Lady X

A young serving girl had attempted to walk by in the hall behind him, but hearing her; he turned and reached out, caught the girl by the arm and drew her to him. The serving girl giggled, but Exerilla was disgusted by everything about him. It was not the sort of behavior a gentleman engaged in while in a lady’s company.

“Jerry!” Jacob attempted to bring him to order. “We have a guest.” Jacob turned and hurriedly offered in an obvious attempt to make light of the situation, “Our driver, Miss Radley, Jerry Swit.”

Swit turned away from the little pretty maid at the door and stared at Exerilla intently as a low whistle escaped his lips. “Whoa darlin’, what have we here? You are the finest piece of…”

His lordship took a threatening step toward him and said, “If ye canna maintain manners in front of a lady, then I’ll be asking ye to leave.” No one listening or watching his lordship doubted his ability to carry through on the threat.

“Easy there Scotty,” Jerry Swit said. “No insult intended.” He smiled at Exerilla who immediately looked away once again.

Jacob stepped forward strategically blocking Swit from getting closer to Exerilla and said, “Jerry, Miss Radley was in the coach, you see and…”

Jerry cut him off and gently pushed him out of the way as he stepped toward her, “Were you my love? Did I shake you up a bit? Never mind, all is well that…”

Exerilla saw that his lordship was about to lay a threatening hand on Jerry and hurriedly interjected, “I prefer that when you speak, you don’t do it in my direction. I consider your actions way beyond my ability to forgive and besides that, I don’t like you.” She had gotten to her feet to tell him this, with one hand on her hip and the other wagging a finger at him. “As it happens all is not well that ends well. I have been virtually abducted and mean to report you to the authorities when I arrive in Dover at the stagecoach depot.”

“Do you, do you really mean to do that, love?” Jerry clucked his tongue. “Well then, perhaps I can make arrangements in that regard. Perhaps you shan’t reach Dover, any time soon.”

“Zounds, what kind of blackguard are you, Jerry?” Jacob was honestly shocked. He turned to Exerilla, “He doesn’t mean it, Miss Radley. He just always goes too far with his jests.”

“I don’t find him amusing,” Exerilla kept a watchful eye.

Jerry said on a low note, “But I find you beautiful.” Oddly enough, he surprised X by turning at that and sidling over to Hunter who was looking like a storm just before it erupts. He said in contemptuous voice, “I see you ordered dinner. Mean to feed the chit and soften her up, eh?”

MacTorry was on him. Apparently his effort to contain his temper failed in that moment. Exerilla watching him sucked in air. He looked like a veritable windstorm brewing itself into a full blown hurricane. She saw an ominous threat in his deep blue eyes. She put out a hand, “Please…we don’t wish to draw attention to ourselves.”

Hunter MacTorry’s voice was a low throttled growl as he spoke to Swit. “I already told ye, if ye doona mean to be polite ye may quit our company. Doona think that I shall tolerate much more of ye. If I have thus far, `tis because I doona wish to bring attention and scandal to Miss Radley, after all she has endured because of us. But if ye persist Jerry Swit, I may have to put an end to yer filthy mouth here and now.” So saying, he walked the two steps over giving his arm to Exerilla. “May I take you to the table, lass?”

She placed her hand on his forearm and stepped closer to him. She wasn’t

sure what to make of the arrogant Scotsman, but she did feel safe in his company.

Why she should feel that way was beyond her immediate logic. All she knew was what she felt and what she felt was guided by her inner witch. She may have shielded her witch from detection, but it was there, deep inside mewling at her, guiding her, demanding wishfully for release. Her witch always recognized good and evil in warlocks and witches, but humans were a tricky lot. A soft sigh escaped her. She was in such a pickle.

~ Five ~

“YE HAVE HAD yer fun, Jerry, so now just leave it be,” his lordship’s voice was low, hard and underlined with a warning. He was sick of Swit and ready to land him a facer, sling him over his horse, tie him on and lead him to Dover as unconscious as he could keep him. He could keep him that way with the flick of his wrist, but one of the reasons he was going to Dover was to follow Swit to his ‘connection’.

It was obvious however, that the blackguard’s eye had wandered meaningfully over Miss Radley’s luscious form. It made him sick to see Swit look at her.

He wouldn’t allow the scoundrel to annoy her on his watch. He was going to have to determine a way to steer Swit in another direction. He couldn’t break with him. He had to continue the pretense of a shaky comradery and he had to manage him without coming to blows. Jerry was key to many things that he needed.

He saw Swit stare at Exerilla and clenched his fists as he watched the man’s gaze linger at her full breasts before traveling up to her luscious lips. He wanted to beat him into the ground; he ground his teeth with frustration.

He saw her seated within the confines of the stagecoach once again, but noted that her profile was visible at the window. Jerry wouldn’t take his eyes off her.

Even though the late afternoon light was giving way to the evening, her profile was tantalizing. Jerry’s interest was palpable as he stared at her and said, “No, I won’t let that pretty little bit of fluff get away from me just yet. I am not done with her.” His lips curved into something like a sneer, “I am not letting it stand, the way she talked to me. She needs a lesson, my kind of lesson.” He shrugged, “Besides, in the end she won’t be able to resist me. Women rarely can and a woman like her, so beautiful, her body so perfect, she was made for one thing, wasn’t she? And I mean to have that one thing before she gets to her destination. So if you don’t like the notion, you better hang back, you and young Jacob.”

“Damn your soul to perdition, ye blackguard,” his lordship seethed and hurriedly attempted to gain control. He wanted to land him a settler once and for all, and be done with Swit’s mouth for the night.

He controlled himself, for he couldn’t show his hand just yet. He needed to see this through and take charge. “Doona ye know, doona ye see that any clod can force a woman into his arms. It takes a man, a real man, to win a woman.”

Swit turned angry eyes on him. “What the devil do you mean by that? I’m as much man as the next and who says I will have to force her?”

“It is written all over yer face. Ye damn well know she can’t bear to look at ye. There is no other way ye can touch her, Jerry…only by force. She won’t have ye, and what’s more, ye know it,” his lordship returned dryly as he restrained himself and kept his fists at his side.

“Think I’m not man enough to seduce the chit? Are ye daft? She is just a green girl, all alone in the world. Any moonling could manage the young thing. What did ye think I meant to take her against her will in the coach?” He snorted. “I only want to soften her up for our next meeting.” He shrugged and added, “And if she won’t have me then… I might just force her. I can’t let a little bit of fluff get away with talking to me the way she did.”

“Not big enough to take a woman’s insult?” his lordship taunted. “I’d wager a man’s bet that given a month, ye couldn’t win her fairly to yer bed, let alone on the short remaining trip to Dover.”