The murmur of voices soon reached her but she couldn’t be sure it wasn’t Trelissick talking to Hobson. She slowed her efforts in her search for a weapon so the carriage didn’t bounce and give her away.
The voices were getting closer now but were almost drowned out by the thumping of her heart and the roar of blood in her ears. Were they actually in serious danger? This was not what she wanted. Others should not be physically harmed over her.
Finally she found a second loaded pistol under a blanket beneath the bench where she had sat. She would have only one shot but would be sure to make it count.
Daniella held her breath and muttered a prayer to whoever listened, that she would be safe, that her father had come to retrieve her at last, and then she swung the carriage door open and jumped to the hard ground.
Chapter Eleven
“Well, well, well. What do have here then?”
James swallowed a groan and slowly edged his way from behind the tree that hid him while he got the number of their foe.
“Hello, gentlemen. To what do I owe this pleasure?” Daniella’s voice was smooth, in control, melodic. James swallowed another groan. He’d told her to stay put. The vixen listened to no one.
Between them stood six large men and a good deal of distance if he had to act quickly. James was tall at over six feet but these men would match him in height and weight, he was sure. They were hopelessly outnumbered and now had the added distraction of Daniella to throw into the fight.
“Might you need some assistance, miss?” One of the tall men took a step towards her and bowed low, the others laughing at his back.
She held her ground. “Assistance? With what?”
“We could relieve you of your fine jewels and be on our way. No one comes to harm and everyone is happy. Well, except for you that is, without your fine jewels.”
James could see her gaze narrow as she pinned the man who spoke with her eyes. “You aren’t my father’s men, are you?”
“And who might your father be, lass?”
“Have you heard of Captain Germaine?”
“The pirate?” This was followed by guffaws of laughter. “I heard he died. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer gentleman really.”
“He is a privateer, actually, and he isn’t dead. Merely…” she waved her hand “…indisposed.”
“Well he ain’t here is he, so I’ll be having your jewels.”
Daniella held her hands out and then pulled the edges of her cloak back to reveal her smooth, pale neck. “As you can see, I have no fine jewels.”
“She took ’em off and ’id them in the carriage,” one man accused with a menacing step towards her.
Did she not realize they inched closer as she made small talk? Soon they would surround her and she would be at their mercy.
“You’re welcome to search the carriage.”
No they bloody weren’t!
“How is it that a fine lady such as yourself, daughter of a successful pirate perhaps, comes to be on this road all on your own? Where is your husband or maid or whatever?”
“I’m no fine lady. I already told you, I’m Captain Germaine’s daughter. No jewels, no money, no nothing. As to the whys, I’ve been kidnapped.” Her mouth lifted in a smile. “I’m a hostage, hence nothing fine.”
The men stopped advancing and laughed so hard one had to bend over at the waist to catch his breath. Daniella tapped her foot and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Looks like we got us a cracked one.”
“I beg your pardon. I’m perfectly sane, thank you very much.”
“Lass, you can’t kidnap yourself and there isn’t anyone else about.”
“Are you sure about that?” At her words, chaos erupted. A shot sounded from the opposite side of the road and one of the men went down with a surprised squawk. A little farther down from there, while the men were busy taking shelter, another shot took down another brigand.
James fired his shot and removed another from the equation. It was only then that he stepped clear of the woods on the road’s side and made his presence known. Now their numbers were even. “We have you surrounded. Give up, go home, live to fight another day.”
The man who’d addressed Daniella ran to her and threw his arm around her neck, using her as a shield. The way her cloak fanned out meant that James could see nothing behind her, couldn’t tell if the man had a gun or a knife to her back. The other two brigands both trained their guns on him but neither fired. Interesting.
James called out, “You will have to let her go. She can only make one of us a hostage and she is already mine.”
“Stop right there or I’ll kill her,” the man shouted back.
He paused and held out his hands, his heart in his throat. He had to fight to appear calm and keep his fingers straight. She should have stayed in the bloody carriage, then he and his men would have had the thieves circled once they came closer. She put herself in danger unnecessarily. “It really would be terribly inconvenient for me and I don’t take well to inconvenience.”
The other two brigands leaped out of his way as he finally continued his approach but he was careful not to let either of them behind him. They stood in an awkward diamond shape with Daniella in the middle.
“You killed my men.”
James nodded. “When it is kill or be killed, I
