A Thin Line (2 page)

The thundering of footsteps followed her too quickly, and she knew he would gain on her in a matter of seconds.
 
She would never be able to outrun him.
 
Mikala found an alley and quickly ducked in it moving to the darkest corner possible.
 
She held herself still, biting her lip to keep from shouting as she felt something scurry across her foot.
 
Make that several somethings; she cringed and fisted her hands.
 
Gabriel ran past her hiding spot and she let out the pent-up breath she held.
 
She remained hidden for several more minutes until she could no longer hear the pounding of his feet.
 

Mikala took a step out of her hiding place and heard something squeal as she put her foot down.
 
She jumped, landed oddly and felt her ankle give out causing her to crumple to the filthy ground.
 
She struggled to her feet and hobbled towards the darkness again only to feel the steel band of an arm firmly around her waist lifting her up in the air.

“Put me down,” she yelled, kicking his legs and clawing his arm.

“Don’t make me throw you over my shoulder.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“After you just attempted to unman me?
 
I find there are a lot of things I am thinking about doing to you right now, and none of them are pleasant,” he growled menacingly.
 
“Now, this is exactly what we are going to do.
 
I am going to escort you to a carriage and then to your brother’s house.
 
You will go along without attracting any unwanted attention.
 
Do you understand?”
 
She remained silent.
 
“We can do this easily or not, the choice is yours.”

“Fine.”

“Good,” he said and lowered her until her feet touched the ground.
 
He quickly grabbed her upper arm and led her out of the alley before she could dart away.
 
“What did you do?” He queried when he noticed her limp.

“Nothing,” she replied, refusing to show any weakness in front of him.
 
Kala could hear him muttering under his breath, but could not make out exactly what he said and decided she didn’t really care.
 
He quickly hailed a hack and helped her inside before giving the driver directions and climbing in.
 
As the carriage lurched into motion, Mikala looked around the inside, looking for a possible means of escape.

“Don’t even think about it.”
 
Mikala gave him a mutinous look before crossing her arms and sitting back against the squabs.
 
They spent the journey to Derek’s house in silence, sizing up one another.
 
A short time later the conveyance came to a stop and a familiar face opened the door.

“Ramsey, please get my brother immediately and have him send for the authorities!”

“Yes, Miss Mikala,” Ramsey replied before turning to go into the house.
 

“I ought to turn you over my knee right here and now,” Gabe snarled as he descended from the carriage.
 
He turned to help her down, but she jerked out of his hold.
 
“Fine.
 
Fall on your face,” he said as he paid the driver then turned on his heel and entered the house.
 
Kala managed to exit the carriage under her own power, but if anyone had been passing by at the moment, she would have been extremely embarrassed.
 
She limped into the house and shut the door to see Derek and Tessa coming down the stairs, both having appeared to have dressed hastily.

“What’s going on?” Derek bellowed.

“Your sister is a menace!”

“Your best friend’s a traitor!” Both yelled at the same time.

Chapter 2

“I think you should both calm down,” Derek interjected, shaking his head as he observed two of the most important, and stubborn, people in his life.
 
“Please, let us retire to the study where we can talk about this calmly and rationally.”

Tessa rushed to Mikala, and put an arm around her waist when she saw her limping.

“I’m fine, I just turned my ankle.”
 
Tessa exchanged a look with Ramsey and Kala knew that in a matter of minutes there would be a compress on her elevated ankle.
 
Tessa quickly helped Kala get situated and did indeed prop up her ankle on an ottoman.
 
“Thank you,” Kala said quickly, refusing to let on how it had begun to throb.

“Ummm, what’s that smell?” Tessa asked delicately.

“Who knows?” Mikala replied flippantly.
 
“I had to duck in an alley to hide from this bore.”
 

“Now, why don’t one of you tell me what exactly happened,” Derek suggested.

“I found your sister pacing outside of the Horse Guards at an absurd time this morning.
 
When I came upon her, she shouted at me, ‘The Duke of Hawkescliffe is a traitor.’
 
Then she tried to unman me and took off running.”

“Mikala, where did you get this ridiculous notion?” Derek asked aghast.

“It is not ridiculous!
 
I overheard him myself plotting with that French harlot at your ball last week!”

“You should take her over your knee now, Derek, before her behavior becomes any worse.”

“Mikala, things are not always as they seem,” Tessa broke in gently.

“Not you, too!
 
I know what I heard,” she growled.

“I don’t doubt what you heard,” Tessa tried to explain before breaking off when Sara brought in a poultice for Kala’s ankle.
 
Once the maid had left again, Tessa continued.
 
“There are things that you don’t know and it is better that way.
 
Safer for you.
 
Do you understand?”

“No.
 
And I wish everyone would stop treating me as if I were a child.
 
I am twenty-four!
 
I am not the child that followed the two of you everywhere.
 
I am a woman and should be told the truth.”

“You think you’re a grown woman?
 
Then act like one!” Gabe said.
 
“If you have concerns, address them as a woman should, through your nearest male relative.
 
Do not go gallivanting in the early morning hours attempting to solve problems you know nothing about.
 
