Surrender (55 page)

 
I have been talking to the vicar

about planting some more trees. Oak

or elm, perhaps. The timber would be

an excellent investment for our children

or our grandchildren."

 
Lucas, I do not wish to speak about

investments of any kind tonight," Victoria

said rather forcefully.

 
What about the future? Would you like

to talk about that?"

Her hands tightened on the reins.
 
Not

particularly."

His voice gentled.
 
Has it occurred to

you that you might even now be carrying

my babe?"

 
It is not something I want to think

about."

 
Do you find the subject so terrifying,

then? I am surprised at you, Vicky. You

are no coward, of that I am certain."

 
Did you bring me out here to discuss

your heir, my lord? Because, if so, we may

as well turn back now."

He was silent for a moment.
 
Do you

hate me so much that you do not even

want to bear my child?"

I do not hate you," she stormed, feeling

pressed.
 
That is not the point."

 
I am greatly relieved to hear that."

Victoria sighed.
 
I simply do not want to

talk about your heir tonight or any other

night until we have settled this matter that

stands between us."

 
The only thing that stands between us

is your pride and your fear of losing your

independence. Does it make you feel any

better to know that you are not the only

one who is no longer free?"

She slid him a sidelong glance.
 
You are

referring to yourself, sir?"

 
Yes."

 
You seem free enough to me."

Look around you, Vicky. I lost whatever

freedom I enjoyed the day I inherited

stone vale. I am tied to this land and my

responsibilities to our descendants for the

rest of my life."

 
And you are a man who will always

fulfill your responsibilities, regardless of

what comes." She studied the road between

her mare's ears, thinking about her own

words.

 
I will do my best, Vicky, even when

some of those responsibilities are not

to your liking. But I would have you

remember, even in the midst of our

battles, that what I do, I do because

I truly think it is best for us and for

our future. I do not set myself against

you lightly." He smiled.
 
Believe me, it

requires far too much effort to do battle

with you for me to waste my time and

energy on minor skirmishes. I much prefer

to indulge you whenever possible."

She was indignant.
 
Indulge me? You

think you indulge me? You have a vastly

overrated opinion of your own actions,

my lord."

He motioned toward their midnight

surroundings.
 
Look around you, my dear.

What other man of your acquaintance

would drag himself out of a warm

bed at this hour merely to entertain

you?"

She felt a grin tug at her mouth. There

was something about being out with Lucas

at this hour of night that always had a

euphoric effect on her senses. At the

moment she could no longer even summon

up the hot anger she had nursed all day.

 
Well, as to that, my lord, I am not

precisely certain just what other men of

my acquaintance would humor me so. I

have not had a chance to do a proper

survey, you see. Perhaps if I started asking

about, I would turn up one or two other

noble types who would indulge me in this

minor fashion."

 
If I catch you doing such a survey, I

will see to it that you do not sit a horse

comfortably for a week."

Her amusement faded at once.
 
So much

for your indulgence, my lord."

 
I have limits, madam. And I fear you

must learn to tolerate them."

 
I have a dressing table I can continue

to push in front of my door every night,"

Victoria warned.

Lucas smiled confidently.
 
The ledge

that leads from my window to yours

is wide enough to provide a safe path,

even on moonless nights. But I warn you,

madam, if you oblige me to use it in foul

weather, I cannot guarantee to be in a

particularly indulgent mood by the time I

arrive at your window."

But you will, nevertheless, arrive at my

window?"

 
You may count on that, my sweet. It

is as certain as sunrise."

Victoria risked another sidelong glance

and saw that he was watching her with

eyes that reflected the moonlight. Her

whole body responded to the irresistible

power he held over her. He wanted her

and he made no effort to hide it. It gave

her a sense of her own power and it also

made her light-headed with excitement.

At that moment her horse nickered

softly.

 
Lucas, I
 
."

 
Hush." He reined in his horse and

reached across to halt her mare. His sensual

flirtation had turned to acute alertness.

Instinctively she kept her voice low.

 
What is it?"

 
It seems we are not alone out here," he

said.
 
Hurry. Into the trees."

She did not argue. Obediently she

followed his stallion into the woods at

the side of the road. They sat watching

the moonlit lane from the shelter of

the trees.

 
Who are we hiding from?" she asked

very softly.

 
I'm not yet certain, but I can think of

only one other person who might have

business at midnight on this road."

The highwayman." Victoria was suddenly

breathless.
 
He has not left the

district, after all. Lucas, how exciting. I

have never seen a real highwayman."

