All restraint gone.
Their bodies spent.
She savored the moment of his skin fused with hers and breathed in the heady scent of him. He slipped in behind her, nestled her neck, and wrapped his arms around her waist. Heart thudding against her chest, she wanted nothing more than to lay with him, forget about the outside world, forget everything except for him.
Chapter Seven
After untangling their legs from each another, Ally slipped out of bed. She padded to the bathtub’s edge in search of a washcloth. The morning’s early light peeked into their room, and a soft orange glow sifted over the floorboards.
“What are you doing?” Quentin murmured.
“Washing up a bit. Go back to sleep.”
His eyelids fluttered closed as he mumbled something incoherent. Within minutes, he was asleep again. She already regretted leaving him, but she couldn’t stay. She would forever keep this night in her memory, but her life’s path had been chosen, and it couldn’t include Captain Quentin Drake.
Quickly, she bound her hair and breasts. If the earl was still looking for her, she’d need to be very careful. She glanced at the man who’d brought her so much enjoyment. His dark brown hair curled over his forehead, his face almost boyish. Her heart swelled. The bliss of their joining went far beyond the normal realm of lovemaking.
Tears threatened to overcome her. Her heart clenched at the thought of leaving, but there was no time for sentimentality. As much as she wanted to truly confide in him, she couldn’t. She couldn’t be caught by the earl and she wouldn’t involve Quentin in her troubles.
They’d shared one night of mutual passion, and she’d forever be grateful.
The thought of being with him again sent shivers of pleasure running over her in droves. Stop. Stop this. She couldn’t be side-tracked, not when the earl was intent on finding her. Men like the Earl of Linford had the power to make people disappear in prison, or permanently. Ally had no doubt she was his next victim.
Once out of the inn without being noticed, she saddled her horse and rode toward Manchester to Jeffrey’s School for the Blind.
…
Quentin awakened. He reached across the bed and felt nothing but cool sheets. He cursed himself for sleeping so soundly. She’d left him. Something deep and dark twisted in his gut.
She’d given herself to him as purely and completely as a woman could. He’d savored every intoxicating inch of her curves and valleys. But still, she didn’t trust him to help her. He would gladly book passage for her to America, although he didn’t want her to leave him. Why did she matter so damn much? But he knew the answer.
He couldn’t let her go.
As he dressed, he lingered over the bathtub they shared. Her taste, her scent enveloped him still. There had to be a way to make her believe they should be together and not just for a night. He needed her in his life.
He thought back to the brief conversation he’d had with Linford. Ally insisted she hadn’t stolen from the earl, and Quentin believed her. So why did Linford really want her so badly? And since she was petrified of imprisonment, why wouldn’t she take Quentin up on his offer to go to America?
Suddenly, it all made sense.
She had spoken of her former fiancé’s brother with great affection. She would never leave the country without him, despite her insistence that she was bound directly for Scotland. He cursed himself for a second time this morning.
At the stable, he threw the saddle on Traitor. A young groom approached him. “Do you need any help with your horse, milord?”
“No, thank you, but I was wondering…if you were blind, what kind of work might you be able to do? Any ideas?”
“I’m not certain, milord, but there’s a School for the Blind in Manchester not but a few hours ride from here.”
Quentin tightened the girth on his saddle and placed the stirrup back down. “Can you tell me how to get there?” He threw the boy a shilling.
“Of course, milord.”
…
Jeffrey’s School for the Blind was a converted farmhouse on the outskirts of Manchester. After Ally was admitted entrance, she found Rupert in his room braiding pieces of wicker together. The morning light filtered in from the window creating a halo around his young face. If there was some way—any way he could stay here—but she couldn’t think how to manage it. “What are you making?”
“Ally!” Rupert set down the rattan strips and walked toward her with his arms outstretched.
She laughed, and they embraced.
Rupert felt along her shoulders and waist. “You feel thinner. What’s going on?”
