Page 76 of A Duke for Adela
“There is no possible good,” Ambrose said harshly.
“Well, no one will ever believe him now if he tries to claim my work as his. And what a comeuppance for the Royal Society for admitting that wretch as a Fellow.”
“Bloody blazes, he almost killed you and this is what you think about?”
“You must admit they are insufferable, stuffed shirts, except for the Duke of Lotheil, of course. But it was you he almost killed. His vengeance and his aim were on you. Good thing Mr. Barrow and his Bow Street men thought to follow us.”
“They were trying to be discreet and would have had a clean shot at him had you not gotten in the way. Did it escape your notice that I would have had a clean shot at him, too? Adela, any one of us might have shot you instead.”
“But you didn’t. It all worked out in the end. They have him now.”
“So what? This does not excuse your rash behavior.”
She gasped. “My rash–”
“Yes! I told you to stay put and what did you do instead? You bolted out of the carriage and singlehandedly charged at him like a crazed, Pictish warrior.”
“Which I might not have done had I known others were guarding us.”
“I always have guards. Why do you think those two footmen ride at the back of my carriage? Because I wish them to serve tea?”
“But they were too far away from you to protect you.”
“So you thought you would take over the task?”
“Yes, actually. I did not wish to see you hurt. What is so terrible about my saving your life?”
“And risking your own?”
“Well, it all ended well, so it is all right now.”
“No, it isn’t, Adela. Can you not see I am angry as blazes? You might have gotten yourself killed.”
“So you’ve taken great pains to tell me. But what about you? He was about to shootyou. Was I suppose to just stand there and let him? Are you sure he had a pistol and not a rock?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” He marched toward the carriage that stood quietly just around the corner from Chipping Way now that the driver had managed to calm the horses. “I would have handled it,” he grumbled, confusing her as he strode past the elegant conveyance and continued onto Chipping Way. “I had already noticed his approach out of the corner of my eye. More important, I knew the Bow Street men were right behind him.”
“I did not see them.”
“Because your gaze was trained on Runyon and you were going to take him down without a care for your own safety. I’m taking you back to Eloise’s. Your gown is soaked in blood.”
She glanced down. “That is a bit of an exaggeration. At worst, there is a small stain on it. My knees must be bleeding. I scraped them when I fell.”
“You’ve also scraped your hand and looks like you’ve sprained your wrist.”
She rested her head against his shoulder once more. It pained her to hold it up long enough to frown at him. “But I saved your life. Does this not count for something?”
“No, not when you almost lost yours in the process,” he said with surprising harshness. “I don’t know if he would have summoned the nerve to shoot me, but I know for certain he would have shot you. Blast it! You could have gotten killed in the crossfire. Any of us could have taken a shot at Runyon and hit you by accident. How do you think this makes me feel? Knowing I almost shot the woman I plan to take as my wife?”
She closed her eyes in an attempt to stop her tears. He sounded so angry. What was she supposed to do? Just watch him die? That is what would have happened if Runyon truly had a pistol, which he probably did have since Ambrose was not the sort to be wrong about such things. “What were you going to say to me before Runyon tossed that rock and broke the carriage window?”
“Heshotit out, no rock involved. He aimed high, so he was likely only trying to scare us…or taunt us further. But who can be sure what he intended? The man has been hunted for days and must be as crazed as a mad dog.”
“I cannot believe he seriously meant to kill either of us. That is beyond anything a rational man would do.”
“Who says he was ever rational?”
“But he was…at least, I thought he was. Although he has always been full of conceit, and not above climbing over others in order to get noticed. He did not care who he hurt in order to reach archeological acclaim. But to be a killer?”
