Page 18 of Persuasions of an Earl's Daughter

The icy water stole her breath and closed in over her head.

∞∞∞

The groom brought August’s saddled horse with haste, keeping his gaze lowered. August barely bothered acknowledging the speed with which the lad had done the job. Maybe he would have felt more charitable if the groom had not overheard these men’s plans to take Lilly in a bid to get their hands on the stolen horse. The woman might be a pain in the rear, but she didn’t deserve to be damned well kidnapped by opportunistic bastards.

And August would never forgive himself if he nursed a beer and hoped for the best whilst she ended up harmed.

“Make better decisions next time, lad,” he said sharply.

“They won’t hurt her,” the boy said, still avoiding August’s gaze. “Billy’s too kind for that.”

“Yet he still considered taking a woman against her will.”

August gave up on the idea of scolding the boy further. He needed to catch up with the men quickly. Though he had no weapon, the one benefit of his father’s vicious tutelage was an ability to fight better than many men of good breeding.

Of course, his father never considered him of good breeding. Perhaps that was why August knew how to fight dirty.

He directed his mount out of the courtyard and gripped the reins only bringing horse to a halt at the sight of a woman dashing toward the inn, long grey hair flying free of a rich purple turban. August frowned. “Mrs. Knighton?”

She paused, gulped down a breath, and scowled up at him. “I hope you were not intending to leave my niece all alone and unprotected.”

August swallowed hard. He had, he supposed, technically left her alone but was it his fault the damned woman found trouble everywhere she went? Now he had to somehow explain to her that her darling niece had been taken and he was on his way with the intention of spilling blood to get her back if he must.

“The carriage lost a wheel,” Lilly’s aunt explained through panting breaths. “Not far from here but I could not very well leave Lilly waiting any longer.”

“Your niece has been taken,” August said plainly.

“Taken?”

“There isn’t much time, Mrs. Knighton. Speak with the landlord and find out where the local bailiff or watchman is. Tell him to talk to the groom here and if he has any men, send them toward Castleton.”

Mrs. Knighton blinked a few times and righted her turban. “But—”

He set his jaw and tightened his grip on the reins. “I’m going to pursue these men myself.”

She nodded briskly. “Right you are. Go get them then, my man.” She stepped back as August took off at a gallop.

He rode fast but scanned the surrounding countryside for sign of her. Images of her abandoned on the roadside, beaten and bruised flashed into his mind. The thought made his jaw tighten until his teeth hurt. If the men did not get what they wanted from her would they harm her? Had they already harmed her?

He resisted swearing like the base bastard his father considered him to be. August should never have let her go. Clearly, she’d intended to continue her investigations alone and look where that had left them both. She’d been taken and he was here terrified for a woman he barely knew.

By the time he made it to the next crossroads, the fear threatened to turn into blind panic. The roads were dry and left little sign of the vehicle these blackguards had used to transport her. Empty fields stretched out, punctuated only by tiny farm buildings that likely housed nothing more than a few tools.

There was no one. No one on the roads, no one in the pastures. Lilly was all alone and probably terrified and—

“Yoo-hoo.”

His heart came to a juddering halt. He slowed the horse to a canter and blinked several times until his mind connected with the sight in front of him.

Lilly rose to her feet from her hunched position on the roadside and folded her arms. He approached slowly and eyed the hedges behind her. She couldn’t be here, alone and apparently unharmed. Unless one counted sodden to the skin. Her purple dress clung to every lean angle and her hair hung in sodden spirals. She’d left a dark, wet patch in the dirt where she’d been sitting.

“Took you long enough,” she declared as he stopped and dismounted.

August opened his mouth and closed it. Apart from looking a little gray around her lips, she appeared unharmed, and no men leapt out of the bushes to accost him as he approached.

“Are you well?” he demanded and took both of her arms just to assure himself she was real.

“A little wet but otherwise unharmed.”

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