page47 (1/2)
But she didn’t duck fast enough under his next attack, and found herself sailing through the air again, hitting the back wall ten feet away and thudding against the side bar The candle sconce tore her shirt, gouged a furron her back, but she rolled as he came at her, hit the wall, and had
“My lord My lord ”
It was the note of it, fearful, full of apprehension, that had Ruskin’s head whipping toward the door and Danny blinking, seeking in herto her feet, she almost beat Ruskin out the door onto the covered porch, into the evening that had settled in, the sun disappearing for the day
Dev stood, swaying, just inside the fence line He alround, for he was caked with rasses plastered into it Beneath all that, he appeared to be naked, devoid of even the one knife they’d let him keep When he saw her, that void in hisbeneath a flash flood He fell to one knee, but before he could fall face forward, she had hiainst her shoulder
“He just rose up, there, right outside the fence, out of the ground, and walked in before we could do anything, , terror in his eyes at the fury on Ruskin’s face
When Dev mumbled, she turned her head to his “What, Dev?” she asked God, he felt good in her ar of three days of sweat and blood, his own and others
“Munaintyano, maybe Yertabulti Don’t wantto start over Too tired” Charles turned on the, body tensing But he shook his head after a longat his bloody lips with the back of his hand, he gave her a look of disdain “As I said before this started, you are not easily cowed, Lady Danny I give you that”
“You’ll give me more than that,” she said evenly “My servant has paid your tithe Declare our debt paid, as you proh “You will say ‘please,’ or you will get nothing I will hear you beg, Lady Daniela, once, or I will have him killed here, and say he never made it”
She stared at hih to hear it
“Tell thatarrogant bastardto bugger off”
Ruskin’s eyes fla “Please, Lord Charles You are a sportingyou”
Though savor it, you bastard, because I’ll never do it again
“Very well For a worthy opponent I suspect he’s not one who easily alloo hito Council law But you remember what I said, Lady Danny If you cannot accept est you skulk back to Brisbane and the Queensland Territory and cede this property to s Otherwise, I expect to see you with the other va in Darwin in two iance to ered on his lead man, whom Danny kneouldn’t live to see another dawn Ruskin would have someone’s blood for this Perhaps if it was the lead man, he would spare the children his wrath
It was a slim hope, she knew
“I’ve had enough of this rustic place We leave within the hour Pack us up” As theyon his heel to return to the house, she felt a light hand on her shoulder The dark-haired, blue-eyed maid who’d foolishly tried to come to her defense “What did he say, marm?” she asked in a soft voice that re AboutYerbulti?”
She put a hand to Dev’s hair, knowing he’d slipped into unconsciousness, for she was bearing his full weight against her
“Munaintya is Drea to the blacks Yertabulti is the place of slumber It’s what they used to call Port Adelaide, because it here the birds went to sleep I think in his o to sleep” Or to die
Pushing that thought away, she turned it to the practical “Bring buckets of water,” she commanded “We’ll wash the worst of it off him out here, and then I want a bath drawn for him inside A full bath He’s earned it” Danny eased Dev down so his shoulders and head were in her lap Until he was conscious or clean, she wouldn’t know the extent of his injuries, but for now, she laid her hand on his chest, where under the caked mud she knew the raven mark would be, felt her heart rate settle
“Hotcakes Cook promised hotcakes”
“Soon”
When he cracked open an eye, the pull at one corner of his mouth speared her heart, because she felt how theinside hi to do with his flesh
“First, you need this” Steeling herself for his resistance or revulsion, the idea of which bothered her farher wrist to her h A Mistress’s blood is highly restorative to her servant, when he has need”