Part 4 (1/2)

”I'll cur you!” Jack made a run at Ethan.

Ethan was set to grapple with Jack when the door to the cell flew open to reveal Aubrey looking like a wild warrior. ”Aubrey?” he barely had enough time to say before Jack crashed into him shoulder first. Jack expected Ethan to counterbalance and when he didn't they toppled full force to the floor in the doorway with a thud that knocked the wind out of both of them.

Aubrey didn't miss a beat. She tossed her dagger in the air to change her grip, slammed her foot into Jack's shoulder, and when that pushed him off of Ethan, she lunged at him with full force. She planted her right foot on the back of his knees and grabbed his ginger hair. When she squatted he was forced to bend backwards, spine stretched over her leg near to the breaking point. Her dagger was cold against his throat before anyone had a clue what was going on.

”Aubrey stop!” Ethan shouted as he recovered.

Jack was ready to soil himself. ”I didn't do it, I swear!”

”Stop,” Ethan repeated, eyes wide. ”He's a friend.”

Aubrey blinked at the shocked man whose spine she was about to snap. ”Really?” she arched an eyebrow. ”Any reason why he was attacking you?”

”It was part of the plan.” There was something about the fire in her eyes that made his throat tighten and a grin play at the corners of his mouth.

”Yeah, the plan!” Jack stammered. ”Someone please tell her about the plan!” Aubrey glanced to Ethan and when she saw the sparkle in his eyes she loosened her grip on Jack and stepped away. Jack collapsed, legs sprawling, and squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them and glanced up to Aubrey's beautiful face his eyes danced to a grin and he winked. ”Well, that would'a beat hangin' any day.”

Aubrey had already started turning to Ethan, but snapped her head to Jack at his comment, lips twitching to smile in spite of herself. ”What's going on here?” she returned to business.

”We thought you were the guards,” Ethan told her and Toby. ”We planned to stage a fight so that they would open the door and we could overtake them.”

”The overtaking's already been done, my lord,” Toby informed him, jerking his head towards Aubrey with a flicker of his eyebrows and an impressed smile.

”Yes, and we don't have time to sit here and chat about it,” Aubrey pressed on. She stepped over Jack, still lying on the floor with a dazed smile, and rushed to the mouth of the alcove.

”You've got that right,” Ethan nodded in agreement. He stretched out a hand to help Jack up and beckoned for Tom to come with them. The four men met Aubrey in the corridor.

”There are a lot of servants in the halls above us but no one on this floor,” she explained. She handed the dagger in her hand to Ethan and slid the stiletto out of her sleeve.

”Oy!” Jack spread his arms in offence that she had nothing for him.

”Sorry, I didn't know I would be rescuing anyone other than Ethan.”

”Oh here, you can have mine.” Toby handed his dagger over to Jack as though it were a dirty rag.

”You aren't rescuing me,” Ethan protested, his charming grin back in full force. The sight of her fierce eyes and the way her excited breaths made her chest stand out had him wis.h.i.+ng they were alone.

”Then what do you call it?” she drawled, planting a hand on her hip.

”We had a plan,” he reminded her.

She shook her head. ”Yeah, well, you can tell me all about it later. Come on.” She scurried along the hallway, keeping tight to the wall, the men right behind her.

At the first corner Ethan darted ahead of her and took the lead. ”This way.” He turned them down an off-shooting corridor. They rounded another corner and started up curving stairs. As they neared the top he slowed and put out a hand to stop the others. Aubrey was right behind him, Jack on her heels. Tom and Toby brought up the rear. Ethan crouched as they reached the top of the stairs and got his bearings. They were near the kitchens and a handful of servants were hard at work at the end of the hall and in the rooms beyond.

”Kitchens,” he explained in a hushed voice. ”We're going to have to go through to get out and we're going to be seen.”

”That's easy,” Toby replied. ”Lady Aubrey and I walked right through them earlier and they didn't blink.”

Ethan glanced to Aubrey who confirmed it with a nod. Still he frowned. ”That was just two of you and you look like you belong. There are four of us and some of us look a little worse for wear.”

”Thanks,” Jack drawled at the same time that Aubrey said, ”Five of us you mean.”

Ethan pressed his lips together and let out a breath through his nose. ”We're going to have to run, Aubrey,” he explained to her.

”So?” she shrugged.

”We're going to have to run.”

She stood straighter and planted her fists, one still holding the stiletto, on her hips. ”I can run faster than all of you combined.”

Ethan rolled his eyes and s.h.i.+fted towards her. He was not used to people questioning his orders. ”No, I mean we are going to have to be on the run. I have no place to go and I can't go back to Morley, not without jeopardizing you and Geoffrey.”

”What?” she spat.

”What do you think Buxton is going to do when he finds out I'm not in the dungeon?” he scowled at her. She was so beautiful when she was fuming that it made it hard to keep his train of thought. ”He's not going to just throw up his hands and say 'oh well, too bad about that'. He'll send men after us. He'll send Huntingdon after us.” The idea clicked into his head so fast it made his eyes widen. ”But not if you're hanging off him.”

”Hanging off him?” Aubrey growled.

”Yes. Go back to the Great Hall and find Huntingdon.” He cringed at what he was asking her. ”Distract him. Tell him ... tell him he looks good in black, something like that.” If her back was up any more than it was now she would be floating off the floor. He leaned away from the hand that held the stiletto. ”Give us time to get out of the castle and far from Derby.”

”Where will you go?” she asked through clenched teeth.

”We'll figure that out later. But you can't come with us.” He hated to put it to her like that, especially when it looked like she would tear his guts out with that charming little stiletto. He had a sudden burning interest to get to know his friend's sister much, much more intimately.

Aubrey opened her mouth to say something, closed it when she couldn't come up with anything, opened it again, then balled her fists and glanced up at the ceiling in a temper.

”Oy,” Jack spoke up, ”I hate to get in the middle of whatever this is, but we need to get a move on.”

”He's right.” Ethan glanced to Aubrey. She looked fit to burst. ”Aubrey?” He sang her name, gave her his most charming smile.

She wavered, holding her breath. ”Fine!” She exhaled, stomping her foot as she pushed away from the wall. She looked at the stiletto in her hand and hesitated for a moment before shoving it flat against Ethan's chest. She glared at him, tossed her tangled hair, and stepped past him.

She swept along the corridor with her chin up and her eyes blazing. One of the kitchen servants noticed her pa.s.s but only blinked once as she continued her work. Ethan watched, free to let an amused smile play on his face, as she turned a corner and disappeared up another staircase.

”Little Aubrey Morley,” he laughed to himself, shaking his head.

”Not so little, if you ask me,” Jack winked. ”She coulda killed me, mate.”

”She could have,” Ethan nodded to Jack to let him know that it wasn't a joke. He hoped he'd get a chance to get her back up again sometime soon. Up against a tree might be fun. But at the moment they had business. ”Right. This could get ugly.”

”Tell me somethin' I don't know,” Jack drawled.

Ethan ignored him. ”We walk through the kitchen and try to pretend that nothing is wrong. If we make it we go out to the stables, grab some horses, and get out of town as fast as possible.”

”Stealin' horses is what got us here in the first place,” Jack sighed in irritation. ”If we get caught we'll be right back where we started and then some.”