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Elizabeth froze. The fury that took hold of William nearly consumed him whole, nearly had him charging after them had he not been afraid of what Lord Horenwall might do. He curled his hands into fists, willing himself to think straight.
“You must be out of your mind!” Elizabeth shrieked suddenly. Then, she bit down on his arm with all her might.
Lord Horenwall exclaimed, letting her go. William overcame his surprise quickly enough to run towards them, intending to bring Lord Horenwall down once and for all. But he was still too late. He could do nothing to stop the Earl from slapping Elizabeth across the cheek, couldn’t stop him from picking up her small frame and tossing her as far as he could, despite her scream of horror.
He saw red. William didn’t care to be lenient, didn’t care to spare him. He didn’t care to reach for his pistol. The fury within him yearned for blood on his knuckles, to have the Earl suffer for his actions. He was upon him in a second, knocking him down with ease. William grabbed him by his lapels and pummeled him with his fist.
He didn’t know how long he did that for. It felt like only seconds before he heard shouts breaking through the haze that had gone over him. Rough hands pulled him away from the Earl, keeping him at bay even though William struggled, even though he was not yet done.
The orange glow of oil lamps lit the area and men flooded the space. William recognized them as the authorities, a few of whom were holding him back.
Then, he remembered. “Elizabeth!” He pulled away from their arms, rushing to her side. Someone else was crouched before her, but William only had eyes for her, watching as she slowly sat up, wincing in pain.
Her eyes lifted to him. “Are you all right?” she asked worriedly. “Did he hurt you?”
“Is that of any concern right now?” William shouted. He wanted to tell her how worried he was, how he’d feared the worst. But those words came out inside. “What were you thinking, following me like that? You could have gotten killed!”
“Had I not followed you, you would have died yourself!” she shouted back. She reached out to touch her leg and winced again. “You should have known I wouldn’t have let you go alone.”
William let out a shuddering breath of relief. “God, what am I going to do with you?”
Elizabeth’s lips tightened, then her eyes shifted over to the man by William’s side. William suddenly noticed he was staring at him. It took him a moment to recognize him.
“Lord Gillet,” William greeted, not knowing what else he could possibly say.
“Your Grace,” Lord Gillet responded, his eyes filled with scrutiny. He studied William for a moment longer before he said, “Come and help me carry her to the carriage. She’s injured.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
William did just that, putting aside all other thoughts. For now, the only thing that mattered was Elizabeth’s health. He could deal with the aftermath of his actions later.
Chapter 23
The pain was excruciating. Most of it was shooting up and down her left leg, but her entire body ached from her horrible fall. Even though she was sure her leg and taken the brunt of the damage, Elizabeth was sure there were a few more cuts and bruises on her body.
The carriage ride didn’t make it any better. Sweat washed her skin as she struggled to hold back her hisses of pain with every bump and jostle of the moving vehicle. Her injured leg was propped on her father’s lap and he was clutching her hand tightly in his own, his face contorted as if he felt every bit of her pain. Across from her was William, his hands clasped tightly together and his jaw clenched so tightly, she was certain his teeth hurt.
Once again, she was happy she thought to explain what she could in the letter before sending it. Had she not told him what was going to happen, William might have done something he wouldn’t be able to live with. Later, she knew she would have to clarify what had happened to both William and her father.
“Relax,” she pushed through gritted teeth. “It isn’t like I’m dying.”
Elizabeth noticed her father’s surprise at her words, but it was William who answered her. “If you thought of yourself for just a moment, you wouldn’t be in so much pain.”
“Physical pain, perhaps not,” Elizabeth mumbled, certain he would understand what she meant. Had she not arrived when she did, had she not thrown herself against Lord Horenwall at that moment, William might not have been alive to berate her right now. The emotional pain would have torn her to shreds. It would have been like she’d truly died.
William only clenched his jaw even tighter, which made Elizabeth sigh under her breath.
