Page 88 of The Secret Life of the Elusive Governess
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It was hard to gather her control, but Caroline did so, “I do not think so.”
The pistol felt alien in her hand but she held it with a steady grip. The moonlight glinted off the steel of the barrel, promising a deadly end to the man before her.
Silence fell between them, then Albion laughed. “Poor Caroline, where isthiscoming from? I hardly think becoming a markswoman is on the list of a governess’ accomplishments.”
“I am a governess, which means that I am a quick study.” Caroline bluffed. She hardly knew how to handle a pistol but had hedged that having one might stall the kidnapper. She wasn’t prepared to fire it.
Albion’s smile was nasty as he approached her, step by step until the pistol’s barrel was pressed into his chest, “Do it, little girl, shoot me.”
Caroline trembled but her fingers curled over the pistol and flicked the cock, “I am not afraid to.”
“Then do it.” Albion shouted in her face, “I know you, girl, you don’t have the nerve to do it…to kill.”
“But I do,” Moses’ voice materialized from the side and his pistol was trained with deadly expertise on the man. “Move away from her, Rowe.”
“You are out of your depth, Barley.” Albion spat. “If I fail there is one who will make sure-”
“You mean him?” Moses said darkly, while strong-arming Peregrine into view. Caroline’s eyes went wide to see the Duke’s father-in-law standing there.
“He is of no use to you now,” Moses said, “He confessed.”
“Lies,” Albion spat, “I do not know the man.”
Peregrine shook his head, “It is over Albion, we have lost the battle and the war. We never planned to take it this far and the moment you put a knife to Josephine’s throat, Rowe, I knew it was over. Moses, I was the one who paid a substantial amount of money to a groom to spy on Josephine and wait for the right time to snatch her. When the maid went inside to get Josephine a shawl, the groom lured her away by promising to take her to see a new pony of yours. He then gagged her, mounted his horse, and rode away to me.”
The words tumbling from the man’s lips felt like a blow to Caroline’s face.
“I was the one who contacted Albion because,” then his eyes turned to Caroline, “I felt as if you, Miss Robins, were going to usurp my daughter’s place as Moses’ wife. I did not want her to be a spurned woman, Moses, and I did not want my child to become second fiddle to a governess. Albion and I hatched the plots to remove her, for my reason and his. I don’t know him, though, he never told me and I did not care. As long as Miss Robins was out of the way, I would be happy, so I went along.”
“You fool!” Albion snapped. “Shut up! Have you no sense?”
“I am saving my granddaughter,” Peregrine said staunchly, “If God can charge me for everything else, He cannot charge me for this.”
“Good,” Albion said and before anyone could blink, he threw away the knife and pulled out a pistol, “Greet Him for me then.”
A shot rang out but it did not come from Peregrine or from the constables. Albion’s pistol was aimed at her but he had let go of Josephine, now freed and like the smart girl she was, ran to her father, who scooped her up. When Albion realized that he had been tricked, as Caroline had aimed over Albion’s head, he was furious. As he prepared to fire, one constable intervened, by firing first and grazing the man in the shoulder. It was enough to get Albion to drop his pistol while the another constable rushed in, grabbed the stunned man, and put him under arrest.
The last constable came over to Caroline and gently held her shaking hand, “Miss, please give me the pistol.”
Relieved, Caroline dropped the pistol in his hands and then, on shaky legs, went over to two of her most precious people.
“Hush, little duck,” Moses consoled as he took the cloth from between her lips. “You’re going home. Nobody can hurt you again. No one will ever hurt you.”
Running her hand over the child’s hair, Caroline thanked God that they had not harmed the girl more than giving her the scare of her life.
“Home…” Josephine murmured in her father’s chest, “I want to go home.”
“And we are,” Caroline smiled, “All of us.”
“As one,” Moses amended.
Epilogue
A Week Later
That night, after they had gone home to cries of joy, a physician checked the child over for any signs of damage. To their additional relief, he only reported that Josephine suffered from slight dehydration and a few bruises from the ties on her wrists.
