Page 81 of Wedded to the Deviant Duke

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It didn’t seem real, at first. Certainly, this had to be a nightmare; Thalia had taken a midday nap, after all, just after lunch. She was still asleep, suffering from the unspoken fear her cousin had carved into her mind. That had to be the case. Certainly, that had to be the case.

But, no. Everything was perceived with far too much accuracy, felt far too real to be anything but a part of the waking world. Her arms trembled as she held fast to the tree she’d hidden herself behind, vision swaying between the shadows of the brush and the pistol Giles held in his hand. Held up to Gabriel’s head.

“What a disgustingly sentimental scene…”

Even from this distance, his words dug their claws into her, dragging Thalia into a horrific abyss. Every nerve stood on end, skin crawling with the desire to get as far away as humanly possible. But she couldn’t; Gabriel was there, entangled in a web of her own doing. Giles was here because of her, and he wouldn’t leave without her in hand.

* * *

Someone was going to die tonight. Gabriel knew that, had instinctively resigned himself to the fact once the pistol’s muzzle had pressed firmly against the back of his head. But as God for his witness, that fate would not be dealt unto Thalia Sutton.

“What? Suddenly lacking that charming wit of yours, Your Grace?” Giles spat the title in disgust, forcing Gabriel forward across the field. He moved at a sluggish pace—or had time simply slowed in Gabriel’s perspective?

Whatever the reason, Gabriel had to take the opportunity. “A shame; I had hoped to end your life in the boxing ring, but the coward’s approach suits you.”

The pistol stuck the back of his head, and Gabriel caught a glimpse before stumbling to the ground. A flintlock—he knew it had to be, for certain—which meant he only had to handle one shot.

One shot, and he could end things. One shot to decide which of the two men walked away.

“You don’t know when to shut up, do you!” Giles’ voice was practically shrieking, barrel pointed to face Gabriel head-on. “Even staring death in the eye, you act so smug!”

Gabriel gritted his teeth, trying to find his window. The flintlock was trembling in the man’s hands, but he was so close. Too close to hope for a misfire, a slip of his aim. He could grab it, but when? “Didn’t your father teach you not to play with grown-up toys?”

“I could say the same for you,” Giles mused. “I would think you would’ve learned not to touch other people’s belongings. But we can blame your mother for that confusion, I suppose.”

He just needed the right moment–a brief second of hesitancy from Giles.

“But what you lack in refinement,” Giles went on. “You’ll make up for in continuing your family’s legacy.”

“Elaborate.”

Giles’ smile slipped into the deranged. “I’m sure by now you’ve realized what sort of gun this is. I admit, I never thought I’d use it myself—terribly macabre business, duels are—but fate has a funny way of playing out, doesn’t it?”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed, an unspoken dread clawing its way from the back of his mind.

“Poor Gabriel Harding. Fallen into the same trap his father did all those years ago…” Giles’ laughter was cruel, cutting, and he angled the pistol forward once more. “And once you’re gone, I can tell whatever story I wish. How you and your little clubmates belittled and blackmailed me into giving away my fortune. How you set me up to lose my estates during the tournament–”

“–they weren’t yours to lose.”

“And how horribly you’d treated poor, sweet Thalia!” Giles shrieked, raising his voice to overpower Gabriel’s remark. “I had no choice but to try and protect her honor with a duel, really! What else was I supposed to do?”

“No one in their right mind would ever believe that,” Gabriel hissed.

“It doesn’t matter,” Giles sneered. “I’ll be their only source to rely on.” He cocked the gun, and Gabriel readied himself for the fight of his life. He only had one chance—one chance to ensure death remained off the table.

Only for the world to drop out beneath him as Thalia Sutton burst out from the forest.

CHAPTER35

“I’m here!”

Thalia wasn’t sure when the words had escaped her lips, wasn’t sure when she’d revealed herself for Giles to see. All she knew was that the pistol had vanished from sight, that Gabriel had grown quiet and she simply couldn’t wait any longer. “I—I’m here, Giles.”

Both men froze, looking as if she’d just dumped cold water across their backs. Gabriel’s expression was one of abject horror while Giles looked… bemused. Thalia swallowed the growing lump in her throat; she hadn’t expected such a reaction from her cousin.

“You’re… here?” Giles glanced around, as if the very idea were novel to him. “Why, yes sweet Thalia; we can all see that.”

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