Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

E mily pointed the gun at Lady Benton's back. She'd heard the shot and entered the bedchamber, no longer willing to cower in the closet.

Gun smoke and the coppery smell of blood hung in the air. Lady Athol sat tied to a chair on the left, an expression of horror on her face. Jacob knelt on the bed to the right.

Where was Christian?

A crimson stain seeped down Jacob's sleeve from his shoulder, but he seemed too focused on stopping Lady Charlton's bleeding to notice.

Even so, the injured woman's breathing became labored, gurgling. She stared up at Jacob with a wide-eyed expression.

Muffled crying came from under the bed.

Christian.

His tearstained face peeked from underneath, but he seemed relatively safe.

Thank God .

"How lovely, the vicar's daughter." Lady Benton raised her hands and tried to turn.

"Stay where you are." Emily pressed the barrel tip against the woman's back. "Christian, go untie your Aunt Louisa."

"Em." Christian's face was red, and tears streamed down his cheeks.

"You can do it, Captain." Jacob looked over his shoulder, nodding at his son. "Your sister needs the Pirate Slayer to release the prisoners. Remember how I showed you by the stream."

Christian scooted out from under the bed and ran to Lady Athol's side. He started working on the knots in the rope.

"A vicar's daughter doesn't have what it takes to fire a weapon." Lady Benton scoffed—but didn't move.

"Oh? Your husband didn't mention who put that arrow in his shoulder?"

Lady Benton stiffened. A moment passed, and when she spoke again, her tone had softened. "How much for you to put the gun down and walk away?" She twisted to look at Emily over her shoulder. "I could do a lot for a budding artist like yourself. I have friends in the Royal Academy. Your paintings could go on exhibit." She harrumphed. "For that matter, I could have you installed as a board member within a week. Think of the fame."

Christian pulled out the last knot, and Lady Athol rubbed her wrist. Finished with his task, Christian scooted along the room's perimeter until he could safely reach Emily and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I have the Father's love," Emily said, "and the love of my friends and family. What more fame could I want than that?"

Lady Charlton exhaled a long breath, and her head lolled to the side.

Jacob lifted her body so she lay on the bed properly. He brushed his hand down her face to close her eyes as if she slept and pulled the coverlet over her still form.

He picked up Sarah's weapon and rose, pointing it at Lady Benton.

"I'll take that."

Emily couldn't see most of Jacob with Lady Benton in the way, but assumed he confiscated her weapon. The flash of metal before he stowed it in his coat pocket confirmed her guess. Jacob side-stepped across the room, keeping Lady Benton in his sights, and scooped up his aunt's bindings.

"Point this at her while I tie her up." He passed the gun to his aunt.

Lady Athol did as asked, but her hands shook.

Emily held her pistol steady as Jacob wrenched Lady Benton's arms behind her back, tying them together with the rope.

The door banged against the wall, and Lord Sudbury burst inside, weapon raised, followed by the magistrate and constable. "We heard a gunshot."

"I'm glad you got my summons." Jacob shoved Lady Benton toward the doorway where the constable stood, but Jacob kept his hold on her.

Emily lowered her weapon, looped her arm around Christian's shoulders, and moved aside for them to pass. The steady calm she'd felt earlier dissipated, and her knees began to shake even though the immediate threat had passed.

"I'm with the Home Office. Lady Benton is to be detained for murder and for running a thieving guild of highway robbers."

Lord Sudbury's jaw dropped. "When did you start working for the Home Office?"

Jacob passed Lady Benton to the men. "We're going to need the coroner and some hartshorn." He patted the magistrate's and constable's shoulders to send them along. "And be quick about it."

The officials filed into the hall, flanking Lady Benton.

"Hartshorn?" Lord Sudbury flashed Jacob a quizzical look.

Lady Athol scurried out, taking her older nephew's arm. "I'll help you locate some."

"Jacob?" Emily barely got his name out before the trauma of what she'd beheld rushed in. They all could have died. Christian's mother lay dead. His young eyes had witnessed the whole incident. He'd probably have nightmares for the rest of his life. She choked back a sob, wanting to throw herself into Jacob's arms.

The front of his shirt was covered in Lady Charlton's blood, and his shoulder wound needed tending. He lifted his non-injured arm, and she stepped into his embrace, pulling Christian along with her.

"I thought…" The sob escaped her throat. "If you'd been killed…" She buried her face into his good shoulder.

His grip tightened around her. "God still has plans for me yet." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and when she glanced up, he claimed her lips in a soft, endearing kiss. "For us."

Her heart leapt at his words. "I love you."

He flashed his eyebrows. "It's about time you admitted it." He swayed and leaned heavily against her side. "I love you too."

Did his words sound slurred?

Christian tugged hard on Jacob's jacket, and Jacob lowered to a crouched position at eye level with his son.

"I helped, didn't I?" Christian pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "I rescued Lady Athol."

"You are a brave boy." Jacob tussled his hair. "I couldn't be prouder of you, son." He blinked rapidly. "I must nap now, but when I wake, we'll take…the boats…out sailing."

Jacob slumped back against the wall, then tipped to the floor.

Emily pressed a hand over her mouth, biting back her scream. She dropped to his side. "Jacob?"

Lady Athol rapped on the doorframe. "We found the smelling salts. Robert is seeing the magistrate off."

Emily remembered Jacob making the strange request—a coroner and hartshorn. It was a miracle he'd stayed conscious as long as he had.

Christian accepted the bottle from Lady Athol and passed it to Emily. "Papa still needs naps? I stopped napping a year ago."

Emily uncapped the bottle and waved the smelling salts under Jacob's nose. "Wake up, my love."