Blackthorne's Bride (7 page)

The new set of horses was almost harnessed, and Maddie took a moment to admire the large bays. But as she took the first steps toward the door of the coach, she heard the men.

It was Blackthorne and his brother, talking in low voices near the coach box. With the big horses in front of her, Maddie didn't think the men had seen her.

She didn't intend to eavesdrop, but their next words stopped her.

"... no reason for you to go with us to Gretna Green," Lord Blackthorne was saying. "Wales or Ireland will hide you until Bleven's temper cools."

"You want to get rid of me."

"Can you blame me?"

Lord Nicholas laughed. "No, but I have my reasons for tagging along with you."

"Is she blond?"

Maddie blinked. So Ashley and Lord Nicholas did have a past. Funny, she didn't remember Ashley ever mentioning him ...

"Maybe I like driving a carriage," Lord Nicholas argued.

"Maybe there was something between you and Miss Brittany."

"Oh, no, you're not fobbing her off on me, Blackthorne. You're the one she told her father she was marrying, not me."

"So I'm doomed," Blackthorne said, and Maddie thought that the man actually sounded it.

"Doomed?" Lord Nicholas laughed. "There are worse fates than being married to a girl who looks like that. She's got every buck from seventeen to seventy-two after her."

"Are you one of them?" Blackthorne asked. "I'm not having some chit come between us."

There was a long pause, and Lord Nicholas finally said, "I'm through with that one. You're welcome to her. She'll make you an excellent marchioness. She's certainly haughty enough."

Maddie clenched her fists. Just like a man to talk about a woman as though she were a piece of property for them to barter or show off to friends and neighbors. Did either man consider poor Ashley, and how she would be forced to marry a man she didn't know and—from what Maddie could tell—didn't like much?

Of course not. Arrogant men. They thought every woman wanted them.

"She is beautiful," Blackthorne was saying, and Maddie leaned in closer. His voice was low and quiet, decidedly not boastful, but that didn't mean he wasn't gloating. "But she's got a bit of a temper."

Lord Nicholas laughed again. For two brothers so alike in appearance, Maddie couldn't believe the difference in behavior. She'd yet to hear Blackthorne laugh, while his brother seemed to do it all the time.

"What's a bit of a temper?" Lord Nicholas went on. "Could be fun, and I'm certain she's nothing you can't handle."

"Oh, I'm looking forward to handling her," Blackthorne said, and Maddie took a step back, unwilling to hear more.

It sounded very much like Blackthorne was anticipating his marriage to Ashley—or at least the wedding night.

Maddie had nothing but worry and reservation about her own wedding night. She hardly knew Mr. Dover. She'd met him at a meeting of the ...

Society of Animal Studies—oh, the society had a much fancier name than that, but she couldn't remember it.

She'd gone because she was concerned about bear baiting. Actually, she hadn't even known the cruel sport existed until she took a wrong turn after delivering food to a widow. The woman lived in a decidedly questionable area of town. When Maddie had gone out a back door, instead of turning a corner and seeing her coach and footmen, she'd walked into a circle of men, a chained and bloody bear, and two vicious dogs.

She had cried for the poor bear all the way home. She'd begged her father to go back and buy the animal, but, as usual, he refused. The next day, when she'd seen an announcement for a meeting of the Animal Society, she had made arrangements to attend.

But the men there had ignored her concerns about the bear. Instead, they'd been more interested in talking about new species and poring over a book of insect drawings by a man living in India.

Only Mr. Dover had listened and seemed concerned. He alone had commiserated with her over the fate of the poor bear. Later that night, when her parents dragged her to a musicale, during which she had to endure not one, but two whispered proposals, she thought again of Mr. Dover.

As a child, she had sworn not to marry, but it was becoming increasingly clear that she was going to have to renege on that promise. Two of her cousins had already left the ranks of the Spinster's Club, and Maddie knew her turn was next. If it had to be, why shouldn't she choose someone who would be a partner with her in her charitable causes? Yes, Mr. Dover was officious and fond of lecturing. But what man wasn't?

She'd gone to several additional meetings of the Animal Society and, after talking with Mr. Dover more, made her proposition. At first, he was as surprised as any man might be, but she knew from their conversations that he was a widower with two small children. She argued that he needed a wife.

He didn't disagree, but he did point out that her family would never accept a man like him—a scholar not of the aristocracy.

And so they hatched a plan to elope to Gretna Green, and to Maddie's amazement, all they'd envisioned was coming to fruition.

Well, except for Ashley's interference.

And Lord Blackthorne and Lord Nicholas.

And Ashley's father.

And ...

Maddie shook her head. She pulled open the carriage door and climbed up the steps, chiding herself for being so negative.

Everything was going to work out just fine. Just as it should. She would marry Mr. Dover, and Ashley would marry Lord Blackthorne, and then all her cousins would be happily married.

Catie had the smart and successful Lord Valentine. Josie had the handsome, adventurous Lord Westman. Ashley would have the dark and dangerous Lord Blackthorne.

And she herself would have ... Mr. Dover.

Maddie felt like crying. It wasn't fair! Of all the carriages in London, why did Lord Blackthorne have to jump into hers? She had never met a man like him. She'd never even been this close to such a superb male specimen.

She knew she shouldn't be thinking of Blackthorne like that, especially on the way to her wedding with another man, but she couldn't stop herself anymore.

From the moment Blackthorne dove in the carriage and turned his black eyes on her, she hadn't been able to take a deep breath. Longing, like none she'd ever known, stole over her every time she thought of him.

She didn't know why. He'd had a bloody nose, a coffee stain on his trousers, and his hair was too long and completely disordered.

