Angel Rogue

Chapter 19

Even though Robin did as much as he could, Maxie had to half carry him. The canal seemed endlessly distant. The back of her neck prickled in anticipation of Simmons waking or his men returning to come after the fugitives.

Given a choice, she would prefer Simmons himself. He had shown signs of a conscience, but she would trust his men no further than hungry wolves in a butcher shop.

She kept hoping that other people might appear, but the area seemed deserted. People must be eating their midday meals. As she and Robin entered the shadowed alley between two of the warehouses, she prayed for a miracle with what energy she could spare. They could not go much farther like this.

They emerged onto the sundrenched wharf to find a loaded barge sitting at the mooring. A man and a boy were on deck preparing to cast off. The captain was a short fellow with a broad muscular figure and grizzled hair. He straightened and eyed the newcomers curiously, which wasn't surprising since Robin was draped over Maxie like a shawl.

A straightforward plea for aid seemed best. Letting her desperation sound in her voice, Maxie said, "Please, sir, can you help us? We were attacked and my husband has been injured."

The captain's startled face reminded her of how she was dressed. With her free hand, she yanked off her hat. The man blinked, his interest thoroughly engaged.

She had thought Robin beyond awareness, but he murmured in her ear with irrepressible amusement, "Brought out the heavy guns, I see. Poor devil hasn't a chance."

"Hush!" she hissed, keeping an arm around his waist as the captain jumped to the wharf and walked over to the newcomers.

"You were attacked by thieves in town in broad daylight?" he asked, visible skepticism on his weathered face.

What story would be likely to appeal to a canal man?

When in doubt, tell some variation of the truth. "It wasn't thieves, but my cousin and his friends. They're trying to stop us from reaching London." She glanced back, having no trouble looking anxious. "Please, can we go with you for a little way? I can explain everything, but they will be here at any moment."

She turned a pleading gaze on the captain, trying to look like the sort of female a man would feel protective about. She should have paid more attention to her cousin Portia, who had spent years cultivating helplessness.

The freckled faced boy ventured, "Mebee they're only lookin' for a free ride, Pa."

The captain studied Robin, who was wavering on his feet. "That blood looks real enough." Coming to a decision, he said, "All right, lass, I'll take you on faith for a few miles."

He stepped forward, stooped, then lifted Robin and slung him over a broad shoulder as if he were a schoolboy. "Come along."

Maxie followed, stepping. across the narrow gap between wharf and boat. The barge was simply constructed with two blunt ends and a square cabin in the middle. Tarpaulin covered mounds were secured to the deck, and the air was redolent with a strong, not unpleasant scent of wool. The cargo must be carpets, which Dafydd Jones had said were made in the area.

"I expect you would rather be out of sight if your cousin comes," the captain said. "Take the aft hatch cover off, Jamie."

The boy scrambled to obey, excitement on his round face. The hatch cover was lifted to reveal a hold packed with more carpets. After Jamie climbed in and rearranged the rolls to create space, the captain deposited Robin's limp body. "Don't let 'im bleed on my cargo."

"I'll do my best," she promised. "Do you have some rags and water I can use to wash the blood away and bandage him?"

Jamie immediately bounced off to fulfill the request.

She climbed into the hold and knelt beside Robin, parting his golden hair to examine the damage. A lump was already forming, but she was glad to find that the gash was shallow and the bleeding almost stopped.

A minute later, Jamie returned with the supplies she had requested, as well as basilicum powder to put on the wound. As gently as possible, she washed away the blood and applied a bandage. Robin accepted it stoically, though she saw his hand opening and closing on the carpet beside him.

When Maxie finished her ministrations, the captain said, "Time we were on our way. Might be best to close the hold again."

"You're right," she agreed. "My cousin might follow if he guesses that we're trying to escape this way. It's… it's a complicated tale."

The weathered face looked satiric. "I don't doubt it."

