Chapter 54
Chapter Fifty-Four
Perry’s heart almost leaped out of his chest once he arrived at the river’s edge. Michael’s footsteps thudded behind him, with Beau not far behind. They had mere moments to act before Charlotte would drift well out of their grasp.
“I’m gonna kill him,” Michael threatened.
“You wouldn’t dare steal the pleasure from me,” Perry warned. Still clutching the pistol at his side, he lifted it to aim at Newbridge and released the trigger guard.
He only had one shot.
Though he was a good shot, the possibility was all too real that he would miss. If he hit Charlotte, all would be lost. If he missed firing at the viscount, his wife would be lost.
Perry would lose everything if he failed.
“Charlotte, stay down!” he yelled out over the soft breeze. The calm perfection of the summer day contrasted eerily with the events playing out before him.
Neighbors began collecting on the shore, watching everything unfold. Some called out to Newbridge, some getting their own rowboats ready to help stop the madman.
Seeing Charlotte’s head pop up from inside the boat, he breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t too late to save her. Her head dropped out of sight.
She had heard him.
“Bring her back, Newbridge!” he called out, hating the desperation in his tone, watching as the man waved. “This is your last warning.” Perry clenched his teeth as Newbridge shook his head with a smirk on his face.
The viscount had him right where he wanted him.
Desperate.
On the brink of ruin.
“Au revoir, Winchester! Say farewell to your beloved countess!” He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, the distance making it harder to hear. “Now you can see how it feels to have everything taken from you.”
Despair clawing at his chest, Perry placed his finger on the trigger, praying as he took aim.
He held his breath and pulled the trigger, trying to account for how the bullet would travel from the gun.
The bullet didn’t have much range, and he wasn’t sure how accurate the pistol would be, but it was his only hope.
He mouthed a silent prayer that the shot would go right to its target.
The projectile flew. Perry’s heart stopped as the bullet moved toward Newbridge in the blink of an eye.
A loud grunt came from Newbridge as he recoiled. He was hit.
The group of servants who gathered behind the earl gave a collective gasp. A woman swooned, though Perry didn’t stay to watch.
“By Jove, you’ve got him, brother,” Beau said slowly, as they watched the one triumphant man sway on his feet.
The viscount braced himself on the rowboat seat, growling in pain. Perry knew that pain well.
Dropping the pistol, he strode into the water, wading toward the rowboat. There was no time to waste. He was a strong swimmer and needed to get to the boat before Newbridge had the opportunity to do anything else.
Michael and Beau got to work behind him, shouting at the servants for rope and blankets, organizing the crowd to prevent total hysteria. The unconscious maid was carried away by two footmen to the house.
“Don’t come any closer, Spencer!” the viscount shouted.
The viscount lifted Charlotte with a painful effort.
His wife screamed, struggling within the confines of the ropes. The boat rocked. Perry hesitated between heeding his enemy’s threats and being there to catch her if she fell. When she fell. The danger of her going into the water was very real.
The river grew deeper as Perry continued to wade into the murky depths.
He suspected what Newbridge’s next move would be, the thought chilling his blood.
A bullet would not stop the need for revenge.
It only stoked the fire to burn hotter and brighter.
If Newbridge had nothing to lose before, he had even less now.
“No, no, no,” Perry breathed.
Shoving aside tangles of lily pads and water weeds, he dove into the water, swimming as fast as he could toward the small rowboat. The water was deep enough that if Charlotte was held down by ropes and heavy clothing, she would drown if he didn’t get to her in time.
“Stand down, Newbridge. We will come rescue you both,” Beau shouted over him, the lies floating toward the rowboat.
A final maniacal laugh reached his ears as Perry dove frantically into the depths of the river. He lifted his head out of the water to orient himself, only to see Newbridge jumping into the river with his wife clutched in his arms.
Her scream echoed through the air, sending a chill up his spine.
Their bodies hit the surface of the water in a haunting, thunderous crash.
His last hope flickering in his chest, he swam toward the sound.