Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle (72 page)

240

Pickpocket Countess

sunset. With great anxiety over what was to come, he and Jack saddled their horses and went to join Witherspoon and his

.

The night was moonless, forcing the men gathered to search out The Cat to rely on other senses than sight. The blinder the better, Brandon thought grimly. He would take whatever luck he could make or steal. Even the devil's own luck would do tonight. It was very likely the only hope he had left.

During the afternoon, he had discreetly scoured the area, searching out The Cat or any sign of her. He tried the Grange, although it was too obvious a choice for a hideout. He tried tracking her horse. He looked in abandoned cottages.

All of his efforts revealed naught. The Cat was every bit the master she purported to be. If he had any doubt on that score, it was clearly settled now. Any sign of her presence had vanished. He prayed it was sign of safe passage. It was entirely possible The Cat had settled for the loot of last night's robberies and was well away from Stockport-on-the-Medlock without a backward glance. Brandon fervently wished the night would result in nothing more than a wild goose chase.

Dogs bayed in the distance, the growing loudness of their howls indicating they were nearing the assembled group.

Brandon cast a sharp glance at Jack.

Jack took his cue. 'Lud, Witherspoon, dogs? This is no fox hunt. A bit unnecessary, I say.'

Witherspoon gave the foppish viscount a cold look. 'What better way to flush out a cat than with dogs?' To all gathered he explained with a dictatorial flourish, 'We've left nothing to chance this evening. Between Squire Bradley's excellent hunting hounds, the British regulars and our own manpower, The Cat will not elude us. Everyone has been given their instructions. Let us ride!' He waved his arm in a forward motion and the teams broke out in various directions.

Scott

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'Tally ho!' Jack said derisively as his horse stamped eagerly, wanting to be off with others. 'Gawd, the man thinks he's a general. He only lacks a sabre to complete his pose.'

Brandon cast Jack a sideways glance as he wheeled his horse around. 'Self-importance can make a man careless. All the better for us if he overvalues himself.' He his horse

into a canter and set off after the two soldiers assigned to ride with him and Jack. 'Keep Witherspoon's group in sight,' he Jack.

Witherspoon's group rode to Brandon's left. The plan was to create a fan, eventually becoming a circle that encompassed the residences of the investors and the mill. If The Cat was in the vicinity, planning to strike, she'd meet with guards at each house.

Should she manage to elude them, there would be a living net of men encircling the area to contend with. It would be nearly impossible to get through. The

incredible

could not

compete with the sheer number of men out against her.

Brandon forced himself into a state of heightened alertness.

His eyes scanned the perimeter of their search for the flare that signalled The

capture. His ears strained for any sound that someone was nearby in the underbrush. He clamped his thighs tightly around his big bay stallion, trying to feel for any change in the horse's demeanour. If someone unseen were nearby, his horse would give sign of it. He wished he could shake the feeling that The Cat had finally run out of lives.