Moonspun Magic by Catherine Coulter Read Free Book Online Page B

no reason to upset him and tell him about this little mix-up. She shouldn’t be here, and I promise you she won’t be here again. It’s obvious she knows nothing about you, and I promise you she’ll say nothing about any of this.”
    â€œAnd who be ye?” Bobby demanded, his wits gathered again. He bent as evil an eye as he could manage at the tall man who held the gleaming pistol.
    Rafael stepped closer into the light cast by the single lantern.
    â€œGawd, it’s the bloody baron. Ain’t it, Toby?”
    My twin again, Rafael thought. So they were afraid of him, were they? “Go along with you now. You’re safe enough, at least if you obey me.”
    Victoria felt her blood run cold. All her efforts, all for naught. He’d found her. He’d saved her. What to do? She came up to her knees, staring toward Damien. He wasn’t dressed as he usually was. He looked as much a smuggler as the two villains who’d grabbed her, in his long black cloak and gloved hands.
    â€œLookee, Baron, we have no bone with ye, but this girl here—”
    â€œI know her,” Rafael said with great untruth. “She won’t say a word. Now, go. You have much to do, I imagine.”
    Still they hesitated, and Rafael stood quietly waiting for them to finish. “Don’t you trust a Cornishman, lads?”
    â€œAye, oh, aye,” said Toby. “Come on, Bobby, leave the baron be.”
    Victoria watched them disappear into the shadows, their lantern swinging between them. She leapt to her feet. Unfortunately, her leg, weary from the hours of walking and the scuffle, crumpled beneath her.She fell to her knees, swallowing the moan of pain from the cramping muscles.
    â€œAre you all right?”
    Damien’s voice, sounding concerned. Dear God, he was coming to her.
    She screamed at him, “Stop! I won’t come with you, do you understand me? I won’t.”
    She forced herself to rise, grabbed her now very dusty valise, and ran. Pain from her leg sang through her body, making her gasp, but she didn’t slow.
    â€œFor God’s sake, I won’t hurt you.” Bloody chit, he’d saved her, and here she was trying to escape him.
    Rafael was tempted to let her go. She was probably here to meet her lover and had stumbled onto the smugglers. She was clumsily running, limping badly. obviously she’d hurt herself.
    â€œStop being a fool,” he shouted after her.
    Victoria turned suddenly to see if he was gaining on her, and her leg collapsed. She fell on her face against the weedy ground. She lay there listening, knowing it was all over for her now. He was coming closer.
    â€œPlease, please,” she said, not looking up at him, “leave me alone. I won’t come back with you, I won’t.”
    Rafael stood over her crumpled figure. She was quite young; he could hear it in her voice. As for how pretty she was, he couldn’t tell. She’d drawn her cloak closely about her, the hood over her head. “Whatever are you talking about?” he asked reasonably, dropping to his knees beside her.
    He reached out his hand to help her, and she shrank from him. She raised her face, and even in the shadowy light from the moon, he read terror in her eyes.
    â€œI won’t hurt you.”
    â€œLiar. That’s all you’ve wanted to do. Now you’ve caught me, damn you.”
    He stilled, even as she tried to roll away from him.
    â€œWho are you?”
    Victoria vaguely heard his ridiculous question, but her pain was too great for her to say anything at the moment, her pain and her despair. Odd, but his voice sounded a bit different, a bit less smoothly polished, like his clothing.
    She said finally, “What game are you playing with me now?”
    â€œI’m not playing any game. I’m simply trying to get you away from here safely. Where is your lover? Why isn’t he here?”
    â€œI don’t have a lover, and