Chapter 16 #2
“You don’t love me,” Emma huffed. “Your actions prove otherwise.”
Looking bored, he responded, “Your guardian left me no choice. I’ve already explained that.”
“Please let Simeon live,” Emma pleaded.
Lockhart cocked an eyebrow at him. “Simeon, is it?”
“Yes,” she confirmed, “he’s my friend.”
“Is this the man that you previously mentioned that you care about?”
Emma pressed her lips together as she sheepishly glanced over her shoulder at Simeon. What a mortifying thing to admit out loud, especially given the circumstances.
“It is,” she answered honestly.
“And does this man return your affections?” Lockhart asked.
Unsure of how to respond, she remained silent.
To her surprise, Simeon replied in a firm but gentle tone, “He does.”
Lockhart frowned. “Then we have a problem.” He pointed his pistol towards Emma. “I can’t possibly let him live, or you’ll continue to harbor feelings for him.”
Emma squared her shoulders, despite a pistol being pointed at her. “I’m not the same girl you knew growing up, Peter. I’ve changed.”
“I can see that,” Lockhart scoffed. “You’ve become a harlot.”
She gasped. “How dare you!”
Lockhart’s expression grew accusing. “The Emma that I knew growing up was innocent and kind, and she was never one to toy with a man’s emotions.”
“I’m still that girl,” she contended. “I’ve never toyed with a man’s emotions.”
“No?” Peter questioned. “You promised yourself to me.”
“I did no such thing!”
He took a commanding step towards her. “When you were ten, you told me that you wanted to marry me down by the stream.”
“When I was ten?” she asked, furrowing her brow. “Please tell me that you are not in earnest.”
“We made a vow to each other,” he declared.
“We were children. It was a silly game.”
His face grew expressionless. “To you, perhaps, but to me, it was a promise.”
“Peter, I am sorry…”
“Enough!” he shouted. “It matters not. We will ride out and be wed tomorrow.”
She shook her head. “No, Peter. I will not marry you.”
“You would rather marry a Bow Street Runner than me?” Peter scoffed as he began to pace back and forth. “You want to struggle for the rest of your days?”
With a fleeting glance at Simeon, she replied, “Yes, with all of my heart.”
“You’re a fool!” Peter shouted. “You would be nothing without me.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Peter stopped pacing. “It was I that contacted your grandfather after your mother’s death and began receiving money for your tuition.” He pointed at her. “Without your fancy boarding school, you would have been working at the shop.”
“Perhaps,” she responded reflectively. “But I never desired to go to boarding school.”
He scoffed. “You are Sir Alymer’s only grandchild, and he intends to make you his heir. When that happens, you will be worth so much more than you are now, and I intend to possess all he plans to leave you.”
Emma stared at him in shock as reality set in. “Regardless, you killed my father and Luke to achieve your nefarious purposes,” she asserted, her voice rising in anger.
“Luke isn’t dead,” Simeon whispered behind her.
A great feeling of relief washed over her. At least Luke was still alive.
“You ungrateful chit,” Peter said. “I negotiated this all on your behalf.”
She shook her head. “No, you did this for yourself. You murdered, cheated, and stole. For what?” She met his gaze unflinchingly. “I could never love you after what you have done.”
Peter sneered at her. “You became awfully self-important once the Marquess of Downshire became your guardian.” He took another step closer to her. “But you will always be just a constable’s daughter.”
Emma took a moment to consider her words. “You are right,” she finally answered. “I am a constable’s daughter, but I am also so much more.” She tilted her chin defiantly. “I have a family, friends, and I’m stronger than you know.”
“You don’t have a family, they’re just using you,” Peter pressed.
“For what?” she declared, tossing up her hands. “I used to think I didn’t deserve their love, that I was somehow unworthy of it because I never earned it. But I was wrong. They’ve loved me without restraint, and I am worthy of being loved.”
“You’re spouting nonsense,” Peter proclaimed. “You don’t belong in their world. You belong with me.”
She gave him a look filled with pity. “I belong in whatever world that I want to be in. And I will carve my own path from here on out.”
“You will love me,” Peter growled, pointing his pistol over her shoulder at Simeon, “once this man is out of the way.”
Reaching back, Emma grabbed Simeon’s hand and brought it up to her pocket of her gown. She felt him fingering the pistol and removing it from her pocket.
“It has nothing to do with Simeon,” Emma said calmly. “This is between you and me.”
Simeon’s authoritative voice came from behind her. “It’s over, Lockhart. Put the pistol down and walk away with your life.”
Lockhart let out a dry laugh. “You’re not in a position to be giving orders.”
Stepping out from behind her, Simeon brought up the pistol and pointed it at Lockhart. “I most assuredly am, since I’m a better shot than you.”
Lockhart’s eyes narrowed. “How many pistols did you have on your person?”
“I like being prepared,” Simeon retorted.
“There are still two pistols being pointed at you,” Lockhart pointed out.
“I may just be a Bow Street Runner, but I question your ability to count.”
“Why do you say that?”
Simeon smirked. “Because I count four pistols being pointed at you.”
“Four?” Lockhart’s eyes started scanning the trees.
Simeon cocked his gun. “You didn’t think I came alone, did you?” he asked, pointing at the tree to the side of Lockhart where Adrien stood with a pistol in his hand. “Also, you might want to check behind you.”
Emma practically sighed in relief as she saw Benedict and Jonathon emerge from the trees behind Lockhart. It was over. Surely, Peter would lay down his weapon now that he was so vastly outnumbered.
Lockhart’s thug immediately placed his pistol on the ground and put his hands up in the air. But Lockhart wasn’t as bright. He cocked his pistol as he continued to point it at Simeon’s chest. “You will not win,” he declared. “Emma is mine.”
“No,” Simeon responded. “Emma belongs to no man.”
Lockhart’s eyes grew frantic as he shouted, “If I can’t have Emma, then no one can!” He swiftly turned the pistol towards her. As his finger contracted on the trigger, gunshots erupted, echoing through the trees.
Before the acrid smoke even dissipated, she was wrapped up in Simeon’s tender arms.
“It’s over,” he whispered into her hair. “Lockhart will never be able to hurt you again.”
Being in Simeon’s arms, she felt safe and protected, and dare she believe, cherished. She tightened her hold around his waist and rested her head on his chest.
Benedict’s voice came from next to her. “I believe we helped aid in the rescue as well,” he teased.
Emma stepped out of Simeon’s arms and gave each one of her rescuers a hug.
“Thank you for saving me,” she told each of them.
Adrien smiled fondly at her. “That is what family does. We protect each other.”
Glancing down at Lockhart’s body, Simeon remarked, “Perhaps it would be best if I escorted Emma to the coach.”
“Good idea,” Jonathon replied. “We’ll go see if Larson needs assistance rounding up Lockhart’s thugs.”
Simeon offered his arm, and Emma eagerly accepted it. As they headed towards the coach, Emma felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. Peter could never hurt her again. She was finally free of him.
“I am relieved beyond words that you are safe,” Simeon declared, placing his hand over hers.
“Thank you for rescuing me.”
Simeon’s eyes were filled with an intensity that she did not understand.
“I will always rescue you, Emma.” His words were filled with such tenderness that it left her speechless.
Maybe he did truly care for her as he had claimed to Peter. Maybe it was not just a ruse. Maybe.