Page 28 of Black Widow

Several hours later, a noise startled her awake. She opened her eyes, expecting to hear one of the other guests in the hallway, but the crashing sound that followed was not some drunk reveler stumbling to theirroom.

Someone was pounding on her door. The force was enough to make the wood vibrate in thejamb.

Bang!Bang!

Amelia gasped as the wood shuddered in the bright moonlight illuminating that part of theroom.

Good Lord, the house must be on fire.Scrambling out of bed, she threw on her pelisse over her bed jacket and hurried to thedoor.

“I’m coming,” she calledout.

The door shook once more. It was so violent that Amelia hesitated for a moment. Whoever was on the other side was massive and agitated. Fear tightened her chest, but she shook off her apprehension and went to open thedoor.

She threw it open, expecting to see a footman or Lord Westcliff on the other side. There was no one there. Confused, she peeked out, scanning the emptyhallway.

Rushing footsteps signaled the approach of a pair. Mrs. Kimball, another widow, rushed up with a man she recognized as Lord Windmere. The much younger man was adjusting his waistcoat andtrousers.

“What was that noise?” Mrs. Kimballasked.

“I don’t know. Is the house onfire?”

“No. We just heard the pounding and…er…we ran upstairs to see what the matterwas.”

Comprehending that the pair had exited one of the bedrooms farther down the hall, she nodded nonetheless. She pulled the pelisse closed tight wondering who had been knocking at herdoor.

The murmur of conversation grew in volume as more and more guests gathered. “What was that racket?” a newcomerasked.

“Someone was pounding on Mrs. Montgomery’s door. I think they were trying to break it down,” young Lord Windmere said, the excitement in his voice growing with the promise ofscandal.

“I’m sure that’s not the case. Perhaps there’s an emergency,” she said, looking around forGideon.

He wasn’t there, but Crispin was running up the hallway with Lord Westcliff at hisheels.

“Amelia! What’s going on? Who attackedyou?”

“No one, there’s been a mistake. Someone was knocking on my door isall.”

Amelia wasn’t sure he could even hear her. The volume of the conversation around them had grown precipitously. She continued to assure him everything was fine, but Crispin did not pay her anymind.

“Excuse me, my dear.” Lord Westcliff was frowning. He stepped around her, pulling the doorclosed.

A little wave of dizziness blurred her vision. She forced herself to focus, a familiar dread creeping up herspine.

Whoever had struck the thick oak door had done so with enough force to splinter it in the center—someoneverystrong.

Chapter 11

“What are yousaying?”

Gideon’s head was aching. He could not make out what his valet was tellinghim.

After he’d confronted Amelia, he had gone into Westcliff’s library. He then proceeded to consume most of a bottle of brandy he had found there. Sometime near dawn, he had finally made it upstairs and collapsed in bed without talking to anyone. Now the aftereffects of his long night of drinking were making themselvesfelt.

Manning looked at him with a frown. “You missed all the excitement. Someone tried to break into Mrs. Montgomery’s room lastnight.”

Gideon sat bolt upright. “What?”

“According to the household servants, Lord Westcliff is beside himself. A man broke into the house last night. No one saw the intruder, but the villain somehow made his way up to the guest hallway. He must have been trying to find one of the ladies alone up there. Mrs. Montgomery had locked her door, so he was not able to ravish her. The door was badly damaged so determined was the villain, but he ran away when the racket attracted anaudience.”

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