Surrender Amanda Quick

by Surrender (lit)

  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