The Royal Assassin (23 page)

I walked farther into the room and sat down on the bed. “We have a little wait, so we might as well be comfortable.” Now Nadia couldn't watch both Adam and me at once. She had to move her head to glance between Adam standing by the door and me on the opposite side of the room.

Nadia swung the pistol toward me. “I didn't invite you in.”

Now was not the time to upset her. I was in a vulnerable position. “No, Princess, you didn't.”

“Move over there.”

“I'm comfortable here.” I saw anger flare in her eyes and hoped I could calm her. “You'll like France. The middle class there is not as independent as the shopkeepers here. That's what I am, you know. A bookshop owner.”

“You lie.”

“No. I was brought in to try to help Kira learn English. You both had us fooled. You speak our language very well. Where did you learn it?”

“I sat in on Kira's lessons with her tutor, and we practiced between ourselves for years. In English, we could speak to each other without anyone understanding us in the countryside. The miserable, boring countryside.” The large, heavy pistol now hung down by her side, but she watched both Adam and me closely.

“You and Kira both hated life in the country. And you each had what the other wanted.”

Nadia's eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“She had a title. You wanted a title. You had the freedom to become whoever you wanted to be. She wanted that freedom to become a painter. The only reason she's marrying Sussex is because he'll let her paint as much as she wants.”

“He's a poor excuse for a man.” There was that sneer again.

“His mother's called a dragon by everyone who knows her. If you want to make Kira pay for having a title, make sure she marries Sussex. The dowager duchess will make her life miserable.”

Kira swung her head toward me, her eyes widening from fear to shock. Apparently, no one had possessed the nerve to tell her about her fiancé's mother.

When she turned back to look at Nadia, her half sister smiled coldly. “You didn't know? Neither did I, but it seems fitting somehow. That title you never cared about, the title that smoothed your way through life, is finally going to cost you. It's about time.”

We heard the front door open and close below us. Adam started to pace, stomping his feet.

Guessing what he was doing, I said, “It sounds like Jacob is back. Adam, is your leg bothering you again? He was injured several years ago, and his knee stiffens up on him. It's the damp London is famous for. You're smart to go over to France. They have better weather. Especially in the south.”

We could hear Jacob coming up the stairs, even over Adam's footsteps. When Nadia didn't respond, her vision glued to the doorway, Adam said, “We have miserable weather here. Everyone I know has stiff joints.”

Since most of the people he knew were policemen who had at one time walked patrol, I believed him.

Jacob entered by himself. I couldn't see anyone else on the landing, but I had to hope help was there. “Blackford's coming to negotiate. Nadia gets either the papers making her a princess or the jewels.”

“I want both.”

“Sorry. The Russians say you can have one or the other. Your choice.”

She turned to Kira. “I should just kill you now.”

“Then you won't get either,” I said, making an effort to keep my voice calm.

Nadia faced me, the gun pointing at my chest, her finger on the trigger. “Maybe I should kill you instead to show them I'm serious.”

My heart was beating wildly and I had a terrible time trying to speak while my entire body trembled. “Oh, they believe you're serious.” I certainly did. “Otherwise they wouldn't have come this far with their offer. But it's nothing to them whether you kill me or not. Perhaps you could try negotiating. You might be able to get both.”

“What do you mean?” She lifted her finger from the trigger and I took a deep breath.

“Get the title and part of the jewels as a reward to see you to France.”

Her finger went back on the trigger and time seemed to slow. I watched her eyes blaze with fury and madness as she aimed the gun barrel at me. “All my life I've had to settle for Kira's castoffs. I had to worm my way into her lessons and was looked down upon by the servants. Now it's my turn. I want it all. And now is the time to prove I'm serious in my demands.”

L
OOKING
down the barrel of the pistol into her furious gaze, I was certain she was going to shoot me. My first thought was who would take over Fenchurch's Books. I wanted Emma to have it, so that she'd have independence if anything happened to Sumner. I should have written a will.

It was a little late in the day to worry about that.

My second thought was that I wanted to see Blackford one more time. Would he get there before I died?

Then we all turned toward the doorway as what sounded like a herd of men entered the building and started walking up the stairs. “We're the negotiating committee,” Blackford called up to us.

Once more I felt relief fill my body as the breath I'd been holding slowly escaped.

For the first time, Nadia seemed unsure. Then she pointed the pistol at the doorway and waited.

Blackford entered the room first, walking a few steps toward her and blocking her view of the doorway.

Nadia pointed the gun at his chest, her finger still on the trigger. “Stay away from me.”

“Very well.” He paced toward the window so he was out of her line of sight if she looked at the doorway or at me. “I'm the Duke of Blackford. I'm the negotiator between you and the grand duke. I believe you two have met.”

Everyone turned toward the doorway, where Grand Duke Vassily stood. I thought it was very brave or very stupid of him to show up here. She was more likely to kill him than anyone else.

The sneer returned. “Oh, we have met. The grand duke knew of the plot to kill my mother and me. He'd rather see me dead than given the title of Princess Nadia. He's always looked down on us.”

