The Rakehell Regency Romance Collection Volume 2(98)

"No," he conceded with a sigh.



"Then don't you dare speak to me again about giving yourself up!"



She stormed into her own small parlor, and grabbed her brother's swords. She scraped each out of its scabbard and propped them by the door to the hall. Then she called Caleb to come help her with the wet blankets.



With Alexander running back and forth with two buckets at a time, they eventually got the blaze under control. Then she had to decide what to do next.



"Can they get in upstairs?" Alexander asked.



"The windows are probably too high, and the casements are all the old-fashioned leaded variety. I doubt a grown man could squeeze through," Caleb said tearfully.



"That means we also can't squeeze out," Alexander sighed.



"True. The windows on this floor have me more worried. They might try to rush the house," she speculated.



"Or set fire to the other chimney," Alexander guessed.



"Or the roof."



"At least it's slate, Miss," Caleb pointed out, his eyes running with tears of grief for his beloved wife.



"I'm so sorry, Caleb."



"Not your fault, sir. It's them bastards what killed her."



"I know you can load the weapons, Alexander. If they do rush the house, we have a fighting chance. I think we should make a stand here. Pile up some furniture as a barricade here in the hall. Then no matter what room they try or door they attempt to come through, we'll have them in our sights."



"Except I have no sight," he said bitterly.



"Just point and shoot. You're the one who told me that, remember?"



"No, you and Caleb do it. I'll help reload."



She looked at their small armory. "We have six guns, two pistols, two swords. I don't know how many men there are, or how many guns, but they won't get the chance to reload. If we make every shot count, we'll get through this."



They kept low and dragged two solid wooden chests out of her parlor, and kept under cover in the space between them. They waited for at least half an hour, but all was silent outside.



"I think they're gone," Alexander said.



"Or they're regrouping. They probably didn't think we could put the fire out. They assumed that we would flee the house, as poor Jenny did."



Caleb's cheeks still glistened with tears. At the mention of his wife's name, he sobbed anew. "Those bastards," he muttered again.



"Sush!" Sarah silenced them.



They could hear noises at both the front and back doors. "Don't shoot. They can't get in through those slats."



"They're just seeing the lay of the land. The leading in the windows will give them pause. That just leaves the doors, and they're pretty solid."



"Aye, that they are," Alexander whispered, feeling slightly more confident that they could hold off their attackers.



A battering ram crunching into the back door startled them all.



"Lord, there must be five or six of them out there!" Caleb gasped.



"We just have to keep our heads and reload as fast as we can," she said.



Another assault with the battering ram caved part of the back door in. A third blow had it in splinters. Sarah began to pray fervently, and she and Caleb shouldered their muskets.



A fourth blow at the door burst it right off its hinges. Several dark-clothed men with handkerchiefs over their faces came charging into the kitchen. Sarah picked off the first one, who dropped, causing the next one to trip.



"Aim low!" Alexander urged. "Make every shot count."



Caleb's bullet tore into the second man's chest, while Sarah's pistol shot winged the third one in his left shoulder, spinning him round, and causing him to crouch down in agony, the blood flowing between his fingers in dark rivulets. She stared at his face, but was sure he was no one she knew.



Alexander was reloading as fast as he could, but if there were more than three other men outside the door, they were going to be in trouble.



A fourth man came in, but he fired no shots, simply dragged the two wounded men away by their collars.



All was quiet in the cottage for a moment. Alexander propped up the first reloaded musket, and started to work on the second.



"At least you're fast."



"Nice to know I remember some useful things from my old life."



"A lot of useful things, love." She kissed him on the cheek.



"Should I go try to barricade the door again?"



"No, Caleb, just stay put. It isn't worth the risk. They could be trying to lure us into doing just that. And that battering ram will make short work of it anyway. Patience and intelligence will win this battle."