by Kit Tunstall
Cleo put up a hand. “Don’t say it, honey. Words are power.”
“I can’t just pretend not to feel…this way.”
With a shrug, she set aside her project to lean forward, eyes focused fully on Madison. “No, but you’re opening yourself up for a world of hurt, Madison.” Sighing, she said, “Or maybe not. He’s been different with you. Maybe he’s feeling the same.”
Madison nipped that bit of hope in the bud. “Please don’t say that.”
With a sympathetic look, Cleo nodded. “I understand. If it makes you feel better, I’m a little jealous.”
“Of me?” How could that be?
Cleo nodded. “Just a bit. I don’t love Tiernan, but I see how he acts with you, and it makes me wonder how things would have been if we’d found…that feeling…between us.” Sighing, she picked up her sewing again. “I’ll never know, and there’s no reason to dwell on something I don’t really want anyway. I need to think of my future.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s time I moved on, honey.”
Madison shook her head. “No. Tiernan didn’t tell me he’d dismissed you. He can’t do that.”
Cleo laughed. “You want his old lover hanging around?”
She frowned. “Not as a lover, but you’re his friend, and mine too. There must be another role for you.”
She shrugged. “He asked me about what I’d like to do for the administration, but I’m not a politician or an ambassador. I’m good at using my body, and I enjoy sex. What I need is a new benefactor.” With a sparkle in her eyes, she said, “I’m thinking about a trip to the Republic of Texas.”
Madison choked on a surprised gasp, coughing to clear her throat. “You’re kidding.”
Cleo shook her head. “Nope. Tex would be glad to have the company, and I rather like the randy old gent.”
“He’s old enough to be your father.”
Another shrug was her reply.
Madison probed delicately. “Um, what about a Mrs. Germaine?”
Shaking her head, she said, “Sadie died two years ago. Who knows? Tex might make me his wife, not his mistress.” Smoothing her skirt, she nodded. “Yes, I’m going to head to Texas as soon as the weather cools a bit more.”
“Are you sure? I can’t imagine Tiernan would make you leave, even if you weren’t doing anything, Cleo.”
Cleo smiled. “I wouldn’t be very happy with that arrangement, honey. I like sex too much to wither away.”
“What about a man here? Aidan doesn’t have a partner.”
Cleo shook her head. “He’s nice, but he can’t keep me in the lifestyle I want.” With another decisive nod, she said, “Yes, it’s got to be Tex. I’ll send him a letter this afternoon to see if I can visit.” She winked. “I can’t imagine he’ll say no.”
“No, I’d guess not.” Madison tried to be happy for her friend, since Cleo seemed content with the plan. The idea of letting that old man touch her was repulsive, no matter how nice he was, but if it didn’t bother Cleo, it shouldn’t bother her. Still, she knew it would be hard not to try to talk her friend out of it and might broach the subject again, at least until she was absolutely certain Cleo wouldn’t be dissuaded.
Chapter Eleven
Concern for Cleo faded as her friend maintained resolve, and Madison found herself dwelling on her own problems, specifically how not to care too much for Tiernan. How could she keep her emotions in check when his lightest touch brought her body to life? How could she make love with him but not love him? It was a quandary she was no closer to solving as the days wore on. Inch by inch, she seemed to be sliding into the mire that had ensnared Nina, into the trap of loving a man who didn’t love her. She hated it, even as she loved him.
As she waited for the radio operator to raise her family, she realized she had been with the commander exactly eight weeks as of today. In some ways, it seemed like an eternity, but she also had trouble believing that much time had passed.
It was only her sister waiting for her today. “Hey, Rosie,” she said, trying to shove aside her morose thoughts and focus on the happy moments she got to spend with her family each week.
Rosie didn’t sound happy. “Hi, Madi.”
“What’s wrong?”
With a sigh, Rosie said, “I’m not supposed to tell you.”
Her heart stuttered. “What’s going on? Who told you not to tell me what?”
“Papa said it would just worry you, and you couldn’t do nothin’, so I should shut up.”
It was difficult to draw a deep breath. “Is Momma worse?”
“Yeah.” Rosie sniffed. “She’s real bad, sis.”
“I’m coming home.” She uttered the promise with conviction, determined to find a way. Surely, Tiernan would understand why she had to go home, at least for a while? She could come back later, if he still wanted her. And if he didn’t, it would be the best thing for her in the long run, to avoid a broken heart.
Rosie sounded hopeful. “Are you really?”
“Yes, I promise.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” Her little sister sounded very young suddenly. “I’m scared, Madi.”
“I know, honey. Me too.” She was scared for her mother and a little scared about telling Tiernan she needed to go home. Still, she couldn’t believe he’d really deny her the request.
*****
She approached him in his office right after the conversation. Perhaps it would be better to wait until they were alone in the suite and ask over dinner, but time seemed to be slipping away like sand through her fingers. Fortunately, he had a free moment, and Aidan showed her in.
