Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle (180 page)

Scott

with the poisoned blades and he certainly didn't approve of what was being done to the girl.

Sam Brown glanced at the sky, tracking the sun's descent. He had a few hours left in which to do some thinking.

Chapter Seventeen

woke slowly, struggling

--

against the intense fog

that swamped his brain. He could hear Peyton and Peyton was angry. He could hear his brother's cold 'earl' voice berating some unfortunate soul. Why would that be the case? Where was he? Wherever he was, it was hard and felt like a floor.

'Paine?' That was

'Are you coming around

now?'

Paine found the strength to push his eyes open and then wished he hadn't. The room swam. Crispin's face appeared in his line of sight like a mirage on the desert.

Was he ill? He didn't recall being sick earlier. 'Help me sit up.' His tongue felt thick.

supported him on one side to hoist him up.

Paine gave an involuntary groan at the motion and tried to push with his arm on the other side. His hand made contact with a sharp shard of something. It felt like china.

'Julia!' Full cognisance flooded back. Paine forced

Scott

his eyes to stay open in spite of the dizziness. He grabbed at Crispin's coat. 'Julia's gone. Oswalt's her. There were men, too many of them.' He was babbling, letting the last moments of consciousness tumble out in no particular order.

'Hush, Paine. It's all right.'

soothed him

he had when Paine had fallen out of a tree in their youth.

Paine pushed at his brother. 'No, it's not all right.' The dizziness was slowing, less crippling now. They were still in the viscount's drawing room. He could make out Peyton with

in another corner. So that was

who Peyton was giving a tongue-lashing to. He didn't pity the man at all. Whatever Peyton did or said to the man wouldn't be any less than he deserved. The coward had let Oswalt forcibly remove Julia from the house.

Peyton spied him and abruptly left the trembling viscount to come to his side. 'Peyton, tell me everything.

How did you know to come?' Paine pressed, sparing his body no discomfort as he fought to recover.

'Your tiger came for us when he saw the men go into the house. He counted up numbers and realised he'd be of more use coming to us.'

'They've taken Julia. Oswalt has her. He means to marry her,' Paine said. 'I have to find her.'

'I know.' Peyton paused.

'Tell him everything.'

urged when it seemed

Peyton wouldn' t say anything more.

'What?' Paine swivelled his head between his brothers as they shared a silent communication. He paid for the effort with a sharp bout of dizziness.