Andrea Pickens - [Lessons in Love 03] (22 page)

"What? I thought you a true romantic at heart."

She colored, much to her dismay. "Hardly," she snapped. "You know very well I am no such thing."

"Hmm." He took up her bag, along with his own. "The sleigh and horses are ready. We can continue what promises to be an interesting discussion on the driver's box, if you truly do not wish to avail yourself of the inside comforts." His faint smile seemed no less than a challenge.

Octavia wasn't sure which was more unsettling—submitting to the breathless narrative of Emma and Nicholas or sitting disturbingly close to Alex. However, her chin rose a fraction as she followed him through the door. After all, she now had full rein of her emotions. She could certainly manage converse with him without any more girlish flutters.

Emma and Nicholas took up their places without the least bit of protest. The book was immediately opened to the marked place and their heads craned forward. A discussion arose as to who would read first, which Octavia interrupted in order to pile in several of the extra blankets as well as the rest of their belongings. Leaving them to settle the matter themselves, she shut the door and climbed up beside Alex.

"You are quite sure you want to miss the description of the castle dungeons?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Very well. But tie the flaps of your hat a bit tighter. It is getting even colder." With that, he gave a flick of the reins and the two horses plodded off.

Much to her relief, he steered the conversation back to literature rather than forcing any scrutiny of her personal views. His sly sense of humor had not completely deserted him, however, for he inquired whether she had ever read Cleland's
Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure.

Once again she felt a blush steal to her cheeks. "Certainly not."

"Ah, but I think you would appreciate Fanny Hill." With that he began an entertaining description of the plot, which elicited a reluctant smile or two from Octavia despite her resolve to be cool.

"I see I shall have to expand my horizons in books," she said as he finished. "It sounds a most interesting work."

"Yes, why not take a chance in venturing beyond what you are familiar with. It can be... exhilarating."

"It can also be dangerous."

He regarded her with a veiled expression. "You do not appear to be intimidated by the threat of danger, Miss Hadley."

"How can you say so? You do not know me very well."

"Well enough." Before she could reply, he pulled the sled to the side of the road. "And now, judging by the color of your cheeks, I think it is time you went inside for a while. If it is too much to bear, you might simply toss the book out the window."

"You may think I do not fear danger, but neither do I seek out my imminent demise." Secretly relieved that he took the redness of her face as reaction to the cold, she kept her tone as dry as his.

He laughed. "Then perhaps you might insist on a break for other lessons. A long mathematical equation would silence them for a few hours."

"I shall survive." She shook out her skirts in readiness to descend. "But I shall expect you to come inside yourself in a short while, and let me handle the reins."

Alex took up his station and set the sleigh at a leisurely trot. His smile remained as he recounted her reactions to his bawdy account of the story. He couldn't resist sparking the flash in her lovely green eyes with his teasings, just as he couldn't resist wondering what other actions of his could bring such fire to her face. Last night, it had almost seemed as she would have welcomed...

A sudden movement caused his head to jerk up, then a low oath escaped his lips.

Four horsemen had materialized from out of the thick pine forest fringing the road and drew abreast to block the way.

Alex started for the pistol in his pocket, but thought better of it. The odds were simply too great, for each of the men ahead already had a gun pointed straight at his breast. His jaw set, but his arm fell away from his coat and he drew the sled to a sharp stop.

"What is it you want?" he called loudly, hoping that those inside would have some warning of the trouble brewing outside. "If you seek money, you have made a poor choice of victims. I have little to offer."

The riders approached. One of them, a wiry Cossack with a drooping mustache nearly as greasy as his thick sheepskin coat, edged ahead. "We want Count Scherbatov," he growled. The pistol in his hand didn't wavered. "Any trouble and you will be feeding the ravens."

Alex stared at him blankly for a moment, then gave a rough guffaw. "A Count? Oh, aye, he's in the back, along with Tsar Alexander and Prince Golitsyn."

The other man looked slightly taken aback and shifted in his saddle. "Take a look," he ordered curtly, motioning to the two on his left.

Alex sought desperately to think of some way of escape, but the leader was no slowtop. The fellow had stationed the fourth man at the head of the horses, while keeping a close eye on him. There was nothing to do at the moment but sit by helplessly and pray that an opportunity would present itself.

"Who is inside?" demanded the leader as the two men circled around to the door.

"My family," he said sullenly. Perhaps he could bluff his way out of this.

The door was yanked open and one of the swarthy men leaned inside.

Octavia shrunk back against the squabs and made a show of pulling Emma closer. "Leave my daughter alone, you ruffians!" she cried shrilly. "Alexei, make them go away!"

As if on cue, Emma let go with a piercing wail and buried her face in Octavia's shoulder. Another loud sob followed, and another.

The man's head jerked back instinctively, a harried expression on his face.

"What do you see?"

The man scratched at his beard. "A women, and a girl."

The shrieks increased in volume.

"No one else?"

The shake of his head was confirmed by his companion, who took a quick peek inside. "Just the two of them."

At that, Octavia began to cry as well, loud teary sobs that threatened to dissolve into outright hysteria.

The door slammed shut and the two men backed away.

"Please, like most women, my wife and daughter are easily frightened by strangers," said Alex, still in a loud voice. He couldn't resist adding, "My wife is also in a most delicate condition, which makes her even more prone to an attack of nerves. No doubt she will have a headache for days."

The leader chewed on the edge of his mustache in some confusion. "Who are you? Where have you come from and where are you going?"

"Alexei Menshikov. A baker. From Moscow. We are fleeing the fighting and go to relatives in Novgorod."

