Page 54 of The Allure Of Lord Devlin
Fencourt shuffled on his feet, nervously weighing up his chances of a better option. “Do you swear on your father’s grave?”
“I swear I will not stop you boarding the ship if you leave Dharma here, unharmed.”
He could see Dharma’s lips were turning blue, and she was shaking so hard her knees were knocking. If he didn’t get a coat on her soon, she could get very sick. Fencourt must be cold, too. “What is your answer? We can’t stand out here all night.”
Fencourt moved toward them. “Stand back from the gangway. Well, back.”
Both Tobin and Devlin signaled to their men to stand down and move back. They backed away, giving Fencourt free access. Devlin held his breath and time seemed to stand still as Fencourt inched toward his freedom, keeping the knife nestled at Dharma’s neck. At one point Dharma stumbled in the cold and the knife slipped. Devlin growled as a small trickle of red dripped onto her white shift.
The pair crept towards the gangplank. At its step, Fencourt shoved Dharma hard and as both Tobin and Devlin raced forward to catch her, Fencourt dashed up the gangway and into the depths of the ship.
Devlin tore off his greatcoat as Tobin helped his sister to her feet. Devlin made her slip the coat on, and she swam in it making her look so vulnerable.
She stood looking at him, her bottom lip trembling. “You let him get away. Did you capture Lord Longton then?”
Tobin looked at Devlin and replied for him. “He’s dead. Let’s get you home.”
Her head dropped to her chest. “I’ve ruined everything.”
“No.” Devlin said. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”
As he stepped toward her to gather her in his arms, a rifle shot rang out and he watched as if in a nightmare as Dharma’s body twitched and her head snapped up, her mouth opened in surprise as she slowly crumpled to the ground.
He almost couldn’t believe it except Tobin’s roars filled his ears and her brother turned and fired at the ship. They all dived back behind the roped barrels.
His heart constricted with terror as he registered the prone form of his beautiful, gallant, unconscious love. Get up—please! But she lay like death. On hands and knees, he crawled across the cold, hard ground and dragged Dharma to safety. She was so still. Tentatively, as if he didn’t want to feel the truth, he gently touched her neck, checking for a heartbeat. The icy knot in his stomach eased as he felt a flutter under his fingers. Her pulse was erratic, but she was alive. Thank the lord she was still breathing.
Gently, he cradled her face. “My love, wake up.” His voice sounded gruff and angry in the middle of a gunfight.
She did not stir. With his hands shaking, he pulled back the sides of the greatcoat he’d lent her to check her wound. Someone had shot her under her right shoulder, and it seemed like her collar-bone was broken. Perhaps it was the pain and cold that had seen her faint. There was a lot of blood and he pressed down using the great coat to try to stem the flow.
He gently shook her. “Wake up. I can’t live without you. I’m so sorry it took me to this point to understand what you were trying to tell me. The past doesn’t matter when love enters your life. Only the wonderful future we could make—together.”
He swallowed hard, his heart pounding as if it would break. He smoothed the hair off her ashen face and whispered, “Come on, you little fighter. Don’t give up on me now.” Emotion pricked behind his eyelids.
She had to live.
“We have to get her home and seen by a doctor. You go, and I’ll try to ward off Fencourt until he sails.”
He looked at Tobin’s worry filled face. “You take her. This is my fight. I owe Fencourt and I’m not about to let him sail off to another life after this.” He gently placed Dharma into Tobin’s arms. “The men will cover. We’re close to the carriage. Tell her I love her and I’ll come see her soon.”
The two men sat staring at each other for a moment. Tobin nodded. “Do nothing reckless. Losing your life over a man like Fencourt is stupid. Besides, Dharma would kill me if you didn’t survive.”
That made him smile. He pressed a kiss to her cold lips and moved to cover Tobin’s escape.
ChapterSeventeen
Astrong, steady heartbeat thudded beneath her ear. Muscular arms held her tight against a solid chest. The masculine scent of sandalwood.Devlin.
Pain owned her body, and she had to fight to stay awake as each step jarred and sent spears of agony through her shoulder. She couldn’t help the tears that slid from under her eyelashes.
As the mist on her brain continued to clear, she realized she was being carried, and that they were moving at a fast pace. Heavy booted footsteps hitting cobblestones. Her senses focused.
The only good thing about the pain spearing through her body meant she’d survived.
The rush of relief gave her the strength to open her eyes. The world appeared distorted. It was too dark to see, so she reached up and cupped the face above her and tried to get her voice to work through the pain. Each stride caused hot, raw pain and brought tears to her eyes. The sound that came out was croaked and muffled from the river water she’d drunk; she hoped Devlin understood. “I knew you’d save me,” she managed.
“We cut it a bit fine,” he said. “It took us too long to find the right ship.”
