by Kim Allred
Thorn held out a hand to the younger man. "Your sword is heavier than mine, and with all the extra steps you take to block and lunge, I must give you credit for lasting as long as you did." Thorn laughed at the men's scowls. "You can't argue perfection, my friends." He plopped down on a wood crate and pulled out his polishing rag.
Beckworth stretched out on the far side of the porch and appeared to be sleeping. A single eye opened, then closed. "Dugan's men won't fight fair, so focus on your precision and forgo etiquette."
Thorn ignored him, but Finn saw his slight nod. Beckworth wasn't wrong.
"I'd feel better knowing Hensley was able to send men." Thomas perched on the top step with Ethan. "The earl's men should be here the day before the party. But they'll need rest before the ball."
Ethan leaned against the porch railing and brushed his hair back, face pointing up to the sun. "Worse case, your men should be sufficient to cover the outer perimeter and our escape routes."
"They'll be spread thin if the alarm is called too soon," Thomas argued, then relented. "I'll break them into teams. One to stay on our planned routes, the rest will form smaller groups and track Dugan's men."
Movement from the driveway brought everyone to attention until Dodger broke from the trees.
"Where the hell have you been?" Thorn yelled.
Dodger appeared startled. "I went to get additional supplies."
"That was hours ago." Thorn continued polishing his sword.
"I stopped at the inn for ale."
"I thought we weren't going to spend time in town." Beckworth had risen and stared at Dodger from the top of the stairs. "It wouldn't be good to be seen."
Dodger's face turned red. "I don't work for you. It's bad enough you're here at all." He stormed past the porch toward Thorn. When Thorn stared up at him, Dodger hesitated, then continued past the clearing toward the river.
"Touchy that one." Beckworth sauntered down the stairs. He tugged his sleeves and glanced toward the path Dodger had taken.
Thorn stood. "With reason." He gripped the hilt of his sword, though he kept the tip pointed to the ground.
Beckworth shrugged. "It was battle. And if you recall, I wasn't in charge."
Thorn took a step, but Finn moved into their path. He understood Thorn's need to blame Beckworth for Peele's death. There was bad blood between the two of them that preceded the duke's entry into their lives. But this wasn't the time for personal vendettas. "A couple more days, and we all go our separate ways. Eyes on the mission."
Thorn glowered at Beckworth, who appeared bored with the conversation. Deciding he'd get nowhere with the man, Thorn turned his back on Beckworth and found a spot next to Jamie and Fitz, where he continued cleaning his shimmering sword.
"You'll need to watch your back with Dodger if you plan on surviving this mission." Finn didn't think Beckworth required the advice, and Beckworth's response proved him correct.
"I watch my back with all of you, mate." He glanced at Finn. His expression hardened. "I don't take my safety lightly. Nothing personal."
"Noted." Finn turned to glance at the men. Fitz waved his arms about as he chatted with Jamie and Thorn. By the grins on the men's face, Fitz was spinning long tales.
The men had spent the week in planning sessions and weapons practice. Even with all that, there was too much free time to think about a fancy party that might get them killed. If he didn't have to worry about Reginald or Dugan showing up in Baywood one day, he'd take AJ home right now and leave the book behind. But the slimmest chance of someone traveling to the future and finding them left Finn cold. He had no intention of looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life.
"We could use some fresh meat for dinner," Finn shouted over the side conversations.
As expected, everyone jumped to their feet, except Beckworth, who dropped down to lay in the grass.
"Five shillings each, and the one who brings back the biggest beast gets the pot," Fitz yelled as he picked up his sword and bow.
Finn watched them leave, pleased to see Ethan go with them. The man needed a distraction so he'd stop fretting over Maire and AJ. They had Lando for protection, and the women weren't exactly easy prey—they had their weapons bag with them.
Once the men were gone, and Beckworth had fallen asleep under a tree, Finn mounted the steps. A heaviness fell over him when the mission planning reinserted itself. He returned to the map and chess pieces, wondering which of the kings would be checkmated before the ball was over.
