The Earl's Desire (37 page)

“
No, Merrick, I do not lie. She was a whore. In fact, if you must know, she was my lover. She came to me every night when you were off trying to find Frederic.” Allan laughed again. “She was great, Merrick, until the very last moment when she begged me not to kill her. But of course, I had to. Do you know why, cousin?” Allan sneered. “Because she was pregnant with another child of yours, Merrick, and I couldn’t possibly let that child live, now could I, if I was to get my inheritance?” he said angrily and walked back to his seat.

Merrick shook his head. “So Frederic’s kidnapping was all because of you, too?”

“
Of course, cousin. Who else could mastermind that? After all, it took your great team that you created out of thin air just three months to find the boy. I planned to kill him on the spot, but then that would have been no fun for me. I needed to see you suffer, Merrick, like I suffered when your father neglected to send us money. I lived in the slums, Merrick. Do you know how terrible that was?” Allan finished off, banging his palm on the table.

“
You bastard!” Merrick thrust himself toward his cousin.

“
Whoa, easy, cousin. You’ll get your turn soon enough.” Allan laughed with pure joy.

“
It was you that day at the lake. You tried to shoot me, didn’t you?” Merrick’s anger heightened as he clenched his teeth for control.

“
Indeed, my cousin, it was me, but how unfortunate it was that you managed to get away. And damn that day, too, when that horse of yours could have fallen on you and killed you, but of course, that was your other bit of luck.” Allan stared down into Merrick’s eyes. They gazed at each other. Merrick’s eyes were full of anger and hatred, whereas Allan’s eyes were smiling.

“
I could have easily killed you while you were very sick, too, Merrick, after that horse accident, but damn that ward of yours, fussing over you like a nanny. No one ever had the chance to get near you with him around.” He snorted, hating the little boy for messing up with their plans.

Merrick smiled at that. His Christine; she guarded him like a watchdog. God, he loved her. The thought of her love and care for him gave him strength. There was no way he was going to die today. Not now, not today, and not anytime soon.
He had too much to live for.

“
It frustrates you, does it not, cousin, to know that there are people who guard me well,” Merrick said.

“
Aye, Merrick, guarded you too well. But not today,
my lord
, not today.”

“’
Tis enough talk already,” McLean complained.

“
We must get this over and done with,” Lady Queensbury said, walking back and forth, feeling very agitated.

“
Very well then, let’s get this done,” McLean said. He drew a gun from his waistcoat and threw it to Allan. “You do the honors, my boy. Your father would be proud of you.”

Allan caught the gun and turned it over in his hand. “Aye, he would be very proud of me.” He turned to Merrick and pointed the gun at his heart. “I’m sorry, Merrick, I need to be The Earl of Huntingdon and have all that goes with it.” He smiled as his finger started to pull the trigger.

Merrick stared hard at the gun pointing at his heart. He was sweating, and his heart was pounding in his chest. He was tense all over. He saw Allan’s finger slowly pulling the trigger backward. It moved slowly, bit by bit. He stared at it, and then as quick as a tiger, he pounced on Allan.

The two men fell to the ground. Allan dropped the gun. It flew to the far side of the room. Both McLean and Lady Queensbury were surprised by the attack. They jerked backward and watched the two men fighting on the floor.

Lady Queensbury saw the gun. She rushed and grabbed it, clutching it in her hands.

The two men were still struggling on the floor. Merrick tried to push Allan off him. He punched Allan in the face. Allan was thrown and landed on his back. Merrick threw himself on his cousin, and again they fought.

Lady Queensbury stared at the gun in her hands. Determinedly, she pointed it in the direction of the two men. She tried to direct it at Merrick, but the two men kept changing positions. It was hard for her to focus on one spot. She shifted the gun from Merrick; then it was pointing at Allan the next second. When she moved to point it at Merrick again, it was Allan she was targeting at. She was very frustrated.

McLean urged her to shoot Merrick. The shouting rang loudly in her ears. It was chaotic. Then she chanced a shot. She missed.

She stared at the two forms on the floor. Their position had changed, and Merrick was on the top. She realized then that Merrick was winning, and his back was an easy target for her. She pointed the gun at his back and then she pulled the trigger.

In that second, Allan gathered all his strength and bashed Merrick in the face, causing him to crash to the ground. Allan jumped up, and then he halted in midair. He couldn’t utter a word. He felt the pain at his back. Then he slowly turned and saw the gun pointing at him. Lady Queensbury was holding it.

Lady Queensbury was in shock. Reality left her. She was numb. All she could do at that moment was stare at Allan falling to the ground. There was blood everywhere. She shook her head and rushed to him. Midway, she hit the table, and the candle fell. It hit the floor, and the little flame spread onto the hay and then up the wood of the table and walls.

“
Allan, I didn’t mean to. It was an accident,” she cried.

Merrick got up from the floor and headed for the door. McLean caught him by the arm. Merrick reacted by smashing his fist into the man’s face. McLean responded by punching him back. They both fell to the floor, trading blows.

The door crashed opened. Christine stared about the room in horror. The flames were everywhere, burning as if eating the barn alive. She turned and saw Merrick fighting with McLean. She wanted to help. She searched about and found a thick plank of wood. She grabbed it and swung it at McLean’s shoulder. The man fell to the ground.

“
Merrick,” she called.

Merrick stared at Christine.
What the hell was she doing here?
The next second, he caught her in his arms and hugged her hard.

“
Merrick, are you all right?” she cried.

Merrick frowned at the black and blue of her face. He saw that her arms and chest were also black and blue. His heart ached for her pain. “Who did this to you?” he asked.

