Page 66 of This Earl of Mine

“No. I’m going to beat him to a bloody pulp,” Benedict said. “And then I might just shoot him for good measure.”

Juliet raised her chin, a very unladylike spark of violence flashing in her blue eyes. “Well, good. If he’s done something horrid to Georgie, then he deserves everything you give him.”

Benedict remounted, and she placed her hand on his booted foot. “Please bring her back safe, Mr. Wylde.”

“I will.” He wheeled his horse and found Alex and Seb, both mounted, blocking the end of the street. He frowned at them. “Why aren’t you on your way to the docks?”

Alex shrugged. “We sent a message to Bow Street. Willis is going to watch the warehouse. We’re with you. If this woman’s important to you, she’s important to us.”

Ben swallowed a lump in his throat. Thank God for such friends. The bond he shared with Alex and Seb was so much stronger than blood. It had been forged in sweat and tears, in shared misery and elation. And countless instances of finding humor in the blackest of situations. “This isn’t your fight.”

Seb grinned. “Don’t be ridiculous, of course it is. Remember that time near Badajoz when you saved me from that sniper? I owe you. Your fight is our fight, remember?”

Alex chuckled. “Not to mention I’ve been praying for a decent scrap for months. London’s deadly dull when it comes to proper fighting.”

“All right,” Ben said gruffly. “Let’s go.”

They headed west, and when they were obliged to stop and pay fourpence apiece at the Kensington toll gate, Alex said, “I must say, this is the first time any of us have chosen a girl over a mission.”

Ben glared at him. “Either one of you would do the same.”

Alex and Seb shared a skeptical look. “For a woman?” Seb said. “I doubt it. For herfortune, maybe…”

“It’s not about her money. Why does nobody believe that? I care for her. I don’t want her hurt.”

Ben scowled as he set his mount to a gallop again and curbed the impulse to push the animal even harder. He’d get nowhere on an exhausted horse. Worry churned in his gut, mingling with a deep and furious rage.

He could count on one hand the people he cared about, those he feared losing. His brother John. Alex and Seb. And now Georgie. Somewhere in the past few weeks, she’d wormed her way into that select little group. Wormed herway into his heart. She’d become more than an acquaintance, more than just a friend, or a challenge, or a body to be discovered. He needed her. Wanted to be with her, to tease her, to share some story or anecdote to see how she’d react. He wanted to hold her and keep her safe from the Josiahs of this world. There was more than a casual connection between them now. There was something new and binding, and he was horribly afraid he knew what it was. Love.

His mount tossed its head as he inadvertently jerked at the reins.Oh, shit. He was in love.

And like a French sniper’s bullet, he hadn’t even seen it coming.

Benedict slackened his hold on the reins and patted his horse’s lathered neck in silent apology. His stomach pitched. This was a disaster. A surefire recipe for misery. They couldn’t possibly have a future together. What didhehave to offer her—the girl who could afford everything? A mountain of debt. A drawer full of medals he didn’t deserve.

Benedict narrowed his eyes. If her idiotic cousin laid so much as a finger on her, he would pay dearly. Any man who used his physical superiority to bully a woman or intimidate someone weaker than himself didn’t deserve to draw breath.

Blood thundered in his ears, the same way it did before battle, bringing with it the bright anticipation of mayhem.

Seb trotted up beside him. Alex drew level on his other side and pounded him on the shoulder. “We’ll get her back.”

Ben grunted. At Hammersmith they slowed the horses to a walk, and he fought a rising sense of frustration. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, every mile a chore. He fought off a superstitious feeling of dread as a singlemagpie landed on the road in front of him and he recalled the old children’s rhyme:One for sorrow, two for joy. He prayed it wasn’t an omen—and felt immeasurably reassured when a second bird joined its mate, cawing loudly before they both flew off in a flutter of black-and-white wings.

Two for joy.He would not fail Georgie.

Finally they came to the village of Hounslow, just before the infamous heath, the setting for many an audacious robbery. It was no great work to locate the Dog and Duck public house.

Ben glanced at his companions as they headed out of town. “Stay out of sight. I’ll go in alone.”

They nodded in unison, not needing further instruction, and he appreciated the certain knowledge that they had his back.

Hold on, Georgie girl. I’m coming.

Chapter 35.

The sound of hooves on the gravel drive made Georgie glance toward the grimy window in sudden panic. Relief and terror swirled in her chest. Only one rider—Benedict had come alone. And he was walking into a trap. She tried to warn him, but the only sound she could make was a muffled grunt; Josiah had stuffed a rag in her mouth and tied it with the same handkerchief he’d used to overpower her.

He sat in a spindle-backed chair he’d brought in from the kitchen, facing the door, a loaded pistol resting on his knee. His fingers twitched on the wooden stock, and he bounced the heel of one foot compulsively against the chair leg. She’d never seen him with any sort of weapon before. Did he even know how to use the thing? She prayed not. Benedict had been in the army—the Rifles, for goodness sake. Surely his greater experience with firearms would give him the advantage here?

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