see to the passengers."
At that instant the coachman, no doubt
under the impression he was suddenly
facing two highwaymen instead of one,
saw his chance and leapt from his box,
sprinting for the bushes.
A piercing scream rose from the inside
of the coach as one of the passengers
apparently looked out the window and
realized the coachman was abandoning his
charges.
The team of horses started violently at
the shriek of dismay and leapt forward,
reins flapping wildly.
Bloody hell." Lucas made a futile grab
for one of the horses as the coach surged
past him.
In that instant the highwayman saw his
opportunity and drove his heels violently
into his plump mount. The animal bolted
in fright and broke into a heavy canter
down the road in the opposite direction
in which the coach was going.
Another scream soared through the open
window of the coach. Victoria saw Lucas
turn his horse to chase after the coach and
she wasted no more time. The vehicle was
much closer to her than it was to Lucas
now and the highwayman was clearly bent
on escape.
She urged her mare quickly out onto the
road. I've got it, Lucas. Don't let him get
away." She cantered her mare up alongside
one of the elderly coach horses and reached
down for the reins. The animal began to
slow immediately as if vastly relieved to be
back under human control.
For God's sake be careful," Lucas yelled.
But it was obvious the coach had already
come to a safe halt. He spun his horse
around in the other direction and went
after the lumbering plow horse.
Victoria patted the sweating neck of the
coach horse and glanced back in time to
see that it was going to be no contest
between Lucas's blooded stallion and the
farm horse. The highwayman did not stand
a chance.
She, collected the reins of the coach
horses and pulled the hood of her cloak
back up over her head so that her face
was in deep shadow. It is all right," she
called to the missing coachman. You can
come out now. You are in no danger.
Take charge of your team, if you please,
my good man."
An elderly, diminutive woman wearing
a turban stuck her head out the coach
window. Good heavens, you're a female,
ain't you? Whatever is the world coming
to allowing women to run around in the
middle of the night in breeches? You
should be ashamed of yourself, young
woman."
Victoria grinned. Yes, ma'am," she said
in her demurest accents. My husband
holds much the same opinion as yourself."
And just where is your husband, pray
tell?"
Victoria nodded down the road to
where Lucas was leading a dejected
looking highwayman back toward the
coach. That's him there, ma'am. He's
caught your highwayman for you."
Heavens, I don't want him." The woman
leaned back into the coach and spoke to her
companion, who appeared to be having a
quiet fit of hysterics. Martha, do stop that
infernal noise and call John Coachman. I
believe he ran off into the woods. One
simply cannot rely upon staff these days."
I be right here, ma'am," the coachman
called, emerging hastily from the brush.
I was just waitin" me chance to get
the bleeder." He glanced suspiciously at
Victoria, who tossed him the reins. You
sure you ain't about to rob us?"
No, I am not about to rob you."
For pity's sake, does she look like a
highwayman?" The elderly woman leaned
her head back out the window and
glowered at her coachman as he took
control of the team. She's a female dressed
in men's breeches and she ought to be
thoroughly ashamed of herself. Imagine a
woman of decent breeding running around
like that on horseback in the middle of the
night. If her husband had any sense, he'd
beat her."
Lucas rode up with his captive in tow in
time to hear that last remark. I promise
you, madam, I will take your advice under
consideration."
The woman switched her attention
immediately to him. You being her
husband, I take it? What in heaven's
name do you think you're doing letting
her run about like this?"
Lucas smiled. Trying to keep up with
her, and I assure you, it is not easy. Are
you and your companion all right?"
Quite all right, thank you very much.
We are late coming back from the home
of friends. A mistake I shall not make
again. What are you going to do with
him?" She nodded toward the drooping
highwayman, who was still wearing his
scarf as a mask.
Well, as to that," Lucas began thought
fully, I suppose I ought to turn him over
to the proper authorities."
There was a whimper of protest from
the highwayman, but that was all.
Yes, yes, the proper authorities," the
woman said briskly. Do that. And when
you've finished with that business, I suggest
you do something about your wife. A
woman who's allowed to run around in
the middle of the night wearing breeches
will come to a bad end, I can tell you that.
Now, enough of this foolishness. Home,
John."
