by Brower, Dawn
He leaned back against the seat and showed no signs he would answer her. The road they were currently traveling on was one of the bumpiest Natalia had ever passed over. The carriage would hit a hole and send her bouncing all over her seat. Her backside was bruised and sore. “Lucas.” She had to make him see reason. “We must stop.”
“Soon,” he replied. “Please be patient.”
It was far easier to suggest sitting back and refraining from complaints; however, Natalia wanted to escape the carriage. Not because she hated that he’d forced her on this particular journey, but she was really uncomfortable. “Forgive me. I am not well versed in the protocol one must display when they’ve been abducted. I didn’t realize I was required to be amenable.”
“Derision doesn’t suit you, my dear.”
As he spoke, the carriage hit a particularly large hole in the road. Natalia flew from her seat and landed on top of Lucas. Her head bounced on the side of the carriage. Lucas caught her and held her against him. She reached up and placed a hand on top her head in an attempt to ease the pain throbbing through it. A crack echoed around the carriage and then it skidded to a halt. They rocked back and forth repeatedly. Lucas barely kept her from being thrown back to her own seat. “What is happening?” she asked.
“I am not certain.” He set her down on the seat. “Wait here while I investigate.”
How dare he order her around. She was not going to wait in the carriage and let him act as if he did her a favor by going out to check everything. Natalia was capable of discerning the root of the problem. Instead of doing as he demanded, she slid across the seat and exited behind him. He was already staring at a broken wheel when she exited.
“That’s unfortunate.” The wheel had snapped down the middle and lost some of the rungs holding it together. There would be no repairing it. The entire thing would have to be replaced. She glanced around and didn’t notice anything but rolling hills on one side and a forest on the other. “Where are we, and what are we going to do about this?”
He shrugged. “I’m not certain.”
“About which question?” She scrunched her nose up. “Please tell me you have some idea where we are going and didn’t drag me into a random carriage with no real destination.”
The corners of his lips twitched and he appeared to fight a smile. “Darling, you have no faith in me.” He placed his hand over his chest. “It pains me how little you think of me.”
“You’re rotten.”
“Hmm…So you keep mentioning.” He held his hand over his chest. “Luckily, I’ve decided it’s an endearment though you do try to wound my fragile feelings.”
She chose not to deign his statement with a response. It would only encourage him further. The driver wasn’t anywhere to be found. Where could he have gone? She glanced to the back of the carriage. She hadn’t looked at it when Lucas carried her out of Weston Manor. A trunk and her valise were tied to the back. He really had planned this… “Clearly we can’t ride in it with a broken wheel. What do you propose we do?”
He shrugged. “We don’t have many choices.”
“Well, what are our options?” Maybe if she understood the situation, then she could help him make the right decision.
“I sent the driver ahead already to the nearest town.” He glanced around him. “We can either wait here or follow behind him. Tell me something, Lia. Can you walk a long distance, or should we attempt to make ourselves as comfortable as possible until Jimmy returns.”
He couldn’t be serious. “How far away is the nearest town?”
Lucas shrugged nonchalantly. “Hard to say. The driver wasn’t certain how long it would take for him to reach the village. But, on the bright side…” He flashed her a wicked grin. “The horses are getting that rest you thought they needed.”
“Oh…” She stomped away from him and headed into the forest. Maybe she could find a nice spot to rest. Natalia would not walk to the nearest town. This had been his scheme, and he would fix it. She didn’t get far before someone yanked her against them and they placed their hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming. His voice was husky as he spoke. “Don’t say a word, and no one will be harmed.” Honestly? Again? She was tired of this happening to her. That was her luck. She was being abducted from a completely different male than the one who had snatched her to begin with… What could possibly go wrong next?
* * *
Lia couldn’t have gone far. He should have gone after her immediately. Lucas sighed and went into the forest. She wasn’t anywhere around and must have gone deeper into the woods than he’d originally thought. “Lia,” he called out to her. “This isn’t humorous. Come out now, and we’ll wait in the carriage until the driver returns with help.” Nothing but silence greeted him.
Bloody hell…
He kept strolling along a makeshift path, hoping he’d come across her soon. His heart beat heavily inside of his chest. Something must have happened. He refused to believe she’d actually run from him again. Where could she possibly have gone? There was nothing around them in every direction. The driver hadn’t believed they were particularly close to any town. That was why Lucas sent him ahead instead of attempting to walk there with Lia. Her comfort was his first priority.
Lucas stepped on a tree branch and the crack echoed around him. He glanced down at the offending limb and frowned. On the ground next to it was a white glove like the one Lia had been wearing. Had she dropped it on purpose or lost it? He picked it up and stared at it. On the tip of one of the fingers was a red spot that looked a lot like blood. Did she injure herself? His worry for her escalated and he started to move faster.
“Lia,” he called again. “I’m coming for you.”
No one answered, but he hadn’t really expected anyone to. The wind blew over him, sending chills down his back. When he’d forced her into the carriage, he’d never expected that they’d end up stranded on the side of the road. He also hadn’t planned on her disappearing on him so soon either. Lucas had believed, at some point, she’d try to leave him again. He’d hoped that he would have the time to convince her to stay. Now he might never get the chance to properly woo her.
