Oliver reached out and grabbed her arm. “Wait, Emme…” he attempted.
She yanked back her arm and said, “I want nothing more than to make this a true marriage, but I can’t do that if you keep lying to me.”
“I am not lying,” he asserted. “How do you think I became so proficient with my pistol?”
“I don’t know.”
Oliver placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned closer. “I think you want to believe what I am saying,” he pressed.
“Why is that?”
“Because deep down, you know it is true.”
“But I don’t.”
With a sigh, he said, “I have kept a part of myself hidden from you since we wed, but it is time that you know the real me.”
She pressed her lips together before admitting, “I want that.”
“I am not the rakehell that everyone believes me to be,” he declared. “If I had my way, I would be home every evening with you, reading a book in the library.”
“Then why do you pretend?”
“I must put duty above all else, and my actions keep England safe from domestic threats.”
Emmeline lowered her gaze to the lapels of his blue jacket. “I want to believe you, but it sounds so far-fetched.”
“I know how it sounds, but I want honesty between us from now on.”
Bringing her gaze back up, she asked, “Is that why you need to go to the peninsula?”
“It is.”
“Do you have to go?” she asked weakly.
He shook his head. “I can pass on the assignment, assuming that is what you want me to do.”
“What I want is not important,” she replied. “I have only ever wanted you to be happy.”
“I am happy with you.”
“Are you?”
He nodded. “Every day I am with you is a day that I treasure.”
Emmeline’s frown lessened. “Why are you telling me this now?”
“You must understand that I was trying to protect you from the truth,” he said, “but I realized the only way we could have a true marriage was if I revealed who I truly am.”
The sound of a pistol cocking in the distance drew his attention. He turned his head to see Lord Taylor a short distance away, pointing a pistol at them.
Oliver ushered Emmeline behind him. “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.
Lord Taylor walked closer to them, his pistol never wavering. “I tried asking nicely, but you refused to hand Lockhart Manor over to me.”
Emmeline spoke up from behind him. “That is because Lockhart Manor is mine.”
“It was supposed to belong to me,” Lord Taylor replied, his voice rising. “If you had just married the duke like we had intended, then you would never have found out about Lockhart Manor or your dowry.”
“Is that why you were forcing me to marry the duke?” she asked.
“It was,” Lord Taylor said. “The duke was so enamored with you that he didn’t care about a dowry, allowing me to keep the funds for myself.”
“I thought you paid off the gambling hell on my behalf?”
Lord Taylor smirked. “I did pay them fifteen thousand pounds, but that was for the debt that I had accrued at their establishment, not your father.”
“Everything you told me was a lie,” Emmeline accused.
“Not everything,” Lord Taylor responded. “You must trust me when I say that I never wanted it to come to this.”
Oliver interjected, “Why is Lockhart Manor so important to you?”
Lord Taylor met his gaze as he explained, “If you must know, I have been in league with smugglers for years. It has been quite a lucrative business for me, but I almost lost a shipment because of your interference.” He frowned. “Then, you went and reported the smugglers to the constable. That was poorly done on your part.”
“How did you know I spoke to the constable?”
“I have my ways.”
“Is the constable working with you?”
Lord Taylor laughed loudly. “Heavens, no. Constable Philmont has been so busy with his mercantile that he has failed to notice the smugglers were using our shores.”
Oliver glanced over his shoulder at Emmeline, then asked, “Did you send the attacker to kill Emmeline?”
“I did,” Lord Taylor admitted. “I didn’t want to have to kill her myself.”
“For what purpose?” Oliver asked. “If he had succeeded in killing Emmeline, I would have still retained ownership of Lockhart Manor.”
“I have no doubt that you would have sold it to me, since you wouldn’t want to continue residing at the manor where your wife was killed,” Lord Taylor commented.
Oliver gestured towards his pistol as he said, “There is only one problem with your plan.”
“Which is?”
“Your pistol only has one bullet and there are two of us. One of us will survive this ordeal,” Oliver pointed out.
Lord Taylor scoffed. “You think you are so clever,” he mocked. “You should have stayed out of our lives.”
“I’m afraid that wasn’t possible.”
“Now you shall die for your interference,” Lord Taylor said. “I have always hated you, even when you were betrothed to my daughter.”
“Why was that?”
“You are entirely too cocky for your own good,” Lord Taylor remarked. “I was the one who helped convince Charlotte she was better off without you.”
Oliver shrugged. “Regardless, I believe I am much better suited with Emmeline, and I am immensely happy with our union.”
“And you shall die together,” Lord Taylor proclaimed.
Emmeline interjected, “How will you explain our deaths to the constable?”
“I won’t,” Lord Taylor said. “As far as anyone is concerned, I was on my way back to Town when your deaths occurred.”
“You have this whole thing planned out, don’t you?” Oliver asked.
Lord Taylor puffed out his chest in pride. “I do,” he replied. “I don’t like to leave anything to chance, especially when it comes down to losing money.”
“What if we were to give you Lockhart Manor?” Emmeline inquired.
With a shake of his head, Lord Taylor responded, “I’m afraid it is too late for that.” He gestured with his pistol. “Get on your knees.”
“And if we refuse?” Oliver asked.
Lord Taylor’s gaze shifted over Oliver’s shoulder. “Then the village’s beloved vicar will have no choice but to shoot you straightaway.”
Emmeline gasped. “Mr. Lawson is
