“You have seen someone who was poisoned before? How can that be? Who?”
He started as if his thoughts were somewhere else. “It’s not important. But I believe it to be true. That note of Genvere’s . . . either he can read the future, which I doubt, or he knew someone was going to die. Which means he engineered Sandhurst’s death.”
“What?” Portia gasped. “But how?”
“I don’t know how he did it. He must actually be on the island now. But I don’t know how he got the poison to Sandhurst, if he did. How Sandhurst was poisoned and no one else. If it killed a young, healthy man, it should have killed others. So food or drink was not randomly poisoned. It had to be directed at Sandhurst. Something he alone consumed was poisoned.”
“Why would anyone want to do such a thing?”
“I don’t know, Portia.”
“But who—how do we find who did this? Should we not assess what Sandhurst ate and drank? Shouldn’t we speak to the cook?”
“If she poisoned the food, we’d all be dead. The truth is, I am likely wrong. The most likely answer is that he died of an attack of his heart or a stroke. Yes, that is what must have happened.”
“You don’t truly believe that. You are saying that to placate me.”
“No.” He met her gaze without even a look of guilt as he lied. “That is what I believe.”
She was about to argue when a loud “Bah!” interrupted.
The old viscount had spat the word, as he stood up from his seat. “I’m not letting young Sandhurst spoil my fun. We came here for carnal sport—hard, punishing sexual sport. If he was too much of a weakling to keep up, that’s not my problem. Feel sorry for the lad, but there it is.”
There was silence.
“I came here for an orgy,” his lordship snapped, “and I intend to have one.”
Portia now knew what the marquis’s name should be—the Cruel Marquis.
“There’s a diamond bracelet in it for each lady who wishes to entertain me tonight.”
At once Sadie jumped to her feet. “Cor, for a diamond bracelet, I might be tempted.”
“It would help us forget this sorrowful and tragic thing,” drawled the Elegant Incognita.
“Yes.” Sadie nodded her head, curls bobbling. “Let us have some fun. I shall give you a lot of fun, my lord.” She started toward the marquis.
But Harriet Barker, the Old Madam, jumped in front of her and reached him first, before the Elegant Incognita and the Exotic Courtesan wearing the costume could even move. “I can pleasure you in ways you don’t even know exist, my lord.”
The marquis looked doubtful, and the woman leaned over and whispered in his ear. His brows shot up under his white hair. He stamped his ornate walking stick against the floor. “Finally,” he barked. “Let the orgy begin.”
Then Humphries returned, but Sinclair told him to go.
9
“Let it begin indeed, my lord,” the Old Madam declared.
She stood up, tugged on her dress, and suddenly her gown fell away. She wore nothing but a scarlet corset beneath and scarlet-and-white-striped stockings. Her large bosom was lifted high, her waist nipped to a tiny circumference, her hips generous. She stood before them all in the middle of the ornate drawing room, glowing with confidence. Portia would have sunk through the floor if she was so undressed before strangers.
The Old Madam grabbed the white cravat of the Cruel Marquis, pulled him to her, and wrapped herself around him like a blanket as she gave him a fierce kiss.
She undid the knot in his cravat with incredible speed and skill. Portia supposed Harriet Barker must have undressed a lot of men.
The Old Madam looped the cravat around his neck. “I’m not going to let the other women here witness my rather special, private techniques.”
With that, she tossed her elegant coiffure, smirked at the other women, and, using the cravat like a leash, led the marquis away.
Sadie retreated to Portia’s side. “Wretched cow,” the girl sniffed. “What can she do that is so special? Well, let her have the old crock. I’m going to have two handsome dukes tonight!”
Sadie reached around and began to undo the fastenings of her gown, strategically placed so they swiftly fell open and more and more of the girl’s smooth, dewy, curvaceous body went on display. It didn’t fall away quite as quickly as Harriet’s. “Are you ready, Sax and Sin?” Sadie cooed.
Portia swallowed hard. Now she was going to see what an orgy was—whether it was anything like she had secretly imagined.
By seeing Sinclair take part.
She suddenly felt sick, the rich dinner curdling in her stomach. She’d been kidnapped, there might have been a murder, but the real reason for the pain in her tummy was jealousy.