The sunlight through his office lent his hair a more golden tint than usual, giving him a bit of a halo. Perhaps it boded well for her mission, and she would find him angelic. Probably not.
He grinned at the sight of her. “Hello, Madison. What an unexpected pleasure.”
She wrung her hands. “I needed to see you.”
His smiled widened. “Really? I wish I had more time—”
Madison shook her head, her tone sharper than she’d intended. “Not for that.” Taking a deep breath, she softened her voice. “I just spoke with my sister.”
He nodded, his attention clearly split between her and the stack of papers on his desk. “Uh huh. How is she?”
“I need to go home, Tiernan.” She blurted the words, not able to think of a subtler way to state her request with being so stressed.
He froze, slowly lifting his head to look at her. His gaze was cold. “No.”
She tensed. “Please, I really need—”
He slammed his hand on the desk, scattering the papers he’d been studying so intently a moment ago. “Absolutely not. You can leave when I’m done with you, and not before.”
She flinched at the harsh words, but tried to reason with him. “If you would just listen—”
He shook his head. “I have a meeting. Go now.”
Sighing, Madison said, “Fine, we’ll discuss it tonight.”
Tiernan’s eyes narrowed. “There’s nothing to discuss. Your family can have you back when I say so. Until then, content yourself with weekly conversations. If that isn’t enough for you, perhaps you would like to do without them for a while, to appreciate what you have?”
Madison gasped at the threat. Pushing him any further could be disastrous, especially with her mother so sick. She couldn’t lose that last link between her family and herself. “Fine.” Without another word, she spun on her heels and marched from his office, avoiding Aidan’s sympathetic gaze as she strode past him.
In her room—no, his room—she paced and tried to come up with a plan to get him to change his mind. Eventually, she came to the realization that he wouldn’t give in. He wasn’t even willing to listen to her reasons, or entertain the idea of letting her go and come back. He had made up his mind, and his decision was directly in conflict with the promise she’d made to her sister.
No way was she going to let Rosie down again. Absolut
ely no way was she not going to be there when her mother died. That left one option. She would have to escape and make her way home. Surely, he wouldn’t bother to follow her back? If he did, maybe she could hide from him until he stopped looking. Or maybe he would realize the direness of the situation and find some compassion to meet her needs instead of his, just once.
Decision reached, now she had to figure out the how. Thanks to the few pieces of jewelry he’d given her, she had items she could trade. Clothes weren’t a problem, and she dressed in sturdy, practical things, packing a second set. Her boots were a bit stiff, and she knew she’d have sore feet for part of her walk, but they would eventually break in.
She wasn’t due to go to the clinic today, but only Vinny knew that. Upon impulse, she had sometimes changed her mind and gone in anyway, so he wouldn’t be surprised if she decided she wanted to. Nibbling her lip, she shook her head, not wanting to get Vinny in trouble. He was one of her few friends, and she couldn’t trick him like that, betraying his trust and putting him in harm’s way. Reluctantly, she decided the only other option was to pick a random escort and hope she could escape from him. She didn’t want him to be in trouble either, but at least the suspicion of cooperation wouldn’t fall so heavy on a guard who didn’t usually accompany her.
Binding her hair in a ponytail, she shoved several pieces of jewelry into her bra, heart panging at the thought of having to trade away the beautiful pink sapphire pendant. Only as a last resort, she vowed, deciding to keep it as a memento of her time with Tiernan if at all possible.
It was little trouble to get a guard to accompany her on an impromptu shopping trip. Thankfully, Tiernan hadn’t had the forethought to put a block on her travel privileges. To her delight, Pike Place Market was teeming with people, likely because of the time of the year. Harvest brought all manner of people into Seattle-Archer that might not normally frequent the city.
She milled about the crowd, using Tiernan’s trading credits to acquire a leather satchel, food, and leather-wrapped canteen. At a bladesmith’s stall, she picked up two knives, making sure to ask the guard’s opinion on if he thought the commander would like them. They went into the satchel, as did other discreet finds. She couldn’t fully outfit herself for a trip under the guard’s watchful eye, or he might grow suspicious.
In the end, escape proved surprisingly easy. Two stalls away, a dispute broke out among a group of shoppers and the merchant, who they accused of tampering with his scales. The disagreement was quickly heating up, but the soldiers who patrolled the market weren’t in their vicinity yet.
“Go on,” urged Madison. “We can’t let this become a riot.”
The man looked unsure. “I don’t know, Miss Cole.”
She sighed, making a point of putting her hand on the fruit stand by which she stood. “I’ll be right here and within shouting distance. You have to do something before people get hurt.”