Yes, yer ladyship." The coachman
heaved himself back up onto his box
and flicked the reins. The coach lumbered
forward and was soon out of sight around
the next bend in the lane.
Victoria examined the highwayman. It
did not take sophisticated powers of
deduction to determine that the horse,
at least, was probably from a nearby farm.
Surely a professional highwayman should
invest in a faster animal. Who are you,
lad? Are you from these parts?"
There was another whimper from the
highwayman, who cast a frantic eye toward
Lucas, as if he sought help from that
quarter.
Answer the lady," Lucas ordered softly.
The young man reluctantly reached up
and pulled down his scarf. Victoria realized
with a pang that he could not have been
more than fifteen at the most. He stared
first at Lucas and then at Victoria with a
frightened expression. Name's Billy."
Billy what?" Lucas prodded patiently.
Billy Simms."
Well, Billy, I am afraid you are in a
great deal of trouble," Lucas remarked,
dropping his pistol back into his pocket.
The Earl of stone vale does not approve
of highwaymen operating in this district."
Ye think I give a bloody damn
what
his igh-and-mighty lordship approves of?"
Billy burst out. I wouldn't be operatin'
as a bleedin" ighwayman at all if the last
earl adn't thrown Ma and me and my sis
out of our ome. What was I supposed to
do after Pa got taken off with the fever?
We're livin" wi" me aunt and her family
and there ain't enough room nor food to
go round. Am I s'posed to watch all my
womenfolk starve? Not bloody likely. I did
what I ad to do usin" the pistol my pa left
me. That's all."
Lucas regarded him in measured silence
for a long moment. You have a point,
Billy. In your shoes I'd probably have done
the same."
Billy eyed him in some confusion. Ye
look like gentry to me. Ye certain ye would
have taken to the roads like this?"
As you say, Billy, a man does what he
has to do. But be that as it may, from
what I hear, things have changed in these
parts. There is a new earl in charge of
stone vale now.
He won't be no better'n the last one,
ye mark my words. The bleedin" Quality's
all the same. Out to suck the last drop o'
blood from people like me and mine. Ma
says the new folks up at the great house are
different and I heard what they're sayin'
in the village about the ghosts reappearin',
but I don't believe none of it."
Is that right?" Lucas's horse tossed its
head and he absently patted George's
neck. You thought I was a ghost at first,
didn't you?"
Billy shot him a sullen look. Ye took me
by surprise, that's all. Ain't no such thing
as ghosts." But he was staring at the amber
scarf draped around Victoria's throat. The
color had been clearly discernible earlier in
the light from the coach.
I'm sure you're right, Billy. But all that
is beside the point. We have something of
a problem here."
Billy wiped his nose with the back of his
hand. What problem?"
Why, the problem of what to do with
you, of course."
Why don't ye just shoot me with yer
bloody damn pistol and be done with it?"
That's a possibility, naturally. And not
an uncommon ending for a highwayman.
What do you think, madam?" Lucas
glanced at Victoria.
I think," Victoria said softly, that Billy
should present himself at the stables of the
Earl of stone vale tomorrow morning and
inform the head groom that he is to be
hired. In the meantime I think he should
go home and put his mother's mind at
ease. She is undoubtedly extremely worried
about him."
Billy looked up sharply. What makes ye
think I could get a job at the big ouse?"
Rest assured, Billy," Lucas said calmly,
there will be a job waiting for you. One
with more of a future than this one. It
won't provide quite as much excitement as
being a highwayman, but we have agreed
a man does what he must. You've got
womenfolk to see to and you cannot afford
to be in a profession that's likely to get you
killed this week or next."
The boy eyed Lucas suspiciously. Is this
a game yer playin" with me?"
Victoria smiled in the shadows of her
hood. Tis no game, Billy. Go home to
your mother and in the morning report to
the head groom. The wages may not be
as high as what you can make out here
on the road, but at least they'll be steady.
And that's what your family needs. What
have you got to lose? If things don't work
out, you can always go back into this line
of work."
Billy stared at her for a long moment,
trying to peer beneath the hood of her cloak.
Finally he shook his head in awe.
Yer them, ain't ye? The two o" ye be the
ghosts. The Amber Knight and his lady.
