A Gentleman's Curse (Avenging Lords 4)

“You’ve only got one shot,” Claudia countered. “Who will you choose?”

As Selina considered her dilemma—and Lockhart debated how the hell he would grab the pistol out of Selina’s hand without knocking her into the Thames—the echo of booted footsteps rendered them all frozen to the spot.

“Help!” Selina blurted. “They’re trying to kill me!”

The approaching figure broke into a sprint.

Curse the devil!

The watchman appeared through the mist, puffing and panting. He scanned the scene, noted Selina waving the pistol and gasped.

“They’re trying to kill me,” Selina repeated.

Claudia turned to the watchman. “She lured us here and then threatened to shoot us. I fear she is unstable. My husband has the letter she sent, and any one of these gentlemen can testify to her insanity.”

Lockhart wasn’t entirely sure what happened next, but he would replay the event over and over in his mind for some time to come.

The gust of wind struck at precisely the same moment Selina fired the pistol. Claudia crumpled to the ground, and yet it was Selina’s scream that pierced the air.

Good God!

“Claudia!” Lockhart dropped to his knees. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” Claudia panted, her face deathly pale. “At least I don’t think so.”

Lockhart glanced behind him at the sudden flurry of activity. The shock of firing, coupled with the sudden wind, forced Selina to release her grip on the post. Arms flailing, she fell back, back

over the bridge. Her fearful cries died as soon as she hit the water.

While Terence, Justin and the watchman raced from the bridge to the water’s edge, Drake calmed the horses, and Lockhart checked every inch of Claudia’s body searching for signs of blood.

“I think she hit the lamp,” Drake said, pointing towards the opposite side of the bridge. “I heard the glass shatter.”

“Christ, I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared.” Lockhart took Claudia’s hand and helped her to stand. He captured her cheeks and kissed her on the mouth. “For a second, I thought I’d lost you.”

She smiled. “There’s no chance of that.” Her expression turned sombre. “We should go down to the waterside and see if we can help.”

Keeping a firm grip of Claudia’s hand, they crossed the bridge and descended the flight of stone steps leading down to the riverbank. It took a few minutes to find Terence in the fog. Indeed, the weather had prevented them from locating the place where Selina had plunged into the water. The watchman roused the help of two men in a boat. After an hour spent searching, one shivering and soaked fellow dragged Selina’s body onto the shore.

They spent the next few hours giving statements to the magistrate. No one mentioned the incident at the inn five years ago. With the information Terence had discovered from the bank clerk, and the watchman bearing witness to the madness, the magistrate concluded that guilt had robbed Selina of her mental faculties.

Drake drove them back to Russell Square.

“Fleet will take you home, Drake.” Lockhart stood with his friend on the pavement as they watched Claudia enter the house. “I’m sure Juliet will be keen to know you’re safe and well.”

Drake gripped Lockhart’s shoulder. “It must be a relief to know the truth. Now you know what happened that night at the inn you can put the past behind you.”

Indeed, he had to stop thinking about the injustice of it all. Despite Selina’s treachery, he would not have wished for her death.

“The truth is always enlightening.” Lockhart clutched his friend’s arm. “I cannot thank you enough for your help tonight. Now that my return is no longer a secret, you should all come to dinner.”

Drake’s smile reached his eyes. “It will be good to eat a meal together without talk of retribution and vengeance.”

Lockhart laughed. “What the devil will we talk about?”

“We could talk about our love for our wives. I think we all have that in common.”

The comment brought a rush of euphoria when he thought about Claudia. It brought a pang of anxiety, too, for there was still the matter of the fake marriage to address.