Unlaced by the Outlaw (Secrets in Silk) Read Online Free PDF Page A

odor of lamp oil seeped into the space, but it was the silence that made him uneasy. He used his hands to feel his way around the coach, and when he touched a pile of silk, he realized that Margaret was lying motionless against one door. The other door was now the ceiling, from where the coach had tipped on its side. He tried to reach up to the window, but his fist met with jagged glass. If they tried to fit through it, they’d be cut to ribbons.
    “Margaret,” he repeated, reaching down to touch her. She made no sound, and fear ripped through him at the thought of her being dead. Let her be alive , he prayed silently. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe.
    He carefully felt his way downward until he found her neck. Her skin was warm, and beneath his fingertips, he felt a slow pulse. A rush of relief flooded through him, that she was still alive. He managed to pull her onto his lap, trying to determine if she was bleeding in any way. The moment he touched her arm, she let out a moan of pain.
    “Lass, we need to get out of this coach,” Cain told her. “Can you hear me?”
    She didn’t respond, but at least she was breathing. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he saw that her eyes were still closed. Her face tightened with pain when he removed her bonnet, searching for a head wound. When he found none, he breathed a little easier. She remained unconscious, and he held her close, hoping that she would awaken soon.
    Margaret was the saint, while he’d sinned at every chance he had. It was little wonder that years ago she’d spurned his offer of marriage. But he hadn’t stopped wanting her. Even now, with her fragile body lying against him, he wanted to claim her lips, tempting her into ruin.
    She stirred against him and moaned. “What happened?”
    “The coach overturned,” he told her. “How badly are you hurt?”
    She didn’t answer, and he realized that she’d fainted again. Gently, he laid her back while he tried to determine the best way to get them out. Likely he would have to force the door open at the ceiling and try to lift Margaret up. Or else break the remaining glass and hope they could squeeze through the small opening.
    But as he stood on one of the seats, reaching for the door handle, a strange scent caught his attention. It was a blend of burning oil and smoke.
    Fire.
    The lantern must have shattered and ignited the oil when the coach overturned. Damn it all, he had to get them both out fast.
    The sound of a man screaming broke through the stillness, as if the driver was trapped in the flames. Cain reached up to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge.
    He let out a foul curse and tried to ram against it with his shoulder, but he suspected the metal handle had bent when the vehicle had rolled. There were no tools, no means of forcing the door open.
    What could he do now? The only other exit was at the bottom of the coach, and that door couldn’t open farther than a few inches.
    The driver’s screaming suddenly ceased, and God help them both, Cain knew what that meant. When he peered through the crevices of the window, the bright flare of flames illuminated the space. The fire was spreading toward them, and if he didn’t get them out, both of them would die, trapped inside.
    “Get up!” he shouted, shaking Margaret. There was no time for gentleness now. “Lass, we have to get out of here.”
    “C-Cain?” she murmured, her voice sounding sleepy. “What’s happening?”
    “The coach is on fire,” he said. “And we’re going to be burned alive if we don’t force the door open.”
    She went silent, and he pointed toward the roof. “The door at the top willna open, and the fire is approaching swiftly. Is there aught we could use to pry the door open?” he asked. “A shoe or . . . anything?”
    She stared at the obstructed door, and he sensed the horror dawning within her. “I’ve nothing. I’m so sorry.” Her voice held back her terror, as if she were a pane of glass, about to