Lord Melvedere's Ghost

by King, Rebecca

  From the look of her though, they would be lucky if she made through the next ten miles.

  Jamie ran his hand comfortingly across her back, aware of the bony protrusion of her spine against his palm. He mentally cursed their father for his callous disregard for his daughter. Although the clothing she was wearing were a man’s cast-offs, he had seen her dress. It was modest, and as cheaply made as possible without bringing the family into disrepute. Although neither girl was starved, it was clear they had been fed sparsely with just enough food to stave off illness and starvation but, he had no doubt that their upbringing had been bereft of all luxuries and frivolities that ladies like Portia, and Cecily, deserved to have in their lives.

  In an attempt to ignore the growing anger toward her father, Jamie turned his thoughts toward Cecily, and what she would think of Melvedere Manor. He found himself filled with urgency to get her there as quickly as possible. Melvedere was his home; a huge, sprawling manor house nestled deep in the middle of a wooded glade on the Cumbrian border. It was peaceful and remote, and would give her the space and time she needed to recover from her ordeal at the hands of the spies, her father, and the carriage ride. If he had his way, she would not need to travel any great distance for quite some time but, he couldn’t exactly tell her that now.

  Cecily was close to tears. Her stomach roiled in protest at the jolting and jarring of the carriage and she swallowed repeatedly in a last ditch attempt to preserve her dignity.

  “Did you feel ill while travelling with Archie?” Jamie asked, wondering if she had been poisoned or some other malady was the cause of her poor state.

  “We walked most of the time, and when we did travel in the carriage, it wasn’t like this.”

  “We are going quickly because it is the way Jonathan usually drives. He is an excellent coachman and knows what he is doing. The more distance we can put between us and the French, the less chance there is of them catching up with us or forming a blockade further down the road,” Jamie explained. He had no idea why he felt the need to apologise for her rough treatment; they were trying to keep her alive after all but, a small part of him, a part he had not seen or felt in a very, very long time, was urging him to protect her and offer her comfort.

  “Stop the carriage,” she demanded again, pushing at his hands as they tried to grab hold of her. Wrenching open the door she was vaguely aware of Jamie’s frantic shout before the carriage slammed to a halt. The violent motion propelled her out of the door, closely followed by Jamie. She barely had the time to blink before she was swept off her feet and held in mid-air with Jamie’s hard arms around her waist. Her blank stare landed on Jonathan, who had jumped down from the box seat and was now glaring at her with a fierce expression on his face.

  Feet kicking, she pulled and clawed at Jamie’s arm until he loosened his hold. Pushing away from him, Cecily pushed past a shocked Jonathan, and disappeared through the hedge.

  Shame and mortification swept through her. She was aware of the low murmuring as Jamie spoke to his colleague a few feet away, but she paid no mind to what was being said. Several long moments later, she gathered enough energy to push her way back through the hedge, shaken but feeling slightly better. She couldn’t bring herself to go back into the carriage and instead began to walk around a little, willing her wobbly knees to keep her upright.

  “Where do you think you are going?” Jamie asked gently. She was physically shaking, and so pale that she was almost translucent. “Jonathan is going to go a bit slower for a while, just until your stomach eases a bit,” he soothed, pushing a small flask in her hands. “Take a sip, it will help.”

  Cecily couldn’t meet his eyes and merely nodded, taking a tentative sip before handing the small silver bottle back to him. In all of her life, she had never done or said anything that she was ashamed of, but this was one event she would be more than happy to obliterate from her mind.

  “What are you doing?” She squeaked when strong arms swept her off her feet. Instinctively clutching the folds of his shirt with desperate fingers, she stared into the dark confines of the carriage as though she was looking through the gates of Hell. “Please, not in there again.”

  Jamie froze and stared down at her, one foot on the carriage floor. “We have to,” he replied regretfully. He watched tears pool in her eyes that were rapidly blinked away, but he couldn’t ignore the fear in her gaze. “The carriage isn’t going to hurt you. We can lift the blinds and drop the windows so you can get some fresh air. Jonathan is going to slow down a bit so it won’t be so bumpy. It should make things easier for you,” he knew she wasn’t convinced when she continued to stare into the carriage in horror. “Trust me,” he whispered, willing her to meet his gaze.

