“None of us will,” Constance said. “You will be safe from them.”
“What did Lord Fletcher say to you?” Mary asked.
“It does not matter,” Constance replied, the memory of the man kissing her making her grimace. “What does matter is my plan for us. Though it’s not the most thought out plan, we shall put it into action.”
She sighed as doubt filled her. The truth was, she had no true plan, but she was also terrified of failing her sisters. However, if they were to remain, failure was guaranteed. “Tonight, we shall leave Lankster Manor. Forever.”
Mary and Emma gasped, and then Mary said, “This is our home. Mother and father wished for us…”
“They are now gone,” Constance interrupted. “It is my duty to take care of both of you. If you want to remain and marry those vile men, you may. If not, you must listen to what we are to do.” She despised using a harsh tone, but time was precious and she had little patience to coddle them.
“We will listen,” Mary whispered. “And do as you say.”
Constance gave a quick nod. “Good. I have placed a burlap sack for each of you in your chest of drawers - our carpetbags are much too fine and will give us away. You must pack clothing, valuables, and any other items you wish to bring. Take only that which you are willing to carry a long way, and remember, whatever you leave behind you must be willing to never see again.”
The girls glanced at one another and then nodded.
“Phillip is drunk and already asleep. The servants should be finished cleaning up after the party by now, so we will leave within the hour. We will take our horses and never return here again.”
Emma began to weep, but Mary asked, “Where are we to go? We have no family, no friends, and those we know would not hesitate to inform Phillip of our presence.”
“We may not have anyone,” Constance said with a small smile, “but we have each other. The life ahead will not be easy, and we will face many hardships as we make our way to London, but once we are there, we will rest and decide where are future will take us.”
“I have savings,” Emma said as she wiped her eyes. “Money I put away from my allowance about which Phillip does not know. With that and our jewelry, we should have plenty to pay for our journey and even a bit left over for lodging and food for at least a week.”
“I have saved some of my allowance, as well,” Mary piped in. “Whatever you need, you may have. All of it, if necessary.”
“We may need it in time,” Constance replied, “but do not worry just yet. I have saved every farthing I could since mother died. Now, we will discuss this later. For now, you must collect your things. Meet me here in one hour, and not a minute later.”
As she turned to begin her own packing, Emma caught her arm. “Thank you for helping us,” she whispered. “Mother and father would be proud.”
Constance nodded, a tear threatening to escape her eye as the three embraced.
“They wanted us to be happy,” she said, “and that is what we shall be.”
Chapter Two
With the moon and stars guiding their steps, Constance and her sisters escaped their home of Lankster Manor and sneaked to ready their horses. The light of the stable was dim with just a single candle illuminating the space, making the saddling of their animals that much harder.
“I wish we could stay,” Emma whispered, and Constance closed her eyes from heartache. “I will miss it dearly.”
“We all will,” Constance replied, tightening the cinch. “But we shall speak of it no more. Now, come, secure your sacks.”
Constance had packed an extra dress and necessary underclothes as well as a few other personal items. She also added a large blanket for them to use during periods of rest on their long journey to London. They would find a hotel when they arrived in that grand city, but they could not stop along the way; the moment Phillip learned they were missing, she had no doubt he would send out a search party, and she could not take the risk of being too close when that happened.
As they led their horses from the stable, Constance’s heart raced, worrying that Phillip, or even Lord Fletcher, would appear at any moment and stop them. Several guests had remained at Lankster Manor not wishing to return home after dark, but all had drunk themselves into a stupor and would be sleeping soundly - or so she prayed.
Before mounting, she reached down and picked up a large stone and placed it in her pocket. She glanced up at the house one last time and her heart clenched. How she would miss her home, the one attachment to her parents that remained. Yet, once she was married, whether her parents had lived or not, she and her sisters would have left the house, so there was no reason to mourn.
Regardless, she could not help but remember a time when her parents were alive. They had been a close family and spent much time together. Their father had been as playful with his daughters as a friend. Great love had existed in their home, and when their father had passed, a great sadness fell over the home.
Her mother, lonely and worried about the future of her daughters, had married Phillip, believing it was what they would need. However, the man was the opposite of Constance’s father, a cold and grumpy man with never a kind word to say. When her mother fell ill, Phillip began spending even more time away from the house. What he did, Constance did not know, but she had her suspicions, none of them complimentary.
“We should go,” Mary whispered. “If we are caught, I will faint from fright.”
Constance turned away from the only home she had ever known. “Yes,” she whispered. “We must be as quiet as possible. Once we are far enough away, we will move a bit quicker.”
Before the house was out of view, Mary glanced back. “I do wish cruel things upon that man,” she said with a derisive sniff. “May his days be dark and full of misery.”
In the past, Constance would have scolded her sister for such words. Now, however, she could not have agreed with her more. Gone was the time of watching what one said. Now was their turn at happiness.
“I agree,” Constance replied. “Now, quiet until we are far away.”
