My Fair Lover (Legendary Lovers 5)

Perhaps there was a better alternative: Keeping Louvel occupied so Kate would have time to escape. With luck, she could even ride to Royan to fetch help from Halsey and his crew. Yesterday he’d instructed the captain to bring reinforcements if he and Kate hadn’t returned to Royan by noon today. But by then his fate might be sealed.

He decided it wise to change tack.

“Shall we negotiate, Louvel? I will offer no resistance on one condition.”

“What condition is that?”

“Give me your word you will leave her unharmed.”

“You would trust my word?”

“No, but I know your chère femme will not be happy if you harm mine.”

“That is true. Gabrielle would be none too pleased. I suppose I will settle for harming you.”

Brandon considered it a fair bargain. Louvel would likely make good the threat to kill him, but at the moment he only cared about keeping Kate safe. He was willing to die if necessary.

His best and only choice was to buy her time to avoid capture. And he had to pray that she wouldn’t attempt to come after him. Kate was clever and brave, sometimes too brave for her own good.

Nodding his agreement, Brandon allowed his hands to be tied behind him and a cloth hood to be dragged over his head.

As they prepared to load him into the wagon, though, he heard footsteps to his left. Then a sharp pain in his head led to total blackness.

—

As he struggled to consciousness, his first awareness was of the sway and jostle of a vehicle. He was lying in the bed of the wagon, he realized. In all likelihood, he’d suffered a blow from a cudgel, since Louvel wouldn’t want to risk his defiance.

He couldn’t tell how long he had been unconscious, nor could he hear voices, so he had no idea how many men were accompanying him, or if Louvel himself was riding beside the wagon, or if the pirate had ordered his minions to dispose of his prisoner while he went to apprehend Kate.

The thought struck fear in Brandon’s heart, along with a savage anger. There was a chance she had already been seized.

If any harm came to her, he would kill Louvel with his bare hands. If he could get free. At the moment he was at a supreme disadvantage, unable to protect her or help her in any way. Louvel could be carrying out his revenge at this very moment. Kate could be lying wounded somewhere, or, God forbid, dead.

Brandon felt his heart give another violent lurch. If she were to die, he couldn’t live with the guilt. He wouldn’t be able to live without her. He wouldn’t want to live without her. Not when he loved her—

The realization caught him like an unexpected blow to his ribs.

He was in love with Kate.

No doubt his affliction had been developing for some time, despite his frequent self-denials. How blind to have only just now recognized his feelings when it might be too late to act on them. He’d waited far too long to come to his senses.

In truth, he had actually believed he could resist her. He’d sought to avoid any pain or remorse or guilt in his life, fearing being sucked into a spiraling whirlpool of emotion and, yes, love. But with Kate he’d had no choice. There were countless reasons he had fallen—

The thought splintered with the jagged pain in his head as the wagon rolled over one deep rut and then another.

Brandon gritted his teeth to hold back a groan. This was certainly not the time or place to be pondering his ardor for Kate.

Even if they managed to escape this predicament alive, there would still be obstacles. He could still lose her. She didn’t love him yet, and she refused to marry without it. Furthermore, after all the times he’d denigrated her romantic dreams, she might not even believe his sudden profession of love. He would have to prove his sincerity and convince her to give him another chance.

First, however, he would have to figure a way to escape. It was galling to be this helpless, trussed up like a sheep at shearing time, being carted to his likely death.

Worse, the woman he loved could be in grave danger from his nemesis, and just now there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it.

—

After futilely waiting nearly half an hour for Deverill to return with the carriage, Kate went in search of him at the livery. Initially, the head ostler was disinclined to answer her queries, but she could tell from his odd apprehension that he had news he didn’t wish to share.

“What troubles you, monsieur?”