The Long Road to Love (6 page)

Soon he joined the pair by the fire. His wet, lawn shirt clung uncomfortably, but he didn’t want to embarrass Angel by removing it. “Miss Markham, allow me to introduce our host, Mr. Daniel Wiggins.”

“Right pleased to make yer ‘quaintance, miss.” Daniel pulled his hat from his head, making his brown curls point forward, then he gave a great sleepy yawn.

Angelica smiled at the lad’s formal greeting. Despite the lack of a parent’s presence, it was clear he’d been properly brought up. “I’m delighted to meet you, Daniel, but I suggest that you might want to don some dry clothes, or you might catch cold, then return to your bed.”

The boy looked to his lordship. Richard nodded his agreement.

“Well, I’ll sleep in the loft, and the lady can take the bed.” He gestured to the small room where Angelica had changed. “But where’ll ye sleep, my lord?”

“Here before the fire.” Richard gestured to one of the wooden chairs. Seeing the boy frown, the earl smiled.

“Don’t worry, I shall make myself comfortable.”

Daniel wished the pair good night, and climbed the ladder to the loft. Left alone with Angelica, Richard inquired if she’d taken any harm from her wetting. She quickly assured him she was fine, but urged him to use the small room to don dry clothes.

Richard took his bag and disappeared behind the curtain. Soon he returned in stockinged feet, dry tan buckskins and a shirt, but no cravat. He apologized for his informal attire, but pleaded an insufficient wardrobe to cover their drenching. Placing his Hessians beside the fire to dry, he settled into a chair.

Angelica’s gaze trailed to the vee in the earl’s lawn shirt which exposed a muscular chest. She was very conscious of his virile appeal, and the blood raced through her veins. With an effort she drew her gaze to the fire. Aware that he was looking at her, she uttered the first thought to come to her mind, “Don’t you find it strange that Daniel is here by himself?”

The earl looked curiously about the room. He’d been so conscious of Angel since he’d arrived in the room, that the thought hadn’t occurred to him. “Now that you mention it, I do. Perchance his parents went to the village, which young Daniel told me is just beyond the bridge we didn’t reach, and got stranded on the other side.”

Angelica nodded her head, not having thought of such.

“Yes, that is likely, for I cannot imagine what else would keep a responsible parent away at night.”

Several possibilities of an illegal nature occurred to Richard, but he didn’t mention them to Angelica. “Daniel tells me the village of Throcking is a mile or so beyond the river. That means we are in Hertfordshire.”

“Speaking of the river which we were unable to cross, what shall we do on the morrow?”

“If the rain stops soon ... “ Richard paused as he heard the latch on the cottage door lift. He turned to see a man dressed in an overlarge black cape and a wide brimmed hat which left his face obscured enter the cottage, a pistol tucked into the front of his pants.

Thinking they’d stumbled into the cottage of a highwayman, Richard rose and grabbed the dueling pistol he always carried in his greatcoat when he traveled, praying the powder was still dry. He leveled it at the man demanding, “Who are you?”

“I might be askin’ ye the same thin’, stranger.”

Richard took in every aspect of the man. Through the open cape, he could see what looked like an old faded military uniform. With the war over, the roads of the country were overrun with former soldiers left with no funds and no employment. Had this one taken to the High Toby for his livelihood? Or was he just a traveler sheltering from the storm as well?

“The river is flooded and our carriage became stuck. We are waiting here until morning.”

The stranger, taking note of the cultured accents of a gentleman, nodded his head. “Where be young Danny? I’m ‘is cousin, John Wiggins, former private of His Majesty’s army. Been Iivin’ here since his ma died last spring.”

Richard dropped his weapon to his side, certain it wouldn’t have fired even had he needed it to. He frowned as the young man removed his dripping hat. “Do you often leave the boy alone like this?”

“I don’t usually leave ‘im, sir, but I been lookin’ for work and got caught by the storm.” John Wiggins had the same dark eyes and hair of his young cousin, but his face was leaner, with a scar across one cheek.

Angelica, who’d been sitting quietly throughout the encounter, rose on somewhat shaky knees. “Mr. Wiggins, I am Miss Markham and this is Lord Blackstone, and we are grateful for the use of your family’s cottage. Please remove your wet coat and come near the fire.”

The earl moved from the chair on which he’d been sitting, gesturing for young John to be seated. The man removed his coat to reveal a tattered uniform from which all the buttons were missing. He was rather a forlorn sight, which touched Angelica’s heart. As the earl engaged John in conversation about Danny and their life, it occurred to her that the former Private Wiggins might be able to help her get away from Richard come morning. As she raised her gaze to the earl, she felt a tightening in her chest. She wished she didn’t have to flee from him, but he was as determined as ever to return her to Edenfield.

