Page 61 of Black and Silver

But before he could do more than jerk the man back and spin him to face him, Lord Gerald let out an anguished cry. Worse than that, he clasped a hand tightly to his chest, curling in on himself, then collapsed to the floor.

Chapter Twenty

Minnie gasped so hard as Lord Gerald crumpled that it sent her into a coughing fit which prevented her from leaping forward to save him. She liked the old man tremendously, and she had already made up her mind to love him like a father. But the blasted remnants of her cold had her doubling over a bit herself instead of rushing to the wily man’s aid.

Carys had no such impediment, however. As Lawrence and Waldorf dragged Owen back from Lord Gerald’s crumpled form, Carys rushed to her employer’s aid, crouching by his side and resting her hands on his face, her eyes wide with panic.

Minnie only caught a split-second glimpse of Lord Gerald opening one eye to see Carys hovering over him before her attention was yanked to the brewing battle between the men.

“How dare you?” Lawrence shouted, grasping Owen by his jacket and shaking him. “How dare you assault an aging duke?”

“I…I did not mean—”

Owen was given no time to defend himself. Lawrence might have been content with shaking, but Lord Waldorf was not, and he was by far the more dangerous of the two men.

“Bastard!” he shouted, tearing Owen out of Lawrence’s hold and smashing his fist hard across Owen’s face.

Minnie and her mother both yelped as Owen’s head jerked to the side and blood splattered from his nose. Kat growled, her fists clenched, while Napoleon hissed from behind her skirts, then dashed to the other side of the room to hide under a sofa. From the look of her, Minnie was certain that Kat not only approved of her husband’s actions, she wished she had been the one to throw the punch.

“You would dare strike an old and ailing man?” Lord Waldorf demanded before throwing a second punch that has just as startling an effect as the first.

“Waldorf, compose yourself,” Lord Dunstan said, though perhaps without as much force as he might have used, as he shifted to grasp Lord Waldorf’s arm, holding him back.

“Villains, all of you!” Minnie’s father shouted. His eyes were wide with fear, though, and he’d retreated to behind a nearby chair, lest he be draw into the combat.

Minnie saw a tiny sliver of opportunity and snatched at it.

“You would truly have me marry a man who assaults the elderly and speaks so wickedly of women?” she demanded, taking a step closer to her father.

“I…the uniting of our two houses would provide immense financial opportunity for—”

“Someone fetch the doctor!” Carys cried out, her face a splotched mask of horror and misery. She sat splayed on the floor and had drawn Lord Gerald into her arms, as if he were her own father. “It is Lord Gerald’s heart!”

Lord Gerald moaned, continuing to clutch tightly at his chest, rocking slightly in Carys’s arms, as though he were in pain. Theparson who had arrived with Minnie’s parents and Lord Owen moved as if to pray over Lord Gerald, but Dunstan shifted into his path to stop him.

“Send for Dr. Meadows this instant,” he called out to the small cluster of servants in the doorway. They must have heard the commotion and come to see what was happening.

One of the maids nodded and turned to run out, but the two footmen charged into the room, like their assistance would be needed to deal with Lord Owen.

Lord Owen must have thought they were coming to his aid.

“Stop this madman from killing me!” he called out, appealing to the two young men as the parson switched his efforts to attempting to calm him. “And send for a doctor for me as well!”

“I want this man banished from Godwin Castle,” Lawrence called out to the footmen, his eyes almost frighteningly wide as he glared at Owen. “He has offended the woman I love, and unless God, in His grace, intercedes, he will have killed my father as well.”

“I only poked him!” Owen shouted, all color draining from his face. “I haven’t killed him.”

Lord Gerald groaned out in agony and shivered in Carys’s lap.

“Father, are you well?” Lord Dunstan gasped, rushing to crouch by Carys’s side, resting a hand on his forehead. “The doctor is coming. All will be well. You will be saved.” He raised his head and appealed to the maids at the other end of the room. “Fetch his medicines at once!”

“You will pay for this,” Lawrence continued. “You dare to threaten my family with a lawsuit for attempting to set Lady Minerva free from the unholy deal to be your bride that she had no part in? Do you think the courts in London would side with a murderer?”

“He’s not dead yet…is he?” Minnie’s mother asked, tears streaming down her face.

Lord Gerald moaned, and Carys nearly flew into hysterics as she cried, “He’s dying! He’s dying!”

That sent Minnie’s mother into a swoon. Minnie was close enough that she leapt forward and managed to catch her, but her mother’s weight sent them both sinking to the floor.

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