Journey's End (Marlbrook) (7 page)

Stunned, Laura merely sat upon the beast.  The dawn confrontation had drained her of her energy.  In the early hours of this morning
,
her looking glass had displayed a wild woman, one with hair in disarray and eyes that glowed from a conflict unresolved.  Briefly, she wondered what story that same mirror would impart to her now.

Shoulders
rose
and fell
;
the shrug symbolic in casting her troubles from her.  Laura took stock of her situation.  Today would bring a safe place to stay and the elimination of him from memory.  Two very good reasons for her ride to get underway.

As Laura exited the courtyard
,
the compulsion to look back was strong.  She pulled hard on the reins to bring her mount to a halt.  The dark steep
-
pitched roof of his abode upheld the appearance of youth when compared to its decaying supports, the depth of colour donating an ageless aspect.  To the left of the original building
,
the foundation stones of some ancient habitation lifted
their heads
above a field of weeds, his quarters threaten
ing
to share the same fate.  The daylight, she noted, added even fewer favours than the night.

Laura urged the horse forward, shifting pace to a gentle canter as they took on the miles ahead.

The pages of Laura’s journal, once treasured for their unswerving loyalty, today Laura condemned for their abject betrayal.  The previous night’s offerings sat raw in memory, her words returning to taunt her.

“The days spent in the company of this man have served a purpose.  The awkwardness that first comes as natural between strangers was today left behind, as we succeeded, thanks to his forthright nature, to dispel the frowns of society.

We have forged a mutual friendship, one that has granted us
the
freedom of speech. Until the addition of his Lordship, I held the caretaker to be a companion from whom I could learn and share. I sleep now in the hope that all will be well upon Lord Henry’s departure.

Of his Lordship, I concede that he is, as described, an accomplished man, but I confess that I experience unease whenever I am in his company. However, I am reminded that he is a Lord and that the circumstances of our encounter were not ideal, especially for a master who is greeting his hired help for the first time.”

CHAPTER
TEN
– Shelter

The landscape was not as daunting as first thought.  As far as the eye could see
,
lush green fields were lined with waist-high stone walls, a vision designed to capture the imagination of poets and artists alike.

Laura’s
horse rested, consuming some of the bountiful grass that swayed as if to a musical performance, the gentle breeze carrying upon its wings an odour unique to the provincial.  A grin surfaced.  The English countryside, Laura determined, could become a passion if one dallied too long.

The spring weather was upon
her
, and although the cold lingered
,
the temperature did nothing to detract from the wholesome beauty of the region. 
The first few
hours passed without incident.

T
he wind gave a sudden show of strength, tossing Laura’s coat of spun wool to one side. 
E
mbarrassment
overwhelmed
her
.  The opening revealed a prim dress.  The gown stopped at knee length to expose slim and shapely calves.  Refusing to be relegated to the rank of a woman who flinched at the slightest hardship, Laura had consented to ride astride the animal when no side
saddle had been produced.  She cringed.  The caretaker had been privy to her brazen display.  Without a doubt, Laura was glad she would never see him again.

As midday came and went
,
the novelty of compulsory isolation wor
e
off.  Rain
clouds amassed.  The weather was undergoing change, and Laura could not afford to neglect their presence for much
longer.

By mid-afternoon the clouds had opened, dotting the countryside with their random formations.  The fine drizzle had no effect on Laura's progress
;
however
,
the army of heavy droplets that followed saturated everything they touched.  Drenched through to her last petticoat, the cold forced Laura to seek shelter.

The icy wind gnawed at Laura’s bones and distracted her thoughts.  At this juncture,
she knew that
any decision she made could be wrong. 
Laura
turned her horse around and started back.  The animal made its reluctance known, the creature
was
loath to divert from the firm tread of the highway to take on the uneven surface of the fields.

At a halfway point, Laura brought her companion to a halt.  Barely visible against the hostile, dusky background, a
human
shape appeared on the horizon.  Laura understood that the formation would either
crystallize
or amount to naught
,
except to prove her desperation.  She could do nothing but wait and pray.

Laura
tried
to stay alert.  Her blood governed the seconds
,
as it uniformly pumped its way through her heart, until at last the
figure
began to grow in definition.  The object of her attention established itself as real.

Plots unfolded in rapid succession. 
Laura accepted that t
he rider could either be a threat to her safety or her saviour in this her darkest hour. 
Left without options, s
he urged the animal to return to the road.

The rain
continued to
show no mercy.  Changing in consistency to form large pellets, the freezing water stung exposed areas of flesh. 
Laura’s
hands suffered.

Silently
,
t
he stranger
e
xercised control over
Laura’s
mount. 
She
offered no resistance.