 
For which you should be very grateful,

madam. I suppose I have no one but

myself to blame for the fact that you

might see one now."

Victoria heard the clip-clop of a horse's

hooves in the distance. A moment later

a dark figure riding what appeared to be

a bulky-looking plow horse rounded the

bend. The highwayman was dressed in a

somewhat tattered-looking black cape. He

had a scarf across the lower portion of

his face.

As he came down the lane Victoria saw

that he was impatiently kicking his horse's

rounded sides. The rider's urgent voice

carried clearly on the night air.

 
Hurry it up, ye good-fer-nothin" nag.

Do ye think we've got all night? That

carriage will be here any minute now.

Move, damn your fat sides."

The horse continued to plod stolidly

along until the rider turned it and guided

it into the woods on the opposite side of

the road.

Victoria realized that she and Lucas

were trapped on this side of the road.

They could not move out onto the lane

until the highwayman, or whoever he was,

chose to leave the vicinity. Beside her, she

thought she heard the softest of disgusted

oaths from Lucas. But before she could

catch his attention to see how he intended

to get them out of this fix, the rattle of

coach wheels shattered the stillness.

It seemed they were to be a witness

to the local highwayman's latest piece of

business.

A few seconds later the coach, a staid

old vehicle pulled by an equally elderly

team, rounded the bend in the lane and

rumbled forward at a stately pace.

The highwayman urged his horse out of

the trees and into the middle of the road.

He brandished a large pistol.

 
Halt," he yelled loudly.
 
Stand and

deliver."

There was a startled cry from the

coachman, who immediately began sawing

on the reins to pull the slowly cantering

horses to a halt.

 
Here now," the coachman called un

easily.
 
What's all this?"

 
Ye heard me, man. Tell your passengers

to stand and deliver or it'll be the worse for

all o" ye."

Lucas sighed.
 
Well, we cannot have this

sort of nonsense going on around here.

Stay right where you are, Vicky. Do not

come out of these trees until I call you

out. Understood?"

She realized he intended to halt the

robbery.
 
I can help you."

 
You will do no such thing. Do not move

from this spot. That's an order, Vicky."

Without waiting for her response, he

removed a pistol from his pocket and rode

out onto the lane behind the highwayman.

 
That'll be enough of that now. Hand over

the pistol before someone gets hurt, lad."

Lucas's voice was the amazingly calm

and overwhelmingly commanding one he

used only rarely but always to great effect.

It was definitely a tone that compelled

instant obedience. Victoria was impressed

in spite of herself.

The highwayman whipped around in his

saddle.
 
What the devil? Damme, who

are you? This is my coach. Go find yerself

another one. I got no intention o" sharin'

it with the likes o" ye."

 
You misunderstand, lad. I don't want

the coach. I'm in another line of work

myself. Now hand over the pistol."

 
Who be ye?" There was a quaver in

the highwayman's voice now.
 
Who be ye,

mister? Ye cannot be the ghost they been

sayin"
 
as come back. Ye cannot be."

 
The pistol, if you please." Lucas

sharpened his tone just slightly and

the pistol was instantly dropped into his

outstretched palm.
 
Wise lad. Now let us

see to the passengers."

At that instant the coachman, no doubt

under the impression he was suddenly

facing two highwaymen instead of one,

saw his chance and leapt from his box,

sprinting for the bushes.

A piercing scream rose from the inside

of the coach as one of the passengers

apparently looked out the window and

realized the coachman was abandoning his

charges.

The team of horses started violently at

the shriek of dismay and leapt forward,

reins flapping wildly.

 
Bloody hell." Lucas made a futile grab

for one of the horses as the coach surged

past him.

In that instant the highwayman saw his

opportunity and drove his heels violently

into his plump mount. The animal bolted

in fright and broke into a heavy canter

down the road in the opposite direction

in which the coach was going.

Another scream soared through the open

window of the coach. Victoria saw Lucas

turn his horse to chase after the coach and

she wasted no more time. The vehicle was

much closer to her than it was to Lucas

now and the highwayman was clearly bent

on escape.

She urged her mare quickly out onto the

road.
 
I've got it, Lucas. Don't let him get

away." She cantered her mare up alongside

one of the elderly coach horses and reached

down for the reins. The animal began to

slow immediately as if vastly relieved to be

back under human control.

 
For God's sake be careful," Lucas yelled.

But it was obvious the coach had already

come to a safe halt. He spun his horse

around in the other direction and went

after the lumbering plow horse.

