The Elusive Earl

by Maddison Michaels

  “The only way?” she snapped. “I have never, in my life, been subjected to such treatment before!”

  “After trying to gently shake you awake for the better part of ten minutes, I realized some harsher action was warranted.”

  “Harsher action? You could have tried harder to wake me without resorting to a face full of glacial water,” she insisted.

  “It was hard enough trying to pry your arms from around my own when I woke.” He nudged her off the blanket and then scooped down and picked it up.

  “What do you mean?” She could feel the red flush creep up her cheeks as the memory surfaced of holding tightly onto him through the night. It had been the only way she felt safe enough to go to sleep. A part of her had marveled at the feel of his chest pressed against her back, his arms wrapped tightly around her, and his head resting atop hers. Even sleeping on the thin blanket with the cold and hard dirt floor under her, Bree had felt a deep sense of contentment wrapped up in his arms.

  “Even asleep, you were supremely reluctant for me to let go of you.” He winked and threw her the canteen of water. “Drink and have some bread. We need to head off as soon as we can.”

  She caught the canister in her hands, and her embarrassment from a moment ago was forgotten as she shot him her most annoyed look. The man laughed in her face.

  “Shoot daggers at me all you like, but do hurry.” He held out her satchel to her, which she snatched up and strapped across her shoulder. He then grabbed his own bag before turning and striding toward the entrance.

  Bree suddenly realized he was leaving her alone in the cave. She hurried after him to the beacon of sunlight shining into the gloomy space. But then she stopped and gasped as she caught sight of the cave walls. There were literally hundreds of hand-drawn paintings covering the surfaces of the rock: scenes depicting all manner of what looked to be ancient village life.

  “What’s wrong?” Daniel’s hand hovered on the dagger strapped to his waist.

  “Oh, it’s amazing,” she gushed. “Look at the art on the walls. It’s absolutely marvelous!”

  His stance relaxed, and he regarded her as if she’d lost her mind. “Art? It looks like something a group of children have drawn.”

  Bree walked up to one of the walls and scrutinized the pictures. A sense of wonder filled her as she stood face to face with something so old. “I’ve heard of ancient people drawing stories and tales of their lives on the inside of stone walls, but I’ve never seen any in person before. Probably because I’ve actively avoided going into caves most of my life.” She gently traced one of the red lines with her finger. “But these are just magnificent.”

  Daniel walked up next to her and draped his arm around her shoulders, gradually steering her away from the paintings and toward the daylight. “There’s no time for you to admire the walls of a damn cave when we have a group of bandits chasing after us.”

  “We don’t know they’re chasing us,” she said, reluctantly letting him lead her out.

  “You and that journal are too valuable to them for them not to,” Daniel replied, continuing to walk her toward the entrance. “With any luck, though, they don’t know about the mountain pass and are searching for us along the main roads.”

  She twisted her head over her shoulder to have one last look at the walls. If only she had her sketch book with her, she would have loved to have taken a drawing of them. “Such a rare and wonderful find.”

  “If you say so.” His voice was filled with skepticism.

  “You don’t understand,” she said as they emerged out of the cave and under the canopy of trees. “They say drawings like that are thousands of years old. Drawn by our ancient ancestors.”

  “Good to see the evolution of our art has improved greatly in the intervening centuries, then.”

  Bree sighed and clasped the chunk of bread he thrust toward her. He was clearly not a lover of historical relics. She ate the piece while watching Daniel saddle up the horses. The road had dried somewhat overnight, though there were still small pools of water dotted across the track.

  A blush crept up her cheeks as she realized that there was no water closet in the wilderness. Oh my goodness, the mortification she was suffering on this escapade knew no bounds. What was she to do?

  “Um…Daniel?” she somewhat hesitantly asked.

  “What?” He grunted slightly as he hefted the other saddle onto the second horse.

  “I need some privacy…”

  He glanced across at her, and a dark scowl marred his brow. “What for?”

