It became a litany.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
Until she broke. There had to be another way. She could not do this. Bridget slowed the horses and guided the gig to the side of the country road. And that was when she heard the unmistakable thunder of approaching horses behind her.
Fear clawed at her throat, for she knew instinctively who it was.
The Duke of Carlisle was coming for her.
And he would show her no mercy.
She extracted the pistol she had kept hidden within her pelisse, and though it was not loaded, pointing it at the wide-eyed lad and watching the color leach from his face filled her with the deepest brand of shame.
“Get down from the gig and do not move when your feet hit the ground,” she ordered him. “Do as I say, and you will not get hurt. This I promise you.”
“Please, Miss Palliser. I want my mama.” A tear escaped the boy’s eye, rolling down his cheek, but he did as she asked.
Bridget alighted after him and, the sound of her reckoning coming ever nearer, gripped the boy’s arm. She led him into the dense wood with as much haste as she could manage, praying she had not made the biggest mistake of her life.
Years ago, duringthe war in France, Leo and fellow League member the Duke of Trent had faced a group of bloodthirsty Prussian soldiers straggling from their army. Leo and Trent had been outnumbered, and he had slain three of the five soldiers himself, one with nothing more than his bare hands as he choked the life from the bastard.
That had not been the first, nor the last time Leo had faced down men intent upon his murder.
The hell of it was, he had not been fearful that day. He had never feared for his own mortality, for there were days when Leo did not give a damn if he were alive or dead. But he did fear for the lives of those he loved, and Edward, the young Duke of Burghly—Leo’s bloodynephew—was among that small group of people.
As Leo stalked through the dense forest as silently as possible in an effort to surprise Miss Palliser from behind and rescue Edward, he was the most terrified he had ever been in his fucking life. The woman was mad. She had dared to abduct her charge, a peer of the realm, in broad daylight, and Padraig all but had named her as part of the ring of plotters responsible for the Duke of Burghly’s assassination.
A dangerous, unpitying, hateful group of cowards—the sort who attacked unarmed men with surgical knives in the midst of a park. That was who she had thrown her lot in with. That was the caliber of woman who held innocent Edward in her grip.
Clay had just been reunited with his son. The anguish in his expression had slammed Leo in the gut like a fist. Even now, his broken words returned to Leo as he slowed, hearing the sounds of voices in the clearing ahead.
We have to find them, Leo. I cannot let anything happen to him. This is all my bloody fault, and I will not forgive myself if…
There would be noif, Leo decided. He gripped his pistol firmly, at the ready. He would gladly die before he allowed a hair to be harmed on the lad’s head. He parted the brush, held his breath, and formed a plan as he watched.
Miss Palliser’s back faced him, a weapon in her hand, the barrel pointing toward what he could only assume was Edward’s head. She wore a bonnet over her dark tresses, her pelisse and dress the same unremarkable dove gray as the day before. To the uninformed observer, she would appear no different from any other governess. But he now knew what evil lurked in her heart. Knew she was not to be trusted.
Clay faced Leo and Miss Palliser, his weapon no longer in hand.
Damn it to hell.
Leo was Edward’s only chance now. He aimed at her shoulder, calculating his ability to hit her with precision and avoid injuring the lad, as Clay spoke.
“Like hell I will allow you to take him from me,” Clay called, taking a menacing step toward the woman.
She took two steps in retreat, hauling Edward with her, bringing them both nearer to Leo.
There’s a girl, he coaxed silently.Closer if you please.
“Remain where you are, or I shall hurt him,” Miss Palliser warned Clay, her voice like the crack of a whip.
Leo willed Clay to continue to distract her. It was their best hope. If she was close enough he could be confident of his shot, he would wound her, and Edward could run free.
“What do you hope to accomplish?” Clay asked, understanding his role all too well. This was not the first time they had worked together in this capacity. “Do you truly believe the harming of an innocent youth will make Home Rule possible?”
“What I hope to accomplish, and what I believe are two different beasts, sir,” Miss Palliser said, taking another slow step and pulling Edward with her.
“Papa,” Edward called out, his tone pleading. Hearing the fear in the lad’s voice was akin to a spike in the heart for Leo. “I do not want to go with her. She said she will take me on an adventure, and then I can go home again. But I don’t want to do that. I want to go home to you and Mama.”
