“Pirate! No. Go home!” Mary tried ineffectually to shoo him back toward the house.
“It’s no use. No one can make him mind except the earl.”
Mary sighed. “Well, we must hope a dog will not discourage the kidnapper. He looks too small to be trouble.”
“To someone who’s not acquainted with him.”
They set off again, the dog trotting along with them, sometimes bounding forward to inspect the trail ahead, other times chasing off after some elusive scent, but always coming back to rejoin the girls.
“I wish I knew exactly where the others are hiding,” Rose said in a low voice as they walked along. “It would make me feel safer.”
“We cannot look around for them.” Mary kept her eyes on the path ahead, now and then glancing at the river that ran only a few feet away. “Any more than we can look for our assailant.”
The girls fell silent. The worst part, Mary thought, was keeping their walk slow. They needed to give the man time to come after them, but with the passage of each second, her anxiety increased. Her ears strained to hear any untoward sound—a twig snapping, the pad of feet on the dirt, birds flying up in fright at the passage of a human. But there was nothing beyond the sigh of the breeze in the trees. The world seemed utterly deserted.
It was almost painful to refrain from looking around for their protectors or their attacker. Mary stuck her hands in her pockets, closing her fingers around the small pistol, reassuring herself that as soon as they heard or saw the kidnapper, it would take only seconds to pull the weapon out.
It was easier when they were walking alongside the river through a meadow. But when the trees and shrubbery pressed in on them, narrowing the path and blocking their vision, Mary’s heart sped up and her nerves stretched until she thought they would snap. What was that noise? The soft plop of a footstep? And the rustle nearby —a person or simply an animal moving quietly through the trees?#p#分页标题#e#
At last the mill came into view ahead of them. Mary relaxed a little, even though she knew that it made no sense. Everyone had agreed that the greatest likelihood of attack would come close to the mill. But at least now they were within sight of Royce and Fitz.
However, the trees began to edge in closer to the river, and shrubs hugged the mill, a dank, dark building of lichened gray stone. They were very close now, and Mary had to fight not to break into a run. Beside her, Rose’s steps quickened, and Mary reached out, linking her arm through her sister’s.
Rose glanced at her and forced a little smile. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry; it’s almost over.” Of course, it wasn’t; there was the long walk back if he did not come after them in the next few minutes.
Pirate, trotting along at their heels, suddenly burst forward, barking like a mad thing. An instant later, a man erupted from the bushes in front of them.
Chapter 26
Rose shrieked, and Mary pulled out her gun. She fired, but the shot went wide of the mark, and in the next instant the man was on them. He snatched Rose up, his arm effectively pinning hers to her sides, making it impossible for her to use the small knife she had drawn from her pocket.
He headed back into the trees, and Mary hurled herself after him, crashing into his back. He staggered, and it was enough, combined with Rose’s frantic struggles, to knock him off balance. He went to his knees. Mary swung her pistol at his head, and it struck with a satisfying crack. Pirate ceased his jumping and barking long enough to dive in and sink his teeth into the man’s ankle.
The attacker let out a roar, lashing out with his leg and sending the dog flying. Twisting, he rose and shoved Mary, but doing so lost his grip on Rose. She flung herself away, scrambling to her feet, and began to run toward the mill. The assailant turned to pursue Rose, but was met by the sight of two men running full-tilt at him, one of them wielding a pistol in each hand.
Letting out a curse, he whirled and ran back in the direction he had come. Mary, struggling to her feet, grabbed at him, but he dodged her. It cost him time, however, and he didn’t get far before Royce caught up and launched himself at the man, knocking him down. The two of them rolled across the ground, exchanging punches. Fitz, drawing close, stopped and stood watching them.
Mary ran up beside him. “What are you doing? Knock him in the head!”
“And spoil Royce’s fun?”
Pirate seemed to share Fitz’s view, for he was dodging around the combatants, yapping happily.
“For heaven’s sake!” Mary was about to wade in with the butt of her gun again, but at that point Royce landed a hefty blow, then another, and the man went limp.