“You're a bastard,” the grand duke said.

Oh, brilliant
. I quickly replied, “That's not her fault. And you're not helping. Just leave.”

“Gladly.”

As he turned away, Blackford said, “Get back here. We are negotiating so no one gets hurt.”

The grand duke took one step into the hall before I said, “Coward.”

He whirled around and marched back into the room toward me. “Peasant.”

I hopped off the bed and faced him. I lacked the height to look him in the eye without craning my neck, but that didn't diminish my fury. “No, I'm not. I'm a shop owner. And I'm brave enough to come here to try to help both Nadia and Kira. Which means I'm doing your job.”

“I don't negotiate with anarchists.”

“There are no anarchists here. Except for Adam, Jacob, and
me, everyone has aristocrats for fathers. These are exactly the people you negotiate with.”

“Very well.” He turned and faced Nadia. “I have the proclamation styling you Princess Nadia. You may have that or you may have the jewels.”

“I want it all.” Nadia's eyes glowed as the pistol pointed at the grand duke's heart from a distance of a few feet. Her finger was on the trigger.

He stood soldier straight facing her. I was wrong. He was no coward.

“Perhaps a portion of the jewels and the proclamation. We know it was Ivanov who killed Princess Kira's guard on the train, killed Shepherdston's footman, and shot the two policemen in the raid on the warehouse for your stolen goods,” Blackford said. “You have nothing to fear, Nadia.”

“You said nothing of Lady Raminoff's death.” Nadia stared into Blackford's eyes.

“In Ivanov's absence, we can assume he killed her, too.” Blackford glanced over at me, and his expression convinced me that Nadia was the one who had killed Lady Raminoff.

“Ivanov has already left the country,” she said. “I doubt he will come back.”

“Returned to Russia?” Grand Duke Vassily asked.

Nadia smiled. “Perhaps someday, when we are free of the tsar and the Okhrana.”

I couldn't tell from Blackford's expression if that was true, or if Sumner had killed or captured the Russian.

We heard more footsteps on the stairs and then a man came into the room to stand by Nadia. His cap and scarf were gone, letting me see his blond hair and thin face. “You must be Griekev,” I said.

“Yes. Are you the one who pulled the fuse out of my bomb at Hereford House?”

“Yes. It was quite impressive, hidden in the linen closet like that. If it weren't for my being in the wrong place while the staff was busy with lunch, your bomb would have made the house a pile of rubble.”

He smiled grimly. “Bad luck.”

I thought it was wonderful luck. “Where did you learn so much about dynamite?”

“I was an engineering student in St. Petersburg. That's where I met Nadia. It was love at first sight. I was in student demonstrations for change and saw how brutally the Cossacks put down peaceful marches. After the attempt to kill Nadia, I helped her escape from Russia and then followed her.”

“And used your knowledge of dynamite for robberies.”

“We helped ourselves while we helped the anarchists.”

That made me wonder why they hadn't targeted the duchess for one of their thefts. “Were you the one who freed Ivanov from the basement of Hereford House?”

“Yes. I was supposed to meet him. When he didn't show up, I went looking for him. It wasn't hard to guess what happened.”

“Were you planning to rob Hereford House?”

“Rob them? No, although it wouldn't have been a bad idea.”

He pulled a massive revolver from his pocket. “I'd like to stay and chat, but we must leave. Nadia, get what you want from their coats and let's go.”

Nadia handed Griekev her gun and then walked up to the grand duke. She quickly found the proclamation in his inside coat pocket and glanced over it with a smile. Then she walked over to Blackford. “You must have the jewels.”

He opened his coat so she could reach the inside pocket; she pulled out a reddish cloth pouch.

She peeked in, smiled, and said, “Let's go.”

“Wait.” I had to know. “Lady Raminoff was on your side,” I said to her. “Why did she have to die?”

“She caught me talking to Ivanov in the stairwell. And she saw the dynamite he handed me.” Nadia took her revolver back, gave me a smile, and walked out the door.

Griekev walked backward, watching us all. “Too bad you won't be around to stop us.”

Then he dashed down the stairs.

Grand Duke Vassily was the first to move, pulling a pistol from inside his coat while dashing out the doorway. A second later, a roar shook the house, followed by a scream.

Blackford was already racing out the door when the sound staggered his steps. I followed him to find Griekev lying on his stomach, head down on the stairs, a stain on the back of his coat. Vassily still held his pistol ready to fire again while Nadia bent over Griekev's body, sobbing.

Griekev grabbed one of Nadia's hands and groaned out some words in Russian. She murmured back to him, kissing his ear.

I stood and watched as his grip on her hand went slack.

“You killed him. Now we will all die.” She infused the words with pathos. If an actress proclaimed those words with such feeling onstage, the audience would rise to its feet in admiration.

There'd be no applause here. Everyone was probably as terrified as I was. “There's a bomb in this house, isn't there?”

