Chasing Eliza

by King, Rebecca

  As she rode through the night, Eliza’s thoughts were firmly focused on the man she had just sent in the opposite direction. He had fought for her; killed for her while asking for very little in return. He was even taking her to his brother-in-laws for protection, so what exactly was in it for him. His actions had already gone far beyond those of a concerned relation, so what was it all about? Why was Peter searching for Jemima with such determination?

  She raised a hand to her ribs and the thin packet of papers nestled beneath her breast and frowned as she studied the ground racing past her. For some reason Peter and Edward, and especially Scraggan and the men giving chase, must be desperate to retrieve the information the papers contained if they were going to such lengths to capture her and Jemima.

  Without the thick warmth of the woollen cloak, she was absolutely freezing. Her fingers had long since gone numb as they clutched the reins tightly, her toes tingling with advancing chill. She was glad Edward wasn’t riding alongside her to witness the attractive picture she must make, sitting stride her horse with her hair wild and hanging hither and thither, her nose red and running like a tap and her teeth clacking together with frostbite, she was hardly a picture of female temptation.

  She wondered how he was getting on, and if he had managed to remain ahead of his pursuers. A quick glance around her confirmed that nobody had bothered to chase her, it appeared that the plan had worked and Scraggan’s men had been fooled into thinking she was Edward. She wondered briefly how they could be so stupid and shivered as the possibility they may not be rang in her mind. Despite their apparent success, they themselves could find they had been duped into believing they were free. Was she being set up? Was Scraggan going to appear in the road ahead of her, ready to make sure she didn’t take her secrets anywhere else?

  She shivered and turned in the opposite direction to the one she really needed to take. Although it hadn’t been discussed with Edward, a circuitous route to the barn seemed best.

  Dawn was peeking over the horizon by the time Eliza made her way along the hedgerow to the small village of Lymster. She was frozen, exhausted and trembling with hunger but was worried about Edward and his wellbeing. Coping with the situation she was in was bad enough but to think she had potentially caused the death of someone who had tried to protect her was horrifying, especially when it concerned Edward’s life.

  At the moment he didn’t understand just how much danger he was really in. She had seen with her own eyes just how brutal Scraggan and his men could be, but did it make it right to tell Edward everything she knew about Scraggan? Could she really involve him in her plight?

  He was only trying to help his brother-in-law, but even Peter had no idea just what dangers he was facing in trying to locate Jemima. She fingered the gold coin tucked into the top of her dress and considered her options for a moment.

  Although it was going to be a long journey, she could make the Great North Road. When she got to one of the main post chaise routes, she could catch a chaise to London or continue to ride on the horse she had as long as she took the journey a bit at a time and gave the horse plenty of rest. Thanks to Edward’s generosity, she had enough coinage to purchase a change of clothing, something to blend in with the locals and food. Probably even enough to get back to Padstow.

  Could she really leave Edward? He had faced death in an attempt to help her, did he really deserve being left to cool his heels in a barn in the middle of nowhere? He had faced death to help her, but by continuing to try to fight her seemingly insurmountable cause, he was unwittingly putting himself in so much danger Eliza could see no way of him surviving.

  Her thoughts immediately turned to their kisses back at the tavern. Despite her first impressions of him as a cold, hard warrior he had been nothing but tender and considerate of her and hadn’t really taken anything that she wasn’t prepared to give. The memory of his soft lips plundering hers swept through her mind and she knew she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t knowingly put any man – especially Edward and even Peter, whoever he might be – at risk in such a way. They might not know the depths that Scraggan would sink to, but she had first-hand experience of it. While she had breath in her body she couldn’t sit back and let them face the same fate as her father.

  Eliza reined to a stop and glanced around her. The milestone on the floor pointed half a mile to Lymster to the right or three miles to Murray to the left. With a regretful glance towards Lymster, Eliza turned her horse to the left and studied the first tendrils of dawn shimmering on the horizon with a sense of foreboding.

  Wherever this new daring path would lead her she wasn’t certain, but at least now it posed no risk to anyone other than herself.

  She could only hope Edward would understand.

  Chapter Four

  Edward cursed fluidly as he paced the empty barn. The heels of his boots echoed harshly against the packed earth in the gloom of the cavernous structure. When he reached the huge wooden doors at the far end, he turned and stomped all the way down the length of the barn Eliza had suggested they meet up in.

  He hated to admit it, but knew she wasn’t coming. Dawn had turned into mid-morning, which had rapidly succumbed to noon. He frowned and wondered if she had been caught by the men giving chase, but immediately dismissed the notion. He was fairly certain the second group of men had been the only remaining group in the area. He had raced for miles with all three of them behind him and hadn’t seen anyone else.

  Even if they had immediately turned around and galloped all the way back to the woods, Eliza would have had a good hour to get away from the area. On foot, she would be able to generate a considerable distance between herself and the unknown pursuers but on horseback she could generate significant distance to evade capture.

  He immediately thought of their conversation where Eliza had pushed him to leave without her. Instincts told him that even then, she had no intention of meeting him. He had just wasted a morning waiting for her for nothing. Cursing his own stupidity, Edward walked round the barn, occasionally glancing out of the narrow slits in brickwork that posed as windows for several moments before making another circuit of the barn.

