“Just this one man, mistress?” Moira said. “How can a single man harm Ballentyne?”
“He has two dozen men with him,” Jack answered from the rear of the room. “And horses and weaponry. It’s a small private army.”
The girls were quiet. One of them let out another sob and it pierced my heart, so soon after the tragedy of having lost Elizabeth.
“Two dozen men?” Carlyle grunted. “They’ll slaughter us.”
“Not if we’re strategic,” Montgomery countered. “If you chose to stay, we can station those of you who know how to fire a rifle on the higher floors to give you an advantage. You’ll be protected by the windowsills.”
“Assuming we’ll help,” Carlyle said, and McKenna shot him a look.
“I can only speak for myself,” she said. “I’m an old woman, and I’ve sworn my life to Ballentyne, as have most of us. I’ll stay and do what I can, but without the little girls that only leaves seven of us, counting Lily and Moira, and your friend Mr. Balthazar. Those aren’t well-matched numbers, mistress.”
“Eight of us,” I said, shifting a nervous glance to Montgomery. “There are eight of us.”
His brow furrowed in confusion, and I went to the door.
“Lucy,” I called. “Bring him in.”
Two sets of footsteps sounded outside. She came in a bit shyly, dressed in a simple gown, and extended her hand toward the hallway.
“Come on,” she said softly.
Edward stepped into the library. His hair was freshly trimmed, the sallowness to his skin all but gone, and he was dressed in a charcoal suit that hid the slight bit of trouble he had walking.
“Hello,” he said quietly.
Montgomery leaped off the desk and drew his pistol, aiming at Edward’s head. The girls let out squeals of fear—the last they’d seen of him had been the Beast wearing Edward’s body like a disguise.
“Montgomery, stop!” I yelled, throwing myself between them. “I told you to trust me! That goes for all of you. I’m the mistress now, and I promise you this man is no danger. It looks like the monster who locked us in the cellar, but it isn’t. This man’s name is Edward Prince. He’s a good man. A friend of ours who was sick, but he’s better now. He died when Hensley killed the Beast, but we’ve brought him back, just like Hensley. He’s strong, and he can’t be easily killed. He can help us defeat Radcliffe.”
I took a deep breath. Montgomery’s pistol was still aimed in Edward’s direction. Even standing between them, I knew he could make the shot if he wanted to. I grabbed the barrel of the pistol and pointed it toward the ground.
“Montgomery, it’s Edward.”
He stared incredulously, the pistol still clenched tightly. “I don’t believe it,” he murmured.
Lucy took Edward’s hand in hers as a sign of solidarity, holding it tight, and he leaned into her slightly. McKenna cleared her throat and took a step forward.
“Mistress Juliet, with all due respect to your friend, Hensley wasn’t right in the head. What happened after your wedding only proved that. How can we be certain he won’t fly into a similar rage?”
“Hensley had a child’s mind,” I countered. “And it had deteriorated over four decades. Edward is as healthy as he was before he died, and he’s trustworthy. The Beast is gone.”
Montgomery slowly holstered his pistol, as if the shock had only just worn off him. He gave me a hard look. “Juliet. We need to talk. In private.”
He grabbed my arm and dragged me into the hall. Apprehension made my heart beat faster. This was the moment when I would find out which was stronger: the bonds of marriage or the betrayal of having kept such a secret. He didn’t stop until we were downstairs in the alcove by the grand fireplace, far from prying ears. His blue eyes searched mine. “Have you gone mad?”
I pulled away, feeling guilty and stung all at once. “He isn’t dangerous anymore. We cured him by cutting out the diseased portion of his brain that manifested as the Beast. The conditions in the cellar kept his body in pristine condition, so there hasn’t been any deterioration. I’ve monitored him carefully. The Beast is gone.”
“But he’ll deteriorate over time.”
“Then we’ll worry about that in forty or fifty years. Not today.”
Montgomery paced back and forth in front of the hearth, a bead of sweat dripping down his face. “How did you convince Elizabeth to do such a thing?”
“I didn’t convince her. She never knew. I did the procedure, with Lucy’s help, and Balthazar’s.”
He stared at me in shock. After everything we’d been through, he still didn’t understand the level of skill—and determination—I had.