  She placed her hands on her hips and scowled right back at him. “What do you think for? I need to make use of a water closet, but I do not happen to see any about, do you?”

  “Oh.” He cringed slightly. “Go behind the trees. I shan’t look.”

  Reluctantly, Bree did as he said, and she emerged a few minutes later feeling much better. She’d also taken the time to comb her hair and felt a great deal more presentable.

  She took a sip of water and was suddenly eager to be off and tackle another day of hard riding. The sooner they got going, the sooner they would get to Travis. She groaned slightly as a sharp pain lanced up her back, no doubt caused from lying on the cold, hard rock bed last night. Plus, she noticed that her thighs were aching from the ride yesterday. At this rate, she didn’t know if she’d be in any sort of shape to help her cousin once she found him.

  Daniel gave her a boost up onto her saddle before vaulting up onto his horse. Bree arranged her skirts across her legs, ensuring they were covered as best as could be given she was riding astride. She smiled though, as it was her preferred method of riding, of course. Honestly, who ever invented the sidesaddle should be throttled. The contraption was awkward and gave her a neck ache whenever she had to sit in the thing.

  With delight, she urged her horse into a gallop and followed Daniel as he rode ahead along the track. The wind whipped some strands of her hair out from the loose knot she’d tied it into at the nape of her neck. But it felt glorious to be out in the open, with no walls closing her in.

  She greedily inhaled the crisp mountain air, eager to be on their way.

  About six hours later, Bree felt her muscles cramping up. The track was getting rather steep and narrow, forcing them to traverse it single file as their horses slowly trotted up the incline toward the crest of the mountain. They had been briefly stopping along the way, mostly to let the horses have a five-minute rest and some water, but had been pushing along the track as fast as they could. So far, they had not seen another soul afoot.

  They came to the summit of the mountain, which was a wide, circular clearing that had a semicircle of boulders on each side, with the path widening in the middle before narrowing to disappear down the opposite side.

  Daniel’s horse reared as a band of men appeared ahead on the path in front of them, from the crest of the other side of the mountain.

  Bree watched him steady his horse as she, too, reined her horse to a halt. She looked back and saw that more men were now blocking the path they had just come from, and there were even some now scampering to stand on the rocks surrounding the clearing.

  They were trapped.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Daniel assessed all means of escape as about twenty men surrounded them from both the front and back of the track leading across the mountain peak. With rocks on either side and only one path to the rear and in front, the spot was perfect for an ambush. And judging by the confidence radiating from the men’s expressions, they had used this very tactic on unsuspecting travelers often.

  Most had swords strapped about their belts, but from their sloppy stances, Daniel could tell they were untrained in combat. Though, with so many of them, he wouldn’t be able to resist for long, even astride a horse. Maybe long enough to push past them, but not long enough to also ensure Bree was safe behind him.

  A hulk of a man, in both height and stature, wearing some soft, black leather trousers and a white cotton shirt stepped for
ward from the others. He was one of the only ones unarmed.

  “You wear the clothes of my countrymen, ill-fitting though they are,” the man began, “but you look like a foreigner.” His English was heavily accented, though understandable. “You, my lady,” he said to Bree, “have the look of a fine Calabrian lady, but your skin is too pale and your eyes too blue.”

  Daniel remained silent, refusing to be drawn into the man’s banter.

  “And you speak very good English, for a mountain man,” Bree replied. “Now, if you will be so kind as to instruct your men to move aside, please, we are in a decided hurry.” Her voice was authoritative and sounded very much like the royal princess she was born to be.

  The man stiffened, but then suddenly, he let out a roar of laughter. “You are spirited. I like that.” His joviality did nothing to mask the alertness in his expression. “Now, tell me, are you the two travelers that my eyes and ears through the mountains tell me are being chased by several different groups of men? The two people my men have been watching for?”

