Page 73 of To Hunt the Hunter

Matilda felt a furious protective rage overwhelm her tongue.

“Excuse me, your grace,” she said, surprising herself with the force of her anger. “If you will forgive me for observing it, but this is none of your damned business. You don’t have the first idea what is going on, and I am a grown woman. I make my own decisions. I do not need you, or you, Nate,” she added, turning to glare at her brother, “to speak for me. Lucian did not ask me to come with him, any more than he asked me to follow him to Dern. Indeed, he has tried very hard to make me go away. I refused. My decision, and whilst I am beyond touched that all of you have come all this way… I do not need or want to be rescued.”

“What hold do you have on her, you bastard?” Nate said in fury, as Jasper and Mr Knight grabbed hold of him again.

“Don’t you talk to him like that!” Phoebe yelled, letting go of Lucian’s hand and running to kick Nate hard in the shin. “Uncle Monty loves her, and she loves him.”

Nate yelled, as much in shock as pain, Matilda thought, and Phoebe promptly burst into tears.

“Oh, Phoebe, love,” Matilda said, her heart breaking as the little girl ran back to Lucian, who swept her up in his arms and held her tight, soothing her tears.

She turned on her brother in fury. “Nate, how could you?”

Nate glared at her, opened-mouthed.

“She kicked me!” he said indignantly.

“You insulted her uncle,” Matilda retorted, folding her arms.

“Matilda.”

Matilda looked around at the sound of the quiet voice and smiled with relief as Aashini stepped forward, flanked by her husband, Lord Cavendish, and her grandmother, Dharani. Matilda ran into the arms that were held open to her and had to work hard not to cry as Aashini hugged her tight.

“You look well, despite all of this,” Aashini observed, her beautiful face calm as she let her go, holding Matilda at arm’s length. “Are you?”

Matilda nodded. “I am. Thank you. But we do not have time for explanations. Aashini, you know what it is to fight a man who has wronged you, and Lucian is doing the same. We believe his uncle is a dangerous man and he’s on his way here, and… and…. Oh, lord, it’s all terribly complicated but, if you would just do as I ask, I think perhaps we can make things right.”

“Then we will do as you ask,” Aashini said simply. “Oh, but Dharani wishes to meet the wise woman that travels with you. And do not ask me how she knows of her, for she will not tell me.”

“Pippin?” Matilda replied, surprised, glancing over at the woman in question, who was helping Lucian comfort Phoebe. “Of course, but later, there is no time now. Mr Barrington will be here soon.”

Aashini nodded.

“If we do as you ask, will you come home with us, Matilda?” Nate said, looking as though he was fighting to keep his voice even. “If you come now, we might silence the worst of the gossip, if we all stick together.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Matilda swung around as Lucian’s answer overlaid her own.

“No!” she said, her voice firm. “Ten days, Lucian. There are still ten days….”

“No, love,” he said, shaking his head, though the calm tenor of his voice and his emotionless expression did not fool her. “Your brother is right. You ought not be here. I ought never to have allowed it, no matter what you or I wanted. We must now do everything we can to save you from this mess. I won’t have you ruined.”

Nate snorted in disgust, but held his tongue as Matilda shot a sharp-edged glare at him, clenching her jaw against all she wanted to say. She would not argue this now, before everyone. She still could not believe that nearly all her friends were here. Only Prue, who was too heavily pregnant for such a journey, and Ruth and Kitty seemed to be missing. A quick rap at the door was punctuated by the appearance of the narrow, pointed features of one of Flash Jack’s men.

“He’s on his way, Flash,” the fellow called out.

“Right ho.”

Belatedly everyone turned their attention to Jack, their eyes on stalks.

“Who the devil is this?” Nate demanded.

Despite everything, Matilda could not resist introducing them. “Nate, this is Flash Jack. Jack, my brother Nathaniel Hunter.”

Jack’s eyes lit up.