He held up his hands in mock surrender. “I can’t help it if I’m irresistible.”
“Why, you—” Ashley began.
“But what will we do without the carriage?” Maddie interrupted. She looked into Ashley’s pretty face, now lit by the half-moon rising over the trees. “My father—”
“Isn’t going to catch us,” Lord Nicholas assured her. “We’ll ride on horseback for now. We’ll make better time that way.”
Maddie nodded. He was right. They would make better time on horseback—providing he didn’t unwittingly seduce any women in the next village.
“But there are only four horses and five of us,” Maddie pointed out. “And what about my luggage?”
“Leave it,” Blackthorne said. He was moving about the horses, checking to see that they were in good condition.
“Oh, no,” Maddie argued. She’d already lost her reticule and all her money. She wasn’t about to give up her change of clothing and the dress she intended to wear to her wedding. “I’m not leaving it behind.”
Blackthorne looked ready to argue—he always looked ready to argue—but his brother was nodding. “We’ll strap your valise and any other luggage to one of the horses, Lady Madeleine. We need a pack animal anyway. Your coachman was obviously prepared. He packed blankets, food, and extra tack in the box.”
“Too bad we had to leave him behind,” Ashley muttered.
“Get everything we need and drop it here.” Blackthorne indicated a spot directly behind the carriage. “Hurry. We have to keep moving.”
Blackthorne and his brother strode toward the coachman’s box, and Maddie followed. “But if we use one horse to carry supplies, that leaves only three horses to ride.”
Blackthorne was handing reins and a bit to his brother. “What’s your point, sweetheart?”
“Sweet—” Maddie fisted her hands and reminded herself to keep to the point, no matter how rude Lord Blackthorne became.
Sweetheart, indeed. If he knew what she’d like to say to him at that moment, he wouldn’t think she was so sweet.
“There are five of us, sir, and three horses.” Her tone indicated that this should be obvious.
Blackthorne looked at her, his black eyes twinkling. “We’ll have to ride double. You and Miss Brittany may ride with Nick and myself.”
“Certainly not!” she said, taking a step back. The image of Lord Blackthorne kissing her in the woods an hour or so ago flashed before her eyes. She could still feel the weight of his chest against hers. She could still feel the warmth of his skin. She would probably combust if she had to ride for hours pressed against him on the back of a horse. Even now her face heated simply thinking about it.
“I didn’t say you’d be riding with me,” Blackthorne said, a wicked twinkle in his eye. “Though I can see you’re thinking about it.”
Jiminy! He was right. Of course she wouldn’t ride with him. What kind of friend was she to Ashley to even imagine doing so?
“I’ll—I’ll ride with Mr. Dover,” she stuttered.
“Suit yourself.” Blackthorne winked and turned his back on her again.
But she didn’t ride with Mr. Dover in the end. Apparently, while Mr. Dover was very good with schedules and mathematics, he was not so good with horses. He climbed on one of the docile bays, accidentally kicked the horse, and when the animal shifted forward, Mr. Dover fell backward.
They got him back on his horse, and Lord Nicholas used some rope from the coachman’s box to secure him.
“This is humiliating,” Mr. Dover groaned.
“It won’t be for long, old boy,” Lord Nicholas assured him. “We’ll have to stop for the night before too long.”
Stop for the night? Maddie couldn’t prevent her gaze from flicking to Lord Blackthorne. She had not considered that she would have to spend a night or more in his presence.
He seemed to feel her eyes on him—or perhaps he was thinking of her as well—and he met her gaze.
Quickly, she went back to the work of securing her valise. And though she had a hundred questions, she didn’t dare ask for any details. But her mind screamed its worry. Where were they going to sleep?
A village meant they risked more problems like those this afternoon. But without the shelter of the carriage, they had to find a village. And if they paused to sleep, would that give her father time to catch up with them?
