Bride for a Night(120)

Time seemed to stop as Talia skidded to a halt.

What should she do? Barely daring to breathe, she hastily reviewed her limited options.

She could not possibly overpower Jacques, even if she were willing to put Gabriel in harm’s way. Which she most certainly was not. And while she might be able to use the passageway to find Lord Rothwell, she would never be able to return in time to prevent Jacques from…

She shuddered, refusing to admit she was helpless.

She glanced about the room, briefly considering her small cudgel that lay forgotten near the doorway. She was skilled in knocking a man senseless with the weapon, but only when she could strike without warning. Besides, she dare not attack Jacques while he held the knife to Gabriel’s throat.

Desperate, her attention shifted to the gun that was nearly hidden beneath the bed.

She was no experienced duelist, but she had been taught the basics of shooting a pistol. It was not a particularly difficult task, considering the weapon was already primed and ready to be fired. However, not even the finest marksman could be certain of hitting Jacques without putting Gabriel at serious risk.

But then, she did not need to shoot Jacques, she abruptly realized. There was a far easier method of forcing him to release Gabriel.

Or at least, she hoped it would be easier.

Keeping her gaze locked on the three who had seemingly forgotten her presence, Talia covertly shifted until she was standing next to the bed. Only then did she cautiously bend down to grasp the gun, hiding it in the folds of her skirt as she straightened.

She forced herself to count to ten, ensuring that no one was taking notice of her before she inched her way along the edge of the room. Then, refusing to contemplate her battered conscience, she darted forward and pressed the gun directly to Sophia’s temple.

“Release him, Jacques, or I will shoot her,” she warned in harsh tones.

She sensed Sophia tense in alarm, but she dared not allow her gaze to stray from Jacques who kept the dagger firmly pressed to Gabriel’s throat.

Silence filled the room, broken only by the tick of the ormolu clock on the mantel.

Talia swallowed the lump in her throat, noting Gabriel’s furious glare and Sophia’s faint tremors as she waited for Jacques to accept he had been bested.

“You wouldn’t,” he rasped at last.

“Do not be so certain,” she warned. “I am desperate.”

There was another silence before Sophia released an unsteady laugh.

“You are wasting your time, my lady,” she said, her own gaze lingering on the man she loved. “Jacques cares far more for his glorious dreams than a flesh-and-blood female who cannot compete with a fantasy.”

Talia shook her head, not missing the fear that had briefly flared through Jacques’s eyes. He was far more anxious at the thought of Sophia being in danger than he cared to admit.

Perhaps even to himself.

“I think you underestimate his attachment to you,” she murmured. “Is that not true, Jacques?”

With an effort he managed to curl his lips into a stiff smile.

“Do not be a fool, ma petite. You will never forgive yourself if you hurt an innocent.”

Talia deliberately shifted her gaze to the very large dagger that was currently pressed to Gabriel’s throat.

“I will never forgive myself if I stand aside and allow you to murder my husband,” she countered, the sincerity in her voice unmistakable. “Put down the knife.”

Jacques’s lips flattened as his narrowed gaze searched her bleak expression.

“You know I cannot do that.”