“You... you’re not going to put me in a horse, are you?”
“You’re gonna have to conquer your fear of horses pretty damn quick.”
“Oh dear...” Isabel watched as Edward freed the horses of their pulling gear. “Oh dear me.”
“It’s a blessing, Isabel. We ride as far as the horse can take us, and then disappear underground.”
“Well, I can’t think of a better idea.”
Edward began to saddle one of the horses, but not without taking a glance over his shoulder to make sure George still lay in the ditch. “For now there is no better idea.”
“I think the only way we will find peace is leaving the country.”
“Scotland?”
“I was thinking further afield.”
Edward grunted as he buckled the saddle straps tight, and then tapped the flank of his horse. “Ireland?”
“Bloody America, Edward.”
“Oh... But we need to pay for a ticket? Where will we find such money?”
“I have plenty back at the house.”
“There is no way we can go back.”
Isabel showed Edward the Engagement ring. “I’m sure this ring can pay for a return as well.”
“It’s pretty little bugger. Just like you.”
“Father always has cotton ships docking at Liverpool. Maybe we can steal away on one of those.”
“Then, let’s get you on this horse.”
Isabel pointed to her full length skirt. “What about my skirt? It won’t let me straddle.”
“Ah... good point.”
“So?”
Edward nonchalantly shrugged. “Gonna have to take it off.”
“I will not. Edward... that’s George speak.”
Edward pulled out a knife. “Then we’re gonna have to make some adjustments.”
“I think it’s best the dress stays in one piece for now... I don’t know how long I will need it.”
“Isabel. Every second we spend messing around increases the likelihood of us landing in a prison cell.”
Isabel groaned. She stared down the empty field track while taking a moment to think. “Give me your full length ridging coat to change into. I’ll button it up like a dress.”
“Fine... if that makes you more comfortable.”
Dressed in the full length leather riding coat, Isabel passed Edward her dress. “Put it in the saddle back carefully.”
“I’ll do my best... if it fits.”
Isabel stood by the horse. She thought the beast looked larger and more fearsome with every passing second. “Edward. I just can’t... It’s huge.”
“Remember last month at the beach?”
“What?”Isabel suddenly screamed as Edward hoisted into the air over.
“Christ! You’re heavier than I thought. Straddle the horse, quickly...”
“Edward... you cheeky fellow. I had a heavy breakfast of bacon and egg.”
With Isabel safely on the horse, Edward held his aching back. “Phew.”
“Sorry.”
“No bother... honestly. Now let’s get out of here.”
~
Albert followed the policeman down the sunlit corridor of the private hospital. Despite the warmth of the air, the moans and groans of the patients sent a shiver down his spine. Albert’s sight then landed on George who lay in bed with his head bandage. “Forgive me for my abruptness, George. However, my concern mainly lies with finding my daughter. Did you have a good look at the devil who took Isabel?”
“What did I tell you about needing a pistol?”
“I allowed you to arm yourself... but it did no good.”
George grimaces while his head throbbed. “I will have my revenge, just you see.”
“Revenge on who? Who is this man? Speak to me, George.”
“The driver.”
Albert gasped as his worst fears were realised. “Edward? Good Lord!”
Chapter 10
Cloaked by the shadows of the night, Edward led Isabel down the quiet street of a sleeping city. On reaching the familiar house Edward opened the rickety gate then paced up to the door where he rattled the brass knocker.
The dull light of a gas lamp shone through the small window in the door, signalling that someone was home. Once the door opened Edward smiled at his friend. “Duffy, I need your help.”
“Need my help?”
“Yes. Isn’t that just what I just said?”
Duffy struggled to wake from his haze of drink induced sleep. “Come on... it’s a Friday night. I’m sloshed... couldn’t even please the wife.”
“You need to get me on a ship.”
“Why?”
“I got myself into a bit of bother.”
