If You Were Mine (6 page)

Without
looking at the little man again, he guided his mount through the
myriad of bustling bodies lining the main street, and headed toward
home.

It took
everything every ounce of self control he possessed not to dig his
heels into his horse, and take off at a fast run after her. Enough
time had elapsed to give Isobel ample opportunity to put distance
between herself and Davenport; if only he knew where she was
going.

While
outwardly he appeared relaxed and at ease, Dominic carefully
scanned every nook, alley and corner as he made his way out of town
toward Havistock Hall.

Would
Isobel have the good sense to go to his estate? He hoped she
trusted him enough to seek sanctuary there. Surely, his actions in
the village had proven he would protect her.

Still,
he couldn’t forget the look of sheer terror that had suffused her
beautiful features when she had seen Rupert approaching. Even with
the ravages of life on the street clearly evident on her grimy
face, her delicate beauty had still shone through.

Where
the hell had she been? Moreover, why hadn’t she come to him
sooner?

He had
not gone far before he met with his groom, whom he had earlier
dispatched to search for sign of Davenport in town.

“
The carriage went to the White Horse on the outskirts of
town. There’s another man. Short, stocky with a big mouth on
‘im.”

So Rupert was with Bertram DeLisle after
all
.

“
Well that certainly makes my job easier,” Dominic replied,
satisfaction lacing his voice. He nodded for Sanderson to draw
alongside.

As they
cleared the outskirts of town, Dominic nudged his horse into a
faster walk, knowing the other man would keep up.

“
Isobel is alive and here,” Dominic whispered softly, unable
to keep the disbelief and elation out of his voice as Sanderson
drew near.

Although
he couldn’t see anyone nearby, he couldn’t risk being overheard.
Ignoring his groom’s startled look, Dominic kept his gaze steadily
forward, unwilling to show the man the depth of his
emotion.

He
swallowed hard against the lump lodged in his throat and paused to
gather himself. “Davenport has somehow caught up with her as well,
but I cannot be certain he saw through the disguise. It is
imperative we find Isobel, and take her to Havistock without delay.
Before Davenport gets her.”

He
quickly described her appearance, each detail clearly enshrined in
his memory.

“
She headed this way, but I don’t know whether she would have
the sense to head to Havistock. Keep a close eye out for her. It is
imperative we find her.”

Their
search didn’t last long.

“
There!” Sanderson slowly reined his mount to a stop, nodding
toward the brief flurry of movement deep in the woods, to the left
of them. They were no more than a mile outside of town.

“
I’ll go after her, she doesn’t know you, and might think you
are with Davenport.” Dominic quickly dismounted, throwing his reins
toward the older man. He didn’t add that he desperately needed to
see for himself that it was indeed her, and not a cruel trick of
his imagination. “Take Brutus through this tree line and through
the gate at the far end. Wait for us there. Keep your eyes and ears
peeled and make sure nobody has followed us,” he warned, jumping
over the low slung stone wall and disappearing quickly into the
woods without a backward glance

Isobel
felt sick. She was unable to stop the trembling in her fingers.
Once or twice along the way, she had shaken so badly that she had
clumsily dropped her precious supply of bread into the dirt at her
feet.

Her
heart thumped heavily in her chest with a mixture of elation and
fear. She made no attempt to swipe the tears on her cheeks away at
the memory of Dominic’s shock, and apparent delight, at seeing her
again. She couldn’t understand it. She must look such a fright, she
mused considering the past few weeks of nothing but stream water
with which to see to her ablutions.

Although
she hadn’t been anywhere near a mirror for so long, she knew that
she looked nothing like before. She was even dressed as a man, with
her breasts tightly bound and her hair cut short. Her baggy
clothing hid any remaining hint of her femininity, rendering her
practically sexless to anyone who gave her a cursory glance. After
several long weeks on the streets, her cheeks had hollowed, and her
skin unfashionably bronzed.

How
How
had
he known it was her?

As she
stumbled blindly through the undergrowth she became aware of the
flurry of movement behind her. A startled glance over her shoulder
revealed nothing that she could see, but she distinctly heard twigs
snapping, and the distinct sound of a heavy footfall of someone
behind her. Heart thumping in her throat, she stopped and slowly
turned. If she could summon the energy, she would have run, but all
of her waning strength had finally been exhausted by the speed she
had been forced to leave the bustling market town. She simply
didn’t have the energy left for a flight through the uneven floor
of the wooded copse she was in.

Unable
to summon the energy to do anything else, she stood on trembling
knees, silently watching and waiting for whomever was behind her to
appear out of the gloom. Heart pounding, she reminded herself if
she was to face death, then she would use every last ounce of
strength she had left to keep them from taking her.

Despite
her bravado, she stepped back with an instinctive cry of alarm when
a tall dark figure emerged silently from the dense line of trees in
front of her. Her knees buckled. Fear overwhelmed her, rendering
her unable to do anything but emit a low cry of desolation as the
dark figure swooped down upon her with menacing speed.

“
Isobel,” Dominic whispered softly, rushing forward to sweep
her into his arms before she hit the floor. Cursing, he nearly fell
over himself when he lifted her clear of the ground with far too
much ease. There was very little weight on her with which to
struggle.

“
Isobel, darling,” Dominic pulled her tightly against his
chest, swamped with a depth of emotion that threatened to buckle
his knees when she willingly slumped against him.

Carefully pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead, he
groaned aloud and sank slowly to his knees, relishing the fact that
she instinctively sought the comfort of his embrace.

Thin
arms quickly stole around his neck, pulling her tighter against him
as the reality of his presence sank in.

