Blackthorne's Bride (10 page)

Jesus, that was close.

Nick had entered the woods to his left, and Jack steered his horse toward his brother's. The animal was moving considerably slower as the foliage grew thicker, but that was just fine with him. He wanted the foliage thick. Nick glanced back and slowed enough for Jack to catch up.

"Let's find a good place to ambush them," Nick suggested. "Maybe somewhere near water. We leave the horses in sight so they think we've paused to let them drink."

"You think they'll keep following us? It's almost full dark."

Nick was silent for a moment, then said, "I still hear them behind us. They're mad as hell by now."

Jack sighed and then brightened. Ambush it was, then.

"If we can waylay them for a bit," Nick was saying, "we'll have enough time to get back to the carriage and grab the girls. Hopefully, Miss Brittany isn't stupid enough to let the other two horses run off."

"And the carriage?" Jack asked. He had a bad feeling he already knew the answer. "The axle's broken?" He'd heard that awful pop and screech and known it wouldn't be taking them any farther.

"Clean in two," Nick answered, his voice muffled as he bent to clear a low branch. "We'll have to ride on horseback."

"That'll be interesting."

"Up ahead," Nick said. "Hear it?"

Jack listened and caught the distant gurgle of a stream. Behind him, he heard their pursuers calling out. They were getting closer.

Jack grinned. He loved a good ambush.

* * * * *

Maddie paced the length of the carriage for the tenth time that night, rubbing her cold arms with her equally cold hands. Now that it was dark, the temperature had dropped, and she was freezing.

She really shouldn't have worn the white and lavender muslin. All those times her cousins had made her dress in boys' clothing for their adventures, and she'd never appreciated how practical it was.

Now she was shivering in her thin dress, her dainty slippers ruined and so thin that she felt every rock and pebble in the road.

She passed Ashley and Mr. Dover, both sitting dejectedly in the carriage. She couldn't bear to look at her friend or her fiance, much less sit with them. If they knew what she'd been doing in the woods with Lord Blackthorne, they'd hate her.

How had she turned from the girl everyone called kind and tenderhearted into a girl capable of betrayal and adultery?

Well, it wasn't adultery yet, not technically, but what did it matter? She was a horrible person, even more so because she'd enjoyed her treachery.

"Stop pacing," Ashley said. "It's too cold to be outside."

"I'm colder if I sit still," Maddie answered, beginning to pace again. With each step forward she chided herself for her stupidity in planning this ridiculous elopement. With each step back, she told herself to think positively.

Everything would work out in the end.

Not that she had any proof of that. Nothing had worked out so far. In fact, things had only become worse. At first it had merely been the inconvenience of having Ashley along. Then, as if having her friend tag along on her elopement weren't bad enough, they'd been kidnapped by Lord Blackthorne and his brother, Don Juan.

Of course, that led to more problems, and she'd barely taken a breath before they were being shot at by angry men from the village.

Now she was stranded who knew where—well, Mr. Dover probably had the location on his schedule, which was precisely why she wasn't going to ask him—and Blackthorne and his brother were gone, abandoning her and Ashley for another adventure. It would only be a matter of hours—actually twenty-seven minutes, if Mr. Dover was correct—before her father found them or the thugs from the village returned.

Then she was truly damned.

The sound of hoof beats made her jerk her head up, and she raced back toward the carriage.

"Someone's coming!"

Ashley jumped out and grabbed her by the hands. "What should we do? Who do you think it is? Should we hide?"

In the carriage, Mr. Dover moaned, and Maddie had to speak loudly to make her voice carry above his noise. "I think we should hide until we know who it is."

"I think you're right."

The girls stumbled toward the copse of trees where Maddie and Blackthorne had kissed earlier, but before they reached it, they heard a wild shout.

"We're back!"

Maddie knew that voice. It caused equal and opposite reactions in her. On the one hand, she wanted to flee and hide. On the other, she wanted to run toward Lord Blackthorne.

Neither seemed preferable, so she chose to stop, turn, and face the Martingale brothers. They arrived, smug and smiling. Conquering heroes.

Ashley rolled her eyes at Maddie. "Every time I see that look, which with five brothers is fairly frequently, I want to retch."

"Perhaps they've saved us, and we can finally be on our way."

"Well, they certainly
think
they saved us," Ashley retorted. She tapped her foot and crossed her arms. "We'll see."

"No need to worry, my ladies," Lord Nicholas said when he was beside the carriage. He jumped off his horse and bowed dramatically. "We have triumphed over our tormentors. You won't see them again."

"Well, considering you're the one who began the trouble in the first place, and we still see you," Ashley spat, "that's not at all comforting."

Lord Nicholas huffed and moved away, but Maddie was watching Lord Blackthorne dismount. She swore the king of scowls smiled at the way Ashley took his brother down a peg.

But she might have been mistaken. It was rather dark.

"As relieved as we are to see you," Maddie said, "I'll be more relieved when the horses are harnessed again and we're on our way. We're— Mr. Dover, how far behind schedule are we?"

From the carriage interior, he called, "Precisely, one hour and—"

"We'll no longer be traveling in the carriage," Lord Blackthorne barked, all scowls again as he strode past Maddie. He headed for the other two bays, who were grazing on the side of the road, and she followed.

"What do you mean, sir?" she said, rushing to catch up to him. "Why can't we continue in the carriage?"

He continued walking. "The axle is broken."

Maddie felt her heart stop. Truly. It ceased beating for a good three seconds. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, and she almost doubled over from the weight of Blackthorne's revelation.

Ashley rushed to her side. "Maddie, are you well?"

She tried to nod.

