FREE! In The Arms of My Enemy (Completed!) Book 1

Le Coquin Comes For Lottie

"William!" Edmund's voice broke through William's raging thoughts. "What—what's wrong?"

William looked away from the earl and countess and to his friend, struggling to see past the red rage that filled his vision. Edmund must have just arrived. "How could I have been so foolish?"

"Fidelia?" Edmund's face darkened in a way that William couldn't understand as Edmund pointed to the letter.

William blinked, suddenly remembering the desperation in Fidelia's green eyes the night before. He ripped the wax seal and tore through the words. "No," he whispered, crushing the edges of the parchment in his clenched hands.

"What is it?" Edmund asked urgently, pulling the paper from William's grasp.

"Le Coquin. They're in grave danger." William pushed past Edmund, but the countess quickly blocked his path through the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To save my wife."

"I forbid you to see her! If you leave this house, you . . . you are no longer my son." Her eye twitched, and her face went white.

William glared down at her. He didn't have time for interruptions. Fidelia needed him. "You'd best find a new son, then." He easily broke through her blockade and ran to the stables, Edmund hot on his heels.

He only prayed they would make it in time.

***
It was freezing, and the early evening sky glowed a dusky violet by the time Fidelia reached her little cottage, but she welcomed the chill against her sweaty skin. She gasped for air, coughing and wheezing as she stumbled up to the door and pushed her way inside.

"Fidelia!" Lottie said, not looking up from something she was fid­dling with at the writing desk. "Come quickly, I have improved the wicking process for the lamp—"

"We don't have time for inventions, Lottie," Fidelia said, coughing. Her heart sank with the realization that William hadn't come to take her sister to safety.

"There's always time for improved efficiency," Lottie said, lighting up the oil lamp. Puppy leaped onto her lap. He purred and crawled into the crook of her free arm while she happily examined her work.

Fidelia grabbed Lottie's shoulders and gave them a frantic shake. Could she not hear the alarm in Fidelia's voice? This was no time for fiddling! "Gather your things. We need to leave." She hauled Lottie to her feet and stuffed the inventions notebook into the girl's satchel.

"But—"

"Don't argue! Just do as you're told!" Fidelia pushed hair from her sweaty forehead. The thought crossed her mind to tell Lottie the truth about the danger, but she didn't want to worry the girl if she could get her away. After all, Le Coquin hadn't recognized Fidelia; it was possible that they could leave before he even found out they were there.

"Sally!" Fidelia shouted toward the kitchen. "Meet us behind the cottage!" She imbued her words with all her frenzy and turned to gather blankets from the bedroom for their escape.

Lottie's scream stopped her dead in her tracks, and Fidelia spun around. In the open doorway stood Le Coquin, waving a gun lan­guidly at them. He grinned and eyed Lottie in a way that made Fidelia's blood boil.

"Ah, mon petit fiancé," he purred, "you have matured beautifully. Merveilleuse."

Fidelia moved to block his view of her sister, but Le Coquin clucked his tongue and pointed his gun at Lottie.

Fidelia halted, her breath catching. "How did you find us?"

"You led me right to her. I recognized you the moment you stepped into Thynne's room during the ball. All I needed was for you to run home, and I could finally claim my prize." He tilted his head mock­ingly as if thanking her.

"I won't let you take her this time," she warned, inching backward until she stood beside her sister.

"Your father said the same thing once. It was a pleasure killing him. I was surprised that you all thought it was a simple burglary gone wrong—"

He was cut off when Lottie wordlessly threw the lit oil lamp at him, her face pale with fury.

The lamp smashed against the wall beside Le Coquin, engulfing it in flames. Hot oil splashed on his clothes and face. He shrieked and collapsed against the doorframe, holding his face.

"Run!" Lottie screamed. Puppy hissed in terror and leapt from her grasp. Fidelia grabbed her sister's hand, and they bolted out of the room through the back door to Sally.

"Where's Puppy?" Lottie stopped, but Fidelia shoved her hard to­ward the field.

"I'm sure he got out, just run!"

Sally and Lottie dashed into the tall grass.

Fidelia paused and looked back at the sight of her cottage in flames. This was the third time she had been forced to abandon her home. But there was no time to mourn and no time to save the structure. She turned, hiked up her skirts, and raced after Lottie.

As she looked up to see her sister and Sally running through the field ahead of her, she realized how futile it was to escape on foot. Fidelia's chest burned with vexation, but an angry shout behind her filled her with terror. She looked back to see Le Coquin, his cloak still smoking, riding after them like a demon. His horse quickly gained on them.

"Faster!" Fidelia urged Lottie and Sally ahead of her, but it was pointless. Le Coquin thundered closer until he drew abreast of Fidelia.

She watched in horror as he raced past her and trained his horse on Lottie.

"No!" Fidelia pushed herself to run harder.

Like a farmer driving sheep, Le Coquin pressed his horse close to Lottie, pushing her off course from Sally and to the right. With an angry howl, Le Coquin dove from the saddle at Lottie. Fidelia watched helplessly as he tackled her sister, and they crashed into the thick brush of the field.

"Lottie!" Fidelia screamed. In her momentary distraction her foot caught on a thick clump of underbrush, sending her tumbling to the ground. The rough brush cut into her chin, and a rock bruised her hip. She pushed to her feet and kept running toward her sister, ignoring the pain.

With a terrifying, banshee shriek, she launched herself at Le Coquin, scratching and clawing at any surface she could reach.

She grabbed him around the neck and pulled him off Lottie.

"Run, Lottie!" Fidelia cried, wrestling the man to the ground. She clawed at his face and neck. The element of surprise had been her only advantage, but it was quickly lost, and Le Coquin pushed to his feet, dragging her up with him as she refused to let go of his cloak. She saw Lottie struggle to her feet and run into the field after Sally, but then Fidelia's vision was blocked by Le Coquin's looming figure.

He screamed at Fidelia in French and threw her to the ground. Her head struck something hard emerging from the earth, and lights burst behind her eyes.

She weakly reached for her father's pistol, struggling to point it at him as her vision swam.

He batted the gun away easily and dropped on top of her. He wrapped his hands around her neck and glowered down, his face pock­marked with oil burns and his cloak still smoldering.

"You will pay for the humiliation you have caused me, wench!" he seethed, tightening his grip on her throat.

Fidelia clawed at his hands, desperate for air as spots filled her vi­sion and her struggles grew weaker.

***

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