Chasing Eliza (20 page)

She
could only be grateful he had been a gentleman and not taken what
she had so unwittingly offered by baring herself so blatantly to
him over the dining table the other day. She cringed inwardly at
the memory of his awkwardness, the reasons behind it now perfectly
clear.

As she
slowly moved away from the door, she felt a sense of loneliness
that brought tears to her eyes. By the time she reached the door to
her room, steady rivulets scalded the pale coolness of her cheeks.
Her breath locked in her throat as she tried to suppress the sobs
locked there. Closing the door to her room behind her carefully,
she took a few moments to lock it before locking the connecting
door too. She climbed back into bed without her drink; no matter
how thirsty she was, there was no way she was going to ask Edward
Cavendish for anything again.

Sleep
was a long time coming. Vaguely she heard heavy footsteps in the
corridor some considerable time later as the men went in search of
their beds.

She had
no idea that while she was busy sobbing in rejected misery into her
pillow, they were downstairs planning the next few days with
military precision.

The
following morning was awkward and painful for Eliza. Having
overheard a conversation she wished she had never been privy to, it
was almost impossible to pretend not to know anything. As a result,
she was stilted and cautious with the men as they gathered in the
private sitting room for breakfast. She refused to make eye contact
with Edward and as they ate, had resorted to one word replies to
their attempts to engage her in conversation. Eventually they gave
in and lapsed into an awkward silence that did little to help
anyone’s appetites.

“
We made some plans last night Eliza.” Dominic ventured when
their dishes had been cleared away and they were left alone once
more to finish their tea.

“
Oh?” She fought the instinctive urge to glance at Edward, and
instead kept her steady gaze on Dominic, determined not to show any
sign of emotion at the news she knew he was going to
impart.

“
Sebastian has to go back to Leicestershire to look after
Amelia, his wife and Isobel, my wife.” Eliza gave him a ghost of a
smile and nodded. “Edward has pressing estate matters he needs to
attend to and will leave with him.”

“
Alright.” She was proud that her voice gave nothing of her
roiling emotions away and she couldn’t restrain the quick glance
she flicked at him before turning back towards Dominic.

“
Peter and I will escort you to Padstow, then we will all
return to Leicestershire. For the time being I think it would be
best if you resided with my wife and me at Havistock Hall in
Leicestershire. We are close enough to Derby for you to help Peter
search for Jemima, yet far enough away to be safe from the men who
are chasing you.”

Eliza
couldn’t see any flaw in their plan to give her cause to argue,
even if she wanted to.

“
Will you be alright to continue to ride astride, or do we
need to arrange a carriage?” Peter queried, eyeing her breeches
cautiously.

“
I will be fine riding.” Eliza sighed and finished the
remainder of her water quickly. “When do you want to
leave?”

“
How is your arm this morning?” Edward murmured, studying the
dark bruising on her forearm with a frown of concern.

“
Fine, thank you.”

She
didn’t miss the frowns that passed between the men at her ready
acceptance to their plans but refused to explain her behaviour. She
could hardly tell them she had overheard their conversation and
learnt more than she needed to.

Briefly
she wondered where Edward had slept last night. She had locked the
doors behind her last night, barring his access to the bed they
should have shared. Mentally shaking her head, she cursed herself
for being a fool and worrying about him at all. He was a grown man
who was perfectly capable of looking after himself; he didn’t need
or want her.

“
Eliza, might I have a word alone with you for a moment?”
Edward’s voice was low as he stood and clearly expected her to
accompany him from the room.

“
Aren’t we leaving now?” Eliza queried, her brow lifted
frostily as she eyed the empty plates before them.

“
The horses are ready if you are.” Peter watched as she pushed
away from the table, clearly having no intention of engaging in a
private chat with Edward or anyone else.

She
actually felt pain in her chest as she moved to stand before him in
the doorway. His towering presence so familiar to her that the
thought of their parting brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes.
Squaring her jaw with determination she gazed up defiantly at him,
his words of the previous night still ringing in her
ears.

“
Thank you for everything you have done for Jemima and me. Our
sincerest gratitude seems so little to offer after the sacrifices
you have made on our behalf.” She knew she sounded stiff and
formal, but daren’t soften. Being stilted and distant was the only
thing that was holding her together. Bravely she met his confused
stare and tossed back her head.

“
Thank you.” She murmured, offering him a small smile before
sliding past him and disappearing out of the door. “I’ll wait for
you all in the yard.”

She was
aware of soft curses before the sound of booted feet echoed on the
flagstones behind her. Sucking in a deep, fortifying breath she
began to chant.

“
Hold on for a few minutes more. Hold on for a few minutes
more.” As she left the dim confines of the inn and stepped out into
the morning sunshine.

As
promised, several horses were saddled and ready. She had no idea
which of the horses belonged to which man, so had to wait
uncomfortably for the men to join her. Peter led her over to a huge
bay standing patiently at the end of the line, ensuring she was
safely saddled before checking her tack himself.

“
You forgot this.” Edward appeared beside her, holding the
thick woollen cloak aloft.

“
Thank you.” Eliza replied quietly, shaking it out and sliding
it around her shoulders. She was glad for the opportunity to turn
her head away from his penetrating stare, fully aware that hadn’t
moved away from her to mount his own horse.

“
Will you be alright?”

“
Of course. I really am very grateful for everything you have
done. You have by far gone beyond what anyone could expect. Of
course I understand that you have your life to get on with now, and
I have mine.” She shot him a brief, over-bright smile that belied
the shimmer of tears in her eyes.

