Page 21 of The Dandy Lyon

“Yes, my lady. But you need to load it first.” The lady seemed quite fearless. Neither of his sisters had taken to shooting this naturally. It had taken several lessons for them to simply hold the pistol correctly.

“I do know that.” Lady Joanna gave him a withering look. “Show me.”

Grinning, Marcus took the gun and led her back to the table. The hawk-like gaze of Lord and Lady Braeton made his stomach clench, and he regretted what little breakfast he’d eaten. Then he focused his attention back on Lady Joanna and he calmed somewhat. “First, you measure the powder in the powder measure.”

“What an odd name for such a device.”

He cut his gaze over to her, to find the lady laughing. His mouth puckered, but he refused to give in. “Pay attention, please. You will be doing this next time.”

“Yes, sir.” Her brow furrowed in mock concentration, but her impossibly blue eyes were merry.

God, what would it be like to have this delightful woman by his side, every day for the rest of their lives? Marcus had to send that thought out of his mind and concentrate on what he was doing. If he made a mistake in loading the gun, it could have absolutely horrifying consequences. “Then you carefully pour it down the barrel.” He suited the action to his words as she peered over his arm. “Like this.”

Lady Joanna nodded, her attention now unwavering.

“You take your patch, usually a square or round of muslin,” he picked up the square of fabric he’d prepared, “place the patch on top of the hole in the barrel and center the ball on that.” Working from long years of practice, Marcus had to consciously slow himself down so Lady Joanna could see what he was doing. “Then you take the ramrod and push the ball and patch down the barrel.” Slowly, he tamped the ball down then withdrew the ramrod. “Now you take the pan primer and squirt the correct amount of powder into the pan.” He suited the action to his words, all the while overly aware of her avidly staring at him. “And now you fire.”

“I fire?” Lady Joanna gasped and reached eagerly for the pistol.

“Watch me fire this time, my lady.” Marcus went to stand behind the white line. “Stand beside me so you can see up close what happens when you pull the trigger.” He risked a glance at Lord Braeton and was surprised to see the gentleman nodding in agreement. A miracle no less.

Lady Joanna nodded and came to stand just to his right, her gaze trained on the gun in his hand.

Marcus steadied his hand and sited down the barrel. “Now, you squeeze the trigger, applying slow, steady pressure.”

Bang!

Lady Joanna gave out a little shriek, then clamped her hands over her mouth.

The guilty look on her face was so priceless, Marcus couldn’t repress a snigger.

She dropped her hands and looked at him defiantly. “That was much louder than I expected.”

“And it will be even louder when you hold the pistol.” Marcus shifted back to his all-business persona. “Now, it’s your turn to load and fire. Are you ready?”

In response, she held out her hand and he passed her the pistol. She carried it back to the table and proceeded to load it quickly and methodically.

Marcus watched vigilantly for any misstep, but her actions were flawless. When she finished, she looked up at him, the need for his approval unmistakable in her face. Proud of her swift grasp of the procedure, he nodded. “Excellent, my lady. I could not have done it better myself.” He gestured for her to take her place behind the line. “Let us see your shot now.”

Without a trace of hesitation, Lady Joanna strode to the line, raised the pistol, and sited down the barrel.

Marcus braced himself for the shot, but instead of firing, she turned toward him, a deep frown furrowing her brow. “Am I doing it correctly?”

Not so confident as she appeared, but it was normal for the first time to be apprehensive. He’d be much more concerned had she exhibited no fear whatsoever. “Yes, my lady. You’re in almost the exact position.” He moved to stand behind her, reaching around her to adjust the flintlock slightly. “Try now.”

Squaring her shoulders, Lady Joanna steadied the pistol, sited once again, and squeezed the trigger.

The kick of the pistol, which seemed normal to Marcus after all these years, threw Lady Joanna backwards into his arms, her head hitting his chest with a solid thunk. Instinctively, his arms came around her to keep her from bouncing off him, so that quite unexpectedly, the woman of his dreams was wrapped in his arms, nestled against his broad chest.

Time seemed to halt in its tracks. Marcus stood stock still, confounded by the warmth of her that seared him to the bone wherever they touched. Her head shifted to the side so her hair ended up right beneath his nose. The smell of lavender that clung to her acted as a powerful aphrodisiac, making Marcus’s cock spring to attention as it had not done in many months. Now the mere thought of her pressed against him like this, but naked as the dawn and a thousand times more beautiful, made Marcus swallow hard and ease her away from him before his desires became painfully obvious to her—as they were even now simply painful to him.

“Th…thank you, Mr. Dandridge.” The lady stepped away, shaky but on her feet. She turned to him, her cheeks flushed. “I had no idea the pistol would have that sort of kick to it.” Her wide eyes glistened and she smiled at him. “I quite felt as though I’d gotten kicked by a donkey.”

“That was my fault, my lady.” Marcus breathed more normally, less frantic now she wasn’t pressed against him. “I should have told you to expect that. I’ve fired that pistol for so long, I take the kick as a matter of course.” Steady now, he motioned to her to follow him. “Let us see how your aim was, despite the push back.”

Together they hurried to the target, Lady Joanna chattering excitedly the whole way. “I never expected Thomas would agree to let me shoot that pistol, Mr. Dandridge. How ever did you manage it? Did you have some sort of hold over him, as you did over my brother last year?”

“What a leading question, my lady,” Marcus chuckled. Lady Joanna did not mince words. That somehow surprised him, although it also pleased him. If he hoped to woo the lady and win her affection, such a straightforward manner might do very well. “But to answer you, no. I have no such incentive for Lord Braeton. I believe he is simply a fair gentleman with whom I have been nothing but honest.”