Free A Summer Seduction by Candace Camp Page A

which way from the cloak having been thrown over her head. Who would believe her wild tale of abduction? Her pursuers were almost upon them, confident man-to-man smiles on their faces.
    Damaris whirled and ran, yanking her arm away from the stranger and leaving him holding only the cloak. She ran upthe side street as the men let out shouts and started after her again. She knew she could not avoid them for long. However, it was reaching dusk, and deep shadows had begun to collect about the houses, so she would soon have at least the cover of darkness.
    Something crashed behind her, and she risked turning her head back to look. It startled her to see how close her pursuers were, but fortunately, the one in the lead had run into a man who was stepping out from a door. The second abductor was too close behind to stop, and stumbled over them, sending all three to the ground. Damaris seized the chance and turned right at the next lane. Unlike the street she had just left, several of these houses had small front gardens. She darted across the street and threw herself over a low iron fence into a garden. Bushes grew across the foundation of the house, and she crawled in among them, squirming her way to the very deepest, darkest corner of the house, where she crouched, curling in on herself and tucking her head in so that her face was completely hidden.
    She waited, doing her best to calm her gasping breaths. It was nerve-wracking not to be able to see, but she dared not look up and perhaps reveal a flash of pale face at precisely the wrong moment. She heard the sound of footsteps in the distance, running at first, then slowing and coming to a halt. There was a scrape or two of shoes upon the street, then a low curse. A shout came from a distance, and the footsteps retreated quickly.
    Damaris counted to ten, then risked looking up. She couldsee nothing beyond her shelter of branches, so, every nerve screaming, she forced herself to crawl from her hiding space. There was no one in the yard or on the street. She thought of going to the door and asking for assistance, but the house was dark and she was afraid of exposing herself for too long to the full view of the street, knocking and waiting, without anyone answering. Besides, her recent experience had left her fearful that anyone who answered the door would assume the worst about her, given her unkempt appearance. No doubt she now had leaves and twigs clinging to her as well, after her foray in the bushes.
    If her abductors appeared again, claiming she was the escaped lunatic they guarded, she might very well be handed over to them, and she could not count on being able to escape them again. No, the best thing was to find her way home, staying in the shadows and ready to leap into hiding along the way. She scurried over to the fence and knelt, staring up and down the street. There was no sign of her assailants. Cautiously, she slipped from the yard, using the gate this time, and started off, hoping that she had been correct about the direction the footsteps had taken and that she was headed the opposite way.
    She had no idea where she was or where to go, but she kept walking, keeping as much in the shadows as she could, always glancing around for any sign of her followers. When she had been thrown into the carriage, it had taken off toward the west, and it had not taken a good many turns, so she continued moving in a generally eastward direction. The housesaround her were not poor, but as she walked, they seemed to increase in size and grandeur, which heartened her. Surely she was going the right way.
    When she saw a man approaching, she thought about stopping and asking him for directions, but she was too shaken. She was not sure she would recognize her abductors; the man could be one of them. She slipped quickly across the street, glancing back to see if he followed her.
    Her legs ached, and she was beginning to rub a blister on her right heel. She was chiding herself for having been