The Dowager Countess (The Saga of Wolfbridge Manor Book 2) Sahara Kelly (book club recommendations TXT) 📖

drew the knife back, slicing her throat once again, and this time seizing her hair, making her arch back and reveal even more of her neck.

It was at that moment when Giles realised Royce had joined Jeremy and Evan. All three were approaching from behind Kilham.

And he didn’t know they were there. The bushes hid them, and the grass beneath their feet deadened their footfalls.

“My lord,” Giles called out, hoping to keep the man’s attention focused on himself. “This is not necessary. Can we not talk about this? I cannot believe my Lady would wish to keep you from your rightful inheritance.”

“Oh you’re mistaken. Of course she would. She made him change his will. She always hated me. She forced me out of the house, turned my father against me…there’s nothing she wouldn’t do to spite me.”

Royce was near now, very near.

“Can you not let her speak?” pleaded Giles. “Let’s hear her endorse your statements. Let her tell us what happened…let her tell you why it happened…” He wrung his hands. “Please, my Lord. Don’t hurt her until you know the truth…” He poured fear and pleading into his voice, a dramatic turn that he prayed would convince Kilham to keep looking at him.

He ignored the terror in Gwyneth’s eyes; he could not risk losing Kilham’s attention. Royce was too close.

“Come, my Lord. Help me understand. That way perhaps we can solve this together like gentlemen. You have a long and proud heritage…don’t give it all up for a mistake…”

“She’ll fill you full of lies, the way she did my father. She lied to him. She took lovers. I know she did. She betrayed him. Moved into his life, made him marry her and then betrayed him. And took everything away from me…”

The words ended on an angry shout, and Royce chose that moment to intervene.

“Excuse me.” He tapped on the Earl’s shoulder.

Kilham jumped at least a foot in the air, barely missed nicking Gwyneth’s chin and turned to meet a fierce right hook that knocked him clean off his feet.

Gwyneth stumbled away and fell into Giles’s arms while Royce, Jeremy and Evan disarmed the Earl and tied his hands together behind him. They were not particularly gentle about it.

The man sobbed and screamed and rambled, his words becoming unintelligible as his fury overtook his senses.

“Get him out of here. Put him in the barn. I’ll send for the Constable…” Royce directed Jeremy and Evan.

Gwyneth was clinging to Giles, but barely.

“Gabriel…” Giles did his best not to panic. “Help me.”

Her gown was sodden now, as was the skin of her chest and her bodice. The little cuts on her throat weren’t bleeding anymore, but he had no idea how deeply that knife had plunged into her body.

Gabriel lifted her easily, cradling her in his arms.

“I’m all right,” she said, her face still far too pale. “Just a wee nick…” She promptly fainted.

“Royce.”

The man came running at Giles’s yell, having seen their prisoner on his way to the barn. “Kilham’s restrained. He won’t hurt anyone again, ever, if I have my way.”

“You can’t kill him,” Giles said, grabbing him by the arm and hurrying him along behind Gabriel. “I need you to take care of her right now.”

“Can I kill him after that?”

“We’ll see.”

*~~*~~*

“’Tis a clean wound.”

A gentle voice was speaking through a fog. She forced her eyes open to see Royce and Gabriel bending over her, their faces filled with concern.

“If it’s so clean why are you both looking so worried?”

Their gazes shot up to her face and she tried to give them a smile. “Well?”

“It is going to leave a scar,” murmured Royce, his hands gentle as he touched a very sore place on her side.

“Well, I doubt too many people are going to see it. Unless you’re all going to loathe the very sight of me without my clothes on…”

Her attempt at humour failed, since the two faces bending over her didn’t respond with the grins she’d hoped for.

At a loss, she breathed out. And burst into tears, wincing as her sobs pulled at a spot on her side..

“Oh sweetheart,” Gabriel gathered her close, clearly trying not to hurt her. “Everything’s all right now, love. You’re safe, you’re in one piece, with just a few little cuts…it’s over, Gwyneth. Can you hear me, darling? It’s all over. We’ve taken the bad man away…”

Gwyneth found herself snorting out a laugh amidst her tears. “I’m not five, Gabriel.”

He kissed away her tears. “Oh believe me, sweet lady. I know.” His lips returned to hers, light touches that soothed away her outburst.

“I’m sorry. I don’t quite know what made me do that. I don’t like to cry.” She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand.

“It could have something to do with the fact you had a knife at your throat and a nasty stab wound in your side.” Gabriel tried to look stern. “Five minutes. I leave you for five minutes and I come back to find you in the arms of someone else. I was…I am distraught. Overset. I could say almost shattered.” He looked up at Royce, a begging expression writ large over his handsome face, sucking in a big breath. “Royce. Hold me.”

Royce rolled his eyes. “No.”

Her tears eased and she chuckled, trying not to move too much. “Seriously, gentlemen. How bad is it?”

Gabriel wiped her eyes with his handkerchief as Royce sat on the other side of the bed. “The cuts to your neck are trivial. No more than a man regularly gets while he’s shaving.”

“Only if he’s clumsy,” inserted Gabriel, running his fingers idly over the pristine skin of his chin.

Royce ignored him. “The one in your side, however…well, that could have been nasty. But your guardian angel must have