Then with a sense of horror she saw Lord Kirkhampton raise his pistol and knew that he was aiming at the Marquis.
He himself was completely protected by the tree trunk behind which he was hiding while the Marquis on his horse, silhouetted against the branches, was an easy target.
It was then that Romana hardly thinking what she was doing and acting instinctively, drew the pistol that Archer had given her from her pocket.
She had a feeling that she only had a split second before Lord Kirkhampton would fire, and without deliberately aiming, just bringing down the pistol as her father had taught her to do, she pressed the trigger.
For one frantic moment she thought that she had missed.
Then Lord Kirkhampton’s arm dropped. He must have pulled the trigger for there was an explosion and a b
