Fields of Fire (4 page)

Donnegan tensed.

With the muzzle of the musket, the dragoon raised the blanket. “Holy Mother of God! Would ye look at that? ‘Tis a little love nest we stumbled on, for sure.” He gaped at the man and woman naked in each other’s arms nestled in the hay.

“Why do ye suppose they be doin’ such carryin’ on here, and stopped right in the path of traffic?” The thin dragoon scratched at his head and looked down the road. “I just don’t like it. Something’s not right.”

“Are ye daft man? Take a look at this woman. What else would ye do stuck out in nowhere with her? Let’s get this cart off the road. That should give ‘em a stir, and ye can ask ‘em yerself.”

From the thicket, Donnegan watched each man grab one of the wooden supports to the cart and begin to wheel it aside. The heavier dragoon carelessly flung his musket over his shoulder while the other kept his weapon at the ready

“Now,” Donnegan yelled to Henry. “I’ll take the one on the right.”

The two kicked their horses and charged the dragoons. Their sudden movement caused blackbirds, perched high atop nearby ash trees, to squawk and scatter. Donnegan aimed his pistol at the stockier dragoon’s chest and fired. The man’s body jerked backwards from the force, fell to the ground and twitched. Donnegan pulled another pistol out of his waistband and checked the other dragoon. Henry shot the man’s arm. “I’ll finish him.” Donnegan shot him in the head. “The coach,” he yelled. “It’s getting away! After it.”

At the first sounds of shots, the driver had whipped the team to a start, pushing the horses to their limit. “You’ll not get away,” Donnegan vowed as he and Henry caught up with the coach.

“I’ve got ‘em.” Donnegan grabbed the reins of the horse nearest to him. The coach rumbled to a stop.

“Cory! Look out!”

Donnegan spun around at the same time that the driver fired his pistol. “Ah, bloody hell. I’m hit,” he moaned.

“Cory, are ye all right?” Henry asked.

“The shot passed through my side, but I’m losing blood fast. Get rid of that son of a bitch.” He glared at the driver, who was attempting to jump from the coach and run.

Henry took aim, fired his weapon and killed the driver.

“Nelly, love! Are you all right? Get out here!” Donnegan called to his mistress. He slumped over the neck of his horse, unable to sit upright any longer. ‘Damn,” he cursed. He’d over-exerted himself, and he applied more pressure to his wound by bunching up the bottom of his cloak over it.

He quivered in relief when Nelly poked her head outside the coach door, surveyed the situation and scrambled to his side.

“Ah, me darling, you’re hurt. Let me help you.” She caressed his cheek, his arm, his shoulder—whatever part of him she could reach.

“Where’s Henry?” he asked. His voice reflected his weakened condition.

“Right here.”

“Get rid of the two in the horse cart and meet me back at the distillery. Nelly can look after me.” He stopped to catch his breath. He passed out instead.

“Quick, Henry. Do something! He’s dying.” Nelly cried.

Henry dismounted. “Son of a bitch. That’s all I need—a hysterical woman,” he mumbled under his breath, and proceeded to examine Cory’s wound. After he touched Cory’s wrist to check for a pulse, he said, “He’s not dyin’, but he’s lost a lot of blood.”

“Thank God,” Nelly wiped the tears from her cheeks. “What shall we do?”

“I’ll pad his wound,” Henry said. “Is there a lap rug in the coach?”

“Aye,” Nelly answered.

“Get it, and I’ll cover Cory and tie him to the horse.”

Nelly did as she was told. When Cory was secured, Henry ordered, “Mount yer horse and take Cory back to the distillery as fast as possible. I’ll catch up with ye after I see to the two in the horse cart.”

Nelly mounted her own horse and led Cory away.

Henry returned to the cart only to find that Jalene and Taylor had fled. “Bloody hell. Cory’s not goin’ to like this,” he said, straining to see in both directions down the road. He was still on his horse, alert, considering the situation, when he heard horses approaching in the distance. Without further thought, he concealed himself in the nearby thicket of trees.

