Fredrick looked at Emilia and winked. She felt her pulse quicken, and in that moment, she knew that everything would be all right. She didn’t know how, but she trusted him.
The indecision was on Calvin’s expression as he shifted the pistol between Fredrick and Emilia. “Both of you will still die tonight,” he growled.
“How, exactly?” Fredrick asked. “You are no match for me, or Emilia, for that matter.”
The pistol’s swaying stopped on Fredrick. “I hate you,” he seethed. “My father was constantly comparing me to you, and I despised him for that.”
“That was hardly my fault,” Fredrick said.
“Regardless, I will shoot you and then kill Emilia with my own bare hands,” Calvin declared.
Fredrick put his hands up. “Brilliant,” he said. “But have you killed anyone before? I only ask because it is much more difficult than people imagine.”
Calvin sneered. “As if you would know.”
“You seem to forget that I fought in a war,” Fredrick stated. “I was forced to kill more people than I care to admit, and it takes a toll on you.”
With a sadistic grin, Calvin aimed the pistol. His cold, dark eyes stared straight at Fredrick as he said, “I will rejoice whenyou are dead. Then I won’t have to hear your grating voice anymore.”
Emilia moved quickly between them, blocking Calvin’s view of Fredrick. “Don’t shoot him!” she begged desperately. “I will give you my entire fortune. Just leave us be.”
“You don’t mean that,” Calvin said.
“I do,” Emilia asserted. “I don’t care about the money.”
Fredrick placed a hand on Emilia’s sleeve and gently turned her to face him. “What are you saying, Emilia?”
She stared up at him, her heart beating a little faster as she felt more vulnerable than she ever had before. “I want you in my life, more so than the money,” she confessed.
His face softened, and his green eyes seemed to pierce her very soul. “You would be willing to give up your fortune for me?”
“I would,” she said.
As she uttered her words, a tall, dark-haired young woman strolled down the path towards them. She stopped and gasped as her eyes landed on the pistol in Calvin’s hand.
Calvin turned the pistol towards the young woman. “Get out of here,” he ordered.
“Why are you pointing a pistol at Lord Chatsworth and Miss Sutherland?” the young woman asked.
“It is none of your business,” Calvin growled.
Clarissa stepped closer to her brother and said, “We can’t just let her leave. She is a witness to this.”
The young woman shook her head. “I won’t say anything. I promise. Just let me return to the ballroom.”
Emilia couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the distressed young woman before her. She seemed so unsure of herself, and she was caught in an unfortunate circumstance.
“Let her go,” Emilia urged. “Your business is with me, not her.”
Calvin shifted his attention towards Emilia, allowing the young woman to swiftly release a dagger that found its mark in his right arm. He dropped the pistol and reached for the dagger.
“You stupid chit!” Calvin exclaimed, his voice laced with pain.
Seizing the opportunity, Clarissa bent down, snatching up the pistol, and aimed it at Emilia. “This is all your fault! You ruined everything when you showed up!” she shouted. “You need to die.”
Fredrick immediately moved to stand in front of her, but Emilia put her hand out to stop him. This was between her and Clarissa. “She isn’t going to shoot me.”
“Yes, I am,” Clarissa said.
