To Have A Heart (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 7)

Mallory struggled to know what to do to help him.

“We keep changing our route to be unpredictable,” Callum replied dryly.

“But you know as well as I do that this carriage cannot move as fast as a man on horseback. Even if we take a winding route, they can circle around us and ambush us,” Will replied.

“Right, we will stop and plan a route that will take us to Cornwall a little more quickly but is still away from the main roads.”

“Good,” Sir Hugo bit out.

It took several more hours before they reached a village. While not huge by any standards, the village they found was large enough to contain several shops, a church, a village hall, a huge village green, and two taverns.

“Let’s go to the tavern at the end of the road. From there we have two routes to take. The last thing we want is to be forced to go back down the road we have just used,” Will called to him.

Callum nodded and eyed the first tavern. It was well kept but tiny and didn’t even appear to have a stable yard out back. Thankfully, the second one did. He pulled into the open yard, and wearily climbed down. Arching his back, he stretched and rubbed his aching backside as he ambled toward the door, which he yanked open with such startling speed that Mallory cried out in surprise.

“It’s fine. We are here. Time to get out if you can,” Callum assured her and held a hand out to help her down.

“I will go and speak to the tavern owner,” Will announced before he ambled off.

Mallory stepped down from the carriage and shivered when the cool night air snatched at her cloak. Callum instinctively stepped closer and slid an arm around her.

“Tired?”

Mallory nodded. She looked up at him and knew he must be exhausted. She was tired and hadn’t done half as much as he had, still he seemed to find the energy to keep going. To her surprise, Callum placed a finger beneath her chin and gently turned her face toward him. Without saying a word, he placed a loving kiss upon her lips that stole her breath and her heart. Mallory rested her hand on his chest and felt the reassuring thump of his heartbeat beneath her fingers, and savoured the wonderful moment.

Bumping her nose gently with his, Callum pressed a kiss to her forehead before resting his chin on the top of her head. They each took a few moments to savour being together while they contemplated what they had survived.

“We will be all right,” Callum breathed.

“I will feel much easier when we are in Cornwall,” Mallory breathed.

Callum huffed a laugh. So would he.

“I live there. Did you know that?”

Mallory frowned at him. “I thought you said that you live in London?”

“I do, for part of the year. When I am working for the Star Elite. But I have a house about ten miles away from Sir Hugo’s.”

“You could join the Cornwall team,” Sir Hugo announced from within the carriage.

Callum jerked and investigated the shadows but couldn’t see him.

“I could, couldn’t I?” was all he said.

Now that life had thrown him a rather delightfully feminine challenge, Callum wasn’t as averse to the idea as he suspected he should be. It made him contemplate the woman in his arms anew and wonder if his life should be different.

Before he could contemplate it too much, Will returned.

“We have rooms for the night. The inn keeper doesn’t live in the tavern, he lives next door. He is happy to give us the run of the upper floor,” he announced. “I have paid him well for some food, which he is sorting out for us now. Oh, and he has some more Laudanum he is happy to let us have as well.”

The carriage began to sway as Sir Hugo awkwardly made his way to the door to peer out at them.

“You look so ill,” Callum breathed when he saw the paleness of his boss’s face.

“Let’s get you inside,” Will suggested and stepped closer to help Sir Hugo down.

Callum immediately moved to Sir Hugo’s other side. Together, he and Will helped their boss and friend into the tavern.