Chasing Eliza (19 page)

“
Peter, thank God.” He sighed. “Did you secure rooms for
us?”

“
Everything’s all sorted.” Dominic replied, ushering them
towards the stairs.

“
Jemima?” Peter’s voice was shocked as he stared at the woman
in Edward’s arms.

Edward
froze. His stomach sank to his boots as he stared at the mixture of
shock and delight on Peter’s face. Slowly his gaze lowered to the
unconscious woman in his arms and felt a sense of betrayal so deep
he wanted to shout out a gut-wrenching denial.

He
glanced up in horror at Peter as he drew near.

“
Please tell me this isn’t Jemima?” Everything within him was
locked on Peter’s face as he waited for the inevitable response.
His world tipped in turmoil as the horrendous possibility of having
to hand her over to Peter and stand back loomed menacingly before
him. Briefly he hated Peter for his hold on her.

“
It’s Jemima.” Peter whispered, his voice filled with emotion
as he stared down at the woman Edward was holding.

Edward
felt sick and stared in disbelief at his friend, feeling his heart
break.

“
Let’s get her upstairs.” Dominic suggested moving forwards to
stare down at the haunting beauty Edward carried. He was unsure
what was going on but the pain both men were experiencing was clear
to see, and he was unwilling to allow either Peter or Edward to put
on any more of a show for the tap room’s occupants.

Edward
climbed the stairs, glad for the brief opportunity to try to get
his stunned emotions under control. He protectively curled his arms
around the woman he held, pulling her tight against his heart, and
wondered if he should just hold on to her and refuse to allow Peter
near. He stood silently and watched Peter swing a door open before
standing back for Edward to pass through with his precious
burden.

Inside
the small, yet clean room Edward placed Eliza – Jemima - on the bed
and slowly withdrew his arms from around her. The bitter pang of
regret that stole through him as he put distance between them shook
him to his very soul. He hadn’t wanted to feel so deeply about
anyone – especially the woman on the bed, but despite his best
intentions she had more of an impact on him than he had realised.
Not only did he have strong suspicions he was in love with her, she
now belonged to the man standing on the opposite side of the bed.
The knowledge brought physical hurt that threatened to unman
him.

His face
was carved in stone as he stood on the opposite side of the bed and
watched Peter study her face closely, a frown on his face. Dominic
and Sebastian entered the room and moved to stand at the end of the
bed, watching Peter in consternation.

“
What is it?” Dominic demanded, his voice sharp.

“
This isn’t Jemima.” Peter’s voice was a stark whisper in the
silence of the room, laced with disappointment and
confusion.

“
What?” Edward snapped, raising surprised eyes to meet
Peter’s.

“
She looks so much like Jemima it is startling, but Jemima had
a small cut above her right eye – here – that she got as a child.
This woman doesn’t have any cut. See?” Peter gently lifted a curled
tendril of hair of her unmarked brow.

“
She is Eliza, the younger sister to your Jemima.” Edward
replied softly, shaken by the force of relief that that swept
through him.

“
Where did you find her?” Peter questioned, studying the
emotions on Edward’s face in understanding.

“
Derby.” Edward replied, arching his back against the fierce
ache there. Now he had stopped, his muscles were protesting against
the strain of the past few days. He could sense Peter’s next
question. “Jemima disappeared from there two weeks ago.”

They
were interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

Moments
later Dominic motioned the small man enter and after Edward gave
him details of the accident they left to wait for his diagnosis.
Within moments he was being ushered out, secure in the knowledge
that she was at least receiving the medical care she needed, and
she was indeed who she said she was. Everything else suddenly
didn’t seem all that important.

While
waiting for the doctor’s diagnosis, Edward spent an hour bringing
his brothers up to date on events so far. The wave of relief when
the doctor reported that apart from deep bruising Eliza was fine
had shook him to the core and he found himself making his excuses,
desperately needing several moments alone to deal with his
shattered emotions.

Edward
slipped down into the steaming water of a long awaited bath with a
huge sigh of pleasure. His protesting muscles began to soften as
the silken glide of the water began to soothe the aching flesh.
Although his flesh was relaxed, his mind was a raging torrent of
emotions he struggled to make sense of.

He tried
not to think of his first few minutes in the inn; loathed to
consider those grief-stricken moments when he had thought she
belonged to another. The pain had been so sharp it had threatened
to buckle his knees.

He
considered the events of the past few days, and wondered if he
really could rely upon his feelings for her. After all he was a
man; a gentleman who had been taught to look after those weaker
than him. He knew the dangers she faced. It was inevitable that he
should feel a deep protectiveness towards her. He had done nothing
over the past few days he wouldn’t have done for Amelia and Izzy,
and he cared for them without being deeply in love with them. It
was the safe with Eliza, wasn’t it?

He
scowled and sank deep into the tub until his head was beneath the
water. Holding his breath for as long as he could while he tried to
reason out the fierce ache that had settled in the middle of his
chest. He had done what he promised and delivered her to Peter. He
could go on his way now, knowing she was going to be well looked
after. His emotions were purely due to nothing more than a
knee-jerk reaction to living with her in such close quarters and
facing constant danger together. Nothing more.

She was
beautiful, that was without question. The image of her near
nakedness sitting across the table swam to the forefront of his
mind and his body hardened in readiness. It was inevitable that he
would physically desire such an attractive woman, especially given
she was the only female in the vicinity, but was love driving him?
Or the need to take and possess what he had so readily fought
for?

