Page 100 of The Virgin Who Humbled Lord Haslemere
“Oh, I think Clara and Jane will fall into line quickly enough when I threaten to take their sons away if they don’t.” Kenilworth was creeping forward as he spoke, edging closer to Benedict, trying to maneuver him toward the window. “You see, Haslemere, bigamist or not, those two boys are still my sons, and therefore mine to do with as I wish.”
“You’re not leaving this room, Kenilworth, unless it’s through the window.” Benedict darted forward and slammed his fist into Kenilworth’s stomach. Kenilworth grunted, staggering under the blow, but he managed tokeep his feet.
“Not good enough, Haslemere. You look a little unsteady, my friend. Is the blood loss making you dizzy? Pity. It looks like you’re the one who’s going out the window.” Kenilworth’s lips split in a bloodthirsty grin as he leapt forward and landed a blow to Benedict’s knee. There was a sickening crunching sound, and Benedict’s knee collapsed beneath him, sending him heavily to the floor.
Clara screamed, but her terrified shriek was drowned out by Georgiana’s panicked shout. “Benedict!”
“No! Get back, Georgiana.” Benedict held out a hand to stop her. “Don’t come any closer.”
“Your whore is very loyal to you, Haslemere.” Kenilworth advanced on Benedict with slow, lazy steps. Then with a casual air, as if he were brushing dust from his boots, he landed a vicious kick to Benedict’s chest. “She’s not a conventional beauty, is she? But I quite like her, all the same. Perhaps I’ll make her my mistress after you’re dead.”
“You’d better make sure I’m good and dead first, Kenilworth,” Benedict snarled, his face a mask of fury. “Because if you lay a single finger on her,I’ll kill you.”
“You’re hardly in a position to make threats.” Kenilworth prepared to deliver another punishing kick, but Benedict rolled to the side and managed to stagger to his feet before Kenilworth could get close enough to land the blow. “You only delay the inevitable, Haslemere. Anyone can see you’re nearlydead already.”
Georgiana looked from Benedict to Kenilworth, despair gripping her and nearly sending her to her knees. Kenilworth was right. Benedict, dizzy with blood loss, could hardly keep his feet. Kenilworth would bide his time until Benedict lost consciousness, and then he’d shove him out the window, and that would be the end.
No one could survive a fall like that.
She had todosomething.
Think, think…
A weapon. If she could find a weapon, something to strike Kenilworth with, something heavy enough, the blow would fell him, and from there she might be able to push him out the window. He was much bigger and stronger than she was, but she was quick, and he wouldn’t be expecting herto attack him.
Georgiana frantically searched the room until her gaze landed on the fireplace poker. It was leaning against the wall beside Lord Draven’s bed. It was much closer to her than it was to Kenilworth, but as soon as she lunged for it, Kenilworth would guess what she was doing, and he’d attackBenedict again.
She bit her lip in an agony of indecision, but with Benedict’s life hanging in the balance, she had no other choice but to risk it. She kept one eye on Kenilworth as she crept closer to the fireplace, but before she could take another step, she glimpsed movement out of the corner ofher other eye.
It was Clara Beauchamp.
Her gaze caught Georgiana’s, and she tipped her chin subtly toward the poker. Clara was standing right next to the fireplace, and Kenilworth seemed to have dismissed her as a threat, because he wasn’t paying any attention to her.
Georgiana held Clara’s gaze, and gave a tiny nod of her head. A moment of perfect understanding passed betweenthem, and then…
Then itwas happening.
Clara seized the poker, and with one mighty heave sent it flying across the floor toward Georgiana. It clattered to a stop at her feet and she snatched it up and whirled around, her heart racing, every bit of rage she possessed focusedon Kenilworth.
She heard a shout, but she didn’t pause. With as much strength as she could muster, she raised the poker over her head, and smashed it across Kenilworth’s back.
Kenilworth made a strange sound—a grunt of pain and surprise—then he hit the floor with a deafening crash. If Georgiana could have managed a second blow even half as brutal as the first, she would have finished him, but her arms were shaking, so she fell to the floor beside him and without a moment’s hesitation began kicking him toward thebroken window.
One shove, her feet braced against his back, two…dear God, he was heavy, so heavy, but the blow had stunned him, and hedidn’t resist.
At first.
Another shove, another…closer, then closer still, slowly, painstakingly but inexorably closer to the edge…
Georgiana was so intent on shoving himoutand putting an end to the nightmare that was the Duke of Kenilworth that she didn’t notice he’d grabbed Benedict by the ankle until Benedict began sliding across the glass-strewn floor toward the gaping window, clutched in Kenilworth’s grasp.
“Benedict!” The scream tore from Georgiana’s throat. She grabbed him by the arm, but the combined weight of Kenilworth and Benedict was too much for her. Benedict tried to kick loose from Kenilworth’s hold, but Kenilworth held him in the inhuman grip of a man who was destined for death, and determined to take hisenemy with him.
There was a scramble of footsteps behind them, but Georgiana saw nothing, knew nothing other than Benedict. She held on with all her strength as she looked into the eyes of theman she loved.
She knew what he was going to do before he did it.
The only thing he coulddo to saveher.
