Natalie was unable to sleep that evening, as thoughts of Jasper ran through her mind. Lady Phoebe had invited them to tea, and although the day had not been chosen, she was nervous about the possibility of seeing him again.
She sat up and ran her hand through her hair. She could accomplish another aspiration on her list to keep herself distracted. Now that she had embarked on this journey, she did not want to stop. Leaving the bed, she dressed in a simple brown dress and pulled her heavy wool cloak around her shoulders.
Then she left the house the same way she did the night before, giving the hack driver directions to Hyde Park. A lady should never be alone in a park after sundown. In fact, she should never be out alone at any other time, but Natalie barely considered herself a lady. Midnight was upon her, and her sense of adventure was dominating her reasoning.
She drew the hood of her cloak over her eyes after disembarking at the park and began to walk down the deserted paths, the lamps, which were few and far between—her only source of illumination. The quietness was peaceful, and somehow, Natalie was not afraid.
Finding the Serpentine, she walked east along the bank until she reached where the foliage was thickest. Moving behind a bush, she removed her cloak, shivering when the cold night air touched her skin. She could freeze out here, and she was sure the water was colder. But she was already here, and she would not fail by quailing.
Natalie unfastened the buttons of her dress, and as she was about to pull it down, rustling from a bush nearby reached her ears, and she stiffened. Her heart began to pound, and she told herself that it was a rodent or some other creature.
But rodents should be in hibernation at this time of the year, and the thought sent a chill down her back, while her skin crawled with fear. She peered at the darkness but saw no one.
“Well, well,” a voice said behind her, and she jumped, turning around, “what have we here?” A man stepped out from behind the bush, and another followed him.
Chapter 6
The Masked Rogue is not in possession of a heart. Poor Lord Mansfield has nothing left. The Rogue took everything, and he even had the impudence to ask him to offer his daughter to settle the remainder of the debts. What a deplorable man! Fortunately, Lord Mansfield does not have a daughter.
“Who is this?” One of the sots asked as he walked toward Natalie. She held her dress up, and her eyes were bulging with fear. She looked around for help but there was no one around.
“A pretty little dove all alone at night?” Another foxed scoundrel slurred.
Natalie quickly picked up her cloak but someone snatched it from her. She did not wait to see who, or even fight, and she turned to flee. Her wrist was grabbed, and when her eyes found the man holding her, she realized with burning terror that there were three of them.
Lord, help me!she prayed, regretting coming here at this hour.
“If you are going for a swim, we’d like to join.” The man holding her wrist pushed her forward and into the arms of another. Natalie struggled against him, and when his hold was too firm, she screamed.
He clapped a hand over her mouth and squeezed her jaw, stings of curses pouring from him. Still, she kicked and fought, because no one would help her. Natalie had brought herself into this hell, and she was her only hope of escape. With her elbows and heels, she did all she could to free herself, her tears blinding her, but the men laughed, seemingly enjoying her torment.
“You filthy bastards!” someone growled, and Natalie was suddenly released. A cloaked figure planted the man holding her a facer, and the remaining two moved to fight him, but they stood to assess the situation before attacking. Paying them no attention, her rescuer threw the man onto the ground and kicked him.
Natalie scrambled backward, staring with wide eyes. The second man fled, while the third, in a show of strength, grabbed her rescuer’s cloak. He turned around and a gasp escaped her at the sight of his face.
The man who had come to her defense was none other than the Masked Rogue. She had never seen him before but she knew enough to recognize him. He wore a white mask tonight, which enabled her to see him in the darkness. He caught her second attacker by the lapels of his coat and punched his face. His strength was impressive, and his movement transfixed her.
A hand circled her arm, and she was yanked backward. As she was spun around, she saw the third man, whom she thought had fled. “You will pay for this, you little harlot!”
Before she could understand what was happening, Natalie was carried and thrown into the freezing Serpentine. She flailed and kicked under the water until she broke the surface, gasping and coughing.
A deafening sound rent the air, and in that fraction of a second, she felt nothing, not even the cold, biting and numbing her limbs. Then she blinked as she saw the men running. When the rogue turned to face her, she found a pistol in his hand.
Cursing, he threw the pistol and removed his cloak before jumping into the water. His arms came around her, and she began to struggle again. Natalie knew he was attempting to help her but she was still afraid. He could easily have driven the sots away so he could have her for himself.
“Damn it, woman!” he cursed, his arms tightening around her waist, “I am helping you!”
“No!” Natalie yelled, blindly shoving a hand in the direction of his face. “I can swim. I can save myself!” Once she caught something, she pulled. He released her immediately and she looked down to see that she was holding his mask. She glanced up quickly, and he turned away. Not before she saw his face, however.
“Jasper?” she gasped, frozen again.
“Natalie?” He sounded as though he was in disbelief. He seemed to be seeing her for the first time since this horrid night began. “Bloody hell!”
His arms came around her waist again and he pulled her to him. She did not fight him this time. Either shock had robbed her of her will to fight or the familiarity between them was preventing her; she was not sure which was it. He swam to the bank and carried her out of the water.
Jasper took her shoulders and leaned until their eyes were at the same level. She could not properly read his expression in the darkness but she could tell he was angry. “What are you doing here?”
“You…you are the rogue,” she whispered, still in disbelief.
