Elizabeth Elliott (45 page)

Kenric swore under his breath, then called out to her uncle. “What do you want?”

“The girl,” Lonsdale answered. “Give us my niece and we will let you go.”

The two archers released their arrows just as Fitz Alan
reached water deep enough to swim. He ducked beneath the surface an instant before the arrows struck the trunk where his head had been. He emerged again next to Kenric, and worked his way beneath the branches that offered protection from archers on both sides. Claudia breathed a sigh of relief.

“You must swim downstream to get help,” she told them. She summoned up her strongest voice to cover her fear. “I am not afraid to stay here alone. My uncle will not hurt me.”

Both men stared at her in incredulous silence. Kenric found his voice first. “The uncle who ordered his men to shoot arrows at all of us, who intended to murder Guy and hang you for the deed? This is the uncle who will not hurt you?”

Claudia gave an exasperated sigh. “I meant that he will not hurt me until he thinks himself safely away from here, if he intends to hurt me at all. He surely has some plot to ransom me to Guy or Dante, and for that he needs me alive.”

“We will not leave you here.” Kenric’s voice brooked no argument.

“ ’Tis only a matter of time before he moves his archers in closer where they will have a clear shot at us all,” Claudia protested. “He will kill you both if you stay.”

“We will take our chances,” Fitz Alan said.

Kenric shifted her to his side so he could draw his sword. “Aye, these are not the worst odds we have faced.”

She thought them crazed. “You have the means to save yourselves. Why will you not leave while you can?”

They both looked at her as if she should know the answer, but Kenric enlightened her. “We would not leave any lady in such danger, Claudia. Least of all a member of our family. You insult us by suggesting we do so.”

Claudia opened her mouth to voice another argument, then promptly closed it again. They considered her a part of their family?

Kenric grinned. “I thought that might silence you.”

“Guy will return in an hour or two,” said Fitz Alan. “ ’Tis possible we can hold them off until then.”

“Nay, they will not wait.” Kenric looked toward the bank at their left. “We must draw them into the water, tempt them to take a shot from this side. The river runs deeper over there and we might have a chance to—”

The woods behind Lonsdale’s soldiers erupted with shouts. More soldiers rushed forward, only these wore the blue and white colors of Montague and carried shields to protect them from the wild volley of Lonsdale arrows. The archers dropped their bows and drew their swords, just as Claudia saw Guy and Dante emerge from the woods with Guy’s soldiers.

“Christ,” Fitz Alan swore, “he has but six men at his side.”

“Come with me. We can attack Lonsdale’s men from behind.” Kenric was already moving to the side of the trunk and shallower water. He stopped when the water reached their waists, then loosened his hold on Claudia. “Can you keep your balance if we leave you here?”

Claudia braced her good hand against the trunk. “Aye.”

“Good. Stay crouched down. We will take care of the archers on the left. Do not give the ones on the other side of this log anything to aim at.”

With that, Kenric and Fitz Alan made their way through the water toward shore. They moved slower than Claudia expected, careful to make no sudden moves that would draw the attention of the archers who had already turned to join the attack on Guy’s soldiers. The archers realized their mistake too late to face the new threat from the river. Kenric and Fitz Alan made short work of them, then moved ashore and found new targets to attack.

Claudia peeked over the trunk and saw that Lonsdale’s soldier no longer paid her any heed. They were well occupied fighting off their attackers. She looked for her uncle but didn’t see him anywhere. Then she spied Guy. He was running toward her, but had to stop to fight off a Lonsdale soldier. That one fell an instant before another attacked him from behind. Guy turned just in time to stop the death blow
aimed at his skull. The near miss made Claudia’s heart skip several beats, but it soon became obvious that this soldier would fall as well. She released a shaky sigh of relief.

The sound of a great many hoofbeats mingled with the sounds of the battle. Another force of Guy’s men arrived, this one much larger than the first. Guy started toward her again, but stopped abruptly. He glanced to his left and right, then suddenly sprinted along the bank, heading upstream. The brush and bushes grew thicker there and he disappeared behind a wall of greenery.

