Page 55 of Trapped with the Earl of Sin

“What if we could get Mary here?” Luke interjected, making Martin panic. “Then she can tell you herself how she feels.”

“But she is upset right now, because of what happened to Susanna.”

Luke threw his hands in the air in frustration. “Well, it is now or never, Edwin. If you do not take this one chance, then you will never get to speak with her.”

Edwin hesitated, the gun shaking in his hand. The desperation in his eyes was palpable, and Martin seized the moment.

“Edwin, please,” Martin urged. “Make the right decision. Put the gun down, and we will get Mary here.”

For a brief, fragile moment, Edwin’s resolve seemed to crack. He looked at Martin, then at Luke, uncertainty flashing across his face. But just as quickly, his expression hardened again, and he tightened his grip on the gun.

“Fine,” Edwin said, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and determination. “Bring her here. But if you try anything, if you try to deceive me, I will not hesitate. I am not putting the gun down until I see her face.”

“Alright, alright,” Martin said, keeping his voice calm and soothing. “Just stay here. Luke will bring Mary to you.”

He was not sure about this plan, he did not think it the wisest idea, but if anyone was leaving this shed, it would be Luke. Martin could not leave him alone with this crazed idiot.

“Do not be long.” Edwin sneered. “I do not know how long I can stand to look at Martin’s face.”

Martin glanced at Luke, who nodded imperceptibly. He backed out of the shed, before presumably making his way back to the house.

Martin could hear his own heartbeat in the tense silence that followed. He kept his gaze fixed on Edwin, trying to project a calm he did not entirely feel. The gun, still aimed at him, was a constant reminder of the peril they were all in.

“Edwin,” Martin began softly. “I know that you are hurting. But this is not the way. You have to believe me, none of this will bring you closer to Mary. She needs to see that you can be reasonable, that you can be trusted.”

Edwin’s eyes flickered with a mix of anger and pain. “Reasonable? Trusted? After everything that I have done for her, she still does not see. How could she be with someone like Luke when I… I am the one who truly loves her.”

“Love is not about control, Edwin,” Martin replied, taking a cautious step closer. “It is about respect and understanding. If you truly love Mary, you have to let her make her own choices.”

Edwin shook his head violently, the gun wavering. “No! You do not understand! She would have chosen me if it were not for all of you standing in the way.”

Martin took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. There was no point in trying to drag this man out of his delusion anymore. “Edwin, we can find a way to fix this. But you have to trust me.”

“I will never trust you…”

The door to the shed creaked open before Martin could say anything else, and Mary stepped inside.

Martin sucked in a sharp breath.

“Mary,” Edwin breathed, his voice softening. “I have done everything for you. All of this… it was for you.”

Mary took a deep breath, stepping forward slightly. “Edwin, I know you think that you love me, but this is not the way. Hurting people, threatening them… it is not love. It is not right.”

Edwin’s face twisted in pain, his grip on the gun wavering. “But you do not understand, Mary. I had to. They were all in the way. Duncan, Luke, Martin… even your sister. They were all stopping us from being together. They do not understand our love…”

Mary shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. “No, Edwin. They were not in the way. There was nothing to be in the way of.As I tried to make very clear to you when you used to obsessively visit my home, I am not, and will never be, interested in you. You need to accept that and let me be happy. Do you not want that for me? Do you not want me to be happy?”

For a moment, it seemed like Mary’s words might reach him. Edwin’s eyes softened, and his hand started to lower the gun. But then something shifted in his expression, and he raised it again, his face contorted with anguish.

“I cannot!” he shouted, tears streaming down his face. “I cannot lose you, Mary! If I can’t have you, then no one else can have you. Especially nothim.”

Before Martin could react, Edwin twisted the gun around, aiming it at Luke. Time seemed to slow as Martin lunged forward, his body moving on instinct. He collided with Edwin, grappling for the gun. They struggled, the shed filling with the sounds of their desperate fight.

The time for talking was over. He needed to end this, once and for all.

“Martin!” Luke shouted, rushing to help.

Together, they managed to wrestle the gun from Edwin’s hand, sending it skidding across the floor.

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