Regardless of her need to make plans, Angelica was too fatigued to think properly. She excused herself and went to the small alcove to lie on the bed fully clothed. For a long time she listened to the murmur of men’s voices discussing Waterloo. The young soldier had been brave enough to face the French. Would he have the courage to help her escape from Lord Blackstone? She would find out in the morning.

Angelica awoke with a start. Silence reigned in the small cottage. She jumped up and peered around the curtain, but the room was empty, the open front door allowing the morning sun to fill the room. She wondered where everyone had gone. She retrieved her black traveling gown which had dried during the night and quickly changed. Then she set out to find Richard.

Going to the threshold, she covered her eyes to shade them from the brightness of the morning sun. As her vision adjusted to the light, she could see great pools of water around the cottage. She noted that two sets of footprints left the porch. One set included large and small ones headed in the direction that Danny had led the horses the night before. The other, large ones only, went off in the direction of their stranded carriage.

Certain that Richard had gone to the carriage while John and Danny saw to the horses, she followed the Wigginses’ footprints knowing this was her best opportunity to get away, yet somehow feeling she was betraying Richard by leaving. Thinking that a foolish thought, she hurried to find John, hoping she could convince him to help her.

Within minutes she came to a large stone building which had seen better days. She could hear Danny chattering away to his older cousin. She stepped into the old structure, spying Richard’s matched bays and a large animal that looked more suited to pulling a plow than carrying a soldier.

Danny was busy brushing one of the bays, while John was putting hay in each stall. Looking up, he spied Angelica and straightened, pulling his hat from his head. “Miss Markham.”

“Mr. Wiggins, might I have a word with you?”

“Aye, ye can, but call me John, miss.” The former soldier put down his pitchfork and walked to where the lady stood.

Angelica took a deep breath, then began. “John, I should like to hire you to take me to York, at once.”

“Why, Miss Markham, I’d be pleased to ‘elp ye out, but I’m afeared I can’t. ‘Is lordship done ‘ired me. Wants me to come along to Blackstone Abbey with Danny in the next day or so.”

Angelica at first was delighted that Richard had shown compassion for the young man and his cousin. But that reaction was quickly replaced with anger. She needed John, how dare the earl discover a conscience now!

“Are ye alright, miss?” John thought the lady looked a bit pale.

“No, John, I am not. But it seems there is little you can do to help, thanks to Lord Blackstone. It appears I shall have to walk to York.” Saying that Angelica left the barn.

With no particular destination in mind, she wandered into the nearby woods, her shoulders sagging in defeat. After walking for several minutes, she settled herself on a log, heedless of the dampness. She was overwhelmed with defeat. She had run out of ideas, and Edenfield was scarcely half a day’s ride away.

Richard had risen early and gone to inspect the damage to his carriage. It was minimal, and all he required was someone to dig it out. In the light of day, he could see the bridge that they’d failed to reach the night before.

The water had receded, and men with shovels worked at both ends, filling in the washed-out trenches cut by the raging river during the storm.

Thinking he might hire some of the men to dig out his curricle, he strolled to the bridge. He was speaking with a burly man, who seemed to be the leader, when a shout echoed from the opposite end of the bridge.

“Stand clear, you oafs. I’m in a hurry.” The workmen scattered, and a carriage bearing two men bumped along the freshly laid dirt and rocks until it reached the smooth stone of the bridge.

Richard recognized an unshaven Viscount Edenfield, Angelica’s stepbrother. His gaze moved to the short, husky man seated beside him. Instinctively he knew this was Lord Paden. What the deuce was Giles thinking to be marrying Angel to a man who looked old as the ark and half as big?

As the carriage lumbered across the bridge, Giles spied Richard. The viscount reined his team to a halt and demanded, “Where the devil is my stepsister, Blackstone?”

Richard bowed to his neighbor, then allowed his gaze to drift to Giles’s companion. Seeing the hostility on the lined face of Angel’s so-called fiancé made the earl feel ill that she would soon belong to such a man. Without any conscious thought about what was best, he replied, “Dash it, man, can’t you see my carriage is near ruin from being stuck in the mud? Do you think I have had time to run your caper-witted charge to ground, stranded like I am?”

The men in the carriage exchanged a look of relief and understanding. Giles was suddenly all affability. “Then I must thank you for your efforts and inform you that your assistance is no longer needed. Lord Paden, my stepsister’s fiancé, and I are on our way to York, and we shall bring

Miss Markham home.”