Victoria patted the sweating neck of the

coach horse and glanced back in time to

see that it was going to be no contest

between Lucas's blooded stallion and the

farm horse. The highwayman did not stand

a chance.

She, collected the reins of the coach

horses and pulled the hood of her cloak

back up over her head so that her face

was in deep shadow.
 
It is all right," she

called to the missing coachman.
 
You can

come out now. You are in no danger.

Take charge of your team, if you please,

my good man."

An elderly, diminutive woman wearing

a turban stuck her head out the coach

window.
 
Good heavens, you're a female,

ain't you? Whatever is the world coming

to allowing women to run around in the

middle of the night in breeches? You

should be ashamed of yourself, young

woman."

Victoria grinned.
 
Yes, ma'am," she said

in her demurest accents.
 
My husband

holds much the same opinion as yourself."

 
And just where is your husband, pray

tell?"

Victoria nodded down the road to

where Lucas was leading a dejected

looking highwayman back toward the

coach.
 
That's him there, ma'am. He's

caught your highwayman for you."

 
Heavens, I don't want him." The woman

leaned back into the coach and spoke to her

companion, who appeared to be having a

quiet fit of hysterics.
 
Martha, do stop that

infernal noise and call John Coachman. I

believe he ran off into the woods. One

simply cannot rely upon staff these days."

 
I be right here, ma'am," the coachman

called, emerging hastily from the brush.

 
I was just waitin" me chance to get

the bleeder." He glanced suspiciously at

Victoria, who tossed him the reins.
 
You

sure you ain't about to rob us?"

 
No, I am not about to rob you."

 
For pity's sake, does she look like a

highwayman?" The elderly woman leaned

her head back out the window and

glowered at her coachman as he took

control of the team.
 
She's a female dressed

in men's breeches and she ought to be

thoroughly ashamed of herself. Imagine a

woman of decent breeding running around

like that on horseback in the middle of the

night. If her husband had any sense, he'd

beat her."

Lucas rode up with his captive in tow in

time to hear that last remark.
 
I promise

you, madam, I will take your advice under

consideration."

The woman switched her attention

immediately to him.
 
You being her

husband, I take it? What in heaven's

name do you think you're doing letting

her run about like this?"

Lucas smiled.
 
Trying to keep up with

her, and I assure you, it is not easy. Are

you and your companion all right?"

 
Quite all right, thank you very much.

We are late coming back from the home

of friends. A mistake I shall not make

again. What are you going to do with

him?" She nodded toward the drooping

highwayman, who was still wearing his

scarf as a mask.

 
Well, as to that," Lucas began thought

fully,
 
I suppose I ought to turn him over

to the proper authorities."

There was a whimper of protest from

the highwayman, but that was all.

Yes, yes, the proper authorities," the

woman said briskly.
 
Do that. And when

you've finished with that business, I suggest

you do something about your wife. A

woman who's allowed to run around in

the middle of the night wearing breeches

will come to a bad end, I can tell you that.

Now, enough of this foolishness. Home,

John."

 
Yes, yer ladyship." The coachman

heaved himself back up onto his box

and flicked the reins. The coach lumbered

forward and was soon out of sight around

the next bend in the lane.

Victoria examined the highwayman. It

did not take sophisticated powers of

deduction to determine that the horse,

at least, was probably from a nearby farm.

 
Surely a professional highwayman should

invest in a faster animal. Who are you,

lad? Are you from these parts?"

There was another whimper from the

highwayman, who cast a frantic eye toward

Lucas, as if he sought help from that

quarter.

 
Answer the lady," Lucas ordered softly.

The young man reluctantly reached up

and pulled down his scarf. Victoria realized

with a pang that he could not have been

more than fifteen at the most. He stared

first at Lucas and then at Victoria with a

frightened expression.
 
Name's Billy."

Billy what?" Lucas prodded patiently.

 
Billy Simms."

 
Well, Billy, I am afraid you are in a

great deal of trouble," Lucas remarked,

dropping his pistol back into his pocket.

 
The Earl of stone vale does not approve

of highwaymen operating in this district."

 
Ye think I give a bloody damn what

his
 
igh-and-mighty lordship approves of?"

Billy burst out.
 
I wouldn't be operatin'

as a bleedin"
 
ighwayman at all if the last

earl
 
adn't thrown Ma and me and my sis

out of our
 
ome. What was I supposed to

do after Pa got taken off with the fever?

We're livin" wi" me aunt and her family