The shock helped Duffy to finally wake from his slumber. “What have you done?” His eyes then caught the faint outline of a woman who hung back by the gate. “Who’s the girl? You’ve not got her pregnant have you? You’re in fulltime work, do the right thing and pay your dues.” The figure then walked out from the shadow allowing Duffy to witness her beauty. “Jesus and fucking Joseph. Good... Good evening Ma’am.”
“It’s not a good evening and I’m definitely not pregnant. And you sir, are a foul mouthed gutter rat.”
“Are you..?” Duffy then glanced at Edward. “Is she Albert’s daughter?”
“Yes, it’s Lady Crompton.”
“No disrespect... but Ma’am, why do you need my help?” They’re your father’s ships. You can have yourself a first class cabin quicker than a blood hound can smell its own fart.”
“Oh Lord... did I just hear that?”
Duffy did his best to straighten his back. ”Sorry, Ma’am, forgive me... I’ve been drinking tonight. It’s my son’s birth...”
“Shut up.”
“OK.”
Edward placed his boot on the doorstep. “It’s not so simple.”He stared at Duffy, whose face was lit by the yellow light of the flickering gas lamp. “She can’t be seen.”
“You’re... kidnapping her?”
“I wouldn’t word it like that.”
Isabel rested her hand on Edward’s shoulder and gave him a warm smile. “Edward is not kidnapping me.” She then glanced back at Duffy. “Quite the opposite.”
“My head is cabbaged. I need to get back to bed.”
Edward felt the heat from the gas lamp against his neck as he stepped up to Duffy. “Don’t abandon us, mate.”
“I’ll never do that... you know me.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“Come one. The wife and kids are sleeping. Step inside and we can talk this over in the parlour.”
~
The air was cold in the parlour while Duffy poured three cups of whiskey. He picked up a cup in each hand, passing one to Isabel. “We haven’t got any crystal glasses... not used to such esteem guests.”
“Don’t worry. I would drink from a cloudy stream right now. Thank you.”
Duffy then passed the second cup to Edward. “Where do you want to go?”
“America.”
“America. Right... right. ” Duffy paced about the room in thought, and then slapped a hand on his face. “You’re going to get me lynched.”
“I’m sorry, Duffy. I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t need to.”
“I’m a family man. I have three kids and a wife to think about. How could you?”
“You weren’t a family man when you were screwing the Frenchie!”
Duffy pointed towards the ceiling. “Keep it down, will ya?”
“Sorry.”
“You’re going to have to wait a few days. There’s no ship to the US until the end of the week.”
“We can’t wait... we’re wanted.”
“Fuck sake.” Duffy picked up his pipe that was already packed with tobacco. He slipped it between his lips before lighting it from the unshielded gas lamp. “The Caledonia... We’ve been loading her all week. She’s taking on fresh water in the morning and then she’s good to go.”
“Can you get us onboard?”
“The only thing is that it’s going to Halifax, Canada.”
Isabel jumped off her wooden chair. “That will do.”
“OK. It’s a bulk carrier carrying all sorts of dry goods. It will be cramp and smelly amongst the cargo, but if it’s good enough for the Irish then it should be good enough for a couple of runaways.”
“You’re a gentleman after all.”
“Right, we’re going to have to go down to the docks now.”
Isabel let out a desperate sigh. “I’ve been on my feet all day; I was hoping to finally get some sleep.”
“If you want to get on that ship without being noticed, it will have to be before sunrise.”
“I know.” Isabel stared down at her aching feet. “Well, I suppose there is no rest for the wicked.”
“Before we set out on this misguided adventure... What are you going to use as insurance?”
“Insurance?”
“If you need to bribe a crewmember?”
Edward felt his pockets. “I have the grand amount of forty pence.”
“I have my jewellery.”
“Not sure it will be enough.”
“Luckily I was dressed in my finest.”
Duffy grabbed his jacket from the coat hanger. “We’ll soon find out. Let’s go...”
