Hammerton furrowed his brow. “There was nothing but scientific gibberish.”
“It was in code.” Branford smiled. “I’m afraid the eccentric old man managed to outwit you.”
Anger flashed in Hammerton’s eyes. “Hardly! The fool is dead. And so will all of you be in a short time, including that sapskull of a brother of yours. And then I shall be well rid of a tiresome nuisance.” He gave Alex another shake. “I’m simply protecting what is rightfully mine!Iam the true Earl of Hammerton.” Caught up in his rage, Hammerton punctuated his words with a wave of the knife.
Alex saw her chance. Slipping her hands free from the loosened rope, she shoved Hammerton into the table and lunged for the pistol. Recovering in a flash, Hammerton grabbed for it too, but she managed to knock it away from him and twist out of his reach.
Hammerton lunged again for the pistol, which had come to rest on the far end of the table?—
But Branford moved at the same instant. The two of them came together, grappling for the weapon that lay so tantalizingly close. The struggle went on for what seemed like ages, the two bodies intertwined, first one on top, then the other.
Alex didn’t dare cry out, afraid of distracting Branford. His superior size and skill appeared to give him the advantage—but his strength looked to be ebbing as the blood stain on his shirt grew bigger …
Hammerton managed to free one hand and land a vicious blow to Branford’s wound. It doubled him over and he dropped to his knees, allowing Hammerton to grab the pistol.
He quickly jumped back, out of arm’s reach. “It isyouwho are the dead man,” he sneered as Branford managed to stand.
Raising the pistol, Hammerton let out a wicked laugh as he took dead aim at Branford’s heart.
BANG!
Alex screamed.
For an instant, no one moved. And then Hammerton lowered his eyes, an incredulous look on his face as he watched a spot on his white shirtfront begin to turn red.
“No! It can’t be …” he cried faintly as he crumpled to the floor.
Branford dusted the dirt from his palms. “Thank you, Chilton. I’m relieved to see that your aim left nothing to chance on this occasion.”
Alex swayed, not quite believing that Branford was still standing. With a small cry, she rushed across the room and flung her arms around him and buried her face against the familiar warmth of his shoulder.
“I-I thought that monster would pull the trigger, and I’d never have a chance to tell you …” Her voice wavered. “W-w-what happened?”
He lifted her chin and touched a gentle caress to her cheek. “Fortunately, my love, your brother has become an excellent shot.”
Alex looked around see Justin framed in the doorway, the smoking pistol held calmly by his side. “Oh Justin, thank heaven you’re safe! I was afraid that you would let Hammerton lure you into his grasp.”
“I wasn’t about to walk blindly into such an obvious trap.” He grinned. “I knew you’d ring a peal over my head if I got us both sent to our Maker. So I …” He glanced shyly at Branford, “I went to the one person I trusted could help us.”
“I’m sorry that I didn’t unravel the mystery soon,” said the earl. “I finally deciphered your father’s code and discovered it was Hammerton who was the villain behind all this.”
He looked to Alex and gave an apologetic grimace. “Remember those little symbols? You thought they were hatchets—but it finally dawned on me that they were hammers!” A sigh. “If I hadn’t been so blind I might have spared you this ordeal.”
Alex looked from Branford to her brother and then back to the earl. Suddenly she burst into tears.
“Ye heavens, Inevercry,” she managed to croak between sobs.
Branford gathered her in his arms.
“How embarrassing,” she sniffed, once she managed to get her emotions under control. “Please forgive me.
“Alex,” murmured Branford as he gently brushed a tear from her bruised cheek. “You don’t have to carry the entire weight of the world on your own, very capable shoulders any longer.”
She looked up at his face. It was deathly pale beneath the dirt and sweat, and a trickle of dried blood had formed at the corner of his mouth where one of Hammerton's blows had connected. But his eyes sparkled with a warmth that lit a glow throughouther entire being. She reached up and ran her hand lightly along the line of his jaw.
“Oh, Sebastian,” she whispered.
He lowered his lips toward hers?—
