Page 115 of The Truth Serum
“Was he the one who hit you?” There was a hard growl in his voice that Rebecca appreciated. She’d like to do the man more violence as well. But at the moment, all she really wanted was to stay in Nate’s arms.
Unfortunately, she heard footsteps approaching as another man called out.
“Nate? Where are you?”
“Over here,” he answered. Then he spoke low into her ear. “Don’t say anything. Let me explain.”
How she wanted to do exactly as he ordered. She could just close her eyes and let Nate handle everything. Especially when he started to shrug out of his jacket as he whispered, “I’m going to try to hide your face. Maybe we can—”
“No.”
Hiding was the reaction of a child, and she needed to take responsibility for what she’d done. And though she hated the necessity, she had to take responsibility for her brother, too. Because she’d already made the decision that she couldn’t bear to see him hang.
Damned arrogant idiot.
“They’re going to think you are working with your brother. You’ll hang too!”
She swallowed. Up until this moment, that hadn’t even occurred to her. But she’d screamed to warn her brother. Of course, they would think her in league with him.
“I won’t hide what I’ve done,” she said.
He touched her cheek, his expression tight. “I can’t protect you,” he whispered. She heard true anguish in his tone, and shegave him a wan smile. He’d always wanted to protect her, but he couldn’t. And he needed to know that was all right.
“I made my choices, Nate. I always have. You’re not responsible for this.”
He winced. “I knew you’d say that. But Becca—”
“You are not responsible for my choices. You never have been.”
She saw her meaning hit him. He knew she was talking about her father’s heart attack, the separation between their two families, and even his lies. He was only guilty of his own actions, and she her own. There was no more blame between them.
“Becca,” he said, his voice breaking. And then they were out of time.
Lord Benedict appeared in front of them, his expression tightening as he looked down at her.
“A family affair then,” he said, and it wasn’t a question.
“No,” said Nate.
“Not like you think,” she said. Then she smoothed out her skirt, wincing as blood smeared down her dress from her hands. She hadn’t realized they were scraped until this moment. Well, she didn’t want to wear this gown again anyway. “Is there someplace we could talk?”
“You mean gaol? Because that’s where you’re both going.”
She winced as she watched the other pretend Frenchman pull her brother around the crate of silks. Fletcher was in handcuffs, and he was sputtering all sorts of stupidities. He was innocent. He was trying to capture French spies. This wasn’t what it looked like.
“Shut up Fletcher!” she snapped. “It was exactly what it looked like. You were trying to sell rifles to the French. You betrayed yourself, your family, and your country.” She grimaced as she struggled to gain her feet, thanks to Nate’s support.
Damn her head hurt. She pressed a hand to temple. It came away bloody, but not overly so. And though she hissed as she explored the wound, she already knew it wasn’t deep enough to threaten her life. Indeed, the more she thought about it, she realized her jaw hurt like the devil. The baron must have punched her, and she’d fallen on the other crate.
She was lucky she’d only lost consciousness for a moment. She could have broken her neck.
“Shut up, you stupid bitch!” her brother bellowed.
Nate punched him. Straight in the jaw, hard enough to snap his head around, but not so hard as to shut him up. Her brother howled in response, and it took Lord Benedict to silence him.
The aristocrat got eye to eye with him and said with silky ease, “Be quiet or I shall authorize the hangman’s noose for you right now. You will not be the first person the major and I have dispatched. Nor will you be the last.”
The man restraining Fletcher—the major, if she guessed correctly—glanced out the door. “The Thames is right there. I gather he’s the one who flung Nate in it a month ago. Would be a fitting punishment. We can see if he can swim as well.”
