“Caroline, escort Annabelle home. I’ll join you shortly.”
“Sterling—” Caroline began, but Annabelle cut her off.
“No. I do not think that is wise, Sterling,” Annabelle said in her most authoritative tone. “While I did relieve him of his pistol—”
“Hispistol?” His semblance of calm vanished as flames practically shot from his eyes. She’d seen him vexed. Annoyed. Perplexed. Evidently, however, she’d never seen the man truly angry.
“Never mind that,” she said, rethinking her words. “Rather, you must understand he has not one, but two, burly looking men with him, one of whom is definitely the man who held me at gunpoint.”
“You don’t say?” A cold smile that held no mirth curved his mouth as he tugged his gloves tight, flexed his hands, then strode toward Zeus.
“Good.” she said, with a confidence she wasn’t actually feeling. “We’ll all return to the castle since you surely comprehend thatthis is a matter for the magistrate. Caroline and I will explain everything.”
“Will you?” In one graceful move, he swung up into the saddle.
“Please, brother. Leave this matter to the authorities,” Caroline pleaded.
He sent them each a cool smile. “Funny. I finally understand what drove Dillon all those years ago.” Smile vanishing, his gaze bounced between them. “I forbid either of you to follow me.”
In the next blink, he was riding hell for leather toward the shore.
Annabelle gazed at Caroline, arms spread wide in consternation. “I don’t understand. What is he doing? And what was that nonsense about finally understanding Dillon’s behavior? He can’t simply alter his entire belief system in one afternoon. He’s adamantly opposed to risking his life over a mere insult.”
“I think he understands that this was more than an insult.” Caroline’s worried gazed followed her brother. Then she looked at Annabelle. “I hate to say I told you so, especially at this juncture, but this more than proves my point.”
“Your point?”
“My brother loves you.”
She blinked. “You’re saying…you’re saying he’s purposely risking his life because he loves me?”
“Yes. Annabelle—wait. Where are you going?”
She was already scrabbling backwards down the steep hill. “I have to go to him,” she said. “You know I do. If anything happens to him, because of me…I couldn’t bear it. Take Daisy. Get help.”
“Annabelle, no. He forbid us to follow.”
She half laughed, half sobbed. “When did that ever stop me from doing anything I set my mind to?”
“Wait,” Caroline called. “Take Daisy. You’ll get there faster.”
“What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got the rifle. Now go.”
***
Annabelle reined Daisy in a short distance from the shoreline, approximating where she’d seen the coble earlier. She wanted to help Sterling, not distract him with worry over her safety. Nor did she want to alert Vane or his men to her presence.
The moment her boots touched the ground, she ran for all she was worth, nearly losing her footing several times as night had fallen and unseen stumps and roots threatened to upend her.
Finally, she reached the rocky, shifting sands marking the shoreline and stumbled to a halt, squinting against the glare of light coming from the sailing vessel, still moored a short way off.
Unfortunately, that told her the ship had not taken on its passengers.
There. A blurred mass, with its accompanying grunts, thuds and slaps of skin against skin told her she’d located her husband. She crept toward the mass and nearly tumbled headlong over a felled log.
No. Not a log. A man. She gasped, quickly covering her mouth. Relief surged through her when she saw it was not Sterling but one of Vane’s men who lay on the ground, unconscious.