  Daniel nudged his horse forward next to Brianna. He didn’t like this new development at all. The mountain clans were well known for ransoming travelers. “We are simply journeying through the area and are looking for no trouble.”

  “My men and I certainly mean you no trouble if you cooperate. This is a rather dangerous area after all, and, perhaps, you would both be more comfortable in our village? Staying with us for a period?”

  “I don’t like where this is going,” Bree muttered under her breath.

  Neither did Daniel.

  From the corner of his eye, he saw Bree reach into her skirt pocket. She pulled out the necklace of the lion that Rodrigo had given her and held it aloft by its long chain. “I call upon the lion for safe passage through these mountains.”

  The man’s gaze was immediately drawn to the trinket. “Where did you get that?”

  “Never you mind,” Bree said. “I was told if I showed this to your people, it would ensure our safety. Was that correct or not?”

  The man was silent for a moment. “Very well,” he finally spoke. “I will allow you safe passage.” He gestured for his men to make way for her, and then he turned and looked to Daniel. “But your husband, he will be staying.”

  Daniel felt the adrenaline start to flow. “Will I now?”

  The man folded his arms, squaring his shoulders as if to act like a human wall. “You may look like a peasant in those clothes, but the garments cannot hide your noble bearing and posture. I think we shall be able to ransom you for a good sum, particularly as the Garendetta and carabinieri are both chasing after you. You’re obviously worth something to them.”

  “He will certainly not be staying!” Brianna took a step closer to the man, brandishing the lion pendant in a clenched fist. “I have the necklace.”

  “Exactly,” the man agreed. “You have it. He doesn’t. It only provides protection to whomever has it.”

  Bree stopped short, her arm lowering slowly, leaving the necklace to dangle forlornly by her side. “Well, that is not fair!”

  The man shrugged. “Perhaps not. But rules are rules.”

  Brianna bit her bottom lip, obviously in deep contemplation. She was formulating some plan; he could tell.

  “Only those who have it are allowed to pass, then?” she asked, tapping her chin with a forefinger.

  “Yes,” the man said.

  “And you give your word that you will allow whomever has it free passage through the mountains?”

  The man paused for a moment, seemingly to sense that she was up to something. “I do,” he replied carefully.

  “Your word?” she pressed.

  The man threw his hands in the air. “Very well. Yes. You have my word.”

  “Good.” Brianna urged her horse next to Daniel and leaned in close to him. She draped the necklace over both of their heads. “There you are. We both have the necklace now.”

  A deep scowl furrowed the man’s face, while a slow smile spread across Daniel’s. Brianna did have her moments.

  “You did say I had your word,” Bree reminded the fellow.

  Suddenly, a bark of laughter came from deep within the man’s belly, as he clapped his hands on his thighs. “Indeed, I did.”

  He tilted his head to the side as he assessed Daniel. “You are a lucky man.”

  Daniel opened his mouth, whether to agree or not, he wasn’t certain, but Bree spoke first.

  “Of course he is.” She flicked some hair over her back.

  Still laughing, the man gestured for them to follow him. “Come, you will be my guests for tonight.”

  He shouted to his men in Italian that they were his honored guests and must be afforded such respect from them all.

  The twenty odd men all sheathed their swords before turning and striding down the top of the mountain, one after the other through the narrow passage.

  “My name is Fabrizio, and I am the leader of the Apennine Mountain Clan.” He swept into a low bow. “Please come. We will feed you and give you a clean bed for the night.”

  Daniel couldn’t help but wonder if a mountain thief would actually honor that promise. The man was a stranger, and Daniel would not just be gambling his own life in trusting him, but Brianna’s as well.

  Fabrizio pressed his hand against a gold cross dangling from his neck. “I give you my word, you will be safe tonight with us.”

