Hugh waved his hand. “Never mind that. Eat, please. A young man like you needs sustenance to keep up his strength.”
George nodded and tucked into his food, taking delicate bites. Hugh ate sparingly, choosing instead to observe his dinner companion.
“So, tell me, George: where do you and your parents hail from? I know that your mother is French, and your father is an Englishman, but your accent intrigues me.”
The young man paused. “Uh, well, you see ...”
Hugh could see that George was scrambling to come up with something. My instincts were correct; these people are definitely hiding something. Are they criminals? No, I do not think so.
“Yes?” Hugh encouraged.
“We are not really from around these parts, My Lord. We came to the countryside to find work, but it seems that work is tough to come by. We will try again in London; perhaps there will be something for us.”
He evaded the question. Interesting. This young man is not forthcoming about their background, which leads me to believe that there may be a threat of some sort.
“And if you cannot find something in London?”
George smiled, showing good teeth that were only slightly skewed in the front.
“I’m sure that someone will need a housekeeper, or a butler, a stable hand, or even a bodyguard. The haut ton always need servants, that much I have deduced.”
Did he detect a humorous tone? The young man apparently found the wealthy amusing.
“Do you hold those in positions of great wealth as amusing?”
The smile fell. “No, not at all. It just seems that no matter how much one has, there are still issues that affect even the lower classes. I believe that much happiness can be found in assisting those who are less fortunate than you.”
Ah, he spoke of a worthy cause. It was not often that he encountered a young man concerned about the social ills of the world. In fact, he was yet to meet any young man like George. Unless he is not a man?
“I see. When do you plan to leave for London?”
George was reluctant to answer him, that much was certain. The young man lowered his eyes and took another spoonful of his meal.
“George, when do you and your parents leave for London?” he asked again.
Hugh used a firmer tone which was successful in drawing a response.
“At first light, My Lord.”
This suited him perfectly. Hugh was not yet satisfied with the information he had gleaned from the reluctant young man.
“Then you will ride with me. I, too, am leaving at first light. I will provide you with passage to London.”
His statement was met with immediate rejection.
“Oh no, My Lord. There is no need to! We have already secured our own passage upon one of the stagecoaches bound for London. You are generous, My Lord, but there truly is no need to.”
That is easily remedied. Do not believe that I give up easily, young man. I will uncover whatever it is that you are hiding.
“You protest much, George. I will reimburse you for the carriage fare, and you and your parents will join me. It is not often that I have passengers to provide me with light conversation. I would be pleased if you would consent.”
George wiped his hand across his brow as though he were perspiring. Hugh had noticed a sheen to his skin, but he had believed it to be the result of youthful exuberance. He had to admit that the boy possessed beautiful skin, the type that many women would envy.
“Very well, My Lord. I will inform my parents of the change in our plans. May I take my leave?”
The young man’s food had been hardly touched, but then again, so was his.
“Yes, yes, of course. I shall see you at first light.”
George nodded and looked as though he almost dropped into a curtsy, but caught himself and bowed. He left the room, closing the door lightly behind him. Moments later, Prescott entered.
“Did you find what you were looking for My Lord?”
Hugh smiled. “Partly. We are to have them accompany us tomorrow, Prescott. I find that I am in need of some travel companions.”
Prescott raised his eyebrows. “There is something that you have found out, am I right?”
“Yes, you are quite right. However, I will not speak of it until I am sure. Prescott, would you remove this food, please? My compliments to the cook.”
His steward nodded and pulled the chain, summoning the housekeeper. Hugh mulled over what he believed he had just discovered. This is no boy at all, but a woman! But why would a woman wear the disguise of a man? Hugh hoped to find that out during their journey to London. It had been a long while since something had excited him as much as this mystery had, and he was invested in discovering the truth. Who are you? And whom are you running from? A smell of flowers lingered in the air. Hugh found the aroma pleasing. No boy would willingly smell like this.
*****
Madelene clicked the door closed behind her and leaned against it. She couldn’t believe it, she just couldn’t believe it. They were to travel with the Earl tomorrow. A part of me finds this favourable, but my head is entirely against it. This man is far too interested in us.
“Ma cherie! What has happened? You appear to be in high fidgets.”
How will they react to this development in their plans?
“The Earl has invited us to travel with him tomorrow.”
Maria and Giles looked at each other, their eyes both mirroring their concern. They turned to look at her, brows raised.
