Perhaps it was William’s wide grin, or maybe it was the knowledge that in two days she would be without a home, but either one could have convinced her heart to follow this man and to put her trust in him.
“I have savings,” she said, ignoring his compliment. “Enough to retain two horses and enough food for our journey to Cornwall.”
“Our journey?” he asked with clear amusement. “You mean to say that you believe me?”
She nodded.
“That is excellent!” he said as he threw his arms open and moved closer as if to embrace her. What was odd was that she would have allowed him to do so. However, he did not. Instead, his arms dropped to his sides. “We have much to do before we leave.”
“And little time in which to do it,” she said with a smile. “We should get started immediately.”
Chapter Thirteen
The following two days were spent securing food, a new set of clothes for William, and two horses for their journey. They had discussed the prospect of hiring a carriage, but as they had decided early on to stop along the way and sleep in the open, and the fact that a carriage would limit where they could travel, they rejected the notion. Caroline agreed with William that less time spent on the road meant reaching the treasure sooner, and then they could purchase a carriage in order to return back to London. Plus, if they could avoid the tolls, they would save even more money.
As William went to collect the horses, Caroline took one last look at the office and flat she had called home. She had written to Doctor Brown, and though she did not inform him of her intended adventures—he would not have approved, she was certain—she did tell him that she would send on her new address as soon as she had acquired adequate employment and a new home.
She could not stop a tear from rolling down her cheek as she thought about the many people they had helped, and she vowed to continue his work, even if it had to be done someplace else. If what William said was true, she would have the funds to rent, or even possibly buy, a building to house her own charity.
The door opened, and William entered. “I have secured our belongings,” he said as he came to stand beside her. “May I take your bag?” She nodded, handing him the black medical bag. “Do you take this with you everywhere you go?”
“I do,” she replied. “One never knows who may need medical assistance.”
He gave her an appreciative smile and left the room once more. She followed him out the door to where he was tying the medical bag to the back of an old brown horse.
Will the poor beast survive such a journey? she wondered. However, it was all she could afford, so she would be easy on him. Beside the brown was a black and white mare looking only slightly better than the brown.
God help us, she muttered silently to herself.
Then she turned her gaze upon the man with whom she had chosen to spend the next two weeks. She had put her faith in this man, a man who had been released from prison not long ago. Was she a fool? Was she so desperate for company that she resorted to believing the lies of a man who had once tried to make unwanted advances on her?
“I see the doubt in your eyes,” William said. “Your spectacles do not hide it.” She went to reply, but he forestalled her. “You are right to question me. What I ask of you is unconventional, to say the least. However, I give you my word that I will never harm you in any way ever again.”
She studied him for a moment. “I know,” she said, and realized that she spoke with honesty. She reached up and adjusted the spectacles on her nose. “Let us go find this treasure,” she said with a smile.
“Yes. Let’s!” he replied. “Allow me,” he said, offering his hand to help her mount her horse. His touch was somehow comforting, and she found she did not fear him as she once had.
A moment later, he was mounted, and with a click of the reins, they were moving down the street.
The sun shone bright above them. Good luck had come their way when the rain stopped the day before. It was a sign of good things to come.
They turned onto Market Street, where merchants and buyers haggled over prices of various items, and soon they passed St. Williams Park. Caroline had visited the park on several occasions, but she always felt out of place. The women wore beautiful and fashionable dresses, the men beside them in fine suits. Their carriages had been built by the most skilled hands and pulled by horses of the best stock.
“They are all unhappy,” William stated as if reading her thoughts. “The clothes, the carriages, the laughter, they are all in vain. Each man and woman is filled with worry for what others have, and like my brother, they are all willing to betray their own in order to have it.” He hung his head. “My apologies. My burdens are not yours. Let us enjoy our journey.”
Caroline nodded, and soon they had arrived at the outskirts of London. Soon, the city was far behind, and before them lay…what? There might be a treasure, and there might not be. However, one thing was certain, there was adventure to be had.
***
Caroline had suspected this adventure would not be easy. What she had not anticipated was to find difficulty in getting William to listen to reason. She had expected the less-used roads, but she had not anticipated crossing open fields, which had yet to dry completely after the rain. However, it was not the secret route that annoyed Caroline at the moment, but rather the man squatted down before a pile of small twigs and dried leaves attempting to start a fire.
They had stopped in order to rest and water the horses and to eat a bite of food, the second stop thus far, and William had spent the last ten minutes trying to light the fire. The small outcropping of trees beside a small stream had been an ideal place to stay for the night, and Caroline was happy they had found anything dry enough to burn. However, it would take the remainder of the day, and a good part of the night, for the man to get the fire started, let alone built up enough to cook anything.
“If you would simply allow me to show you,” Caroline argued, not for the first time. “There is a much easier way.”
“Just because I come from wealth does not mean I do not know how to start a simple fire,” William argued. “I have been hunting before.”
