is gone now?”

“Yes. Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking, but when I plunged that knife into Irina, I saw the evil in her eyes wink out. I think that when I killed her, it somehow killed him, too. It’s all tied up with Alys helping me, I think, as if she finally overcame him. Does that make sense?”

“Not rationally, but, yes, it makes sense, considering everything.”

At that moment Lady St. Leger came in, followed by Belinda, Rafe and Great-uncle Bellard, and the subject was dropped. It was not until several days later that Olivia broached it again.

Stephen had made rapid progress in the days since the attack, growing stronger, first sitting up, then walking, even taking on the stairs. It was clear that it would not be long before he had completely recovered. Olivia had realized as he improved that she was rapidly running out of any reason to remain at Blackhope. Madame Valenskaya and Mr. Babington had left. There was no longer a pretense of a house party. Nor was there any business for her to conduct. She had stayed, telling herself that of course she could not leave while Stephen was still recovering from his wound.

But it was clear now that he was close to recovery, and even that tiny excuse was gone. She supposed Lady St. Leger must be wondering why she stayed on but was too polite to bring up the matter. It made Olivia’s heart ache in her chest to think of leaving Blackhope. Leaving Stephen. She thought that when she went, it would feel like leaving part of herself behind.

She and Stephen were sitting in the conservatory a few days later, surrounded by pleasant green plants and looking out at the garden. Olivia had been reading to him, as she had grown accustomed to doing during his convalescence, but she had abandoned that a few minutes earlier and they had fallen into silence, simply looking out at the late afternoon play of sun on the garden.

Olivia said quietly, “That day, when we held the rosary and saw...what we saw...”

She paused, and Stephen turned to look at her. “Yes?”

“I noticed something.”

He looked at her questioningly.

“Lady Alys pulled a ring out from under her dress and put it on.”

“Yes, I saw it.”

“It was a ring that Sir John had given her.”