  For years, Daniel had had to rely on his intuition when it came to assessing the risk of certain situations. Generally, he considered himself a very good judge of a man’s character, and though Fabrizio was clearly not above twisting situations to his advantage, Daniel heard the ring of truth in the man’s statement and in his body posture. He’d also had numbers to his advantage earlier, so there was no need for complex machinations to get them to follow. “I will hold you to your word, and I will also thank you for the hospitality you offer.”

  He held his hand out, as Fabrizio walked over to where he sat perched on his horse. He took Daniel’s hand in his own and shook it heartily. Daniel’s hands were large, but in Fabrizio’s paw, his felt a great dealer smaller. “My name is Daniel and this is my wife Brianna.”

  Fabrizio suddenly released him like his hand had been burned. The man then swung around to Brianna. “You are called Brianna?”

  “Yes,” she answered, a somewhat puzzled expression on her face.

  “Is this a common name in England?” he demanded brusquely.

  Bree’s gaze narrowed. “Not particularly, I suppose.”

  Fabrizio took a carrot out of a small bag hanging from his belt and fed it to her horse as he addressed her. “I saved the life of a baby named Brianna once, many years ago.” Then his gaze flicked off into the distance. “I think God is answering a prayer of mine.” He was silent for a minute before returning his attention to them both. “I think we will have much to discuss after dinner. Come, follow me.” He turned and swept down the hill.

  Daniel’s eyes clashed with Bree’s.

  “He saved me as a baby?” she questioned. “How is that possible?”

  “Your uncle mentioned something similar,” Daniel replied, watching the older man as he nimbly strode down the hill.

  She sat taller in the saddle as she peered toward where the man went. “Can we trust him?”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think we have much of a choice.” Several of Fabrizio’s men were watching them from a distance, certain to give chase if he and Brianna even moved in the opposite direction. “But considering it appears as if he saved you once, I believe we can take him at his word. Though, nonetheless, I will still sleep with my dagger close.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Bree sat on the edge of the grass, watching as the people from the Mountain Clan danced around the large bonfire in the center of their camp after feasting on a large array of delicious pasta and roasted meats.

  The sun had long ago set, but the moon was full and plump, lying low in the night sky. The camp it
self consisted of around fifty small, wooden huts dotted around the peak of the adjacent mountain, across from where she and Daniel had first been confronted by Fabrizio and his men. There was a flat area at the top, which seemed to be the main part of their odd township where everyone was congregated in the open air under the stars, of all places.

  There was a large, central, wooden building off to the side, and several other huts surrounding it. From what Bree had gathered, these belonged to the more senior members of the clan’s hierarchy, including Fabrizio and his wife. Bree had so many questions to ask them, but since they’d arrived, she’d barely seen Fabrizio or his wife. Luckily, though, both she and Daniel had been treated as honored guests.

  The people of the Mountain Clan themselves reminded her of the Romani people she’d seen on her travels. The women wore colorful, free-flowing dresses, and most had their hair unbound to their waists, in shimmering cascades of thick, dark locks. The women here were completely different from the ladies in England. They laughed and flirted with abandon as they danced with the men daring enough to ask them. There was passion and enthusiasm in all they did.

  She could feel a flush infuse her cheeks as she spied some of the men and women actually kissing each other right there in the open in front of everyone else.

  It appeared such displays were a common occurrence, as no one even blinked an eye. It made Bree feel somewhat of a prude. She smiled at the thought.

  She wondered what Daniel would say to such an observation. Bree glanced over to where he was sitting a few feet away, finishing off his bowl of pasta, his eyes casually scanning the assembly. To the ordinary observer, he appeared relaxed, but she could see the sharpness in his posture and the alertness in his gaze.

  Almost as if he could sense her perusal, his focus shifted across to her.

  She glanced away and began to unaccountably fidget with the skirt of her dress before she looked up at him through her lashes. “They are somewhat less inhibited here, are they not?”

  “Yes, they are,” Daniel answered, placing his now empty bowl on the table beside him. “Very different from England.”