The short time Caroline had been employed by this man, she had never seen him set foot in his own gardens—unless he was accompanying a young lady, of course—much less any forest.
Without prompting, he continued. “I once fashioned a spear from the branch of an old oak tree. I waited all day, but I was able to kill a deer.” She wanted to laugh. Who killed deer in such a way in England? “It does not matter,” he shouted. “I will do this!”
He returned to his work, the click, click of the flint and steel brought forth sparks but did nothing to their intended target.
The poor man was doing his best to reclaim anything of his former life, even if it meant performing a task he never had been forced to do before. She glanced up at the sky. The sun would be setting soon. With a sigh, she walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Please,” she said with as much kindness as she could muster. “Allow me. It does not make you less of a man if I start the fire.”
It was with clear reluctance that he passed her the flint and steel. “You want to strike near the moss,” she said as she created the necessary sparks to catch the moss on fire. “It will in turn burn the leaves, which will then burn the kindling. When the moss catches,” there was a light whoosh when this happened, “you will add just a bit of air to bring it to life.” She puckered her lips and blew on the tiny flame that had ignited on the moss, and soon, the flames spread. “Now, give me one of those small logs we chopped.” She placed it on top of the tiny flames and it caught quickly. “And there we are. We have a fire.” She stood, dusting her hands as she did so, and then placed the flint and steel into their small bag, which she returned to one of the larger bags.
When she returned to the fire, she paused to study William. He was thin from lack of food, and although he had rested for those few days, he still looked tired. Yet, somet
hing else was prevalent in his features. Lighting this fire had meant more than simple show of manhood. He wanted to prove he could contribute something, even if it was as insignificant as lighting a fire.
“I will never survive if I tell lies, will I?” he asked as he stared at the fire.
“No. It seems most of your tales are not very believable, to be honest.”
He surprised her by laughing. “No, they are not. My frustration was not with you; I hope you know that.”
“I understand,” she replied. “Shall we have a drink and speak of the fortune that awaits us?”
He smiled and produced a bottle of brandy and two cups from one of the bags. He filled them and then handed her one. Caroline was not accustomed to drinking brandy, and she coughed as it burned her throat. Soon, the burning retreated and a pleasant warm feeling overtook her.
She considered the situation at hand. She was traveling across the country with a man she had detested for a long time to search for a treasure neither knew for certain existed. This made her chuckle. And the more she thought about it, the more amusing it became, until she was outright laughing. Yes, it was a most unladylike sound, but why should she care? Who was nearby to hear her? No one. Except William.
“What have you found so amusing?” he asked. “Is it the spear I spoke of crafting?”
This sent her into a fit of giggles she could not control, and soon tears were rolling down her face. “No,” she said, trying to catch her breath. “It is buried treasure about which you learned from a highwayman while you were in prison.” She snorted and covered her mouth in horror, but the giggles would not subside. “Of course, it is common for a woman to travel alone with a man, especially one who speaks of buried treasure.” This time she laughed so hard, she threw her head back and hit the tree trunk behind her. As she rubbed the offended spot on her head, William joined in on her laughter. “I must be mad.”
“Do you think you are the only one who is mad?” he asked. “I’m sleeping tonight in a field with a woman I once scorned. One who believes her spectacles can hide what she possesses. Perhaps I can borrow them and return to society? No one will recognize me!”
This made them laugh all the harder, so much so that Caroline suspected they could be heard all the way back in London.
When they finally settled once again, she found herself staring at the man who sat across from her. He was different in so many ways from the man he once had been, and she found this new William much more pleasant than the former. When he glanced up at her, she looked away, scolding herself for staring. She could not allow him to believe that she had any other feelings for him than a mutual desire to find this alleged treasure.
With a sigh, she took another sip of her brandy and looked into the flames, the drink and the day’s travel relaxing her body.
“I will purchase a shop,” she said. “And help those who need it. And a new dress. I have always wanted a beautiful dress like the women of wealth wear. What about you?”
He remained quiet, and she thought he would not reply. However, he did. “I will redeem myself. And others. There are others who will need my help, as well.”
Chapter Fourteen
They left the following morning not long after sunrise, and Caroline found the aches in her back from sleeping on the ground familiar. At least now she had a warm blanket and a full stomach.
With mostly clear skies, she hoped the weather would hold. In her past experiences, she had spent many nights trying to find shelter beneath a tree or bush in one of the many parks in order to keep from being soaked by the heavy rains. However, she was better prepared for this journey, and it included a night at an inn if required. She would do whatever possible to never spend another night in the rain unprotected.
At the top of a hill, William came to a stop, and Caroline joined him. Below them lay a village with perhaps thirty homes and a few of the typical small shops—or so she assumed, though she could not see the signs clearly—along the road that became the High Street of the village. Numerous sheep, goats, and horses roamed the surrounding fields, a few having made their way into the village proper itself.
