Page 34 of Lady in Ruby
“You can’t steal my daughter as well,” her mother said in exactly the sort of tone that she used when they were children. “Have you no shame, Francis?”
“No, ma’am. Nor money, hence my predicament. But I have something you all seem to want, and she’s getting colder all the time.”
Snowdon instinctively moved toward her.
Francis refocused on him, and his finger went to the trigger of the gun.
“Wait! I’ll marry you!” she shouted.
Francis looked over at her. “What?”
“Let me go, and don’t hurt anyone, and I’ll marry you,” she told him. “My dowry will surely cover your debts.”
Estelle gasped. “Caroline, no!”
“Hush,” she warned her friend. To Francis, she gave a wobbly smile. “After all, why shouldn’t we get married?”
“You didn’t want me. You’re chasing after this lordling.”
“I hardly know him!” Caroline said, not risking even a glance at Snowdon. “I couldn’t even tell you his given name. But we’ve known each other such a long time. It would be very natural, wouldn’t it?”
Francis had half turned, captivated by this new way out. “We need to get married quickly.”
“Certainly. Can Estelle be my bridesmaid?” she asked brightly.
“Whatever you want, I don’t care.”
“Perhaps you should care,” Caroline whispered.
“What?”
That was when the first snowball hit him. And the next, and the next. Estelle and Timothy had formed a pile of them, and were now throwing them like cannonballs.
Francis instantly ducked, bringing his arm up to protect his head. The move meant that he was no longer aiming the gun at anyone.
Snowdon took the opportunity to lunge toward Francis, but the man was preternaturally edgy and must have sensed the attack, because he moved to the side, evading Snowdon’s arms.
Timothy and Estelle were still hurling snowballs at Francis, the shy Estelle shouting curses that would have done a sailor proud. Timothy proved to have wickedly good aim, and one projectile smacked Foster in the arm so hard that he dropped the pistol. The heavy weapon fell into the white blanket at his feet. He bent down to retrieve it, and got hit again with another snowball that exploded all over his face.
“Christ, who did that?” he sputtered.
“I did!” Estelle cried. “And I’m not sorry! You deserve far worse for hurting Caroline! And being a traitor! And…a very bad friend!”
Caroline wondered how Francis simply didn’t shrivel into nothingness after that condemnation.
“I am not,” he said quietly, childishly. Only Caroline heard him.
“You are,” she told him. “You’d better run, if you want any chance at all.”
He looked at her, and then swung around, preparing to flee.
He took half a step and ran smack into Snowdon in his white coat. Snowdon grabbed him and flung him down into the snow.
“Someone kindly keep him there,” he ordered, stepping over Francis to get to Caroline.
He was already pulling off his coat and swinging it around her when he knelt down by her. “I’m tied up,” she whispered.
“Not for long.”
