Almost Elinor: A Jet City Novel

by Gina Robinson

  "If you have any sense," I said. It was never smart to provoke a person with a knife. And I was already loaded for bear.

  He laughed. "You winced when your boyfriend's lip bled. You can't even stand the sight of blood."

  "Can't I?" I said, trying to hide the tremble in my voice. "I've sliced more men than you can count wide open. I'm a doctor. The sight of blood doesn't even faze me."

  He decided to test me, lunging for me. I reacted and slashed his hand as he reached for me.

  "Fuck!" He pulled back, grabbing his hand and looking stunned as blood gushed out. It was too bad I'd missed his wrist.

  I took advantage of his distraction and popped to my feet. Men, especially those intent on kidnapping or raping, will usually protect their family jewels. But he was staring at his bleeding hand in surprise. I moved in and kicked him in the groin with as much force as I could muster.

  He grunted and doubled over. The other guy blanched.

  "Blair! Austin?" Dylan and Jeremy called our names from the trail below.

  "Here!" I screamed. "We're here! Bring your knives and your guns." I turned to the man holding Austin. "They carry concealed."

  I had no idea whether that was true right now. Cam did. But he was probably still grilling back at the campsite.

  Austin used the distraction to break free from his captor. The guy had had enough. Before Austin could grab him, the guy ran off.

  "Bitch." The man near me spat at me, a murderous look on his face. I dodged his vile, disgusting phlegm. Which angered him more. If he hadn't been in so much pain, he probably would have strangled me.

  But when my gaze went back to his crotch, he almost involuntarily covered it. He shot me a final venomous look and hobbled, trying to run, after his friend.

  "Here!" I screamed again, and fell into Austin's arms, the bloody knife in my hand, my arm limp at my side. "We're here."

  Austin looked down at me with concern. "Blair? Are you okay?"

  "Me?" I touched his bleeding lip very gently. "I'm not the one who was punched in the gut."

  "That was nothing." He stroked my hair. "You were fantastic with that knife. Remind me not to tangle with you." He kissed the top of my head.

  "I'll take a look at you when we get back to camp. We'll need to ice that lip. I hope it doesn't need stitching."

  "I hope not, too," he said. "I'm better with a needle than you are."

  I leaned my head against his chest and let myself collapse into him.

  Dylan and Jeremy crashed through the brush. They took one look at us—Austin with his split, bleeding lip, and me with my bloody knife—and froze.

  "Damn," Jeremy said to Austin. "I knew it was only a matter of time before she got tired of you. I didn't think she'd go after you with the knife, though. Lover's spat?" He was clearly worried, and joking to cover.

  Dylan appeared behind him. "What the hell happened?"

  "Blair made Cam proud." Austin kissed my hair again. "Let's get back to camp before Cam goes on a tear about us ruining dinner. If we're the cause of him overcooking the steaks, he'll take his knife to us."

  Chapter 10

  Blair

  Austin called the attack in as we walked back to the campsite. The state patrol, the park service, campsite security—everyone was swamped. Lots of carousing, altercations, and crime as the natural result of any large event and a nice summer evening. Once the operator determined we were fine and not in need of a first responder, she promised to send someone out to take a statement. Or we could fill one out online. We opted to save them the trouble and decided on online.

  One of the guys texted Cam we were on our way. When we got back to camp, he was just taking the steaks off the grill.

  "I hope you saved a raw one for us," I said, hanging on Austin's arm. "We could use one for Austin's lip." I touched his chin tenderly.

  Cam looked up from the grill. "I thought that was only for black eyes. Why the hell would I waste a good steak on Austin's ugly mug? There's not much damage anyone can do to it that nature didn't take care of when he was born."

  Men. And their ribbing.

  "One will be much better in his belly. I cooked them all." His gaze took in Austin and me. "Ice is in the cooler. Help yourself." He nodded to the cooler then grinned at me. "I hear you did me proud. Let's see that knife."

  I handed it cautiously to him and teased, "Be careful. That's evidence."

