Page 19 of A Remarkable Rogue

Desperation pulsed through her. “I’ve told you everything I can.”

“You’ve told me practically nothing.”

“That’s all I can!”

He shook his head. “Scepter will come after you, whether to silence you as they did Henry Everett or to use you again in their plots.” When his hazel gaze flickered over her face, the sunlight caught the golden flecks deep in his eyes. “I will be there when they do.”

She pressed her hand against her belly as fear sickened her. “So I’m bait for your trap?”

“You won’t be harmed, I promise you.” He brushed his hand up her arm to comfort her, heedless of the people around them in the park who might see. “As long as you cooperate.”

She pulled in a deep breath to force down her frustration and fear. “If you have any mercy inside you at all, you will—”

The sound of a gunshot boomed across the park.

Nate grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to the ground. She landed on her back with a jarring thud that knocked the air out of her.

Two more shots rang out in rapid succession.

“Stay down!” he ordered and pinned her to the ground beneath him.

But she was too terrified to do anything except cling to him as she gasped for breath. His large body covered hers, and his shoulder shielded her head as he tucked her beneath him.

“They’re shooting at us!” she cried.

“Not at us.” He lifted his head and scanned his gaze across the park. “They would have hit us or the ground next to us. No bullets came this way.”

But his words didn’t comfort her, and she shuddered violently in his arms. Dear God, she’d thought she was going to die! All the fear and worry of the past few weeks overwhelmed her, and a hard sob escaped her.

“It’s all right,” he assured her, his voice compassionate and soft.

He rolled off her and sat up, then pulled her into his arms. She clung to him, unwilling to let go and plunge back into the terror alone.

Slowly, he unwrapped her arms from around his shoulders and shifted away only far enough to palm her cheek and raise her head until she opened her eyes. The look of concern on his face nearly undid her.

“Baroness, are you all right?”

Clenching the front of his uniform in her fists, she shook her head, unable to speak around the knot in her throat. No, shewasn’tall right. Nothing was all right! Most likely it never would be again.

“No one aimed at us.” He cupped her face between his gloved hands. The leather felt cool and smooth against her cheeks. Just as smooth and cool as his voice as he assured her, “No one tried to hurt you.”

She pulled in a jerking breath and nodded, yet she wasn’t at all convinced.

He rose to his feet and gently lifted her to hers, then took her arm to lead her as quickly back to the barouche as her wobbly legs allowed. “Let’s get you—”

Shouts went up across the wide lawn, followed by the screams of women.

A flash of movement caught Sydney’s attention, and she glanced over Nate’s shoulder. A gasp tore from her lips.

On the far end of the lawn, a landau careened out of control. It bounced wildly across the grass as it headed straight for the trees at the far end of the lake. Its driver pulled frantically at a single ribbon, the other one having fallen from his grasp and dangling on the ground, but the team tossed their heads in fear and ran on. In the back, holding on desperately to the carriage as it rose and fell beneath him like a bucking horse—

Lord Liverpool.

“Stay here!” Nate ordered.

He leapt onto his horse. The gelding started forward into a canter before Nate’s feet found the stirrups. Pressed low over the animal’s back, he raced across the park at a thundering gallop.

Ignoring his order, Sydney hitched up her skirts and chased after him.