After he lowered the heavy hatch cover, dragging noises sounded overhead and the slivers of light around the rectangular hatch disappeared. The captain must be putting carpets on top. She blessed him for his foresight. Even if Simmons followed the barge, he was unlikely to find their hiding place.

But the precaution made the darkness in the hold absolute. Their niche was about six feet long, four feet wide, and three feet deep, with yielding carpets beneath them. The effect was like a cozy coffin. She did her best to repress her distaste for the confinement. All that mattered was that they were heading away from Simmons, and the captain seemed to be a good ally.

Dimly she heard Jamie order the tow horse to get along. The barge began to move. Exhausted now that there was nothing more to be done, she stretched out alongside Robin. "Are you there?"

His voice a faint thread, he replied, "I have been more or less present through the last act, even though I had to be carted about like a wheel of cheese."

She smiled, relieved. "Sounds like your wits weren't scrambled by that rock."

"Of course not. My head is the most unbreakable part of me." Not quite able to conceal the strain in his voice, he said, "Is there any more water?"

She raised his head and shoulders so he could drink from the bottle. After corking what was left, she asked, "Did you sustain any damage apart from the head wound?"

There was a pause and more rustling sounds while he took inventory. Eventually he said, "Nothing to signify."

"Good. Then you can think up a convincing reason why my cousin Simmons and his merry men are after us."

"But you're doing such a good job of invention that it would be a pity to interfere," he protested.

"Next to you, I am the veriest amateur at talespinning."

"Perhaps at talespinning, but that was a splendid bit of acting. If I hadn't known better, I would have sworn that you were frightened and helpless."

"What makes you think I wasn't?" she asked, not sure whether to be flattered at his faith or offended by his lack of concern.

"Because, Kanawiosta," he said, amusement and approval in his voice, "a female who will attack a professional fighter three times her size is brave to the point of being suicidal." He rolled over and put one arm around her, drawing her close, then added in a drowsy whisper, "You make a wonderful bodyguard."

Smiling, she relaxed against him, her cheek resting on his chest. Though she knew it was irrational, she felt safe in his arms, as if the outside world could never harm her.

His breathing soon slowed and he slipped into a doze. It would have been easy for her to sleep as well, but she resisted the temptation. Instead she listened to the soft splash of water against the hull, and tried to think of a convincing story to tell the captain.

The barge Penelope was just entering the first of the Foxton locks when two men trotted into sight on the towpath, panting heavily. " 'Ey, you there!" the large one yelled in a cockney accent. " 'Old a minute; I want to ask you some questions."

John Blaine pulled his pipe from his mouth and surveyed the newcomer. The fellow looked like he'd been in a fight, and no mistake. "A canal boat doesn't stop when it's in a lock," he said tersely, then called to his son, "Open the ground paddle."

Jamie turned the windlass and water began flowing into the lower lock.

"Dammit, I'm speaking to you," the cockney barked.

Blaine did not find the stranger's attitude endearing. The little lady, on the other hand, had been quite charming. "And I've a job to do," he retorted. "Make yourself useful and help with the gates. I'll have time to talk at the bottom."

The water level between the first and second locks equalized and Jamie opened the gate between them. The horse pulled the barge forward, the gate closed behind, and the paddles on the next gate were opened so water could flow into the lower pound.

As he watched the Penelope drop rapidly below ground level, the cockney balanced uncertainly, as if debating whether to jump on the barge and put his questions forcefully. After a moment, he scowled and gestured to his henchman. The two added their considerable weight to working the gates and the paddles.

The Foxton locks consisted of two flights of five locks each, joined by a central pool where two boats could pass. Passage through ten locks is a slow business and Blaine could have found the time to answer a few polite questions on the way, but under the circumstances, he kept himself conspicuously busy.

Eventually the barge reached the bottom of the locks, seventyfive feet below where it had begun. With exaggerated courtesy, the cockney jumped on the vessel's deck and asked, "Now will you answer a few questions?"

Blaine tamped fresh tobacco into his clay pipe, struck a spark, and drew on the stem until it was burning cleanly. "What do you want to know?"

