“Can you fire this, Sophie?” Amelia took it from her.
“Yes, it was the only worthwhile thing my father taught me,” Sophie said, throwing off her sling.
“It was the only useful thing my grandfather taught me too,” Amelia said, cocking the rifle expertly to check it was loaded and then handing it to Sophie. She then reached under her seat and grabbed the other rifle. “Right, then. Let’s give these bastards what they deserve.”
Sophie climbed onto the seat and lifted the hatch again. “Keep it steady, Robbie. Miss Logan and I will fire a few shots to see if we can scare them off.”
Several curses filled the air, which told Sophie that both drivers were not filled with confidence over their shooting abilities.
“Just don’t shoot me or the horses!” Robbie yelled.
Amelia muttered about men being fools as she moved to the window.
Sophie took up her position opposite and braced the gun on her injured arm, ignoring the tug of pain. She could not take aim until a rider came closer.
“I am going to lean out the window, Sophie,” Amelia said, doing just that.
“Can you see them?” Sophie yelled.
“Yes, they are getting closer,” Amelia replied as she pulled her head back inside.
“We have to protect the drivers!” Sophie cried, but as the words left her mouth, the carriage swerved, and she watchedPatrick’s man fall and hit the ground hard. A shot then rang out, and Robbie fell next.
“No!” Sophie said, craning her neck to see if he lived. He rolled and then pushed upright. Relief flooded her.
“The horses!” Amelia cried, handing Sophie her rifle. She then opened the hatch and climbed out. “We have to stop them!”
Sophie followed, banging her head on the opening and cursing as she looked back at the men gaining on them. Wind pulled the bonnet from her head, and the pins flew free. Hair whipped around her face, covering her eyes.
“Fire, Sophie!” Amelia roared.
Bracing the rifle on the roof of the carriage, she aimed and pulled the trigger. One rider screamed, clutching his arm, but he did not fall. Reaching back into the carriage, she grabbed Amelia’s rifle. She watched one of the riders raise his gun and aim.
“Down, Amelia!” Sophie yelled as he fired at her. Shooting a quick glance behind her, she checked on Amelia and saw her friend was still hauling on the reins that she had somehow gathered into her hands.
Looking around, Sophie didn’t recognize any scenery, so she wasn’t sure how close they were to Garland Hall. How far behind her would Patrick be?
Aiming, she fired again and groaned when it went over the head of the man she was aiming for.
“Right, Amelia!” Sophie screamed, recognizing the fork in the road.
They were gaining on the carriage; two riders galloped past, and Sophie threw her gun at one of them. It bounced off his head but didn’t stop him, and then they were pulling the horses to a halt. She then watched as one of the men pointed his gun at Amelia.
“Come down here now!” another said, aiming at Sophie. “Both of you.”
“I can’t just jump from here,” Sophie said. “I will have to go through the carriage and out the door.”
“Hurry, or I will shoot your friend,” the man said.
Sophie watched a third rider appear as she climbed back inside the carriage.
“Don’t do anything silly, Amelia,” Sophie said to her friend.
“Move, Lady Coulter, or I start shooting!”
Sophie did as he asked. Climbing down into the carriage, she found her sling and slipped it on. Quickly, she felt beneath the seats again and this time found a knife, which she placed inside her sling.
“Come out of that carriage now!”
