Chapter Ten

Faint from cold, without the protection of cloaks or wraps, the girls huddled together in the wagon. Their hands were tied together before them, then tied with a lead from one set of hands to another in a chain: Iris, Camellia, Rose, Lily, Heather, then Elizabeth. Only Iris and Elizabeth were not bound on both sides.

A dark stranger drove the wagon while the girls' Uncle Horatio twisted toward them, his sword drawn and poised to strike. Elizabeth positioned herself closest to the man so that if he decided to use the weapon, it would be she, not the girls, who took the man's violence.

With every step, Elizabeth's heartbeat thudded in her ears. Her mind raced with ways they could escape once the wagon stopped. They were tied together so closely that it made walking difficult and running next to impossible.

Back at the manor they'd been wrestled to the ground and bound by Horatio and his accomplice before the men shoved them into the wagon. The vehicle rolled alongside the western tree-lined edge of the loch, heading south toward the border with England.

Their direction sent a ripple of fear across the nape of Elizabeth's neck, as did the large cask Horatio and the driver had lifted into the back of the wagon. An odd scent came from the cask—a scent Elizabeth couldn't quite place.

Elizabeth returned her gaze to the madman who'd abducted them. He planned to use them as bait either to force Lucius back to the Templars or to lure him to his death.

The second option would never come to pass, not while she still drew breath. But for now, she had to find a way to protect the girls. Elizabeth shifted back against the side of the wagon. If only she could stop the wagon by forcing the wheel to come off, or break. Two men trying to maneuver six women over the English border would have a difficult time.

"Once we clear the loch, which way do we go?" the driver asked Horatio.

When Horatio turned his gaze from her to talk to the man, the sword in his hands dipped.

Elizabeth quickly glanced at Heather, hoping the girl would understand and follow her lead. Elizabeth brought her bound hands up and gripped the flat of the blade between her palms and twisted her arms. The sword jerked out of Horatio's grasp and flew over the side of the wagon.

"God's blood!" Horatio thundered. He lurched forward in his seat, grabbing Elizabeth by the throat.

Elizabeth gasped and clawed at the man's hands. The wagon picked up speed as the driver turned to see what the ruckus was about.

With a terrified shriek, the horse lurched forward, picking up speed as it darted ever closer to the trees at the water's edge.

"Stop that," Horatio bit out.

"Yer upsettin' the horse," the driver yelled.

"Let go of her!" Heather struck her uncle in the head with her bound hands.

Horatio yelped. His grip on Elizabeth relaxed.

Heather struck him again, this time harder, setting him off balance. The wagon lurched again, and Horatio tumbled over the side, followed immediately by a thump and a buck of the wagon as the rear wheel hit his body.

An agonized cry pierced the air.

A creak sounded.

"Hold on to each other," Elizabeth snapped to the girls. Before the words were out, the wheel buckled and the conveyance pitched downward. It hit the ground hard, sending wood splintering as it dug into the earth. At the impact, the cask flew out the back. Camellia grabbed Iris to keep her from being crushed as the girls tumbled over the edge.

The rope burned against Elizabeth's wrists as she rolled to a stop on the ground. "Is everyone unharmed?" she asked, righting herself. She frantically looked over the others, who appeared undamaged.

A terrible scream sounded. The horse shot forward. The terrified animal dodged a tree at the edge of the loch, but the wagon did not. An explosion filled the air. Elizabeth drew a startled breath as wood debris flew back at them. She threw her arms over the girls' heads, trying to protect them.

When silence settled, she shook the debris from her hair and shoulders. "Get up, girls." Elizabeth helped Heather to her feet. Lily's eyes filled with tears as Rose helped her up, but she kept quiet. Camellia and Iris rose.

Elizabeth searched the wreckage only to see the body of the driver hunched over what remained of the seat. The horse had broken free and was nowhere in sight. "Come, we must hurry," she said, turning back to the others.

"You're not going anywhere." Horatio was suddenly before them, his short cape billowing in the breeze. He grasped the rope that bound them together and jerked hard, propelling the six of them forward.