"I'm looking for two criminals, a blond man and a young lad. They're very dangerous."

"Aye?" Blaine's expression was bored.

The cockney began to stalk the length of the barge, his suspicious gaze searching for signs of his quarry as he began to describe the fugitives and enumerate their misdeeds.

It felt as if they had been trapped in the thick warm blackness for days, though it couldn't have been for more than an hour or two. Maxie snapped out of her drowsiness when she heard vibrations on the deck above. A rumble of voices cut through the softer sounds of lapping water.

Two men were talking, one in a harsh cockney accent. Though she strained to hear, maddeningly, she could not make out the actual words. Robin was still sleeping off the effects of the head injury, but she sat up, too tense to lie still.

She scarcely breathed as heavy footsteps approached, the planks creaking under the weight of a large man. Simmons must be near enough to push the shield of carpets from that cover, or to hear the hammering of her heart.

The footsteps halted within a yard of her head. This was infinitely worse than meeting an enemy in the open. Her nerves stretched to the point where she felt a hysterical desire to scream or pound the hatch with balled fists-anything to end the suspense.

In the silence, Robin stirred and drew in his breath, as if preparing to speak. Instantly she reached out, fumbling a little in the dark, and clamped one hand over his mouth.

In the charged silence, she clearly heard Simmons say, "Anyone who 'elps criminals is flouting the king's justice, and it will go 'ard with 'im."

She gasped at the pious way the scoundrel was invoking the law. The devil could cite scripture for his purposes; indeed!

Robin tensed when she first touched him, then relaxed and gave a nod of understanding. As the footsteps moved away, she started to lift her hand away. Before she could, he pressed his lips to her palm in a gossamer kiss.

She inhaled, shaken. Remarkable how different kinds of touch could produce such varied reactions. Why did that swift butterfly caress affect her when muting his speech had not?

The darkness around them was no longer charged with danger, but with intimacy. She reached out, her fingers drifting across his hair and the bandage. Finding his face, her hand curved to stroke his cheek. The faint masculine prickle of whiskers contrasted with smooth skin. It reminded her of the sensuality of watching him shave, and she blushed in the darkness.

Her fingertips delicately skimmed his lips, and he touched them with the tip of his tongue. She shivered involuntarily. When he curled his hand around her neck and drew her down on top of him, she was willing. More than willing. Her lips parted to meet his in an openmouthed kiss.

She forgot her tension, her fear of the searchers above. Nothing existed but the man in her arms, the velvet roughness of his tongue, and the masculine power of his body. Wherever they touched, heat swirled through her veins to smolder deep within.

His hand slid down between their bodies until he reached the sensitive juncture of her thighs. When he rubbed her there, she gasped and rocked against him. The energy of passion and creation was flowing through her, sweeping her toward fulfillment in the eternal dance of mating and renewal. Her hand moved down his torso to rest on the taut, potent ridge of male flesh.

His whole frame went rigid. She caressed him, rejoicing in her power as much as she resented the clothing that separated them. He jerked up the back of her shirt and began stroking the small of her back, his palm warm against her spine. The skin to skin contact felt deliciously wanton.

Then the deck above creaked with heavy footsteps again. They both froze. The barge rocked in the water from the weight.

Closer, closer… stopping right next to their hiding place. Then Simmons's voice rumbled, appallingly close. His words were an unintelligible mumble, but the angry menace was unmistakable.

Jerked back to an awareness of their situation, Maxie felt like kicking herself. What had happened to her resolve to avoid deeper involvement with Robin? She had no more wit than a chipmunk. She eased herself away.

Robin clutched spasmodically at her wrist. She stiffened, and he released her instantly. His reluctance to let her go was evident in the slow, erotic slide of his palm over her wrist and the back of her hand. The feather touch added fuel to the flames that threatened to consume her.

When his fingers glided over hers, she felt the irregularity of the crooked, badly mended bones. Desire was joined by a dangerous tenderness. She could not have been more conscious of him if they had both been naked in a bed.