They continued down the long drive, and Constance could not help but look behind them to be sure no one appeared. Once they were on the main road, however, she let out a heavy sigh and she heard her sisters do the same.
“Where do we go tonight?” Mary asked after a few minutes of silence. “Are we to stay in the Braidwood Inn?”
Constance shook her head. “No. In fact, we will be staying in the forest once the sun rises.”
“The forest?” Mary asked with a gasp. “We are not people of the woods. What shall we eat? How will we sleep?”
“Mary,” Emma chastised her sister, “we must trust Constance and not cause her anymore worry than she already has. She will take care of us.”
Constance smiled, and Mary nodded. “You are right,” she sighed. “Forgive me.”
“There is nothing to forgive,” Constance replied. The road ascended until they reached the crest of a large hill, and the women stopped to look over the moonlit valley that lay before them. “As Emma said, you must trust me. Now, we must decide what our story will be for the time being.”
“Story?” Mary asked.
“Yes. We must have a reason to be traveling if we encounter anyone on the road. Our dear aunt has fallen ill in London, and we are on our way to see her. Our carriage driver came to an untimely death, and worrying that her days were short, we hastened to meet her lest she die before we arrive.”
Mary nodded thoughtfully, and Emma snickered.
“And what do you find so humorous?” Constance asked.
“That story,” she said with a giggle. “It is so unlike the lady you are. Mother would have been horrified and docked your allowance.”
Mary laughed and though Constance did not find what her sister said funny, she joined in on their laughter. The happiness of her sisters was her first priority, and if what she said made them laugh, then how could she take that from them?
&
nbsp; When their laughter died down, Constance looked behind her once more. Though the light from the moon showed them no one was around, it was what lay ahead of them that now frightened her, for it was unknown. As Mary had said, they were not woodspeople, and truth be told, Constance was terrified at the thought of sleeping beneath the trees. Her concern was not only for the fact she had never slept outside before, but who would be about?
The times were dark and had brought about a desperation. Many men and women had turned to thievery, and tales of people losing their lives on the road were aplenty. Reaching into her coat pocket, she felt for the large stone she had picked up before leaving. Though she was no wielder of weapons, if anyone meant to hurt her or her sisters, she would use the stone to stop any who would harm them.
“Are you all right?” Emma asked. The younger of her sisters always seemed to know her best. “You appear worried.”
Constance forced a light laugh. “I’m not worried,” she replied. “I’m excited. Now, let us continue; we must put Lankster Manor and our former lives far behind us.”
***
Before sunrise, they had left the road and made their way into the woods until they found a small clearing far enough away from the road to not be seen. Constance had erased as much evidence of where they had left the road, and with the blanket wrapped around them, the three had slept for the better part of the day.
Constance had woken up stiff, her stomach hungry, and she had given her sisters each a small portion of bread she had taken from the larder. They also took a canteen from the stable Phillip used when he went hunting, and Constance took a small drink before passing it to Mary. Rather than eating her ration, she wrapped it up in the cloth. She was not that hungry, and they might need more later.
“My back has never been sorer,” Mary said. When she saw Constance looking at her, she quickly added, “But it is far better than being made to marry a man I do not like.”
“I would rather live here the rest of my days than be married to Lord Oswald,” Emma added, taking the canteen in her hands. “That would be a marriage of misery.”
“We do not need to speak of those men anymore,” Constance said. “For they, like our home, are now behind us.” Her sisters’ faces were sad, and Constance grew frustrated at trying to appease them. “Our lives will never be the same, at least for some time. You must realize this now. The coming months will be a test of our strength and hearts, for they surely will be tried.”
“You are right,” Mary said as she stood, her once smooth blue dress now wrinkled and speckled with grass. “We will speak only of the good times ahead.”
Soon, they were back on their horses and riding toward the road. They had only been gone a day, with at least three more ahead before they arrived in London, and Constance already looked forward to a bath. Once they were in London, she would sleep for an entire day on a comfortable bed fit for a lady.
Constance peeked from the brush and was pleased she saw no one. She motioned to the others, and they rode out onto the road and continued their trek as the sun touched the horizon. Thick forest grew on either side of them and dust rose behind them, but they met few; a few lone riders, several small groups, and even a few carriages. However, it was one man who rode past them in the opposite direction about whom Constance worried, for he looked familiar, though she could not recall his name or remember where she had seen him before. She sighed. Perhaps it was her heightened imagination due to their sudden escape that made her suspicious.
Whatever it was, Constance glanced behind her just as the man also turned to glance back at them, and their eyes met. She did know him! They had met the previous year at a dinner party. Alarm rang through her as he brought the horse around and came riding up to join them.
“Miss Shepherd?” he said. “Is that you?”
Constance stopped her horse. She could not have the man becoming suspicious. “Lord Hayes,” she replied with a nod. “It is a pleasure to see you again.”
The man returned her nod, gave one to each of her sisters and then returned his attention to Constance. “What are you doing on the road alone? It will be dark soon, and the roads are a dangerous place to be, especially for unescorted ladies such as yourselves.”
