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 here, I will challenge him." His heart pounded so hard that his voice shook. "Oh, no, Auguste!" Nancy cried. Woodrow stood hesitating by the door, listening. "They're almost here." "Go!" Frank snapped at him. Woodrow ran out. "Go carefully, Woodrow," Nancy called after him. "Challenging Raoul is just--just madness," said Frank. He went to the mantel and reached for Elysee's pistol. "Frank, you can't!" Nicole cried. "What choice do we have?" he said. He took one of the powder horns down and sat to load and prime the pistol. Auguste said, "Frank, there are too many of them. If you try to fight them you'll only fire that pistol once, and then you'll be dead."