He looked like he'd been thrown in the gutter and run over by a curricle or two.

And it didn't matter.

He made her knees weak and her heart pound. He made her want to reach over and run her fingers through his hair. He made her want to straighten his hopelessly wrinkled cravat. He made her want to climb into his lap and feel those big arms around her.

She knew Mr. Dover would never make her feel that way.

And she knew something else as well.

She was going to be miserable watching Blackthorne—
her
Blackthorne—marry Ashley. She loved Ashley, but the thought of Ashley with Blackthorne made her seethe.

Maddie put her head in her hands. Now she was not only being negative, but jealous as well. She should be happy for Ashley and happy for Blackthorne. He was obviously pleased with his future wife. He obviously couldn't wait to be alone with her.

And besides, she knew that Blackthorne was all wrong for her. She hated adventure and risk, and Blackthorne seemed to court it. She refused to be controlled, and she could tell Blackthorne was one of those men who liked to be in charge. Her father was the same. He'd halted her charitable activities under the guise of keeping her safe for years. She simply hadn't been able to take it anymore.

And so she'd chosen Mr. Dover.

You've made your bed,
Maddie told herself.
Now you'll have to—

The carriage door flew open and Blackthorne forcibly pushed Ashley inside. On the other side, Dover scrambled in as the coach began to move.

Maddie heard angry shouts but had no time to decipher them as Blackthorne shot into the seat beside her, barely getting the carriage door closed before the conveyance was moving at full speed.

"Goddamn lousy luck," she heard him mutter.

"Sir!" she said in surprise, but he didn't look the least bit contrite.

"Brace yourself, sweetheart," Blackthorne said, voice grim. "We've just made some new enemies."

"Enemies? But who—" Maddie began before the carriage jolted and she was slammed against the door. Ashley pulled her back up again, and the two girls clung to each other as the vehicle made a sharp turn on what felt like two wheels.

Behind them, angry shouts and curses were hurled at the conveyance. The sweet, sleepy village of a moment before had awakened with an unfriendly growl.

"What happened?" Maddie said, still clutching Ashley tightly.

"Lord Nicholas happened," Ashley answered with a glare for Lord Blackthorne. Not that her fiance noticed or cared. All his attention was focused on the town disappearing behind them.

Ashley looked back at Maddie. "The innkeeper caught Lord Nicholas with his daughter."

Maddie gaped. "But how—when? We were there for less than half an hour."

"Lord Nicholas works quickly."

Blackthorne must have been listening after all because he gave Ashley an irritated look before glancing back out the window. "You have it all wrong. The girl cornered Nick. It's a simple misunderstand— Get down!"

He grabbed Maddie's shoulders and pushed her forcibly to the floor. She landed hard, and would have cried out if she hadn't been startled silent by a crash.

Blackthorne released her, and she looked up to see that the back of the carriage, between Dover and Blackthorne, had a hole in it. She turned to peer at her seat and saw that the stuffing had exploded where the bullet hit.

Bullet?

Beside the protruding stuffing, Ashley was sitting immobile, her face pale and frozen in shock. Maddie reached for her, but Dover was quicker. He took Ashley by the arms and lowered her onto the floor, covering her with his body.

Maddie had a moment to wonder if she shouldn't be the one Dover was protecting, and then another bullet crashed through the carriage, and all she could do was cower at Blackthorne's feet.

Her heart was slamming so hard against her sternum that she was afraid the bone would break. And her lungs seemed to have shrunk. She couldn't fill them with air, and she gasped and heaved like a fish tossed from the lake onto shore. She closed her eyes and prayed— or at least tried. She couldn't think of any actual words at the moment, so she hoped God could read her mind.

Another shot rang out, missing the carriage, but loud enough to make Maddie scream. And then the carriage wheel hit a hole and she was pitched forward, straight into Blackthorne's lap.

His knees closed protectively around her, and she was suddenly warm and cocooned. He smelled like coffee and tobacco and man.

"Love the idea, sweetheart," Blackthorne said. "But now's not the time."

Maddie looked up and realized her head was buried in his nether regions. A wave of mortification rushed over her. The feeling was so strong that she would have fainted—except that would have put her right back where she'd been.

She scrambled to escape her compromising position, but Blackthorne held her prisoner between his legs. He was staring out the window at their pursuers, so she couldn't be sure he was aware of what he was doing. But she had the distinct feeling that he was enjoying all of this a little too much.

"Sir! Release me!"

No response. Blackthorne completely ignored her.

"Sir!"

He gave her a distracted look, then actually scooted forward on the seat. Maddie gasped. She was now closer to the area she was trying to avoid.

"Sir!"

Blackthorne kept her locked between his knees and struggled to remove his tailcoat. He had it unbuttoned but couldn't seem to free his broad shoulders from the form-fitting material.

"Sir!" Maddie said more loudly.

"Stop whining and help me get this coat off."

"Whining?
I'm not—"

He freed the garment, and the blue tailcoat was stuffed into her face. Then she fell backward in surprise as he released her from between his legs. Maddie struggled to find her way out from under the garment, and just when she freed her head, she looked up to see Blackthorne trying to open the carriage door.

"What are you doing?" she screamed. She sounded like a lunatic but couldn't help it and didn't want to. In light of the situation, it was perfectly appropriate for her to scream hysterically. What else was she to do when the deranged idiot before her opened the door of a moving carriage? What kind of mad fool put himself in the path of a bullet?

Blackthorne threw the door open, and Maddie had her answer.

"Hold on," he called over his shoulder. "I'm going to show my brother how to drive this thing."