asking. I am ordering. You swore to me in that meadow by Chilgrave that you would do what I said when it matters. This is one of those times. Now go!” He nodded at the window as the door rumbled behind him with another resounding impact.
“And leave you to die? I made a vow too, not to part with you until death.”
“And what if you are carrying a life within you, a life we created? You must put that life above mine. Do you understand?”
Letty’s hands went to her abdomen. She didn’t know if she was pregnant or not, but he was right—if there was even a chance, that life had to come above all else. It was a choice she had never imagined making—Adam or the child she might be carrying.
“Please,” Adam begged as another impact against the door shook him.
She rushed to him, kissing him fast and hard as she whispered, “I love you.” Then she dashed to the window and scrambled through it, dropping to the ground. Almost instantly, hands seized her, one clamping over her mouth.
“Got her!” someone snarled in triumph. Letty screamed against the gloved hand before she was shoved facedown into the earth and the weight of a body crushed her back.
“Bind her hands,” someone snapped.
She felt rope wrap around her wrists, but rather than struggle, Letty stopped fighting and went still. Her sudden lack of movement momentarily confused the men who’d grabbed her.
“You crushed her, you fool. We need information first.”
The weight holding her body down vanished. The sound of men scuffling behind her told her that now was the time to run. She surged to her feet and dashed for the stables a few yards away. The door was open, and she rushed inside.The coach driver was sitting up in a corner, eyes closed as he rested with their horses.
“Mr. Marin?” She seized his shoulder and tried to rouse him, but Mr. Marin’s head fell back, exposing that his throat had been slit from ear to ear. The dark-blue cloth of his coat had hidden the blood that now coated her hand. His body slumped sideways and fell to the ground with a thud. Letty tripped as she backed up a step and fell on her backside. She stared at the lifeless body. An innocent man had died because of her and Adam.
“Check the stables!” a voice growled from nearby.
Letty leapt to her feet and searched for a hiding place. She climbed up the ladder to the loft, even though she was sure they would check there. One of the flat beams stretched across the middle of the barn just above the loft space. She hoisted herself up and scooted along the massive beam. She was just small enough that if she tucked her dress and cloak tight about her and pinned her arms on either side, she might go unseen from below. She closed her eyes as sounds warned her that the men were searching for her.
“She has to be here. She has nowhere else to go,” one of the men said.
“She’s not.”
“Check the loft and every stall.”
Horses huffed and shifted in their stalls as the men tore through the stables. The ladder leading up to the loft creaked, and Letty held her breath. Her heart pounded loud enough in her ears that she almost couldn’t hear any other sound beyond it.
Keeping her balance on the beam, she dared not open her eyes, lest they see them glimmering in the dark from below. Hay rustled and boards groaned beneath the weight of a man just a few feet below her. She could smell him, a hint of gunpowder and sweat. Her nose tingled, threatening a sneeze.
“Come on down from there, Jordan. She ain’t there. We’ve got him. He’ll know where she ran off to.”
Relief swamped Letty at these words. Adam was still alive. And as long as he was, she wouldn’t give up. She had to get down and steal a horse to find Uncle Tyburn and his sons.
I will save you, Adam. Hold on.
The two men searched the stables once more before leaving. Letty stayed still, counting until she felt several minutes had passed before she dared to move. It was far more difficult getting down from the beam than it had been getting up, but she managed to land on a pile of hay with only a small thump. She waited again, ears straining for any sounds of men nearby. She searched the shadows but saw only horses poking