But his words failed to reassure her. Bastard. She rammed her elbow back, catching him in the ribs. To her satisfaction, he grunted in pain and his hold loosened. Just enough so she could free herself. She threw herself back down the hall. There was a window at the end.
Her first two attackers rushed into the hall from her bedroom, barring her path to the window and freedom beyond. She stopped and backed up, looking frantically between Merrick and the two men advancing menacingly on her.
“Trust me, Princess.” His quiet voice reached her ears. “It’s either them or me. Who will it be?”
A flash of uncertainty gripped her. The two men would be prepared for her now. They would not be so easy to get away from a second time. But Merrick barred the stairs.
“If you aren’t with them, move out of the way so I can escape,” she ground out as she backed closer to him. “They mean to kill me.”
“Yes, I can see that,” he said calmly. “I don’t intend for them to succeed.”
The quiet confidence in his voice gave her the first flicker of hope. Could she trust him? Clearly she had no choice. Sheknewthe two men advancing on her would kill her. Even if Merrick intended to do her harm, she could buy enough time to escape him if it became necessary.
Making a quick decision, she whispered softly back to him. “Can you take the man on the right?”
“Move, Princess. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
If the situation wasn’t so dire, she would have laughed. “Stop the heroics, Merrick. I’ll take the man on the left. Rush them, they won’t be expecting it. They think they have the upper hand.”
Silver glinted in the soft light pouring from Merrick’s room. At least one of the men held a knife. She hoped the earl was as competent as he came across.
“I’ll only say this one more time,” he growled. “Move!”
Understanding dawned and she pitched sideways just as the men lurched forward. A shot cracked the night air. Then a second shot. She rolled over to see the two men slumped on the floor. Glancing back up, she saw two smoking pistols in the earl’s hands.
“Well, that’s one way to do it,” she muttered.
“Quickly,” he barked. “There are others.”
She scrambled up as he tossed the guns aside. “Let’s go out the window.”
“You and those damned windows,” he grumbled. “Don’t you ever use the door?”
“After you then,” she said, sweeping an arm toward the stairs.
She hurried close behind him as they rushed toward the foyer. He stopped suddenly and she bumped into his back. His arm came around to steady her. “Shhh.”
She held her breath, her face buried in his shirt. His scent surrounded her, and for some inexplicable reason, she felt safe. Shaking her head to dispel the absurd notion, she forced her concentration to her surroundings.
“There are at least two waiting outside the door,” he murmured. “Probably more.”
“How do you know?” she whispered, peering around him.
He gave her a silencing look. “Can we hold the questions for later?”
She nodded, clamping her lips shut.
He glanced back toward his study. “Come on.” He took her hand and dragged her toward the rear of the house.
She kept close on his heels as they entered the study. Curiously he didn’t shut or bar the door. She opened her mouth to suggest doing just that when he put a hand over her lips.
“Trust me.” He gestured toward the fireplace across the room. “Get your boots and be quick about it. You’ll have need of them.”
While she rushed to retrieve her boots, he hurried over to the large bookcase that encompassed the entire back wall.
“This is hardly the time to read,” she bit out as she hopped on one foot to him while pulling her other boot on.
Ignoring her, he took out a heavy volume and reached beyond. To her surprise the bookcase opened in the middle exposing a passageway. He quickly replaced the volume and gestured for her to follow him within.