“
It is nothing, Merrick,” she said, so happy that she was in time, so happy that he was all right.

Lady Queensbury looked up from the limp body of Allan and stared at Christine in Merrick’s arms. She rushed forward and ripped the girl away from Merrick. She held one arm around Christine’s throat and with her other hand pointed the gun to her head.

“
Your lover, Huntingdon, do you care for her?” she sneered. “You, bitch. I killed you eighteen years ago. How did you escape? How?” she shouted and tightened her gripped around Christine’s throat.

“
Stop it, Lady Queensbury. She is not who you think she is,” Merrick gritted out, his gut tightening with fear.

“
No, this is Sophia, the slut I killed eighteen years ago,” she screamed.

“
No, Lady Queensbury, this is not Sophia. This is Christine, the daughter of Sophia.” Merrick slowly moved toward them, his hands outstretched.

“
Sophia’s daughter? No, that night they all died in the fire, I am sure of it,” she cried, shaking her head.

“
Lady Queensbury, it doesn’t have to be this way,” Merrick said. He could hear the flames roaring about his ears. The heat was getting higher.

At that moment, McLean regained his consciousness. He got up and stared at Merrick’s back.

“
Merrick—” Christine managed to scream out the warning when she saw the fat man moving toward him.

Lady Queensbury smiled at the figure behind Merrick. She gripped Christine’s throat tighter so that she couldn’t talk. Christine was afraid. She wanted to do something. She wanted to tell Merrick that there was a man behind him.

In that instant, McLean grabbed Merrick from behind and hit him hard on the back of his head. Merrick fell to the ground. Christine screamed and tried to fight her way from Lady Queensbury’s grip but couldn’t get free.

Jacob rushed into the barn to help Merrick at that moment. Max rushed in and pounded on McLean with his large fist. McLean fell to the ground and tried to get up, but Peter went to him and placed his foot on the man’s chest, indicating that he should not make a move. Mr. Sam went for Lady Queensbury.

Lady Queensbury panicked when she saw that she was outnumbered. She tightened her grip on Christine and used her as a shield.

“
You dare come near, I’ll shoot,” she screamed. Mr. Sam halted.

Merrick stared at Christine. He shouted at Mr. Sam, “Don’t do anything stupid. She will kill Christine.”

Lady Queensbury laughed. “Indeed, Huntingdon, I will.”

Max moved slowly up behind her. She did not see him, for she was too intent on watching Merrick. She suddenly realized it was the first time that she had ever seen him afraid. And that pleased her indeed.

“
Lady Queensbury, the girl has nothing to do with this,” Merrick said as Max crept along the inflamed wall.

“
Nothing to do with this? Wrong!” she screamed at him. “She has everything to do with this. You’ve asked her to marry you.”

“
She still has nothing to do with this,” Merrick said.

“
I don’t bloody care about that. I want to kill her like I killed her mother eighteen years ago. They will both die in the flames.” She laughed and turned her pale blue eyes to Christine. “Enjoy the fire, my dear,” she said.

Christine’s whole body shook in reaction. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Her lips quivered. Lady Queensbury started to pull the trigger.

Max leapt at her. The bullet flew past Christine’s head by an inch and hit the wall. Max struck Lady Queensbury on the shoulder and sent the gun flying in the air. It landed near Mr. Sam’s feet, and he picked it up hurriedly.

Merrick rushed to Christine and caught her in his arms.

“
Are you all right?” he asked, his heart still beating furiously.

Christine closed her eyes. She thought she was never going to see him again. She managed to nod.

“
No, no!” Lady Queensbury screamed where she lay. The raging fire roared, causing the burning ceiling to crash to the ground. She got up and threw herself at Mr. Sam. The gun flew from his hand. She grabbed for it and pointed it toward Merrick. She stared at him. The fire scorched her eyes. Smoke was everywhere, turning the atmosphere into gray and gold. Lady Queensbury took a deep breath and then pulled the trigger.

Merrick jerked backward. He was hit in the arm. He fell to the ground.

Christine screamed. “Merrick, please don’t die. Merrick!” she cried.

Lady Queensbury laughed, and she fired again. Max threw himself on her, causing both of them to fall to the ground. She kicked him in the shin and pushed herself up.

McLean at that moment took the chance and swung his fist at Peter’s leg. The man slipped and fell on his back. McLean then pushed himself up.

Jacob rushed toward McLean and punched him in the stomach, sending the man to the ground again. A beam weakened by the fire fell down on him, knocking him unconscious. Jacob helped Mr. Sam up.

Blood seeped out of Merrick’s arm and dripped to the ground. Christine applied pressure to the wound with her hands.

“
My lord, we must get out. The fire will burn the place down,” Jacob said and led them toward the door.

“
You are not going anywhere,” Lady Queensbury screamed. She pointed the gun at them. Her main target was Merrick. She was about to fire when Max knocked her arm, and the gun flew from her.

“
Quick, Your Grace, ’tis time to go,” Jacob shouted to Max.

Jacob and Christine dragged the limp Merrick toward the door. Ash and fire flew about in the air. They couldn’t see an exit. The heat was becoming unbearable.

“
Quick, this way.” Jacob led them to an opened door that was surrounded by fire. Only a small exit space was visible.

“
Quick, Peter, we have to get out of here,” Mr. Sam shouted over the roaring of the fire. They rushed out of the burning barn. As they ran out, more beams and the ceiling crashed to the ground, engulfing the small barn.

They halted about ten yards away. Jacob laid Merrick down on the ground.