47
"A druid's gathering? What the hell is that?" Thorn wailed when AJ shared the information from Dame Ellingsworth.
"I told you the man was off his rocker." Beckworth flopped in front of the hearth and propped his feet on a stool. "His delusion of being a druid legacy is becoming tiresome."
"That could be bad news for us," Ethan said, and AJ was surprised when Thomas nodded in agreement.
"How so?" Jamie asked. "If he's busy with these other men, it will give us more time."
"Not if they need the book for their gathering." Finn kneaded AJ's shoulders, and she leaned back, closing her eyes.
She should pay attention, but she was bone tired. The carriage ride for her dress fitting had been long and stressful, first at meeting Dame Ellingsworth, then with worry over Reginald's ulterior motive for his party. All she wanted was a day with Finn. One simple day would restore her spirit, or at least ease her muscles from the constant training. While the men bantered, her thoughts drifted to ways of getting Finn alone. If they couldn't have a day, maybe they could have one evening away from the crowded cottage. She had little time—the ball was in two days.
Tomorrow, they would run through a mock drill of their plan. Each person had to know their own part without question, but everyone else's role as well. Timing would be critical. Finn insisted everyone know where everyone else would be at every step. If the morning went well, they'd finish the day with a last training session. The thought of sore muscles blossomed into a tempting idea.
"What are you smiling about?" Finn warm breath on her ear roused her from her musings.
"Nothing you need to worry about."
He chuckled. "Now you have me worried."
She stretched, surprised to find herself lying in Finn's lap. She looked around. "Where is everyone?"
"Lando arrived with the last of the supplies. The men went out to help unload."
"You should have woken me. I hadn't planned on falling asleep." She sat up, but Finn refused to release his arms. He kissed her ear. "You needed the rest."
"Where's Maire?"
"She's with Eleanor. Something about testing a new disguise."
"And the costumes?"
"They're here as well. Stop worrying."
They took several moments to enjoy each other's company in the solitude. He hugged her tight. "I miss our moments, sitting on the back deck, watching the sunsets."
AJ squeezed her eyes, pushing back the emotions she'd held in check since traveling through the fog. "I miss our baths."
He chuckled. "As do I. Just a couple more days."
He rested his chin on her head. AJ could feel the tension in his hold. The mission never far from his thoughts. She shifted to push farther into his embrace. A small knot formed in the pit of her belly, just a small feeling they were missing something.
"When will your dress be ready?"
"It should arrive the morning of the ball." The pit in her stomach grew larger. She told herself it was nothing more than nerves, but she couldn't shake her earlier feeling.
"Finn…" AJ's odd feeling disappeared when shouts came from outside.
They jumped up. Finn grabbed a musket, and AJ grabbed her bow and quiver from the weapons store they kept by the front door. They both stopped short when they reached the porch.
Dodger and Beckworth rolled on the ground. Beckworth landed a solid punch before twisting away from a crushing blow Dodger planted in the dirt. The other men stood their ground, no one encour
aging the two fighters, but no one bothering to stop them either.
Beckworth, lither than the broad-chested man, moved in for another punch, dancing away before Dodger's arms could grab him in a beefy bear hug. Dodger lunged, and Beckworth feinted to his left, but Dodger was prepared. He twisted his body, took another quick step, and swung with a right hook. Beckworth, still more agile, stepped back at the last moment, missing most of the force of the blow. But the punch landed on his right shoulder, the same place AJ had stabbed him—twice.
Beckworth faltered and dropped to his knees as Dodger came in for another attack. But Dodger hadn't expected Beckworth to drop from a punch to the shoulder, and the smaller man followed with a solid punch to Dodger's ribs.
AJ could hear Dodger's grunt from where she stood.
Finn dropped the musket and launched himself from the porch, scrambling for Dodger. The rest of the men, distracted from their enjoyment, followed Finn into the melee to separate the two men.
AJ thought she heard Fitz grumble about how they needed to get it out of their system. She wouldn't be surprised if he'd already placed a bet on the winner.
