by Diane Gaston
She pushed his hand lower and his fingers gently circled the area. She felt herself become wet under his touch. The excitation he created pushed her somewhere between ecstasy and agony, the agony of craving more.
She could bear the waiting no longer and he obliged her as if her feelings were his own. He moved over her and she opened for him. He entered her quickly and she knew, like her, he could not wait an instant longer. His strokes soothed her at first, but quickly made her desire even more acute.
This was a moment to savour, she realised, as her need was rapidly growing too strong for thought. This was a moment she would possess forever. Perfect joining. Perfect accord.
Perfect man.
He moved faster and faster and she moved with him, certain nothing could be wrong as long as she was with him, joined to him.
He drove her to her peak and she cried out with the glory of it. His muscles tensed and she felt him spill his seed inside her.
As her climax ebbed, a calmness washed over her, along with a fledgling feeling of hope. There was still time. They would succeed and she would be together with him for all the days of their lives and all their nights.
She sighed in contentment and he lay next to her, snuggling her against him.
‘We’ll succeed, Mariel,’ he murmured, his voice deep with emotion. ‘I’ll make it right if it is the last thing I do.’
Chapter Sixteen
Mariel hated donning the clothing that reeked of the river, especially putting on her damp half-boots over her sore feet, but the sun was high in the sky and it was time to leave the cabin.
For one, they were hungry. The last food they’d eaten had been in the carriage before its accident, a lifetime ago, it seemed.
They tidied the cabin, doused the fire in the fireplace and put the place back to rights as best they could. Leo left a note and a few coins as payment for the coal and wood they’d used to keep warm.
Their last act was to lock the padlock.
In daylight, without rain pouring down, a path leading away from the cabin was clearly visible.
‘It is bound to lead us somewhere,’ Leo said.
They could reasonably expect to find a village within a day’s walk, especially if the path led to a road. Neither wished to return to the river.
It was not an easy walk. Although the ground had dried somewhat, the path was riddled with puddles and their boots still sank into mud. The sky was grey and smelled of more rain. Mariel did not relish the idea of becoming soaked again.
With each step her hunger grew; she started thinking of meat pies and lamb roasts, tureens of oxtail soup, of bread warm from the oven, butter melting on a slice, jam piled atop it.
It did not take long for the path to lead to a road. There was a choice to make. North or south?
‘Would you like to choose this one, Mariel?’ Leo asked. ‘Which way should we head?’
‘I do not know how to choose.’ Which would lead her to Penny? ‘I have no idea where we are.’
‘Neither do I.’ Leo looked from one direction to the other. ‘It doesn’t matter overmuch. We will know how to proceed no matter what village we reach.’
He chose south.
This road led to another. East or west.
He chose east.
They’d been walking almost three hours and Mariel’s feet hurt her more and more. The sky clouded over and there was a chill in the air made worse by her still-damp dress. If she had not been with Leo, she would have succumbed to a fit of weeping, but, even with sore feet, damp clothes and hunger, she preferred being with him than alone in comfort.
They’d walked this new road only a short distance before hearing the welcome sound of a wagon approaching behind them. It was a farmer’s wagon making slow progress pulled by one sturdy-looking horse.
Leo stood in the road to halt it.
‘Can you assist us, sir?’ He asked the driver, who was dressed in the clothing of a farm worker, an unlit pipe between his teeth. ‘We were in a carriage accident yesterday and we need to get to a village.’
‘Carriage accident?’ the man’s bushy eyebrows rose. ‘Out this way?’
‘I’m afraid we were carried some distance by the river.’ Leo put his hand on the wagon. ‘May we ride with you?’
The man shrugged. ‘I’m bound for Aylesford, if that will do.’
‘That will do nicely.’ Leo turned to Mariel, who hurried to the wagon.
‘Good day, ma’am,’ the driver said, tipping his hat.
‘Thank you so much for helping us,’ she replied. With Leo’s help, she climbed into the wagon.
They were its only cargo. The driver explained he was headed to Aylesford for supplies. Mariel fancied she could smell produce from the wood of the wagon. Kale and asparagus and rhubarb, although it could very well have been her imagination.
The ride to Aylesford provided welcome comfort, even with every bump and rut in the road intensified by the hard wooden floor of the wagon. Anything was preferable to walking. Mariel began to long for the slippers she’d had Penny pack in her bag at the last minute. Her slippers—and maybe Penny—were long gone, however.
Any chance she had for happiness was gone, as well.
* * *
Leo caught the gloom that settled on Mariel’s face and he feared she was giving in to worry. He put his arm around her. If only he alone could carry this burden.
She rested her head on his shoulder and he tried to savour the simple pleasure of having her next to him, but fears of how to find Walker and Mariel’s maid and then seek out the bank clerk plagued him.
He tapped on her head. ‘Are you worrying about your maid?’
She shifted, but remained nestled next to him. ‘I force myself not to think of Penny—too much, anyway. I was thinking about the future.’
His insides twisted. ‘I will take care of you and your family no matter what, Mariel.’
She nodded. ‘I did not say before how generous of you that would be.’
