Page 16 of Brazen

The footmen carried the trunk and bags into the castle.

“She has to get more things,” Angeline said.

“I don’t want to return with her,” he said in true younger brother fashion.

“And you shouldn’t have to,” Mia said. ‘I will be back promptly.” Without waiting for anyone to agree, she said, “We are off, Boyd,” and stepped into the carriage, pulling the door shut behind her.

Ten minutes later, rain began to patter lightly on the roof. What good fortune. If it rained hard enough, that would make it all the more difficult for her to return to the party. By the time her aunt received Mia’s note explaining that she had arrived home to find she didn’t feel well, it would be too late for Aunt Leana to leave the party. Tomorrow, Leana would send Joshua after her. God willing, her aunt wouldn’t come herself. Mia would spend the day shut up in her room to ensure she appeared sick.

By then, Mr. Forbes would have fallen madly in love with Angeline, and all talk of seduction would be forgotten. She still couldn’t believe her aunt had suggested such a thing. Why, it was just the sort of thing her father would do. Aunt Leana had often chastised their father about seducing women. She considered it quite another matter, however, for a young lady to—how had she put it--encourage a man’s natural lust?

Mia wasn’t at all certain Mr. Forbes had any such inclinations. Despite what her aunt thought, Mia wasn’t oblivious to a man’s notice—and Mr. Forbes had not noticed her. She had been pressed intimately against the man’s broad chest, yet his eyes had barely rested on her face, much less any other part of her body. Her face warmed at the memory of his arms tight around her. She had never been so intimately close to a man before. It had been—

She grimaced. She would do well to forget the warmth of his arms. She’d better hope he did have such inclinations and that Angeline would incite those feelings in him. Otherwise, her family would insist she find a way to get him to seduce her. Not to mention, George was sure to try and whisk Angeline away for a nighttime elopement. Mia only hoped he didn’t have enough money to purchase a special license.

A man’s shout jarred her from her thoughts. The carriage lurched and veered perilously close to the trees that hugged the road.

“Good Lord.” Mia grabbed the handle to the right of the door.

Another muffled shout sounded. The coach sped up around the curve. Mia’s shoulder struck the wall. The coach leaned and she drew a sharp breath when it seemed the back left wheel lifted off the ground. Her heart beat wildly. What was happening? A gun roared outside her door. Her hand flew to her mouth. It couldn’t be.

“Halt, or I will shoot,” a man shouted.

The carriage slid sideways. Mia gripped the handle harder and jammed her eyes shut as momentum pressed her into the corner. A loud crack split the air and the carriage listed to the right. She vaguely understood that a wheel had broken an instant before her legs hit the door. She snapped her eyes open as the door swung wide and she glimpsed fast moving, muddy ground no more than two feet away.

The carriage swung left and the door slammed shut. They came to such an abrupt halt that, despite her grip on the handle, she was thrown onto the opposite seat. She landed, arms and legs tangled in her cloak and dress. Her heart beat so loudly that the shouts were muffled by the pounding in her ears. Were they being robbed? She carried nothing of value. Would that anger the robbers

“Dinnae move,” a male voice ordered in a thick Scottish brogue.

Mia recalled the pistol her father kept hidden in the compartment beside the door to her right. She threw back her cloak and scooted to the other side of the carriage, opened the compartment and pulled out the pistol. He always kept the weapon loaded for just such an occasion. But it had been stored unused for at least eighteen months. Would it fire? Had she the nerve to pull the trigger? Lord, could she hit a target? She’d never held a gun, much less fired one. The weapon felt oddly heavy.

“We have no valuables,” Boyd said.

Mia discerned that he remained in the driver seat. At least he hadn’t been hurt. What of the young footman, Allen?

“Who’s inside?” the robber demanded.

Mia shifted to face the opposite door and pointed the pistol. Her hands shook so badly she feared she would miss even at such close range. Should she fire as he opened the door? If the weapon didn’t discharge, it would be useless. If, she pointed the pistol at the brigand after she left the carriage, he wouldn’t know that it might not fire and she might be able to force him to lay down his gun.

The door handle began to turn. Mia thrust the pistol into her cloak pocket in the instant before the door was flung open. She locked gazes with dark brown eyes. Rain dripped from his matted, shoulder-length hair.

“Nothing of value, eh?” The short, stalky man raked his gaze down her body. “Come out, little bird.”

She quaked, but forced herself to slide over to the door. She pulled her skirt up just above her ankle and jumped down from the carriage onto the mud-slicked road. Thankfully, her legs, despite being shaky, didn’t give way. Her heart sank at sight of another brigand sitting astride a well-groomed chestnut, a large revolver pointed at Boyd and Allen. Boyd’s thin-lipped expression told her he was keeping a taut hold on his fury. He had been with them for ten years, and she knew he would protect her with his life.

She looked at the brigand nearest her, blinked raindrops from her lashes, and said, “What do you want?”

“What have ye got?”

“Nothing,” she said in all honesty. She had purposely left everything at home, for she hadn’t planned on attending the party. “I am on my way home from visiting Lady Helen. She is ill.”

As hoped, fear appeared in his eyes. “Ill? What’s wrong with her?”

Mia shook her head. “The doctors do not know. She has a raging fever and she’s coughing up blood.”

His eyes widened and he took a step back. He stared for an instant, then a sly smile spread across his face. “Ye are a clever wench. There is no sick friend. You came from that mansion where all the big carriages are going for some fancy party.”

She feigned confusion. “Why would I be traveling away from a party?”