Ally backed up an arm’s length away from him and ruffled the blonde hair on his head. “Show me what you’ve made.”
He held up the strips of rattan. “This will be a wicker basket, but you should see, Ally, I’m learning to make furniture, too!”
Pride shone from every inch of him. His smile, his posture. Tears stung her eyes. How could she ask him to leave? And yet, he was the only family she had on this earth. They’d made promises to each other when their families died. They were brother and sister in every sense of the word.
“What’s wrong? Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”
She nodded. No sense in delaying the inevitable. “I haven’t been completely honest with you, Rupert.”
He pressed his lips together in a hard line. “What do you mean?”
“I told you I changed jobs because I could make more money working for Simon.” She swallowed. “That’s only half the story. I witnessed the Earl of Linford—my former employer—kill a man.”
“You what?” Staring straight ahead, he blinked several times. “What exactly did you see?”
“I saw him hunched over a man lying on the ground with his hand on the hilt of a knife stuck in the man’s chest. When I gasped, the earl heard me. He looked up, and I ran.”
“But—why did you run?”
“I was afraid I’d be his next victim.”
“Did you know the earl to be the kind of man to kill someone?”
“I honestly don’t know him at all, other than the things his sister said about him, which were few.”
“Mayhap it was an accident.”
She brushed away a tear. “I might consider that theory if the earl hadn’t sent the authorities looking for me.”
“Whatever for?”
“I’m wanted for stealing from him.”
Rupert gripped her hand. “But you wouldn’t steal anything.”
“No, of course I wouldn’t. I tried to stay hidden so you could finish school, but he’s found me. He’s discovered my identity.”
“What should we do?”
“Go to Scotland where he can’t find me.”
“I thought you said I could stay here a while longer. I’m learning so much.” Rupert reached for her forearm and pulled. “Come. I’ll take you to the room where I’m making a chair.”
“I’m so glad. I am, but—” She stopped, not allowing him to pull her farther across the room. Maybe she should allow him to stay. She could have money sent to him once she was settled.
“I was thinking once we open the riding stables, we’d sell wicker furniture, too,” he said and stood up straighter.
Tears pricked Ally’s eyes. His dream was every bit as big as hers. He was so proud of what he’d accomplished here. “That’s a wonderful idea. The basket you’re making is beautiful. You’ve done an excellent job, but Rupert, we have to leave England. We’ll ride double until I can secure a mail coach.”
Rupert stood still, unmoving.
She placed her hands on his small shoulders. “We agreed to stay together. No matter what. If the earl is willing to lie to the authorities, what else is he capable of? I’m the only witness, and he’s coming for me. I fear he may resort to threatening you to lure me back, but if you truly want to stay, let’s talk about it.”
His confused expression turned to resolve. “No. We stay together. No matter what. G
ive me a moment.”
…
Quentin located the school without any problems. Unfortunately, Ally and her brother had already departed by the time he arrived. One of the teachers rambled on about young Rupert Parrish, how much they enjoyed him, and how sorry they were to see him leave. All Quentin needed to know was which northbound road Ally chose—to Preston or Halifax? Would she continue riding her mare, or with her brother in tow, would she travel via mail coach? He had no inkling of her financial status, but guessed she couldn’t afford the train.
Despite the ache in his leg, he pushed on, urging Traitor into a trot. He made a calculated guess she’d take the road to Halifax. He deduced this because this was also the route to Sunderland, and mayhap she’d stop at her childhood home on the way to Scotland. She couldn’t be far ahead of him.
He’d barely left the outskirts of Manchester before he heard a scream. A woman’s scream.
Ally.
Pressing his horse into a gallop, Quentin crested a knoll on the forested road. In the distance, a man pulled the hat and bindings from Ally’s head. Highwaymen, no doubt. Fear gripped him. Quentin slowed his mount and turned into a thick grove of oak trees. How could he have let Ally slip away from him again? He left Traitor securely tied, slid his musket out of its leather scabbard, and approached the group quietly from the cover of trees.
