If You Were Mine (31 page)

Isobel
watched as Dominic silenced Rupert’s volley of epithets with a well
placed fist. Rupert’s eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped
onto the ground without a murmur.

“
Thank heavens for that,” Sebastian grumbled, placing Rupert’s
knife carefully out of reach. “I didn’t think the stupid man would
ever shut up.”

No
sooner had he hit the floor than Isobel launched herself across the
room at her husband, clinging to the solid warmth of his chest with
trembling hands.

“
Are you alright?” Dominic demanded, tipping Isobel’s head
upwards to study the torn flesh below her chin.

“
It’s nothing,” she said, quick to reassure him. “It is just a
small cut.”

Carefully she studied his face for injury, but could only
find a small graze to the side of Dominic’s chin.

Seconds
later Edward burst into the room, covered in what appeared to be
splatters of blood. With a quick, assessing glance at the room
before him, he shook his head briefly at Dominic. “I’m sorry
Dominic, he got the better of me.”

Dominic
cursed and easing Isobel to one side as he ran a worried gaze over
his brother.

“
Are you alright? Did he harm you?”

Edward
shook his head, and cursed fluidly. “He began to struggle and shot
himself with my gun,” he reported with an apologetic glance at
Isobel. “It appears the prospect of the gallows was too much for
him.”

“
It can’t be helped. As long as you are alright, all is well,”
Dominic muttered feeling no remorse for DeLisle’s death. He turned
a rueful eye on the still unconscious body of Rupert lying at his
feet. “Let’s get him restrained, and off to jail before he does
something stupid to evade justice too.”

No
sooner were the words out than Isobel watched in horror as Rupert
sat bolt upright. The menacing snarl was back on his bloodied face.
He snatched a small pistol out of his boot and pointed it straight
at her.

Isobel’s
heart sank to her knees, and she found herself staring down the
wrong end of his pistol.

“
Move away from her,” Rupert snarled.

“
I’m not coming to you,” Isobel defiantly crossed her arms,
and shot him a contemptuous glare. Inside she was a quivering
wreck.

“
You’ll do as you are told girlie - or you die.”

“
Do you seriously believe that you will get away from here if
you harm her, or even have her with you when you try to leave?”
Dominic fought the burning hatred in his gut, and tried to keep
control of the panic that swept through him. “The gallows will be
the easy option against what I will do to you if you do anything to
her.”

“
Come here,” Rupert beckoned her with a quick twist of the
gun.

“
No,” Isobel replied, refusing to budge. She daren’t look at
her husband standing so close, yet so very far away. Having his
reassuring bulk so near to her went a long way to calming her
fraying nerves, and gave her the strength she needed to face her
tormentor.

“
Come here, or you die.”

“
What do you think you will achieve by killing me? All you
will do is add murder to your list of crimes. You will never be a
free man. You had better have two bullets in that gun, because you
need to follow your friend’s example and use the second shot for
yourself. It would be far better for you, than the fate my husband
will have in store for you.” Isobel tried to keep the tremor from
her voice. She failed miserably.

“
Well said, Isobel,” Dominic declared, mentally applauding her
fortitude. Nothing his wife did any more shocked or surprised him
but at that moment he was damned proud of her.

“
I will let you live as long as you let me leave,” Rupert’s
eyes flickered desperately around the room, clearly searching for a
way out.

Dominic
watched sweat bead on his brow and knew that the seriousness of his
situation had begun to dawn on him.

The
tension thickened within the room. Everyone paused, waiting for
someone to do something, or say something, to break the
stand-off.

Everyone
jumped when Peter suddenly appeared in the doorway, a length of
rope between his fingers.

Isobel
felt a lightening rod of pain shoot across her entire front, a
second before she heard the report of the gun being fired. Vaguely
she saw the fine spray of blood mist the air in front of her. Pain
burned through her, and she suddenly found it difficult to breathe.
Stars danced before her vision and she slowly crumpled to the
ground. She was aware of the thumping of bodies accompanied by a
cacophony of voices she couldn’t make sense of. It all seemed such
a very long way away.

“
Isobel!” Dominic’s worried face swam into her
vision.

“
Dominic,” Isobel gasped softly. She struggled to focus on his
face and fought the familiar swirling mists that threatened to drag
her into unconsciousness. She whimpered when she tried to take a
deep breath only for burning pain to lance down her
side.

“
Do something for me, Dominic,” Isobel whispered, tightening
her fist on her husband’s shirt and drawing him closer.

“
Anything, my darling,” Dominic’s murmured, in a voice that
was as tender as his shaking fingers as stroked her face. Her eyes
met and held his. “Loosen my dress, I can barely
breathe.”

She was
unsurprised when she heard the sound of her dress tearing and cool
air brushed her aching flesh.

“
The doctor is on his way darling; just stay with me,”
Dominic’s voice was choked as he studied his wife’s pale features.
Surely to God fate wouldn’t be as cruel as to snatch her from him
now!

“
Please darling, stay with me,” Dominic pleaded, glancing down
at the steady trickle of blood now seeping onto the carpet. “Don’t
you dare leave me, don’t you dare leave me alone again.” He watched
in horror as her eyes began to cloud over, and knew she was about
to slip into unconsciousness.

“
Darling Dominic, I do love you so,” she said in a voice that
was barely above a whisper. Breathing came easier to her now the
confines of her dress had been removed, but came in shorter, more
comfortable pants. “When I thought I had lost you to another, my
world was torn apart. I knew I would never be the same again. I
feel blessed to have been given a second chance to be a part of
your life, in spite of Rupert’s best endeavours. Nobody could be
prouder to be called your wife. I hope you know that.”