Heather fell to her knees at the unexpected motion. "I want to go home."

"Leave us alone," Lily's tiny voice echoed in the morning air, followed by soft sobs.

Iris, who'd been valiantly silent so far, burst into tears until a cacophony of sobs filled the air.

A thunderous look darkened Horatio's face. "Silence. Keep moving!"

Rose paled and bent down beside Heather. She stroked her sister's back. "Shh," she admonished. "We must do what our uncle says."

"Nay." The word erupted from Elizabeth's throat as a fresh surge of anger tore through her. "We will not keep going. In fact, girls, sit down." She set Lily on the ground, then sat beside her.

Rose, Iris, and Camellia joined Heather, Lily, and herself on the ground. The girls' faces were pale and fear glittered in their eyes, but Elizabeth clung to her decision. He couldn't make them all move without someone to help him.

"Get up!" Horatio lurched toward them, his unarmed hand poised to strike.

Elizabeth shifted forward to take the blow, sparing the other girls their uncle's anger.

At Lily's terrified scream, the man's hand jerked to a stop inches from Elizabeth's face.

She remained still. "Let the girls go. I shall go with you."

He grabbed a fistful of her hair and dragged her to her feet. "All of you will get up and keep moving."

"You are going about this all wrong." Elizabeth met his gaze. "The new earl doesn't care about us. He'll be overjoyed to have the estate all to himself now that we are gone."

Horatio's grin became a dark, evil slash. "Nay, he'll come after you, and I'll force him to renounce the title and lands."

Elizabeth forced a smile, praying the girls would remain silent and let her lies erode the man's confidence. "It won't work. He'll never renounce the title. He'll never go back to the Templars. You're a fool to think he would."

"Then I'll kill you all to get what I want." Horatio's hand connected with Elizabeth's cheek. Gasps and cries of distress erupted from the girls as pain exploded on the side of Elizabeth's head. A wave of darkness hovered.

She drew a sharp breath and forced the darkness away. Fainting would help no one. She straightened. "Beating me will not change the situation. You'll never become the Earl of Carrick."

"We'll see about that." He limped away, heading toward the water's edge.

"Our brother does care about us, right?" Lily asked on a new wave of tears.

"Aye, he loves you," Elizabeth whispered near her ear. "I need to trick your uncle."

Lily's mouth formed a silent expression of surprise.

Suddenly the sound of men shouting filled the air. Lucius!

"Has our brother found us?" Camellia whispered.

The echo of hoofbeats sounded in the distance, mingling with the sound of the men's voices. "Aye," Elizabeth said, with a burst of fresh hope. She brought her hands up to her bodice and withdrew a small dirk from between her breasts. At Iris's gasp, Elizabeth brought her fingers to her lips, signaling silence.

Iris pressed her lips together.

"We need to keep stalling and give Lucius a chance to get to us."

Rose gasped, her gaze fixed on where her uncle stood at the bank of the loch. "That might be impossible."

Elizabeth followed her gaze. Limping, Horatio rolled the cask from where it had fallen from the wagon toward the water's edge. He retrieved his sword from where it had fallen and brought the blade down against the side of the cask over and over until a thick black liquid seeped out of the cask and across the surface of the loch. Removing his cape, Horatio dipped the fabric into the liquid then spread the thick tar on the nearby shrubs.

"What's he doing?" Camellia whispered as an acrid scent suddenly filled the air.

Horatio turned to the girls. He smiled crookedly as he drew a hunk of flint from the folds of his cloak and ran it across the edge of his sword. A spark flared. He struck the sword again and again, sending a flurry of sparks onto the loch. Suddenly, the sparks ignited the thick liquid with a whoosh of sound.

"Let us see if your theory is correct, Miss Huntingdon. Will my nephew come to rescue you girls or let you all burn to death?" Horatio said coldly. "My guess is, he'll try to rescue you. And when he does, I'll be waiting to stab him in the back."