  His patience was already worn thin through lack of sleep and frustration at Eliza or Jemima, or whatever her name really was. He didn’t want to get caught up in another night-time attack from the unknown pursuers. They had already proved to be a most persistent adversary. Whatever they wanted Eliza for had to be so important that they would be prepared to pursue her doggedly for miles to get it back. Or get her back, whichever it was he wasn’t certain either, but knew for a fact that Eliza had more information than she was letting on.

  He wondered briefly if he should just go straight to Havistock and inform Peter that he had found Jemima’s sister and leave everything to his brother-in-law. After all, it had been Peter who had been searching so desperately for Jemima. Edward had done as much as he had been able, but events had thwarted him.

  But the warrior within him refused to back down and just simply slink home without knowing for certain what had happened to her. He refused to acknowledge defeat.

  With one last dark look at the empty barn, Edward remounted Guinness and left in search of a place to stay for the night, preferably who served food in copious quantities. Wherever Eliza was, a spiteful part of him hoped she was hungry.

  Eliza was cold, tired and starving - so hungry, she was ready to eat her own boot. Although morning had arrived in a blaze of sunshine, Eliza found little in the crisp air and sunlight beaming down on her to be happy about.

  She nudged her exhausted horse into a quicker walk, well aware of the raised eyebrows she had caused in the last village. It was only then that she stopped to realise just how strange she must look. Not only as a single woman riding alone without a chaperone, but a single, dishevelled woman who was cold, unkempt and without even a cloak to cover herself.

  She fingered the gold coin in her dress thoughtfully. It would be more than enough to cover the cost of a r
oom, and food for the night, but could she risk it? Would she be able to purchase a room for the night dressed as she was? Although she hadn’t donned the dress Bernard had laid out for her, the stares she had garnered as she had ridden through the village made her feel as though she was wearing a sign proclaiming: ‘Harlot’.

  Even if she could find a tavern to furnish her with a room for the night, she had no idea which was a reputable tavern. After all, look at the one she had ended up working in. Eliza shook her head and fervently wished she had foreseen the need to meet up with Edward in the barn as planned, at least then she would have someone to talk to. On her own, she had far too much time to think and that frightened her.

  Although she had ridden some considerable distance since leaving Edward, she still hadn’t made it to the Great North Road, and didn’t want to ride any further dressed as she was. She was scared, alone and terrified at the possibility that the men had caught Edward last night haunted her conscience. She couldn’t bear it if he mysteriously disappeared as Jemima had.

  As she passed she eyed the whitewashed walls of the small coaching inn longingly. Like a beacon of light in the middle of a storm-tossed sea, Eliza eyed the wide edifice hungrily and seriously contemplated going in. From the outside the property appeared well kept, with freshly painted walls and a myriad of vibrant flowers scattered haphazardly around the small garden out front. A bawdy house in disguise wouldn’t be so well kept – would it?

  The heavenly scent of roast beef wafted temptingly beneath her nostrils and was enough to make the decision for her. Turning her weary horse into the stable yard, Eliza slid from the saddle, jumping slightly when a slightly harried-looking ostler appeared as if by magic beside her.

  Hesitantly she handed him the reins.

  “What ye be doing riding by yeself girl?” The large man grumbled, eyeing her unkempt state warily.

  “I’m sorry, I was with some other people but lost them. I-.” Eliza turned to glance at the door of the tavern warily. “Do you think they would be able to accommodate me? U-until I can find out if the rest of my party are headed this way in search of me?” She hated the ease in which the lies tripped off her tongue and immediately felt guilty as the big man softened imperceptibly towards her.

  “Aye, ‘appens the best place for you missy would be ‘ere.” He doffed his cap at her and escorted her towards the open door to the Tavern, yelling for someone called Bert and turning to stare openly at her until Bert appeared.

  Briefly he retold the story Eliza had just given him, seemingly accepting her explanation without question.

  “Please accept my abrupt appearance.” Eliza murmured, sounding incredibly formal but needing the protection these strangers could afford her. She had to sleep before she keeled over, and even from several feet away could feel the warmth emanating from the wonderfully scented interior. “I can pay.” Eliza added hastily, producing the gold coin and watching as the inn keeper shifted nervously at the sight of it resting in her dirty palm.

  “Now don’t you worry ‘bout that miss, you come on in.”

  Without hesitation Eliza found herself ushered into the enveloping warmth and could have wept with relief at the sight of the clean and tidy, and thankfully empty tap room. She barely had a chance to glance around before she was ushered upstairs and shown into one of the rooms overlooking the road.

  “Thank you so much.” Eliza murmured, battling emotion as the man’s unquestionable kindness coupled with the night’s events began to take their toll. “I don’t suppose there is any chance of having something to eat? Oh, and some water so that I can wash some of the dust off?”

  The man puffed out his chest, all fatherly concern in a way that reminded her so much of her own late father it brought tears to her eyes. Seeing her wobbly smile, the man nodded kindly towards her and assured her he would send up someone with a tray of food right away.

