Moontide Embrace (Historical Romance) (19 page)

"I am sorry, Judah," Bandera whispered. "You see how
it is."

"I do now," he said, trying once more to rise, but
falling back in pain. He was grasping for breath and his
voice was no more than a whisper. "I was once . . . told if
you lie with pigs . . . you pick up the smell. I would say . . . you have lain with Sebastian many times before, because I smell the . . . stench."

Sebastian's eyes contracted as fury overcame his reason.
He delivered a powerful kick to Judah's head, then kicked
the wounded man again and again. Blood ran into Judah's eyes, while pain and agony pinned him to the ground.

"You bastard," Judah said between clenched teeth. He
cursed the weakness that kept him from rising, but he knew he had been a fool, and deserved anything that happened to him.

With a strength that surprised Sebastian, Judah managed to pull himself up to his knees by using the stall
door. Blood was oozing from the gash on his temple, and
his head was swimming drunkenly.

"Don't bother getting up any farther," Sebastian said
through gritted teeth. "You can die on your knees."

Bandera grabbed Sebastian's arm. "Do not kill him. What good would he be to us dead?"

Sebastian nodded as his reasoning powers returned.
"She is right. As much as I would like to see you dead, I
believe I would rather see you disgraced in my uncle's
eyes. I will like watching his newly acquired grandson fall
from grace right before his eyes."

Slowly Judah rose to his feet. "I'll see you in hell first."
Leaping forward, he grabbed for Sebastian, just as the gun exploded. Pain tore at his arm but he managed to
take a step before he fell to the ground. This time he did
not try to rise, because he was unconscious.

Suddenly they were surrounded by people who had come from the house. The men were trying to hold the ladies back so they could not see the ghastly sight.

Liberty refused to be restrained. She elbowed her way
through. She was confused when she saw that Bandera's
gown was torn. "Give me your coat," she said to one of the men. When he obediently handed it to her, Liberty placed it around her sister's shoulders.

"In God's name what happened to you, Bandera?"

Before anyone could speak, a moaning came from the
shadows. Liberty spun around and saw a man lying on the ground. His face was all bloody and he was not
moving. Everyone was talking at once and there was mass
confusion.

"What happened here?" Liberty demanded.

"Judah Slaughter," Bandera murmured, pointing at the
body on the ground. "He may be dead!"

"No, no!" Liberty cried, dropping to her knees beside
Judah.

Bandera played her part convincingly. She was trying to
pull her torn gown together, and while tears made a path
down her face, she sobbed in a broken voice. "Sebastian
has saved me. Judah Slaughter went crazy. He dragged me in here and ... he ... he would have ... It was awful!"

Several men tried to pull Liberty away from Judah, but
she pushed their hands away. In a haze of confusion and
fear, she felt his warm breath against her hand and knew
he still lived. She quickly examined his head and saw that
the wound was bleeding profusely. Fear for his life caused
her hand to tremble when she pulled his shirt aside and saw the bullet hole in his chest.

Liberty paid no attention to the commotion that went
on around her. "Judah, dearest, Judah," she whispered as
she tried to wipe the blood from his face with her handkerchief. "Why have they done this to you?"

Liberty fought Sebastian when he gripped her shoulders and pulled her up beside him. "Let me go!" she
cried, struggling with him. "I will not leave Judah. You
cannot make me."

"Get a grip on yourself, Liberty. Think of your sister
and what she had been through," Sebastian demanded. "I
will tend to Judah."

Sebastian pulled her away from Judah, but she spun away from him.

"I am not going to leave Judah," Liberty declared stubbornly.

Bandera saw that Liberty was intent on making trouble,
so she clutched her arm. "Help me up to the house, Liberty. Judah tried to ... he attacked me. I feel faint."

"No! I will not leave until Judah's wounds have been
tended." The girl looked around at the people who were
supposed to be her friends and neighbors. "What is the
matter with everyone. Can you not see Judah needs help?
He is bleeding. Someone carry him to the house. Get a
doctor." She saw doubt and uncertainty on the faces
around her, and knew she would get no help from them.
"What is the matter with everyone? Don't you know Bandera is not being truthful."

Liberty softly touched Judah's face. Her heart was
breaking; she wanted so badly to help him. "He will die if
someone does not help him," she pleaded.

"Perhaps it would be a mercy for him if he did die,"
Sebastian declared. "It would be cruel to patch him up for
the hangman. How my cousin must hate me to brutally
attack my fiancée."

"You lie!" Liberty cried. "Judah would never have done
what you accuse him of."

Bandera knew she had to do something quickly or her
sister would spoil everything. She grabbed Liberty, dug
her fingernails into her arm, and dragged her to her feet. "Make my sister come with me, Sebastian. She is becom
ing hysterical, and making a spectacle of herself."

Before Liberty could protest, Sebastian gathered her in
his arms, and carried her away. Liberty kicked and
squirmed, but Sebastian merely tightened his grip. Ban
dera clung to Sebastian's arm. She couldn't get away
quickly enough to suit her. The onlookers moved aside to
clear a path for them, shock and disbelief on their faces.

Every instinct Liberty had cried out for her to stay with Judah. "I do not know why you and Bandera have lied,
Sebastian. Judah would never have done such a thing," she cried, trying to make sense out of what had happened. "He-"

Bandera clamped her hand over Liberty's mouth, while
Sebastian held her arms. "Be quiet, you little fool." The more Liberty struggled, the more Bandera tightened her
grip and cut off her breathing.