Surging
out of the water, he gasped and shook water out of his eyes,
staring at the wall as he considered what he actually wanted out of
life. He still wasn’t comfortable with the prospect but at some
point in his life he would have to marry. He was Earl to a title
and would have to see to the continuation of the Earldom and
estates. Would it be so bad being married to someone like
Eliza?

She was
brave. She had faced the ordeal of the past few days with a stoical
calm and endless fortitude that was impressive. She hadn’t screamed
and swooned; she had gritted her teeth and endured everything that
had been thrown at her. He was incredibly lucky that she had been
beside him. The men he had faced would have overwhelmed him with
anyone less logical, less cool in the face of adversity.

Edward
scowled at the wall and considered the turmoil rumbling within him.
Having any woman throw his own wants and needs into confusion was
everything he had intended to avoid. He shouldn’t be surprised or
perplexed that Eliza had brought such trouble into his life; she
was a female after all. A small part of him resented her for having
such a profound effect on him seemingly without trying. She was
fast asleep on the huge bed, oblivious to his emotional
confusion.

If he
remained with the group and escorted her to Padstow, he knew he
wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her. They would undoubtedly
make love and the question of marriage would be a mute point; they
would be expected to marry regardless of emotions being engaged, or
reality of their suitability. His brothers had already assumed that
he had bedded Eliza, and hadn’t bothered to question whether they
should share a room having only hired four rooms in one wing of the
inn.

Although
he cared about her, he couldn’t be certain it was love and more
importantly love that was strong enough to make him want to spend
the rest of his life with her. The circumstances over the past few
days had made it impossible to really get to know her, but it was
impossible to keep any distance between them given their sleeping
arrangements.

It
really left him with only one option.

He ran a
weary hand down his face and wondered if he had the strength to
ride away and leave her.

Chapter
Eight

Later that
night, Eliza awoke with a raging thirst. She couldn’t remember much
about her arrival at the inn other than the group of large,
overpowering males that had towered over her with varying degrees
of concern on their faces.

Now,
having had some sleep, she was thirsty and hungry. There was no
water jug in her room, and Eliza was loathed to ring for a maid.
She didn’t want to cause any commotion just for some water and
quickly dressed to go in search of the tap room or kitchens for a
drink.

She had
no idea what time it was, but the tap was dark and deserted, the
regular patrons having long since left in search of their beds. As
she moved down the darkened corridor towards the back of the inn
and the kitchens, she passed the door to the private
parlour.

The
sound of Edward’s raised voice from within made her pause. She
briefly considered knocking but the sounds of heated argument made
her pause and shrink back against the wall. She quickly glanced up
and down the corridor and with only a small pang of guilt, listened
to Edward vent his fury.

“
Look, I’ve done my bit, now I need to go and start to build
my estates. You two are the smuggler bashers, not me.” Edward’s
voice was hard and impatient.

“
But you know her Edward; we are merely strangers to her. She
is more likely to trust you than us.” Dominic argued, watching the
stubborn tilt of his young brother’s chin with
frustration.

“
I said if I found her then I would bring her to you Peter.
Although I didn’t find Jemima, Eliza knows more than she is letting
on. You need to tell her what you have found out about Jemima and
let Eliza help you search. You don’t need me.” Edward held his
hands out imploringly as he stared at his brother-in-law. “I have
to get back to start work on my estates. While I am here they
aren’t earning anything. I’ve got cattle appearing at the end of
the month and nowhere to put them.”

Sebastian snorted. “You’re clutching at straws brother mine.”
He drawled, knowing Edward was trying to evade something that
bothered him, and was failing miserably. “You’re in love with
her.”

“
No I am not.” Edward turned to glare at his brother. “She is
pretty, I’ll grant you. But I don’t love her, or have any
attraction to her.” He mentally winced at that small lie, but
continued to glare defensively at everyone. “She is nice, but a
bundle of trouble and I have absolutely no intention of getting
involved with anyone, let alone someone like Eliza.”

Silence
descended for several minutes, and Eliza was about to move away
from the door when Sebastian’s next question made her
pause.

“
Someone like Eliza. You mean someone beautiful, intelligent;
someone who challenges you and makes you reconsider what you want
out of life?” Sebastian quirked a brow, thinking of Amelia’s impact
on his own life.

Edward
flinched at Sebastian’s brutally accurate assessment of his deepest
emotions.

“
Have you had her yet?”

Edward
sighed and glared at his brother. “Of course not, what do you take
me for? Just because we have spent much of the past few days alone,
doesn’t mean I will sleep with her just for the hell of it. I have
no intention of getting involved with her; emotionally or
physically.” His voice was cold and flat, brooking no argument.
“She’s your problem now. She wants to go to Padstow. You two have
past experience with smugglers, not me. You lot can take
her.”

Eliza’s
heart clenched painfully in her chest and she felt a sense of
embarrassment at his abrupt rejection. Although he hadn’t voiced
his thoughts directly to her, she felt a sting of humiliation at
his lack of interest in her. All the while every thought, every
feeling, every fibre of her being had been locked on him over the
past few days with such intensity she wasn’t sure where he ended
and she began.

He had
fought and killed to protect her. With the trouble she had caused
him, she couldn’t really blame him for wanting to get away from her
as soon as the opportunity arose. But to hear his declaration that
she wasn’t attractive to him shattered her heart into a thousand
tiny pieces. As she stood in the darkness of the empty corridor,
her heart turned to dust at her feel, she had no doubt it would be
best for both of them if he left at the first opportunity. Having
heard him deny an attraction towards her it was going to be
impossible to have the same easy-going familiarity they had shared
over the past few days.