Look at that scarf yer wearin". It's true
what they been sayin" in the village. Ye
come back after all this time t" ride the
lands o" stone vale at midnight."
Go home, Billy. I think we have all
had enough excitement for tonight," Lucas
said.
Aye, sir. Ye don't have to tell me twice.
I ain't accustomed to makin" conversation
with a couple o" ghosts." Billy tugged at
the reins of his sturdy mount and kicked
the beast into what must have been a
bone-shaking trot.
Victoria watched as the boy vanished
around the bend in the road. Then she
threw back the hood of her cloak and
laughed softly. I must admit, my lord,
that I always have an interesting time
of it when you and I go adventuring at
midnight."
Lucas muttered an oath. Never a dull
moment, is there?"
Never. What shall we do next?"
We could follow the suggestion made
by that lady in the coach. I could take you
home and beat you for being so brazen as
to run around in the middle of the night in
a pair of men's breeches. But it probably
wouldn't do much good."
Not a bit of good," Victoria agreed
cheerfully. In any event, tonight's
adventure was all your idea in the first place,
so it would hardly be fair of you to
beat me."
Ah, but you don't think me a fair
man, do you, Vicky? You think I am
high-handed and domineering and quite
utterly ruthless, not to mention priggish."
She lowered her lashes. Lucas, I ."
Never mind, Vicky. It is past time we
headed home. You've had your adventure
for tonight."
He turned George's head back in the
direction from which they had ridden
earlier and Victoria had no choice but
to follow.
Half an hour later she was safely back
in her own bed and she was very much
alone in it. But she was far from asleep.
She turned on her side and plumped
a pillow, trying to get Lucas's words
out of her head. You think I am high
handed and domineering and quite utterly
ruthless.
And so he was, she assured herself for
the hundredth time. Surely she did not
need any more proof of that after their
confrontation earlier in the day. She had
known that sooner or later he would
show his true colors and behave like any
other so-called gentleman behaved after
he married and took control of his wife's
money.
But she also knew perfectly well that
any other so-called gentleman of her
acquaintance would have turned poor
Billy over to the authorities and seen
the youngster hung without a qualm.
Either that or the gentleman would
have shot the boy down on the road
and thought himself a hero in doing
so.
>
Yet from the moment she had realized
they were dealing with a young local lad,
she'd never had any doubts about how
Lucas would handle the situation. She had
known he would neither shoot the boy nor
send him to the gallows.
The truth was, her husband was not
at all like most of the gentlemen of her
acquaintance and she had known that from
the start. That was how she had gotten into
this situation.
That did not mean, however, that Lucas
was not excessively arrogant, high-handed,
and domineering at times.
She turned over on her other side and
gazed at the closed door that connected
their rooms. The dressing table was still
in front of it. Lucas had gone straight back
to his own bedchamber after seeing her to
her door.
Victoria had been anticipating that he
would come to her bed after their night
of adventure. The fact that he had not,
disturbed her.
She wondered if she'd gone too far by
barricading her door against him. Perhaps
she had dealt his pride an overly severe
blow with that bit of defiance. He was her
husband, after all. He did have rights.
Nor could she deny that as his wife, she
had her obligations.
They were supposed to be partners
in this marriage, just as they had been
partners in sharing the night's adventure.
And right now she wanted to be with
him.
Victoria gave up the useless attempt to
get to sleep and slid out from under the
covers. Her nightgown floated around her
ankles as she went over to the dressing
table that blocked the door. She listened
intently for sounds from the next room that
might indicate Lucas was having trouble
sleeping, too, but she heard nothing.
The urge to open the connecting door
very quietly and peek into his room to see
if he was sound asleep was overpowering.
But the barricade was something of a
nuisance. She could move it back into
its proper position, but in doing so she
would surely wake Lucas.
She glanced at the window and smiled.
If the Earl of stone vale could get from one
room to another using the window ledge,
then so could she.
Victoria went over to the window,
opened it, and looked down. From here
the ground seemed very far away and the
ledge that led to Lucas's window did not
look nearly as wide as she had thought it
would. Still, he had managed to walk it
even with his bad leg.
Victoria took a deep breath and stepped
out onto the ledge. The chilled air caught
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