Page 39 of Good Duke Gone Rogue

“Do you think we’ll need it?” she asked.

“I hope not.”

***

HE SINCERELY HOPED, AND kept on hoping, that he would not need that flintlock as he took a seat and the three of them waited. And waited. And waited while dusk hovered around them.

“The driver should be back soon.” Reggie tried to reassure them for at least the tenth time.

And the knock on the door a few seconds later almost did reassure them.

Until it swung open more harshly than the driver would have done.

“Stand and deliver,” a gravelly chuckle filtered into the carriage.

Reggie calmly stood, blocking the highwayman’s view of the carriage.

“Sit down you bacon brain.”

“You said to stand.”

“I meant—never mind what I mean. Just—” and Reggie knew the second the man caught sight of Bernadette’s face. “The lady. Hand over the lady.”

“Over my dead body or my clawing hands at your wretched throat.”

“What?”

“You’ll not touch the lady. Or even look at her.”

The befuddled man drew his pistol up to Reggie’s chest. “I don’t care much if I get the lady with or without your permission. If I see something I got to have, I got to have it.”

Reggie couldn’t contain the raw energy coursing through his body. Terror. Desperation. Love. There was no way this man was getting his hands on Bernadette. Bernadette was a treasure. He loved her. He was a fool, he should have told her. Now, faced with death, everything was clear. It was all so bloody clear. What did it take for him to finally realize what he wanted in life and how badly he wanted it? A gun to the chest. That’s what it took. And there was no way he was going out like that. Thank God the driver had left him a weapon.

He didn’t think today would be the day he killed a man, but—

BANG!

Chapter 19

IT WAS CHAOS. UTTER madness. A flurry of sounds and screaming and bodies colliding. The shot rang loud in the air and Bernadette’s shout was not far behind.

“Reggie!”

It was reckless. It was absolutely foolish. And it was blind love. But she grabbed him and pulled him down toward her. His body was weightless as it fell back on her lap.

Who had been shot? She hadn’t seen Reggie draw his pistol and had only seen the highwayman with his pointed fatally close to Reggie’s heart. His dear, dear heart. One of only two hearts in the entire world that mattered to her. And it might have a bullet in it.

“Reggie?”

His eyes were wide and his mouth was moving. He was saying something, but she couldn’t hear it. She couldn’t hear anything,for if she could, she would have heard Jacob yelling at her as well. Calling her out of her shock.

Reggie’s mouth kept moving but she couldn’t make out any sounds. She tried reading his lips but even that proved too complicated.

“I’m fine,” the sound finally matched the movements. “I’m fine, darling. I’m fine.” His tone was soothing amidst the cacophony of all the other talking. “It wasn’t me.” He reached up and brushed her cheek. It felt wet.

And then the other sounds started to filter into her brain. Jacob was calling her name, “Mama, are you all right?” He didn’t sound afraid…more…concerned. For her.

“Yes, I’m all right.” She gave him a hug and pressed a kiss on his cheek.

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