~
The air felt heavy and laced by the smell of burnt coal as Duffy hurried down a cobbled street flanked by huge warehouses. His heart pounded like a steam locomotive on the rails while his eyes darted from one shadow to the next. He glanced over his shoulder towards a tired Edward and Isabel who lagged behind. “Keep close, you two.”
At the dockside a sea of tall masts appeared like a moonlit forest. Suddenly a dull thunder of a foghorn crashed through the darkness of the night, causing Isabel to let out a screech. Duffy stopped and eyeballed Isabel. “Quiet, will ya. You don’t want the night watch to start asking awkward questions.”
“It’s too late. Someone is here.”
“What?” Duffy froze at the sound of heels on cobbles.
The tall shadow spoke with a French accent. “Good Evening, Duffy. You’re rather late for your Friday night session.”
“Manon... I had a feeling I’d bump into you here.”
“I have a fresh bottle of olive oil and an empty bed... shall we?
Duffy felt the rush of excitement flow through his veins. “Ohhh.... you’re the devil in person.” He then felt his neck while looking at his desperate friends. Reluctantly, he turned to face Manon. “Unfortunately, I’m busy with my friends.”
“They can join us.”
“Really?”
“As we say in France, two baguettes are better than one.”
Duffy turned towards Edward who didn’t seem impressed. He let out a sigh and returned his focus to Manon. “Sorry, Manon. But we must be going.”
“You only walk these streets when your drunk and desperate... have you found another woman?”
Duffy glanced over his shoulder while he walked his friends towards the ships. “Of course not. You’re the only home-wrecker a man needs.”
~
Duffy hid behind a parked cart, gesturing for Edward and Isabel to follow. He gazed through the darkness towards the giant ship which sat anchored to the dockside. “There she is, the Caledonian.”
“Right... but there’s a watchman on the gangway.”
“That’s where Isabel’s jewellery comes in.”
Isabelle didn’t think twice as she slipped off her engagement ring. “Take it.”
“Give me your necklace too. Just in case.”
“My father gave me this.”
The horizon was turning a dark purple as dawn approached. Duffy took off his flat cap, and then ran his hand through his dirty blond waves. “Look. There are two of you, that’s double the risk for him.”
“That’s a diamond ring; he’d have to work for ten years to pay for that.”
“Even if it is... you’re not in a position to bargain.”
“Duffy, come back if the ring isn’t enough.”
“Time is short; just give me the damn thing. I’ll keep it hidden in my pocket unless he drives a hard bargain.”
Isabel felt a cold shudder as she felt the necklace leave her skin. In fact, she felt naked as she handed it over to Duffy.
“Thank you, Ma’am.”
“I wish I could say it was a pleasure.”
Duffy slipped the necklace into his pocket and walked toward the gangplank. “Right, stay here until I wave you on.”
Edward watched from behind the cart as Duffy approached the watchman. Chewing his nails relentlessly, he felt the conversation between Duffy and the watchman lasted longer than it should.
Dawn approached as the first chatter of birds began a stir. Eventually Edward noticed the watchman leading Duffy to a gas lamp where they inspected the ring. He then smiled as Duffy gave the signal. Edward took Isabel’s hand and marched her toward the gangway.
Chapter 11
Deep inside the darkness of the ship’s hold, Edward sat with an empty crate. His tired eyes closed over as he felt himself begin to doze. Snuggled into his side, Isabel hid her face under the blanket which the watchman had provided them. Despite wanting to sleep, Isabel’s mind felt too restless to switch off. “Edward..? Edward!”
“Yes.”
“Why did you come to my aid yesterday?”
“I had no option.”
“But you’ve thrown away everything you have... for someone you don’t even know.”
“I didn’t have too much to lose. Don’t worry.”
“Even if you didn’t” Isabel felt herself welling up. “I’m still indebted to you. You’ve humbled me.”
