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I won't do it!"
    There was a protracted silence. Then Dietz said, "Very well. No one will force you."
    "Thank you very much indeed."
    "This will come as a bit of a blow to your brother-in-law."
    "My—Mr. Brodie, you mean? That man is no relation to Nicholas," she declared illogically. "A man like that, he
deserves
to rot in prison for the rest of his life." She swung away, unwilling to let them see her flaming cheeks.
    For the last twenty-four hours she'd been reliving her encounter with the detestable Mr. Brodie, struggling against memories that were graphic, accurate, and inescapable. Even now she flinched inwardly with mortification as she recalled who had initiated that unforgettable embrace, and exactly how it had felt. Squeezing her eyes shut and biting her knuckles did no good, the quick, breath-stealing pleasure she'd taken in his arms was an indelible memory, not to be willed away.
    In the long hours before dawn she'd prayed that it had been a dream, a nightmare, but she'd had to face the bitter fact that it had happened. It seemed an unspeakable blasphemy, an obscene betrayal of Nicholas, yet it was real. The one thing she could not bring herself to face was the treachery of that instant when she'd know—d help her, she'd
known
and still she had let him put his hands on her.
    "Perhaps he should rot in prison," Dietz was saying; "that's what he would have done if you'd agreed to help us. As it is, he'll hang."
    She turned around in slow motion. She had to wet her lips to speak, and even then her voice was only a whisper. "What?"
    "I say, as it is."
    "You're lying. He agreed to your scheme, he kept his side of the bargain. You can't execute him now. You're saying that to manipulate me. It's despicable."
    Dietz pushed away from the wall, preparing to leave. "I'm sorry. I assure you it's no bluff; fair or not, it's the simple truth. If you won't help us, Mr. Brodie will be taken back to Bristol and his original sentence will be carried out." He crossed to the door. "It's a difficult decision; I'm not unsympathetic to your plight, although it may look as if I am. I'll help you in any way I can. I give you my word that none of this will ever be publicly revealed. And your personal safety will be guaranteed at all times." He watched her for another minute, then opened the door and walked out.
    She could only stare at the floor, mute and frozen. Her mind was in turmoil. Aiden was saying something, asking if she wanted him to stay. "No! This is your fault, you're the one who told that man Nicholas had a twin,
months
ago, when you were spying on him! If you'd stayed out of it" She jerked away, ashamed. She'd never spoken to her friend like this before; it frightened her.
    O'Dunne's voice was bleak and hopeless. "My dear, I wish to God I had."
    "Oh, Aiden, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I know none of this is your doing. I don't know what would've happened to me if you hadn't been here."
    Awkward, he took her hand and held it. "I tried to talk Dietz out of this, believe me, but he wouldn't listen. I told him he was putting you at risk because of your health."
    "My health? Do you mean my head?"
    "No, or not only that. I mean your general constitution, your well-being."
    She put a hand over her chest unconsciously, then laughed without any humor. "I wish I had thought to tell him that. But there's nothing wrong with me anymore, Aiden, you know that."
    "I know everyone hopes it's true." He smiled his gentle smile. "What will you do?"
    "I don't know." All of her choices were unthinkable. "But I'll tell you one thing," she said fiercely. "If I agree to take part in this ridiculous plan, it will be to clear Nicholas's name, not prove his guilt!"
     
    "Billy, my boy, what are you doing in there?"
    "Well, wot th' bloody 'ell d'you think I'm doin'?"
    A fair question, considering Billy was sitting inside the privy. "Hurry it along, will you? We'll miss our supper at this rate."
    Billy cursed in colorful cockney and Brodie smiled. The last thing