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Elizabeth tried to pull her shoulders back, to bolster her courage. It helped a little but her insides still melted in fear when she looked the thief in eye. “My reticule is in the carriage. It will have all that you’ll need.”
The thief spat to the side and wiped his thin lips. “Is that so?” And then, without warning, he shoved Gemma aside.
Elizabeth squealed in fright, watching as Gemma hit the ground hard. Before she had the chance to even think about running, the man grabbed her roughly by her upper arm. He used the hand holding his dagger to snap the necklace from her throat. Her collarbone lit up with pain, a shocking wave of numbness racing down her arm. Elizabeth grasped her shoulder, her heart sinking when she felt blood quickly soaking through her gown.
“Ah, this will do nicely,” he mused aloud. Elizabeth was shaking, her throat clogged with her fear. The coachman was running towards them now, finally noticing that something was wrong. And Gemma…Gemma was moaning in pain.
The thief was still studying her. Elizabeth wanted to tell him to leave, to be brave, to do something! But she could only stand there like a trembling leaf and watch as he searched for something else to take. His eyes lit up once again and Elizabeth stiffened. Before she could hope to do anything, he reached for her again, taking her hand this time. But he did not reach for the handkerchief. Instead, he tried to take the simple gold band around her finger.
“My, my,” he drawled. Behind him, the coachman tripped over his feet and tumbled to the ground. Despair descended within her. “Would ya’ look at this? A mighty fine piece, if I do say so myself.”
“You cannot have it,” Elizabeth declared. She tried to wrench her hand away from him but failed. Desperation coated her fear. She couldn’t let him take this piece of William she’d been carrying with her all this time. He’d given her this ring only a few months before he’d disappeared. This terrible man could not have it.
The thief sneered derisively at her before he reached for her enclosed fist and forced it in front of her. “Open ya’ hand or I’m cuttin’ it open myself.”
Elizabeth bit her lip, shaking her head. It was foolish she knew, but she kept her fist closed as tightly as she could. It was the only connection she had to William, a reminder to her to never give up searching for him.
“My Lady…” Gemma tried to sit up, cradling a hand to her chest. “Please, just give it to him.”
Elizabeth shook her head desperately. “I can’t!” she sobbed.
“My Lady!” came the coachman’s shout from behind the thief.
Gritting his teeth, the thief pulled her fingers back and dragged the ring off, tugging harshly on her finger as she did. Without thinking, driven by her desperation, Elizabeth grabbed hold of his wrist before he could move away. He grimaced and swipe at her arm with his dagger. Elizabeth didn’t let go, even as the pain seemed to shock her entire body.
The coachman came to the rescue, but as Elizabeth expected, he could do nothing against this thief. He tried to grab him from behind and the thief whirled on him with a punch that sent the coachman sailing to the ground, his skinny limbs sprawling. Elizabeth winced, knowing the old coachman would not handle such a fall well. But she was grateful for the coachman’s actions, because it made the thief drop the ring.
The fear was forgotten. All she could think was to run. To grab the ring lying among the grass and run.
I can’t let him have it. I can’t.
A hand grabbed her from behind and then pain exploded in her side. Elizabeth lost her strength in an instant, sapped out by the blood that now coated her gown. She couldn’t hold on to anything any longer, couldn’t keep herself standing. As she sank to the ground, she looked up to see that he now held the bloody handkerchief in his hand, wiping angrily at his hands with it.
“I hope this was worth all this trouble you’ve caused me,” he growled, lifting the ring up to his eye level. “Or else I might just come back for you. Maybe I’ll cut into your pretty face the next time.”
“No…” She couldn’t feel anything anymore. Calm settled over her body even as she reached out to him with blood fingers. “You can…have anything else. Just not that…”
But the thief no longer looked interested in sticking around. He spat to the side, gave her one last disgusted look, and he walked off in the direction of the carriage, no doubt to fetch the reticule she’d mentioned. He sauntered with all the ease in the world as if he hadn’t wounded two servants and a lady and was now leaving them behind to deal with the aftermath.
