Two years ago...
It was clear he did not recognize her. How could he when she was not wearing her blue gown and her hair was as messy as the current situation?
And he was ready for battle. He had his pistol drawn out.
Siege raised on his hind legs with a loud whine of panic.
"To whom do I owe the honor of this rather unexpected call, bandit?" Ralph asked, aiming his pistol at her.
"Mistaken identity, guv!" Alex said, trying to keep Siege calm while her mind thought of the best way out without getting shot by the same man she shared a dance with one year past.
"Where do you think are you going?" Ralph said, leaning out the doorway of the carriage.
She saw Ned and Barto become alert and she ordered them to get away with her eyes.
"Dare you make a victim out of a Guard and—"
Ralph was not able to finish his statement for Alex elbowed his face—right on his nose—with enough strength to make him loosen his hold around her arm, his pistol out of the way as he used his hands to keep from falling out of the carriage.
Alex heard him shout but she dared not look back.
She kicked Siege and followed his cousins back into the darkness of the rocky clearing.
*****
"You have the perfect timing for your return," Maxwell said to Nicholas.
Nicholas could not erase the smile off his face as he uttered, "I ought not to feel good over someone's passing, but I do. Osegod had been a pain in the arse from the moment he took notice of the Everards." He sipped from his brandy, his brothers waiting for his next words. "His death serves as a good distraction. Sophie's return was barely mentioned on the Herald. Even the marriage announcement was given a very small space on the last page."
"The bottom left of the last page, to be specific," Levi wryly uttered. "Mother was not pleased."
"It is not well to be bold of our celebrations when most of the Town is in mourning," Benedict told everyone.
"Which fits my Sophie's preference," Nicholas said, smile broader.
Maxwell sent Ralph a look. "Quiet, brother? Why so, I wonder?" he said.
Ralph narrowed his eyes at Maxwell and turned to look at Cole who had been sitting quietly in one corner since they entered the library after their loud family dinner. While most of the ladies were in Lady Alice's study to discuss details for the wedding, leaving Wakefield and Ysabella to see over the children, the gentlemen took the opportunity to escape the ruckus and talk about the current situation.
Emma and Ysabella had been asking about Alex and how their friend had left town without even saying goodbye, but Ralph avoided the questions by keeping their mother engaged in a conversation. Knowing Lady Alice had been through enough, the twins ceased their interrogations, aware that now was not the best time to let their mother know that they were friends with bandits. All Lady Alice knew about Sophia's rescue was that she was rescued. No names were mentioned and no places were specified.
Yet now that their mother was not around, Ralph feared that his curious brothers might start to be curious. Maxwell, of course, was the first to start showing signs.
To keep their topic off Alex, Ralph focused on a more serious matter. "Durley could not be touched. He has the League's protection."
"Manipulative bastard," Nicholas growled under her breath. "Although I would not wish for anyone to repeat the words to Sophie."
YOU ARE READING
Masterful Trickery
Historical FictionTHE BANDIT She merely meant to steal and get away with it. She did not mean to find a dying woman and be chased for it. She merely meant to help. She did not mean to be dressed in a gown and be a target for murder. THE GUARD He was tasked to chase...