“
Of course I do, my darling. Why do you think I pushed you to
marry me so quickly? You were still on your sick bed for God’s
sakes! I couldn’t bear to take the risk that you would not wish to
marry me once you were hale and hearty.” His soft laugh was hoarse
with emotion. “I had to capture you while you were too weak and
feeble to run away.”

Isobel
smiled at his gentle teasing. Her own eyes were awash with tears as
she studied the desperate pleading in his gaze. A wave of dizziness
assailed her, despite the fact that she was lying down and she knew
that she was going to faint. Drawing in a deep breath took
concentration. Fighting the swirling darkness that was gradually
creeping towards her, she tried to gather her thoughts into some
semblance of order. There was so much she wanted to say to
him.

She
raised her hand to draw his head down towards hers. Placing a
tender kiss upon his lips she managed to whisper, “I love you,
Dominic,” before surrendering to the dark void that swallowed
her.

“
Isobel!” Dominic shook her shoulders, fear lodged in his
throat. “Isobel!”

“
Dominic, come away now.”

Dominic
shook off the firm hands that were pulling him away from her, and
lifted her limp body into his arms.

“
Isobel talk to me darling,” Dominic commanded, moving to sit
on the chaise with her draped across his lap. Fear clawed at him,
and he gave in to the horrifying possibility that she had gone.
Clutching her to his chest, he rocked to and fro slowly and gave in
to the grief; oblivious to everything other than the woman he held
in his arms.

He
thought the belief she had died was bad enough before, but it had
been nothing compared to the pure despair that engulfed him now.
Her beautiful smile, and gentle nature, had quickly secured her a
place in the hearts of all of his family. Her warm humour, and
tinkling laugh brightened his days. Her presence in his house gave
him something to come home to.

She was
his life.

His very
soul.

He
slowly became aware of the insistent pressure of hands prising his
arms from around her and instinctively he tried to shove them away,
but was pinned back as she was gently lifted from his lap by a
grave looking Edward who quickly swept her out of the
room.

“
What the hell are you doing?” Dominic snarled, rising to
follow. He entered the hallway to find Mrs Holcome rushing toward
him.

At the
bottom of the stairs, Sebastian placed a restraining hand on
Dominic’s shoulder when he made to follow them up the stairs. “They
are going to settle her in the bed while we wait for the doctor.
Let Mrs Holcombe work on her, she knows what she is
doing.”

The next
hour had been the worst of his entire life, Dominic thought later
that night as he sat beside the bed. Exhaustion fogged his
thoughts, but he refused to give in to it. A tray of food lay
untouched beside him; he had no appetite for anything other than
his wife. He needed her to open her eyes and reassure him she would
be alright.

The
doctor, when he had arrived, had been unable to find any bullet
hole and had instead stitched the long, thin gash along her ribs
carefully before declaring that her surface wound would heal in
time. There was no imminent danger to her life; she had most
probably fainted through the shock of the ordeal she had
experienced.

Several
hours later, Isobel awoke and slowly became aware of the looming
presence above her. Without opening her eyes, she knew who it was.
His familiar woodsy scent was enough. Ignoring the burning pain in
her side, she raised her eyes to meet the emerald gaze of her
husband.

“
Hello,” he whispered with a tender smile.

“
Hello,” Isobel replied softly through lips that were dry and
cracked. “I am so thirsty.”

Without
further hesitation, Isobel was lifted by the shoulders enough to
drink thirstily from a goblet of water that had appeared from
nowhere.

“
You know, you really must stop doing this,” he declared when
she was settled upon the plush pillows once more.

“
What?” Isobel frowned, wondering what he meant.

“
Lying upon your sick bed, and making me worry myself to
death!” His voice was full of raw emotion. He placed a tender kiss
upon her lips. “God, Isobel!” He couldn’t prevent the surge of
emotion that thickened his voice, and rested his forehead briefly
upon hers, savouring the feel of her being so close, and so
alive.

“
Rupert?” She had to know.

“
Will be tried for attempted murder, kidnap, embezzlement and
hideous debts he has no hope of repaying. He has been taken to
Derby gaol to await trial. At best, he will hang from the gallows.
At worst, he will be transported, but he is most definitely out of
our lives for good.” Dominic couldn’t hide his deep satisfaction at
either possibility.

“
I hope he remains in prison,” Isobel watched as her husband’s
eyebrows rose incredulously. “I don’t want him to swing for his
crimes.”

At
Dominic’s frown of consternation she continued. “I want him to
suffer. I want him to understand what it is like to lose
everything, to live knowing there will be no escape from the misery
of destitution and starvation.”

Dominic
suddenly pushed himself away from the bed. Ignoring her interested
gaze, he quickly removed his shirt and breeches, and slid into the
bed beside her on her good side. He carefully tugged her around
until she lay within the comforting strength of his
arms.

“
Then I think we should both pray for a lenient judge. However
I think we need to understand that given his crimes, he is most
likely to swing from the gallows. Attempted murder will now be
added to his list of crimes after all, and that carries the
harshest punishment.” Dominic’s voice held no sympathy for the
sordid little man, who had so nearly destroyed his future. Gently
kissing the top of her head, he felt raw emotion slide through him
as the memories of the day clouded his thoughts.

“
I thought I had lost you again,” he murmured, pressing a soft
kiss on her brow. “I thought it was bad enough to lose you to
death. I stood beside your grave with Peter, and felt a grief that
brought me to my knees.” He was unable to keep his voice steady as
those horrific memories came flooding back. “Despite everything I
have experienced in life, nothing could have prepared me for losing
the one woman who held my heart, my very future in her hands. To
stand beside your graveside in the drizzle, believing you to be far
from my reach, was unbearable.” His voice turned husky with
emotion. “I would have gladly crawled into that tiny space, and lay
with you had I been able.”