Page 41 of Ironvine

Charles raised up and turned to face his brother. His heart froze. Hugh held a pistol aimed at him.

“What are you…Hugh!”

Crackexploded in his ears.Smoke and gunpowder filled his senses. A stinging pain blazed in his arm.

His brother had shot him.

ChapterSixteen

Charles

The ground rose upand slammed into Charles. A strangled grunt rose above him. It was his. “What have you done? What have you done?”

Hugh loomed over him, a giant, a terror. Charles scrambled away, but his limbs wouldn’t cooperate, and a burning pain flared over him with every movement. He gripped his wounded arm that hung useless at his side, his hand filling with warm goo.

Blood, my damn blood.“Why?” he raged.

“It must be this way, Charles. I cannot be embroiled in a scandal right now, especially one such as this. I did well finding a girl to marry, now this within the very same twenty-four hours? Impossible. The engagement cannot be broken.”

Suddenly his brother’s tone of voice was cool and even. Logical. He’d planned on this.

“Now the worst part is over. William’s gone and cannot speak. With your history with Amanda, you are the perfect foil. You’re my answer. This is the answer.”

“No!”

“I cannot take the chance that all this will be made public. Georgina’s family would use it to break our engagement. I asked you to take my place, but you refused. You left me no choice.”

“Bastard!” Charles spit out as a tremor took over his body. His flesh chilled, a cold sweat slithering over his skin.

“I know how much you care for my fiancée and would not want her distressed on the eve of her wedding. This is the only way to leave no question unanswered for her, her family, and the ton. This works, Charles, it’s perfect, can you not see that? In everyone’s eyes, I shall be the reformed rake, and you simply remain the rake you are. It’s perfect.”

“No…” Charles heaved for air.

“You can go up north to the Duke’s. You’ll be well hidden there, and well entertained, I daresay. Months from now, you shall reappear and all will be forgiven and forgotten.”

“No.” His vision blurred. He grabbed at Hugh’s coat.Hugh shoved him off.

“You have nothing to be mindful of. I have my title, my bride, and dammit, so much more. That’s what’s important here.”

Treetops, clouds all swirled above Charles. All the lies Hugh told him swirled and swam around him, squeezing him, strangling him. A groan escaped his lips as the very sky spun over him.

“The loaded revolver, where, how?” Charles struggled for breath, the fiery sting shooting down his arm, over his shoulder, his hand filling with his own blood.

“I paid William’s man a tidy sum to leave me another revolver to use.”

“You bastard…you fucking bastard!”

“Enough. We must leave here. Let’s get you in the carriage. Get you home.” He grabbed onto Charles, and every fibre of his being revolted at his brother’s touch. Grunting, he smacked him, pushed at him. Twisted away. Kicked.

“Charles!”

That voice. Her voice.

Two hands clutched at his chest, held his face.

“Georgina?” Charles blinked, struggling to regain clarity.

“Charles!”

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