Moonlight Surrender (Moonlight Book 3) Read Online Free PDF

Samaritan or not, the man was a lecher. “You are not taking your condition seriously, sir.”
    “On the contrary, mistress, I am taking it very seriously. It is not every day that a beautiful woman wraps her arms around me.” He only wished he was well enough to do something about it. As wet as a field mouse straggling in from the river, the young woman beside him still put Elaine to shame.
    Beth’s breasts rose in impatient indignation as she drew another breath. To her growing annoyance, the man’s eyes were fastened there as if she was the hole and he the lacing.
    She gritted her teeth together. “One, two, three.” The last word was ground out as she rose wobbly to her feet, pulling him up with her as she straightened.
    Perspiration joined hands with the rain, but she man aged to bring him to his feet. The next moment, they al most went down again and would have if Beth had not braced herself quickly.
    Duncan struggled to gain his footing on the wet, muddied earth. His head spun violently and he fought to hold onto it as red flares discharged in his brain, threat ening to overtake him and drag him under.
    For one embarrassing moment, Duncan sagged against the young woman. He felt her waver unsteadily beneath his weight and thought that they were both doomed to fall. But he managed to right himself at the last moment. The movement brought her closer to him, crushing her to his side.
    A pity he couldn’t really enjoy it.
    Duncan forced a smile to his lips, though he knew it was a thin effort. “You caught me unawares,” he murmured against her hair. “I never learned to count past two.”
    This was harder than she imagined, but determination stiffened her back and strengthened her aching arms. “Let’s see if you learned how to walk.”
    With small steps, she succeeded in guiding him toward the coach.
    Duncan groaned. The coach looked to be in the next county. “I’ll do my best, General.”
    Her arm tightened around him as he mistepped. “See that you do.”
    In her soul, Beth cursed the rain, England, and the highwayman. And the wounded stranger at her side.

Chapter Four
    If the rain had not plastered her hair and clothes to her body, the effort of guiding the man to the coach would have easily brought about the same result. The man she held onto was making an effort to help, but he was losing blood quickly and was a good deal weaker than she’d wager he was content about. He was certainly a great deal heavier than she had first thought. She was fairly staggering beneath the burden.
    Beth gritted her teeth and muttered under her breath as she forced one foot ahead of the other. Passage was hindered by the fact that her heels were sinking into the muck with each step she took. How quickly dust turned to mud, she thought. Her eyes strayed toward the driver on the ground. And how quickly flesh turns to dust.
    With renewed determination, her eyes fixed on the coach door, Beth concentrated on getting the man beside her to her destination.
    “Don’t drag your feet so,” she panted.
    “I shall remind you of that someday, General,” Duncan promised, a weak smile on his lips.
    The man was delirious, she thought. He was obviously confusing her with someone he knew. Someone he intended to see in the future. Someone whom he un doubtedly would share his muscular body with. If she managed to save it, she thought wearily.
    If they both didn’t drown out here.
    From where he had fallen, it was no more than four yards to the coach. It felt as if it were a long, tedious journey. She was breathing heavily by the time they reached it.
    Beth swallowed and braced the man against the side of the coach.
    “Stay,” she muttered breathlessly, as she struggled to open the door while holding him upright.
    It was only the sweet scent of the woman that had him leaning so heavily on her arm, not the encroaching weakness, Duncan thought. It was a thin lie, but he held onto it as if it was a raft in a turbulent sea.
    He blinked,