He realized that abducting her wasn’t a traditional way of courting a woman, but sometimes drastic measures were required. Lia had run from him once, and he didn’t think she’d done that because she didn’t love him. There were other factors that held her back from accepting him. It was up to him to overcome all of her objections and reassure her that he could keep her safe. She’d been running from her father all those years ago. Maybe if he knew who her father was, it might help him to understand her fears.
A flock of birds flew overhead. Their chirps reverberated through the forest, but they were not the only sounds surrounding him. He’d stepped on several branches, and an equal number had slapped him as he passed by them. The stings of their strikes were barely noticeable. His main concern was Lia, and with each step he took, the more his concern grew. He slowed a little as he moved around the trees. Something wasn’t right, and he had yet to figure out what. He didn’t want to accidentally walk past her or miss something important.
The sound of voices echoed in the distance. Who the hell was in the woods, and what were they up to? More importantly, did they have Lia? He hated the idea that she could be with ruffians or anyone that could potentially hurt her. He wished he’d handled everything better than he had, and perhaps she wouldn’t have felt the need to run from him to begin with. Lucas didn’t know the area that well, but he had to wonder if perhaps it hosted a den of thieves. Highwaymen were known to prey on travelers and they may have accidentally stumbled onto some.
With that information rolling through his mind he stopped to consider his options. There were probably several of them, and he had no one to help defeat them. It was also likely that they had Lia. He couldn’t leave her alone with them when she was vulnerable. Lucas could either wait for the driver to come back or attempt to save her on his own.
&nbs
p; There was no real decision to make. He wasn’t leaving Lia. He cared too much about her to let a highwayman take advantage of her. That didn’t mean he didn’t have to take as much care as possible. He’d sneak up as close to them as possible and survey his surroundings. If he could, he’d listen to what they were planning. He might have to wait until dark to rescue Lia, but he would succeed.
After he gathered as much information as he could, he’d discern the best way to rescue her. She was probably scared and uncertain what she should do. Damn…he wished he could have prevented all of this. He hoped she wouldn’t do anything drastic until he could extricate her from the clutches of the thieves who’d taken her.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her,” he muttered under his breath. “And if they hurt her, they’ll all die.” He’d do it with his bare hands if necessary. Lucas was ill prepared for confronting possible thieves or murders.
He hadn’t realized until that moment exactly what he was capable of. Lia was the love of his life, and he’d lost a piece of himself when she’d run from him. Now that he found her again, he wouldn’t lose her. They hadn’t had a chance all those years ago, and the highwaymen threatened to take her away again. Lucas would save her. It may be the last thing he ever did, but for her it would be worth it. She was far more essential to him than anything—even his own life.
Chapter 10
The sun had set, leaving her surrounded with virtual darkness. Five men made up the band of ruffians who’d taken her. Natalia still didn’t understand why they had brought her to their camp. A part of her feared their plans for her, but she refused to become immobilized by the terror running through her. She had done her best to remain quiet and unnoticeable while gathering as much information as possible. Their hideout didn’t consist of much. They had no shelter at all, but had a makeshift fire pit for warmth. Not that it kept her particularly comfortable. She’d already started to shiver and expected it would get worse as the night continued. Somehow, she’d have to find a way to escape. Perhaps when they all decided to rest for the night, she could find her chance. She hoped that they all decided to rest at the same time or she’d never get away. One of them was keeping guard of her at all times. At least they hadn’t tied her up. That would make it easier for her to leave once the opportunity arose.
“What were ye doing traveling in the forest,” a man said with a heavy Scottish burr. It seemed out of place for the area they were in. Why was a Scotsman so far from home? They couldn’t possibly have traveled so far already? No. She was a good judge of distance and they weren’t that far from Weston Manor to have arrived anywhere near Scotland yet. They were definitely firmly in England…
Natalia didn’t look at him. She kept her head down and stared at her hands. As to his question… She wasn’t sure how to answer, so she didn’t say anything at all.
“You’re not the timid sort,” he said. “I heard you arguing with your beau. We thought ye might wish to distance yerself from the lad.”
The Scot had discerned that from a few words she’d exchanged with Lucas. Sure, it hadn’t been the friendliest conversation she’d had with him, but she didn’t hate him. Lucas meant a lot to her, but the Scot was indeed correct. She did need to put a lot of distance between her and Lucas. Not much had changed over the years. She didn’t believe they should be together, and she had a feeling he’d insist upon it. Maybe if her father had died or she trusted him to allow her to be happy, she’d gladly confess to Lucas how she felt about him. Without any of those assurances, she couldn’t take a chance.
“Still dinna wish to speak? That’s yer right.” He came over to her and sat on the ground beside her. Natalia leaned against the tree she’d been placed by. “But if ye allow it we’ll help ye.”