* * * *

Jalene’s blanket-wrapped body hung like a cloth doll over Taylor’s shoulder as he made his way through the woods. With every barefooted and hurried step he took across the forest floor, his shoulder dug into her stomach. The pain of it, combined with the blood rushing to her head from hanging upside down, woke her. She blinked several times, and when her eyes focused, she was staring at what appeared to be the fuzzy posterior of a human being poking out from beneath a grey, woolen blanket. She caught her breath in surprise. The events of the last day came flooding back to her. Lord have mercy. Donnegan! She began pounding her fists on the beast’s back.

“Let me go, you disgusting swine! I’d lie face down on a dunghill before I’d sleep with the likes of you.”

The man abruptly yanked her off his shoulder and tossed her down to stand in front of him. The blanket he had wrapped her in slipped open. He closed it. “You’ve made your point. Tempting as you are, sweetness, that’s not what I had in mind. I assure you that my intentions are quite honorable. I’ve never taken anything that wasn’t freely given.”

“Captain Traynor.” She nearly fainted again in relief. “I’m thankful it’s you. I thought you were that loathsome Donnegan.” She took a breath. Then she became conscious of their partially clad bodies and her earlier accusations. She tugged her blanket more securely around her. A flush of heat coursed through her body when she saw that the blanket he wore only partially covered him. His once-ample midsection was now revealed as a lean, muscled frame. So much more of him could be seen by the light of day. She dared not glance any lower—she had already shamelessly looked upon his naked maleness at the cottage.

Trying to conceal her discomfort, she asked, “What has happened? Where are we? And how did I get this bump on the back of my head?”

He apparently understood the source of her embarrassment, pulled the blanket off his shoulder and wrapped it around himself more properly before he answered, “One of Donnegan’s men knocked us unconscious. I’ll tell you more as we walk. They might be following us.” He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s go.”

She needed no further explanation. She kept up with him as best she could while stepping gingerly to avoid stony patches of ground and prickly vegetation. “Where are we going?” she asked, and once again looked over her shoulder, fully expecting Donnegan to appear.

“We’re traveling the same direction as the road. There’s a section ahead where we can view any traffic along it, yet remain a safe distance away.” Without breaking his stride, he added, “Step where I have and the going will be easier on your feet.”

She followed his suggestion gratefully. He moved as one who knew what he was doing and where he was going. “Do you know this area?”

“Aye.”

He didn’t offer more, so she remained silent. After a few moments, she studied the dark hair on his legs and allowed her eyes to wander over his blanket-clad body. She stared in fascination as the cloth shifted with his movements to reveal flashes of his muscular form.

“Ach.” She missed a step and had to stop to pull a twig from between her toes.

He glanced over his shoulder at her. “I said watch my feet, not my backside.”

“I wasn’t ...” She considered denying it before she said, “Don’t flatter yourself! Of course I was watching you. It was your suggestion.”

“Aye, but I saw you, Jalene.” He stopped to face her. “You were studying me like you were going to be quizzed on the locations of my birthmarks. I trust you liked what you saw?” His smile gleamed bright against his darker bushy beard.

She knew that women’s bold stares were considered an invitation. She hadn’t meant anything by it. Besides, how could he have seen her? To hide her embarrassment, she ignored his comment and walked past him to take the lead. “Where are we going?”

“You’re in the lead. I’d be most happy to follow you. I must admit, watching jour backside would brighten my day considerably.”

“Captain Traynor!” Completely ruffled, she stepped aside.

He grinned at her, obviously quite pleased with himself, and as he walked past her to take charge once again, he gently touched her mouth with his forefinger. “Come on. I’ll tell you what happened.”

“Donnegan used us as a diversion to stop a coach. I’m not sure why.” He explained about the horse cart and the dragoons, but refrained from mentioning how they’d been positioned.

“I don’t understand how you managed to get us out of the cart without them noticing.”

“I heard the coach take off when Donnegan and his man first started shooting. I seized the opportunity to flee when they chased after the driver.” He stopped. “I don’t understand how you remained unconscious through it all.”

“I’ve always been a sound sleeper. It worried my parents when I was small, but they eventually got used to it. Being in danger and all, it is amazing, isn’t it? Once again, I apologize for being such a burden. I wish I could thank you properly.”

They started walking again.

“If there’s anything I can do to repay you for your troubles, please let me know.”

He turned his head and looked at her more closely. “Really? Hmmm, I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”

She glimpsed the twinkle that came into his eyes before he turned away, but gave it no further thought. “Good,” she said innocently, and asked, “Do you think they’ll come after us?”