With a nod, the soldier strode over to the arguing people. As soon as he turned his back to her, Madison slipped around and ran, putting all her energy into speeding away. By some miracle, she managed to navigate the crowds and stalls without knocking into anything or falling. From her explorations with Cleo, she vaguely knew how to exit the city and made for that direction.
As she put distance between herself and the soldier at the market, she paused long enough to buy a long duster from a merchant, along with a matching leather hat. As she walked, she crammed all stray hairs underneath, pulled up the collar, and slouched into it, hoping it provided her with some measure of anonymity.
She walked for more than an hour before joining the exodus of people leaving the city. A cart passed nearby, and the little girl in the back tossed her doll out the side. Immediately, she broke into a wail, and Madison jogged over to rescue the toy. Her hat fell off when she bent over to retrieve it. Shoving her hair back under it, she secured the hat before handing the doll back to the child as the driver halted the horses. “There you are.”
“Thank you, miss,” said the little girl, who couldn’t have been more than three.
“Yes, thank you,” said the woman sitting in the back near the child, holding another smaller one on her lap.
Madison nodded. “You’re welcome.”
After the mother and father traded a look, and he nodded, she asked, “Can we offer you a ride somewhere, miss?”
It was her lucky day all right. Madison smiled. “Thanks. That’d be nice.” It didn’t really matter what direction they planned to take. She could always split off from them when they left the city behind.
*****
Tiernan had ignored the feeling all afternoon, but it had persisted. Something was wrong. He thought maybe he should have listened to Madison, but her request to go home after their past few weeks of happiness had blindsided him. He had reacted on impulse, surrendering to the need to keep her at any cost. He hoped it hadn’t cost him the progress he’d made with her recently.
The feeling of wrongness swelled as he opened the door to the suite and found it deserted. No dinner waited on the table, and Madison was certainly not waiting with a warm smile—or even a recriminatory sneer. She must be pouting and had decided to give him the cold shoulder. He should just let her have her sulk and get over it. She’d be back by tomorrow. Still, it didn’t sit well with him to indulge her in these matters. She had to know who was in charge, and if he let her sleep away from him tonight, she would think it was she.
He radioed the guardhouse to find out if she had left the premises and raised his brow when the sergeant gave him an unfamiliar name as her escort. “Send him to my office. I want to talk to him.”
“Corporal Figg isn’t back yet, sir, and neither is Miss Cole.”
A pang hit him in the chest, and he followed instinct. “Send out troops to find them. Don’t forget to check that clinic where she volunteers.”
Feeling sick, he left the suite and returned to his office, finding the change of location did nothing to ease his thoughts. Bad thoughts. Thoughts of betrayal. Had she run from him? Had she somehow convinced one of his men to turn traitor and help her? Was that why she hadn’t chosen Vinny as her guard?
Within twenty minutes, the sergeant marched Figg into his office. The young man looked scared, especially when Tiernan loomed over him. “Where is she?”
Figg looked down. “I don’t know, sir. There was a fight at the marketplace. She told me to go break it up, and then she was just gone.” He looked up, pale and trembling. “I spent the rest of the day looking for her.”
The sergeant scowled. “Protocol is clear here, Commander Archer. Corporal Figg was duty bound to report back to headquarters for reinforcements to conduct a search.”
“Please, I didn’t want to get in trouble.” Sweat streamed down his forehead.
Tiernan growled. “Or you were helping her.”
He shook his head. “Help her with what, sir?”
The kid looked so clueless that Tiernan believed him. Clearly, Figg thought Madison had wandered off, or had been kidnapped. He didn’t realize she had run away. Tiernan admitted his first thoughts would have leapt to kidnappers too, if she hadn’t asked about going home this morning. “Sergeant, file charges of dereliction of duty against Corporal Figg and have him put in the brig until the tribunal convenes again.”
“Sir, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lose her.”
Tiernan managed a minute shred of compassion. “I know, Figg. She tricked you. Serve your sentence, and you’ll be allowed to return to your post.”
Figg nodded, lips trembling, as the sergeant led him out. Next, Tiernan sent for Aidan and a small group of soldiers to head up a search party. Only Aidan dared protest that it might not be safe for Tiernan to accompany them, but he shrugged off his friend’s concern. He intended to be on hand when Madison was reacquired. She had a few lessons to learn.
*****
Her luck had held. The family in the wagon was heading her way, and she’d ridden all of yesterday with them, shelterin
g with them overnight. It was only after they’d reached their destination that she’d split from them. In their village, she’d managed to barter one of the gold bracelets for a horse and had made good time since then. One of her finds at Pike Place Market the day before had been a compass, and she had it pinned to her saddle horn to ensure she stayed on the right course.
She’d done her best to disguise her gender, hating to travel alone and knowing it would be safer if everyone thought she was male. With the exception of that family yesterday, who’d seen her hair, she was fairly confident everyone else with whom she’d interacted thought she was a young man.