Page 98 of Blow Me Down
She shrugged. “I just thought that now that ye’ve settled the blockade, ye’d have Black Corbin glued to yer side.”
“Ah. I thought maybe you had something against him because of his history.”
“He be a man. All men are devils at heart,” she said placidly. “And I’m right in thinkin‘ this one has captured yers, aye?”
“My heart? Yes, he has. You were right when you told me I shouldn’t let pride stand between Corbin and me.” I frowned, remembering something unpleasant. “That was the night you told me to get Corbin on my ship for the blockade… the same ship that later got shot to pieces.”
“Aye, unfortunate, that.”
The hairs on my arms stood on end as I looked at the old lady in front of me, but I told myself I was mad. Paul was Bart—he’d admitted as much. Still, if I’d done as she had suggested… “Actually, I think the way things turned out was quite fortunate. If Corbin had been on my ship rather than on his own, he’d never have been able to block the worst of the shots. We were so damaged, we wouldn’t have stood another round of fire.”
She nodded. “So ye wouldn’t. ‘Twas lucky he was there to save ye. If ye’ll be excusin’ me, dearie, I’ve to run some wine to the mayor’s wife. She be sufferin‘
from the toothache, and me elderberry wine is just the thing to relieve her pain.”
I stepped aside so she could pass me, a thousand confusing questions spinning around my mind. I was just about to ask one when a thunderous shout from the next room wiped out all thoughts but one.
“Amy!”
It was Corbin, at last. Atlonglast. I didn’t wait to caution Bas against following me; I just ran straight for the door that would lead me to the man whom I so desperately wanted.
“Amy, what the devil is going on here? Good God, man, put some clothes on!
You could poke someone’s eye out with—oomph!”
I hurtled through the door into the living room, flinging myself on Corbin where he stood in the middle of the room, his hands on his hips as he surveyed the naked men around him. We went down in a tangle of legs and arms and his wonderful, adorable face, a face I took every opportunity to kiss.
He stopped trying to speak and kissed me back, which I approved of until I realized two things—we had an audience who were good-naturedly calling their approval, and my collision with the man who had so quickly made himself a part of my life didn’t do my injuries any good.
“I think I’m going to faint,” I told Corbin as a wave of pain accompanied by inky darkness seemed to suck me in, not wanting to let me go.
“You’re what?” he asked, but his voice came from a long way away.
I gave in to the blackness, sure that Corbin would take care of me. Now that we were together, everything was going to be all right.
I really hate it when I’m wrong about things…
Chapter 24
Away, away, away!…
To-night the traitor dies!
—Ibid, Act II
“Amy, I forbid you to do that again!”
“Ow! That stings! You’re an evil nurse. I was much nicer to you. What’s that?
And forbid me to do what—be kidnapped, or faint?”
“Both.” Corbin held up one of the bottles that Jez had provided him with to take care of my injuries. “It says water hazing.”
“Witch hazel,” I said, squinting at the tag tied to the neck of the bottle. “That’s okay. It shouldn’t sting. You may proceed.”
He glared at me as he poured a little witch hazel on a clean cloth before dabbing it on the long scratches on my lower calf. I lay on the bed in one of the guest rooms at the governor’s house (I couldn’t bring myself to sleep in the same bed where Bart had slept), warm and relaxed and as comfortable as one could be when one was stark naked having a miscellaneous collection of cuts, scrapes, scratches, and bruises treated by a man who looked furious enough to bring down the entire house.
“You, woman, are infuriating. What the hell do you think you were doing letting Paul kidnap you?”
