Page 37 of A Most Unlikely Lady
‘Because sometimes, ladies can be quite useful in fraught moments.’ Ivy pushed Edward’s hand away. Before he could stop her, she stepped out from behind him.
Her right arm was extended, a muff pistol clasped in her gloved hand.
‘Ivy.’ He growled her name between clenched teeth in a warning, but it was no use. The woman was fearless.
‘Wh-what are you doing?’ The man swung his arm wildly toward Ivy, then back to Edward.
‘I thought it would be obvious after our last encounter. I shot you once, though based on your quick recovery, my aim needs work.’
The man involuntarily hitched his right shoulder.
Ivy raised a brow, her mouth quirked in a cold smile. ‘Or perhaps my aim was better than I thought. You don’t look well, sir. There is a sheen of sweat on your brow. Your skin is white. And even now, your hand is shaking. You should be in your bed recovering, not running around the streets of London trying to shoot innocent people.’
The man shook his head. ‘Be quiet!’
Ivy cocked her weapon. ‘No. I don’t think I will. Put down the gun. Before you see how very loud I can be.’
‘I can’t fail. Not again. They’ll destroy me.’ His lip twitched in a spasm.
‘Who will destroy you?’ Edward asked.
Ivy stepped further away from Edward, deftly splitting the man’s targets. While Edward silently cursed her for leaving his protection, the logical part of his brain applauded. The further apart they were, the more impossible it would be for the man to subdue both of them. If he shot Edward, Ivy would be able to level him with her own pistol. If he aimed for Ivy, Edward would tackle him to the ground and smash his face into bloody pieces.
The man stiffened his spine, his gun retrained on Edward, and while he kept his focus there, he spoke to Ivy. ‘I don’t think you will shoot me, Lady Cavendale.’
Edward’s body stiffened.
It was a peculiar thing to face down the barrel of a pistol. While he should have been reviewing his life or recounting his numerous regrets, his mind went oddly blank.
‘I’d wager you are right-handed, sir. I’d further guess you can’t use your right hand because of the wound to your shoulder. That’s why it’s tucked so carefully in your pocket. I wonder how accurate you are with your left.’ Ivy’s voice was admirably calm, although Edward guessed she was not quite as cool as she pretended.
The man swung his gun toward Ivy. ‘You bitch! This is your fault. Why were you even there?’
Acting on instinct, Edward launched himself toward the man with a mighty roar. Before the fool could retrain his aim on the new threat, Edward grabbed the gun, wrenching it from the man’s grip and tossing it on the cobblestones.
Ivy screamed behind him as Edward ducked underneath a wild swing from the man. He leapt forward, gripping the man around his waist and tackling him to the ground. The man’s high-pitched shriek alerted Edward to the fact he had landed on the man’s injured shoulder.
The scream abruptly stopped as the blackguard passed out.
Pulling himself onto all fours over the man, Edward slapped his pale cheek, but there was no response. ‘Huh,’ he grunted. He’d never subdued a man by simply landing atop him before. But then most of the men he tackled weren’t recently shot.
‘You idiot! He could have killed you.’ Ivy’s enraged voice registered as the pounding in his ears slowly subsided.
Pulling himself up from the ground, he turned to face her. The fear he’d kept at bay when the man’s pistol pointed at Ivy resurfaced like a wave of lava. ‘He could have killedyou!’ he roared, jabbing his finger at her for unneeded emphasis. ‘You were supposed to stay behind me.’
Ivy’s hair had come free of its pins and fell around her in wild disarray. She was also without her coat. Her chest expanded and contracted in wild breaths that drew his gaze down for a distracted moment.
‘I was trying to save you!’ She stepped closer to him, fairly vibrating with anger.
‘I was trying to saveyou!’
Yes. I’ll just keep repeating back what she’s already said, only louder. That will convince her that I’m right and she is not.
The man at their feet groaned. They both looked down.
‘He needs a doctor.’ Ivy nudged him with her bare foot. Something about her pale toes touching the black fabric of the man’s jacket shattered Edward’s control. Pulling her into a harsh embrace, he let the warmth of her seep into his skin.
‘You scared me.’ He whispered the words against the top of her head, tightening his arms around her.
