Page 14 of The Duke of Daring (The Untouchables)
“You’ll shoot at the wafer.” Manton indicated a disc hanging at the opposite end and handed her the first gun. “We’ll start with the Purdey. He used to work for me, you know.”
Lucy took the weapon and hefted it in her hand. She glanced at Dartford, who was watching her intently. His gaze was a mix of concern and anticipation. He didn’t think she could do this. She was going to really have to hide her emotions now.
She took her place and held the pistol out, marking her aim. She cocked the weapon and fired, hitting the wafer square. Exhilaration rushed through her.
“Excellent,” Manton said, taking the gun from her and giving her the second one in its place. “My man will change out the wafer. This next one is the Wogdon.”
As they awaited the new wafer, Dartford moved close to her and murmured, “Was that luck?”
She turned her head and whispered, “Skill.” A sense of giddiness rushed through her. She never imagined she’d be able to demonstrate her ability to people who would genuinely appreciate it.
“I see.” He took a step back.
“Ready?” Manton asked.
Lucy took aim again and fired. She hit the target, but not as accurately as the first time.
“Damn me,” Henderson said. “You’re not bad.”
Pride burned in Lucy’s chest. She longed to rip off her disguise and show them that she was a woman. She’d have to settle for imagining their shocked reactions. “Thank you.”
Manton took the Wogdon from her and eyed her fingers. “Most gentlemen remove their gloves when they shoot here.”
Lucy curled her hand into a fist and dropped it to her side. She couldn’t think of an appropriate response—which was an unnerving and singular sensation—so she said nothing.
“Finally, here’s mine.” Manton handed her the pistol he’d designed.
It felt familiar, even though it was different from her father’s. Or maybe she just wanted it to feel that way. But why? It wasn’t as if she missed her father. That wasn’t precisely true. She missed the man who’d taught her to play cards and to shoot. It was the only time in her life that she’d been interesting or important to him.
She raised the weapon and took aim. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger. Again, she hit the wafer in the center.
Manton chuckled. “I wouldn’t want to face you at dawn. Why haven’t I seen you here before?” He studied her face for a moment, and Lucy began to feel uncomfortable. Coming here had been a folly, no matter how wonderful.
She shrugged and looked away.
“Well, be sure to come in. You need your own Manton.”
Lucy turned her head to Dartford. He looked rather pleased.
“What’s your wager, then?” Henderson asked.
In her excitement over shooting, she’d almost forgotten how she’d been cornered into placing a wager she couldn’t afford. “Ah…”
Dartford stepped toward her, his gaze encouraging. “The Purdey, right?”
“Actually, I would say the Manton.” And she wasn’t just choosing that because its manufacturer was standing a few feet away, nor was it due to nostalgia. She’d liked the feel of it best. Which meant nothing about accuracy, she realized.
Manton gave the pistol to one of his men to stage it for the experiment. “If you’ll just give us a moment.”
Henderson rubbed his hands together. “All right, if the Manton wins, Smitty and I will each take home an extra hundred and fifty quid, and if one of the others wins—which they won’t—one of you gents will take home an extra three hundred. Not bad.”
Cold sweat chilled the back of Lucy’s neck. If she lost… She couldn’t think of it.
After another few minutes, during which Lucy’s nerves bundled into tight masses all over her body, and her insides churned like boiling water, Manton declared the experiment ready.
Each pistol was fitted into a vise and carefully aimed at a wafer. Manton pulled the trigger on each in succession, and every one hit the wafer. His man went and pulled them down, then brought them to Manton.
Manton laid them on a nearby table in the order in which they’d been shot, which was the same order as Lucy had done. The Purdey was shot near the edge, and the Wogdon came closer to the middle. The Manton, however, had hit dead center. It was the clear winner. Which meant Lucy had won.
