Wildfire Kiss (Sir Edward 1)

Babs moved inside the blanket. Her eyelids fluttered, and she said softly, “Nick …?”

With that she fell off again.

Sir Edward dropped his aching head into his hands.

Twenty-three

THE DUKE HAD lost his hat somewhere along the way, and his black long hair blew around his face as he charged along the beach road on a horse better suited to his coach than his legs. However, the big horse had just enough steady speed to satisfy.

His thoughts tumbled over one another. Hove was the very next town. Why was Ned taking her to Hove? What was there? Damn the man’s eyes, he would shoot him and then carve out his heart and …

Damn, let him be on time; by all that was holy, let him be on time.

Thoughts of carving Sir Edward into pieces carried him until he was met with the sight of the lopsided coach in the ditch. “What the …” he murmured, and then he sucked in a long dreg of air, for there was his love!

Babs lay still in a blanket on the ground.

Babs … Babs was hurt?

“Hell and brimstone!” he shouted, for his heart was pounding out of his chest and his mind was reeling so quickly he couldn’t see straight.

He was there, jumping off his horse and rushing towards Sir Edwards to tell him as he picked him up off the ground and shook him, “I shall have your heart out for you to examine as I cut it in pieces!”

Babs stirred, and her eyelids fluttered open. She took a long breath and tried to focus on her surroundings. What had she been doing?

Ah … yes, Sir Edward had … what had he done? Something horrid over her nose and mouth …

She looked up and saw the love of her life knock Sir Edward to the ground. She smiled. If she was dreaming, this was the good part.

“Nick,” she said softly and then louder, “Nick … oh Nick … you have come!”

He turned to her at the sound of her voice. He looked ragged with fury and concern, so she held up her hand to him. He took it and kissed it furiously as he dropped down beside her. “My love … don’t move, you are quite pale … are you hurt?”

“Nick,” seemed to be the only thing she could say.

“My love, my love … oh my little love …” The duke was beside himself as he held her gently in his arms.

“He drugged me, I think … something over my face …”

“I shall put him under ground for this!” The duke started to lay her back down so he could make good on his words.

She held tightly to him. “My own Lord Wildfire … I think …” She glanced at Sir Edward unconscious on his back in the road. “You have already done that … do you think now, you could get me home?”

“Yes … first, my love, can you stand for me …?” She started to move, and he helped her up onto her feet. “Are you … steady?”

“Not quite … but I shall do. If you hoist me onto your horse … and hold me there with you, it won’t be comfortable, but I think we can manage …”

He almost crushed her to him. “My love, didn’t you know … couldn’t you see, haven’t I always told you that you could trust me?” He didn’t wait for her response. “I will know why this happened … why you agreed to allow this scoundrel …”

“Ah, for now, kiss me, Wildfire … then maybe I will tell you my big, dark secret,” she said with some of her color returning to her cheeks.

Epilogue

AS IT HAPPENED, Babs convinced her Wildfire to leave Edward, who had lifted his head to survey the mess that was his, to the ministrations of his coachman.

“Before we go … I mean to attend to him as he should be dealt with,” the duke said harshly.

“No … no … you have to get me home … leave him. We shall never look at him again.” She pulled at his hand. “Come then, hoist me up …”