  Silence settled around her as she eyed the large bed sitting in the middle of the room. Even from the door she could smell the heavenly scent of flowers that hung in the air, and eyed the multi-coloured blooms standing in solitary splendour on the dresser. A spindle chair and a table were the only other items of furniture in the room, but despite the lack of embellishments the room had a cosy air that immediately made her want to toe off her boots and relax.

  Mentally sending a silent prayer of thanks to the heavens, she had barely taken two steps into the room when there was a discrete knock on the door and a maid entered carrying two steaming jugs of water which she quickly deposited on the dresser with a thump.

  “Thank you so much.” Eliza gushed, smiling brightly at the startled maid for several moments before the draw of getting clean took her attention and she moved to the dresser.

  “There’s another maid coming in a moment with the food ma’am.” The young girl assured her before quickly leaving. Sure enough the door had barely closed before the rattling of pots could be heard directly outside.

  Eliza didn’t know which to go for first. The need to wash the grime away battled with the need to eat but the matter was settled by the wonderful aromas coming from the tray.

  Edward was steaming. He hadn’t asked to find her. While he had and been reluctantly agreeable to escorting her to Peter’s, he hadn’t expected events to unfold as they had. Battling and even killing armed pursuers he could cope with, losing the woman he was meant to be protecting was something that stuck in his craw and he hated it. Hated failing at any mission he had been given.

  Well, he hadn’t actually been given this mission per se, he reluctantly admitted. Rather it had been forced upon him but now he had become involved he wasn’t prepared to stand back and allow matters to be taken out of his control. He had to have closure on it otherwise he couldn’t return to his new estates and have any hope of settling into a life of mundane normality. He would be too busy gnawing over unfinished business and, if he was completely honest, worrying about Eliza’s wellbeing.

  Until she was ensconced safely at his brother’s house, he couldn’t consider the matter closed. That meant that whatever happened, he had to find her and persuade her to trust him enough to let him take her to Havistock. He had thought last night that he had done enough to garner her trust, but clearly not.

  He was so annoyed with her right now, he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to paddle her backside, rant and rave at her or just kiss the living daylights out of her for worrying him senseless.

  He had seen the way she had softened last night when he had given her his cloak. The startled look of wonder she had shot him had revealed that nobody had seen to her wellbeing for a long time, and his simple act of kindness had touched her deeply. It had taken every ounce of fortitude not to kiss her there and then.

  He had no intention of becoming involved in her. She was pretty – beautiful even – strong willed, determined, gentle and caring. He snapped off that train of thought and scowled anew at the stone edifice of the small coaching inn sitting a little way down the road. Although tiny in comparison to some of the coaching inns lining the major routes, this one had a well kept and homely look to it that immediately made him want to see if it was as good as it looked.

  Exhaustion beckoned and he turned Guinness into the coaching inn without thought. He wasn’t sure if the delicious scent of pie that hung teasingly in the air was designed to lure hungry travellers across the threshold, but it certainly worked on him. Giving the ostler instructions, he was about to turn towards the side door to the inn when one of the horses caught his attention. He paused and frowned, studying it closely.

  Although he had never seen Eliza’s horse in daylight, he knew the mount they had purloined from their pursuers was bay with a black mane and tail, just like the one tied up hungrily chomping a bushel of hay.

  “Good day.” He greeted the startled innkeeper with a friendly smile, well aware that he had unnerved the poor man both by his sudden arrival and his appearance. With his black hair and equally dark clothing he must look like the grim reape
r, suddenly appearing in the doorway like a menacing demon. Edward fought the urge to scowl darkly and intimate the man completely and tried to keep his demeanour as jovial as he could make it. Inside he was seething and already plotting retribution against the woman undoubtedly nestled comfortably in one of the rooms upstairs.

  “I don’t suppose my wife is here is she? Unless I am much mistaken, that is her horse outside.” He went on to describe Eliza in detail. He could do that with confidence because he felt as though every inch of her was indelibly stamped on his mind.

  “Oh yes, sir! She arrived earlier and is upstairs. The maids have just taken some water and food up to her.” The innkeeper stammered, clearly convinced that he was her husband given his clear and accurate description.

  “Can you send up another tray and some more water? Then make sure we are not disturbed.” Edward ordered taking directions to the room and two steps at a time, he made his way upstairs, the muscle in his jaw twitching in temper.

  Standing outside the door, he wondered if he should burst in and scare her, but decided that keeping her on edge and wary of him was probably the best way to ensure her compliance – at least for the time being.

  Gently he knocked on the door and waited.

  Eliza was about to take her first bite of the delicious looking pie when there was a knock on the door. She paused and frowned, wondering if the maids had forgotten something. She eyed the vast array of foods before her and judged the distance to the door. Nothing could urge her to cover the distance in search of answers. From her seat at the table she called for the newcomer to enter and took a quick bite of the sumptuous meal.

  She about choked when a dusty and fiercely angry Edward casually sauntered into the room. There are only a handful of times in a person’s life when something happens that is so earth-shattering, so nerve-jarringly startling that the images remain with you for the rest of your life. Eliza knew this was one of those moments.