Always Have Hope (Emerson Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

earl. This will give you the chance to even the score
with all those peers who gave you such a hard time in school. Not to mention
the ones around here who think you’ve risen too high for your station. I have
clerks interviewing the pertinent parties at Bow Street. You should have quite
the dossier by the end of the day. With any luck you can have this shrew hanged
by summer. It’s always advantageous to give the rabble a good show when the
weather turns hot. Well, keep me apprised of your progress.” He turned to go.
    “How did she do it?”
    Sir Wilfred turned back, irritated by the
interruption. “Excuse me?”
    “How did she kill him?”
    “Slashed his throat.”
    “She’s a tall woman, I take it?”
    “I haven’t the faintest idea.” Sir Wilfred narrowed
his eyes at Alex, a telltale sign of his displeasure.
    “How recently had she been beaten?”
    “How the devil should I know? Probably not recently enough,
given her proclivity to murder. I really don’t know what….”
    “Because if she had been beaten recently, I’m not sure
how she could have had the strength to slash his throat. It’s a difficult task
for any woman, even when she’s healthy. When women kill, they’re more likely
to use poison or a pistol.”
    Sir Wilfred poured himself another glass, then downed
it in one gulp. “I didn’t know you’d done a bloody study on the habits of
murderesses. Frankly, I don’t care how she did it. You just have to win. Get
cracking, Lewis. We want this wrapped up quickly."
    Once Sir Wilfred left, Alex sat back and wondered how
a beaten woman could overpower a man and slash his throat.
    Then he wondered why they were in such a rush to close
this case.
    *
    There is that moment between sleep and consciousness
where everything is peaceful. Before pain is felt and memories come rushing back.
For one blissful moment, Win thought of nothing but the comfortable bed she was
in and the soothing smell of eucalyptus nearby. Which was odd, since she never
had fresh plants in her room.
    Then she remembered.
    She sat up with a start, then winced at the pain in
her ribs. She gently probed the area, then realized Jane had done an excellent
job bandaging her. That was also a new experience. In the past, she’d had to
tend to her cuts and bruises by herself.
    Jane. Her new friend Jane.
    Win gingerly got out of bed and took a slow, deep
breath against the pain. Not too deep, of course. That was always a mistake
with bruised ribs. She gingerly made her way over to the wash basin, trying to
avoid the mirror. She was afraid to see what she looked like, especially since
James was there and it would kill him when he saw her. He already had seen her,
of course. But Win knew from experience that she always looked worse on the
second day of a beating, sometimes even the third.
    But she was no coward, so she looked up to see an
image even worse than she’d imagined. Both eyes were blackened, and one was
severely bloodshot. Her right cheek had a cut that corresponded to Pierce’s
signet ring. Her bottom lip was swollen, with a horrible scab on it. There
was a yellow tint to her skin around the bruising.
    Even her long black hair had lost its luster. Jane
had been kind enough to braid it the previous night, since Win had been hard
pressed to raise her arms to do it herself. She had learned a great deal about
anatomy during her years of beatings and apparently ribs helped a person do a
great many things.
    After carefully washing, she realized she had nothing
to change into. She would have to ask James to send for her things since she was
prohibited from leaving the house. Then she realized most of her clothes would
be unsuitable since she was officially in mourning.
    There was a soft knock at the door.
    “Come in,” said Win.
    A very pretty servant entered, carrying a black gown.
The woman curtsied. “Good morning, my lady. I’m Mrs. Rigg. My husband and I
work for Lord Edward and Lady Jane. I hope I didn’t wake