nd he felt his eyes burn as the wetness
trickled down his cheeks. He slid from the fence and held out his arms
to her.

"To see you again and hear you say you'll leave me forever," he said.
"It hurts too much."

She came into his arms, pressing her wet face against his. Her lips
twisted against his, burning, devouring. Her arms slid around him, her
hands stroking his neck. He could feel her pulling at him as he held her
and her legs gave way.

He knew they were going to have each other and could not help
themselves.

He pressed his hand on her breast, loving its softness, feeling her
risen nipple push against his palm through silk and calico.

Footsteps crackled in the shrubbery at the bottom of the hill.

He froze, all his senses straining.

The hot blood in his veins turned in an instant to icy water.

"Auguste, for God's sake," she whispered.

"Someone's coming," he said. He felt her shiver against him.

He heard many men. They were trying to move quietly, filtering up the
hill through the woods. But few pale eyes could walk unheard among
shrubs and trees and piles of fallen leaves, especially at night.

Along with fear, he felt a sudden anger at himself that made him want
to pound his fist on his head. He'd heard the voices before, farther
off, in the village. He should have listened. He'd have known who and
what they were.

His ears told him the approaching men had formed a semicircle, slowly
closing as they climbed toward Elysee's cottage. His heart fluttered in
his rib cage, skipping beats, then pounding hard.

Nancy seized his hand.

"God protect us, Auguste!" she whispered. "I hear them too. Your uncle
must have found out that you're here. You've got to get away."

"Into the house. Hurry."

In the front room of Elysee's cottage Frank and Nicole were sitting by
the embers of the fire. The others had gone to sleep. Nancy flew into
Nicole's arms.

"We've got to get word to the Regulators," said Frank when Auguste told
him about the men coming up the hill. He shook Woodrow, who had been
napping on the chaise longue.

"Go by way of the ravine on the other side of this hill," Frank told the
boy. "Tell Judge Cooper Raoul and his men are coming to kill Auguste."
He turned worried eyes on Auguste. "Perhaps you'd better go with
Woodrow. You'd be safe at Cooper's."

"No," said Auguste. "If I run for it and they catch me, they'll surely
kill me. I'm going to do what I came to do. When Raoul gets he