Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

M artin tore through the hallways, his mind a whirlwind of panic and determination. Edwin had to be stopped. The thought of him out there, armed and dangerous, filled him with dread. He could not let Edwin hurt anyone else, he could not let Edwin do any more damage. He had already acted like a crazy person in his attempt to stop the wedding from taking place. There was no telling what he would do next.

As he rounded a corner, he nearly collided with Luke, who was hurrying towards him, his face etched with concern. "Martin! What's going on? I heard that there was a gunshot."

"Luke, thank God!" Martin gasped, grabbing Luke's arm to steady himself. "It is Edwin. He has lost it. He tried to shoot me, but Susanna… she took the bullet."

"She did what?"

Martin could not allow the emotion to overwhelm him, otherwise it would swallow him up whole. He had to push thoughts of Susanna to the side for the moment. He had to be confident that Mary could care for her.

He had to keep strong.

He needed to do the right thing.

"She is hurt," he continued. "But I think she will be fine. We have to find Edwin. Now. Before he can shoot anyone else."

Luke's eyes widened in shock and then hardened with resolve. "Where is he?"

"Last I saw, he ran off down this way," Martin replied, already moving again, with Luke at his side. "But I am not sure where he has gone."

As they sprinted through the winding corridors of the mansion, Martin filled Luke in on the situation after what felt like a lifetime of holding it all inside.

"Edwin has been obsessed with Mary for years now…"

"As in he loves her?"

"Right," Martin gasped. "He thought if he could get rid of you, he would have a chance with her. He has been planning this for a while."

"He wanted to hurt me?"

Martin could understand why Luke was so shocked, but he was not done yet. "Well, he confessed to killing Duncan to clear the way. Susanna and I… we have been trying to stop him from hurting you, but tonight he has gone too far… He came to your room with a gun and then charged towards Mary's bedchambers as well…"

"That is insane," Luke said, shaking his head in disbelief. "We need to end this before he hurts anyone else. I always knew that Edwin was a little dodgy and involved in strange things, but I did not think he was dangerous like this."

Martin nodded, his jaw set. "He is armed and dangerous. We have to be careful. If he did that to Duncan, there is no telling what he will do to anyone else. He already fired that gun once…"

"I will not let him fire it again," Luke declared grimly. "He will not be allowed to do this again. It is all far too much."

They reached the end of the hallway and burst through a set of double doors that led out into the garden. The cool night air hit them like a slap, and they paused for a moment, scanning the grounds.

"There!" Luke pointed towards the old shed near the edge of the woods, where a shadowy figure was slipping inside. "I can see him."

Without a word, they both ran towards the shed, their footsteps pounding against the grass. As they approached, Martin could feel his heart racing. They had to be smart about this. Edwin was desperate and unpredictable, and now he had Luke by his side—the man Edwin wanted to target the most.

They reached the shed and paused outside, catching their breath. Martin motioned for Luke to stay quiet as he carefully pushed the door open, peering inside. The interior was dark, but he could make out Edwin's silhouette pacing back and forth.

"Edwin," Martin called out, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at him. "It is over. You need to come out. You cannot keep behaving like this. Everyone knows what you are doing now. This has to come to an end."

Edwin whirled around, his face contorted with rage and desperation. "Stay back!" he shouted, brandishing the gun. "You do not understand! This was supposed to be different. Mary was supposed to be mine. Tonight was going to be the night that I made her mine."

Martin stepped inside, his hands raised in a placating gesture. "Edwin, think about what you are doing. You have already hurt Susanna. Do not make this worse."

"You do not get it!" Edwin's voice cracked, his eyes wild. "I did everything for her. I got rid of Duncan because he was in the way. He was the one stopping me and Mary from being together, and now you and Luke… you are the ones stopping her from seeing that we belong together."

"Edwin, you are wrong," Luke said, stepping behind Martin. "Mary does not want this. She does not want you. Hurting us is not going to change that."

"Shut up!" Edwin screamed, waving the gun erratically. He did not even seem surprised to see his cousin joining the fray. "You do not know anything!"

"Edwin, please…"

"Luke, I am sorry. I know that you are my cousin, but that changes nothing. You do not deserve Mary—no one does. She is supposed to be mine. She has always been mine."

Martin glanced at Luke, then back at Edwin. They had to get the gun away from him and fast.

"Edwin, listen to me," Martin said softly. "You are not thinking clearly. Put the gun down, and we can talk about this. We can help you."

For a moment, Edwin seemed to waver, his grip on the gun loosening. But then his eyes hardened again. "No. No more talking. This ends now."

