been assaulted, trussed up, gagged, nearly molested--
where am I going to find strength to go anywhere?
Aloud she said "But... I thought.
We have the book—surely he can't threaten us now..."
"For god's sake, girl—"
Charles grabbed her arm. "That book is nothing until a magistrate sees it
and rules it as evidence. If we stay here, Lefanu and his men will take it from
us by force, and have me in gaol by nightfall." His face darkened.
“Though, by heaven, if they laid a hand on you…”
He didn’t complete the thought, but
instead rushed Catherine out the door, her husband's cries still pathetic in
her ears.
Outside, Orion stood, huge and black,
alongside the smaller horse she'd ridden on her return home. She heard no one
else—evidently, Mrs. Williams had been taken and bound before she could raise
the rest of the house.
"By God," Charles shook his
head as he lifted her up to her horse. "I thought he might try to fight
for you... I never imagined him just screaming like a woman."
"I'm a woman," Catherine
scolded lightly.
Charles surprised them both by actually
laughing out loud at that. He vaulted up into Orion’s saddle.
"You are indeed." His voice
lowered, and his gaze on her was intent. "More woman than any man ever
deserved, let alone that worm of a brother of mine."
"Oh, Charles..."
Charles leaned down from his greater
height, and his warms lips pressed to hers, their souls uniting.
A distant sound came to Catherine's
ears-- horses, and a coach of some kind. Charles broke off the kiss.
"Lefanu! I must be off," he
said. "My solicitors will know how to present this book as evidence, and I
must get it into their hands post-haste."
"You mean that we must be
off!"
"You can't come with me." His
voice was flat, as though he were suppressing a terrible pain. "The danger
is too great..."
"No greater for me than for
you!"
"... and you're exhausted,"
he concluded. "Darling Catherine,” and how her heart leapt at those words,
"you haven't the strength for this. Go back to the cottage, eat something,
and get some rest. No one will find you there. I will return for you
soon."
"But..."
" No! " Charles cut her
off vehemently. "I have a better chance of outdistancing them if I ride
alone. And besides, I can't take you into danger with me. I will ride more
surely and swiftly if I know that you're safe in hiding."
"Very well." She nodded, took
one more kiss from his lips, and before she’d turned her horse around, he was
off.
**********
As she watched Charles' figure recede
into the distance, Catherine found herself sighing with guilty relief.
For, no matter how brave a front she
might have put up, she was so utterly exhausted from her ordeal
that she could never have kept up with Charles. She'd only have slowed him
down, endangering them both.
No, she would do as she was told: make
her way back to the small cottage, eat something, wait for Charles to return...
and sleep.
Sleep. The word had a lovely sound:
sleep.
She found herself studying the horse's
back... then the soft loamy ground beneath its hooves... and she thought of her
own bed...
**********
Catherine opened her eyes, surprised to
see blue sky instead of green ground before her eyes. She was trying to
decide why her head ached so miserably... and then suddenly realized that she
was no longer sitting atop the horse, and that the headache was as nothing
compared to what might easily have happened, slipping off the horse unconscious
as she had.
Damnation! Well bred English girls might not curse so,
but those hardened by India had no such qualms. She rolled over, getting to her
hands and knees, shaking her head to clear it.
And damnation again! She
looked around desperately, and by squinting, could make out the receding form
of the brown horse. I’ll have to speak to Charles about his horse-training
methods! How far
where am I going to find strength to go anywhere?
Aloud she said "But... I thought.
We have the book—surely he can't threaten us now..."
"For god's sake, girl—"
Charles grabbed her arm. "That book is nothing until a magistrate sees it
and rules it as evidence. If we stay here, Lefanu and his men will take it from
us by force, and have me in gaol by nightfall." His face darkened.
“Though, by heaven, if they laid a hand on you…”
He didn’t complete the thought, but
instead rushed Catherine out the door, her husband's cries still pathetic in
her ears.
Outside, Orion stood, huge and black,
alongside the smaller horse she'd ridden on her return home. She heard no one
else—evidently, Mrs. Williams had been taken and bound before she could raise
the rest of the house.
"By God," Charles shook his
head as he lifted her up to her horse. "I thought he might try to fight
for you... I never imagined him just screaming like a woman."
"I'm a woman," Catherine
scolded lightly.
Charles surprised them both by actually
laughing out loud at that. He vaulted up into Orion’s saddle.
"You are indeed." His voice
lowered, and his gaze on her was intent. "More woman than any man ever
deserved, let alone that worm of a brother of mine."
"Oh, Charles..."
Charles leaned down from his greater
height, and his warms lips pressed to hers, their souls uniting.
A distant sound came to Catherine's
ears-- horses, and a coach of some kind. Charles broke off the kiss.
"Lefanu! I must be off," he
said. "My solicitors will know how to present this book as evidence, and I
must get it into their hands post-haste."
"You mean that we must be
off!"
"You can't come with me." His
voice was flat, as though he were suppressing a terrible pain. "The danger
is too great..."
"No greater for me than for
you!"
"... and you're exhausted,"
he concluded. "Darling Catherine,” and how her heart leapt at those words,
"you haven't the strength for this. Go back to the cottage, eat something,
and get some rest. No one will find you there. I will return for you
soon."
"But..."
" No! " Charles cut her
off vehemently. "I have a better chance of outdistancing them if I ride
alone. And besides, I can't take you into danger with me. I will ride more
surely and swiftly if I know that you're safe in hiding."
"Very well." She nodded, took
one more kiss from his lips, and before she’d turned her horse around, he was
off.
**********
As she watched Charles' figure recede
into the distance, Catherine found herself sighing with guilty relief.
For, no matter how brave a front she
might have put up, she was so utterly exhausted from her ordeal
that she could never have kept up with Charles. She'd only have slowed him
down, endangering them both.
No, she would do as she was told: make
her way back to the small cottage, eat something, wait for Charles to return...
and sleep.
Sleep. The word had a lovely sound:
sleep.
She found herself studying the horse's
back... then the soft loamy ground beneath its hooves... and she thought of her
own bed...
**********
Catherine opened her eyes, surprised to
see blue sky instead of green ground before her eyes. She was trying to
decide why her head ached so miserably... and then suddenly realized that she
was no longer sitting atop the horse, and that the headache was as nothing
compared to what might easily have happened, slipping off the horse unconscious
as she had.
Damnation! Well bred English girls might not curse so,
but those hardened by India had no such qualms. She rolled over, getting to her
hands and knees, shaking her head to clear it.
And damnation again! She
looked around desperately, and by squinting, could make out the receding form
of the brown horse. I’ll have to speak to Charles about his horse-training
methods! How far
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