So he summoned whatever breath was left in him and punched Colin in the stomach. The relief was almost instant as he loosened his grip and recoiled. So Anthony mustered his strength once more and this time his fist made the most gratifying contact with his chest. He would have aimed for his neck or face, but Colin was smart enough to keep them as far from reach as possible.
With his neck finally free, Anthony kicked him off and frantically grasped for the pistol. It took him a few seconds, but he managed to seize it and struck the handle against Colin’s head. He slumped on the floor; unconscious but still breathing.
Before Anthony could release Meredith, it suddenly dawned upon him that the door had been ajar for quite some time now and Mr. Tulk still hadn’t come into the room.
As bewildering as this was, he immediately untied her and pulled her into an embrace. She shivered in his arms as though they were in a blizzard.
“I’m sorry, Meredith. I’m so sorry,” he repeatedly whispered as he showered her with kisses and rocked her back and forth. A noise on the opposite side of the door reminded him that there was yet one more opponent to deal with. So he gave her one more kiss.
“Wait here.” And tore himself away.
She put a hand over her mouth in fear as he approached the door, pistol in hand.
Chapter 28
His dread only increased as he approached the door for he heard the sound of, not just one, but two men’s voices.
He silently cursed himself.
When will this blasted day ever end?
He put his hand on the door and braced to push it open. Unlike Colin, Anthony wasnotseeking to kill anyone today. If either of the men tried to charge him, he would simply aim the pistol at them. He gave Meredith a small smile that he hoped at least seemed reassuring and confident. He took a deep breath and began counting.
One… Two…
But then the two voices started arguing.
“You’re doing it wrong!” exclaimed one.
“It doesn’t matter so long it gets the job done,” bellowed the other.
Anthony did not know that it was physically possible for one to go weak with relief, but that was precisely how he felt. Without hesitation, he lowered his pistol and pushed the door wide open.
“Good afternoon, Kenneth, Mr. Lockhart.”
* * *
“Here you go, dear. Careful, it’s freshly brewed.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Oakley,” Meredith sheepishly mumbled.
The whole house was buzzing with shock, excitement, apprehension, and most importantly, relief. The authorities had just taken away both Mr. Tulk and Lord Gillinghamshire. Presently, almost everyone was gathered in the drawing room to listen to Anthony, Meredith, Lord Farellshire, and even Ian recount the main events of the last few hours.
Each of them had privately related their version of events to the constable and the other Watchmen. But now that they were gone, they were keen on piecing together the full story.
Anthony and Meredith had both just finished telling the story from their own perspectives and now they sat on the couch with Lady Cecilia between them, sipping delicious cups of piping hot tea, as they listened to Ian and Lord Farellshire tell the story from their points of view.
“So thenIwas the first to know that something wasn’t right because nobody had come to open the gates to Lord Farellshire and I, didn’t I say so, Lord Farellshire?” Ian boldly proclaimed.
Visibly annoyed, Lord Farellshire disagreed quite audibly, “Now listen here, Mr. Lockhart, I do believe it wasIwho first realized that something was amiss when I noticed that the drink that Colin handed me last night smelt funny.”
“Yes, but if you had really suspected that something was wrong, then you wouldn’t have continued drinking it, no?”
Sensing that they would never get anywhere at this rate, Meredith and Anthony served as mediators and examiners so as to quell any petty disagreements and ensure that the two men’s accounts were told at a satisfying pace.
With great care and diligence, Meredith and Anthony succeeded in extracting from them their version of events.
Lord Farellshire had suspected that Lord Gillinghamshire was up to something when he noticed that his own drink smelt and tasted strange, which in hindsight turned out to be due to the same sedative that Mr. Tulk had administered to all of the staff under the guise of freshly squeezed orange juice.