She did not know the half of it. It meant giving up the excitement of his less-than-legal, but highly profitable trade. It placed him at the fringe of society again, at a time when he was happy to simply turn his back on it.
She sighed. ‘I just wish we could run away and stay away forever and pretend none of this ever happened.’
Why not? His heart beat faster. They could live well in Belgium or France or Italy. ‘Is that what you wish, Mariel? Because I suspect everyone will think us dead. We could catch a coach to Dover, change our names and set up housekeeping anywhere we like.’
She took his hand in hers. ‘I had that fantasy, but I could not abandon my family. Besides, one cannot truly run away. Your past must always catch up to you.’
‘It can be done,’ Leo insisted. ‘I did it. I succeeded.’
She squeezed his fingers. ‘But I am the past that has caught up to you. And look how awful it is.’
He could not regret this time with her, even in its grim circumstances. How could he ever regret making love to her? It was a memory to cherish for as long as he lived.
* * *
The wagon rolled along for half a mile before she spoke again. ‘I was thinking that I should take the first coach I can find back to London. After we discover what happened to Penny, that is. I—I should like to make arrangements for her.’
‘We will find her, but do not give up hope that she will have survived the accident.’ He was trying not to give up on Walker, either.
She smiled sadly. ‘I have resigned myself to her loss. And to the fact that I must hurry back to London in time to marry Kellford.’
He could not believe his ears. ‘No. No matter what, you must not marry Kellford. I cannot permit it.’
‘It is the only way,’ she insisted.
/> He frowned. ‘Do you fear the taint of being connected to me? Because of the past? Because of my reputation? Do not tell me Kellford is preferable to that.’
‘Never think that, Leo!’ she cried. ‘I love you. I have never stopped loving you. Did not our time in the cabin prove that to you? I cannot be with you, though. Not at the cost of my father’s life and my family’s reputation.’
His hand curled into a fist. ‘Your father does not deserve this sacrifice of you. Your life with Kellford will be hell on earth.’
‘I agree my father is undeserving of any mercy.’ She uncurled his fingers and gently rubbed his hand. ‘But, still, I cannot cause him to die. Most of all, I must look after my two sisters. They are innocent of any wrongdoing, surely.’ She paused. ‘We are back where we started about Kellford, are we not? I do want you to know that I will cherish this time we have had together. I will hold the memory of making love with you in a special place in my heart. It will be with me always.’
‘Mariel—’ He did not know what to say. He did not like her giving up.
He must find the bank clerk. It was more important than ever now.
They fell silent, but held hands as the vibrant green of the countryside passed before their eyes. The fields were dotted with buttercup and cowslip, daisies and dandelion. In more innocent days, he and his brothers used to chase Mariel and his sisters over fields much like these.
Soon a stone tower of a church came into view, then a peek of red rooftops.
‘Aylesford.’ The driver gestured.
Leo watched the village come closer and closer. More traffic filled the road. People walked by carrying huge bundles. Men rode on horses. Simple wagons, like the one in which they rode, rumbled behind finer vehicles. He ought to feel relief. Instead his tension grew. How long would it take to discover what had happened to Walker and Penny? Would they be alive? Would he have enough time to find the bank clerk?
He glanced at Mariel and saw tension pinching her lovely features. Let them at least discover good news about Walker and Penny.
The closer they came to the town’s centre, the greater his trepidation. At every turn bad luck had dogged them. Would good luck never come? He tried to appear reassuring for her sake.
‘Can you drop us at a coaching inn?’ he called to the driver.
‘Yes, sir,’ the man replied.
The man stopped at an inn bearing a sign of St George slaying the dragon. Leo fished inside a pocket and handed the man some coins.
The farmer stared at the money in his palm. ‘Thank you, sir!’
Leo helped Mariel out of the wagon and she winced when he placed her on her feet again.
He frowned, but she waved away his concern. ‘It is not so bad. My feet do not hurt overmuch.’
They entered the inn, where the innkeeper, a round, balding man, met them.
‘Good day!’ the innkeeper said cheerfully, though he eyed them with more than curiosity. ‘What may I do for you? Do you want a room?’
‘A meal to start,’ Leo said. ‘In a private parlour, if that is possible.’
The man looked askance. ‘Begging your pardon, sir, but do you have the ready to pay?’
They must look a sight and smell worse, with their dank and dirty clothing, caked with the dust of the road.
‘I do.’ Leo pulled out his still-damp purse and opened it to show the coins. ‘We are in urgent need of food.’
‘Come this way.’ The innkeeper led them to a small parlour at the back of a public room. ‘Hungry, are you?’
Leo answered, ‘Very hungry. Bring us whatever is easily prepared. Some ale, as well.’ He looked questioningly at Mariel and she nodded approval.
‘Very good, sir.’ The innkeeper left, closing the door behind him.
Mariel immediately lowered herself in a chair and removed her shoes and stockings. She rose again to put the shoes and stockings near the window, hoping they would dry.
She glanced out the window. ‘Oh, no.’ She turned to him. ‘This inn is right on the river.’
