arm and scrambled up a few feet. “Honestly, if I’d known exactly what I was getting into, I might have hesitated briefly before I swore to protect you, because . . .”
Agatha stopped moving. “Swore to protect me?”
Drusilla let out a grunt, which was unusual in and of itself, and glared at Agatha, looking slightly like Mr. Blackheart. “I’m your paid companion. Of course I’m expected to protect you.”
“Protect my virtue ,” Agatha clarified, “and forgive me, but I don’t believe that’s in jeopardy at the moment. Nor—just so we’re clear—are you actually responsible for my reputation, since I’m rapidly becoming a lady of a certain age.”
“You’re twenty-two, hardly ancient, but this is not the time to discuss such matters. We’re soon to be set upon by a motley-looking group of outlaws.”
“They didn’t look motley to me. I thought they—”
“Would you come on?”
Snapping her mouth shut even though she still had plenty to say, Agatha climbed a few steps, then stopped. “I forgot Matilda.”
“Don’t even think about going back for her.”
“What if they shoot her?”
“Why would they do that? They’re after gold, not lunch.”
“It’s a good thing Matilda can’t hear you, otherwise, she’d be very upset.”
The next second, Drusilla had another very firm grip on her arm, and Agatha had no choice but to continue upward. “I don’t like being manhandled.”
“Since I’m a woman, that makes absolutely no sense,” Drusilla said. “But in order to alleviate your distress, I saw Matilda making a dash for the wagon. She’s a smart little thing. She’ll hide until the danger passes.”
“Or until she’s dead.”
Apparently, Drusilla didn’t feel the need to address that particular statement, because she tightened her hold and increased her pace, dragging Agatha up the mountain. They finally reached the entrance to the mine, and Drusilla promptly pushed Agatha toward the opening. “Go find Mr. Blackheart. I’ll stay here and try to dissuade those ladies from climbing after us.”
Reaching beneath her shirt, Agatha pulled a pistol from the waistband of her trousers. “I’m armed as well, so perhaps both of us should stay here and hold the ladies off.”
Drusilla’s mouth thinned, and she looked rather fierce, nothing at all like the pleasant companion Agatha had grown accustomed to. “We have limited ammunition. They have rifles and I’m going to assume pistols as well. Go get Mr. Blackheart.” She took up a position right inside the entrance of the mine and gestured to Agatha. “Go.”
“Fine, but don’t think we’re not going to have a long discussion about this later.” Agatha turned on her heel and marched into the mine, pausing for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the space. Seeing a tunnel right in front of her, she scooped up one of the numerous lit lanterns on the floor and barreled through the tunnel, yelling for Mr.Blackheart at the top of her lungs. Her voice echoed eerily around her, but to her annoyance neither Mr. Blackheart nor Zayne bothered to answer her.
She darted down a narrow passageway as irritation began to replace the anxiety flowing through her veins. Leave it to gentlemen to ignore a lady when danger was nipping at their heels. She was forced to stop when she reached a dead end, turned and raced back the way she’d come, pausing as she considered the two tunnels in front of her. The distant sound of voices met her ears, and she moved into motion once again.
“ . . . and if you’ll notice, I’ve carefully placed dynamite in precise locations so that I can increase the size of this tunnel without having all the walls collapse. I’ve attached the dynamite to that fuse line right over there, and I’ve already taken the end of that line out to the main tunnel. All I need to do is light it and—”
She skidded to a halt right in front of them. “Didn’t you hear me yelling for you?”
Zayne
Agatha stopped moving. “Swore to protect me?”
Drusilla let out a grunt, which was unusual in and of itself, and glared at Agatha, looking slightly like Mr. Blackheart. “I’m your paid companion. Of course I’m expected to protect you.”
“Protect my virtue ,” Agatha clarified, “and forgive me, but I don’t believe that’s in jeopardy at the moment. Nor—just so we’re clear—are you actually responsible for my reputation, since I’m rapidly becoming a lady of a certain age.”
“You’re twenty-two, hardly ancient, but this is not the time to discuss such matters. We’re soon to be set upon by a motley-looking group of outlaws.”
“They didn’t look motley to me. I thought they—”
“Would you come on?”
Snapping her mouth shut even though she still had plenty to say, Agatha climbed a few steps, then stopped. “I forgot Matilda.”
“Don’t even think about going back for her.”
“What if they shoot her?”
“Why would they do that? They’re after gold, not lunch.”
“It’s a good thing Matilda can’t hear you, otherwise, she’d be very upset.”
The next second, Drusilla had another very firm grip on her arm, and Agatha had no choice but to continue upward. “I don’t like being manhandled.”
“Since I’m a woman, that makes absolutely no sense,” Drusilla said. “But in order to alleviate your distress, I saw Matilda making a dash for the wagon. She’s a smart little thing. She’ll hide until the danger passes.”
“Or until she’s dead.”
Apparently, Drusilla didn’t feel the need to address that particular statement, because she tightened her hold and increased her pace, dragging Agatha up the mountain. They finally reached the entrance to the mine, and Drusilla promptly pushed Agatha toward the opening. “Go find Mr. Blackheart. I’ll stay here and try to dissuade those ladies from climbing after us.”
Reaching beneath her shirt, Agatha pulled a pistol from the waistband of her trousers. “I’m armed as well, so perhaps both of us should stay here and hold the ladies off.”
Drusilla’s mouth thinned, and she looked rather fierce, nothing at all like the pleasant companion Agatha had grown accustomed to. “We have limited ammunition. They have rifles and I’m going to assume pistols as well. Go get Mr. Blackheart.” She took up a position right inside the entrance of the mine and gestured to Agatha. “Go.”
“Fine, but don’t think we’re not going to have a long discussion about this later.” Agatha turned on her heel and marched into the mine, pausing for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the space. Seeing a tunnel right in front of her, she scooped up one of the numerous lit lanterns on the floor and barreled through the tunnel, yelling for Mr.Blackheart at the top of her lungs. Her voice echoed eerily around her, but to her annoyance neither Mr. Blackheart nor Zayne bothered to answer her.
She darted down a narrow passageway as irritation began to replace the anxiety flowing through her veins. Leave it to gentlemen to ignore a lady when danger was nipping at their heels. She was forced to stop when she reached a dead end, turned and raced back the way she’d come, pausing as she considered the two tunnels in front of her. The distant sound of voices met her ears, and she moved into motion once again.
“ . . . and if you’ll notice, I’ve carefully placed dynamite in precise locations so that I can increase the size of this tunnel without having all the walls collapse. I’ve attached the dynamite to that fuse line right over there, and I’ve already taken the end of that line out to the main tunnel. All I need to do is light it and—”
She skidded to a halt right in front of them. “Didn’t you hear me yelling for you?”
Zayne
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