Not only are you going to get yourself hurt or worse, you are liable to have far reaching consequences you cannot even begin to fathom.
 
Do you understand, Pest?”

“I hate you,” she turned her full venom on the man standing before her.

“Good.
 
Now maybe you will stay out of my way.
 
Derek, I expect you will clear up this issue,” Gabe said before turning on his heel and walking out of the room leaving the three others behind.

“Mikala,” Derek began.

“I don’t want to hear it.
 
If you are going to take his side, you can go hang.
 
I know what I heard that night, and nothing you say can convince me otherwise.”

“Perhaps you should return home, and I do not mean simply to Dru’s house.”

“Excuse me?” She asked aghast.

“You heard me.”

“You may be my brother, but you are not my father, or my keeper.
 
I will do what I please, and it currently pleases me to stay for the rest of the Little Season.
 
And unless you clarify for me what I heard at the ball, I will continue to try to determine what is going on.
 
I will also see the
proper
authorities are notified, if necessary, even if that means requesting an audience with the King!”

“Derek, please just tell her.”

“No.
 
She must trust my judgment on this matter.
 
Kala, I will have my carriage return you to Dru’s.
 
I will write a letter to Papa and inform him of my opinion in regards to you staying the rest of the season.
 
Never before have we crossed ways to this extent, and it saddens me now that it has come to this.
 
Just know that I love you, and I am only looking out for your welfare.”

Kala rose from the chair and hobbled to the door, anger suffusing every fiber of her being.
 
She paused at the door and looked back at her brother, anger causing her eyes to spark green and blue fire.

“It is so heartwarming to know that friendship is more important than family.”

“Kala,” Tessa began to cross the room until her husband grabbed her hand.

“Let her go.”

“But she shouldn’t leave like this.”

“Perhaps it is for the best.
 
There are things she should not know, nor should she be involved in.
 
The anger will pass, given time.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Me, too.”

***

 
Kala sequestered herself in her room at Drucilla’s house the following week while her ankle mended.
 
She wrote a letter to her father stating she loved both him and her mother very much, but she would not be returning home until after the Little Season.
 
She and Derek merely had a misunderstanding, but all would be well.
 
She also penned a letter to Tessa apologizing for her behavior.
 
She found she felt much better after writing both letters and sending them off.

She spent her time convalescing replaying what she had overheard, even going so far as to write down the scene much like a playwright might.
 
Once satisfied she had captured every detail, she reread it carefully several times.
 
Gabriel was indeed involved in something nefarious, she only wished she could be more certain as to what it might be.
 
On the fifth day, she considered her ankle fully mended and felt the need to be outside.
 
Stuart McKenzie requested she join him for a ride in Hyde Park the day before.
 
She dressed in her sapphire riding habit with the gold epaulets on the shoulder and her riding boots.

Mikala made her way downstairs late that morning after having breakfast in her room.
 
Dru sat in her small parlor with her three children gathered about her as she told them a story.
 
Mikala scooped little Eric off his mother’s lap and blew a raspberry on his cheek causing him to giggle uproariously.
 
She sat next to Dru so the little boy could finish hearing the tale she told.
 
Once she had finished the story, Mikala let Eric scamper off her lap to join his brother and sister as they played on the rug in the middle of the room.

“So, you have allowed the children to escape the nursery?”

“Yes,” Dru grinned.
 
“You look much improved.”

“Oh, I feel it as well.”

“Plans?”

“I am going riding in Hyde Park a little later.”

“Oh?
 
Be certain one of the footmen escorts you.”
 

“No need.
 
I will not be by myself.”

“And who will be with you?”

“Stuart McKenzie.”

“Mikala, you are playing with fire.”

“I do not know what you are talking about and since no one seems fit to share information with me, I do not see the harm in going riding with the man.
 
He is perfectly respectable, handsome, and is the Director of the War Office.
 
Can you tell me one reason I should turn down his request?”
 
Dru remained silent even though she knew several reasons.
 
“Since that is settled, I am going to go visit Venus before my escort arrives.”
 
Dru watched her leave, worry etched across her face.

Mikala wiled away the time until McKenzie arrived making Venus’ coat shine.
 
The horse seemed to enjoy the attention that her mistress bestowed upon her.

“Oh, to be that horse,” a deep voice with a Scottish brogue said longingly.

“Mr. McKenzie, you shouldn’t sneak up on a person like that,” Mikala spun around placing a hand over her rapidly beating heart.

“You must have been lost in thought to not have heard me walk up.”

“Just enjoying the day.
 
What do you think of Venus?”

“Lovely animal.
 
Good lines,” he walked around, patted her flank and lifted a hoof.
 
“Hooves are sound.
 
How does she ride?”

“Like the wind.”

“She would be an excellent one to breed with a racehorse.”

“Perhaps.”

“Shall I get your saddle?”

“Please.”
 
McKenzie disappeared into the stable and exchanged words with a lad before both he and the other man came out carrying the saddle and bridle.
 
The men made short work of saddling Venus and soon they were ready to begin their ride.