The Rake's Bargain. Lucy Ashford

she paused, and he tried to picture her face.

      ‘I really am going to have to leave you tied up here in the woods,’ she went on, ‘until someone finds you. And I cannot imagine that a gentleman accustomed to life’s comforts as you must be would relish the prospect of being out here as darkness falls. The woods can get extremely cold and damp at night, even in June. Well? Do you want me to loosen your bonds or not?’

      She sounded almost cheerful.

      Beau was usually calm in the face of danger, but this was an altogether different kind of peril; indeed, he was hard put not to flinch as she leaned close and ran her hands over the ropes at his wrists. Damn it, could he feel a few soft strands of her hair brushing against his forehead? What colour was it—black, brown, or a brassy blonde? What colour were her eyes? Was she tall and slender, or short and plump—and why in God’s name was he even bothering to think of such absurd trivialities?

      ‘I’ve probably caught a cold already,’ said Beau. ‘And if I die of pneumonia, I hope you realise it will be the gallows for you and your partners in crime.’

      She’d moved back a little, he sensed, but not because she was afraid, oh, no; in fact, he even heard her emit a husky chuckle. ‘Pneumonia? An exaggeration, surely, Mr Beaumaris. As a matter of fact...’

      He could just imagine her gazing down at him thoughtfully.

      ‘I don’t think,’ she concluded, ‘that I’ve ever seen anyone who looked as healthy a specimen as you. Now, if you want me to cut these ropes, you really must swear not to set the law on my friends.’

      The silence that followed was deafening. ‘Mr Beaumaris? It really could be very uncomfortable for you out here in the forest. And I have a dreadful feeling that it’s going to start raining again, any minute—’

      ‘I swear!’

      ‘You swear what, Mr Beaumaris?’

      ‘I swear,’ Beau pronounced through gritted teeth, ‘that I’ll not set the law on your friends.’

      He thought he heard her emit a satisfied little sigh. ‘And you’ll promise not to pursue them?’

      ‘I’ll not—’ he clenched his bound fists ‘—pursue them. Where are they, by the way? I haven’t heard their dulcet tones for a while.’

      ‘And you won’t hear them again,’ she said airily, ‘for they’ve gone, but where to is no concern of yours. Now that you’ve promised not to pursue us, you’ll soon see that everything will be quite all right.’

      Moments later she was sawing at the ropes at his wrists—carefully, he hoped—with a small, ebony-handled knife. He knew, because the blindfold that they’d used on him—his own silk neckerchief, for God’s sake!—had worked loose, so that if he turned his head at a certain angle, he could see her. And as it happened, Beau’s first view of her gave rise to a rather unsettling kick of interest.

      She was young, as he’d expected. But she wasn’t dressed as most miscreant wenches would be, in a flouncy cheap gown with colourful petticoats and a bodice designed to display her feminine charms. Instead she wore close-cut breeches and a loose linen shirt, on top of which was a raggedy short jacket with leather patches over the elbows. A red-spotted neckerchief was tied around her neck, and all in all, any outfit less likely to emphasise her femininity, he couldn’t imagine. Yet somehow—somehow...

      It was her face that really astonished him. It was heart-shaped, dominated by huge eyes that were almost golden, and was given added piquancy by a pert nose, a determined little chin and a cloud of curly chestnut hair.

      She was surprisingly, unusually attractive. She spoke well. She’d sounded almost apologetic about his ordeal. Then his thoughts stopped, because all of a sudden, the rope round his wrists parted and the girl sat back on her heels, pushing her vibrant curls from her face. Now what? Beau flexed his hands and adjusted his position in order to keep her within his narrow field of vision. She was a little scoundrel, with her rebellious rain-damp curls and smears of dirt on her cheeks. She and her companions were highway thieves, no doubt about it.

      So how could Beau possibly imagine that he’d seen the same girl in the not so distant past, adorned with jewels and wearing the finest of ballgowns? How could he think for one minute that he had actually met her, in the salons of London’s elite?

      That fall from his horse must have shaken his brains more than he’d realised. Keep your wits about you, you fool. He realised that she’d positioned herself to kneel by his feet now, and was starting to hack through the ropes that bound his booted legs. Slowly he reached for his blindfold.

      She turned to him calmly. ‘Very well,’ she said. ‘Remove it if you must.’

      She went back to her sawing, while Beau eased the silk neckcloth from his eyes. He was astonished that she was going to let him see her in full. Surely the wench was afraid that he would be able to describe her to the constables? But then he realised that she’d already anticipated his inspection by pulling up her own spotted neckerchief to cover the lower part of her face, though she couldn’t hide her eyes—and what eyes, he marvelled again. Lambent gold and dark-lashed, they almost matched the colour of her gleaming gold and copper curls.

      ‘That’s it,’ she announced. She rose to her feet, at the same time slipping the knife into a sheath on her belt. ‘You’re free now, Mr Beaumaris, but I most sincerely hope you’re fully aware that my men have your horse, and that your situation is still precarious in the extreme...’

      Her voice trailed away, as Beau drew himself to his full height while at the same time delving into an inner pocket of his coat—in order to pull out a small but lethal pistol, which he cocked and pointed straight at her heart.

      ‘I rather think,’ said Beau softly, ‘that you’re the one who needs to understand that your situation is precarious—Miss Deb. Give me that knife of yours. Now.’

       Chapter Three

      Oh, no. He was formidable, Deb realised, and not just because of his pistol. Everything about him—his pride, his height and his muscle power—shouted danger, as he stood looking down at her with the clearest, most captivating male blue eyes she had ever seen. And those eyes were full of pure scorn, as he pointed that lethal-looking pistol at her heart.

      Deb’s pulse bumped sickeningly. Why, oh, why hadn’t Luke and Francis searched him? But they weren’t the only ones to blame. She should have noticed the pistol’s bulk when she pulled out his watch; she should have gone through everything he carried, except that it felt like a gross insult to his privacy...

      More of an insult to him than taking him prisoner, you mean? ‘Well,’ Deb said, tilting her chin so she could meet his hard gaze. ‘So much for your oath to let us go.’

      A slow smile curved his arrogant mouth. ‘Your memory is failing you somewhat. I did indeed swear not to set the law on your friends, but you forgot something rather important. You see, you didn’t include yourself in the bargain.’

      Deb stood very, very still. She concentrated on meeting his gaze without flinching. Don’t let him see you’re afraid. You must never let an enemy see you’re afraid...

      ‘Trickery with words,’ she scoffed. ‘Usually the last resort of a man who knows he’s in the wrong.’

      ‘I don’t think there’s any doubt about who’s in the wrong here. Empty your pockets.’

      ‘I don’t see why I need to—’

      ‘I said, empty your pockets—Deborah.’

      Deb breathed hard and deep. ‘Why? Unlike you, I don’t carry a gun. If I did, I assure you you’d have seen it by now.’

      ‘No doubt,’ he retorted calmly. ‘Nevertheless,