“Damn and blast!” Lex said. “With everything going on, I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
“Naturally, typical male behavior, thinking only of oneself.”
“I’ve been such a fool—”
A scream pierced the air, cutting off Lex’s response.
“What was that?” said Basil.
“I don’t know. It sounded like a woman in distress. We’d better investigate.”
They mounted their horses and galloped swiftly in the direction from which the scream had come. They came to a glen where six men surrounded what at first glance appeared to be a man. In a flash, Lex surmised that these were the brigade of Scotsmen hired by Axel Hammond. Anger seethed through him. How dare they accost a person on Essex County lands, lands within his protectorate?
This he would not abide. His anger and indignation strengthened his voice. “I am the Earl of Essex, and I am not pleased to find you disturbing the peace and threatening the passage of anyone who travels through this forest. What business do you have here?”
“M’lord,” said a burly Scot, “we are here to apprehend the Lace Bandit. She has been terrorizing peaceful travelers who pass through Epping Forest. I suggest you ride on and leave us to our task.”
“I will not leave you to anything,” Lex retorted. “This is my land. And you’re trespassing.”
In the heat of the moment, he hadn’t noticed that the rider encircled by the band of Scotsmen was a woman. Taking a closer look, he saw the lace mask and that delectable figure that a man’s clothing could not hide. His heart thundered in his chest.
Edwina…dear Lord!
Lex didn’t know what outraged him more, Edwina’s being endangered by these outlaws, or that she was here to rob some unsuspecting stranger. Anger surged through him. His first thought was to wring the little vixen’s neck, but there was no time to linger on that satisfying notion. A confrontation was looming between them, but first he needed to save her neck from the noose.
Basil and he were outnumbered, but he would never allow these brutes to get their hands on her. Although he was as angry as a boiling teakettle, his fear for Edwina’s safety tempered his reaction. Once she was safe at Wiltshire House, he would demand she explain her actions. He envisioned laying her over his lap and paddling that perfect derriere of hers as a punishment, but this was no time for erotic imaginings.Get a hold of her yourself, man!
“I will not allow you to do anything on my lands. Begone from here. I will not have you terrorizing unescorted women in Epping Forest, or in any part of Essex.”
The Scotsmen looked from one to another, finally turning their attention to their leader. Lex made a mental note. He knew if you cut off the head of the snake, the rest of his followers would likely scatter without a leader.
“I’m afraid not, m’lord. We will not leave without her. There is a price on her head, and we intend to claim it.”
Lex pulled out his gun and pointed it at the villain’s heart. “Then you should accept your fate willingly because, regardless of what happens, you will leave this glen dead, carted out of Epping Forest flung over the back of your horse.”
The Scotsman’s eyes widened. “You would give your life for a thief and lose your own in a foolhardy act of heroism?”
“I stand on principle and my word. This is my land, and you have no right to trespass here.”
“My men will kill you.”
“Ah, yes, but you won’t be alive to see it, will you?”
Lex and the captain of the Scottish mercenary group glared at each other in a standoff. From the corner of his eye, he could see Basil’s hand resting where his pistol was hidden. He chanced a quick glance at Edwina and saw her trying to keep her skittish horse calm.
Damn and blast! That’s all we need now, for her horse to rear up and her to injure that pretty head again.
Lex took a deep, calming breath and spoke with command. “Mylady, I insist you ride from here as quick as the wind, and I suggest you never return. We do not welcome thievery in Essex. The marquess and I will keep these gentlemen occupied until you are safely away from here. Consider yourself lucky today, but remember luck has a way of running out, so take heed.”
“Thank you, my lord. I pray we meet again someday that I might thank you.” The Lace Bandit reared her horse and shot through the circle of men, disappearing in the denseness of the woods.
Lex nearly sighed aloud with relief. Once things were settled and this marauding band of Scotsmen driven from Essex, he would ride for Wiltshire House.
He would confront her, then kiss her.
Or perhaps he would spank her first, then kiss her.
Either way, he would make her promise never to don that damn mask again.