  It was as though she had read his mind. She turned questioning eyes to meet his and they stared at each other silently for several long moments. His gaze held mute appeal for her trust; hers held a hint of suspicion and a helplessness that unmanned him. He wished he could tip her chin up and kiss her the way he wanted to, but his arms were busy holding her and that was almost as good. His body was very aware of the gentle flow of her feminine curves against him, and he was only grateful that her thoughts were engaged elsewhere so she wouldn’t notice the physical effect she was having on him.

  “How much further is there to go?” Cecily asked reluctantly wondering how she was going to get through the next hour in the carriage, let alone on to the next village or their final destination.

  “A while yet,” Jamie replied evasively, flicking a glance up at Jonathan who was staring down at them in rapt amusement. Shooting him a dirty look, Jamie ignored Cecily’s reluctance and eased her through the carriage door, placing her gently on the seat before slamming the door more forcefully than was necessary.

  True to his word, Jonathan eased the carriage forward at a gentler speed and they resumed their journey.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Jamie was very grateful that there was no return of the debilitating sickness that had hit Cecily so ruthlessly earlier that day. She had fallen asleep within minutes of being back inside and had slept solidly for the past four hours. This had allowed Jonathan to increase the speed they were travelling threefold, and they were now barrelling along at a good pace with Cecily none the wiser.

  Although they had lost valuable time travelling at a slower pace while waiting for her to recuperate, they had still managed to cover some considerable distance. But neither Jamie nor Jonathan had lost sight of the fact that they had to stick to the roads because of the carriage, and couldn’t hope to travel as quickly as they would have on horseback, even with Jonathan driving. It was quite conceivable that the guards could have overtaken them or be following at a close distance.

  Jamie had taken the opportunity a couple of hours ago to sit with Jonathan and discuss what they were going to do. It had already been agreed that Applemore was too risky to venture near, especially with the possibility of a traitor in their midst who was probably using Applemore as a base to gather information on the activities of the Star Elite. Instead, they had agreed on the safest option that was also the most satisfying to Jamie. Strangely, it hadn’t taken much persuasion to talk Jonathan into travelling the extra day to the Cumbrian border, and Jamie wondered if there was another reason why his long-time friend and colleague was happy to go to Jamie’s family seat; Belvedere Manor.

  It was evident to both of them that they had to ditch the carriage. Although Jamie was fairly certain that neither Cecily, nor Portia, had been taught to ride, both of them would be considerably faster, and far more agile, on horseback than in a lumbering carriage. In spite of Jonathan’s dextrous skills with the reins, there was only so fast they could travel without putting their own lives at risk, and it was incomprehensible that they would consider remaining in the carriage knowing they were leaving themselves open to attack. The only other options were to either go on foot, which wasn’t even considered as it was too far and too dangerous or, travel on horseback, which posed a problem
if Cecily couldn’t ride. Still, they had no choice. Jamie and Jonathan eventually agreed that they would take turns riding alongside Cecily until they got to within half a day’s ride of Cumbria, then they could switch to a carriage again if the need arose.

  Something deep with Jamie baulked at having his future wife arrive at her home ungraciously on horseback. He wanted her to arrive in style, as the true future lady of the manor should, but they were a long way off getting there yet and, at that moment, he didn’t really care how she got there as long as they were all alive and well.

  Firstly, he had to convince Cecily to take on more food. Travelling was an arduous task at the best of times, but on horseback it was essential that she had plenty of sustenance. He hoped that the fresh air would ease her travelling malady, if only she didn’t balk at the idea of riding astride a horse. There was enough food in the basket in the carriage but they would have to stock up at the next village while hiring the horses that would take them onward. It would have to be a quick, rudimentary riding lesson for Cecily and he could only hope that she was physically strong enough to cope with what lay ahead. He shared a rueful glance with Jonathan and reluctantly clambered down from the box seat to return to the carriage.

