The Leopard's Spots by Fred M. White — Read

Despite her cool demeanour and the assurance with which she carried off the situation, the woman who called herself Princess de Gaucourt was by no means easy in her mind. She remembered only too well that inside the safe of the library in 'The Wilderness' was certain evidence which she knew was bound, in the long run, to bring her to justice. And, moreover, the enemies who had gathered round her as if they had fallen from the air seemed to know perfectly well what was in that safe. How they found it out was a mystery, but the main thing was that they had found it out, and if these jewels could not be recovered by some brilliant coup on her part, then she was likely to take a rest from the world for some time to come.

How had they discovered the secret hidingplace of the gems? The woman asked herself that question over and over again as she drove back to the hotel with the half-unconscious man by her side, but no satisfactory answer was forthcoming. There was only one thing to do now, and that was to turn her back as speedily as possible on her confederate Broadwood, and make her way out of the country without delay. She was not without means, she always kept a certain sum in reserve in cases of emergencies like this, and, so far as Broadwood was concerned, he would have to look to himself. She had a feeling in her mind that he had bungled somewhere, he had allowed himself to be deceived and followed, and, no doubt, Stagg and the rest had been in 'The Wilderness' each time that Broadwood had visited it. Every movement of his had been spied upon, and even if he hadn't been fool enough to allow himself to be trapped in the vault, he would have been hunted down in another way, so that it all came to the same thing in the long run.