“Yes. And I will shoot you all rather than let you defuse it. You have only a minute. Say your prayers.” Nadia's grief made her sound determined and tragic.

“No!” Vassily screamed and aimed at Nadia. Blackford moved as a second roar made me put my hands over my ears. Plaster in the ceiling over Nadia's head sent a shower of pieces flying and then floating down on her and Griekev.

“We will all die,” the grand duke cried.

“No, we won't. Pull yourself together, man. Sumner put out the fuse as soon as Griekev came upstairs,” Blackford snapped.

Nadia cradled Griekev's head, sobbing, murmuring what sounded like endearments in Russian.

“How do you know?” Vassily stared at Blackford with wide eyes in his pale face.

“He was the man I talked to before we came inside.” Blackford sounded calm, but I saw the hair along his collar turn damp and curl. This was the only sign Blackford ever gave of nervousness.

I was turning away to walk back into the bedroom to free Princess Kira when I saw Nadia raise the pistol to her head.

“No!” I screamed and shut my eyes.

A third shot shattered the air in the stairwell. I opened my eyes to see Nadia sprawled on the landing, the gun held loosely in her hand and a small, dark hole in her temple.

My footsteps were much heavier when I returned to the bedroom to take the gag out of Princess Kira's mouth. Adam had already begun to cut her ropes. My throat was dry and my stomach churned.

“What has happened?” the princess shrieked hoarsely as soon as the cloth came out of her mouth.

I shook my head.

“I want to know.” As soon as Adam had one wrist loosened, Kira pulled at it until her hand was free.

“No, you don't,” I told her.

“Please. You can't protect me forever.”

Adam worked on the other wrist while I said, “The grand duke shot Griekev in the back. Nadia shot herself. They're both dead.”

“No.” Her scream was nearly as loud as the gunshots, and more heart wrenching.

When Adam Fogarty freed Princess Kira's other wrist, she sprang from the chair and stumbled on stiff legs to the hallway. She looked down the stairs at Nadia cradling Griekev, blood spilling out beneath their bodies.

Tears slipped down her cheeks. She turned on Grand Duke Vassily and loosed a waterfall of Russian on his head. She finished with English. “You have no honor.”

Then Princess Kira turned to me. “Would you accompany me back to Hereford House? I wish to speak to the duchess and then I want to speak to Arthur. The Duke of Sussex.”

“Of course. Blackford, may we use your carriage?” I asked.

“I wish to return to the embassy first,” Grand Duke Vassily announced in strident tones.

“We'll let the ladies leave first. It's only right that we be the ones to speak to the police,” Blackford said. “You're the only person still alive who fired a shot.” Speaking quietly in my ear, he added, “I'll be busy for a while. I'll see you later.”

The Duke of Blackford escorted Princess Kira down the stairs as we carefully stepped around the bodies so we wouldn't interfere with the crime scene or bloody our skirts. The princess stopped when she was next to Nadia's body and I saw her lips move. I was sure she was praying for her half sister. Then she bent down and stroked her hand before moving on.

As Blackford passed, I saw him bend down and pick up the pistols and the bag of jewels. I wondered if he'd provided some of the glittering stones.

I followed the princess out, grateful to escape the stench of
death and gunpowder. Blackford put us in his carriage and gave instructions to his coachman. Then we set off, bouncing on the hard seats of the ancient carriage as we rode the short distance to Hereford House.

“You are certain Nadia took her own life?” the princess asked.

“Yes.” The image her words brought back nearly made me physically ill. “I saw her.”

“She loved Griekev. They both thought the robberies were great fun.”

I shook my head. “They were dangerous. And how do you know?”

Kira smiled her answer. “The danger was part of the thrill. Griekev was charming. He was dashing. People couldn't help but love him. He rescued Nadia after my mother tried to have her killed. And all this time, I thought it was my father who hired the assassins.” She shook her head. “Then Griekev spirited Nadia out of the country. He followed her a day later.”

“And then began his series of robberies with dynamite. People were terrified.”

“They never meant to hurt anyone.”

“Your guard, Lidijik, might disagree.”

She stared into the darkness outside. “Nadia wanted to spend time with me. We all came from my father's estate, and she knew Lidijik would recognize her and report her to the embassy. She'd be deported to Russia and killed, either on the way there or after she landed. My mother would see to that. Ivanov killed him and took an epaulet and a button so tailors could copy Lidijik's coat. Then Ivanov could replace him, and Nadia and I could spend time together safely.”

“And you find that acceptable?”

The princess gave me a defiant glare, but I stared back at her.
Finally, she slumped and said, “No. I was just so happy to see Nadia again. To know she was alive and safe.”

“She could have been, if she hadn't wanted a title and a fortune in jewels.”

“No. All Nadia wanted was the title that my father denied her. Griekev decided to demand jewels to fund their new lives.”

There was something I needed to know about Kira. “Were you a willing party to your own kidnapping?”

She gasped and grabbed my wrist. “No. You have to believe me. I thought we were just running off to church so Nadia could see Griekev. Just as we had before.”