  “Cecily, come on, wake up,” Jamie murmured gently. The bones of her shoulder were hard beneath his fingers and he mentally cursed her father once more. He made a mental note to instruct the housekeeper to find out what Cecily liked to eat, and make whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it. He hated to wake her, she looked so peaceful. The much needed sleep had erased some of the dark smudges beneath her eyes, and restored the colour to her cheeks somewhat. Still, he was aware that she hadn’t eaten in several hours and it was imperative to all of them that she takes on food as quickly as possible.

  “What is it?” Cecily mumbled around a yawn. Her heart lurched when she lifted her eyes and found Jamie mere inches away. The intimacy of their situation wasn’t lost on her and she pushed herself upright, ducking away from his imposing masculinity. She pushed the wild tangle of her hair out of her eyes with one hand while she smothered a yawn with the other. “Where are we?”

  “Coming into a small town,” Jamie replied, watching regretfully as she scooted along the seat to put distance between them. “We need to change the horses.”

  Cecily blinked and took a deep breath. She was glad she had slept but now felt slightly fuzzy around the edges, and struggled to find anything to say to him. This afternoon had to be one of the most humiliating of her life but, and she mentally checked, her stomach had at least settled down somewhat.

  “Tell me, Cecily, do you ride?”

  “What? Horses?” She mentally winced at the stupidity of the statement.

  “Do you ride anything else?” Jamie retorted and wondered if she was awake yet. She clearly had no idea of her double entendre and he mentally swore. She was adorable at the best of times now though, she was so damned gorgeous that he had to move to the farthest corner of the carriage in a desperate attempt to keep his hands to himself.

  “I-I don’t know, I have never tried,” Cecily replied, frowning across at him. “Do I need to?”

  Jamie nodded slowly. “We are losing too much time travelling by coach. By sticking to the roads we are at serious risk of attack.” They had seen neither hide nor hare of anyone for several long miles, but his warrior instincts were warning him that it wouldn’t last. Danger was nearby, he could practically smell it.

  “I could try, I suppose,” Cecily replied, wondering how one went about riding a horse at all, let alone across country. “I won’t have to jump things on it, will I?”

  Jamie blew out his cheeks and shook his head. “I hope to God you don’t,” he muttered, glaring out at the small row of houses that appeared out of the window. The coaching inn they were going to use was on the near side of the town but, within minutes, Jonathan had smoothly navigated the nearly empty roads and they pulled into the yard.

  The carriage hadn’t even stopped before Jamie slammed the door open, and ordered her to remain where she was. He slammed the carriage door behind him and turned to study the assembled buildings. The inn’s ostler moseyed toward them, a beefy sandwich clenched in his huge fist. A small, thin stable hand ran behind him and immediately began to unharness the horses.

  “You lookin’ at stayin’?” The ostler asked, glaring at the horses accusingly.

  “No, we want three of your best horses,” Jamie snapped, drawing his pouch of gold coins out of his pocket. He smothered a sigh when the ostler immediately snapped to attention at the sight of the promised coinage. Jamie lifted hard eyes to the beefy man, his gaze promising retribution if he failed to carry out instructions. “Three of your best horses, understand?” His voice was cold and hard as he stared at the ostler’s greedy gaze.

  “Aye. It’ll cost ya though,” the ostler warned with an air of satisfaction.

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Jamie mused wryly and watched as the ostler shouted orders to a stable hand, who immediately scurried off behind the huge hay barn.

  The ostler glanced curiously from Jamie to Jonathan, clearly wanting to ask a few questions, until Jonathan shifted warningly. He lapsed into a cautious silence instead.

  Jamie flicked him a gold coin and a glare. “Don’t ask and you won’t regret knowing,” he warned, shooting the man a hard look that was met with a hesitant nod. The silent warning had been received and that was just what Jamie wanted. He turned and shared a look with Jonathan who was seemingly lighting a pipe while carefully studying the area. They could have been the only people for miles around.