"What if we could get Mary here?" Luke interjected, making Martin panic. "Then she can tell you herself how she feels."

"But she is upset right now, because of what happened to Susanna."

Luke threw his hands in the air in frustration. "Well, it is now or never, Edwin. If you do not take this one chance, then you will never get to speak with her."

Edwin hesitated, the gun shaking in his hand. The desperation in his eyes was palpable, and Martin seized the moment.

"Edwin, please," Martin urged. "Make the right decision. Put the gun down, and we will get Mary here."

For a brief, fragile moment, Edwin's resolve seemed to crack. He looked at Martin, then at Luke, uncertainty flashing across his face. But just as quickly, his expression hardened again, and he tightened his grip on the gun.

"Fine," Edwin said, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and determination. "Bring her here. But if you try anything, if you try to deceive me, I will not hesitate. I am not putting the gun down until I see her face."

"Alright, alright," Martin said, keeping his voice calm and soothing. "Just stay here. Luke will bring Mary to you."

He was not sure about this plan, he did not think it the wisest idea, but if anyone was leaving this shed, it would be Luke. Martin could not leave him alone with this crazed idiot.

"Do not be long." Edwin sneered. "I do not know how long I can stand to look at Martin's face."

Martin glanced at Luke, who nodded imperceptibly. He backed out of the shed, before presumably making his way back to the house.

Martin could hear his own heartbeat in the tense silence that followed. He kept his gaze fixed on Edwin, trying to project a calm he did not entirely feel. The gun, still aimed at him, was a constant reminder of the peril they were all in.

"Edwin," Martin began softly. "I know that you are hurting. But this is not the way. You have to believe me, none of this will bring you closer to Mary. She needs to see that you can be reasonable, that you can be trusted."

Edwin's eyes flickered with a mix of anger and pain. "Reasonable? Trusted? After everything that I have done for her, she still does not see. How could she be with someone like Luke when I… I am the one who truly loves her."

"Love is not about control, Edwin," Martin replied, taking a cautious step closer. "It is about respect and understanding. If you truly love Mary, you have to let her make her own choices."

Edwin shook his head violently, the gun wavering. "No! You do not understand! She would have chosen me if it were not for all of you standing in the way."

Martin took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. There was no point in trying to drag this man out of his delusion anymore. "Edwin, we can find a way to fix this. But you have to trust me."

"I will never trust you…"

The door to the shed creaked open before Martin could say anything else, and Mary stepped inside.

Martin sucked in a sharp breath.

"Mary," Edwin breathed, his voice softening. "I have done everything for you. All of this… it was for you."

Mary took a deep breath, stepping forward slightly. "Edwin, I know you think that you love me, but this is not the way. Hurting people, threatening them… it is not love. It is not right."

Edwin's face twisted in pain, his grip on the gun wavering. "But you do not understand, Mary. I had to. They were all in the way. Duncan, Luke, Martin… even your sister. They were all stopping us from being together. They do not understand our love…"

Mary shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "No, Edwin. They were not in the way. There was nothing to be in the way of. As I tried to make very clear to you when you used to obsessively visit my home, I am not, and will never be, interested in you. You need to accept that and let me be happy. Do you not want that for me? Do you not want me to be happy?"

For a moment, it seemed like Mary's words might reach him. Edwin's eyes softened, and his hand started to lower the gun. But then something shifted in his expression, and he raised it again, his face contorted with anguish.

"I cannot!" he shouted, tears streaming down his face. "I cannot lose you, Mary! If I can't have you, then no one else can have you. Especially not him ."

Before Martin could react, Edwin twisted the gun around, aiming it at Luke. Time seemed to slow as Martin lunged forward, his body moving on instinct. He collided with Edwin, grappling for the gun. They struggled, the shed filling with the sounds of their desperate fight.

The time for talking was over. He needed to end this, once and for all.

"Martin!" Luke shouted, rushing to help.

Together, they managed to wrestle the gun from Edwin's hand, sending it skidding across the floor.

Edwin let out a roar of frustration and threw a wild punch at Martin, catching him in the jaw. Martin staggered back but kept his footing, returning the blow with a punch to Edwin's midsection. Luke joined in, and together they overpowered Edwin, forcing him to the ground.

Breathing heavily, Martin pinned Edwin's arms while Luke retrieved the gun.

"It is over, Edwin," Martin said, his voice firm. "You are not going to hurt anyone else. Finally, you are going to listen to me, and you are going to hear what I have to say. You cannot do this any longer. Mary will never be yours."