“
I am sure we will meet again in Leicestershire.” Edward
murmured, hoping he could see her again, if only for reassurance
that she was safe and well. The sudden distance in her behaviour
and ready acceptance to his leaving rankled a bit. Now that he was
free to go, he found he was unable to just simply let her leave but
he wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Tears maybe? Wailing refusal
to accept his departure?

Mentally
shaking his head, he patted her horse’s neck gently and murmured a
gentle goodbye, wishing he could draw her head down for a quick and
very thorough kiss. He wanted to go back to Leicestershire to put
some distance between them in order to assess his true feelings for
her. Until he knew for certain what those feelings were, he
couldn’t give voice to them.

Eliza
refused to agree or deny the offer of meeting him again, and
instead merely smiled vaguely as she studied the men readying
themselves for departure. She couldn’t tell him she had no
intention of remaining in Leicestershire any longer than was
absolutely necessary and while there would do everything possible
to protect her battered heart and avoid him.

She
didn’t look back as they rode out of the yard and turned towards
the Great North Road, only vaguely aware of the measured looks
between Dominic and Peter as they rode alongside her.

As she
rode she became aware of just how protected she felt. Both men were
tall and clearly of military bearing. Their pistols and swords
displayed clearly for all to see. Their mounts were the finest
horseflesh Eliza had ever seen and positively bristled with good
health as they strutted regally alongside her own smaller
mount.

“
Are you alright?” The quiet question came from
Peter.

Eliza
studied the horizon for several minutes, unsure how to answer him.
Inside, she wasn’t sure if she would ever be alright again. Her
heart was certainly battered and bruised and she still had
smugglers chasing her. Would anything ever be alright again? After
the last few weeks, she didn’t think so.

“
Of course. Everything will be fine.”

“
Last chance. Left or right?” Sebastian murmured, watching the
three riders as they set off towards Padstow.

Edward
studied Eliza, her back straight and proud as she rode on her
smaller horse between the two brutes on either side. She never
looked back. Not once.

He
considered her behaviour that morning and wondered what had caused
such a shift in her. He had never seen her so formally polite
before. Had she been overwhelmed by the presence of his brothers?
She wouldn’t have been out of place at one of the Ton’s finest
balls, refusing to allow him to mark her card.

As they
had finished their breakfast, he had found himself yearning to have
the old Eliza back with her ready replies, flashing smile and easy
camaraderie. Not the stilted, somewhat awkward young woman who was
in the company of strangers. Had the accident yesterday shaken her
more than she was letting on? He had tried to draw her to one side
to discuss it with her but she had made it clear she was having
none of it. The ease with which she shut him out annoyed the hell
out of him. He didn’t want her gratitude, but did he want her
love?

To go
left would mean going with them to Padstow, and willingly entering
into more skirmishes with relentless pursuers in his quest to keep
her safe. Undoubtedly at some point they would end up making love,
then he would have to marry her.

To go
right would mean returning home to Leicestershire and the relative
tranquillity of his new estate. He had no doubt Peter and Dominic
had rallied the same group of men who had accompanied them to
Norfolk, and were fully prepared for the confrontations they were
going in to. Eliza couldn’t be in safer hands.

He was a
free man. He had fulfilled his obligation to Peter as promised and
brought him a valuable clue to help him in his hunt for Jemima. He
could now get on with his own life – couldn’t he?

“
Left or right?” Sebastian persisted, after several minutes of
thoughtful silence.

Edward
flicked his brother a hard glance and turned his horse.

“
Let’s go.”

Sebastian shook his head. “Are you sure?”

“
Just move.” Edward spat, nudging his horse into a
trot.

“
Don’t worry, he’ll be back.” Dominic declared, glancing over
his shoulder at the rapidly retreating backs of his
brothers.

It was
highly unusual for Edward to just walk away from anything, and a
clear indication of his deepening feelings for Eliza. He was
sufficiently in love with her that he felt the need to put some
distance between them and deny everything. He wondered how long it
would be before Edward’s worry for her safety got the better of him
and he returned to their small group.

“
I wouldn’t have gotten this far without Edward.” Eliza
declared quietly. “But, I cannot expect him to sacrifice his entire
life to help me with this. I am more than overwhelmed by your
generosity and kindness as it is.” She paused and thought about how
to ask the next question.
“So why are we helping you?” Peter asked, arching a brow at her, as
if daring her to ask.

Eliza
looked at him.

Dominic
took a deep breath and studied the empty road carefully for several
long moments before turning to look at her.

“
Peter and I fought together in Spain. It was brutal, bloody
and at times, neither of us thought we would get out alive. We
often recounted little anecdotes and memories of things that had
happened to us as youngsters, growing up with younger siblings. I
heard a lot about Peter’s sister, Isobel. Upon returning to
England, I was taken up with estate matters as my uncle died and
left things in a mess. It was several weeks before I managed to get
to Oxfordshire to visit Peter and meet his sister. Anyway, when
Isobel and I did finally meet, we found we had a lot in common but
unfortunately, Peter and I were asked by the War Office to gather
together a small band of men and deal with a rapidly expanding
smuggling operation in Norfolk. I had to leave before I could ask
for Isobel’s hand in marriage.” He lapsed into painful
silence.

“
While in Norfolk, we worked hard to bring the smuggling
operation down. Obviously they fought arrest, but eventually most
of them were either captured or killed in the skirmish. All except
one.” Peter added quietly.

Eliza
swung around to stare at Peter in shock.