Natalia had studied all five men as they’d traveled to their encampment. Three of them were younger and looked as if they might be related. They had dark hair and light green eyes. They did whatever the other two men told them to. One of the men was older with salt and pepper hair and a weathered face. He was either a father or played that role to them all. The man sitting by her was older than the other three by at least a decade, but younger than the gray-haired man by twice that. He had auburn hair and dark blue eyes. Some might even find him handsome, but Natalia wanted one man—Lucas. “I didn’t need your help.”
“Dinna ye?” His lips tilted upward. “Your fancy carriage wasn’t capable of taking you anywhere.”
She lifted a brow. “And you are?” Natalia glanced around and then met his gaze. “What are five Scots doing so far from home? We have to be at least a couple hundred miles from the Scottish border.”
“That’s none of yer business,” he answered. Frustration was laced through his voice as he spoke, “We were offering to help ye, not presenting our troubles to ye.”
“Since I don’t require anything from you, that means I’m free to leave.”
“Aye,” he answered. “But not until morning. It’s not safe for a lady to travel in these parts.” The Scot stood and stared behind her. “Stay here.”
Something must have caught his attention. She hoped it wasn’t a wild animal or men more dangerous than the ones who’d taken her. The last thing she needed was something else to prevent her from leaving. What had she done to have so many terrible things happen to her? Maybe Lucas had come looking for her. He had the first time she’d left him. Why wouldn’t he do so again? If she hadn’t hurt him in the past, she wouldn’t question him. Now though, Natalia wasn’t so sure she knew the man she’d come to adore so many years ago. They had to learn to trust each other, and there hadn’t been enough time for them to do that.
The Scot had told her to stay by the tree, but Natalia had never been one to do as she’d been ordered. She scrambled to her feet and then glanced behind her using the large tree for cover. A crack of a branch echoed on the wind. Someone was heading toward her, but she couldn’t be certain if it was the Scot or somebody else entirely. Something warm and firm covered her mouth, and she swallowed back a scream.
“Be quiet,” Lucas ordered. His voice a welcome surprise that eased her rapidly beating heart. She’d hoped he’d come for her, but her doubts were an ugly reminder of how she’d treated him. “Come with me, and don’t make any unnecessary sounds. Once we’re away, we’ll discuss your penchant for running from me.”
Lucas covered her hand with his and led her away from the camp. They walked in silence for nearly an hour presumable back to where they’d left the carriage, though Natalia didn’t think they’d walked this far into the woods to begin with... The forest was difficult to travel through in the darkness and she had a feeling they may have taken a wrong turn or two. Natalia followed his lead though, thankful, that he appeared to know where they were going. After a while, the forest opened up to a road. There was no horses or carriage to be found though. “Where are we?” she finally asked, breaking the silence.
He shrugged. “I’m not sure, but I think either the driver came back for the carriage, or someone else decided to help themselves to it. We’ll have to walk to the village.” Lucas sighed. “I think its far more likely that we exited the forest from a different spot than we entered it and the carriage is some distance behind us. We might as well keep walking to the village.” He shook his head; a morose expression settled onto his face. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she said. So much for him having any idea where they were heading… “I’ll be fine.” Her feet wouldn’t be happy—not that they were screaming with joy at the moment, but she’d survive. He wrapped his arm around her, and they continued in the direction of the village. Maybe they’d be lucky enough to make it there in one piece and find a hotel to rest in. She’d figure out the rest later. At least she was with Lucas, and maybe everything wouldn’t turn out as horribly as she’d imagined…
* * *
They’d walked for hours, and finally the edge of a village appeared before them. The sun had started to rise on the horizon. Natalia couldn’t
recall the last time she’d been this weary. She would love to lie on a soft bed and sleep for hours upon hours.
“I’m sorry everything has gone all wrong,” Lucas said. He stopped briefly and rubbed his hands over his face. “This was supposed to give us time alone together.”
“Well, it’s certainly done that.” Her tone was acerbic. Natalia stopped and glanced up at him. She liked being alone with him. The part she hated was the soreness that had become a permanent part of her throbbing feet. She’d never walked so much in her entire life. The broken carriage wheel wasn’t his fault, but her being in it to begin with certainly was. Disgruntled? Her? She personified that very word at the moment. “This little abduction scheme of yours isn’t working for either one of us.”
Maybe it was wrong of her to blame all of their problems on him, but ever since she’d found him again she’d been blessed with nothing but trouble. Perhaps she was partly to blame, but as awful as she felt, she couldn’t help the emotions rolling through her.
Lucas blew out an exasperated breath. He reached for her, but she stepped away from him. “Lia, please…”
She glanced away from him and toward the village. “There’s an inn not far from here. Let’s go see if they have a room available and a hot meal. Maybe then I’ll be more amenable to your apologies.”
Lucas shook his head and moved toward the inn. She followed behind him since it had been her suggestion. Natalia wished she wasn’t so irritable. She hated being so difficult and making him as miserable as her. It didn’t take long for them to reach the inn. He opened the door and held it wide for her to pass through. Her hair was a tangled mess of dark curls, and her dress had seen better days. Dirt had managed to cover every inch of her hem and traveled up to her waistline in some areas.