Jacques pulled his arm from her grasp, shifting to the side and unwittingly jostling a pier table. The small movement was enough to send a Chinese vase toppling to the floor. Gabriel swore as the sound of splintering pottery filled the air, making Talia give a startled scream and Jacques wave the gun in a dangerous arch.
His gaze remained trained on the pistol even when he heard the door to the chamber being thrust open and the sound of an unmistakable female gasp.
“Jacques, are you—”
Gabriel did not hesitate. As Jacques jerked toward the door he launched himself forward, using his superior bulk to knock the pistol from the bastard’s hands and ram him into the floor.
There was a satisfying grunt of pain as Jacques smacked his head against the floor, but before he could get his arms wrapped around the man, he was caught off guard by an infuriated Sophia Reynard who charged forward to pummel his back with surprising force.
Trying to shrug aside the madwoman, Gabriel lost his grip on Jacques who promptly pulled a dagger from beneath his jacket and pressed it to Gabriel’s neck.
“Move and I will slice open your throat.”
TALIA WATCHED in frozen fear as Gabriel knocked Jacques to the ground. Was he demented? For God’s sake, Jacques was holding a loaded gun. He could have been killed.
Clearly the Earl of Ashcombe was in need of a stern lecture on how a proper husband was supposed to behave.
And it certainly did not include risking his fool neck.
Braced for the explosive sound of a gunshot, her knees went weak when instead she watched the pistol fly from Jacques’s hand to land near the bed. Oh, thank God. She pressed a hand to her thundering heart.
Miraculously, Gabriel had survived his reckless attack, and as she turned her attention back to the two men wrestling on the carpet she realized that he appeared to actually have gained the upper hand as he pressed Jacques to the floor with his larger form.
Her relief, however, was short-lived. Only distantly aware of Sophia entering the room, Talia was unprepared when the woman abruptly rushed across the room to smack Gabriel in the middle of his back.
“No,” she breathed, already moving forward to launch her own attack when Jacques pressed the dagger to Gabriel’s neck and threatened to slit his throat.
Time seemed to stop as Talia skidded to a halt.
What should she do? Barely daring to b
reathe, she hastily reviewed her limited options.
She could not possibly overpower Jacques, even if she were willing to put Gabriel in harm’s way. Which she most certainly was not. And while she might be able to use the passageway to find Lord Rothwell, she would never be able to return in time to prevent Jacques from…
She shuddered, refusing to admit she was helpless.
She glanced about the room, briefly considering her small cudgel that lay forgotten near the doorway. She was skilled in knocking a man senseless with the weapon, but only when she could strike without warning. Besides, she dare not attack Jacques while he held the knife to Gabriel’s throat.
Desperate, her attention shifted to the gun that was nearly hidden beneath the bed.
She was no experienced duelist, but she had been taught the basics of shooting a pistol. It was not a particularly difficult task, considering the weapon was already primed and ready to be fired. However, not even the finest marksman could be certain of hitting Jacques without putting Gabriel at serious risk.
But then, she did not need to shoot Jacques, she abruptly realized. There was a far easier method of forcing him to release Gabriel.
Or at least, she hoped it would be easier.
Keeping her gaze locked on the three who had seemingly forgotten her presence, Talia covertly shifted until she was standing next to the bed. Only then did she cautiously bend down to grasp the gun, hiding it in the folds of her skirt as she straightened.
She forced herself to count to ten, ensuring that no one was taking notice of her before she inched her way along the edge of the room. Then, refusing to contemplate her battered conscience, she darted forward and pressed the gun directly to Sophia’s temple.
“Release him, Jacques, or I will shoot her,” she warned in harsh tones.
She sensed Sophia tense in alarm, but she dared not allow her gaze to stray from Jacques who kept the dagger firmly pressed to Gabriel’s throat.
Silence filled the room, broken only by the tick of the ormolu clock on the mantel.
Talia swallowed the lump in her throat, noting Gabriel’s furious glare and Sophia’s faint tremors as she waited for Jacques to accept he had been bested.