Page 28 of Border Lord’s Bride

"Get up!" Horatio lurched toward them, his unarmed hand poised to strike.

Elizabeth shifted forward to take the blow, sparing the other girls their uncle's anger.

At Lily's terrified scream, the man's hand jerked to a stop inches from Elizabeth's face.

She remained still. "Let the girls go. I shall go with you."

He grabbed a fistful of her hair and dragged her to her feet. "All of you will get up and keep moving."

"You are going about this all wrong." Elizabeth met his gaze. "The new earl doesn't care about us. He'll be overjoyed to have the estate all to himself now that we are gone."

Horatio's grin became a dark, evil slash. "Nay, he'll come after you, and I'll force him to renounce the title and lands."

Elizabeth forced a smile, praying the girls would remain silent and let her lies erode the man's confidence. "It won't work. He'll never renounce the title. He'll never go back to the Templars. You're a fool to think he would."

"Then I'll kill you all to get what I want." Horatio's hand connected with Elizabeth's cheek. Gasps and cries of distress erupted from the girls as pain exploded on the side of Elizabeth's head. A wave of darkness hovered.

She drew a sharp breath and forced the darkness away. Fainting would help no one. She straightened. "Beating me will not change the situation. You'll never become the Earl of Carrick."

"We'll see about that." He limped away, heading toward the water's edge.

"Our brother does care about us, right?" Lily asked on a new wave of tears.

"Aye, he loves you," Elizabeth whispered near her ear. "I need to trick your uncle."

Lily's mouth formed a silent expression of surprise.

Suddenly the sound of men shouting filled the air. Lucius!

"Has our brother found us?" Camellia whispered.

The echo of hoofbeats sounded in the distance, mingling with the sound of the men's voices. "Aye," Elizabeth said, with a burst of fresh hope. She brought her hands up to her bodice and withdrew a small dirk from between her breasts. At Iris's gasp, Elizabeth brought her fingers to her lips, signaling silence.

Iris pressed her lips together.

"We need to keep stalling and give Lucius a chance to get to us."

Rose gasped, her gaze fixed on where her uncle stood at the bank of the loch. "That might be impossible."

Elizabeth followed her gaze. Limping, Horatio rolled the cask from where it had fallen from the wagon toward the water's edge. He retrieved his sword from where it had fallen and brought the blade down against the side of the cask over and over until a thick black liquid seeped out of the cask and across the surface of the loch. Removing his cape, Horatio dipped the fabric into the liquid then spread the thick tar on the nearby shrubs.

"What's he doing?" Camellia whispered as an acrid scent suddenly filled the air.

Horatio turned to the girls. He smiled crookedly as he drew a hunk of flint from the folds of his cloak and ran it across the edge of his sword. A spark flared. He struck the sword again and again, sending a flurry of sparks onto the loch. Suddenly, the sparks ignited the thick liquid with a whoosh of sound.

"Let us see if your theory is correct, Miss Huntingdon. Will my nephew come to rescue you girls or let you all burn to death?" Horatio said coldly. "My guess is, he'll try to rescue you. And when he does, I'll be waiting to stab him in the back."

Elizabeth palmed the dirk and worked it over her bonds. She had to set them all free before Horatio could execute his plan. Ruthlessly, she sawed at the rope. Beneath her assault, the twisted coils began severing one by one. Once she was free, she could stay and fight Horatio while the girls escaped.

A louder whoosh startled Elizabeth as red-gold flames rippled along the surface of the loch, gathering speed.

Elizabeth desperately sawed her bonds. She was almost there. Flames on the shrubs licked closer and closer, spreading quickly until they were surrounded by fire. Horatio turned back to them. He held a length of rope in his hands. His eyes glittered brightly in the glare of the fire as he limped toward them. He would tie them here and leave them to die.

With her heart in her throat, Elizabeth slashed once more against the rope. It severed with a snap. She moved to Rose and sawed at the older girl's bonds, until she too was free. Elizabeth passed the dirk to Rose. "Lead the girls out of here. Go. Now!"

Rose shot to her feet, encouraging the others to do the same. "What about you?"

"Go back toward the manor!" Elizabeth cried.