“We would have heard them by now.”

They continued in silence. For her, it was all too worrisome. Her feet hurt, she had to watch where she stepped, and for the first time, she became aware of the cold early morning air and the damp climate of the woods. The chill dug into her bones.

Finally they arrived in an open area at the edge of a grassy incline where they could see any travelers along the road below. The mist had lifted and the sun struggled to appear from behind the clouds. Taylor plopped down in the tall, green grass and motioned for her to do the same.

She hesitated, surveyed the ground, and sat down next to him. “Now what?”

“Now we wait. From here, if we hurry, we can meet any travelers coming around the bend,” Taylor explained.

She scanned the horizon. But for their situation, the luscious green shades of the countryside would be a perfect setting for a picnic. She turned and regarded him. “Who do you expect?”

“Anyone who can give us a ride back to Dublin. I’m sure that’s where you’d like to be returned, isn’t it?”

“Aye.” She remembered he’d told Donnegan about a wife. “Your wife is probably worried sick about you.”

“You believed that? I have no wife. That was a lie I told to appease Donnegan,” he said, in a complacent manner.

“I see,” she said, unsure why she was pleased with his answer. Nonetheless, she wanted to slap the smirk off his face.

“What about you and this Wil person that Donnegan was asking you about? Is he a beau, or really your cousin?” He scratched his bushy beard and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

“Aye, he is my cousin. We’re very close.” She sighed, knowing how distraught Wil must be right now. “At least he’ll be safe from Donnegan.”

“So you did lie about where Wil lived?”

Jalene nodded. “I know I took a chance, and that you would have been the recipient of Donnegan’s anger if he doubted me, but I had to protect Wil.”

“It wasn’t myself I was concerned about. He’d have harmed you regardless,” Taylor said and frowned.

“You’re probably right, but all that is over.”

“Not ... we’ll talk more later,” he said. A coach appeared on the road below. “Let’s be off.” He offered his hand to help her stand.

She accepted and was soon struggling to keep pace behind him. He stopped and said, “We need to go more quickly. I’ll have to carry you.” He moved towards her.

“Nay.” She backed away and hugged the blanket wrapped around her.

“Don’t be arguing with me now. We’ve no time. Besides, it’ll give your feet a rest.”

She considered her sore feet for a moment and agreed.

As he carried her along in his arms, she was conscious of his overpowering strength and his manly scent. The combination made her sigh with pleasure.

He eyed her curiously. “Did you say something?”

She knew her face turned a deep shade of red. “Nay,” she replied, trying to hide from his gaze.

“Hmmm,” was all he said.

She was relieved when he finally set her down and they were both standing in the road facing the oncoming coach. People didn’t usually stand in the middle of the road clothed merely in woolen blankets. Consequently the coach, with two militiamen in the drivers’ seat, immediately stopped. One jumped down and, almost before his feet landed, pulled a saber from its sheath. He pointed it first at Taylor, then at her, and then back at Taylor again.

“Ye’re both under arrest for murder,” he said as a greeting. His gaze wandered up and down Jalene’s body.

“What? You can’t be serious,” Taylor said.

“We’ve harmed no one! We are victims ourselves,” she added.

“Aye, and me cousin is King George. I know all about ye two,” said the dragoon, his saber not having faltered in his hand the entire time.

“This is absurd. Where are our weapons? Why would we be waiting for you, only to get caught? Does this woman look like she’s ever even fired a weapon?” Taylor asked incredulously, losing patience by the second.

With his eyes fixed on Jalene’s face, the dragoon said, “Nay, but a gentleman witnessed the killings.”

“What gentleman? What are you talking about?” Taylor demanded, quite annoyed. They should have been well on their way to Dublin by now.

“Playing dumb ye are, but I’ll humor ye. A gent traveling down the road heard shots, so hid himself from view. He saw what happened. Ye two killed me fellow dragoons, and the driver as well, so yer partner could save his mistress from questioning.”

“You fool!” Taylor barked in frustration at the man. “Think a minute, for God’s sake. Why would we take such a chance? The man lied.”

“It seems to me the only fool is ye, since I’m holding the saber. I’d watch what names ye be callin’ me.” He waved the saber menacingly before Taylor.