When the two men had been pulled apart, Lando held Dodger with an arm around his chest, and Ethan held Beckworth by his arms. Finn glared at them.
"What the hell is going on?" he demanded. He wiped his mouth, his hand coming away with blood from where someone had gotten in a blow. He spit before returning his hot gaze to the group. AJ had to admit, Finn still had the capacity to instill some fear.
Jamie and Fitz had both dropped their heads, scuffing their shoes in the ground as if they were twelve. Thomas wore his typical bored expression, though AJ knew he'd been betting on Dodger. Everyone else held sheepish grins, including Beckworth, who yanked himself free from Ethan's hold.
"It seems we still had a few things to work out from our last party." Beckworth spit then rubbed his shoulder, swinging his arm around to test its range.
"I don't care," Finn roared. "You're grown men. Act like it." He turned on Dodger, pointing a finger. "I understand your anger. But this mission is a life and death situation. You're either in this with us, or you're out." When Thorn began to say something, Finn raised his hand. "I don't want to hear it."
He stared at the wagon. AJ noticed his clenched jaw as Finn tried to gain control. Most of the supplies were still in there. One small barrel had been broken and was leaking what appeared to be ale. Fitz noticed and immediately rescued it, which made her grin in spite of the tension.
"Finish this unloading," Finn barked. "And since you all seem to have energy to spare, we'll have an extra weapons drill this afternoon." He glanced up at the porch where AJ and Maire had gathered. "And that goes for you two as well." To demonstrate his meaning, he cuffed Fitz on the ear, then dragged a barrel from the wagon, carrying it to the back of the cottage.
Fitz rubbed his ear and mumbled, "What did I do?"
Jamie threw an arm around his shoulder. "It's more what we didn't do. You were just the closest."
Still rubbing his ear, Fitz griped, "He still has quite the touch."
Jamie laughed as they each grabbed the end of a crate and carried it off.
Maire leaned into AJ. "We thought a week wasn't enough time. I think we'd have been better off with only two days' notice." She turned and returned to the cottage.
AJ sighed. To avoid being assigned a task, she withdrew to change into her pants. Then she thought about the ball and her fancy party dress. Grumbling about her decision, she called for Maire to assist her into a corset. She needed to test her dagger work while wearing the restrictive garment. Just one more thing to add to the growing pit in her stomach. She reached into her pocket to grasp the Heart Stone and her wedding ring. For some reason, neither object gave her the sense of comfort it usually did.
48
AJ grimaced as she dropped to the pallet. Her body screamed from tired muscles, weak legs, and sore feet. The team had run through the mission drills several times, ending early enough to spend the rest of the day in weapon's training. She wanted to curl into a ball and sleep for a week.
She opened her eyes when Finn gently nudged her. "Wake up, sweetheart. It's your turn for a bath."
She rolled over, slowly stretching out her legs. Glancing up, she noticed his grin. "What are you so happy about?"
He brushed a strand of hair from where they'd stuck to her lips. "You're always so beautiful when you wake."
She smiled, that little tingle sparking to life as he bent to kiss her. "How long was I out?"
"About an hour. The men have cleaned up and have found their own corners until dinner."
The mention of dinner reminded AJ of her plan to get Finn alone. She noticed he hadn't bathed yet, and she leaned in before wrinkling her nose. "Not all the men have cleaned up."
He chuckled. "I thought I'd wait for you." His grin was as magnetic as the first day she'd seen him on the dock in Baywood. Her stomach did a little flip.
"Why don't you get started, and I'll be right behind you." AJ stood, and after stretching her limbs, determined she was in better shape than she'd been before the jump. Her muscles, while still sore, had worked out the kinks during her nap, though a blister was forming on her right heel.
She gathered a change of clothes and stuffed them in her canvas bag, along with a change for Finn. Then she found Eleanor in the kitchen, busily working on dinner with Maire and Ethan.
"Don't you look all domestic." AJ grabbed a carrot from the pile of vegetables Eleanor was preparing and noticed the slight blush to Maire's cheeks.
