course!” Elizabeth agreed.
Frederick drifted in and out of reality as they laid him out and bathed him. He was offered a bottle of home-distilled whiskey, and he drank it deeply. Then the man was digging into his shoulder for the bullet and Elizabeth, with tears in her eyes, was clamping her hand over his mouth and begging him to silence.
“Let me,” the girl said suddenly. Elizabeth and the man stared at her. She shrugged. “I’ve some skill.”
“How?” the man asked her.
She shrugged dispassionately. “My father has been shot upon occasion,” she said. She smiled at Frederick and brought the blade of a knife against his flesh.
Frederick passed out cold.
Eric watched with a cool assessing gaze as LadyAmanda Sterling removed the bullet from the young man’s shoulder. Her touch was both gentle and expert, and she murmured that it was best that he had lost consciousness, for he would feel no pain. “There’s no break in the shoulder, I’m quite certain.” She glanced at Elizabeth who stood by, wringing her hands upon her apron, tears in her eyes. “Cleanse the wound with alcohol, and I’m sure that all will be well.”
Elizabeth Bartholomew fell down upon her knees, grasping Lady Sterling’s hands. “Thank you! Oh, thank you—”
“Please!” Amanda Sterling’s beautiful face flushed to a soft rose. “Don’t thank me! God alone knows how I have come here, and I intend to leave now. This is a bed of traitors—”
“You are good, lady! So kind—”
Amanda Sterling, her hood fallen back, her hair glistening a glorious red in the firelight, pulled Elizabeth to her feet. “Please don’t. I’m leaving, and I—”
“Lady Sterling would not dream of betraying you,” Eric said firmly. Amanda glanced at him quickly. He saw the fury and defiance in her startling emerald eyes, but she did not deny his words.
“Warn your husband that he is a traitor against the king,” she said to the woman.
“But you will not turn us in.”
“No.” She hesitated a moment. “No, you’ve my word, I shall not turn you in.”
Eric stepped forward, taking her arm. “I’ll be back,” he told Elizabeth. “I shall return Lady Amanda—”
“I can return well enough on my own—”
“The Sons of Liberty are on the streets, milady, as well as British soldiers—as well as some common rapists and thieves ready to take advantage of the situation. I promised Anne Marie that I would find you, and for her, I shall return you.”
He set his hand upon her with a force she could not deny. She seemed to sense the implacable determination in his words, so she merely stared at his hand, gritted her teeth, and agreed. “Fine.”
She swept around, then paused, looking back to Elizabeth. The young wife now knelt by her husband with such a look of love and anxiety in her eyes that even Lady Sterling seemed to soften. “Keep him well,” she murmured, and exited quickly to the streets.
Eric followed her, catching her arm when she would have walked ahead. She spun about, staring at him with her chin and nose regally high. He smiled. “Did you ride?”
“No, I—”
His voice deepened harshly. “You have been walking all this distance on a night like this? What an idiot! You could have been robbed of that splendor, stripped naked, raped, killed!”
“You are crude!”
“You are a fool.”
She tried to wrench her hand from his hold. He had already released her to set his hands about her waist and throw her up atop his horse. Before she could protest he was mounted behind her. Her back went very stiff. “How do I know that you are not about to rob, rape, or knife me, sir?” she demanded coolly.
“Because I am worth far more than you are, I prefer my women warm, willing, and talented, and murder simply isn’t among my decadent hobbies.” He nudged his horse into a canter. She twisted her face against the chill of the night, shivering as she raised her voice so that he might hear her.
“You may take me
Frederick drifted in and out of reality as they laid him out and bathed him. He was offered a bottle of home-distilled whiskey, and he drank it deeply. Then the man was digging into his shoulder for the bullet and Elizabeth, with tears in her eyes, was clamping her hand over his mouth and begging him to silence.
“Let me,” the girl said suddenly. Elizabeth and the man stared at her. She shrugged. “I’ve some skill.”
“How?” the man asked her.
She shrugged dispassionately. “My father has been shot upon occasion,” she said. She smiled at Frederick and brought the blade of a knife against his flesh.
Frederick passed out cold.
Eric watched with a cool assessing gaze as LadyAmanda Sterling removed the bullet from the young man’s shoulder. Her touch was both gentle and expert, and she murmured that it was best that he had lost consciousness, for he would feel no pain. “There’s no break in the shoulder, I’m quite certain.” She glanced at Elizabeth who stood by, wringing her hands upon her apron, tears in her eyes. “Cleanse the wound with alcohol, and I’m sure that all will be well.”
Elizabeth Bartholomew fell down upon her knees, grasping Lady Sterling’s hands. “Thank you! Oh, thank you—”
“Please!” Amanda Sterling’s beautiful face flushed to a soft rose. “Don’t thank me! God alone knows how I have come here, and I intend to leave now. This is a bed of traitors—”
“You are good, lady! So kind—”
Amanda Sterling, her hood fallen back, her hair glistening a glorious red in the firelight, pulled Elizabeth to her feet. “Please don’t. I’m leaving, and I—”
“Lady Sterling would not dream of betraying you,” Eric said firmly. Amanda glanced at him quickly. He saw the fury and defiance in her startling emerald eyes, but she did not deny his words.
“Warn your husband that he is a traitor against the king,” she said to the woman.
“But you will not turn us in.”
“No.” She hesitated a moment. “No, you’ve my word, I shall not turn you in.”
Eric stepped forward, taking her arm. “I’ll be back,” he told Elizabeth. “I shall return Lady Amanda—”
“I can return well enough on my own—”
“The Sons of Liberty are on the streets, milady, as well as British soldiers—as well as some common rapists and thieves ready to take advantage of the situation. I promised Anne Marie that I would find you, and for her, I shall return you.”
He set his hand upon her with a force she could not deny. She seemed to sense the implacable determination in his words, so she merely stared at his hand, gritted her teeth, and agreed. “Fine.”
She swept around, then paused, looking back to Elizabeth. The young wife now knelt by her husband with such a look of love and anxiety in her eyes that even Lady Sterling seemed to soften. “Keep him well,” she murmured, and exited quickly to the streets.
Eric followed her, catching her arm when she would have walked ahead. She spun about, staring at him with her chin and nose regally high. He smiled. “Did you ride?”
“No, I—”
His voice deepened harshly. “You have been walking all this distance on a night like this? What an idiot! You could have been robbed of that splendor, stripped naked, raped, killed!”
“You are crude!”
“You are a fool.”
She tried to wrench her hand from his hold. He had already released her to set his hands about her waist and throw her up atop his horse. Before she could protest he was mounted behind her. Her back went very stiff. “How do I know that you are not about to rob, rape, or knife me, sir?” she demanded coolly.
“Because I am worth far more than you are, I prefer my women warm, willing, and talented, and murder simply isn’t among my decadent hobbies.” He nudged his horse into a canter. She twisted her face against the chill of the night, shivering as she raised her voice so that he might hear her.
“You may take me
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