“And how would you know this?” she asked. “Have you ever robbed a coach before?”
“No, I have not.”
“Then how can you speak with such certainty?” Elsbeth asked.
Lord Westcott held his hands up in surrender. “I am merely pointing out that you are a truly awful highwaywoman.”
Just then, Elsbeth saw the driver reaching for something under his seat. She swung her pistol towards him. “Stop that, or I will shoot!”
“Do as she says, Parker. Let her go,” Lord Westcott ordered. His tone brooked no argument.
The driver stilled, muttering under his breath, and Elsbeth seized her chance. She turned her horse sharply and galloped into the dark woodland, her heart pounding in her chest. The cold wind bit at her face as she raced towards her stepfather’s estate, the familiar path of the woodlands calming her nerves.
Niles Drayton, Earl of Westcott, watched as the highwaywoman disappeared into the dense cover of the trees. Instead of anger or frustration at being robbed, he felt something far more inconvenient: curiosity. Who was this brazen woman? The encounter had felt oddly halfhearted, almost as if she had not truly meant to rob them.
He turned and stepped into the coach, shutting the door firmly behind him. The conveyance jolted forward again, creaking as it resumed its journey. His sister Eugenie sat across from him, her keen blue eyes studying him intently.
“Why on earth did you give that highwaywomanyour pocket watch?” Eugenie asked.
Niles shrugged, leaning back into the worn leather seat. “I had little choice in the matter.”
“That is utter nonsense. She tried to return it to you, and you refused. Do not tell me that Father’s pocket watch means so little to you.”
“It means a great deal,” he replied. “I simply have every intention of getting it back.”
“How, pray tell, do you plan to do that?”
Niles’s lips curved into a faint smile. “By uncovering the identity of that highwaywoman. Surely there are not too many genteel women in Polperro riding about in trousers and wielding pistols.”
Eugenie adjusted the thick wool blanket draped over her lap, fixing him with a skeptical look. “And what will you do when you find her? Will you turn her over to the constable?”
“That depends,” Niles said.
“On what?”
Niles gave his sister a knowing look. “On whether or not she gives me back my pocket watch.”
Eugenie shook her head. “We are here to visit Aunt Margaret, not to embark on a search for a highwaywoman.”
“I can do both.”
Turning her attention towards the window, Eugenie said, “This entire conversation is absurd, as is your obsession with her.”
Niles chuckled. “Where is your sense of adventure? We were just robbed by a highwaywoman. That is not exactly an everyday occurrence.”
Eugenie brought her gaze back to meet his. “I wouldn’t call that a robbery. Besides, it might have been exciting if you had not ordered me to stay in the coach like a helpless child.”
Not feeling the least apologetic for his actions, he replied, “I was trying to keep you safe.”
“You were being overbearing,” she shot back. “And, for the record, I would have loved the opportunity to exchange words with our peculiar thief.”
“I will remember that for next time.”
Eugenie gave him an exasperated look. “I think it best if we do not speak again until we reach Aunt Margaret’s. Your voice is beginning to grate on my ears.”
Niles grinned. “You are being quite pleasant this evening.”
“I’m tired,” she muttered. “We have been on this infernaljourney for days, and all I want is a warm bath and some peace.”
