He crossed his arms over his chest. “Then I suppose I’ll be telling the world about us, starting with your brother.”
A sick fear gripped her at the thought of Thorn—or anyone at all—hearing the truth. “I promise I’ll get you your funds once the family goes to London for the Season. That’s only a few days away. Surely you can waitthatlong.”
“Ah, but why should I?”
“Because if I ask Thorn for fifty guineas in the City, he’ll think nothing of it, given the ease with which I could spend that on jewelry or clothes. But here in the country, where that would take some doing, he’ll find the request suspicious and demand to know why I really want it. There’s no plausible lie I can give him. And if I answer him truthfully, he might just murder you.”
Lionel chuckled. “You mean you haven’t told your arse of a brother what we did?”
“Of course not. And I know you didn’t tell him either. Because you wouldn’t be here trying to blackmail me if you had. Thorn would have killed you years ago.”
“True.” The amusement faded from his cruelly handsome face, leaving only the cold glitter in his eyes. Nowthatwas the Lionel Malet she knew and hated. “Fortunately,” he went on, “I am better prepared to fight your brother these days. Not for nothing have I trained as a soldier. And Thornstock has undoubtedly grown soft with age.”
“If you believe that, you haven’t had many dealings with him recently.”
“In any case,” he said, brushing off her comment, “I have no intention of waiting for my money. If you can’t pay me today, I’ll just have to take something else by way of payment.”
He stalked across the bridge toward her, and though she backed up swiftly, he was on her before she could get very far. Only when he snatched the gun from her did she realize it wasn’t her he was after.
“You can’t have that!” she cried, her heart sinking. “That’s Thorn’s! It’s not mine to give!” It was part of a pair, Thorn’s most recent purchase, and he was inordinately fond of it. Her brother would never forgive her if she let it be taken.
“I don’t care.” Lionel examined the pistol, then snorted as he realized it wasn’t loaded. “This will fetch a pretty penny in London while I wait for the rest of my money.” He shoved the gun in his greatcoat pocket. “Oh, and the price for my silence has just gone up. It’s a hundred guineas now.”
When he turned to walk away, she grabbed his arm, trying to prevent him from escaping with Thorn’s gun. “I’ll get you your dratted money, but you can’t have the pistol!”
She’d managed to wrestle it halfway out of his pocket before he gripped her upper arms and shook her. “I will have whatever I want of you, make no mistake. So if you wish me to keep your secrets—”
A shot sounded over their heads. Startled, she and Lionel both looked toward where it had come from, up on the rise behind her where the dower house sat.
Its tenant, Major Wolfe, did something to the barrel of his own gun, then aimed it at Lionel’s heart. Honestly, she’d never been happier to see the gruff former soldier in all her life.
“Step away from her ladyship,” Major Wolfe called out as he made his way down to the bridge, somehow keeping his weapon trained on Lionel while maneuvering the uneven surfaces of the riverbank path with his cane.
Lionel sneered at him. “Or what? A mere gamekeeper wouldn’t dare to shoot a viscount’s son.”
Gwyn frowned. “How did you know he’s a game—Oh. Right.” She’d forgotten that Major Wolfe had helped thwart Lionel during that abduction at Christmas. Not that it mattered. “The major is a duke’s grandson and a crack shot besides. Not only would he dare to shoot you, he wouldn’t miss.”
Major Wolfe’s gaze flicked to her. He seemed surprised by the remark, though she couldn’t imagine why. She’d flirted often enough to make it clear what she thought of him. Then again, she’d ended that after getting more than one surly response. No man was going to make a fool of her. She had let Lionel do that, and it had ended disastrously.
The major steadied his aim on Lionel. “You’re standing onmyland, trying to assault a member of the familyIwork for. So you’d best release the lady, or I swear I’ll make you regret it. Not a magistrate in the county would blame me for shooting an armed man on my own property.”
Lionel started. “I’m not armed.” When Major Wolfe nodded to Lionel’s coat pocket, where the ivory handle of Thorn’s pistol still hung out, Lionel paled. “The gun isn’t loaded,” he said, though he had the good sense to release her.
“Not to mention that it doesn’t belong to you.” She met Major Wolfe’s gaze. “It’s Thorn’s. Captain Malet took it from me.”
Major Wolfe arched one dark brow at her. “And what wereyouproposing to do with an unloaded pistol?”
“Never mind that. I’m merely saying I want it back.”
“Ah.” Major Wolfe gestured to Lionel with his firearm. “You heard the lady. Give it to her.”
Lionel’s eyes narrowed, and Gwyn’s heart nearly failed her. What if he chose to reveal her secret to Major Wolfe? It would be just the sort of thing he’d do to revenge himself on her. And she would die of mortification, which was saying something, because there was little that mortified her these days.
She edged closer to Lionel. “Hand it over.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I promise you’ll have your money once I reach London. But not if you say one word tohimabout our past together.”
Lionel glanced from Major Wolfe’s weapon to her ashen face. “I’ll hold you to your promise,” he murmured, then gave her Thorn’s pistol and backed to the end of the bridge and onto the path that led to where his phaeton was waiting.
Major Wolfe, who’d been watching their exchange intently, fortunately didn’t ask what they’d talked about. She was fairly certain he couldn’t have heard them over the roar of the river below, but she still shook from the knowledge of how narrow an escape she’d made.