  "Don't let anyone hear you say that," Cam said as he took it from me. "They'll confiscate it for evidence." He gave me a dead serious look. "The weekend isn't over yet. You're a minor celebrity. You still need this."

  "Not to worry," I said. "The authorities are too busy to even send someone out. We're supposed to make an online report."

  Cam shook his head and whistled softly as he examined my boot knife and then set it down on the picnic table. "A souvenir. Damn, woman." He looked at me again, proud as a new papa. "I told you not to get into a knife fight. I hope that's his blood, not yours."

  "I'm completely whole and unscathed," I said, holding up his hands so he could see.

  I let go of Austin and surprised Cam by giving him a ferocious hug. "Thanks to you. Your training, and the knife, saved me."

  When I finally released Cam, I swore he was misty-eyed, though trying to cover it.

  "I'll clean your knife for you," he said. "Make sure it's ready in case you need it again."

  "Let's hope not soon." I took Austin's arm and said to the guys, "Go ahead and eat, the rest of you. I'm going to take a quick peek at Austin."

  "That's what got you in trouble back on the trail, isn't it?" Dylan said. Jeremy elbowed him.

  I rolled my eyes and dragged Austin into the RV. I examined him thoroughly, cleaned up his lip, and put ice on it. "You'll have a hell of a bruise where he sucker-punched you in the gut. Fortunately, you have excellent abs and know how to protect yourself.

  "He missed your liver. If he'd clipped it, you'd be feeling it. Diaphragms recover quickly, too. He knocked a bit of your breath away. But you're fine now. Lips heal quickly, too. No stitches necessary." I sighed. "But you aren't going to be as pretty as you should be for tomorrow's dog and pony show."

  He grinned. And immediately winced. "You're telling me the guy was no pro and got me in all the spots guaranteed to do the least damage."

  "I'm afraid so."

  He shook his head and took my hand. "The rough-and-tumble Jamie. The women love him."

  With all that had gone on, Austin and I decided we'd forgo the gathering events that evening. After a leisurely dinner, we went to the bed and breakfast and checked in.

  The bed and breakfast was the nearest lodging to the gathering. It booked up years in advance. It was only Bob's connections and money that got us the rooms. We each had our own, with a connecting door between. We told him it was a waste of a room. But Bob insisted it was a suite and that hospital rules regarding travel required they book a room for each employee attending an event on their behalf. They didn't book two guests into a single room. Whether we used both rooms was up to us.

  Of course, we didn't use both. I had no desire to be alone. Only alone with Austin.

  We cuddled in bed, with a single lamp switched on, listening to the far-off strains of Scottish music from the fairground.

  It had been a long week apart. We were full of stories from work.

  He brought up Scotland. "I wish we were already on our way." He frowned in the dim light.

  "What?" I sat up, suddenly worried.

  "It's a real war we're fighting, Blair. And it's heating up. We're doing our best to fight it. But the timing is bad. The cyber-threat level is high."

  He paused, obviously hesitant to voice his worries. But he had something on his mind. "Randy will use the current climate and threat any way he can to upset my plans. He's furious about all the attention you and I have been getting. If he could find a way to stop it, he would."

  "But what can he do?" I said. "As you said, Dan's on your side. He's your men
tor and ally. Randy can't overrule him."

  Austin raised an eyebrow. "Not yet. But I don't trust him. He's been spreading the rumors again." He tensed. "If I could find a way to put them to rest forever and clear my good name, I'd grab it in a second."

  We were sitting up in bed, propped against a backstop of pillows.

  I stroked his arm, trying to reassure him. "You will."

  He frowned like he wasn't so sure. "We'll show him in Scotland. Make him so pea green with envy, he'll overstep and reveal it himself."

  I tensed myself.

  "What?" Austin said. "Is something wrong?"

  I took a deep breath. "Not wrong. Just…something I've been meaning to bring up. I wanted to discuss it earlier, but I wanted to talk in person."

  "That sounds ominous."

  I shook my head. "Not ominous. Just awkward." I took another breath, not sure why this scared me almost as much as being attacked in the woods. "Remember I told you that Nigel has been holding my ring hostage?"

  He nodded.

