“No, no, no…” Miss Eden rushed out. “I refuse to give up. We have worked too hard to throw it all away now.”
Bennett could see the panic in Miss Eden’s eyes and he suspected she might do something foolish. In a swift motion, he retrieved Mr. Simpkin’s pistol and handed it to one of the constables.
Grady turned his attention towards Mr. Paterson. “Lower your pistol, and I will put in a good word for you with the judge.”
Hatred flashed in Mr. Paterson’s eyes as he stared at Delphine. “This isn’t over. You have no right to that title. It should be mine!”
“The pistol?” Grady asked, holding out his hand.
Mr. Paterson remained defiant, despite the overwhelming odds against him. “No,” he said. “No judge will take the word of a mere servant over that of an earl. All I need to do is kill Delphine and everything I desire will finally be mine!”
As Mr. Paterson’s finger twitched on the trigger, Bennett knew he had to act quickly or Delphine could lose her life. Without hesitation, he lunged forward and tackled Mr. Paterson to the ground, fiercely wrestling the pistol away from him.
Rising to his feet, Bennett handed the pistol to Grady with a sense of satisfaction, knowing Delphine was safe. “Get this man out of my sight.”
Grady’s tone was stern as he addressed Mr. Paterson, who was struggling to regain his composure. “Just so you know, I am a Bow Street Runner and my two companions are constables. We heard every single word of your despicable plans. And if it were up to me, all three of you would be transported for your crimes.”
One of the constables stepped forward and grabbed Mr. Paterson’s arm. “We will take it from here,” he said. “If you aren’t good, we will parade you through the ballroom so everyone can see you being arrested.”
Delphine watched Miss Eden’s retreating figure before shouting, “Wait!”
“What is it?” Bennett asked.
With purposeful strides, Delphine went to stand in front of Miss Eden. “I thought we were friends.”
Miss Eden scoffed. “You thought wrong, my lady,” she mocked. “You lived your perfect life and you had no idea how much I despised you for that. At least now I don’t have to pretend anymore.”
Bennett slipped his arm around Delphine’s shoulder and said, “Let her go, Delphie.”
“You are right,” Delphine said, leaning into him. “Goodbye, Charlotte.”
Miss Eden’s face contorted with pure hatred as she glared at Delphine. “No, you don’t get to win… not like this.”
A constable yanked on Miss Eden’s arm. “Let’s go, Miss.”
As the constables forcefully led the prisoners away, Grady approached Bennett and said, “I’m sorry that I didn’t make my presence known sooner but I wanted to ensure we got a confession that was admissible in court.”
“I am just grateful that you were here to stop them from shooting us,” Bennett said.
“As am I,” Grady responded. “I followed Mr. Paterson out of the village, only to see him circle back towards the manor. It was evident that he was up to no good so I quickly enlisted the help of the constables.”
“Thank you,” Bennett said, hoping his gratitude was adequately expressed. He owed their lives to this man. “How can I repay you?”
Grady tipped his head. “I will send you my bill, my lord,” he responded before he walked off, leaving him alone with Delphine.
Sensing the weight of unspoken words between them, Bennett turned to face Delphine, only to find himself utterly speechless.
Delphine couldn’t quite believe what had just happened. Her friend had betrayed her, concocting a plan to end her life and steal her fortune. How had it come to that?
Bennett watched her with concern in his eyes as he asked, “Dare I ask if you are all right?”
“Yes… no… I don’t know,” Delphine admitted. “Everything I thought I knew was a lie.”
“Not everything,” Bennett responded.
Delphine wrapped her arms around her waist as sheattempted to make sense of what she knew. “I can’t believe Charlotte would do something so nefarious. I thought I knew everything about her.”
“Greed can be a powerful motivator,” Bennett said.
