“I’m impressed.” Julian pushed to his feet.
Melissa scrambled to hers.
With Julian, she studied the melee that had erupted, with both Gordon and Damian flinging themselves at the captain, who was endeavoring to flee through the woods.
Then Julian laid his hand on her arm and pressed lightly. “Please, stay here.” Briefly, he met her eyes. “Please.”
With that, he took off. Felix had already crossed the clearing and plunged into the woods. Julian glanced that way, but instead of heading in the same direction, he ran hard along the track leading out of the clearing.
She frowned, then mumbled, “I can’t.” She scooped up the train of her riding skirt and set off after him.
Julian knew every inch of his land and proved it by veering onto a deer trail that cut through the woods. Trusting that he knew what he was doing, she ran as fast as she could in his wake.
The trail ended on the other side of the woods, where the trees gave way to pasture.
She halted, panting, where the trail met grass. Sounds drew her attention left, and she saw Julian running flat out along the edge of the wood toward a horse left grazing—the captain’s horse.
Beyond the horse, approaching from the other side, arms pumping in a desperate run, was Findlay-Wright. Plainly, he’d broken free of the three younger men and escaped.
Melissa turned that way and kicked something. Glancing down, she saw a thick branch lying on the ground. She stooped, picked up the branch with her free hand, and, lips setting, chased after her husband.
Findlay-Wright reached his horse first, ripped the reins from the branch they’d been tied to, then swore viciously and swung the beast so his hindquarters cut Julian off.
Julian leapt back, then slapped the hunter’s rump, and the horse sidestepped out of his way.
Melissa had expected Findlay-Wright to use those seconds to remount. But as the horse skittered from between the men, she saw that instead, the captain had freed a saber from his saddle.
Before he could draw the sword back enough to swing it, Julian flung himself on Findlay-Wright.
Julian’s fist connected with the captain’s jaw, and Findlay-Wright staggered. Fighting to keep hold of his reins, he heaved and pitched Julian off, reversed his hold, and before Julian could regain his balance, struck out viciously, bashing the saber’s hilt into the side of Julian’s head.
Julian crumpled and fell.
A cry lodged in Melissa’s throat, but she swallowed it down and forged on.
His expression one of outright gloating, focused entirely on Julian, Findlay-Wright reversed his sword once more, then with his lips stretching wide in a triumphant grin, raised the blade, clearly intending to plunge it into Julian’s chest.
Melissa dropped her train, gripped the branch with both hands, and skidding to a halt beside Julian, swung the branch with all her might at the captain’s head.
He saw her a second before she struck, but too late to avoid her blow. The branch cracked across his jaw and sent him reeling.
He dropped the sword and staggered drunkenly back, but managed to keep his feet.
The spooked horse shied away, and Melissa stepped over Julian’s body. Gripping the branch, holding it before her like a sword, she glared at Findlay-Wright as, blinking rapidly, he refocused and narrowed his eyes on her.
His sword lay on the ground, midway between them. With her eyes, with her whole expression, she dared him to bend and reach for it.
Behind her, Julian groaned and shifted. She didn’t dare look, didn’t dare take her eyes from the captain.
Then the thud of running feet reached them. Findlay-Wright glanced along the wood’s edge, swore foully, then lunged for his horse, swung up to his saddle, and was off.
Melissa dropped the branch, whirled around, and crouched beside Julian, who had managed to sit up. Careful not to touch where Findlay-Wright had struck, she cradled Julian’s face and searched his gray eyes. “Are you all right?”
His eyes looked surprisingly clear.
He huffed. “I wasn’t completely senseless. He just rattled my brain.” Proving he hadn’t lost track of things, he looked at Damian and Gordon, who were standing watching the captain vanish. “Get the horses.”
“Felix has gone to fetch them.” Damian didn’t take his eyes from the captain’s vanishing figure. “What’s the bet he thinks he’ll get away?”
