“I promise.” Then he took her lips in a hot, openmouthed kiss that poured forth all the pent-up fear, relief, and love in his soul. If Nick had his way, they would never be parted again.
“Bloody good to see you, Arnprior,” Alec said as he joined them in the road.
Nick reluctantly let Victoria slide to the ground but kept a firm hold around her waist. Not that he needed to. She clung to him like moss to a rock.
“You look like hell,” Nick said.
Blood trickled down from under Alec’s mussed hairline and a nasty bruise was starting to form around his eye. His greatcoat was covered in dirt, and his cravat was missing.
Alec just let out a sardonic snort.
“Is everyone all right?” Nick asked.
“Sergeant Blair took a bullet to the upper arm, but it was through and through so he should be fine.”
“I suppose they got the jump on you,” Nick said.
“I’ll never live it down,” Alec said. “The bastards caught us by complete surprise.”
Nick glanced down at Victoria and his heart jerked. He touched her hairline. “Are you hurt?”
“The blood isn’t mine.” She paused, looking ill for a moment. “It’s Fletcher’s.”
“Is he dead?”
She nodded. “He won’t be bothering us again.”
“Good.” His only regret was that he hadn’t been the one to do it.
“I can’t help but feel the same,” she said, “even though I know it’s wrong to wish anyone dead. The poor man had gone mad with grief.”
“He was going to shoot you, Victoria,” Alec said.
Just thinking about what could have happened to her made Nick’s gut clench. He pulled her closer, cuddling her to his side. “You killed him?” he asked Alec.
“No. You have someone else to thank for saving Victoria’s life.”
As he spoke, Logan appeared from behind the carriage, wiping his hands on a cloth. Everything inside Nick slammed to a halt.
“Logan?”
Victoria curled her gloved fingers into the collar of Nick’s coat. “I would be dead if not for him. He arrived literally in the nick of time.”
Logan casually tossed the bloodstained cloth into the open carriage boot and strolled over to join them. “I’ve patched the sergeant’s wound, but we should get him loaded up and on to Arrochar as soon as the coachman finishes with that wheel.”
“How in God’s name did you get mixed up in this?” Nick peered more closely at him. “And why are you dressed in your nightshirt?”
His brother looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. His nightshirt was stuffed into his breeches and topped with a ratty old coat that probably belonged to Tommy. He clearly hadn’t shaved in days, and his hair was sticking out in different directions. If a stranger had come along, they would think Logan was the villain, not the hero.
“I was dead to the world when Tommy woke me up and told me something was afoot.” Logan gave Victoria an apologetic smile and scratched his bristled chin. “I might have overindulged last night, so I was a wee bit thickheaded.”
“After today you can overindulge as much as you like and I will never offer a word of criticism,” she said.
“So, you still didn’t leave when I told you to,” said Nick. “Why is that?”
Logan met his gaze with an impassive look that didn’t fool Nick one bit. His brother was as nervous as a virgin on her wedding night. “I suppose I wasn’t ready to say good-bye to Kinglas,” he finally said.
“Thank God,” Victoria said fervently. She looked up at Nick and tugged on his collar.