Richard shrugged as if it didn’t matter to him. “Very well, as you wish. I shall gladly return to my own affairs.”

The earl bowed, thinking his own affairs now included Miss Markham.

The viscount smugly tugged his hat, then whipped his team into a canter. Lord Paden gave Richard one last dismissive glance as the carriage disappeared down the road.

What the devil had gotten into him, Richard wondered.

But he couldn’t regret saving Angel from that aging
rou
é
. She was too beautiful to be forced into an unwanted marriage, no matter how advantageous. The problem was, he didn’t have the least idea what he should do with her now.

Seeing the idle workman staring curiously, he pushed the problem from his mind and arranged to have his carriage dug out and returned to the Wigginses’ cottage.

As he strolled back to tell Angel his change of heart, Richard realized the only place he could take her was to his mother in Bath. She would know what to do with the chit. He suddenly wondered if Angel would smile at him in that endearing way when he told her the news. The very thought made him pick up his pace.

Richard halted at the open doorway and knew at once that the cottage was empty. In a flash, the disturbing thought that Angel had slipped away on foot to resume her journey to York filled him with unease. The very idea that she was so desperate to escape him caused an ache within him which he couldn’t identify. In frustration, he turned and scanned the vista, then hurried down the path to where John and Danny were tending the horses.

Richard hoped Angel was at the old stable. He was overwhelmed with a sense of urgency to tell her that he was taking her to Bath instead of Edenfield.

Arriving at the stable, he called, “John, have you seen Miss Markham?”

The young man stepped out of a stall, pitchfork in hand. “Aye, my lord, she was ‘ere a few minutes ago askin’ bout me takin’ ‘er to York. If that’s what ye want, I’ll do it.”

Richard smiled as relief filled him. “She’ll change her mind about returning to York once I tell her my news. Where has she gotten to?”

“Wandered into the woods just there.” John pointed out the direction.

“Some men from the village are bringing my curricle. If you will ready the carriage, Miss Markham and I shall leave as soon as I find her. We are going to Bath, but I shall return to Blackstone Abbey before you arrive.”

“Very good, my lord.” John beamed. “We’ll be there.”

Richard went in search of Angel. He soon came upon her perched on a fallen log, looking forlorn. “Good morning, my dear.”

The lady started at the sound of his voice as a pair of violet-blue eyes gazed bleakly at him.She sigh as if seemly accepting her fate.

“Good morning, my lord.”

Coming to stand in front of her, Richard said, “I have just spoken with your brother.”

Angelica bounded up, a hint of fear showing on her beautiful face. “He is here!”

Afraid she might rush into the woods before she heard the news, Richard took her by the shoulders. “He is on his way to York, even as we speak.”

“But ... how?”

“I was so overcome at the honor of meeting Lord Paden I simply forgot to mention that you were with me. Your stepbrother urged me to return home before he set out for York.” The earl smiled as he dropped his hands from her and watched the realization dawn on Angel’s face.

“Oh, Richard, you are wonderful!” Angelica threw her arms around his neck and, without a thought, kissed him. Suddenly realizing the impropriety of her actions she stepped back and blushed at the growing grin on Richard’s handsome face.

Hoping to cover her confusion, she said, “So, you will take me to York?”

“Never, dear girl.”

“But I thought since you . . .” Angelica’s voice petered out. What was the earl planning on doing with her? Had he mistaken her kiss as an invitation to offer herself
carte blanche
? Straightening her shoulders, she haughtily asked, “What pray tell, are your plans, sir?

Richard was amused at her tone. “Don’t be cross as crabs with me. ‘Tis only that York is out of the question. Would you have us overtake Giles on the road there, for I never knew a man who was more cow-handed handling the ribbons. I’m taking you to my mother in Bath.”

Relief flooded Angelica. He might be a notorious rake, but he was still her old dear friend. “You truly are a knight to the rescue. I should like to go to Bath.”

Richard entwined her arm with his. “What say you to breakfast in Throcking? This business of rescuing a damsel in distress leaves one rather sharp set.”

Angelica laughed. She liked the feel of Richard’s arm beneath her hand. Suddenly the future was again bright.

She would stay with Lady Blackstone until she reached her majority. Then what?

Looking up at Richard as they made their way back to the Wigginses’ cottage, Angelica knew she didn’t want to think beyond the present. She would merely enjoy her time in Bath with the earl and his mother. A future without Richard suddenly looked dreary.