Page 68 of The Captain Claims His Temptress
Myrle halted before the drawbridge and grumbled. “Fuck a duck. I hate this bridge. Sometimes, the red-haired she-devil pounces on me at the other end. Then the chit threatens to slice off me balls.”
“Mayhap we oughta wait here until ye have a conversation with yer dicked in the nob sister,” Diggins said.
Stephen worked his jaw from side to side, then huffed. “Wait fifteen minutes before following us.”
What if Stephen’s twin took an immediate dislike to her? Maddie’s reception with the women at Herald Hall didn’t exactly instill confidence. She cringed.
“Maybe I should wait with them.”
“Nonsense,” Stephen said. “You are coming with me.”
Maddie peered over her shoulder to wave goodbye to the trembling scoundrels.
“May God protect you, Miss Madalene,” Myrle called as Diggins made the sign of the cross.
Good heavens. How terrifying were the Duke and Duchess of Astleyshire?
They were halfway across the bridge when Stephen tensed and tightened the reins. Everything stilled, and theclonkof Stormy’s hooves quieted. Prickles of fear crawled up Maddie’s spine.
“What is wrong?” she asked.
“Shh.” Stephen cocked his ear in the direction they’d come from.
Turning slowly, she looked over her shoulder. Myrle and Diggins had dismounted. Giggling, they tossed a stone back and forth as if it were a ball.
Stephen’s muscles relaxed as if he hadn’t just been on high alert. He clicked his tongue, and Stormy trotted toward the medieval gatehouse. Since there seemed to be no cause for alarm, Maddie’s heartbeat returned to normal.
Stephen called through the portcullises to a man in livery. “Good evening, I am Captain Stephen Eaton, Her Grace’s brother.”
The man approached the iron bars, and a grin spread across his sun-bronzed, freckled face. “As I live an’ breathe, I’d recognize you anywhere. You look just like Her Grace. Why, you could be twins.”
Despite the humor in the man’s observation, Stephen remained stone-faced. “Can you let my sister know I am here to discuss an urgent matter? She is not expecting me.”
“No need for that. If you donned a dress and had long hair, I’d swear on my life you were the duchess.”
Stephen’s nose crinkled. Why such disgust? Maddie found the man’s comment quite charming.
A metal ring jangled as the gatekeeper twisted the key into a lock. Then, he attended to the pulley and crank attached to the winch. The ancient gate creaked and groaned as it lifted.
Sweat coated the man’s brow, and he panted between his words. “’Tis lonely work watching this gate. I could use a companion.”
“’Tis not like my sister to overwork her staff,” Stephen said.
“Nay, the duke and duchess plan to hire a crew to watch over the grounds so none of us work alone. There didn’t used to be a need for all this security. But two blokes showed up”—the man scratched his forehead—“I guess it was about nine… nay, ten days ago, they snuck onto the grounds and started trouble.”
They dismounted, and Stephen placed his palm on the small of Maddie’s back. After guiding her to the other side of the gate, he helped to pull the creaking monstrosity into place.
“My good man,” Stephen said, “you have been kind indeed, letting us in. But I dare say, you are too trusting.” He pointed to the tree line in the distance. “Men are hiding in those woods watching. At least six. And the two troublemakers are at the far end of the drawbridge.”
Maddie searched the vista. Trees. Trees. And more trees. How did Stephen know they were being watched?
The gatekeeper’s eyes widened, and he sputtered, “I…I…”
“The two troublemakers are with me,” Stephen said. “You can trust them for now. After tonight, don’t let them near the castle.”
“Who are the men in the woods?” Maddie asked, even though she suspected one was Pierre.
Stephen’s intense gaze bore down on the gatekeeper. “Pierre Dupont, a man of dubious loyalties, is calculating his next move. He has no qualms about ordering his men to kill. And somehow, he will walk away from murder, looking like a hero. Do you have a weapon?”
