Page 74 of Her Heart's Rightful Earl
The men who had stolen her and brought her here had spoken in low voices in the room next door, but had now taken their leave, it seemed, as the place was utterly quiet, except for pretty birdsong from outside the house. The peaceful beauty of it was at odds with the dank, tense atmosphere inside this small house, which had become her prison.
Arabella had no grasp of time passing. She felt as though each minute was an hour and so had no way of telling whether her rescue would be imminent, but she did not doubt that it would come.
On that one, solitary point, Marcus was correct—love made men foolish. Alexander’s sentimentality would place him in the perfect situation for Marcus to carry out his misguided aggression.
Arabella wished for Alexander not to come because she felt sure her rescue would be the catalyst for his death. However, she had to admit that the very idea of him racing to save her was thrilling, and her heart leapt at the prospect of his love and bravery shining through for her.
Between Marcus’s rhythmic pacing and his nonsensical whispering, there was suddenly another noise.
Arabella could hear the thudding hooves of a horse approaching. The footsteps slowed as they came closer and then came to a complete stop. Arabella held her breath as Marcus halted mid-step and turned to face her. His eyes lit up with malice, and he grinned widely.
‘He’s here!’ Marcus whispered in excitable glee.
Arabella dared not speak a word; she did not want to fuel Marcus’s anger, and she needed to focus, since the tie behind her back was finally coming loose.
The horse outside brayed in announcement, and Marcus clasped his hands together in the vein of a child who had been promised a treat.
They heard the front door to the little cottage open and close. Footsteps. They both watched the door intently.
Arabella held her breath, and with one final sleight of thumb, the tie at her hands worked loose. She would not act yet. She realized she was now at an advantage that Marcus was oblivious to, and this may prove life-saving in the moments to come.
The door creaked slowly open.
Arabella barely managed to conceal her gasp as she saw Alexander standing there, broad and fierce, unafraid despite his certain knowing that he was likely walking to his death.
His eyes briefly took in the room before him, and as they rested momentarily on Arabella, she saw him wince as though he felt a physical pain in seeing her treated with such disdain, sitting on the cold, damp floor like an animal. With her gaze, Arabella tried to convey to him that she was ready to fight and wanted to help.
Alexander’s focus moved towards his brother, and as he consumed the sight of this madman before him, his eyes welled with a sentiment of pity, which merged into disgust and evolved into hatred.
‘Dearest brother,’ Marcus snarled. ‘How rugged the years have made you.’
‘How embittered they have madeyou, Marcus,’ Alexander observed.
Without warning, Marcus suddenly swept a pistol from his pocket and pointed it at Alexander.
Arabella yelped in fear. Despite her knowing what Marcus planned, the reality playing out in front of her was too formidable to bear.
‘You should have stayed dead!’ Marcus suddenly yelled. ‘I blessed you with three years of freedom you should never have had!’
Alexander stood completely still. Arabella was in awe at how he seemed so composed when he was looking down the end of a gun. He did not flinch away, nor hold up his hands in surrender. Instead, he took a steptowardshis brother, confidently.
‘This is not the man you are, Marcus,’ Alexander told him, calmly.
‘Don’t come a step closer!’ Marcus warned.
‘You were a gracious and generous child …’ Alexander took another step, and Marcus erratically backed away.
‘You are not a murderer, Marcus. What has this world done to you?’
‘I said step away!’ Marcus panicked and, in a bid to gain control over the situation, he turned the pistol towards Arabella.
Chapter 28
As Marcus raised his weapon towards Arabella, Alexander moved at an incredible speed. He lurched towards his brother to smack his hand away from the gun. The pistol flew across the room, away from Marcus’s grasp.
At the same moment, Arabella released her hands from their binding and threw herself sideways so that she was obscured by the pile of wooden crates.
Alexander threw himself down upon Marcus to prevent him from reaching the gun. The two brothers crashed to the ground in a tangle of flailing limbs. Marcus yelled incoherent profanities as they wrestled one another, but Alexander, fresh from years of tending the land, was broader, more muscular, and had an obvious advantage over Marcus in strength.
