So Worthy My Love by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

not for the purpose of murder, then she had to believe the two men had brought her to this place for their own sordid pleasures. A cold, agonizing dread congealed within her and left her heart thudding heavily against the inner walls of her chest, but she settled the matter firmly in her mind that if there wasnaught else to do, she would at least give these knaves a fight worthy of her strength. She had been well-tutored at an early age and in a most unladylike fashion by a scullery maid’s son on the necessity of defending oneself, and though she had not the body of a brawler, she had the temperament and determination that could equal the brawn of a much larger foe.
    The men’s countenances quickly changed to those of brute savages as her imagination ran rampant. A thousand disparaging titles came to her tongue, but she dared not waste the advantage of surprise. She noticed a broken branch lodged in the crotch of a nearby tree and surreptitiously stepped back until she could grasp hold of the end of it. As Fitch came near, she swung it over her head with all her might, landing a painful blow against the side of his noggin. With a loud yelp the man stumbled back into his startled companion, but Elise never paused. Catching up her velvet skirts, she made a frantic dash into the nearby copse. The pair shouted as they recovered their wits. Spence seized a lantern and the two gave chase, but the night was dark as ebon, and her black gown gave Elise the advantage. While the lantern Spence carried illumined the two in a dim circle of light and showed them the path close at hand, its dull glow failed to reach the deeper shadows wherein Elise moved. She raced far ahead of the two
who thrashed about in confused discord, her thin slippers making no sound on the damp, thick mulch of decaying leaves while the small heels secured her footing. Like a small, furtive sprite, she sprinted through the trees, now and then flinging aglance over her shoulder, and was encouraged by the slower progress of the men. Her heart thumped with the excitement of the chase, for it seemed her escape was well within her grasp.
    Alas, it was not so easily gained. When she passed a narrow glade, Elise found her way barred by an impenetrable thicket. Anxiously she searched the dense growth for an opening that might allow her to slip through, only to be halted at every turn. However, after the many trials she had faced of late, Elise was not ready to accept this barrier as defeat, not when she was aware of what might await her if she did not escape.
    Choosing a stealthful retreat, Elise slipped across the clearing again and entered the trees where the darkness befriended her. As the lantern-lit circle in which the men moved drew nearer, she stepped back, merging with the deeper shades of night. Though her heart threatened to give her away with its riotous thumping, she stood motionless, afraid even to breathe.
    Oblivious to her proximity, the men charged forward until their progress was also halted by the brambles. Separating there, they raced in opposite directions, seeking a way around the spinney while Elise carefully left the dark void wherein she had hidden herself. Gathering her skirts, she fled back toward the spot where she had first entered the woods. Her feet fairly flew over the leaf-strewn bower, and once again she anticipated her freedom. Then suddenly her world was jolted as her slippered toe caught on a lowgrowing vine. A startled cry escaped her as she sprawled forward to the ground,and before the fog dissipated from her head, Fitch and Spence had regrouped and were racing back in high-kneed form. Elise groaned in misery, but it had naught to do with the slight discomfort in her ankle. Rather, it was the inevitability of her capture which prompted her to vocally vent her disappointment.
    â€œUnhand me!” Elise cried angrily as the two sought to lift her to her feet. Surprisingly they obeyed her command and stumbled back to await her