Constance forced her panic down. They had a story, and all she had to do was relay it. “We received word that our aunt has fallen ill, and I…that is, my sisters and I…” Oh! She was making a mess of it stumbling over her words!
“We are off to see her before she passes,” Emma chimed in. Constance stared at her quiet sister in astonishment. Emma spoke with a confidence Constance had never heard from her before. “Sadly, our father has taken ill, and our carriage driver…” she sniffled, “he has…” she gave a dramatic sigh, “succumbed to an illness and died not three days ago.”
Quite dramatic that! Constance thought.
“I am sorry to hear such sad news,” Lord Hayes replied in clear shock. “And yet your father allows you to travel alone?”
“Not alone,” Emma said. “Our mother’s cousin lives not five miles from here. We are to meet him and have him escort us the rest of the way.”
Constance felt relief at her sister’s quick thinking.
“It sounds as if you have had a very traumatic experience,” Lord Hayes said. “Please allow me to escort you to his home.”
“Though your offer is noble,” Emma replied before Constance could, “I am afraid we are already late, and arriving with a gentleman will only bring about my cousin’s ire.” She leaned forward in her saddle and lowered her voice. “He has been grumpy as of late as he and our father have been working on some sort of business venture together.” She straightened. “But I would not know of those things, of course.”
Lord Hayes eyed them for a moment, as if uncertain if he should believe them or not. Then he bowed his head. “Very well, then. I shall inform Lord Burk that I saw you and you are safe.”
“There is no need, but if you feel you must…” Emma replied. “We should be on our way if we are to arrive before the sun sets.”
With a polite farewell, they moved their horses forward, and Constance let out a sigh of relief. “I cannot believe we have seen someone we know already,” she mumbled. “Getting to London unnoticed may prove harder than I anticipated.”
“Much harder,” Emma replied, looking over her shoulder. “I do not know if Lord Hayes accepted our story or not.”
Constance took a quick look behind her and was surprised to see the man still in the middle of the road where they had left him, his gaze clearly following them. What would they do?
She glanced at the thick forest. Moving through that would be frightening, but it would keep them out of sight of everyone else. Though they had spent one night hidden there, they had not been forty paces from the road. However, they might have to travel through it if they were to remain unseen.
“What will we do?” Mary asked. “Lord Hayes is returning.”
Constance glanced back once more, and though the distance was now great, Lord Hayes was indeed coming their way. “We will escape into the forest,” she whispered. “Once we have moved past the next bend, we will leave the road and hope he does not know where we have gone. It is our only hope.”
With a flick of their reins, their horses shot forward, and once around the bend, she led her sisters through an opening in the brush. She jumped from her horse and brushed away the tracks, getting back behind the bushes just as Lord Hayes came trotting around the bend.
He slowed, glanced around, and then heeled the horse to a light canter, scanning the road ahead with a frown.
“Is he gone?” Emma whispered.
“I believe so,” Constance replied. Though enough daylight still filled the sky, the underbrush was darker, and it appeared to go on forever. “London is that way,” she whispered, pointing to what she believed to be east. “I believe it would be best if we travel through the forest and keep away from the main road. It may take us a bit longer, but it will be safer.
Lord Hayes will surely tell Phillip of our encounter, and there will be men searching for us soon.”
Mary shivered. “I do not like the forest or the tales of it,” she whispered back, “but you are right. If we remain on the road, we will be found. I would rather take my chance here in the woods than to endure Phillip’s wrath.”
“Then we continue until it becomes too dark to see. We will sleep in the forest at night and ride in the day until we reach London.”
“Miss Shepherd?”
Constance covered her mouth to keep from screaming at the sound of Lord Hayes calling out her name from the road.
“Are you out there?”
“Quick,” she whispered, though it was unlikely he could hear her from this distance. “We must make haste.”
They waited for the man to disappear around the bend once more, still calling out to them, and then made their way down the faint forest path, keeping their heads low and listening for Lord Hayes. His voice soon died out, but Constance kept them moving ahead. The sun all but disappeared before she brought them to a stop in a tiny clearing.
“We make camp here tonight,” she said as she dismounted. “Tomorrow we continue to London and to our new lives.”
Chapter Three
They had entered the forest four days earlier, and Constance had come to the conclusion they were lost. Each night they slept under the stars, nestled against the trees, her heart thinking of better days. They had run out of food the day before, and Constance began to worry that they would starve before finding their way out.
“I think we have gone in a circle,” Emma said. “That tree, with the oval marking on its trunk. Do you see it?”
Constance followed her sister’s hand and nearly cried out in frustration. It was true; they had passed that same tree an hour before.
“Let us stop for a moment and rest,” Constance said, dismounting from her horse. “I’m sure we are close to London and just need to regain our bearings.”
Rogues Always Wear Black: A Steamy British Historical Romance Novel (Forbidden Kisses Book 1) Page 2