“Ezra told me about this place,” William said. “He spent the night, or rather the day, in the stable. I’m glad he was able to find shelter from the rain.”
“You speak of him as if he were a dear friend.”
William nodded. “He was a kind old man and a friend when I had none,” he replied. Then he let out a sigh. “When I first came to know him, I thought him mad with the stories he told. Yet…” He shrugged. “Our current journey speaks for itself about how I felt in the end.” He shook his head as if to rid himself of the memories. “We can water the horses here. How are we on supplies?”
“We have enough for another two days before we must replenish them,” Caroline replied. “If they have an inn or a pub, we might have a meal there.”
They made their way down the other side of the hill, which was much steeper than the climb.
“You must give the horse his head,” William said. “It knows how to do what is required. There is no reason to be nervous.”
Caroline gave him an indignant glare. “I am not nervous,” she insisted, though it was not a complete truth. The horse might know what is required of it, but that did not mean it knew what she required in order to stay in the saddle. She did not have much experience with riding, but she had enough to get from here to there. As long as it did not include steep inclines. Yet, she would not inform William of such information.
William frowned but said nothing as they reached the bottom of the incline. Nearby, the rhythmic clang of a blacksmith’s hammer reverberated through the air. The man stopped long enough to give them a quick nod before he was back at whatever work he was completing. A woman with a basket of clothes on her hip did the same before continuing on her way. Several older men sat in chairs or on benches in front of the houses, gawking at Caroline and William as if they were some sort of oddity.
Several of the houses served as businesses, which reminded Caroline of the village in which she lived before going to Forrest when she accepted the position at Applefield Estates. After living in London these past few years, it was odd to see it once more.
The house the furthest along the street bore a sign that read ‘Pub and Food’ but gave no name. Ah, the simple life of a village.
Caroline retrieved her medical bag from the back of the horse when she dismounted, and William raised an eyebrow at her. “You are bringing that with you?” he asked. “I do not believe anyone here would steal it.”
“One never knows who may need attention,” she replied. “And I have no doubt as to the honesty of the good people here, but I like to be prepared for anything.”
William responded with a chuckle but made no further comment as he led them into the pub, where sunlight streamed through surprisingly clean windows. Seven tables and chairs, all mismatched, were scattered throughout the room. A counter along one side served as the bar and three tall stools sat before it, all empty, as were most of the tables. The only occupied area was a table in the far corner at which sat two men, rugged and dangerous if the evil glint in their eyes meant anything.
Walking over to the opposite corner from the men, Caroline sat across from William. A woman perhaps no older than twenty came to greet them, her bright red hair tied back with a bit of cloth that matched the worn fabric of her dress.
“Ah, weary travelers,” she said with a smile. “What might I bring you?”
“Ale,” William replied. “And food. What food do you have?”
“The most perfect lamb and veg,” she replied with a wide smile. “Can I get you each a plate?”
Caroline went to reply, but William spoke first. “Yes, and a wine for the lady.”
The barmaid hurried away, and Caroline sighed. “I am quite capable of speaking for myself,” she said. Keeping her annoyance from her tone was no easy feat. Then she closed her eyes for a moment and added, “I’m sorry. I’m
not sure why I said that.”
“No, forgive me. I still eat as though it will be my last meal. My patience is nil when it comes to matters of food.”
The red-haired woman returned with their drinks, and Caroline noticed a lesion on her elbow. “What happened to your arm?” she asked.
“Oh, this?” the woman asked, making an attempt to look at her elbow. “Caught it yesterday on a bramble bush.” She laughed. “I never seem to watch where I’m going.”
“Would you mind if I inspect it?” Caroline asked as she reached for her bag. “It may become infected.”
The woman shrugged. “I suppose so. I don’t think it’s too bad, but it does pain me from time to time.”
Caroline inspected the wound. “It is not infected,” she said. “I have an ointment that will help it heal more quickly.”
“I’ve never met a real doctor,” the woman said. “Or anyone of any consequence, I suppose. A baron once stopped here, and a handsome man he was. Course, my husband Henry was quite jealous.” She giggled at this.
Caroline was just applying a bandage when a man entered the room, two plates in his hand.
“This is Henry,” the woman said. “And I’m Helen.” She turned to her husband and added, “This here is…I’m sorry, Miss. I didn’t get your name.”
“I’m Caroline.”
“Such a lovely name!” Helen said. “I’ve always said that if I have a daughter, I’d name her Caroline. Henry, this is Miss Caroline. Look what she did.” She showed him her elbow, to which he gave a grunt before walking away. “Oh, ignore him. He’s always grumpy. Unless he’s eating, then he’s as happy as a lark.” She shot a glance at William. “Much like your servant, here.”
Despite covering her mouth with a hand, she could not stop a giggle from escaping. As luck would have it, William had his mouth full of lamb, preventing the rebuttal that was certain to be there.
Redeeming The Rake (Delicate Hearts Book 3) Page 8