If she didn't know better, she'd caught a similar blush from Ethan. She wondered where they'd spent the last hour. The need to be close to someone the night before a battle must be instinctual.
"Everything you need is in the basket." Eleanor, a knife in one hand and a potato in the other, nodded toward the far side of the counter.
"Thank you." AJ hugged her until Eleanor pushed her away.
"I can't be responsible when I have a knife in my hands," she warned.
They laughed and went back to preparing dinner as AJ stacked her canvas bag on top of the basket. She hurried to the stables, eager to confirm her earlier tasks hadn't been disturbed. Satisfied everything was still in order, she placed the basket in the straw and fidgeted with its contents. Then she grabbed the canvas bag and ran to the side of the house where the woodshed had been turned into a bathhouse.
She was surprised when she didn't see anyone in her race to the woodshed. Someone was always around, but the place felt like a ghost town.
A lantern lit the interior of the shed, drawing her attention to the barrel in the center of the cramped space. The barrel was two feet tall and appeared to have been cut to half of its original size. Its circumference was large enough for one person to stand in while they sluiced water over themselves.
Finn sat on a bench, removing his shirt.
"Where is everyone?" AJ asked.
"Jamie and Fitz left for Bart's to meet with Hensley's men, who should be there by now. They probably won't be back before morning. Thomas, Thorn, and Dodger went to a small village north of here to wait for the earl's men. Beckworth had one final rendezvous with his butler. He said he'd be back in time for dinner."
By the time he'd answered her question, AJ had stripped bare and stepped into the tub that was empty of water but still damp from previous baths. Finn had been busy undressing and hadn't noticed. When he glanced up, his appreciative stare made her tingle all over.
"I'm sorry the tub isn't any larger." His voice turned husky, his gaze lit with desire.
She pointed a finger at him. "Don't even think you're going to get lucky in a dark and musty woodshed."
He mocked a hurt expression. "It's been too long."
"I'd rather have my way with you in the middle of the yard for all the heavens to see than in this place." She visibly shuddered until Finn poured a bucket of warm water over her. Not wanting to give Finn any more ideas, she hurriedly wash
ed. She didn't argue, however, when Finn took the rag from her. He worked briskly until he reached her more sensitive areas, then his movements became soft caresses that increased the tingles he'd always been able to incite with little effort.
When her skin was rosy from his task, she took the towel he handed her, stepped on another towel to protect her feet, and quickly dried off while Finn stepped in the tub. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, she donned her plain dress and assisted Finn with his own bathing.
Once they were clean and dressed, he pulled her into his arms and gave her a resounding kiss that curled her toes.
"You've missed a perfect opportunity," he whispered as his kiss moved down her neck.
She pulled back. "Maybe not." She pressed a finger to his lips before he could respond. "I have a surprise."
He kissed her finger, then her wrist. "You know I love your surprises."
She stooped to pick up their discarded clothes. The slap on her butt made her spin around. She arched a brow. "It's going to be like that, is it?"
His grin said it most definitely would be.
She threw the clothes at him and raced from the shed, her giggles erupting as she heard him in pursuit. If anyone had been left to watch her race across the yard, laughing as Finn gave chase, she'd blush to her roots. And she wouldn't care.
She barely made it inside the barn before she was lifted from her feet. Finn spun them around, his breath catching. "And where do you think you're running off to."
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice breathy from the run. "Close the doors."
He slowly released her, letting her body slide down his until she stood on shaky legs. Not wanting to waste time, she tugged on one door while Finn closed the other.
"What do you have planned for us in the darkness?" Finn reached for her waist, but she stepped back and grabbed his hand.
The barn wasn't as dark as Finn made it sound. Holes in the walls and an open slit in one of the outer stall doors provided enough light to make out the ladder in the middle of the open aisle. AJ released his hand to lift her skirt as she stepped up the first rung. Halfway up, the mixed smell of straw, dust, and aged manure permeating the barn made her sneeze. Finn grabbed a leg to hold her steady. His heavy breathing followed her the rest of the way up, and she knew it wasn't from exertion.
