“I don’t know how you expect me to ignore such a fascinating piece,” she argued. “It’s agrappling hookthatlaunches out of a gun. That would come in remarkably handy when I find myself faced with rescuing cats.”
“Except that it’s incredibly loud when fired, which would undoubtedly complicate a rescue attempt.”
“Not if I made a point of speaking very loudly to the cat before I launch the hook.”
“You’re reaching, and you know it. Besides, grappling hooks aren’t on our agenda today. We’re here to teach you the rudiments of handling a pistol.”
She seemed to deflate on the spot. “Fine, no grappling hooks, but I’m still not certain why you’re willing to teach me about pistols since I’m the last lady on earth who should ever brandish one again.”
“You’ll be less of a danger to yourself, as well as everyone else, if you learn a few basics.”
“I suppose there is that,” she muttered as he picked up a pocket pistol and spent the next twenty minutes explaining how to hold it, load it, unload it, and fire it.
To Adelaide’s credit, her attention remained firmly on his lesson, even though Charles was practicing with the Assassin’s Creed halfway across the field, the resounding boom of the rounds having Camilla put on stylish earmuffs, which apparently weren’t effective because she soon repaired to the carriage.
“Are you ready to try it out?” Gideon finally asked when he felt Adelaide understood the basics.
“I suppose that’s the next step, but perhaps Charles should join Camilla. There’s no saying I’m going to be accurate with my shot.”
“I’ll simply stand behind you,” Charles said, striding over to join them, the Assassin’s Creed resting on his shoulder. “I should be safe there, as long as you keep your weapon pointed toward the targets.”
After sending her cousin a look that suggested she’d taken umbrage over him suggesting she’d do anything else but keep her weapon pointed toward the target, Adelaide spent the next thirty minutes firing shot after shot, stumbling backward from the recoil of the pistol, but finally gaining her feet fifteen minutes in. She missed the target time and again, something that evidently frustrated her because she began narrowing her eyes, squinting at the target, biting her lip, and then firing. She grinned in delight when a bullet finally hit something besides the surrounding trees, although the target she hit hadn’t actually been the one she’d been aiming for, but still.
“Did you see that?” she exclaimed, lowering the pistol to her side before she turned to him. “I hit it.”
“An improvement to be sure,” Gideon said. “Shall we try the pepperbox next?”
“You told me earlier that you didn’t think a pepperbox would be suitable for me because it holds five shots.”
“True, but I’ve reconsidered. You’re still having some issues with hitting a target—something I know you’ll resolve—but there is a very real threat against you right now. A pepperbox is meant to be fired at close range. It might not be a bad option for you since it does have more than one round, which could come in handy if your aim is off.”
“Coming in handy sounds good to me,” she said, her lips curving, which left her dimple popping out, something Gideon refused to allow to distract him as he began giving her a lesson on the fundamentals of the pepperbox.
Twenty minutes later, Adelaide was showing progress with her latest weapon, actually hitting her target a handful of times. But when a large gust of wind, mixed with snow, began swirling around them, they both agreed it was time to call it a day.
“Can we practice again tomorrow?” she asked as they made their way to fetch Charles, who was testing out the grappling hook on the opposite side of the field.
“Didn’t Camilla’s dressmaker say you have more fittings?”
“She did, but perhaps we can squeeze in at least an hour of instruction after my torture session, especially if I hold particularly still during the fitting, which should speed up the process.”
Finding it next to impossible to resist the beseeching smile Adelaide was sending him, Gideon inclined his head. “I’ll stop by Camilla’s around two, but if you’re not close to being finished with the fittings, there’s little chance Camilla will be agreeable about us taking off for more target practice.”
“I’ll make certain to be on best behavior,” she said, slowing to a stop as she watched Charles climb from a tree, thegrappling hook slung over his shoulder. A trace of wistfulness flickered through her eyes. “That grappling hook really would come in handy when rescuing cats, even if it is rather loud. I mean, the worst thing that might happen would be the cat would scramble higher in the tree, but it wouldn’t be an issue, what with the long rope attached to the hook.”
Gideon refused a sigh, knowing what he was about to suggest was not the brightest idea he’d ever had, but once again, he found himself throwing caution to the wind—this time because he couldn’t seem to ignore the wistfulness. “Would you like to try out the grappling hook before we leave?”
Her mouth dropped open. “Really?”
He smiled. “Really. But I’m warning you, the pistol the hook fires from has a strong recoil. It sent Charles stumbling backward a time or two.”
“I’ll plant my feet firmly in the ground and hope for the best.”
“That’s an encouraging thought.”
Sending him a wink, Adelaide hurried to join Charles, who was jumping the last few feet out of the tree. He jerked his head up a moment later and settled a frown on Gideon.
“You told Adelaide she can try this?” he called.
