The Raider (Montgomery/Taggert 9)

“The Raider. That crowd down there is chasing him!”

With a knowing smile, Alex rose. “Jess, let me assure you that whoever they are chasing is not the Raider. It’s probably a stowaway who just came in or some other such—”

“There!” she yelled, pointing into the trees. “There by the courthouse. It’s him I tell you and—oh, God—look, they have him blocked off.” She lifted her skirts and began running toward the horses. “I have to help him.”

She’d never seen Alex move so quickly or even dreamed that he was capable of moving so fast. He ran up behind her, practically tore the black cape from her body, slung it over his own shoulders, then ran to the horses. He’d unhobbled a horse and mounted it bareback all in a split second, while Jess was still standing where she was.

“Get back to the house,” Alex yelled at her as he galloped away, forcing the wagon horse to move faster than it ever had.

Jessica was speechless. For a moment she couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. One moment Alex had been whining about love and patriotism and the next he had galloped away while wearing a black cape.

Jess walked back to the ridge slowly, as if in a dream, and watched what was going on. She saw Alex tearing down the hillside and heading straight toward the crowd of torches, but then she lost him in the darkness. To her left she could barely see the movement of the Raider.

“My two men,” she said with a sharply drawn breath. Both her men being pursued by an army of English soldiers.

She caught sight o

f Alex again when the light of the torches briefly illuminated him. There was a moment of confusion while the men turned and started after Alex, leaving the Raider a way to escape the second group of soldiers.

All of them disappeared from her view.

Jess sat down on the ground, her face in her hands. Why is Alex doing such a foolish thing, she wondered. Why is he risking his health to help a man he considers an idiot?

Jess stayed on the ridge for an hour. She saw the torches reappear then disappear again into the forest. She saw pairs of them move down streets and alleyways and then back to the wharf.

“They’ve lost them,” she whispered and started toward the horse. She had to get home to help Alex. The Raider would disappear to wherever he lived—maybe into the arms of his loving wife—but Alex would need her.

It wasn’t easy driving the wagon with a single horse in a two-horse harness down the steep hill, but Jessica didn’t notice the difficulty. Her only concern was being there when Alex returned.

Since she’d been watching the searchers from the hillside, she had an idea where they might be, and avoided those places. She didn’t want to meet soldiers and have to explain why her husband had taken the other wagon horse.

She made it back to the Montgomery house without seeing too many people or any English soldiers. After leaving the wagon to the bondsman who worked in the stables, Jess started back to their room.

But Sayer called to her, and before she knew what was happening, she was crying on the old man’s shoulder and telling him what had happened.

“You love him, don’t you?” Sayer said, stroking her hair. “You love my son more than you love your handsome, virile Raider?”

“Yes,” Jessica sniffed. “Alex whines and complains and he’s an awful lot of trouble, but he really is a good man. He helps as much as he can, considering his state of health. But tonight was too much. He can’t go riding like that. His health won’t stand it.”

Sayer held her closer. “It’s your health I’m worried about. I think it’s time this charade ended.” He pulled her from him. “Go to your room and wait for Alex and tomorrow I want you both in here for four o’clock tea. Don’t let Alex make excuses, but bring him here.”

“If he’s well,” Jess sniffed. “I’d better heat some water. He’ll need to soak his cold feet.”

Sayer smoothed his daughter-in-law’s hair back. “Yes, pamper him tonight, because after tomorrow you may not feel so inclined.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow. Now go and see to your husband. I’ll see you at tea.”

“Yes, sir,” Jess said, kissed his cheek and then left the room.

* * *

“Who was it?” Alex asked Nick. Alex had barely escaped the king’s soldiers and made it back to the Montgomery house, where he and Nick now stood in the dark, behind the stables.

“I have no idea,” Nick said, yawning. “As far as anyone has told me, your admiral had been told a ship carrying contraband was arriving. He planned to search the ship at night.”

“But someone dressed as the Raider led the soldiers away,” Alex stated flatly, concealing his anger. “Someone pretending to be me.”