She growled and broke free, hurtling past. She clutched a broom. What in Hades was going on?
“Miss Barrett? Genevieve?” He watched her vanish into the trees in a flurry of skirts. He went to pursue her before remembering that he couldn’t leave Palamon. He caught the trailing rein.
“I’ll look after him, Mr. Evans.” Williams, the elderly groom, appeared at his elbow.
“What the devil’s got into everyone?”
“Great doings this afternoon. Miss Barrett came back from her parish visits and surprised robbers. Second time the vicarage’s been burgled in a month. Don’t know what they expect to find. Just a lot of dusty old books in there, from what I see.”
What the hell? And Genevieve chasing the intruders armed only with a broom? Didn’t the woman have a jot of sense? Panic gripped him.
Shoving the reins at the groom, he took off at a run. What a deuced mess. He wasn’t armed. But then he’d blithely imagined he was the sole villain in the neighborhood. Clearly he was mistaken.
“Genevieve, wait!”
Damn it, where was she? He strained to hear her crashing ahead, but the woods remained silent. Then Sirius barked and he sprinted in that direction. He prayed Sirius had found Genevieve. The dog was almost as valiant as the girl.
Richard had spent the morning denying any conscience concerning this woman. The sour, sick feeling cramping his gut proved him a liar. The prospect of anyone hurting even one hair on her head made him want to commit bloody murder.
Gasping, Richard broke into a clearing. Genevieve still ran ahead, Sirius at her side.
He dashed forward to seize her waist and nearly caught the broom on his head for his trouble. “Genevieve… Miss Barrett, it’s all right. It’s me. Rich… Christopher Evans.” Good God, he’d better keep his wits about him or he’d betray himself.
His voice didn’t calm her at all. “Let me go, you devil!”
Sirius, picking up the excitement, jumped around them barking. Still Genevieve writhed like a trapped eel. If Richard had doubted her strength, he had his answer now. He needed all his concentration to hold her. “Genevieve, hush, you’ll injure yourself.”
Her laugh was wild and bitter. Seriously worried, he twined his arms around her, drawing her into his body. Her struggles intensified. “I’ll scream.”
“Down, Sirius!” he snapped at the dog.
“Leave me alone!” She tried to clout Richard with the broom and this time he didn’t fool himself that it was accidental.
He heard her genuine fear. She’d never been frightened of him before, even when he’d caught her naked. The knowledge sliced through him like a razor. Bewildered, he raised his arms and retreated. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” she said in a clipped voice, standing there trembling with anger.
“Williams said the vicarage was burgled.” He ventured a step closer.
She raised the broom. “Don’t touch me.”
Disbelief kept him still, even if within the broom’s reach. “I’m no threat.”
“What do you know about this?” Her voice was hard. Sirius whined and pressed into Richard’s hip.
Bewilderment made Richard pause. Did she accuse him of the break-in? Was it possible she’d guessed that he was her burglar? Her first burglar, damn it. Now it seemed there were genuine criminals on this patch.
“Nothing. I’ve been with Sedgemoor all morning. He’s back for a few days.” If he wasn’t confident that his disguise was foolproof, he’d think she’d rumbled his scheme. He chanced a smile, but it aroused no answering warmth. “Please put the broom down. You make me nervous.”
For a bristling moment, wide gray eyes peered into his soul. “Whoever did this knew that Aunt Lucy and I were out and that it was the maids’ half day.”
“But the vicar was home.”
Genevieve looked unimpressed. “He wouldn’t stir from his library if the house fell down about his ears.”
She sighed and planted the broom on the ground, leaning on it. At least she no longer looked ready to kill him. That felt like major progress. Richard had no idea why she was so furious with him. Perhaps because he’d stopped her charging willy-nilly after the robbers.
She continued more evenly. “Mrs. Meacham wasn’t well enough for visitors so I dropped off her basket and left. I came in through the back and noticed the kitchen door open. That seemed odd with the servants away. I called out. Then I heard a crash upstairs in my study.”