Elizabeth palmed the dirk and worked it over her bonds. She had to set them all free before Horatio could execute his plan. Ruthlessly, she sawed at the rope. Beneath her assault, the twisted coils began severing one by one. Once she was free, she could stay and fight Horatio while the girls escaped.

A louder whoosh startled Elizabeth as red-gold flames rippled along the surface of the loch, gathering speed.

Elizabeth desperately sawed her bonds. She was almost there. Flames on the shrubs licked closer and closer, spreading quickly until they were surrounded by fire. Horatio turned back to them. He held a length of rope in his hands. His eyes glittered brightly in the glare of the fire as he limped toward them. He would tie them here and leave them to die.

With her heart in her throat, Elizabeth slashed once more against the rope. It severed with a snap. She moved to Rose and sawed at the older girl's bonds, until she too was free. Elizabeth passed the dirk to Rose. "Lead the girls out of here. Go. Now!"

Rose shot to her feet, encouraging the others to do the same. "What about you?"

"Go back toward the manor!" Elizabeth cried.

Rose swooped Lily in her arms and headed up the edge of the loch as Elizabeth had directed. The flames leaped from the water to the shrubs and brush along the water's edge. Elizabeth hesitated for a moment. As she watched in horror, the flames curled from the tar-doused shrubs to the branches of the trees until they formed an arc of flame over her head.

"Get back here!" Horatio threw down the rope and drew his sword. He changed direction to follow the girls.

"Nay." The muscles of Elizabeth's stomach knotted with panic. She surged forward. "Run, Rose, run!"

The smoke was thicker now. Elizabeth's eyes stung. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Regardless, she kept her gaze trained on Horatio, preparing for his next move.

He stopped and swung his sword.

Elizabeth stumbled backward as the blade whispered in front of her, nearly missing her middle. She searched the area around her for something with which to defend herself. A cry of despair escaped her when she found no sticks or rocks nearby. The branches overhead crackled and popped with the intensity of the flames.

The smoke grew thicker, blacker, making it harder to see anything. Perhaps that would help the girls escape. The dark figure before her turned back in the direction the girls had disappeared, and Elizabeth blindly leaped forward into Horatio's body. They crashed against the muddy shoreline of the loch. A few feet away the water glowed bright, and black, curling clouds of smoke coiled into the air.

"Get off me!" Horatio made a sound low in his throat.

Sheer terror rode Elizabeth's nerves as she clung to the man's back. He twisted and rolled with her still attached, until he slammed her against the ground. She gasped at the pain that radiated across her back, stealing her breath. Her grip loosened and Horatio sprang free.

The smoke stung her eyes, seared her lungs. She struggled to sit up, but found she could not.

"With all of you dead, there'll be no one to oppose me."

"How? You've left all of us no way to escape. Even yourself," Elizabeth cried.

The man startled as though he suddenly realized what he'd done, not just to the girls and to Lucius, but also himself.

Horatio gripped the sword that had fallen at his feet and charged, his blade pointed at her.

Panic screamed through Elizabeth. She drew a sharp breath. She brought her feet up. As the man lurched forward, intending to skewer her, she kicked out. Her feet connected with his gut.

He lurched sideways into the water. He fell below the surface; then as he came up, an agonized scream filled the air. "I can't swim!" He flailed against the water as flames rippled across his skin and hair.

The stench of burning flesh overwhelmed her senses. Elizabeth pressed a hand to her nose and mouth and clamped her eyes shut. She scooted on her back away from the water's edge. Over Horatio's cries of pain, she could hear men shouting, horses neighing, from somewhere on the opposite shore. For a heartbeat, she felt a pure white-hot flash of hope until the whoosh of the flames shot up next to her, behind her.

Elizabeth stood. Her legs wobbled. She nearly tumbled to the ground once more, but she forced herself to stay upright, to take a step away from the flames.

Fire was all around her, devouring the trees and shrubs like a hungry monster. Curls of black smoke encircled her, searing her lungs and stinging her eyes. Then, above the roar of the flames, Elizabeth heard the sound of splashing water.

She tensed, afraid it was Horatio come back to claim her, until she heard a familiar voice.

