Page 97 of When the Rogue Returns
Tristan jerked his head in the direction of the boat. Guessing what he intended, Victor nodded. As Tristan and Dom slid through the woods toward the river, Victor indicated to the baron to stay put.
Time for a distraction. Gerhart wasn’t expecting anyone other than him, and he meant to keep it that way while Dom and Tristan got into position.
Victor watched, heart pounding, until the other two men reached the riverbank and slipped into the water. Then, dragging in a deep breath, he walked out into the clearing with his pistol drawn.
23
ISA NEARLY HADheart failure when she saw her husband enter the clearing. What was Victor doing? Gerhart wouldneverrelease Amalie now!
“Let her go, Gerhart!” Victor ordered. “Or I swear I’ll shoot you where you stand!”
Gerhart paled, but his grip on Amalie tightened. “You don’t dare. Not while I’ve got your precious daughter in my arms.”
Amalie’s face clouded in confusion. “Mama?” she said, staring at Isa. “What does Uncle Gerhart mean—daughter?”
“We’ll talk about it later, dearest,” Isa said, forcing calm into her voice. “For now, just do whatever your uncle says.” She scowled at him. “Surely you won’t hurt your own niece. What kind of monster are you?”
Gerhart’s face was implacable. “This is what happens when you don’t follow my rules, Isa.”
Fear made her light-headed, and only through strength of will did she not faint. “I have no control over my husband, as you should well know by now.”
“Then your daughter will suffer for it.”
When Isa uttered an unintelligible cry, Victor stiffened and called over to Jacoba. “Look at your sister, damn it,” he said, never taking his eyes from Gerhart. “Look at what your husband is doing to her. She’s your blood, for God’s sake. Do you really mean to tear her child from her?”
Jacoba watched him with indecision in her face. “It’s not my fault! You shouldn’t have come. If you don’t let us leave, we’ll both hang!”
“I swear that you won’t,” Victor said. “Not if he releases the child rightnow.”
Isa wanted to scream. Her sister would never go against Gerhart. She’d abandoned Isa for him long ago; why did Victor think that was going to change?
Something moved just beyond Isa’s vision, and she glanced over to see Mr. Manton in the water, his head just showing above the surface past the boat. When he was sure she’d seen him, he moved behind the skiff.
Isa’s blood thundered in her veins. Sothatwas why Victor was drawing Jacoba’s attention. Whatever the men were planning, he clearly had a hand in it.
She swallowed tears. He wouldn’t let their daughter be hurt by Gerhart. He wouldn’t! She had to trust to that.
“Jacoba, come over here now!” Gerhart ordered. “Or I swear, I’ll leave you here to be hanged!”
“Do as he says,” Isa said quietly to her sister. “I don’t want my girl alone with him.” And whatever the men were up to, it clearly involved getting Gerhart and Jacoba into the boat or the river or something.
Jacoba looked wary, but she hurried toward her husband. Together the pair crept back to the skiff, dragging Amalie with them. Gerhart ordered Jacoba to shove the vessel off. Then he followed her into the river, still holding Amalie.
“Get in the boat,” he ordered Jacoba.
Once she was in it, Gerhart seemed to realize that he might have trouble holding onto Amalie and climbing into the boat at the same time. So he hefted her onto his shoulders, obviously confident that Victor wouldn’t dare to shoot him as long as he was holding up Amalie.
Pushing the boat as he went, Gerhart backed into the water. The current was already catching the vessel. All he would have to do was toss Amalie into it and hold on to it while the water swept them downstream out of reach.
That had obviously occurred to Mr. Manton, too, for Isa saw him moving through the water behind Gerhart. Thankfully, Jacoba was too intent on Victor to notice.
But Isa wasn’t taking any chances. “Curse it, Gerhart, she can’t swim!”
“Then you’d best not let your husband shoot me, aye?” he cried.
“Stop!” Amalie called in a panic, gripping Gerhart’s head as he backed shoulder-deep into the water. “Stop... stop...stop...”
Then everything happened at once.