“And what did you tell him, Miss Madelene?” Giles asked. “Surely you told him that we have already arranged our own transportation?”
Madelene nodded. “Of course. I told him that very thing, but he brushed it aside. I’m afraid that he insisted on having us accompany him to London. He even spoke of reimbursing what we had spent on our fare.”
Her abigail was none too pleased about this, and Madelene did not blame her.
“Why?” Maria said. “Why is he so intent upon assisting us? Is paying our lodging not enough for him? This is the outside of enough!”
“Do not fret so, my love,” Giles said. “It will do you no good. It seems that we will need to ensure that we do not reveal too much of ourselves, apart from what we have agreed upon. The Earl most likely knows that the true Madelene has run away, so we must not appear suspicious. Perhaps I should do the talking tomorrow, and Madelene should remain silent.”
Madelene had already prepared her mind to converse with the Earl tomorrow and was sorely disappointed to hear that she would not have her opportunity. Why am I flitting so? It’s either I wish to speak to him, or I am a mute around him. Why does the man afflict me so?
“Oui, mon amour. It is better that you speak with him. We do not know what that woman has said of our Madelene. Perhaps she has described her in great detail?”
Maria spoke of her aunt. Would my aunt have given the Earl great detail about her escape? Fatigue settled in, and she found herself yawning.
“I fear that I cannot sleep in the same room as Prescott – I will take this seat by the window. Maria, would you care to bring me a pillow and blanket?”
“Take the bed, ma cherie. Giles and I will arrange for something else.”
Madelene shook her head. “You will do no such thing. I could not care less about propriety at this moment; I simply need some sleep.”
She settled into the chair, cursing its firmness. Once they arrived in London, she would make sure to secure a room with a comfortable bed. Maria brought her pillow and blanket, stooping to kiss her brow.
“I pray that all goes well tomorrow, child. However, I fear that being around the Earl is not a good thing.”
“Let us concern ourselves about it tomorrow, Maria. I need my wits about me if we are to be in the Earl’s presence. The man asks too many questions.”
As Madelene leaned against her pillow, she found that she was in need of comfort. Too much had happened, and she was overwhelmed.
“Will yo
u sing to me?”
Maria laughed softly. “Are you not too old for that, ma cherie?”
“Never.”
Madelene felt Maria’s hand on her head, playing with her curls.
“Very well, child. Close your eyes.”
She obeyed, and Maria began to sing in her native tongue, a song about coming home and being with the one you loved. It was one that she had sung before, but this time it held special significance. Maria ended the song, still stroking her curls. Half asleep, Madelene spoke to her abigail.
“Maria?”
“Yes, ma cherie?”
“Do you believe in fate?”
“Oui. Pourquoi, ma cherie? Why do you ask?”
“I think that it is fate that brought the Earl to us.”
Maria’s hands became still. “Fate, ma cherie?
Madelene nodded, her movements sluggish as she dropped further into sleep. Her dreams came quickly, troubling dreams that ended with piercing grey eyes that seemed to stare into her very soul.
Chapter 6
Polite conversation about the weather and the War dominated the interaction between them. Giles was intent upon steering the conversation away from any intrusive questions, thus keeping the Earl from discovering anything else about them. Madelene sat next to Giles, as she was slender enough to fit in the small space that his body provided. When they had first mounted the carriage, she had gone straight to the front, but the Earl had stopped her and asked her to sit inside. More so ordered than requested. The man is apparently used to giving orders and having people leap miles to please him. Maria was silent, only choosing to nod her head or smile every once in a while; she was only too happy to allow the men to interact without her input. Her abigail was wary of the Earl, afraid of what he may discover should they say the wrong thing. It is quite bizarre to see her like this. Maria is usually outspoken – even in the company of men! I seem to be giving her much to worry about these days. Madelene stared out of her window, thinking about how her life had been altered due to men. Her father had sent her away due to a man, and she was on the run due to a man, the very same one that sat across from her. Is this a woman’s lot in life? To have her life governed by the actions and choices of men? Madelene would have continued the rant in her head, but the Earl’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts and lulled her into a sense of security. A false sense of security. It had a soothing quality to it, deep and slightly gruff, and she found herself falling asleep. It was only when Giles gently shook her awake that she realised that it was evening once again. How on earth could I have missed half a day? She rubbed her eyes and found herself looking into the face of an inquisitive man. The Earl smiled, and Madelene looked away quickly as two bright spots appeared on her cheeks.