He crossed the room to the window. The river was swollen enough that some of the inn’s garden was under water. It was as if the river were reaching out to snatch them back.
He put an arm around her. ‘Try not to think about it.’
She leaned on him a moment before swivelling away and choosing a chair that faced the door. ‘I want to ask about Penny.’
‘We can ask when he brings the food.’ He sat down, as well, and unbuttoned his coat. ‘I confess I could think of nothing but food.’
She reached across the table and took his hand again. ‘I have been thinking about it for the past three hours. Right now I think I can tell by scent alone every dish and drink the public room serves.’
The innkeeper brought food right away. A mutton-and-oyster stew, thick-crusted bread and cheese. A tavern maid carried in ale.
While the tavern maid placed the tankards on the table, the man lingered, still eyeing them curiously. ‘Anything else, sir?’
Leo held up a finger while he took a quick gulp of ale. ‘We have not eaten in a day. We were in a carriage accident yesterday—’
The innkeeper’s brows rose. ‘That’s odd. Yours is the second carriage accident in two days.’
Leo straightened. ‘You know of a carriage accident?’
The man nodded. ‘Heard about it yesterday.’
Mariel looked as if she might leap from her seat. ‘What did you hear, sir? How do you know of it?’
He shook his head. ‘A tragic thing. Two people died, they said.’
Two people died? Were their worst fears coming true?
‘Tell us what you know.’ Leo pressed.
The man shrugged. ‘Don’t know much. One of the coachmen who passes through here talked about it. Said he heard about it at the Swan.’
‘The Swan?’ Leo’s voice rose. ‘Where is the Swan?’
‘West Malling,’ the man replied. ‘Not far from here. Two or three miles on the London Road. That’s where this accident happened, supposedly. On the London Road.’
‘How did the man hear of it?’ Mariel asked.
The tavern maid spoke up. ‘He heard it from someone who was in the accident.’
The innkeeper looked at her in surprise. ‘How do you know that?’
She shrugged. ‘He was a talkative sort.’
‘Sir,’ Leo broke in. ‘We need fresh clothing. And someone who can drive us to West Malling. I’ll make it worth your while if you find both by the time we finish eating.’
‘A carriage to take you to West Malling?’ He rubbed his chin. ‘I cannot think who—’
‘Charlie will do it,’ the tavern maid piped up.
‘Charlie.’ The man nodded. ‘That’s right. He should be willing to do it. What kind of clothing do you want? We don’t have much choice in that, I fear.’
‘Any clothing will do as long as it is clean.’ Leo added, ‘And dry.’
‘And shoes for me,’ Mariel added. ‘Shoes and dry stockings.’
* * *
An hour later the small carriage that carried them from Aylesford pulled up at the Swan in West Malling. Leo and Mariel lost no time in climbing out of the vehicle and entering the inn. No one was in the hall, so they made their way to the tavern. Most of the booths were empty, but conversation buzzed and tavern maids bustled back and forth.
Leo spied a man behind a bar. ‘Sir! Sir!’ he called from the doorway and strode quickly toward the man.
The publican continued to wipe glasses with a white cloth. ‘Yes?’
‘There was a carriage accident yesterday. Do you know anything of it?’
‘Heard people talk of it,’ the man said.
Leo turned towards the room and raised his voice. ‘If anyone has inf
ormation about a carriage accident yesterday, will he please come to me now. I will give you a handsome reward for good information.’
He heard someone shuffling in his seat, but he could only see the tops of heads over the high sides of the booths. One man moved out of a booth and into the light.
‘By God, Walker.’ Leo hurried towards him. ‘You are alive.’
Leo shook Walker’s hand, but relief overtook him and he hugged his friend.
‘What of Penny?’ Mariel cried.
‘I am here!’ Penny ran into her lady’s arms. ‘Oh, miss!’
The two women burst into tears and fussed over each other. The maid had a black eye, which Mariel tenderly touched. Her head was also bandaged.
Walker turned back to Leo. ‘We had no hope you had survived. No hope at all.’
‘How fared the coachman and the post boy?’ Leo asked.
‘The coachman hit his head, but otherwise was unhurt. The post boy suffered no harm. He rode the horses here and brought us help.’ Walker blinked, half expecting his friend to disappear. ‘How did you manage it?’
Leo caught the eye of the publican. ‘Is there a private parlour?’
‘Of course, sir.’ The man ushered them to a private room and they ordered more refreshment.
Penny clung to Mariel while Leo told the story of their survival.
‘My poor lady!’ Penny exclaimed. ‘It must have been horrible!’
‘It was at that,’ Mariel admitted. ‘I would have drowned if not for Leo.’
‘And I would have drowned if you hadn’t caught me when my hand slipped from the tree,’ Leo responded.
‘It is sufficient that you both survived.’ Walker beamed at them.
Leo and Mariel asked more questions about what happened to Walker and Penny and received more explanations of their ordeal. Walker asked where they had spent the night and Leo told about finding a cabin for shelter. Walker’s brows rose, as if he suspected what had transpired between them.
‘What is the story of your clothes?’ Walker asked.