Page 40 of Persuasions of an Earl's Daughter

“Theykidnappedme, August. They are dangerous.”

The corner of his lip ticked up. “You got away from them. They cannot be that difficult to defeat.”

She folded her arms. “I think I am a little offended.”

“Good. Stay that way and stay here.”

“I’m going with you.”

“No, you’re not.” He turned and tried to close the door, but she gripped the edge of it to prevent him from shutting it upon her then she stalked downstairs after him. “You cannot expect me to simply sit around and hope you are not harmed.”

“You can and you will.”

“But—”

He rounded on her as he reached the front door. With a glance at Astrid and Klara who hovered in the doorway between the parlor room and the kitchen, he dropped his voice. “Stay here and ensure nothing happens to these women. The men have already been here and if they figure out these two were lying to them—”

Lilly swallowed. Her kidnappers had been the useless, fumbling sort of men, but Fred was strong, and her escape had likely infuriated him. She could imagine him being the sort of man to threaten young ladies.

“Fine. I’ll stay, but if you let anything happen toyou,I’ll kill you.”

He flashed a grin she swore she’d never forget, even as a chill swept through her and competed with the warmth that flushed through her face as he leaned in and kissed her cheek. “It’s a deal.”

He shut the door and Astrid dashed forward to lock it. “I am under orders,” she explained as Klara took Lilly’s arm.

“I think this calls for a cup of tea,” Klara announced. “Just what every English woman needs.”

Lilly eyed the locked and bolted door and nodded slowly. “I’ll make it,” she offered.

Anything to keep her mind off August out there, practically defending her honor. Anything to distract her from thinking about how she might not survive if something happened to him.

∞∞∞

Head ducked low, August pushed against the incessant rain. He swiped it from his face every few minutes to no avail. It saturated a jacket designed for warm spring weather and dripped down the back of his collar, though it was impossible to feel any chill from the droplets trailing down his skin.

Fire consumed him. He pictured the men who had taken Lilly, who had put her life at risk, who had left her weak and cold and hurt. He thought of how close they’d been to grabbing her again.

They’d never get another chance at her, he would make certain of that.

He pushed through the puddles forming on the muddy main road of the village. Candlelight sprung up in cottage windows as he passed by, their inviting glow taunting him. Yet aside from with Lilly, there was no where he’d rather be. The kidnappers made a mistake searching for their missing prize. They’d put themselves in his path.

It didn’t take long for him to spot them. The weather kept people indoors and few would be mad enough to be outside aside from him and these men. August wagered all the people in the pub had decided to hunker down there until the deluge passed.

Which meant the tired wagon waiting outside a large brick house next to the church could only be the kidnappers.

His suspicions were confirmed when he spied a slender man sitting in the cart, his coat pulled over his head, his shoulders stooped, and a heavy-set man rapping on the door of the house. They were looking for Lilly.

Whilst Astrid and Klara had been happy to protect Lilly against whatever excuses the pair were making for looking for her, August couldn’t be certain the men would not be directed back to their lodgings. Word of strangers in their midst would have spread fast amongst the villagers and even an innocent comment could send the two men back Lilly’s way.

Curling a fist so tight it hurt his knuckles, August moved as swiftly as the thick mud would allow. The spitting rain covered his footsteps, and the darkness shielded him from view. With the driver hunched beneath his coat, August had a fine opportunity.

He waited for the door of the house to open and the large man to be distracted before leaping up onto the front of the wagon and grabbing the slender man. His brief cry of surprise was swallowed by the thrum of raindrops on wood and August tossed him to the ground, satisfied when he heard the squelch of mud.

The man scrabbled to stand, slipped on the mud, then fight to stand again. August leapt down as the man managed to find purchase on the slick ground and shoved his coat out of his face.

“What the ‘eck?” the man peered at August as though he were some hell-bound demon.

Truth be told, August rather felt like he had the hounds of hell on his side. Heat ripped through him as he stared down the man who thought he could use Lilly for profit. He closed the gap between them in seconds and gripped the man by the collar.

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