Chasing Eliza (9 page)

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 reaper, 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.

Even
from across the room he was simply huge. He had to duck his head to
fit through the door he was so tall. Eliza judged he must be at
least six feet tall, if not more. He seemed to dwarf the room with
his sheer presence. His broad shoulders stretched and filled the
black shirt to masculine perfection. Eliza could see the ripple of
muscle beneath the black cloth as he casually meandered across the
room.

Eliza
swallowed and shifted uncomfortably in her chair, the pie in her
mouth turned to ash as she watched him draw near, pause before her
and bend down to lean menacingly over her. He placed one hand on
either arm of the chair in which she sat and drew so close to her
that his nose was almost touching hers.

Despite
her anxiety, Eliza vaguely noted his eyes were dark blue. She
hadn’t been able to see last night, but in daylight they were
startling in their intensity. Although right now they were also
glinting with fierce temper that also made a muscle twitch in his
square jaw. Tendrils of dusty black locks fell over his broad
forehead, his nostrils were flared and his lips firm as he glared
down at her in menacing silence for several moments.

Eliza
could practically feel the anger shimmering through him. All
thoughts of making excuses vanished. She could think of nothing
other than the towering bulk of masculinity that was clearly going
to raise hell any moment now.

The last
thing she expected was the dip of his head as his lips crushed
hers. It wasn’t the kiss of lovers, fuelled by tenderness and lust.
This was an affirmation of survival, a clash of wills where master
sought and challenged mate, daring her to object to complete
submission. It was quick; it was brutal and when he drew abruptly
away, left her shaking with the force of the desire that swept
through her.

Although
he had drawn back, he still loomed over her and seemed inclined to
glare down at her for as long as it took. Eliza frowned at
him.

“
If you do that to me again, I will bloody well paddle your
backside so hard you won’t be able to walk straight.” Edward
growled in a voice husky with thirst, hunger and the tide of relief
that had threatened to buckle his knees. He hated to feel so
intensely about anyone.

He had
seemingly spent the past few months helping both of his brothers
cope with their angst as they had sought to keep their prospective
brides safe from harm. He had seen the devastated husk Dominic had
turned into when Izzy had been shot, and still had nightmares about
Amelia disappearing into the black void of the rushing river not so
long back.

Although
he had no intention of marrying the woman before him, he had some
sympathy and understanding for the depths of fear his brothers had
been plunged into – and he didn’t love the woman seated before him.
With not even a full day’s acquaintance, it was impossible to fall
in love with anyone with any degree of certainty. His emotions were
engaged purely to the point of needing to know she was safe because
he liked her. She had been dealt a rough hand she didn’t deserve –
how rough a hand he had yet to learn, but she was in a dire
situation and needed his help, even if she didn’t want to
acknowledge it.

“
You and whose army?” Eliza returned, flicking her hair back
in abrupt defiance. “You can stand and glower all night but I’m
hungry. She motioned to the other chair and offered him a plate
with a large pie on it, watching as he studied it for several
moments. She was fully aware he contemplated refusing it before
hunger got the better of his need to vent his anger and he abruptly
relieved her of the plate and sat down opposite her.

“
Don’t tempt me.” He glowered at her as he dug in, willing to
put his temper to one side in order to appease his gnawing hunger,
but unwilling to let the matter drop entirely.

“
Enter!” He ordered, blithely ignoring Eliza’s glare of
disgust and turning to smile at the maids who arrived with a bottle
of brandy, more steaming hot water and even more food.

Casually
tossing them several coins, he turned back to his food apparently
oblivious that he had given them both the equivalent of a week’s
pay.

Eliza
shook her head completely at a loss to fathom how the aristocracy
really worked. To him it was mere pittance, undoubtedly he had
untold wealth somewhere that afforded him the luxury of being able
to spend days away from home without needing to supervise
something, or someone, or make business decisions.