“And why would I admit to that?” He scoffed unnaturally.
“B-because it is all there.” She gestured to the book, heart pumping in fear. “And to think I trusted you... Did you do all this to get to me?”
His face washed with a blank expression. Then, a creepy, unnerving smile began to split his head. “I alsomayhave hinted to Frederick to take up prizefighting…” Adam replied venomously while advancing. “Excitement makes your heart work harder, and in doing so, makes it weaker. But who’s to say?”
“Oh god…” she choked out. “He was right. I should never have trusted you. You are a monster.”
A thunderous bang on the door had them pivoting to it. “Bridget—” Wiliam shouted. “Bridget, please, I need to speak with you.”
“Don’t you dare make a sound,” Adam hissed.
Shooting a look to the door, Bridget sucked in the biggest breath she could manage, filling her lungs deeply—and screamed.
EPILOGUE
The piercing scream had William reeling back and slamming his thick boot into the door’s hinges, dismantling it in one attempt before ramming his shoulder into the higher one.
When the door caved in, William sprinted into the foyer and found the Baron clasping Bridget with an arm across her throat and a fireplace poker up as a weapon.
“Do not come any further!” Adam snarled. “You have no power here.”
“He poisoned Frederick!” Bridget shouted from the top of her lungs. “He was the one who killed him, William, not you! I am so—”
“Be quiet!” Adam roared.
Keeping his calm at the revelation, he focused on Adam and tried to find a way into the guard Adam presented. Where was the weakness? Where was the opening to attack?
“Let her go,” he tried. “You can have me instead?”
“And why would I want you?” Adam hissed. “I was trying to get rid of you!”
“And you can,” William lied. “Just… let her go and I will give you whatever you want. Money, land, a higher station, anything, simply let her go first.”
“Pah! It isyouwho needs to let her go,” Adam growled. “Do your part and annul the marriage. Let her be free, Arlington.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” William gritted his teeth, while regretting that he had come to Kent all alone. If he’d had Colin or Andrew with him, they would have easily overpowered the Baron and taken him down.
Now, it was only him.
The baron raised the poker to Bridget’s neck. “Or else, leave and never come back,” he muttered darkly.
William tried to find her eyes, seeing if he could convey a wordless message to her but Bridget did not seem to be in a receiving mood. Her face went flinty, and something flashed in her eyes right before her hands flew up behind the poker,covering her neck before she stomped on Adam’s boot with all her might.
He dropped his makeshift weapon, and she darted away while snatching the poker from the ground—as William launched himself recklessly into Adam and the pair of them trundled to the floor.
Adam’s fist slammed into William’s jaw and even with the spots dancing behind his eyes, William had the wherewithal to ram his fist into the baron’s midsection, the force punching air from Adam’s throat.
Quickly following was a hook smashed into Adam’s left temple, but the man seemed to be giving uptooeasily—until they rolled, and he yanked a dagger from his boot to swipe at William’s throat.
Moving on pure instinct, William blocked the blow with his elbow up, not even feeling the burn of the blade cutting through his skin as he made to wrestle it from the man’s hand, only to slam it into the hard floor, once, twice, and three times until something went—crack.
Howling in pain, Adam was a puppet in William’s hands as he yanked Adam from the floor, rammed him into the wall, and jammed his forearm into his windpipe. The Baron grunted, his knife clattering to the floor from a broken wrist.
“I g-give,” Adam choked out. “Let me... g-go...”
Disgusted, William yanked him from the wall and he crumpled to his knees—right before Bridget slapped him across the face, her chest heaving.
Pulling her to his side, William stopped her, gazing at the dazed man at their feet. “It’s done, my dear. It’s done.”
