And she herself would have . . . Mr. Dover.
Maddie felt like crying. It wasn’t fair! Of all the carriages in London, why did Lord Blackthorne have to jump into hers? She had never met a man like him. She’d never even been this close to such a superb male specimen.
She knew she shouldn’t be thinking of Blackthorne like that, especially on the way to her wedding with another man, but she couldn’t stop herself anymore.
From the moment Blackthorne dove in the carriage and turned his black eyes on her, she hadn’t been able to take a deep breath. Longing, like none she’d ever known, stole over her every time she thought of him.
She didn’t know why. He’d had a bloody nose, a coffee stain on his trousers, and his hair was too long and completely disordered.
He looked like he’d been thrown in the gutter and run over by a curricle or two.
And it didn’t matter.
He made her knees weak and her heart pound. He made her want to reach over and run her fingers through his hair. He made her want to straighten his hopelessly wrinkled cravat. He made her want to climb into his lap and feel those big arms around her.
She knew Mr. Dover would never make her feel that way.
And she knew something else as well.
She would be miserable watching Blackthorne—her Blackthorne—marry Ashley. She loved Ashley, but the thought of Ashley with Blackthorne made her seethe.
Maddie put her head in her hands. Now she was not only being negative, but jealous as well. She should be happy for Ashley and happy for Blackthorne. He was obviously pleased with his future wife. He obviously couldn’t wait to be alone with her.
And besides, she knew that Blackthorne was all wrong for her. She hated adventure and risk, and Blackthorne seemed to court it. She refused to be controlled, and she could tell Blackthorne was one of those men who liked to be in charge. Her father was the same. He’d halted her charitable activities under the guise of keeping her safe for years. She simply hadn’t been able to take it anymore.
And so she’d chosen Mr. Dover.
You’ve made your bed, Maddie told herself. Now you’ll have to—
The carriage door flew open and Blackthorne forcibly pushed Ashley inside. On the other side, Dover scrambled in as the coach began to move.
Maddie heard angry shouts but had no time to decipher them as Blackthorne shot into the seat beside her, barely getting the carriage door closed before the conveyance was moving at full speed. “Goddamn lousy luck,” she heard him mutter.
“Sir!” she said in surprise, but he didn’t look the least bit contrite.
“Brace yourself, sweetheart,” Blackthorne said, voice grim. “We’ve just made some new enemies.”
Chapter Five
“Enemies? But who—” Maddie began before the carriage jolted and she was slammed against the door. Ashley pulled her back up again, and the two girls clung to each other as the vehicle made a sharp turn on what felt like two wheels. Behind them, angry shouts and curses were hurled at the conveyance. The sweet, sleepy village of a moment before had awakened with an unfriendly growl.
“What happened?” Maddie said, still clutching Ashley tightly.
“Lord Nicholas happened,” Ashley answered with a glare for Lord Blackthorne. Not that her fiancé noticed or cared. All his attention was focused on the town disappearing behind them.
Ashley looked back at Maddie. “The innkeeper caught Lord Nicholas with his daughter.”
Maddie gaped. “But how—when? We were there for less than half an hour.”
“Lord Nicholas works quickly.”
Blackthorne must have been listening after all because he gave Ashley an irritated look before glancing back out the window. “You have it all wrong. The girl cornered Nick. It’s a simple misunderstand—Get down!” He grabbed Maddie’s shoulders and pushed her forcibly to the floor. She landed hard, and would have cried out if she hadn’t been startled silent by a crash.
Blackthorne released her, and she looked up to see that the back of the carriage, between Dover and Blackthorne, had a hole in it. She turned to peer at her seat and saw that the stuffing had exploded where the pistol ball hit.
Pistol ball?
Beside the protruding stuffing, Ashley was sitting immobile, her face pale and frozen in shock. Maddie reached for her, but Dover was quicker. He took Ashley by the arms and lowered her onto the floor, covering her with his body.
