Page 49 of A Masked Lady for Mr. Kenworthy
Just before his vision went completely black, a loud shot rang out. Thomas blinked, trying to figure out who had shot who, but he feared the worst. Then, all at once, Mayson let out a loud grunt, his hands fell away from Thomas’s neck, he toppled over sideways and fell to the ground. It took Thomas a moment to catch his breath and regain the strength to assess the change in the situation. He fought against the oxygen deprivation and tried forcefully to clear his mind. He tried to sit up, a coughing fit overwhelming him as the air returned to his lungs and burned his raw, aching throat. He closed his eyes and rested his head back against the floor, praying he was not doing so for the last time.
When he opened his eyes an instant later, he was looking up into the face of a concerned Rupert, who still held a smoking gun in his left hand. When he saw Thomas’s eyes open, he knelt and put a gentle hand on his chest.
“Thomas, my friend,” Rupert said, assessing Thomas quickly for injuries. “Are you alright? Can you sit up?”
Thomas took a deep breath and waited for another coughing spell to pass. Then, he sat up gingerly, with Rupert’s help, shaking his head in an effort to clear it.
“That was far worse than my worst nightmare,” Thomas said, his voice still weak and raspy.
Rupert chuckled, clapping Thomas on the back.
“Considering the outcome, I would say things could have been much worse indeed,” he said.
Thomas looked to the side where Mayson had fallen and saw him lying motionless, his hands curled at his side. A pool of blood was rapidly forming beneath him, and Thomas understood the evil man would not be getting back up for another attack. Thomas looked up at Rupert, his eyes wide.
“Did you kill him?” he asked.
Rupert shrugged.
“It all depends on how quickly the authorities arrive to remove him,” he said with a smirk.
Thomas could not help smiling as he staggered to his feet. He was about to turn to Rupert to thank him when the sound of sobbing grabbed his attention. Lady Faye…
Thomas bolted past Rupert and rushed to her side, kneeling beside her. His heart broke as he looked into her distraught face, and he pulled her into his arms.
“Oh, Faye,” he said, all his earlier apprehension for her life flooding his mind. He fought fiercely against a wave of tears that threatened to overtake him. “It is alright now. Mayson will never hurt you again.”
Against his arm, the young woman nodded as she sobbed.
“I know,” she said. “But I was so sure he had killed you. I was certain I would never see you again.”
Her words gave him a surge of courage far stronger than his emotional tidal wave. He pulled away from her, staring deeply into her eyes as he cupped her face in his hands, wiping away tears and stray hairs from her cheeks.
“Faye,” he said, once again using her given name. “I am madly in love with you. When I came in here and saw him pointing that gun at you, I knew I would do anything to protect you, to save your life. Because I love you, and I cannot bear the thought of this world continuing to exist without you in it.”
Faye stared up at him, bewildered. For a moment, Thomas feared he had stepped too far out of line, and that she was going to flee from him, or, at the very least, reject him. Then, she laughed, touching his face gently and smiling warmly at him.
“Well, that hardly makes any sense, Thomas,” she said softly. “Then, you would be leaving me in a world without you. And that would devastate me for the rest of my days, because I am in love with you, too.”
Thomas stared, slowly taking in her words as she spoke them. She did love him, too, after all. His chest felt as though it would burst with happiness as he embraced her once more.
“Oh, Faye,” he said. “I would relive today a thousand times, just to hear you say that once more.”
Faye laughed, nuzzling against him but not letting him go.
“You do not have to, silly,” she said. “I love you, Thomas.”
Thomas held her like that until the authorities arrived, thanking the heavens all the while.
Epilogue
Thomas rode as quickly as he could to Welborn Manor. He was to marry Faye the very next day, and he had intended to save his news for the wedding breakfast after the ceremony. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he could not contain it any longer. So, he’d had his horse readied and set out for her home, hoping she would be there and not out seeing to the final wedding details.
He was in luck. The new butler, who had been hired just after Mayson Winters had been sent to jail to await sentencing, welcomed him warmly. The man ushered Thomas straight to the parlor, where Faye and her mother were sitting, sipping champagne and laughing merrily. The butler started to announce his arrival, but Thomas shook his head quietly. He wanted to watch them covertly for a moment, still amazed at the complete recovery Lady Welborn had made. He looked at the bright happiness in Faye’s face as she talked with her mother, and his heart melted. That joy was all he had ever wanted to see on her face, and now it was there, he was in awe.
The dowager countess saw him before he announced his presence. She patted her daughter’s arm and gestured with her head before rising and stepping around the sofa to greet him.
Faye saw him, and her eyes became brighter still. Thomas’s heart leapt as she smiled at him, hurrying over and taking both of his hands in hers.
