In Magician's Embrace [BOOK 1 of Price Family Saga]

54. Chapter (A Sinister Shot)

"Lord Leighton," Arden exclaimed, taken aback, as he stopped in his tracks. He surveyed the drawing room, his eyes briefly meeting the shocked expressions of the ladies present, while Lord Gray and his father displayed a mix of anger and disdain. It made him promptly perceive the seriousness of the situation.

"You arrive punctually, Lord Price," Emmett grinned, "to deliver the entire chest to me—for it is rightfully mine and no other's," he gestured at him with a pistol, his tone bearing the weight of a veiled threat.

"Pray tell, upon what grounds do you lay claim to my family's estate?!" Arden demanded sharply, regaining his composure as his initial surprise waned.

"Claim to your family's estate?!" Emmett exclaimed, his tone laced with amusement. "You are well aware of the intricate history surrounding that object, which you inexplicably clutch in your hands."

"And how did you come by this knowledge?" Arden inquired through clenched teeth, choosing to gain a few moments, eager to extract as much information as possible before the inevitable surrender of the most prized possession.

Emmett gestured with his pistol towards Lady Allman. "It was she who alerted me to the unsettling possibility that the old Sir Reginald Sullivan may not have been truthful in his dealings. He allowed me to decimate my own castle, dismissing it as a mere relic of no consequence. And foolishly, I acquiesced, relinquishing possession of that chest."

In that moment, Arden's intellect commenced assembling the puzzle, comprehending the motive behind the ruinous state of Emmett's castle in Taverley. It had been deliberately laid to waste in the pursuit of that chest, and unquestionably, Emmett had triumphed as he had asserted. Nonetheless, fragments of the puzzle remained elusive, pieces that might disclose further revelations.

"You speak falsehoods," the widow defended herself, her gaze fixed resolutely upon Arden. "Lord Leighton sought sanctuary within my abode, seeking refuge from the king, but I remained blissfully ignorant of his clandestine schemes, I swear it!"

Emmett's laughter erupted, brimming with malice. "A liar warns against trusting a liar! It was you who convinced me to exploit Sullivan's vulnerabilities. Yet, in the end, you betrayed me most repugnantly!" he bellowed, redirecting his ire towards Arden. "Had it not been for her meddlesome interference, I would have already possessed that chest, pilfered by your little harlot," he sneered, gesturing towards Lynette.

"She is no harlot!" Arden retorted, his voice tinged with fury, his eyes ablaze with anger.

"I implore you, Your Grace," John interjected softly yet resolutely, having sat silently and impassively until now. "Why do you engage in such actions? After all, you sought Eliza's hand..."

Emmett shook his head, a disdainful snort escaping his lips. "And why not? Every family shall inevitably face its decline. And the estate, by rights, belongs to the crown, and therefore, to me! I intended to abduct your naive, simpleton daughter at the Gray's ball, alongside my servant, coercing you into surrendering that chest as ransom. Alas, thanks to this imbecile," he jabbed a finger towards Daniel, "my plans were thwarted. Indeed, women possess an abundance of fortune in this world, often disregarding it until their own pride catches up with them," he sneered at the widow once more, who glared back at him with contempt written all over her countenance.

Eliza found it difficult to fathom her own ears, her anger surging at the realisation of her own misjudgement and misplaced fairness towards Emmett Leighton's true nature. I endeavoured to embrace a wolf in sheep's clothing, she silently lamented.

Daniel's facial muscles stiffened upon hearing Emmett's confession, acutely aware that their current predicament was exacerbated by the villain's possession of a loaded pistol.