Page 164 of Storm of Bells
A barked command from the bodyguard, and adozen men appeared from where they’d been hiding between thebuttresses of the church and the reverend’s rose bushes. I smiled.Mr Ambrose’s auxiliary wedding guests had arrived. Determinedly,they moved towards Dalgliesh and encircled him. The peer’s eyesflickered from left to right uneasily, assessing the situation.
‘No!’ Mr Ambrose bit out.
Wait,what?
His men froze. So did Karim. ‘Pardon,Sahib?’
‘I told you, Karim, do not interfere! I willhandle this on my own.’
‘ButSahib—’
‘Do as I command!’`
No! Don’t do as he commands! He’s anidiot!
Reluctantly, the Mohammedan withdrew.
Damn! Why does he have to be so bloodyloyal?
A blade flashed. My eyes flew back to the twocombatants. Lord Dalgliesh had used the distraction of Karim tolunge forward—but Mr Ambrose had been watching. With an agility Iwould never have expected from a granite statue, he leapt aside andDalgliesh’s blade stabbed into empty air. Striking out, he slappedDalgliesh’s blade aside and delivered a cut that nearly shaved thepeer’s nose off.
‘I’m going to kill you!’ he hissed.
‘Why? Because of what I said about yourdarling little sister?’ Dalgliesh’s mouth curved into an ugly grin.‘Now, now, Lord Ambrose. I’d never have thought you’d have such ahot temper.’
‘Look into my eyes. Do you see heat?’
Unable to resist, I did as he commanded—asdid Dalgliesh. And he’d been right. There was no heat within hiseyes, only cold, hard, unrelenting rage. It was true what theysaid—revenge was a dish best served cold. And Rikkard Ambrose wasthe perfect waiter for the job.
With renewed ferocity, Mr Ambrose threwhimself into the combat. He slashed and parried and stabbed—but allin vain. Were the two men equal in regards to skill? I had no wayof knowing. All I knew for certain was that Dalgliesh’s sabre was adarn sight bigger than the slim blade that fit into Mr Ambrose’swalking cane. I watched as my husband-to-be was slowly driven back,and once again a malevolent grin spread across Dalgliesh’sface.
If only there was something I could do!
Oh. Right.
Therewas.
Slipping my hand into my pocket, I pulled outmy revolver, took aim, and shot Lord Dalgliesh in the leg.
Strip without theTease
‘Gah!’
Dalgliesh collapsed onto his knees with agarbled yelp—but he was still holding his sword. So, for goodmeasure, I shot him in the other leg, too. He keeled over forward,and landed face-first in the dirt with a very satisfying thud.
Everything and everyone was silent for along, long moment. Then Mr Rikkard Ambrose turned to me, his dark,sea-coloured eyes unreadable and yet so transparent. A shivertravelled down my spine.
‘What?’ I shrugged. ‘Don’t look at me likethat. You told Karim not to interfere, not me.’
There was another moment of silence—then hedropped his sword onto the ground, strode over to me, grabbed myface and planted a fierce, hard kiss on my mouth.
‘My little—’
‘—gunslinger?’ I suggested, blinking up athim innocently.
A growl erupted from the back of his throatand, grabbing hold of me once more, he reclaimed my mouth.Apparently, he very much appreciated my good aim. I would have todo some more target shooting.
Well, time to show him a gun wasn’t all I wasgood at aiming. My hand, hidden between us, slide down his chestuntil it reached a…certain place.
