The Rogue and the Jewel: A Rogues of the Road novel by sasha cottman

Author:sasha cottman [cottman, sasha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Gus Jones had never been so lost for words. He stood dumbstruck as Evangeline covered her face with both hands and wept. It was several minutes before he finally reached out and pulled her into his embrace.

Holding her, doing his best to offer comfort, he was filled with an almost overwhelming sense of helplessness. In all his years of dangerous endeavors he had never felt so impotent.

In leaving her weapon behind in the woods, Evangeline had all but signed her death warrant. If Vincent Marec and his men found her, they wouldn’t show any mercy. They would make her suffer right to the end.

What to do? What the devil are we going to do?

He continued to rub her back long after she too had fallen silent. The only sound to be heard in the room was the low rumble of chatter from the main dining room downstairs. Fellow travelers and local folk enjoying a pleasant drink in the early evening.

Unlike Evangeline and himself, these people had tomorrow to look forward to—they had hope.

“I’m sorry, Gus. I never wanted to put you in this position. I should have told you before we set out from Jodoc’s house. I just didn’t know how to,” she said.

He shook his head. Now was not the time for regret or recriminations. In his long and sullied career, he had found them to be a waste of time. What was done was done.

She had dug a large hole and thrown them both into it. Now they had to find a way out.

“They will kill us if they find us, won’t they?” she said.

It was RR Coaching Company official policy not to lie to one another. If their lives were in danger, he and his fellow rogues of the road had every right to know. And while Evangeline was not a member of the company, she had through contractual bonds established enough rights for the rules to apply in this case.

“Yes, I expect if the Lamballe gang catches up with us, they won’t hesitate to shoot,” he replied.

Evangeline drew out of his embrace. “Gus, promise me something. If they do find us and things look bad, will you kill me? I would rather die than fall into the hands of Vincent Marec.”

I don’t know if I have it within me to do that. What you are asking is impossible.

Their desperate situation now revealed the plan to travel to Paris as being beyond dangerous. The capital was still some two odd hundred miles away. And even if by some miracle they did make it, there were no guarantees that they would be safe. From what Gus knew of Louis La Roche, the man was a lawyer, not a soldier.

We have no right to bring war and death to his doorstep.

He had already unknowingly put good people like Jodoc and his wife in peril. Gus was not about to make that mistake a second time. His mind was made up. “We can’t go to Paris,” he said.

When she lifted her head and their eyes met, Gus’s heart plummeted.

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