Page 9 of The Banished Bride
“Bloody hell is right,”muttered Aurora as she sought to lever the gentleman back onto the seat. He was heavier than he looked, for despite the obvious lack of padding around certain areas of his anatomy, he appeared to be all whipcord muscle wherever her hands touched. Ignoring the odd flicker of heat that the feel of him stirred within her, she wrapped her arms around his torso. For a moment, she was tempted to pry open the door and boot him out into the mud. It was what he deserved, the bosky fool. Lord, he must be well and truly foxed, first to accost her with a weapon, then to spout off with those addled rantings, and finally to pass out cold at her feet.
Men, she fumed again with a derisive snort, finally squaring his shoulders up against the squabs. It was then that she noticed the dark stain seeping through the tear in his jacket. Her fingers brushed over the rough wool and came away sticky with blood. For a moment she could only stare at the tangible evidence that his harsh accusations were not simply the working of a jugbitten mind. Then, with brusque efficiency, she peeled the outer garment down from the wound and turned to find her reticule.
Mixed in among an assortment of useful items was a small flask of brandy. It had already proven quite handy on several occasions during the journey, for somehow, her driver had always proved more willing to go on until the next inn after a wee nip or two. Uncorking its contents, Aurora shifted closer to the man’s unconscious form. A jolt of the carriage threw her up against his side, and a hard object poked into her ribs. She swallowed hard, then felt gingerly at his jacket pocket and slowly withdrew a large and very deadly looking pistol. To her unpracticed eye it appeared to be primed and cocked.
Her mouth twitched in a grim smile as she placed it next to the knife she had retrieved from the floor.
Ha!We shall see who is in the position to be making threats.
She brought the flask to the man’s mouth and forced a few drops down his throat.
The rest she dumped over the wound on his shoulder.
“OUCH!” He sat up with such force that Aurora was nearly knocked off the seat. She sidled back across the worn leather and took up the knife in one hand and the pistol in the other. After all, she still had no idea of what he was doing in her carriage. Was he a thief? An enraged spouse?
Or merely a madman?
His eyes fluttered open. On catching a glimpse of the weapons pointed in his direction, they fell closed again and a string of oaths tripped from his tongue.
“Really, sir, there is no call to be so vulgar,” Aurora responded. “In case you have forgotten it wasyouwho accosted me, and not the other way around.”
He shifted slightly, causing a sharp intake of breath. “Damn,” he murmured. “Weak as a kitten.” One lid pried open, and Aurora couldn’t help but notice the color that was revealed was blue. Not just an ordinary blue, but a brilliant sapphire. How was it she hadn’t noticed before?
“Go ahead and pull the trigger,” he continued raggedly. “Doesn’t matter. Whitehall knows about you. They will send another in my stead.”
She searched her memory.Whitehall?She had made no probings into the affairs of any such fellow. “You must be mistaken, sir. I don’t know him.”
A humorless laugh answered her words. “Your skills are such that they must rival those of the famous Mrs. Siddons, though I’ve yet to see her tread the boards. But you may leave off your role of confused innocent. We know where the French are getting such information.”
It suddenly dawned on her. Whitehall.ThatWhitehall. “For God’s sake, you think I am a spy? A spy and a traitor?”
His lips curled up in a mocking half smile.
“Hell’s Teeth, Ishouldshoot you. Of all the nasty, unfair things I have been called by various gentlemen, I vow that is truly the worst. Not to speak of being too idiotic for words. You must be the most bumbling British agent in all of Christendom.”
The second eyelid popped open, along with his mouth.
“Really,” fumed Aurora, before he could get a word in edgewise. “It is outside of enough that anyone—much less anyone who is supposed to have an iota of intelligence—would think that I was capable of betraying my country. To begin with, I’ve never been within a hundred and fifty miles of London and Whitehall in my life. Just how am I supposed to hatch my nefarious schemes at home in—well, in a small village? A home that contains such dastardly accomplices as an aged cook, an ex-governess and a housekeeper whose gouty knees keep her from climbing up and down the stairs more than twice a day. Then, of course, there is the calico cat, six chickens, one sway-back cart horse and a milk cow.” She shook her head in disgust. ”Truly a band of dangerous criminals that should strike fear in the heart of the British government.”
Beads of sweat seemed to be forming on the man’s brow as he shifted uncomfortably on the seat, but whether it was from a fever brought on by his wound or some other cause, Aurora couldn’t tell.
“Er …” He cleared his throat. “The only thing I was told was that the enemy I am searching for is a female.”
“Oh, well that narrows down the field considerably,” she retorted acidly. “What did you do? Flip a coin to decide which one to attack first.”
“You were traveling alone. Seemed rather havey-cavey.”
“I wouldn’t have been traveling alone if Robbie—that is, Miss Robertson—hadn’t taken ill at the last moment. Of course, I had Mary with me on the trip north, but once I delivered her to her aunt, I was left without a female companion.” Her chin rose a fraction. “I’ll have you know I usually plan things much better than this, but time was of the essence, and sometimes one is forced to improvise.” There was a slight pause. “And furthermore, if I were a foreign agent, I should hardly be seeking to draw attention to myself by acting in an, as you say, havey-cavey manner.”
Despite the pallor under his tanned skin, a flush of red spread over his face. “I suppose that makes a bit of sense,” he allowed. “Perhaps I might have been a bit hasty in—” Another jolt of the wheel caused him to grimace in pain. The beading on his forehead had changed to small rivulets running down his unshaven cheeks.
With a sigh of exasperation, Aurora set aside the pistol and reached out to smooth away his tangled locks and touch his skin. “Lord, you are burning up.” Digging into her reticule she took out an crumpled handkerchief and began to mop at his brow.
“Don’t suppose you have another flask hidden away in there?” he asked in a hoarse whisper. “Feeling devilishly thirsty.” Before she could answer, he slumped against her shoulder.
“Oh dear, are you going to faint again?”
“I’m a soldier, not one of your distressed females,” he mumbled. ”Soldiers donotfaint.”
