Free The Book Of Scandal by Julia London Page B

Nathan said soberly, and pulled the boy up and away from the blood. “Jenks!” he called to the driver. Evelyn looked at Jenks, noticed his arm hung strangely at his side, and realized he’d been shot, too.
    “How bad is it?” Nathan asked, bending a little to see the wound.
    “I’ll be all right, milord,” Jenks said, a little uncertainly.
    Evelyn looked about for something to bandage his arm, and remembered a clean handkerchief in her reticule. It was a gift from Princess Mary, embroidered by her own hand. Evelyn returned to the coach to fetch it, then marched to where Jenks was sitting, determined to be of use.
    “Feels a bit strange, but I’ll be no worse for the wear,” Jenks said unconvincingly. He was growing pale.
    Evelyn reached for his arm. “I’m going to bind it tightly, Mr. Jenkins, to stop the flow of blood.”
    “Ah, mu’um,” he said, shaking his head. “You don’t need to do that.”
    “Do as she says, Jenks,” Nathan said sternly, and helped Jenks remove his coat.
    Evelyn wrapped the handkerchief around his arm and bound it tightly. When she was convinced there was nothing more she could do for him, they managed to get his coat back on him.
    “Fred, you’ll handle the ribbons and ride postilion, will you?” Nathan said to a coachman, and helped Jenks to his feet. “You, sir, will ride on the bench. We’ll have you properly tended when we reach the abbey,” he promised. “All right then, lads, let’s have everything in order and continue on, and be quick about it for Jenks’s sake.” He gestured for Frances to return to the coach.
    “May I ride with Jenks, milord?” Frances asked eagerly. “I’ll mind him properly, I will.”
    “I’d not mind the help, milord,” Jenks said when Nathan looked at him.
    Nathan nodded, and as Frances scrambled up ahead of Jenks, Nathan cupped Evelyn’s elbow and steered her into the coach. He followed her inside, settling in beside her on the bench and pulling his cloak over them once more before rapping on the ceiling to send them on.
    “Highwaymen!” Evelyn exclaimed, still in a bit of shock.
    “They are a scourge in these parts,” Nathan said. “They are as thick as grass and strike with alarming regularity.”
    “Will they come back for us?”
    “They are halfway to France now, you may trust me.” He smiled reassuringly and put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her into his side again.
    She did not fight it. “I’m allowing you to do that only because you saved my life,” she warned him.
    “Aha, a small victory,” he said, and leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
    As they bobbed and swayed down that awful road, Evelyn didn’t mean to fall asleep, but in the safety of Nathan’s arms, when she felt herself sliding into it, she didn’t have the strength to stop herself.
    He knew she was sleeping when her body sagged into his. The feel of her body against his reminded him of the nights he’d spent in her bed and the passion they’d shared. As he rearranged his cloak around her, he could picture her holding herself above him, her hands braced against his bare chest, her breasts hanging like ripe fruit, and her gold, wavy hair spilling around her shoulders as she rode him.
    The highwaymen were forgotten, replaced by her voice echoing in his head. We were never meant for one another, you and I…
    Those words resounded ridiculously in his mind. It was passing strange, actually—the Lord knew they had said worse to each other at one time, but then, her words had bounced off him.
    Today, her words made him feel hollow and old.
    Her head lolled onto his chest with a delicate snore; lashes fanned out against her cheeks and her lips parted slightly. She was exhausted.
    Unfortunately, the roads had been pitted with the autumn rains, making the ride quite rough. He thought of poor Jenks above and realized he was a fool for believing Wilkes when he said this road through Cricklade was the quickest. He tried to keep Evelyn from