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For now, he rushed forward, meeting the brute halfway. He lashed out with his fist, nearly connecting, but the other man dodged. Nathan was ready for a bout of fisticuffs. What he was not prepared for was the man to lurch to the side, spin around Nathan, and run out the open door into the storm.
And itwasa storm. The deluge coming down was so strong, he could barely see out the door. Dammit. He needed to get to Merlin.
“Why did you let him get away?” Miss Davies’ tone was strident.
Nathan turned to see her struggling to her feet. She appeared unharmed, but he felt ungentlemanly watching her try to untangle her skirts from her legs and the chair.
Quickly moving closer, he reached out his hand and assisted her to a standing position, trying to ignore how dainty her hand felt in his. Though it was possible she was innocent, he was not ready to give in and trust that everything was as it appeared to be. Only careful contemplation of new information would help him come to a new conjecture.
“Are you hurt?” he asked brusquely rather than answer her question, which he did not consider worth his time. He had notletthe man get away. He had not expected the man to want to get away at all.
“No.”
“Good.” Nathan turned and headed out into the rain, leaving her standing there with her jaw hanging open. The deluge battered against him as he shut the cottage door firmly behind him and hurried to where he’d seen the other horse hitched up, but the little shelter was empty. It had been too much to hope it wouldn’t be, he supposed.
Turning, he hurried back down the path to retrieve a cranky Merlin. The horse was not at all happy about being left out in the rain, and it took all of Nathan’s coaxing and soothing promises to get him into the little shelter. Thankfully, it was a very sturdy shelter. Merlin settled once he was inside, happy to be out of the wet. There was no food for him since Nathan had not expected to be out past his morning ride, but there was no help for that. Tying Merlin’s bridle in place, Nathan steeled himself to return to the cottage.
He had a few questions for Miss Davies.
ChapterFive
Lily
Watching Captain Jones storm out the door, Lily’s mouth dropped open. Of all the nerve! Letting the blaggard get away, then treating her so rudely. Perhaps he had gone out to catch the man. That would be the only excusable reason, she fumed.
The summer storm was battering the small cottage, which was the only reason she did not follow him out. Besides, she did not want to distract him, or likely he would blameherfor the highwayman’s escape.
Lily sniffed and searched around the cottage. Her knuckles still stung from the knock she’d given the highwayman. Shaking out her hand, she searched the cottage for anything that might be useful. With the storm, they would not be going anywhere soon. She paused.
Oh, dear.
It would not matter which man she was trapped with overnight—either would lead to her ruination in the eyes of theton.
Well, no help for it now. Hopefully, she was physically safer in Captain Jones’ company than she was in the highwayman’s. If her luck held, the rain would let up, and she would be back in London with her parents before sundown. Though she had no way of knowing how much time she’d lost when she was unconscious. With the storm clouds, it was impossible to judge the hour by the amount of daylight.
Finding a candle and box of matches, Lily sighed with relief. Some light, at least. She glanced at the fireplace behind where she’d been sitting. There was plenty of wood stacked if they were to need a fire. Hmmm… Captain Jones would likely be soaked through when he returned.
Ifhe returned.
Glancing at the closed door, Lily frowned, then decided she may as well get the fire started. If he did not return soon, her curiosity would demand she made at least a cursory search for him outdoors, thenshewould appreciate having a fire. She closed the curtains of the window that had been letting in light and set the candle. Thankfully, the cottage was small enough, even something so small gave her enough light to see by. The fire would be useful for more than one reason.
As she was stacking the wood in the fireplace, the door opened behind her. Startled, she jumped to her feet and grabbed the poker, holding it up like a cricket bat. She had never been very good at the game, but hitting a man was much easier than hitting a ball. The wind gusted in, blowing out the candle she’d set on the table and taking away that bit of light.
“It’s me.” Captain Jones’ voice was tinged with frustration.
“What happened to the highwayman?” she asked, lowering the poker, though she did not let it go. Captain Jones closed the door behind him. She really needed to get the fire lit. Turning her back on him, she finished stacking the wood and struck a match, dropping it onto the tinder in the center.
The light from the fire was much better than that from the candle. She stood to hear his answer, brushing her hands off with a satisfied smile. When she turned around, she shrieked at the sight that met her eyes.
* * *
Nathan
His clothes were soaked through, and despite the warmth of the day, there was a distinct chill across his skin. Though Nathan would normally not disrobe in polite company, the state of his coat made it hard for him to move, and he had taken it off while Miss Davies attempted to start a fire.
“What is it?” he asked, turning and looking around, ready to defend himself if the villain he’d chased off had returned.
“Nothing… I…” Her gaze was averted, staring at the wall, then he caught her eyes tending his way before jerking away again.
