"Arabella, my God, Arabella," Blake said, running up to his wife and heaving her cousin off her.
He ran his hands all over her gore-stained dress. But apart from some singed skin on her stomach where the powder had burnt right through to her bare skin, she was unharmed.
They stared at each other for a moment, hardly able to believe they were both still alive. Then he opened his arms wide and she threw herself into them. They clung to each other on the mired ground, and wept.
"It's over now. It's over," he whispered against her hair.
"Is it? Is it really?"
"Come, let's get you back to the house. You need to rest." He helped her to her feet, trying to shield her body and her eyes.
"But Adam-"
"No, my love. Don't look."
She caught a glimpse of red glistening on the grass, and doubled over, retching.
"Don't look," he said again, and led her away from Adam's eviscerated corpse.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Blake had at last got his trembling wife out of the ruined riding habit and into a hot bath. He had forced Arabella to drink a cup of hot sweet tea, and now she was wrapped up in a night dress and quilt almost sitting on top of the fire, scarcely able to control her shivering.
He hardly dared touch her until she asked softly, "Hold me, darling, please?"
"Of course."
He wrapped his arms around her, breathing in the fragrance of her clean hair. In her pristine white night dress with a high lace collar, she looked like the small child he recalled from so many years ago, innocent and fresh and unspoiled.
He stroked her hair back from her brow. "I love you, you know that, dearest, don't you? There is nothing you can't say to me."
"I just can't believe what he did to me."
"Tried to do, Arabella. He beat you, but at least we know for sure now that he never raped you, never gave you a disease, and that it's truly over at last.
"He's dead now. He can never hurt you again. I know how hard this is for you, how absolutely horrifying. But if you allow him to make you fearful for the rest of your life, then he's won. Defeated us.
"I know you're stronger than that, Arabella. You were so strong for me when we had to cope with the carriage accident. You saved my life then. I'm asking you to save it again. Make me a whole man, banish my fears. Let us both put the past behind us, and be happy."
She nodded. "You make me strong, Blake. I know you'll protect me this time, just as you always have."
"I've tried. Malcolm and Geoffrey Branson know the whole story now. Oliver told them everything he knows. It's a dreadful story. I can scarcely credit it myself, even having seen the results of his depravity with my own eyes."
"How can we possibly explain this to the poor Jeromes. I mean, the girls were all set to marry them!" She gave another long shudder of horror. "The family has been through so much already."
"Malcolm agreed we shouldn't tell the whole truth. Adam is dead now, so what difference can it possibly make to reveal it all? We're telling everyone he went berserk and tried to kill me over some gambling debts. Not everyone will accept that explanation, but if we all stick to the same story, it will blow over."
"Will Oliver be charged?" she asked quietly after a time.
He shrugged. "I'm going to make a case for him not being. He was misguided and stupid, and certainly did wrong, but he's not a vicious criminal. He's truly horrified by what he's done, what he could have become. We'll find a suitable punishment for him, never fear.
"I'm also discharging all of their debts. As soon as the news spread of Adam's death they flocked like vultures. It appears your cousins were fond of gambling. Adam ran up a fortune of debt trying to create a good impression to win your hand in marriage to get their hands upon your wealth. I know it isn't my responsibility. Malcolm told me that. It's just that I don't see any reason why these blameless people have to lose out because Adam was a thief, liar and degenerate."
"I can't believe he killed so many poor women," she sighed.
"If I hadn't been so preoccupied with nursing you, I would have heard about the most recent poisoning cases in Bristol and Bath. There was so much evidence, but I couldn't think about anything other than you and getting you well after you were assaulted."
"I was so scared."
He held her close. "I know. It must have been terrible to have someone you trusted turn on you like that. And today, you must have thought he was going to attack you again."
"No." She shook her head vehemently. "I meant I was terrified he was going to kill you. It was all I could think about. My worst nightmare come true. It was a fight to the death. If the powder hadn't been damp, he would have shot you in cold blood for certain.