Finally Liberty stopped struggling, knowing it was get
ting her nowhere. If only her father were here—he would
believe her—he would help Judah. She wondered why
Judah's mother and grandfather didn't come forward to help him. Then she remembered that they were upstairs and probably didn't know what had happened. If she
could only get free, she could make her way upstairs and
tell them.

Sebastian must have read Liberty's thoughts, because he tightened his grip on her. "Don’t even think about warning my uncle, Liberty. You would not even make it as far as the house."

By now they had reached the buggy of one of the
guests and Sebastian placed her inside. "Mademoiselle
Liberty is overwrought," he explained to the driver who was standing nearby. "I am sure your master will not mind if you drive her and her sister home. Wait here while I get something to calm her down."

Liberty lunged at the door, but Bandera caught her and
dragged her back. "Where do you think you are going, little sister?" she asked between clenched teeth.

"I am going to tell Judah's mother and grandfather about the lie you and Sebastian are spreading. I do not know why you are doing this, but his grandfather will believe me."

"What makes you think he is innocent?" Bandera asked
pointedly. "Anyone with eyes could see that Judah Slaughter has been panting after me for weeks."

"He would never attack you."

"And I say he did," Bandera snarled, baring her teeth.
She grabbed a handful of Liberty's hair and jerked with
all her might. "Take warning, little sister. If you keep your
mouth shut, Judah may get out of this. If you do not, Sebastian will see him dead!"

Again Liberty tried to free herself, but Bandera was too
strong for her. She fell back against the cushioned seat,
overcome with pain. "Surely you do not think I will stand
by while you lodge false charges against Judah," she managed to say. "I will tell everyone what you and Sebastian are trying to do."

Bandera's nails dug into Liberty's shoulders. "You do, and you never see Judah alive again. Do nothing, and in a
few days, this will all blow over and you can have your
precious American if he wants you." Bandera's features
were distorted, and her eyes gleamed maliciously.

"Judah is not my American," Liberty said, jerking free
of her sister's grip. "It is you he loves. How can you repay his love with betrayal? How can you prefer Sebastian to
Judah?"

Bandera smiled, reminding Liberty of a predatory cat
ready to strike. "I would do anything—betray anyone—to
be mistress of Bend of the River. Sebastian is my only hope of fulfilling that goal."

"But Judah-"

Soft laughter rolled off Bandera's lips. "I do not know
why you are so loyal to Judah. He doesn't give a fig for
you. No man will ever want you. Look at yourself. You
remind me of a homely little mouse."

Bandera's cruel words pierced Liberty's heart. Even
though the night was warm, she shivered with cold, and
was hardly aware that Sebastian appeared beside her.
Obediently she took a drink from the flask he held to her
lips, without question swallowing a fiery liquid that
burned a trail down her throat. Almost immediately her
head became fuzzy and she had to grasp her sister to keep
from falling. It had not occurred to her that Sebastian had put something into the brandy flask to make her sleep.

"Relax, little sister," Bandera said in a silky-smooth voice. "I will take you home. Tomorrow will be soon enough for you to grieve about your lost love."

As if in a dream, Liberty heard Bandera talking to
Sebastian. "What have you given her? I will not allow you
to harm my sister."

"I merely gave her a dose of my mother's laudanum. It
should keep her from making trouble until morning." He
leaned closer and caught Bandera's chin in a hard grip.
"You had better see that she does not spoil our plans. We
are both in this together. If I go under, I take you with me."

Sebastian thrust the flask into Bandera's hand. "When
you think she is regaining consciousness, give her another
drink of this."

"What will you say to Judah's mother and grandfather?
They are not fools, you know."

"Leave it to me. Can you handle your sister?"

"Oui.
I want it understood that I do not want any harm
to come to Liberty; after all, she is my sister."

"As you wish," Sebastian said, glancing down at Lib
erty and seeing that she had fallen into a drugged sleep.
Taking Bandera's hand, he raised it to his lips. "I believe we have won, Bandera. You and Bend of the River will
soon be mine. My uncle will turn his back on my cousin,
because he cannot tolerate disgrace."

"What will happen to Judah?"

"Without seeming to, I must persuade our friends that he should be locked in the shed until the authorities can get here. Of course, if my plan holds, Judah will have
escaped before anyone can question him." Sinister laugh
ter issued from his lips. "Actually, it would not surprise
me in the least if my dear cousin were to take his own life
when he learns of his disgrace.

"Do you mean — "

Sebastian patted his breast pocket, where he had placed
the pistol.
"Oui,
that is exactly what I mean. All you have
to worry about is keeping your sister's mouth shut."

"You can depend on me for that. I will keep her away
from everyone."

Stepping back, Sebastian motioned for the driver to move on. Raising his hand in a salute, he smiled at Bandera.

As Bandera leaned back against the padded seat, her mind was in a whirl. Everything had happened too quickly and she could not put all the details together. Bandera glanced at her sister and noticed she was in a deep sleep. Softly touching Liberty's face, she felt warm breath on her hand. She had to keep Liberty from defending Judah. Someone might believe her. It is strange, she thought. If anyone had asked me before tonight whether I cared if my sister lived or died, I would have thought no, but surprisingly I was ready to fight Sebastian if he tried to harm Liberty.