Page 79 of Wicked Highland Heroes

Silence reigned for an instant, then the sheriff called, “Move even a muscle, Rushton, and it willna’ matter if you are the King of England, I’ll shoot ye dead.”

They advanced and Erroll stood motionless until the sheriff stopped a few feet away and the other men passed him to join the boys who waited on the beach.

“You all right, Nab?” he asked the boy.

“Aye. A press gang nabbed us, and his lordship stopped them before we reached their boats.”

“How fortunate that you were passing by,” Laine said.

“Purely coincidental,” Erroll said. “But the world is filled with coincidence. You being here, for example.”

“That is no coincidence,” Laine replied. “We’ve been on the lookout for the press gang for two months. Where are they?”

“In the cove to the south, though I doubt they’re still there. Captain Johnson saw us intercept this shipment and has probably sailed by now.”

Laine ordered two men to go and look for the slaver, then said to Erroll, “Forgive me for saying so, my lord, but you have bad timing. We were scouting the coast when we saw your ship and mistook you for the slavers. If you hadn’t been here, we might have caught them.”

Erroll gave a short laugh. “No good deed goes unpunished, I see. Where is your ship?”

“We don’t have a ship. We planned to swim out and board their ship, which is exactly what we did.”

“What—you mean—how many men have boarded my ship?” Erroll demanded.

“Ten.”

“I hope they fell into the water and froze their bollocks off while boarding,” Erroll snapped. “As no shots have been fired, I assume no one was killed. If your men cause a ruckus aboard the collier, you will deal with me. Have your men see the boys safely home—one of the four sailors ran into the woods. I wager your men can find him easily enough.”

“One of the men is still here?” Laine demanded.

“Yes.”

“If we catch him, we might find the men they took.”

“Send your men,” Erroll said. “You will accompany me. I have no wish for your men to shoot me as I try to board my own ship.”

Laine’s mouth thinned. “As you say, my lord.”

Laine ordered his men to see the boys home and begin their search, then he and Erroll sliced through the ankle high water to the jollyboat, where Joseph and David waited. Erroll grabbed the side of the jollyboat and they pushed it out until it skimmed across the water. They hopped in and each grabbed an ore, then began rowing.

“We must make haste,” Erroll informed David and Joseph. “The good sheriff has seen fit to board our ship.”

David and Joseph’s heads swung in his direction and glared.

Erroll knew it was unlikely the Highlanders would harm the women, but God only knew what Oscar and Somerset would do if they thought the ladies were in danger. Or worse, what Miss Eve Crenshaw would do if yet another man entered her room uninvited.