Then she went around the back of the inn, and looked for the privies. She could only hope that Alexander would come out alone, but given he was blind, that was probably a forlorn hope. They also would not let their quarry out of their sights so easily now that they had him, though they might get careless if his suspicions were not fully aroused. If one of them did come out with him, she had the element of surprise. With that and some cunning, she might be able to overpower the Captain, or the driver. At least there were only two of them.
And Marielle, she reminded herself. But Sarah didn't count her as much of an adversary. Not unless she was armed to the teeth, which she very much doubted. And she couldn't have very many brains if she was siding with Ferncliffe and Breedon against the Rakehells.
So Sarah waited in the worsening storm, the wind and rain swirling around her, soaking her clothes through. She huddled in the overhang of the eaves, feeling more and more wretched by the minute. She shivered, and tried to keep her powder dry under her jacket.
Eventually she heard some men approaching. She peeped out from her hiding place, but she did not know either person. She pressed back in under the eaves.
When they had gone, she went back to the front to check that the team was still there. It was.
Sarah looked up the road to the left and right, but there was still no sign of Henry Stone and his friends. Not that she was sure how they could help. At this point Breedon had nothing to lose by just killing her beloved on the spot and saying it was the fault of their presumed attackers.
At least there were a fair number of witnesses inside the public tavern. They would be unlikely to do anything obvious in front of a dozen people or so who could testify against them later.
She slid along the wall and went back to conceal herself once more. A trio of men came out, but they too were strangers. Sarah stood on, drenched and wretched, telling herself to just be patient and keep her powder dry. One false move could be the death of both of them. Unless they had taken him up to a chamber, the better to...
Her ears pricked as she heard the sounds of booted heels ringing on the flagstones. It was two men, she was sure of it. As she strained to listen she recognized Alexander's hesitant gait.
"There's a step down here, Alexander," she heard the Captain say.
Her pistols at the ready, she peeked out and saw Breedon nearest her. Raising the butt of one weapon, she swung it at him and shouted, "Alex, run. It's a trap!"
Breedon ducked out of the way of her blow and turned on Alexander. The Captain swung his fist and connected with the other man's jaw, sending him sprawling in the mud.
Then Breedon began to fumble with his pistol. It sparked, but the damp powder fizzled and the ball did not eject.
Sarah did not hesitate. She shot the Captain in the arm, disabling him before he could get off another round.
He began to shout to his driver for help and turned on her, snarling like a rabid dog. "I'm going to bloody well kill you, you bitch!"
"You won't get away with this. All of my friends know. They'll be here any minute."
"Too late for you."
He lunged, knocking her off her feet. Her pistol sailed out of her hands as she hit the ground and landed in a pile of soaking hay. He wrapped his hands around her throat, and began to squeeze. She clawed at his wrists, then moved one hand lower. She struggled for a moment to pull the second pistol free of her belt, and brought it to his head.
"Let her go, Breedon!" Alexander shouted.
"Yes, let her go, Breedon. Or the last thing you'll see before you die is my face, and the smile on it as I rip you limb from limb," came a loud voice to her left.
Sarah dragged in a startled breath past her constricted throat. She could almost swear the voice was her brother's.
The Captain let got of her neck with one hand, grabbing the gun. He tried to yank it free of her grasp. Or did he?
She felt his finger upon hers on the trigger, and she began to squeeze. Was he squeezing as well?
The weapon went off with a loud crash, and blood flew in every direction. The heavy body landed on top of her with a thud. Sarah shrieked in horror.
Her brother and Malcolm Branson hauled the corpse off Sarah and helped her to her trembling feet. She found herself in her Jonathan's arms as he checked her for injuries.
"Sarah! Sarah!" Alexander bellowed from where he had fallen. He was crawling towards her on the ground, reaching out blindly in the strange location in a desperate effort to find her.
"She's all right. Just a bit winded," Jonathan reassured him.
Alexander got to his feet then, and he and Sarah fell into each other's arms. "God, my love, you saved me. When I heard the gun go off, I thought-"