His moment of insanity over, he jerked his head up.
“You little fool!” He skated his hands along her sides, noting the rigid garment she wore beneath her gown as he confirmed for himself that she hadn’t been injured. Reassured, his temper gradually cooled.
Even if other parts of him heated.
“I’m fine,” she declared in a muffled voice, and then again, stronger, “I’m fine.” She squirmed and although Leopold rolled off, he kept one arm around her.
For an instant, she wasn’t a lady of theton, but just a delightful woman, fresh and innocent, and ironically, sexy as hell.
But he only indulged in that mad fantasy for a few seconds. She was in his charge—his responsibility.
“Lucky thing,” he murmured, still catching his breath as the rain let up and some sunshine broke through the clouds.
Face down, she did not acknowledge him. And he couldn’t really blame her, seeing as he’d just tackled her to the ground.
For her own good!
“You could have gotten yourself killed.” She was so damn vulnerable! Jumping from a moving carriage was the last thing he’d expected her to do.
She turned her head and stared at him with sad eyes. And then, she might just as well have stabbed him with his own knife.
“How do I knowyouwon’t kill me? Or worse?”
He groaned. Leopold had planned the technical details of this mission meticulously, but in failing to consider the human elements—the feminine elements—he’d made a grave miscalculation.
Yes, he’d committed what some might consider a few atrocities over the course of his career, but he had never threatened or harmed a woman.
There were some things a man simply didn’t do.
And in the course of just a few hours, he’d subjected this young lady to gunfire, a knife at her father’s neck, a less-than-delicate abduction.
And now this. A very physical attack on her person.
He reached up with his fist and rubbed his sternum.
Beneath her very proper demeanor, she actually seemed terrified. And he couldn’t really blame her.
He’d been a fool not to consider what risks she might take in trying to escape—putting herself in real danger—because she feared for her life.
Because she feared him.
Unfortunately, it was too late to change the past, and telling her the actual reason he’d taken her wasn’t an option yet. Leopold inhaled a deep breath.
He was going to have to approach this situation with a little more finesse. Not because of her noble status, but because… Hell, because she wasn’t the enemy. And Leopold wasn’t that much of an ass—not to women, anyway.
“I’m sorry.” He spoke the words grudgingly. “But you need to trust that I won’t hurt you.”
It was the best he could do for now. When she didn’t answer, but simply remained lying on the ground beside him, Leopold studied the slender curve of her back. And while the pungent odor of manure ought to be overpowering his senses, his head nearly swam from the scent of a lady—this lady—in the rain.
It was so delicate, so unintentional, he couldn’t wrap his head around it.
And although he intended to alter his approach in dealing with her, he still had a mission to complete.
Pushing himself up, he sat back on his heels. “Get up,” he ordered, forcing a hint of steel into his voice. “You’ve wasted too much of my time already.”
She silently rolled over, keeping her eyes closed, and Leopold noticed that her lashes were darker, but still gold like her hair. Her cheeks were now bright and rosy from her exertions. She remained so still that she reminded him of a painting he’d seen once—of a corpse. Which, in light of his last revelation, was more than a little unnerving.
“Enough.”