“You’re not. Not until we’re free of this mess. Once we set foot on Canadian soil, then you can thank me. Until then, I fear all I’ve done is make a bad situation worse.”
“You saved me... even if the worst happens.” Isabel kissed his shoulder. “You put your life on the line to save mine.”
~
Isabel woke feeling uncomfortable. She tried to ignore the discomfort, but would not cease. “Edward?”
“Yes.”
“I need to...”
“Need to what.”
“Mother nature is knocking.”
Edward kept his eyes shut. “Ah. Well.... you’ll have to go behind one of the crates.”
“A woman needs her comforts.”
“We’re stowaways... we don’t have comforts. We’re not exactly travelling first class, are we?”
Isabel began to sweat. She groaned, “I might be a stowaway, Eddie... But I’m still a lady.”
“What do you want me to do? Take out a magic wand and wish you an outhouse? I’m not a magician.”
“Outhouse? I come from a house with six flushing toilets. She rolled her head against the steel hull. “Now I don’t even have a pot to...”
“A pot to piss in?”
“I would prefer that you wouldn’t use such language.”
“Sorry Ma’am.”
Isabel slowly climbed to her feet. She had to steady herself due to the roll of the ship on the open sea. “However, I am facing a crisis... and a pot would be much appreciated.”
“What type of crisis?”
“What type of question is that for a lady? It’s my business, and my business it shall remain.”
“I know...” Edward finally opened his eyes as he asked Isabel. “But is it liquid.”
“It’s not.”
“Christ. Just hang on, Lady.” Edward groaned under his blanket. “We’re stuck down here for almost a week. Can’t share this space with stowaways of a different nature. Just wait until it’s dark and we’ll sneak on deck.”
“It’s a crisis, Eddie. A crisis is a crisis for a reason. I’ve been putting it off for hours.”
“Bloody women.”
Isabel felt annoyed by Edward, and wondered when had her hero changed. “Excuse
me?”
“Nothing.”
“It has nothing to do with being a woman... it’s simply nature.”
Edward threw back the blanket. “OK.” He then slowly rose to his feet. “I’ll see what I can find.”
~
Edward grumbled to himself as he walked amongst the neat lines of packed crates. Holding a stevedore’s crowbar which he took from a hook by an access door, he explored the crates. At random he chose a crate and forced off the lid using the crowbar. “Would you believe it... your prayers have be answered.”
“A shipment of lavatories?”
“No, but large biscuit tins.”
Isabel huffed. “How will eating help the situation?”
“You can use the empty tin.”
“Oh my God.”
Passing Isabel the tin, Edward shrugged his shoulders. “I’d rather you do that than dirty the floor.”
“Shut up.... I demand you take me in search of a lavatory.”
“Your pride will put us in danger.”
Isabel pleaded with tear filled eyes. “Please, please I’m desperate.”
~
Walking down narrow corridor lit by electric lights, Edward led Isabel by her hand in search for a lavatory. Each corridor appeared the same, and they soon became lost.
Finally, fortune appeared to smile as Edward spotted a small brass sign. “There you go. You can finally have you’re...” His heart then froze at the touch of a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Shit.”
Chapter 13
The rain appeared to fall in gray sheets while George traipsed the through the dockland streets. His tall hat shielded his face from the weather while his full length coat kept him dry to his knees. He climbed the steps then leaned against the door before knocking his fist against the damp wood. His drunken smile greeted Manon. “I heard you’re the best fuck in town.”
“I’m glad the word of mouth spreads quicker than my legs.”
George then pointed his gloved finger towards a gold necklace. “Where did you get the gold?”
“It was bought for me.”
“Nonsense.”
Manon felt intimidated and stepped backwards into the simple house. “It was.”
“Don’t lie to me. Who gave it to you?”
ROMANCE: CLEAN ROMANCE: Summer Splash! (Sweet Inspirational Contemporary Romance) (New Adult Clean Fantasy Short Stories) Page 107