Charlie, knowing the dueling pistol only held a single shot, twisted it out of Millie’s hand. She grabbed her arm and a handful of her dress and flipped her onto the floor. In a moment, she had Millie turned over on her stomach with her arms twisted painfully behind her back.
“Jayne!” Charlie shouted, the panic evident in her voice. “Jayne, how badly are you hurt?”
Charlie craned her neck around to see Jayne. Only her knees and legs were visible from her vantage point. Her dress was speckled with blood. It seemed to take forever for her to answer.
“She shot me,” Jayne said in bewilderment.
“Where?”
“I didn’t shoot her,” Millie protested. “This is your fault! If you hadn’t grabbed my arms….”
Charlie twisted Millie’s arms harder until she cried out in pain.
“Shut up you stupid, twit. No one would have gotten shot if you hadn’t shown up here with a gun.” Charlie looked back to where Jayne was laying.
“Where are you hit, Jayne?” Charlie was surprised how calm her voice now sounded when she was anything but.
“It’s my arm. There’s a piece missing about the size of my finger.” Jayne’s voice was high with tension.
“Stay calm, Jayne. I know you’re scared and I know it hurts. Can you tell me if it grazed you or did the bullet go through your arm?”
“Y-yes, I think it just grazed me.”
“Do you think you could get me something to tie her up with?”
Jayne exhaled audibly. “Yes, I think I can.” Jayne rose to her feet, unsteadily. “My legs are wobbly.”
“If you think you’re going to faint or fall, sit back down.”
“No, I’m all right.”
Jayne slowly made her way down the remaining stairs and looked about for something to use to tie her up. “Will the yarn work?”
“Yes, anything.”
Jayne went into the parlor, but when she realized her hands were bloody she used a knitting needle to stab a ball of yarn to pick it up.
“Go sit down until I get her tied up,” she said to Jayne as she took the yarn.
Charlie knew how to tie strong knots that would not come loose. However, she was unsure of the strength of the thick yarn so she lashed her arms together half a dozen times before she felt confident in the strength of the bonds. She did the same to Millie’s feet. Only then did she feel safe to look after Jayne.
“No!” Jayne gasped as Charlie approached. “You’ll get blood on your dress. Mabel and Mrs. Jenkins will never forgive me if I get blood on your wedding dress.”
Charlie hesitated. “Jayne the dress doesn’t matter.”
“No, Charlie, take it off. Please.”
Charlie sighed and began unbuttoning the dress. “For goodness sake.”
“Put it over there,” she said pointing. “I’ve been bleeding everywhere I’ve gone.”
After laying her dress over the foyer table she ran for her bag and some towels.
Morty stood at the door knocking for several minutes before he decided to try the knob. He wasn’t expecting to find a woman trussed up like a Christmas goose lying on the foyer floor.
“Help me,” the pretty blonde woman cried. “Untie me.”
Morty bent down and looked closely at the knots. He scratched his head as he erected himself.
“Where’s Charlie?”
“They-they took her. Untie me.”
“Not a chance, sweetheart. I’d know Charlie’s knots anywhere.”
Morty changed his focus to his surroundings. He saw the wedding gown carefully draped on the table and then he saw a bloody knitting needle and a gun. There were blood drops all over the floor.
“Charlie!” Morty bellowed. “Charlie, where are you?”
“Back here in the galley,” she called back. “Thank God you’re here.”
Morty followed the sound of her voice into the kitchen where Jayne lay on the table as Charlie finished stitching up her arm. Jayne turned her head toward the doorway; a wide grin graced her pale face.
“Morty, my soon-to-be cousin-by-marriage! Does that make you my cousin once removed or my second cousin? I can never get it straight.”
“What happened, Charlie?”
“I got winged in my wing.” Jayne answered before Charlie could respond.
“I think I gave her a little too much laudanum,” Charlie said to explain Jayne’s silliness.
“Oh no, I think you gave me just the right amount.” Her speech was drawn out and her eyes momentarily lolled shut.
“That…creature in the hallway came here to shoot me and poor Jayne got shot instead. Go to the church and tell him what happened. The wedding will have to be postponed.”