…
The men had come out of nowhere. Ally wasn’t prepared for highwaymen, but she schooled her features and willed herself to stay calm. They were just two boys traveling on the road to Halifax. Dismounting, she assisted Rupert and reassured him, “It’s going to be all right.”
Still, she couldn’t keep her hands from trembling.
“Your disguise is ingenious, I’ll give you that,” one of them said. “I certainly wasn’t looking for a young boy—a blacksmith’s son.”
Her disguise? One of the men yanked her from Rupert’s side. Panic slithered its way into her heart.
“After the blacksmith returned to Liverpool alone, I recalled that you had a relation in Manchester and assumed you’d fled here to seek his aid.” A third man emerged from the trees. “I’m glad we caught up with you before you disappeared again.”
These weren’t common highwaymen, but the Earl of Linford and two of his hired men.
“Let her go,” Rupert called out.
“We aren’t holding her captive, lad,” the earl said. “I just have a few items I need to discuss with Miss Lockwood, privately.”
“Let go of me,” Ally spat. Linford’s man latched his grip onto her forearm and pulled off her hat. “I won’t tell anyone what I saw. I promise.”
“I need to tell you what really happened,” Linford said with conviction. “And I need to make certain you won’t speak to anyone. What you saw could be misconstrued. It was self-defense, you see, but given the history between Ezra and myself, no one will ever believe it.”
“Linford, leave her be.”
Stunned, Ally watched Quentin emerge from the cover of the forest with a rifle in his hands aimed at the men.
The earl grunted and turned his attention to Quentin.
Fear laced around Ally’s spine, and she fled to Rupert’s side.
Linford’s gaze narrowed. “Drake, you keep appearing at the most inopportune moments.”
“That depends on your perspective.” Quentin stepped between Ally and the earl. “Now back away.”
They were outnumbered. Both of Linford’s men were armed. Ally leapt for her saddlebags. In an instant, she had the pistol in her hands, pointing it at the Earl of Linford.
“Stop. Nobody shoot,” Quentin shouted. “What’s really going on here?”
“You haven’t heard then?” Linford asked.
“Heard what?”
“Ally, let’s go,” Rupert tugged on her arm.
“No, stay right here, behind me,” Ally commanded, still directing the pistol at Linford.
“Listen to your sister,” Quentin said and turned his gaze back to Linford. “I asked what this is all about?”
“Miss Lockwood was working as a lady’s companion to my sister. She happened upon our stables when a man paid me a visit.” Linford’s gaze swept from Quentin to her. “You can put the pistol away. I never wished for you to be harmed, only to speak with you.”
“Call your men off,” Quentin said.
Linford nodded in their direction and they backed up.
Tentatively, she slipped the pistol in her pocket and wrapped her arms protectively around Rupert. “If you only wanted to speak with me, then why have you had the authorities hunting for me?”
Silence fell over the group. Leaves rustling in the breeze sounded like a chorus of strained whispers. Linford squared his shoulders. “I could think of no other way to find you.”
Linford eyed his men. “Put your guns away.” He looked at Ally again. “Your reaction is likely the same as the courts would have been. I didn’t kill him. He was drunk and coming at me with that knife of his. I merely dodged him, and he tripped. I swear to you—that’s what happened. You saw me pull a knife out of his belly, but you didn’t see me put it in.”
Ally recalled the image of him hunched over the body. He was correct. She’d never seen him press in the knife. Her initial alarm gone, she slid beside Quentin. “But I saw you with your hand on the hilt of the knife. The body was lying prone on the ground.”
Quentin turned to her. “Did you see Linford stab him?”
She shook her head. “No. I saw…I didn’t stay long enough to see any movement of his hand—only that his hand was on the knife.”