When their contact finally ended, she had to force herself not to renew it. If she touched him again when she was in this state, there would be no going back.

Wishing their hideaway was larger, she silently retreated as far as possible, flattening herself against a wall of bulging carpets. Her heart was hammering so hard that it almost drowned out Robin's harsh breathing.

Planks creaked as Simmons shifted his massive weight. There was a rasping noise, as if the carpets above were being pushed. Dear God, did he know there was another hatch below the pile?

A voice called from the front of the barge. With more squeaking of planks, Simmons moved toward whomever had spoken.

After that, there was a long silence while Maxie prayed he would not return to investigate further. When the barge began moving again, she expelled her breath, so relieved she was almost shaking. Even so, she kept her voice to a whisper when she said unevenly, "I'm sorry. It might not seem that way, but I wasn't really trying to drive you berserk."

"I know. What happened was my fault," Robin replied, his voice rueful. "Most parts of me are working, but my judgment appears to have been scrambled by that blow on the head."

She thought of the feel of his taut body against hers. Yes, all of his parts were working very well. Once again, the heat in her face made her grateful for the concealing darkness.

It wasn't like her to avoid a difficult situation. Deciding that it was time to grasp another bull by the horns, she said, "We seem to be cursed with a strong physical attraction and grave doubts about acting on it. A blazing nuisance, isn't it?"

He chuckled. "Attraction between male and female is what makes the world keep spinning. Since you and I are living in each other's pockets, the situation does get a bit awkward sometimes, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Would you?"

She thought about it-the restless aching in her body, the sheer, wicked pleasure she found in his embrace, the void that would be left in her heart after they said goodbye. Rather to her surprise, she replied, "No, I don't suppose I would."

"I'm glad to hear that," he said quietly.

The atmosphere between them changed, the sense of lambent passion dissipating. With unerring instinct, Robin reached through the darkness and found her hand. Then he pulled her into the sort of affectionate embrace that was normal between them. She relaxed against him, at peace again.

He murmured into her hair, "Are we ready for the captain's questions when he lets us out of here?"

She said "Yes," without elaboration.

His hand glided down her back. "Is there anything I should know in support of your story?"

"No. This will come as a shock to you, but I decided it will be best to tell him the truth."

"The truth," he said in a tone of wonder. "That would never have occurred to me."

She snorted. "That is one of the few things you've ever said that I believe unequivocally."

He chuckled. "Believe me, I tell the truth much more often than not. Keeping one's lies straight can be quite exhausting."

"I wouldn't know," she replied, trying to sound blighting.

She felt his chest shake with silent laughter. "Are we still married? Or are you going to retract what you said earlier about me being your husband?"

"I suppose we're still married," she said reluctantly. "I would rather not explain what we are. I don't think there is any good definition."

She felt his amusement again, but he didn't comment.

Now that Robin was awake and on guard, she felt free to relax and get some rest herself. She settled her head on his shoulder. Soon enough it would be time to face the world again.

Maxie didn't wake until the removal of the hatch cover let in the long rays of the setting sun. She looked up warily, but it was the barge captain's face above, not Simmons's.

"You two all right down there?"

"We are indeed, and very grateful to you," Robin replied. He got to his feet and swung up to the deck, then extended a hand to help Maxie out. "My name is Robert Anderson, by the way, and this is my wife Maxima."

She noted that he was now Anderson, not Andreville. Thank heaven he had the sense not to use a fraudulent title. The pair of them looked questionable enough without that.

She glanced around and found that the barge was moored at the bottom of a large lock. Nearby was a stone stable and a small lockkeeper's cottage surrounded by flower gardens. It looked peaceful and blessedly safe.

The captain took his pipe from his mouth. "I'm John Blaine. My boy Jamie is stabling the horse."

The two men shook hands. "I hope Simmons wasn't too rude to you," Robin said.

