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

Mallory looked around but the entire place was still and quiet. With no candles lit, the place had an empty feel about it that was a little unnerving.

“When you get into your room, lock your door and don’t open it unless you know it is me or Will. I will knock three times, then two, then one. Don’t answer the door unless you hear that sequence of knocks,” Callum whispered.

“We are going to stay then?” Mallory asked, inwardly unconvinced it was a good idea.

“Sir Hugo needs to rest, preferably without being jostled about in a carriage,” Callum replied.

Mallory looked at Will who was trying to help Sir Hugo through the door but wasn’t having much luck. Callum hurried over to them to help but before he disappeared, pointed to the room beside Mallory, who was standing at the top of the stairs.

“You use that one.”

Mallory looked at the door in question. Curiosity made her nudge the door open and peer inside. She didn’t expect the bed chamber to be as welcoming as it was. While the tavern owner might not live in the tavern, the rooms had been prepared to accept guests and for that Mallory was relieved. The bed was made and looked so soft and inviting that she ached to be able to climb into it. On the other hand, she didn’t think she was going to rest until they reached Cornwall.

“Where will you be?” she asked when Callum re-appeared.

Callum stepped into the room.

“Sir Hugo is along the corridor as you saw. Will is in the room at the top of the stairs and I am next door to you. Will and I are going to take turns on watch. Do you need anything?”

Mallory shook her head. She eyed the empty room with trepidation. For some reason she was reluctant to be on her own. She looked at Callum with eyes that were slightly pleading.

Callum sighed and stepped closer. He could understand her concern. It was an unfamiliar place and she had been through so much already that he didn’t doubt she was going to live in fear for a little while.

“Time will ease the worry,” he assured her. “Now that Melrose is dead, it is only a matter of time before his men are rounded up and put behind bars. Those that aren’t won’t pose a risk to you because they aren’t getting paid anymore. As for Melrose’s partners in the ton, they have bigger problems now that the Star Elite is after them. You will be all right here. We are keeping watch. Nobody knows we are here because the gates have been closed, and the horses hidden in the stables. Will is seeing to them now that Sir Hugo is in his room. There is nothing to worry about. Try to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day because we aren’t going to stop unless we need to change horses. Sir Hugo is going to have to lie on the floor for the next leg of the journey, but will be far more comfortable

, especially if we dose him up with Laudanum before we leave.”

“I know,” Mallory whispered.

Callum stepped toward her. Mallory looked so lost and alone that he couldn’t help but feel guilty that he had to leave her.

“There is a risk during the entirety of this journey, Mallory. We will do our best, but all we can do is hope that Fate is on our side,” Callum whispered as he eased her into his arms.

He knew it was a foolish thing to do but had to hold her. He needed her to know that she wasn’t alone in all of this. What he did know was that he had feelings for the woman in his arms and those feelings were deep. They were so instinctive that he was helpless to fight them. They swirled around him and in a way made him stronger, but at the same time they made him question everything; who he was, what he was, what he wanted from life. Everything that he thought he knew and understood was now in doubt, and that was confusing.

“When we reach Cornwall, we need to take some time to sit and have a proper conversation,” he announced.

“About what?” Mallory leaned back to look at him.

“Us.”

Mallory felt a strange fluttering sensation surge through her. Following it was nervousness and unease.

“Oh?”

“Have you decided what you are going to do once you get to Cornwall?”

“Well, I thought Sir Hugo might be able to tell me. I don’t have any money, or even a change of clothing.” Mallory looked ruefully down at herself.

“Sir Hugo is going to want you to stay with him,” Callum announced.

Mallory’s head shot up.

“Oh, I cannot do that.” She shook her head. “His family have enough to deal with now that Sir Hugo has been injured. He is going to need to rest and recuperate with his family around them. I would be intruding.”

Mallory was so adamant that she wasn’t going to do it she tried to move away, but Callum stopped her.

“Like I said, I have a house in Cornwall.”