With his weapon still pointed at Alex's chest, the leader gathered his men around for a hurried conference. After a few minutes, he broke away from the others and slowly circled the sled, stopping to examine the small storage boot at the rear of the sled and sweep his gaze over the roof. He even darted a quick look of his own into the interior, setting off yet another round of shrieks and tears.

Grudgingly satisfied, he tucked his pistol in his belt and motioned Alex on his way. "Be off with you, then. But breathe a word of this to anyone and you shall not survive to see your second born." He shot a look at the closed door of the sled and muttered, "You should pray to the Almighty that he blesses you with a son."

Alex needed no further encouragement. A shake of the reins sent the horses into a lurching trot, which he quickly whipped into as hard a gallop as he dared over the icy road. Several miles flew by before he dared stop to let the tired animals recover their wind. He leaped to the ground and flung open the door.

Octavia and Emma were still sitting side by side, skirts covered by a layering of blankets. There was no sign of Nicholas. Alex's brows drew together until he noticed a slight twitch of the heavy wool at their feet. His face relaxed into a broad smile. "Well done, ladies. A ruse worthy of one of your gothic stories."

A dark shock of hair poked out from under the edge of the coverings. "May I come out yet?" came a muffled voice. "It's damned uncomfortable under here."

"You can't say 'damned' in mixed company, Nicholas. You must say 'deuced'." cautioned Emma in a low voice.

"Alex says damned. I heard him. Twice."

"Grown-ups get away with more than we do."

Alex repressed a laugh. "Yes, come on out." To Octavia he added, "That was damned quick thinking, Miss Hadley. We are indebted to you."

"I fear the trick would not have worked had Emma not thought to fall into a fit of vapors."

"Yes, we men may meet pistols at dawn with nary a blink, but even the most hardened scoundrels quail before a female's tears."

"So it seems. I shall make note of that."

"Pray, do not. I cannot imagine you turning truly missus under any conditions." His expression sobered considerably as Nicholas extracted himself from the tangle of blankets. "They are gone, but not for long. As soon as they reach the inn, they will learn of their mistake and will be back with a vengeance."

"What do you suggest we do?" asked Octavia softly.

Alex looked grim. "These nags will never outdistance their mounts. And there are few other roads to turn off on, so trying to elude them seems impossible."

"Why, we can't just sit here and wait for them to return."

"Of course not." He paused for a moment. "We must abandon the sled and try to lose ourselves in the forest. If we each take up one of the children along with our supplies, I think we might be able to manage. You can ride, can you not?"

She nodded. "And if I did not, I should quickly learn."

"That's the spirit. Now all of you, pack up the as quickly as you can—and leave behind anything that is not truly necessary. I am going to lead the horses off the road to somewhere we can conceal the sleigh, at least for a bit. If we can delay pursuit for even a short while, it will help our chances."

He found a small clearing and unharnesed the pair, cutting down the long reins to leave a makeshift arrangement for riding. After hacking off a number of pine boughs to help disguise the sleigh's presence, he tossed a folded blanket over each horse to serve as a saddle and split up their supplies. Emma was put on his mount, while Nicholas went up with Octavia. Alex's hand lingered on her knee after helping her arrange her skirts for riding astride.

"You show a pretty ankle," he murmured.

"My ankle, Mr. Sheffield, is encased in a felt boot the size of a small, furry animal."

"Well, I have no doubt it would be a very pretty ankle if it were not."

Was it her imagination, or did he have the nerve to wink at her? "We are wasting precious time off, sir. Let us be off," she said, trying to sound stern.

"An excellent idea—" He stopped abruptly as a snowflake drifted down onto his cheek. Looking up at the ominous grey sky his lips compressed in a tight line.

"Damn."

* * *

It was only a dusting, but the powdery flakes had been accompanied by a decided drop in temperature. The towering trees had, at least, provided a measure of protection from the gusting winds, though it was hard going through the slap of branches and tangle of undergrowth. It was difficult to see as well, the thick canopy of needles blocking out much of the pale light. Finally, when it was too dark to continue, Alex chose a spot by a large fallen tree to stop for the night.

Emma and Nicholas were sent to collect firewood while Octavia searched for a source of fresh water. In the meantime, Alex set to making some sort of shelter from the elements. A number of large pine boughs angled across the downed trunk created a tent-like structure that was actually quite snug inside, once a goodly pile of dead needles had been spread over the frozen ground.

A blazing fire at the narrow entrance also added a measure of warmth, enough that the blue tinge to Emma's mouth slowly disappeared and she was able to move her lips. The lad had also been suffering from the cold, though he had tried manfully to suppress his chattering teeth. But they refrained from any complaints as they sat huddled under the extra blankets, even when supper turned out to be no more than a cup of weak tea and a meager portion of cold meat and bread. Nor did they argue when Octavia insisted that they take their blankets and retreat into the depths of the shelter. In fact, they appeared too exhausted to do much else than crawl inside and wrap themselves tightly in their coverings as bidden.

"You must lie close together," called Alex. On catching the look on Octavia's face, he dropped his voice. "Highly improper, I know, but shared bodily warmth will help stave off the cold."

"Well, I suppose you know a thing or two about that," she murmured under her breath.

His lips twitched. "I am glad to see the hardships of the day haven't dulled your sharp claws, my tiger. The time you cease your cutting setdowns is the time I shall be truly worried that the strain has been too much."

She leaned back against the rough bark and swirled the dregs of her cup. "I imagine my choice of words is the least of our worries. We are not in a terribly good position, are we, Sheffield?"

His amused expression quickly disappeared. "No, we are not." He added another branch to the fire and stared at the leaping flames. "We have only enough food for another day or two, our horses are nags and I doubt the children can endure too much exposure to the elements. And if it begins to snow in earnest...." He let his words trail off. After a moment he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to have involved you and Emma in this."