Free Her Gentleman Thief by Robyn DeHart Page B

left her mouth a realization surged through her. After this incident, there would be no wedding. No one here could attest to the fact that this man, this thief, had not ravished her. Hildy had not roused and the other two servants were blindfolded and tied up. There was no one save Penny to vouch for her and, if she were to speak up, she too would be ruined. Simply being stopped by this highwayman was enough to sully her reputation and her virtue. And who was to say he wouldn’t ravish her still? But Penny could be saved. She needed only to get Penny to safety.
    Before she could further think on the matter, she reached out and placed a hand on the highwayman’s chest. “Take me with you,” she said.
    If she didn’t know better, she would have thought he looked affronted. “I beg your pardon,” he said.
    “Please, I won’t be a burden, you can simply take me and drop me off in London,” Annalise said. Her heart pounded so rapidly, so loudly, her very ears seemed to vibrate.
    One eyebrow rose above his mask. “What of your wedding?”
    What to say? There was no reason to tell this man that her fiancé was no more interested in her than he was her meagre collection of coloured ribbons. He might even know Griffin – though that seemed unlikely considering this man’s profession. She did not believe Griffin consorted with such fellows. Though if she didn’t know better she would have sworn this man was a gentleman too. The way he spoke, the way he moved – there was something utterly genteel about him. But that was foolish. Gentlemen were not thieves. She shook her head. “My parents arranged the marriage. To a dreadful man, boring, priggish and only interested in the land my father offered him.”
    The highwayman’s lips tilted in a slight smile. His head quirked. “So not a love match, then?”
    “No, most certainly not,” she said. Though she had once thought – hoped – it might be. She’d been a fool. A mistake she would not make again.
    “And you want me to help you run away?” he asked.
    She heard stirring in the carriage behind her. She stepped forwards, closer to the highwayman, and nodded. “Yes, please. Help me run away.”
    He stepped closer, so that he stood but a breath away from her. His gloved fingers ran down her cheek. “Are you not afraid of me?”
    She steeled herself, straightened her shoulders to stand taller. This was precisely why she’d had to hide Penny – to protect her sister’s reputation, but more so to protect her actual virtue. Penny was not a woman most men could resist, with her lithe figure and pale blonde hair. She was a classic beauty, unlike Annalise who was rather easy to ignore. It seemed unlikely Annalise would get ravished. “No.” She reached into her reticule and pulled out the jewellery she had been given to wear on her wedding day: a lovely pearl and diamond set necklace with matching drop earrings. “I’ll pay you.” She cupped the jewellery in her hand and held it out to him.
    “I am a highwayman in case that has escaped your attention. I would take that regardless,” he said with a grin as he pocketed the jewels. He didn’t wait for her to answer, instead he leaned over, picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder as if she weighed no more than a child. “You will regret this.”
    She thought he was probably right, but for some reason she felt no fear, only excitement and expectation. Penny would be safe. Eventually Hildy would awaken and she’d untie their driver and ensure Annalise’s sister got home safely. She’d always wanted an adventure. Well, now she’d all but stumbled head first into one. Perhaps her wedding day would not be so dull after all.
    Griffin Hartwell breathed in the heady lemony scent of his bride’s hair as she sat nestled against him on his mount. The mask he wore itched and pricked at his skin, but he didn’t dare remove it. Not now. Instead he was forced to ponder his situation in physical discomfort. He’d