Claudia wondered if he had spied a Lonsdale soldier trying to escape in that direction, perhaps even her uncle. Several loud shouts turned her attention back to the fight taking place in front of her. Guy’s men had the Lonsdale soldiers surrounded, and those still standing threw down their weapons at the sight of heavily armed reinforcements. Dante glanced over his shoulder then started toward her as well, and just like Guy, he came to a sudden stop. “Claudia! Behind you!”

The warning came too late. Just as she glanced over her shoulder, a dark figure emerged from the water. She caught only a glimpse of faded blond hair and piercing blue eyes, then her uncle grabbed her by the waist and pressed a knife to her throat, using her as a shield.

“I will have safe passage, along with those of my men still standing,” Lonsdale shouted to the men on shore. “Throw down your weapons!”

Dante was the first to comply. He flung his sword aside with a look of contempt. “ ’Tis like you to hide behind a woman’s skirts, uncle. I am surprised your old friend the bishop is not here as well. He is just as adept at using my sister to fill his coffers. Did you think I would not learn of her whereabouts?”

“She was to go to the convent after I struck a bargain with Baron Montague for Halford Hall. No harm would have come to her if Montague had kept his word, and you would never have known that she had stayed at Lonsdale longer
than planned. I will compensate you for the inconvenience this caused you.”

Claudia heard more than a trace of fear in her uncle’s voice. He was a desperate man, driven to desperate measures. If he somehow managed to escape with her, she would not survive long in his care. His hold on her turned painful, for he had no concern for her injured shoulder. A small whimper escaped her lips.

“You are a poor liar, uncle.” Dante drew a dagger from inside his tunic and drew the flat of the blade through his fingers. He tilted his head to one side and looked up from the dagger, as if he had just come to a decision. “ ’Tis time to pay for your crimes.”

“I will slit her throat,” Lonsdale shouted. “I swear I will!”

“Do you think I will let you walk away from here?” Dante shook his head, answering his own question. “You must kill me first, uncle.”

Lonsdale backed up a step, then another pair of arms were suddenly wrapped around them both. Claudia watched in wide-eyed terror as Lonsdale’s dagger moved away from her throat to waver in front of her face. His hand trembled with his effort to return the blade to her neck, his wrist in the steely grip of a large, familiar hand. Lonsdale’s hold on her waist loosened just as Guy shouted his orders. “Get away from him, Claudia. Now!”

Ducking her head to avoid Lonsdale’s dagger, she twisted and turned, then fell forward into the water. Unmindful of the throbbing pain of her fall, it took only a moment to right herself. She struggled to her feet and stumbled through the water to put distance between herself and her uncle. Afraid to turn her back on Lonsdale, she whirled around in the water just in time to see Guy standing behind him, struggling to take the knife from Lonsdale’s hand. Then in a blurring flash of silver another dagger appeared, this one embedded in Lonsdale’s throat. Lonsdale sank to his knees, a look of stunned disbelief on his face. Claudia turned away from the gruesome sight.

“Did he hurt you?” Guy demanded, even as he swept her into his arms, jarring her shoulder in the process. He cursed, loud and fluently.

“ ’Tis nothing. I am fine.”

That did nothing to ease Guy’s scowl. He headed resolutely toward the shore. His men had the situation well in hand, but Guy motioned Kenric closer with a small movement of his head. “Find out where their horses are and send out a patrol to round up any more of his men.”

“Aye,” Kenric answered. “One of the wounded already made mention that another score of soldiers await them in the next valley. Fitz Alan and I will arrange a small surprise for them.”

“Excellent. Claudia and I will return to camp. We will meet you there.” Guy started to walk toward his horse.

“Montague, hold!” The words stopped Guy in his tracks and he turned around. Dante gave his sister a worried look. “You were not injured, cara?”

“Nay, I was not injured.” Claudia’s eyes narrowed on her brother. “But you could have skewered Guy with that dagger you threw. If Baron Lonsdale had moved just inches in either direction, Guy would be dead.”

The look in Dante’s eyes took on a decided chill. “There was no possibility of that, I assure you.”

“Can you, Dante?” She wanted to believe him. Could she ever believe in him again? “Can you assure me that you will never try to take Guy’s life, and swear to me that you speak the truth?”

