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“I am perfectly fine, Liam O’Connor, and I’m not stopping now. If you try to hold me back, I will go on ahead without you. Just watch me.” Cora’s hand flew to her mouth. Good Lord, where had that come from? She looked almost as surprised at her outburst as he did. Blinking rapidly, she was unsure of what to say next. Should she apologize?No.She wasn’t sorry. She meant what she said, and it felt...goodto stretch her wings. She was free of the rules and trappings of her old life. She began to smile with the realization.
Suddenly, Liam surprised her more when he threw his head back and laughed. He stifled the sound of it, since they were aiming for stealth, but his shoulders shook, and his eyes sparkled with deep admiration. “Captain Cora, you are a vision when you’re like this. Adventure suits you. I’m afraid I’ll be at your mercy for the rest of my days, and I’ll be a luckier devil for it.”
Still chuckling, he gripped her by the waist and lifted her into the sidesaddle. “You’d have far more control if you rode astride, you know.”
“I’ve never ridden anything but sidesaddle,” she said in surprise. “I once pondered aloud what it would be like to ride astride with trousers, and my poor nanny almost keeled over from apoplexy. She said only women of ill repute would consider such a thing.”
“Polite society is filled with silly rules, and that is one of them,” Liam said wryly. “Your nanny won’t be telling you what to do anymore, so from this day forth, you shall do as you please.” Liam smiled up at her as he gently helped place her injured foot, taking extra care with her ankle. Then he swung onto Vulcan, and they left her old life behind.
Cora cast a last look over her shoulder as they left the edge of her father’s land. The large house was a deep smudge of shadow against the night sky, with only the single candle shining from her bedroom window. It was a bleak reminder of how dark her life had become. When her mother was still alive, the place had been full of music and laughter and friends. But over the years everything had fallen into neglect, including Cora. She’d often felt like a lone candle, flickering hopelessly within all that gloom. The night Liam first climbed through her bedroom window, he’d shone like the sun, with his roguish smile and sparkling, expressive eyes. He was the one glowing light in her otherwise dreary existence, and now they were headed toward a brighter future. With a final, silent goodbye, Cora turned her back on her old life and faced the future.
“When we get to the main road, we’ll need to pick up our pace,” Liam said as they rode across the open field toward the highway. The rain had slowed to a steady drizzle, and the horses’ hooves made squelching sounds in the wet mud. “They’ll discover you gone by morning, so we’ve only the night hours to make it to the next village before they send out a search party.”
“What about your family?” Cora asked. “Will they be looking for you, too?”
“No.” Liam’s face looked bleak in the moonlight. “I’ve always come and gone at odd hours. They’ll think nothing of my absence for at least a day or two.”
They reached the main road, and soon they were moving at a fast clip along the highway. It was darker now, with the forest trees looming on either side, but the horses seemed to know the way.
Suddenly, two huge shadows on horseback appeared on the road ahead of them.
“Halt,” one of them shouted.
Liam jerked his horse to a stop, and Cora did the same. Her horse danced nervously underneath her, and she struggled to remain steady.
“We’ve no time for this. Stand aside and let us pass.” Liam motioned for Cora to stay behind him as he maneuvered his horse forward.
“Not until you pay the toll,” one of them growled.
The shadows came closer and Cora saw two hulking men in ragged clothes atop sturdy farm horses. The men were identical, with wide shoulders, thick arms and menacing faces.
“Well, well,” one of them said in a raspy voice. “Fancy meeting his highness at this hour.”
“With such a pretty companion,” the other one said, eyeing Cora. She cringed and drew her horse closer to Liam. The rain was cold, but it was nothing compared to the stranger’s expression. It chilled her to the bone.
“Stay back, both of you,” Liam said in a voice she’d never heard before. He sounded as frightening as they looked. Cora was suddenly glad to have Liam on her side.
“Still feeling uppity, eh, O’Connor?” the man said. “We’ve always shared the spoils before.”
“And plenty spoiled she looks, too.” The other one leered. “A fancy bit of skirt.”
“Touch one hair on her head, and you’ll regret it,” Liam said icily.
One of them scoffed. “You think you’re better than us now, but you’re nothing.” They looked dangerous enough to kill, and it was clear they had a history with Liam. Cora knew Liam was a thief who stole from the rich to give to the poor, but she’d never stopped to think if he was part of a band of thieves, like Robin Hood. In her mind what he did was noble and just, but these two men appeared to be the exact opposite.
“Get out of the way,” Liam demanded. His horse sidestepped nervously as the men came closer. “This is none of your concern.”
“Wait, what’s this?” One of the men squinted at Cora like he was trying to bring her into focus.
She instinctively drew her hood down over her face, but it was too late.
“That’s the squire’s daughter,” the man said in astonishment.
His twin shoved a wet clump of hair from his face, trying to get a better look at her. To Liam, he said, “And where might you be headed with such a pretty piece in the dead of night?”
“I’m escorting her to a relative’s house.” Liam paused, then reached into his pocket and tossed two gold coins into the dirt at their horses’ feet. “Go buy yourselves some ale and be on your way.”
The man shook his head, and Cora had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Going to cost you more gold than that, O’Connor. Seeing as we’re notfriendsanymore.”
