Page 80 of The Baron's Reluctant Bride
She darted behind the desk, putting its solid bulk between them. "I should think," she said breathlessly, "that gunfire and breaking glass might attract attention, even in a house as vast as yours, Mr. Thorne."
As if summoned by her words, the door burst open. Jameson stood in the threshold, his expression terrible to behold. Behind him, Christopher appeared, a pistol gripped in each hand.
"Step away from my wife," Jameson commanded, his voice deadly quiet.
Relief flooded through Gemma with such force she nearly wept. Thorne froze, his calculating gaze darting between the newcomers and his own compromised position.
"Lord Brokeshire," he said, composure rapidly reasserting itself. "How fortuitous. We were just discussing a matter of mutual business interest."
"At gunpoint?" Jameson inquired with lethal softness, advancing into the room. "An unusual negotiating tactic, even for you, Thorne."
Thorne spread his hands in a gesture of innocence. "A regrettable misunderstanding. My man was merely demonstrating a collector's piece to Mr. Montgomery when your wife startled him."
"Indeed." Jameson's gaze found Gemma's, his eyes asking a silent question.Are you harmed?
She gave an imperceptible shake of her head.
Christopher kept both pistols trained on Thorne's men. "William, step away from that gentleman and come here, if you please."
William scrambled to his feet, ashen-faced but unhurt. The guard remained prone, stunned from their struggle.
"This evening has taken a most unfortunate turn," Thorne observed smoothly. "But surely we can resolve whatever misapprehensions have arisen without further unpleasantness."
"The only misapprehension," Jameson replied coldly, "was your belief that you could threaten my wife and escape consequences."
Gemma moved cautiously from behind the desk, circling wide around Thorne to reach Jameson's side. His arm came around her instantly, drawing her close against him. The solid warmth of his body steadied her trembling limbs.
"Are you truly uninjured?" he murmured against her hair, his voice low enough that only she could hear the tremor of fear beneath his controlled tone.
"Entirely whole," she assured him, her fingers clutching at the fine fabric of his coat. "Though exceedingly vexed."
A whisper of a smile touched his lips before his expression hardened once more. His eyes, when they returned to Thorne, held all the mercy of winter frost.
Thorne's face betrayed nothing but disdain. "How very touching. Lord and Lady Brokeshire, united at last in more than merely name. Yet I wonder how steadfast your devotion shall remain when the truth of your brother-in-law's betrayal becomes widely known."
"Your threats grow tiresome, Thorne," Jameson said, his grip tightening protectively around Gemma's waist. "Whatever documents you possess will be meaningless before morning."
"You seem remarkably confident for a man whose company teeters on the precipice of ruin," Thorne said, his fingers tapping idly against the desk. "One might almost imagine you had prepared for this eventuality."
Christopher kept both pistols trained on Thorne's men, his attention never wavering. "William, step away from that gentleman and come here, if you please."
William rose unsteadily to his feet, face ashen but resolute. He moved toward them, carefully skirting the guard who still lay dazed upon the carpet.
A muscle twitched in Thorne's jaw—the merest suggestion that his composure had begun to fray. "You are making a grave mistake, Brokeshire. The evidence against your brother-in-law is incontrovertible."
"Evidence you manufactured," Jameson countered evenly. "Just as you have falsified accounts, coerced signatures, and threatened those who stood in your path."
Thorne's lips curled. "Bold accusations from a man with nothing to substantiate them."
"On the contrary," Christopher interjected, his voice deceptively mild. "While you were occupied with Lady Brokeshire, certain documents were discovered in your private study that make for most illuminating reading."
A look of uncertainty crossed Thorne's features. "You presume too much, Sinclair."
"Do I?" Christopher's expression remained impassive. "The correspondence with Lord Harrington regarding the manipulation of shipping manifests was particularly damning. As were the letters to certain members of Parliament detailing financial incentives for their... cooperation."
Thorne's face hardened. "You speak of documents that do not exist."
"Then you will have no objection to the authorities examining the contents of your safe," Jameson said. "The one concealed behind the portrait in your study."
