Free My Wild Highlander by Vonda Sinclair

caused her to die? Angelique
crossed herself, vile nausea coiling in her stomach. "They killed
the driver!" she told Lachlan. "Another man was going to steal our
coach. I saw him."
    "And now he's dead, too. We wouldn't have let
them take you." His voice was rough, almost a growl.
    "You were outnumbered."
    "Nay, we were not. We had the situation under
control."
    She pressed her eyes closed, forcing the
burning tears out. "I did not know. Pray, forgive me, Camille."
Bending, Angelique placed her ear before Camille's mouth and nose.
Breaths puffed out, warming her ear.
    "She lives! Thanks be to God. Help me with
her."
    Lachlan handed the torch to his English
friend, Miles, then gently slipped his arms beneath Camille and
lifted her. Angelique followed him to the coach and helped him
position her cousin comfortably on the seat.
    " Merci. "
    "Do not leave the coach again until I tell
you to!" Lachlan slammed the door.
    She wanted to fling a sharp retort at him,
but she deserved a much worse scolding for hurting Camille. The
coach lurched forward, knocking Angelique to the floor. Damnable
driver.
    "Camille?" She patted her cousin's face,
wishing she had cold water to bathe it in. Camille was the person
she cared about most in the world, like a sister, and she'd
endangered her life. "I pray you will forgive me. Please wake
up."
    Shots rang out again.
    Merde! She ducked low over her
cousin.
    An onslaught of clomping horses' hooves
approached from an alley and the coach sped up, jostling along
rutted streets. The new driver shouted commands at the team and
snapped a whip in the air. When the pistol shots echoed further
away, she peered out. The king's guards were thick around them.
    " Grâce à Dieu ," she said when the
coach ground to a halt. The salt scent of the ocean, the clanging
of a bell, and the water slapping the hulls of the creaking ships
told her they'd reached the wharf.
    Lachlan wrested open the door. "Come. We must
hurry."
    ***
    A half hour later, Camille, still
unconscious, lay in the captain's cabin on the lower berth. A small
hanging lantern provided illumination. Angelique fingered her
Rosary beads and paced, praying her cousin would awaken. She had
bathed her face in water over and over but it proved of no
benefit.
    " O Marie, s'il vous plaît —" A sharp
knock sounded at the door. She jumped. " Qui est-ce? "
    "Lachlan."
    She opened the narrow door.
    "The ship's barber surgeon went ashore
earlier and cannot be found. I sent for a physician but he hasn't
yet arrived. The captain says we must leave forthwith because of
the tide." Lachlan glanced at Camille. "Och! She has awakened?"
    Angelique spun around and rushed to her.
"Camille, are you well? Thanks be to God."
    She placed a hand on her head and groaned.
" Qu'est-ce qui s'est passé? "
    "You fell off a horse."
    "I remember now. Did you shoot the bastard
who grabbed me?"
    " Oui. Do you want us to wait for the
physician?"
    "No, I hate them. I am well."
    "If you're sure, we shall set sail," Lachlan
said. "'Tis not safe for us to stay here."
    " Oui. Allez-y. Go."
    ***
    Kormad glared at his men who stared at the
worn floor planks within his room at the inn. Six imbecilic
failures, they were. The damned MacGrath bastard had stolen away
Angelique and married her. Worst of all, he'd become chief, earl
and now held Draughon Castle and lands.
    "'Tis mine by birthright!" Kormad slammed his
fist against the table. The candle flickered wildly.
    "Y–you mean Timmy's, m-my lord," Arnie
said.
    "Aye! And mine until he comes of age. I have
waited to take my place at Draughon the whole of my life." At least
he had yearned for and coveted the rich estate the whole of his
life. It was so close he could almost touch it. "I will not let
some whoring, kilt-wearing MacGrath snatch it from me! He is all
that stands in my way."
    "She chose him," Rufus said.
    "I know that, you whoreson! And she'll regret
that decision. I intend to make sure of it."
    If she would not choose Kormad, he would