Page 40 of In Want of a Wife
Because of him. Damn it.
“Take the chit,” the balding highwayman ordered, spitting out a rotten tooth. “He tossed my bloody gun.”
The second highwayman grasped the pistol in his hand, aiming it at Rafe. “We don’t have time. Someone is bound to come soon.”
“Fine, toss the driver in the back. We’ll dump him down the road later.”
“Leave us here,” Lily said. “We won’t say anything to anyone.”
The second man dropped the gun from Rafe and turned toward Lily, darting to grab a handful of Lily’s dress and hauling her close by the waist. “He might be right. We should take you. You’d be a bloody good chit to have. Such fire.”
They would need to kill him first before he ever let the highwayman take her. Rafe forced himself to sit up.
The balding highwayman snickered and kicked him in the gut again. “No saving the day. Stay. Down.”
“Don’t touch her,” Rafe growled.
“Oooh, then we should definitely take you,” the other man threatened Lily. “Must be a good reason he wants to die to protect you.”
“Ain’t worth it. Let’s go,” the first man barked, scrambling up to the top of the carriage seat.
The second man sneered, shoving Lily away, then dashed back to the carriage. He struggled to move the driver into the back before he climbed up top. The carriage raced off, leaving Rafe and Lily alone on the side of the road.
Lily remained stillas the carriage—theircarriage—rattled forward with their driver tied up inside.
It felt as if days passed before it turned around the bend and slipped out of sight. She quickly scrambled to her feet and rushed over to Rafe.
“I’m sorry,” he said, turning his head to spit out another mouthful of blood.
“Sorry? For what?” She sank down to her knees and reached out, bracing his face in her palms. She turned his head from left to right, closely examining each bruise and cut. “It’s not your fault.”
His hand reached for hers, gripping her wrist tenderly. “Are you hurt? Did they hurt you?”
Tears burned her eyes. No, she hadn’t been hurt. But she just lost her mother’s telescope. That loss would not be so easy to overcome.
“I will be fine. You though… are you well enough to stand?”
“If I find them,” he threatened, rolling over to his knees to push himself up to stand, “well, they better wish I don’t.”
Lily didn’t have her reticule any longer, but she had sewn some money into the seams of her travel dress. “I have a plan.”
“Don’t you always?”
For a moment, she swore she sawpride in his eyes.
“I am very fond of plans.”
“I am very fond of you, Lily Abrams.”
She smiled, her heart fluttering in her chest. “You were just roughed up by two highwaymen, and still, you are charming.”
“It’s the burden of being a rake.”
She rolled her eyes. “You are no rake, Rafe Davies. But you are bleeding, so let’s hope there is a village down this road. I need to find you a doctor.”
“I am a good enough doctor in a pinch.”
“So I’ve heard.”