  “Is it always this quiet?”

  “Yep, nice and quiet around here,” the ostler warned, “just the way we like it.”

  “Good,” Jamie replied. “Go and get us some food and ale but make sure it is in saddle bags.” He flicked the ostler another coin and watched the man’s eyes bug as he stared down at the gold in his palm. The man studied Jonathan carefully for a moment before turning his gaze toward Jamie’s equally bland stare. It was clear that the big man was positively bristling with questions but instead, he shrugged and ambled off to get the food having clearly decided it was not worth the risk of losing further payment to ignore anything he was told.

  No sooner had the man disappeared inside than Jamie wrenched open the door and reached into the carriage. He didn’t bother with the steps, and ignored Cecily’s cry of protest as she was lifted out of the carriage and dumped unceremoniously on her feet before him.

  Cecily tipped her head back and glared up at him, her cheeks fiery with indignation.

  Jamie was glad to see the fire back in her eyes and smiled unrepentantly at her.

  “Don’t say anything, don’t look around you and don’t answer any questions, understand?”

  Cecily stared up at him and sighed with deep annoyance. “Why is all the subterfuge necessary?” She glanced suspiciously around them as though expecting a three headed dragon to pop up at any moment before turning her gaze back to Jamie, who was shaking his head chidingly at her clear refusal to follow orders.

  “Just do as you are told. Don’t attempt to climb into the saddle, I will lift you up and for God’s sake, when you get up there, hang on.” He hated not having the opportunity to introduce her to riding properly, but they didn’t have the time to waste to see if she was going to take to it. She had to ride for the next part of the journey whether she liked it or not. It was going to be hard, tiring and uncomfortable, but there was nothing else for it. This was a matter of life and death, and she needed to understand that certain discomforts were going to come with the need to stay alive.

  A small part of him hated being so callous, but he couldn’t bear the thought of her being hurt or injured. He had no hesitation in fighting to the death to protect her and knew that Jonathan would do the same, but he didn’t need her taking unnecessary risks or hesitating when following instructions. He had no intention of losing this particular battle, not when so much wa
s at stake, and it had nothing to do with the Star Elite, spy smugglers or anyone else.

  Jamie watched the ostler leave the tavern, three laden saddle bags draped over his shoulder. The horses arrived from the opposite side of the yard. Jamie, Jonathan and Cecily stood in contemplative silence for several moments while the horses were readied.

  Cecily was aware of the curious glances the ostler kept throwing her way, but a warning look from Jamie was all it took to prevent any attempt at conversation. The silence was lengthy and had grown almost uncomfortable by the time the last cinch was tied and the horses were led toward them. Jonathan jumped down from the carriage and moved to the huge chestnut, taking hold of reins while Jamie took her elbow. Cecily’s stomach dropped as she stared at the white rimmed eyes of the huge beast as she passed its head, and moved to stand beside its saddle. The beast was so big that she couldn’t see over its back, and its feet were so massive that they looked like dinner plates. She jumped when the animal snorted in derision and bent its neck to stare at her.

  Within seconds Jamie hefted her into the saddle and Jonathan was placing her fingers around the reins.

  “Don’t do any sudden movements with these. Don’t jerk them around because they are in his mouth, see? You will hurt him and he will object,” Jonathan warned, checking her stirrup closest to him before turning and checking his own horse.

  Cecily sat frozen in place and turned panicked eyes toward Jamie, who studiously ignored her as he tied a saddle bag into position and turned to his own horse. She daren’t move. She daren’t speak. The horse coughed and she was certain she was going to end up on the hard, cobbled floor. Her fingers were clenched so tightly on the strips of leather she wasn’t entirely certain that they wouldn’t break under the pressure. She swallowed and closed her eyes on a silent prayer as the horse ambled into motion behind Jonathan. She daren’t look back at Jamie, and couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes and stare down at the passing ground. She was so high up that she felt sick again, and she wasn’t usually a sickly person.