  "I made arrangements to meet him to get it back when we're over there. I should have told you and cleared the timing with you—"

  Austin shrugged. "I don't see the problem. He's being a douche. You want your grandma's ring back. It's yours. This is the easiest way to get it."

  "Good." I started to relax.

  "Just let me know when. I'll go with you," he said, as if the matter was settled.

  And there it was. The rest that I was afraid of.

  I bit my lip. "I don't think that's a good idea."

  He frowned. "Why?"

  "Things ended…abruptly. I told you that. Beth got sick. We thought she might die. I flew home without going back to Nigel's flat or saying goodbye. And that sealed everything. I broke it off with him. He took it badly."

  I paused. "After all our years together, I think he needs closure. To see me in person and hear it from my lips that it's over. I think he deserves that much."

  Austin was silent. I recognized his look as he thought things over.

  Finally, he nodded. "You're right, Blair. I'd want the same if I were him. I owe him for keeping you off the market until I met you." He hugged me close. "You should talk to him privately. Without me there with my very presence antagonizing him."

  I relaxed completely. "You're so sensible and understanding."

  He nodded. "Only two conditions—"

  "Conditions?" Now I was on alert.

  He nodded again. "You meet him somewhere public. I don't want you in any danger from him."

  "He's not violent!"

  "Maybe not," Austin said. "Under normal circumstances. But crimes of passion, Blair. I won't have you in danger. Not even knowing how dangerous you are with a knife." He grinned. "There's no reason to take chances."

  I couldn't argue with his logic. "All right. What else? You said conditions."

  "I insist on being somewhere nearby."

  I opened my mouth to protest.

  He held up his hand. "Out of sight. I promise. A pub down the street. A nearby hotel or shop. Somewhere close enough I can step in if I need to."

  "That's not necessary," I said.

  He lifted an eyebrow, indicating he was not going to back down on this.

  "All right." I was too tired to argue. His condition was reasonable enough. And I had the feeling I'd want the comfort of his arms as soon as I said goodbye to Nigel. "No more lecture, okay? You can be nearby. But out of sight."

  He took my chin and tipped my face up to his. "I love you, Blair. With everything I am." He swallowed hard. "I protect the things I love."

  My heart stopped. I stared at him. Austin wasn't frivolous with his emotions. He didn't say things he didn't mean or feel deeply. This was the first time he'd said I love you.

  I'd been waiting for those words. As his matchmaker had advised in her book, let the man say it first. Always. No exceptions. Many times those very words had danced on my own tongue. Now they caught me off guard. And yet this was the perfect moment.

  He spoke the words with the force of his heart and soul. They reached deep into my core, curling into absolute, pure joy inside me.

  I choked up.

  "What's wrong?" He looked alarmed again, afraid he'd done something wrong.

  "I love you too," I said.

  He grinned. "Good." He slid his hand up my thigh. "Show me how much."

  "You're terrible." I wrapped my leg around his. "You must not be hurt too badly."

  "Fortunately, you didn't kick me in the groin. I think you're almost more lethal with that slender foot of yours than your blade."

  "Yes," I said. "Extremely fortunate. For both of us." I paused. "How thin do you think these walls are?"

  "Make all the noise you want, Southron," he said in my ear. "Who the hell will care? We're surrounded by Scots."

  "But Bob and Erica are next door…" I glanced at the wall behind us where the headboard would pound.

  "So?" He grinned at me. "Bob's a Scot, isn't he?"

  With that reassurance, I pulled him on top of me.

  * * *

  Blair

  We had a full day ahead of us at the gathering. Appearances. Appearances. And more appearances. Our first was at the welcome ceremony on the main stage at nine. I got up early and showered while Austin slept peacefully. I hated to wake him, but I needed help getting into my Elinor costume. Someone had to lace me up and cinch me into that horrible corset.

  Aware that I was much happier and more chipper after I'd had my morning coffee, he urged me to go down to breakfast and get a cup while he took a quick shower.

  I agreed only after I'd inspected his lip and stomach again. The swelling in his lip had gone down appreciably. And he had a nice, dark bruise on his abs in the shape of a fist. But otherwise, he was healthy and fit.