"Happen he was." A smile hovered behind the cloud of pipe smoke. " 'Fraid there was a bit of an accident. The fellow tripped on the tow rope and fell into the canal. Lost his taste for barges and went stomping off afterward."

Maxie smiled, wondering how Blaine had managed the accident.

He continued, "Care to join us for a bite of supper?"

His words reminded Maxie that they had not eaten since a very early breakfast with the drovers. Was it really only that morning that they had shared a pot of tea and a loaf of bread with Dafydd Jones? "Supper would be very welcome, Captain Blaine."

He gestured for them to follow him into the barge's simple cabin. The table was covered with cold food that had been prepared by Blaine's wife in Market Harborough. Fortunately, she had expansive ideas about what it took to keep her menfolk from starving, and there was more than enough mutton pie, bread,cheese, and pickled onions. The four of them ate in the cabin with the door open to admit the evening breeze.

Blaine waited until he had finished and stoked up another pipe before asking, "Now, Mrs. Anderson, you said you could explain everything? Your cousin"- there was a faint, sardonic emphasis on the word- "said that you and your husband were guilty of theft and assault."

Maxie said bluntly, "Simmons isn't really my cousin. I said that because it was simpler than the real explanation."

"I didn't see much family resemblance," he agreed. "So what is this real explanation?"

She sketched in the bare bones of the story: that her father had died in London, that she had reason to suspect foul play, and that her uncle was making every attempt to stop her from investigating. She told the truth, though with as few elaborations as possible, particularly where Robin was concerned.

She ended earnestly, "I swear, Captain Blaine, we are not criminals." At least, she wasn't; it was stretching a point to include Robin among the innocent. "I have stolen nothing except an old map of my uncle's, and we have committed no assault beyond selfdefense to escape Simmons and his men."

The captain refilled his pipe, then used a taper to light the tobacco. "Was your uncle your guardian before you married?"

She shook her head. "Never. Even if I were unmarried, I've just turned twentyfive, so I'm well past the age of needing a legal protector. He has no right to interfere with me."

Not only Blaine, but Robin, looked at her, surprise in their faces. Because of her small size, people tended to assume she was younger than she actually was.

"Sounds like the truth, if not precisely the whole truth. I'd like to have seen that selfdefense between you two and Simmons's gang." Blaine drew on the pipestem, and smoldering tobacco glowed in the dusk.

"I imagine that tomorrow you'll be on your way to London, but if you want to spend tonight in the hold, you're welcome to."

She leaned across the table and pressed a quick kiss to his leathery cheek. "Bless you, Captain Blaine. You and Jamie have been wonderful."

He almost dropped his pipe. Trying to suppress a pleased smile, he said to his son, "If you tell your mother about this, mind you mention that kiss wasn't my idea."

They all laughed. Then the evening turned social. Tea was brewed and they moved to the deck, where the rippling sounds of water life were a peaceful background to their conversation. It wasn't long before the lockkeeper and his family came out to join them, bringing warm spiced buns as a contribution.

After the lanterns were lit, Robin gave a juggling and magic performance. Then Maxie was coaxed into playing her harmonica. It was like an informal gathering of New England neighbors, and she felt a degree of contentment she would never have expected to find on this side of the Atlantic.

After the gathering broke up, she and Robin retired to the hold of the barge. As she relaxed within his familiar embrace she gave thanks for this strange journey. She was discovering a different England than that of her aristocratic relations, and it was a warmer, kinder country by far.

Most of all, she gave thanks for Robin.

Simmons cast about furiously for his quarry, but they had vanished without a trace. The thickwitted canal boat captain had offered a vague memory of seeing two people beg a ride on a wagon, and there had been several other possible sightings, but all came to naught.

Cursing himself for his failure, he reluctantly sent a message to Lord Collingwood saying that he had lost the trail and could not guarantee that the girl would not reach London. He finished by suggesting that his lordship might wish to make other arrangements to prevent his niece from learning the truth about her father's death. As for himself, he would continue the hunt.