Oliver scoffed again as he began to laugh. “You speak as if women have a choice in the matter. We men are the ones who tell them where they must go and who they shall marry. Or am I mistaken in saying that she left you this morning at my behest?” He laughed more manically this time as the barrel of his gun shook.
Now!
Julian was about to lower his aim and shoot at the man’s leg, but stopped when he suddenly saw Eleanor running toward Oliver at full speed.
“What the devil?!” Oliver cried out before falling forward and losing his grip on his gun.
A single shot rang out as Julian ducked to the side, diving into the thicket of trees as he tucked his limbs in and rolled. He came to a stop on his stomach, looking up as silence filled the air.
Please tell me nobody was shot.
Panic began to build in his chest as not so much as a stirring could be heard. He looked behind him to find three faces staring back at him in confusion. Three unharmed faces provided Julian with temporary relief as he wondered why the silence continued.
Digging his hands into the damp earth, Julian pushed himself up and slowly began to make his way back out of the trees. He was cautious at first, but his movements quickly picked up when he spotted Eleanor and Oliver lying face down in the mud.
“Benedict, I need your help!” Julian yelled over his shoulder as he kicked the gun away from Oliver’s grasp and sent it flying into the surrounding shrubs.
Help came quickly as Benedict was by his side in a flash. “Are they…” he began to ask, but stopped when Julian bent down to feel Oliver’s pulse first.
“He is just unconscious. He must have hit his head on a rock.” Julian looked around at the uneven ground that was strewn with pebbles and rocks of all shapes and sizes.
A small trickle of blood began to pour from Oliver’s head, and Julian quickly spotted the ragged-edged rock beside the man’s head. Hunkering down, Julian began to check Eleanor’s pulse just as she began to stir.
“What happened?” she muttered under her breath and winced when Julian helped her to her feet.
“You saved us,” Julian said as Arabella and Juliette came out from hiding.
“Or almost got us killed,” Benedict muttered, but stopped when Julian discreetly shook his head.
Making sure that she had not been shot, Julian let go and allowed her to stand on her own two feet. Her balance was a little off, but that was to be expected from someone who had just gone through a great ordeal.
“I… I… Julian,” she began tearfully, but it was Juliette who stepped forward and gripped her hand.
“Why did you help us? After all that you did to Lily, you helped us. I saw the way you were pleading with Mr. King not to harm us,” Juliette said gently.
Tears of shame welled in Eleanor’s eyes as she averted her gaze. “I never meant for anyone to physically get hurt, least of all you, Julian.” She lifted her gaze to meet his. “But I can see now that I have been very foolish indeed. Mr. King was never going to just take Lily away, and you were never going to love me as you love her.”
Julian shook his head out of sympathy more than anything else. “But I told you as much. I have never felt more for you than the friendship I offered.”
The tears spilled down her cheeks as Eleanor sucked in a breath and spoke in a quiet voice. “I know.”
Juliette shook her head. “I do not understand. I heard you telling Lily last night that you did not care if Julian loved you or not.The only thing you cared about was that Lily left and never came back.”
Anger built for a moment in his chest again, but Julian quickly pushed it aside when he reminded himself that Eleanor had already paid for her crimes.
Shaking her head, Eleanor looked at nobody other than Julian. “I was lying. One of many lies that I have been telling to get my way from the start. I never realized just how serious my actions were until Mr. King pulled out his gun. I regretted everything the moment that he said he would stop at nothing to make sure that Lily paid for refusing him.”
Julian watched her for a moment, feeling sorry for the pit she had dug for herself. “You need to make better decisions in the future, Miss Everet. I truly believe that there is someone out there for you, who will love you the way you deserve, but that man is not me, and it was never going to be.”
Eleanor shut her eyes as the pain became more evident on her face. “I know, and I must say goodbye now and apologize to all of you. I doubt that we will see each other again, but please tell Lily that I am truly sorry for everything that I have done.”
Julian watched as she turned from them and headed toward her horse that had wandered back down the road.
“What…” Oliver began to stir at Julian’s feet.
“He’s coming around!” Arabella suddenly gasped.
Thinking quickly, Julian jumped on the man’s back and pulled his arms behind his back. “Quickly, get me something to tie his hands up with!”