The sound of approaching footsteps signaled the arrival of the others. Within moments, several of Luke's house guests appeared, helping to secure Edwin and ensure he could not escape. Martin stood up, his body aching from the struggle, but relief flooding through him.

"We did it," he said, looking at Luke. "It really is over."

Luke nodded, his expression grim but determined. "We are going to have to get the constables here, after what he has done. He needs to be arrested."

Martin stood in the doorway of the shed, catching his breath after the fight with Edwin. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off, leaving him exhausted and aching. Beside him, Luke held the gun they had wrestled from Edwin's hand and had Mary tucked under his other arm, his expression grim but resolute.

"We will wait here for the chief constable," Luke said, glancing at Martin. "You go check on Susanna. She needs you."

Martin hesitated for a moment, torn between his duty to ensure Edwin was properly dealt with and his overwhelming concern for Susanna. But Luke's steady gaze reassured him.

"Go," Luke repeated firmly. "We've got this."

"We do," Mary agreed with a grateful whisper. "There is nothing that man can do to me now. The constable will take him away, and I will finally be able to live my life without him."

Martin smiled and nodded once before turning and making his way back to the manor house. It was a relief to know that Edwin was captured and no longer going to cause any trouble, but the relief could not come for him fully just yet.

As he hurried through the hallways, his mind raced with thoughts of Susanna. The image of her throwing herself in front of him to take the bullet was seared into his memory. He needed to see her, to make sure she was truly alright. He still could not believe that she had done such a thing. He was truly in shock and awe of what a wonderful person she was.

The emotions that he had been trying his hardest to push down came barreling to the surface.

He could not contain himself any longer.

He reached Susanna's room and gently pushed the door open. The soft light of a bedside lamp cast a warm glow over the room. The physician was just finishing checking her bandages and nodded to Martin as he entered.

"She is stable," the physician said quietly. "The wound is not serious, but she needs rest. I have talked to her sister about this, but it is best that everyone knows."

Martin thanked the physician, who then excused himself, leaving the room in a hushed silence. He approached the bed, his heart aching at the sight of Susanna lying there, her face pale and drawn, her arm wrapped in clean white bandages. She was muttering softly in her sleep, and as he leaned closer, he realized she was saying his name.

"Martin," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Martin…"

Another surge of emotion welled up in him, a mix of relief, gratitude, and something deeper that he could not quite name. He reached out and gently took her hand, careful not to disturb her rest. Her fingers instinctively curled around his, and he felt a warmth spread through him at the simple touch.

"Susanna," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I am here. You are safe." He was not sure that she could hear him, but he continued to explain nonetheless. "Edwin has been caught. There is nothing to worry about any longer. He will not cause us any more issues. We are all safe now. The wedding can still go ahead tomorrow… if everyone is not too tired for that. I mean, it has certainly been a very long night."

She shifted slightly, her brow furrowing as if she was struggling against the remnants of a nightmare. "Martin," she repeated, a hint of distress in her tone.

He squeezed her hand gently, hoping to soothe her. "It is alright, Susanna. I am here. Edwin will not hurt you anymore. I can promise you that much."

Her face relaxed a little, and she seemed to settle into a deeper, more peaceful sleep. Martin sat by her side, his eyes never leaving her face. He could still hear the echo of Edwin's words, the madness in his eyes, but those thoughts were drowned out by the sight of Susanna safe and alive.

Time seemed to stand still as he sat there, the world outside fading away. All that mattered was Susanna and the quiet connection between them. He thought about everything they had been through, the danger they had faced, and the bond that had grown stronger because of it. He knew that his heart had been opening up to Susanna, that he had been feeling all kinds of things for her, but that had never been as apparent as it was right now.

He truly was falling for her.

He did not want the wedding to be the last time that he saw her.

He wanted their connection to continue to bloom and grow forever.

Much to his surprise, he wanted love.

He gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead, his touch light and tender. "I will be right here when you wake up," he murmured. "I promise. I am not going anywhere."

How much did he mean that?

He meant it more than anything that he had ever thought before, but that still scared him. The idea of being in love was one of the most terrifying things in the world, and he had never thought that he would feel that way. But Susanna had made him see that there was much more to him. That he could have more if he really wanted it. And the way that she had jumped in front of the bullet for him let him know that she felt the same way too.

Now he could not wait for her to wake up so they could finally discuss their feelings, so he could say everything that he had been too afraid to say before. He could finally tell her that he had fallen in love with her and that he truly wanted to be with her forever… if that was what she wanted too.