Page 36 of Reckless Desire

“Can you walk?” he whispered.

She nodded and willed back fresh tears.

“Stay behind me at all times,” he said, and she could’ve wept. “If I become injured, you are to run as fast as you can.”

She would do no such thing, but nodded when he drew back and met her gaze. He lowered her to the ground, then pressed a finger to his mouth in an order to keep silent. Kenna gave another single nod and followed as he crept back toward the road. They continued away from whatever—or whoever—he’d heard, until the road came into view again. He hurried them across the road to the other side, and they started south, down the mountain, back toward Inverness. They’d gone a quarter of a mile when a carriage came into view up ahead, parked on the road.

“Lord Hensley’s carriage,” she cried.

He nodded, mouth grim. The carriage was parked on the opposite side of the road. No driver sat on the perch. Of course not. The driver lay unconscious where she’d left him. A horse was tied to the back of the vehicle.

“They found my horse,” Lord Newhall muttered.

Kenna looked sharply at him. “Lord Hensley knows you are here.”

He shook his head. “Nae. He cannot recognize my horse.”

“Do you think Lord Hensley is inside?” she asked.

“One can only hope.”

His low tone sent a chill down her spine. “You cannot kill him,” she said.

He gave a harsh laugh. “Aye, but I can.”

Kenna grabbed his arm and yanked in an effort to turn him toward her. He took two more steps, dragging her, then stopped.

She met his gaze. “Killing him is not worth your imprisonment.”

“It is,” he replied. “But I have no intention of going to prison.”

“You will go to prison if you kill him. We should turn him over to the constable.”

He regarded her. “We could go to the Colonies to visit your family. I would take you.”

“Family?” Kenna frowned. “I have no family in the Colonies.”

“But Sir Stirling said—” He gave a low laugh. “He lied.”

“Lied? Lied about what?”

“Never mind. Stay here. I doubt Hensley is inside the carriage, but I want to be certain.”

She waited within the trees while he hurried across the road to the carriage. He reached the vehicle and Kenna held her breath as he yanked open the door. He peered inside, then closed the door and started toward the back of the carriage. Kenna hugged her arms. A real chill had begun to set in. She didn’t usually get sick, but she didn’t usually run around in a wet dress, either. Lord Newhall began untying his horse and Kenna started walking through the trees toward him. He had fitted a booted foot into the stirrup when she heard the unmistakable click of a hammer being pulled back. Kenna halted.

“I should have known you were the horse’s owner.”

Lord Hensley.

“Get away from the horse,” Lord Hensley said.

“You won’t get away with kidnapping Miss Ramsay,” Lord Newhall said.

“I didn’t kidnap her,” the viscount replied. “We were eloping, and you interfered.”

“Have you gone mad?” Lord Newhall said. “Sir Stirling knows it was your man who kidnapped her. We’ve already sent for a constable.”

Gravel crunched beneath boots and Lord Hensley walked around the horse then stopped a few feet from Lord Newhall, his back to Kenna.