“
Isobel, thank god it is you,” he was unable to fight the raw
emotion that brought tears to his eyes.

“
Dominic,” Isobel whispered, resting her head wearily upon the
superfine wool of his cloak, giving way to the tears that choked
her. The thick material did little to hide the solid band of muscle
on his shoulder.

Although
he belonged to another woman now, she desperately needed this
stolen moment of his comforting embrace; the only comfort she had
received for a very long time. Burying her face in the warmth of
his neck, she breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of soap and
something quintessentially Dominic.

“
Isobel, darling,” Dominic’s warm breath swept gently across
her cheek. His fist tightened in her hair, holding her against him
tightly while they both succumbed to the emotions tumbling over
them.

Several
long minutes later, Isobel reluctantly loosened her hold on him and
eased backwards to lie cradled in his wonderfully strong arms. Her
tear stained gaze locked with his and she watched him draw
closer.

His lips
were warm and soft as they swept over hers before she could speak.
Once, twice they almost trembled as they brushed backward and
forward with increasing pressure for several moments before
eventually settling more firmly upon hers, his tongue probing
deeper, demanding her compliance; seeking confirmation of her
survival, and accepting nothing less than her absolute
surrender.

His hand
shook as his palm tenderly cupped her cheek to angle her head
backward, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

Isobel’s
heart thumped heavily beneath her breast as her mouth instinctively
opened to his demand. Whatever he had done in the past, in that
moment she could deny him nothing. Her fingers tangled in the soft
curls of hair at the nape of his neck, and she hungrily pulled his
head closer. Eyes closed, she gave herself over to the wondrous
sensation of his demanding kiss, and the solid comfort of his warm
embrace.

His firm
lips plundered hers, seeking to brand her as his. The hot spear of
his tongue probed and plundered the moist recesses of her mouth,
demanding her acceptance of his possession.

Somewhere off in the distance, a strange whistle floated
hauntingly through the air. Almost imperceptible in the darkening
gloom, it had a profound and immediate effect upon Dominic who
immediately released her lips.

His
breath came in short pants, as his hard gaze scanned the woodland
surrounding them. The harsh lines of his passion flushed face
suddenly held a ruthless danger that made her shiver warily. All
vestiges of passion immediately vanished, leaving his eyes hard
with glacial menace; to such an extent that Isobel wondered if she
had imagined the forbidden passion of the previous few
moments.

“
Dominic?” Isobel queried, only to find his finger resting
upon her lips.

Silently, he shook his head motioning for her to be quiet
before he slowly eased them both to their feet.

Unfortunately, while Isobel had been lying wantonly in his
arms, her body had also succumbed to lying upon the damp, cold
earth in nothing but inadequately thin clothing. When he moved away
from her, taking his warmth with him, she immediately shivered as
cold threatened her already tenuous hold on life. Her legs buckled
beneath her meagre weight and she would have fallen to the floor if
it hadn’t been for Dominic, who quickly swept her off her feet, and
carried through the darkness.

Astounded at the speed of change in the past few moments,
Isobel watched him. She was unable to tear her gaze from the
outline of Dominic’s chiselled features, and the stern ticking in
his jaw. Bathed in shadows, his eyes were carefully scanning the
area before them. She could feel the fine tension in his frame
warning her that he was alert and on guard.

She knew
instinctively there was no part of the woods surrounding them that
hadn’t been scanned thoroughly for any sign of danger. This was a
new and faintly alarming side of him she had never seen before, and
she wasn’t certain she was all that comfortable with the dangerous
predator still holding her.

Casting
a quick glance at the shadows around them, Isobel could see nothing
other than the darkening shadows of the trees and
bushes.

She was
still in awe with the ease in which he had moved with a lithe
confidence, through the broken branches littering the
floor.

Overwrought by the past few hours, she jumped nervously in
his arms as the warmth of his lips suddenly settled close to her
ear.

“
Keep quiet. We need to go back to Havistock, and quickly,”
the warmth of his breath against her cheek did little to ward off
the chill sweeping through her.

She was
unable to hide the shiver that wracked her. Although she silently
nodded in acquiescence, she felt sure that her acceptance wasn’t
expected. She would be taken to Havistock anyway, whether she
wanted to go or not.

Suddenly, she was very glad for the warmth of his presence,
even if he could never be hers. Wearily she rested her head meekly
against his shoulder, fighting with the knowledge that even if she
did have the energy to argue against his arrogant command of her,
she wasn’t sure she would object.

Several
moments later, Isobel saw the origin of the strange whistle as they
cleared the protection of the small copse of trees. A stocky man
sat atop a very large bay, waiting in the encroaching gloom for
them to approach. Isobel shuddered at the menacing shadow of horse
and rider, so starkly outlined in the night skies that she could
only be very grateful she hadn’t seen such a ghostly sight while
she had been alone.

She was
only vaguely aware of hushed murmuring before she was lifted
upward. Within moments she was held tightly against Dominic’s chest
again, as both horses cantered through open fields toward
Havistock. Save in Dominic’s tender embrace, exhaustion soon
claimed her and despite the jolting of the horse beneath her,
Isobel succumbed to the swirling blackness sucking her
under.

Dominic
took a few precious moments to slow down and carefully enfold her
in his long wool cloak. The bone-chilling cold of her skin
disturbed him greatly, and he knew she was in serious danger from
the cold wind that howled menacingly around them. She needed
sustained warmth, and fast.

Enfolding her slender form in the clock, he pulled her
against him tightly and tugged the edges of his cloak around her as
much as he could, before he nudged his horse toward
home.