"Elizabeth!"

She staggered toward the sound. "Lucius!"

A dark figure surged through the smoke and grabbed her.

"The girls?" she asked.

Lucius's eyes were bright in his soot-stained face. "We found them."

Relief washed through Elizabeth with such force that her knees buckled. Lucius caught her in his arms. "Hold on to me," he said gently.

She clung desperately to Lucius as he half dragged, half carried her through the water.

"Take a deep breath and hold it." Lucius's hand tightened on hers.

The acrid breath she drew hurt her lungs, but she had no time to think of the pain. Heat pressed in around them. She closed her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks from her stinging eyes.

She couldn't hold her breath any longer. It whooshed out in a painful rush and she was forced to inhale. She was immediately punished by a fit of coughing. She couldn't catch her breath. Panic rushed through her as she began to gasp.

Lucius was coughing too. Dear God, they were going to die in this blackness just as Horatio had planned.

"Elizabeth?" It was Rose's voice.

Elizabeth opened her eyes to see nothing, but she could hear Rose's voice ahead. Was she caught in this hideous trap as well? Hadn't the girls made it to safety?

Elizabeth tried to tell Rose to keep going, but instead of words only gasps pulled from her throat.

"It's all right," Lucius gasped. "We're through."

In that moment, she could see the muted blue-gray sky on the other side of the loch. "Thank…God," she wheezed.

Lucius dragged them ashore and doubled over, still coughing.

"Where are the girls?" Elizabeth asked, searching the lighter gray smoke that hung in the air. "I must see for myself that they are safe."

"I left them here with Lachlan."

At the same moment the smoke around them eased, the sound of the girls' voices came to her. Elizabeth turned. The girls threw themselves into her outstretched arms, weeping and chattering and praising Elizabeth for the fact they were still alive. Elizabeth stroked one blonde head after another and closed her eyes, gathering each girl as close as possible. "It's over," she promised them. "Your uncle is dead."

"Are you certain?" Lucius asked, his voice still roughened by smoke.

Elizabeth set the girls away from her, then stood. "Aye. He fell into his own trap and caught fire. His body, what's left of it, is in the loch." She shuddered.

A moment later she was in Lucius's arms. He gathered her close enough so that she could feel her heart beating against his own.

He stroked the side of her face with his hand. "Are you unharmed?"

She nodded and brushed her cheek against his palm, reassured by his words. "I was so frightened." Once again she paused. "I feared you wouldn't come for me."

"Wouldn't come?" He tipped her face to his. "I'll never leave you." His head dipped down and he pressed his lips to hers.

The girls began to laugh and tease, but Lucius wasn't deterred. He deepened the kiss until Elizabeth was breathless for reasons having nothing to do with the smoke and everything to do with the man who held her in his arms. And yet he still did not say the words she longed to hear. She forced the thought from her head. He would say the words when he was ready.

And if he doesn't?

She stepped out of the circle of his arms. "This is not the time or place."

He nodded and she was thrilled to see a hint of regret pass across his features before he turned away. "We must bury the dead as well—both our own men and the English who were left behind on Scottish soil. Elizabeth, will you take the girls back to the manor?"

"I'll see to them," she said. With a final nod he turned away. Beside her, Lily tugged on Elizabeth's shredded and burnt gown. "Lucius won't leave us, will he?"

"Not like Papa or Marcus?" Iris asked, coming to join Lily at Elizabeth's side.

"Nay," Elizabeth said as she encouraged them forward, toward the manor in the distance. "Not like them."

As she and the girls walked back along the loch, the fire, now out of fuel, died down to a smolder. Elizabeth looked over her shoulder at Lucius. She expected to see sadness reflected in his eyes, but instead of pain, she saw renewal.

The smoke faded. The warmth of the afternoon sun chased the chill away. Elizabeth turned around, hiding the smile upon her lips, and raced for the manor. For the first time since she'd arrived, Elizabeth felt a glimmer of hope that she might find a home with Lucius and his sisters at Midwick Manor.