Upon reaching their destination,
Laura slid from the saddle.  Her strength
had
gone
;
her
willpower
was
all she had left to depend upon.  Th
is
man had d
elivered her from certain death
; she would count her blessings first
.

Hay, neatly stacked in one corner of the room
,
was the last irrelevant detail that Laura captured.  Trembling, scared and tired, Laura’s world blackened, and she did not notice the gentle hands that lifted her or the strong arms that carried her to her bed of straw.

#

Laura’s reluctance to wake was assisted by a dulled intellect.  Skin smothered skin, its texture smooth to the touch.  Laura woke with a jolt.  Her conscious mind shouted an ugly truth; she lay half
-
naked with a man.  She did not seek further details, as first terror greeted and then overpowered her.

Undisturbed by Laura’s reaction, her rescuer held her close.
“Laura, please calm yourself
,
I beg of you
,
for all is well.”  Laura’s renewed bout of panic cut Thomas’ speech short.

Details of Laura’s condition began to unfold, the information severing her mental blockade.  The caretaker’s body originated her warmth.  The man was naked to the waist and then only scantly clad from there on.  The unwanted insight almost robbed Laura of her remaining senses, but the finishing touch had yet to be absorbed.  Laura was also bare.  Except for her under-dress, a paper-thin petticoat, Laura recognised that she was naked, the see-through rudimentary barrier inferior at
its
best.  With this sordid information firmly entrenched
,
Laura tried to extract herself from the caretaker’s hold
,
but her repeated efforts were wasted.

Shame dragged Laura’s head from its perch, guarding her mind against the view
that
upturned eyes would afford.  Tears fell in hot waves.  Laura felt trapped - devastated that she had chosen the wrong path and furious this fate should befall her.

A strong hand ruled.  In authority, Thomas ignored the weight of Laura’s unsupported head
,
guiding the object to where he could again look upon her lovely features.

Laura accepted
Thomas’
domination but nevertheless suffered.  His actions made her surroundings real.

“Laura. For all our sakes
,
you must listen to me. You fainted from the cold, and I had no other means by which to help you. Nothing
-
I repeat,
-
nothing has happened that should raise your concern. I removed your clothes to save your life.”  Thomas ceased his approach.  If he hoped to be of any use to Laura
,
he would somehow have to lower her defences.

Words reached Laura but had no meaning
;
however
,
the soothing sound of
Thomas’
voice finally
quieted
her fears.

Thomas proceeded with haste.  “The rain saturated your dress and undergarments. However
,
I practised restraint
,
allowing you to retain some form of modesty.” 

Thomas spoke the truth.  The weather, their common enemy, unified them, and to worry about the appropriateness of dress had not entered his reasoning.

Thomas paused in thought.  The wetness of the material had been heaven
-
sent and beyond his ability to alter, but he had to declare that he had not closed his eyes upon the exquisite vision it had yielded him.  The image of Laura’s naked body would not volunteer to disperse of its own accord, and a condemning grin erupted from nowhere
,
portraying his errant thoughts.  It took the cold to lure him from his private reflections.

Laura could hardly believe the display that she was privy
to.  Her struggles required her to adjust to her exposed condition, a difficulty on its own, but to have this man laugh at her expense just plain angered her.  Her ordeal was not open to public ridicule.

“I am glad that you find my problems amusing
,
sir.”  The airing of her reprimand served to partially restore
Laura’s
spirits.  “I appear to be fine,” she quipped, “so if you would kindly remove yourself from my portion of straw
,
I shall dress
and then
we can be on our way.”

The laughter that had temporarily made itself
known
,
now
fled as quickly as it
had arisen
.  Thomas’ response
was brief
.
 
“No, madam, I think not. The rain has yet to recede
,
and your dress is still wet. I will hear no argument that questions the validity my decision.”  Thomas attached finality to his words,
signalling
an end to this particular conversation.

“Then would you
kindly
remove yourself to another part of the room
,
for I shall be perfectly
fine by myself
.”  Self-righteousness again interfered with Laura’s common sense.

“As you will,” Thomas retorted, and instantly a gap opened between them.

The repercussions for Laura were immediate.  The cold stung her bare
flesh
and, as the implications dawned of what would come next, Laura examined the likelihood that she had inherited her feeble-mindedness.

When Thomas judged that Laura had learned her lesson
,
he wrenched her to him, his body, broad and capable, again comforting hers.

No words followed.  Thomas waited for Laura to calm, and Laura waited for the chill to recede and the shaking to slow.

Society erected immovable boundaries
,
and predicaments such as this called for Laura to risk her life rather than
surrender
and be seduced.  Marlbrook would be lost to her.  Society would shun the fallen and deny her the right to live in a respectable establishment. 
Laura
depicted Sarah, with her bags in hand, alone and walking the
streets
and her anguish doubled.  A great lethargy swept over Laura.  The repercussions would be shared.