Linford nodded. “I pulled the knife out of his body. I tried to stop you, Miss Lockwood—to explain, but I could never find you. I’ve been looking for you ever since.”
“But you accused me of stealing from you.”
“After I searched for you for weeks, I grew desperate. I invented the theft story. I apologize.” Linford’s eyes gleamed with sadness and regret. “I thought you’d rise to defend yourself, but you never did.”
“Of course I didn’t,” Ally said. “I was afraid you’d kill me next.”
“I didn’t kill Ezra, but everyone knew I’d had an affair with his wife, so of course they would consider me guilty.”
Quentin turned to Linford. “Where’s the man’s body now?”
“I buried him on my property.” There was no mistaking the bitterness in Linford’s voice. “It was more than he deserved. He was a drunk and an abuser of women.”
Ally recalled the earl at the stables again in her mind. When he looked at her from beside the body, maybe all she saw in his eyes was her own fear staring back at her. Her own insecurities and distress over such a horrific scene.
Quentin touched her arm. “Are you all right?”
With this new information, she viewed the scene differently. “Yes, I remember everything clearly. I jumped to a conclusion.”
Linford nodded. “Just as I was afraid you would.”
Ally stared into his blue eyes. She wouldn’t consider him a good man, but she realized he wasn’t a murderer. “I believe you.”
Chapter Eight
Ally gazed across the bow of the ship and breathed the salty air into her lungs. Her skirts whipped around her legs in the wind. For the first time in two years, she felt truly free. She still grieved for her mother and father, and for her brother, Henry. And she still grieved for her former fiancé, John. But as the sun peaked over the horizon, she looked upon the orange glow of dawn with renewed hope.
The anxiety she’d grown accustomed to by living secretly as a boy, always hiding—always looking over her shoulder—was gone.
Quentin stepped up behind her and slipped his arm around her waist. “Good morning, my love.”
Ally swung around and nuzzled her face into the crook of his shoulder. She sucked in the earthy scent of him. “Good morning to you. You’ve never told me. Why did your sister choose another when she really loved the Earl of Linford?”
; “The earl was a rake of the worst kind, a reputed lady’s man. He pursued my sister despite her wishes to marry a country gentleman. She made it very clear she had no desire to live in London or any large city. The two of them were so different from one another. A veritable country mouse and city Tom cat, as it were.”
“I love how you tell stories, even if they are tragic,” Ally interrupted and snuggled against the warm frame of his body. “Go on.”
“But Linford would not be dissuaded from his suit. He pressed on with all the romantic gestures women love. Flowers, picnics, gifts. In fact, he gave her a horse. To this day, I’m sure that mare still misses Lenora as much as anyone.” Quentin tipped her chin and gazed into her eyes. “You remind me of my sister in so many ways. I think when I first found you with that colt, Lenora must have had a hand in our meeting. She loved horses just as you do. She also wouldn’t have wanted that colt to suffer. I tried to walk away from those stables, you know, but something pulled at me to investigate.”
Ally’s heart swelled, and she silently thanked Quentin’s sister for pushing him toward her, if such a thing existed. She liked to think it did.
“Linford eventually won Lenora over. I was as surprised as anyone by this turn of events. They asked permission from my older brother and eventually announced their engagement. All seemed well, and I was called back to sea. I had to miss the wedding, but while I was gone, something happened. Another woman, a misunderstanding, something made Lenora break the engagement. She quickly and quietly married a vicar, and lived in the country outside of York, like she claimed she always wanted. Several months later, I received a missive saying Lenora fell and hit her head. Her brain swelled, and eventually, she died.”
“What a horrible tragedy.”
“I think Linford must know in his heart it was an accident, but he still blames himself. I believe that’s what drove him to drink to such excess. Whatever happened between them that caused Lenora to break the engagement…well, I’m sure we’ll never know the true story.”
“Did you ever ask your sister why she married another?”
“I was gone, of course, but my brother did. She would never say. She never told anyone in the family.”
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