  I was quietly slipping out of my room just as Erica was slipping back into hers. She was dressed in a period costume from the Jamie show. I wasn't sure exactly which character she was meant to be. Clearly a lady of the nobility. Maybe one of the healers on the show.

  Her dress was beautiful. Clearly professionally, and expertly, made. She even wore a crude sapphire brooch that must have cost a pretty penny. Erica was never one to be shown up or outdone. Certainly not by me and my unfortunate resemblance, in her opinion, to Elinor. And she had no need to spare any expense.

  I noticed, almost irrelevantly, that she'd looked more buxom lately. Particularly so in this dress. I wondered if she was putting on weight. I wondered also if she was pregnant.

  That was the other explanation for the sudden full breasts. But Bob, with his weak heart, hardly seemed the picture of virility. Or completing the sex act, if I were to be honest. There were other ways, of course, of conceiving a child. But Erica didn't seem the kind to want a child in any case.

  She was carrying a large bouquet of freshly picked wild foxglove, which I thought an odd choice. Though if you wanted foxglove, and wanted it to last for more than a day, early morning was the perfect time to pick the blooms.

  "Beautiful blooms," I said. "Are you stealing from the fairies now?"

  She jumped and put a hand to her heart, looking guilty about something. "You startled me, Blair."

  "Sorry," I said. "Didn't mean to."

  "What's that about fairies?"

  "Foxglove. Legend says the fairies made the flowers and gave them to the foxes to muffle their footfalls so they could sneak into the henhouses." I smiled. "I've no idea what fairies have against hens."

  She smiled back. "Nor I." She glanced at the blossoms in her hand. "But I like these."

  "Mmmmm." I nodded. "Pretty, but lethal."

  "Only if ingested," she said. "Since we don't have any toddlers or small animals in our room, I think it's safe to bring them in."

  "Love your costume."

  She smiled slyly. "You should see Bob's." She glanced at the door to my room. "Unfortunately, he doesn't look as good in a kilt as your Austin does. Very few men do, though, do they?" She he
ld up the bouquet. "I have to get these in water. I'll see you later at the gathering." She slipped into her room.

  And I went for my coffee.

  Austin met me at breakfast a few minutes later. For some reason, I decided not to mention seeing Erica in the hall.

  "So this isn't your first gathering," I teased. "I should have realized that. Will your granda be here?"

  "Probably." Austin frowned. "Let's hope we don't run into the old bastard."

  "Close relationship you two have," I said.

  "As I said, he's not my favorite."

  "What is your favorite?"

  "Besides you?" he said with that sweet smile.

  I laughed with him. "At the gathering."

  "Oh, well," he said. "For all that I hated playing the bagpipes, I always loved the tattoo."

  "Did you ever participate?" I asked.

  He rolled his eyes. "Only twice. Junior division. I prefer to watch. The bagpipes are lovely, very moving when played by someone with talent and experience. Which isn't me."

  As the breakfast room filled, Bob came in with Erica. His costume was, as Erica had said, spectacular. But ill-fitting. Tight around the waist, which would be more accurately described as his belly, which bounced like a bowl full of jelly.

  I frowned. The physician in me didn't like the look of this. Bob looked worse, not better, than the last time I'd seen him. Yet I knew his cardiologist by reputation, and he was one of the best. And Erica had sworn Bob was on heart-strengthening meds.

  But that jelly belly worried me. As did his swollen ankles. As the heart failed, it couldn't pump efficiently. Fluids built in the lower extremities and belly. Fluids that bounced and jiggled. And came on suddenly. Which would explain why his brand-new, custom-tailored costume didn't fit as it should.

  I heard him complaining about it. Blaming the tailor.

  My attention was diverted from him as I noticed that we were drawing more than our share of attention. Actually, Austin was. He was soon approached by two women in their late thirties, who gushed over him and professed their complete adoration for Jamie. And yes, they knew he wasn't Connor. But his costume was excellent. He looked so much like him. And, oh dear, what happened to his lip?