“Oh my, I may have been more fatigued than I originally believed. Where are we?”
“Close to Staghead Inn,” the Earl said. “We will be stopping there for the night, and continue on to London tomorrow morning.”
Just as well. Her body was cramped, and her legs needed stretching – she could not wait to leave the carriage. To her dismay, she found her belly rumbling. Madelene tried to mask the noise by clearing her throat, but that fooled no one. Three sets of eyes looked at her, all of them smiling. She had last eaten some cold meat and bread during the early hours, food that Maria had thoughtfully set aside as she had hardly eaten during her dinner with the Earl. Madelene caught a stifled laugh, narrowing her eyes at the culprit. This only made the Earl laugh louder, encouraging the same from his other two passengers.
“I find that I am quite famished myself,” he said. “But your parents and I are better off as we had a cold lunch some hours ago. We did not dare wake you as you were clearly tired. Growing boys do need their sleep. Why, I remember sleeping up to ten hours as a young man.”
If I were but a boy. Instead, she was a troubled woman fighting for her own freedom. But right now, she needed food. Maria brought out a folded cloth with some bread, cheese, and cold meats wrapped in it.
“Here, ma cherie, I saved you some food. I knew that you would be quite hungry once you awakened. Growing boys do need sustenance.”
Madelene detected humour in her abigail’s voice. She reached for the food, giving Maria raised brows. I’m glad that you find this amusing. The woman could see the meaning in her eyes and gave a slight shrug, smiling.
“Growing boys certainly need sustenance,” Giles added. “How else will they do what all growing boys do?”
Madelene looked up at him and saw the mirth in his eyes. They were joking around at her expense, that’s what they were doing. Growing boy indeed! Madelene was about to give Giles a nudge in his ribs when the Earl spoke.
“We are here. And please, do not worry about the cost – I will cover your accommodation until London. You are doing me a favour by accompanying me. The least I can do is ensure that you have a comfortable sleep.”
Madelene doubted that she would sleep this night. She was likely going to be up during the early hours of the morning and sleep once more on the final stretch to London. It may just be for the best. Being close to the Earl is a tad unsettling. They disembarked and waited for Prescott to secure their rooms. This time, Madelene got her own room, of which she was thankful. An hour or so later, she sat by her window, gazing at the colours splashed against the sky. The pink and purple hues contrasted beautifully with the blue of the sky. She preferred sunsets to sunrises, but that was not to say that she could not appreciate the break of dawn. An odd feeling overcame her, and she peered outside, suddenly feeling that someone may be watching her. An old man sat on a rock near the Staghead Inn signpost, smoking a pipe. He was looking in her direction, but Madelene could not see much of him as he wore a long coat and seemed to stoop over his walking stick. He seemed familiar, but she could not remember where. The strange feeling had her getting up to draw the curtains, uncomfortable with the old man’s stare. He’s quite far off, but I’m sure that he is staring at me. But why? With the curtains closed, the man was out of sight, but not necessarily out of mind.
*****
Pringle was a genius at disguises. Hadn’t he managed to escape the gallows some months ago? He had been certain that he would have felt the noose around his neck, but a quick disguise had secured his escape. The woman is good too, he mused, but old Pringle is better.
“Or should I say old man Garyridge?”
This disguise was his best yet, and he had come by it with great ease. The unsuspecting traveller that he had encountered on the road had been no match for him. That was why he had his newly acquired horse tethered to a tree some paces away while the traveller was most likely awakening to a headache. The blow to his head had made sure of that.
“Thank you for the coat, pipe, and horse, you unlucky sod.”
Pringle had nearly lost the woman’s whereabouts; it had taken him two long hours on horseback to catch up to them.
“Imagine I had still been on foot?”
But he hadn’t been, and that is what counted. At his insistence, the rest of his men had continued to venture deeper into the countryside, convinced that good fortune lay with the next carriage they came across. Perhaps they would happen across a gentleman with a few pistols to his name, as they were quite low in the weapons department. The darned woman had made sure of it.
“Stupid wench! Taking my pistols! But I’ll have my revenge, one way or another.”
And full pockets, filled with the gold that he was going to get once he handed her over to the Silver Wolf.
A Lady for the Forsaken Earl: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 12