"She's fine," Blackthorne said, barely glancing at his fiancee as he led the horses by. "I'm sure you're ecstatic, Miss Brittany. Didn't you wish the axle would break so your father could catch us and shoot me?"

"Being stranded by the side of the road was hardly my wish. And I think we all know who is to blame for this." Ashley gazed pointedly at Lord Nicholas, who stood, hands on hips, studying the broken conveyance.

He held up his hands in mock surrender. "I can't help it if I'm irresistible."

"Why, you—" Ashley began.

"But what will we do without the carriage?" Maddie interrupted. She looked into Ashley's pretty face, now lit by the half-moon rising over the trees. "My father—"

"Isn't going to catch us," Lord Nicholas assured her. "We're going to ride on horseback for now. We'll make better time that way."

Maddie nodded. He was right. They would make better time on horseback—providing he didn't unwittingly seduce any women in the next village.

"But there are only four horses and five of us," Maddie pointed out. "And what about my luggage?"

"Leave it," Blackthorne said. He was moving about the horses, checking to see that they were in good condition.

"Oh, no," Maddie argued. She'd already lost her reticule and all her money. She wasn't about to give up her change of clothing and the dress she intended to wear to her wedding. "I'm not leaving it behind."

Blackthorne looked ready to argue—he always looked ready to argue—but his brother was nodding. "We'll strap your valise and any other luggage to one of the horses, Lady Madeleine. We need a pack animal anyway. Your coachman was obviously prepared. He packed blankets, food, and extra tack in the box."

"Too bad we had to leave him behind," Ashley muttered.

"Get everything we need and drop it here." Blackthorne indicated a spot directly behind the carriage. "Hurry. We have to keep moving."

Blackthorne and his brother strode toward the coachman's box, and Maddie followed. "But if we use one horse to carry supplies, that leaves only three horses to ride."

Blackthorne was handing reins and a bit to his brother. "What's your point, sweetheart?"

"Sweet—" Maddie fisted her hands and reminded herself to keep to the point, no matter how rude Lord Blackthorne became.

Sweetheart, indeed. If he knew what she'd like to say to him at that moment, he wouldn't think she was so sweet.

"There are five of us, sir, and three horses." Her tone indicated that this should be obvious.

Blackthorne looked at her, his black eyes twinkling. "We'll have to ride double. You and

Miss Brittany may ride with Nick and myself."

"Certainly not!" she said, taking a step back. The image of Lord Blackthorne kissing her in the woods an hour or so ago flashed before her eyes. She could still feel the weight of his chest against hers. She could still feel the warmth of his skin.

She would probably combust if she had to ride for hours pressed against him on the back of a horse. Even now her face heated simply thinking about it.

"I didn't say you'd be riding with me," Blackthorne said, a wicked twinkle in his eye. "Though I can see you're thinking about it."

Jiminy! He was right. Of course she wouldn't ride with him. What kind of friend was she to Ashley to even imagine doing so?

"I'll—I'll ride with Mr. Dover," she stuttered.

"Suit yourself." Blackthorne winked and turned his back on her again.

But she didn't ride with Mr. Dover in the end. Apparently, while Mr. Dover was very good with schedules and mathematics, he was not so good with horses. He climbed on one of the docile bays, accidentally kicked the horse, and when the animal shifted forward, Mr. Dover fell backward.

They got him back on his horse, and Lord Nicholas used some rope from the coachman's box to secure him.

"This is humiliating," Mr. Dover groaned.

"It won't be for long, old boy," Lord Nicholas assured him. "We'll have to stop for the night before too long."

Stop for the night? Maddie couldn't prevent her gaze from flicking to Lord Blackthorne. She had not considered that she would have to spend a night or more in his presence.

He seemed to feel her eyes on him—or perhaps he was thinking of her as well—and he met her gaze.

Quickly, she went back to the work of securing her valise. And though she had a hundred questions, she didn't dare ask for any details. But her mind screamed its worry. Where were they going to sleep?

A village meant they risked more problems like those this afternoon.

But without the shelter of the carriage, they had to find a village.

And if they paused to sleep, would that give her father time to catch up with them?

"Stop worrying," Lord Blackthorne said, halting his bay beside her.

"I'm not worrying," she said, trying to see past him. She hoped the rope held Mr. Dover.

"Yes, you are."

She frowned up at him. Really, the impudence of this man was extraordinary. "How do you know?"

"You have that line right between your eyebrows." He reached down, and she thought he would touch her. Instead, he held his hand out to her. "Let's go."

Maddie blanched and shook her head. "I'm not riding with you." She glanced over at his brother, but Ashley was already seated behind Lord Nicholas.

How had that happened? Blackthorne was Ashley's fiance; she should be riding with him. Then she might have ridden with Lord Nicholas. It was as improper to ride with him as with his brother, but at least the younger Martingale was affable.

But Ashley with Lord Nicholas, and she with Lord Blackthorne, was all wrong. What was Ashley doing? She'd acted as though she hated Lord Nicholas even more than Lord Blackthorne.

Maddie eyed Ashley, studying the way her friend's arms were wrapped around Lord Nicholas. As soon as she had a moment, she was going to quiz Ashley on her past with Lord Nicholas. Whatever had been between them didn't appear to be quite over.

Blackthorne snapped at her, and Maddie whipped her head back. Had the man just treated her like a dog?

"Lady Madeleine," he said impatiently, "I have neither the time nor the inclination to argue with you any further. Take my hand and climb up or walk the entire way. At this point, I don't care what you do."

Maddie ground her teeth together and glared at him. Who was he to order her about and snap at her as though she were his trained hound? Odious, uncouth man.