Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle (154 page)

148

Notorious Rake, Innocent Lady

'Wounds always look better after they're cleaned.'

Paine said, far too cheerily.

'Hmm,' Julia answered noncommittally. She wished she could agree. The wound did look cleaner, but it also looked more vivid. The bleeding seemed to slow. As long as the bleeding stopped, she could bind the arm.

Otherwise, the blood would make the bandage sticky and hard to remove, not to mention painful. She took the second length of cloth and began to bind his arm.

'Ouch!' Paine winced as she pulled the cloth tight.

'If it's not tight, the binding won't do any good.'

Julia said firmly, tying a knot high on his upper arm.

'That should hold. At least the fabric will keep the wound clean between now and reaching

Julia stood up, breathing deeply to steady herself.

The sight of gaping skin was not one to which she was accustomed. Lord willing, it would never be a sight she would count in her repertoire of regular experiences.

She turned her attention to the coach and the horses and the carnage around them. The remaining men were still out cold, but it had been a while. 'Paine, will they wake up soon?'

Paine grimaced. 'Get a shirt from the valise. We'll rip it into shreds and bind them. It won't prevent them from following, but it might slow them down.'

Julia followed the instructions, nervously watching while Paine toed one of the unconscious men in the stomach. There was no reaction. With

injured arm

useless, it was up to Julia to bind the men's arms and legs.

She stared at them and then at Paine. He'd risen and

Scott

was trying to mount the driver's bench. It took him three awkward tries to pull himself up with one arm. She made a quick decision, one he wouldn't like. But there was no choice.

Julia scrambled up beside him and picked up the reins he was struggling to grasp in his good hand. 'I'll take those. You're in no shape to drive the coach.'

'We're not walking to Dursley,' Paine retorted.

'No, we're not

you stubborn man. I'm

driving,' Julia informed him of the decision she'd made.

Paine snorted. 'You don't know how to drive a coach and four.'

Julia looked straight ahead down the empty road, her tone determined. 'No, I don't. But I think this is the perfect time to

I do have some experience with a pair. Now, this rein here-I take it this is for the lead horse?'

'Julia. . . ' Paine protested.

'Paine, you can't drive and we must continue. You can't be so dense as to ignore the realities of our situation. If we stay here, we're literally sitting ducks. Any mile we make it towards Dursley is a mile closer to safety and whatever help your brother can offer,' Julia argued. But Paine didn't like being weak or being bossed about.

She softened her tone and tried a tack. 'I

thought you were magnificent today.' She leaned closer and managed a

without falling off the

seat.

'You did your part today to keep us safe. Let me do mine.'

'Well,' Paine said reluctantly, 'if you insist.

let

you drive.'

150

Notorious Rake, Innocent Lady

Julia doggedly gripped the reins that separated the narrow box seat from the ground several feet below. Her shoulders and arms ached from the strain. She needed all her strength to keep the team of four on the road as the coach bounced towards Dursley Hall. They had conquered Oswalt's men, managing to subdue them. Once they recovered they would have to spend precious time regrouping, redrafting their plans. It was unlikely Oswalt's men would catch up to them before they reached Dursley Hall. But that victory had been accomplished at a great price.

The coachman lay dead in the carriage and Paine was wounded. The cut must be a burning torture on this rutted road. Beside her, grim-lipped and pale, Paine had his eyes fixed on the road before them, watching for any sign of trouble as a way of staying alert.

man dead and

wounded. All because of her.

Julia could not overlook the facts. Her mad scheme to elude Oswalt had led directly to the coachman's death.

She had meant to be smart in outwitting Oswalt's perverse desire for a virgin bride. At the outset, she'd honestly believed she was only risking herself. The falsity of that belief had been made painfully clear to her today.

'Are we still clear?' Julia asked, trying to make conversation, fearing Paine might lapse into unconsciousness if she didn't keep him engaged.

Next to her, Paine dared a glance backwards, to see if Oswalt's men had caught up and were even now darting out of the woods that lined the road.