“This is not the time or place to argue.” The censure in Guy’s tone surprised her as much as the admonishing look he gave her. “You two can discuss this later, in my tent.”

“I think not.” Dante resheathed his sword in one smooth, efficient stroke. “My men are ready to leave, and I have tarried here too long already. The papers I signed at the abbey mean you are no longer my responsibility, Claudia. I wish you well in your marriage.”

Without another word, Dante pivoted on his heel and
strode toward Armand and Oliver, who waited with his horse. Claudia looked away from her brother.

“Call him back,” Guy said.

Claudia shook her head. “He is the one who forced me to choose. My loyalities are with you.”

“I did not ask you to choose between us, I asked you to—”

“Please, Guy. I do not wish to speak of him.” She did not mean to sway him with tears, but they filled her eyes anyway. “Let Dante go. He brought us nothing but trouble.”

Guy’s mouth became a straight line. “You will not thank me for indulging your stubbornness, for the time will come when you regret those words.”

The time came sooner than Claudia imagined. A company of soldiers rode with them when they returned to camp, and Guy indicated that he did not want to speak in front of them. She tried her best to push Dante from her thoughts, but failed at that task as surely as she failed to contain her speculations about everything else that had happened at the river. After a warning look from Guy, she managed to hold her questions until they reached his tent and Guy gave his squire orders that they were not to be disturbed.

He smiled at her obvious impatience to be alone with him. “You have a few questions?”

“A few?” She pushed a damp lock of hair off her forehead in a restless gesture. “How did you get behind Uncle Laurence in the water? How did you know he attacked us in the first place? What made you leave the abbey so soon, and why did you try to rescue us with so few men?” She paused to take a breath. “Did you know your brothers would not leave me, even when they could save themselves? Why did—”

He held up one hand for silence. “Claudia, please. I can only answer one question at a time. Turn around and I will unlace you while I explain.”

“You wish to undress me? Now?” She looked at her soaked gown. “Oh. I suppose I should change clothes.”

“Aye, and I intend change your bandage as well,” he said, “but you are right to be wary.”

His eyes drank in the sight of her slender curves, and she knew that the wet gown clung to her in all the places she wanted him to touch her, which was everywhere. His clothes were soaked as well. The damp garments revealed an endless display of sleek, hard muscles that would flex beneath her touch when she kissed and caressed him. She couldn’t wait to get started. She saw how closely he watched the movement of her tongue when she wet her lips, so she did it again, this time to whet his appetite.

He cleared his throat. “I need to check your injury to make certain there is no further damage. Did Dante leave any of that salve?”

She nodded, then pointed to a trunk and a small jar that sat on top of it.

“Good. Now turn around.” She obeyed the order and his hands went to the laces. He worked slowly, careful not to pull too hard. On more than one occasion, she felt his fingers brush against the skin he bared. “To answer your first question, I was still on shore when I saw Lonsdale swim around the end of the fallen tree. I knew he intended to hold you hostage to gain his own freedom, and knew just as well that I would never reach you before he did. Instead I made my way along the bank and entered the river upstream, then floated beneath the surface and came up behind him. You know what happened from there.”

“Aye, Dante nearly murdered you!” She recalled again her awful terror when she saw the knife slice through the air, without knowing which man it would strike.

Guy unknotted the sling and eased it from her shoulder, supporting her left arm so it would not drop unexpectedly. “Dante had a clear target, and this time no one rushed forward to throw herself in front of his dagger. He told me himself that I was his first failure, that no other man he marked for death still lived.”

“He has become a monster,” she whispered.

“Perhaps,” he agreed, “but I believe there is a tortured soul in there somewhere, one capable of more emotion than he would have you know.”

“What do you mean?”

“He signed the marriage contracts because he wants you to be happy. I doubt he would ever admit it, but I think he also came to terms with the fact that I can keep you safe whereas he can offer you nothing but a life fraught with danger. And I would wager half my gold that you hurt his feelings when you accused him of trying to murder me.”

“He no longer has any feelings,” she countered, “and he only signed the marriage contracts because he wants you in his debt.”