Page 79 of A Bride for the Beastly Duke
Ava’s scream had him looking up to see her huddled in the corner, clutching Lily to her. He struggled to his feet. “Are you all right?” he asked.
She let go of Lily and threw herself into his arms. “Thank goodness. Oh Lord.” She pulled back to look him in the eyes. “It’s Aaron,” she said intently.
He froze, blinking at her in surprise. Now that he thought of it, Aaron fit the description Pemberton gave him of the person who had killed Jonathan. He tightened his hold on Ava’s arms. “I have to get you out of here.”
The carriage lurched, and they were flung against the wall. Instead of righting, the carriage tipped over and overturned. Ava and Lily screamed as they were flung about. Edward tried his best to hold onto them both, but he was not steady enough to. He rolled over, his head bashing against the seat as the carriage came to a stop. He struggled to his feet, and he could see Ava, on top of the seat, insensible, while Lily lay like a rag doll on the carriage roof that was now the floor.
The door opened, and suddenly, Aaron was there. He sneered as he caught sight of Edward. “How nice. I have all three of you now,” he observed.
“You. You’re the one who started the fire.”
He frowned, affecting puzzlement. “Fire? What fire?”
Edward shook his head in disgust. “You are despicable.”
Aaron grinned. “I’ve been called worse.” He slammed the door shut, and Edward heard him slip the lock into place.
“Damn it!” he growled as he made his unsteady way to the door. He was seeing two of everything and was worried that Lily or Ava were seriously injured.
“Where is Pemberton?” he murmured irritably. “Surely, he wasn’tthatfar behind.”
He kicked at the door and then kicked it again with vicious anger. To his surprise, the door bent, splintering slightly. He kicked it again, and it bent almost in two. One more vicious kick blew a hole right through the door.
He pushed out the pieces of wood until there was a hole big enough to pass through. He squeezed through, wincing as splinters bit into his skin. He fell onto the ground before turning to open the door. He peered around, looking for Fenton but could not see him anywhere.
Crouching down, he stared at Ava and Lily. They hadn’t moved.
“Ava?” he called, but she did not stir.
“Lily?”
Still no response. He pulled out the door completely before reaching in and getting hold of Lily. He gently began to pull her out from under the seat when a hand closed over his ankle.
He froze and then turned slowly to see Aaron grinning maniacally. “Looking for me?”
Instead of snatching his foot back, Edward kicked out, catching Aaron by surprise and propelling him backwards. He fell on his bottom, and Edward took the chance to shimmy out of the carriage and face his attacker.
Aaron was back on his feet in a moment, a dagger in hand. He gripped it hard, pointing it at Edward.
“Is that what you used? To kill my brother?”
Aaron scoffed. “Who?”
Edward gritted his teeth, feinting towards Aaron, so he would move away from the carriage. He did not feel safe with the man so close to his family. They circled each other, looking for a moment to attack. Edward could only hope that Pemberton and the rest of the search party would appear soon.
He took his eyes off Aaron for a moment to look behind him, so he could see if he could catch sight of Pemberton, and the next thing he knew, the man was on top of him, knife raised, ready to plunge it into his chest.
He canted his hips, bucking Aaron off him before punching him in the face. They rolled on the ground, each trying to get the upper hand, hitting and punching. Then Aaron managed to slash downward, slitting the sleeve of Edward’s shirt and cutting into his skin. Red bloomed quickly, and he felt the sting as his right arm was sliced. Luckily it was a shallow cut, and Aaron’s temporary imbalance as a result enabled Edward to throw him off. He grabbed Aaron’s hand that was holding the knife, knowing he had to disarm the other man as quickly as possible.
He could no longer feel his pistol in his pocket.
Must have gotten dislodged when I was flung off the horse. Or maybe in the carriage.
He’d felt his sword snap when he hit the ground, but the hilt was still securely wedged in its casing. Unfortunately, he had to use both hands to try and pry the knife out of Aaron’s grip.
He felt another sting, and his hand became wet. He knew Aaron had gotten in another hit. Pulling his fist back, he punched Aaron in the ear. The other man made a grunt of pain but did not loosen his grip on the knife.
Edward hit him again, and finally, Aaron’s grip loosened enough to allow Edward to snatch the knife and fling it away. They both panted, staring at each other in the moonlight. Then Aaron grinned, his eyes gleaming maliciously. “You kill me, and you’ll never know what happened to your brother.”
