“Man and wife,” Peter grumbled, shaking his head. “We can disguise ourselves suitably well. If we go to Padstow using a circuitous route -”
“You cannot go anywhere near Willowbrook, or go anywhere you have been before. You cannot risk being recognised. I can send someone to follow you and make sure you aren’t being watched and followed, but if you are challenged in any way, you will be on your own,” Hugo reminded them, wondering if they were prepared for a life of subterfuge. They were certainly an eccentric family. It hadn’t escaped his attention that nobody seemed to bow and curtsey, and there was something about the ladies wearing breeches that the men found hilarious. Shaking his head at the oddities of the aristocracy, he turned his thoughts back to the matter at hand.
“I understand, but I have considered the options and there really is no other way we can get her there with less risk to her life,” Peter reasoned.
“How do you plan to get back out of Padstow with two ladies?” Edward murmured, thinking through the journey.
Peter eyes met Hugo’s. “You will have to meet me and Jemima in Padstow somewhere, and accompany us out of town.”
“I can escort you out of the village before Scraggan realises we are even there.” Hugo’s statement wasn’t a boast, just a calm reassurance.
“It will have to be in daylight, though,” Jemima added, thinking of Harriett’s fierce bodyguard. Although she had made his acquaintance on more than one occasion, she didn’t want to incur Harold’s wrath in the middle of the night. “Harriett won’t even open her door, even to me, at night. We will have to go at first light,” Jemima argued, unwilling to give in to his dictates too much. After all, she didn’t want to set a precedent where Peter thought he would order her around and she would just meekly follow.
This journey was about more than helping her friend out of Padstow now. It was about cementing her relationship with Peter, and deciding if there was enough there on which to build a marriage. For her sake, she had to start as she meant to go on and get him to understand that she wasn’t going to be a meek and mild-mannered miss he could order about.
“You need to go back to your own home as well, Jemima, and retrieve the papers your father hid,” Hugo added gently, watching the flicker of sorrow on the woman’s face.
She really was a truly remarkable woman. Anyone else would have had the vapours, but not Jemima. She had earned his respect while he had stood beside her in the corridor on the morning of the executions. Her calm fortitude had been humbling to witness. It didn’t sit comfortably with him that they were asking her to do this, but at least he could go to Padstow knowing Peter would protect her, probably better than the Star Elite could. Peter was an incredibly lucky man.
If Hugo was ever inclined to marry, which he was not, then it would be to
someone like Jemima.
“We can go to the house in the middle of the night, and be at Harriett’s house by dawn. It depends on how close Scraggan has got to her, and how much of a threat she feels she is under. That will influence how much persuading we have to do to get her out. We may have to stay overnight,” Jemima cautioned, knowing they didn’t know how stubborn Harriett could be.
“We could stay throughout the day, and leave as soon as it got dark,” Peter agreed, having accepted that it was inevitable they were both going to Padstow.
Although it rankled – a lot, if it helped to vanquish Scraggan once and for all, and eased Jemima’s fears about settling down, then he would go along with it.
But if anyone posed any threat to her, or she made noises about not getting married at the end of it, then he would bloody well drag her up the aisle by her hair if he had to, and the entire Star Elite wouldn’t be able to stop him. Peter squared his jaw in determination.
God knows he was a bloody fool for agreeing, but their kiss had reawakened all of the love and desire that had been slowly burning within him through the long, harrowing months since he had last slept with her. Nothing would get him to simply turn his back and let her leave now.
He wondered briefly if his accompanying her on this journey had been inevitable. As soon as Hugo explained his involvement in Jemima’s escape from gaol, it was evident he wanted something in return. If Peter was honest with himself, he had made the decision back in the corridor when he had found her alive that, whatever she did, wherever she went, he would be right beside her.
“What about me? Harriett knows me just as well as she knows you,” Eliza added from her position beside the doorway.
Everyone jumped and turned toward her, watching as she sauntered across the room to stand beside her sister.
She glared at Edward, silencing his protests with a look before turning to Jemima, effectively cutting the men out of the conversation.
“It would be best if you went to retrieve Father’s papers because you know what you are looking for. I can go to Harriett’s and persuade her to leave with us,” she ignored Edward’s attempt to interrupt, and continued describing her involvement in their plans as though it had already been decided she was going.
She continued. “When you have the papers, you can come and join me at Harriett’s house. You can go one way, and Harriett and I can travel together. It wouldn’t look all that odd for two women to be travelling together. If we split up and go our separate ways, we can make circuitous routes and meet up at Willowbrook.”
Hugo glanced warily at Edward, who was clearly fuming and refused to remain silent any longer.
“What about me? Am I supposed to just sit back and do nothing?” He stared, aghast, at Eliza, wondering if she could really expect him to wave her off happily. It had only been yesterday that she had agreed to remain at Haverstock while he went after Scraggan. When had everything changed so radically?
“Well, you could come with us. Another pair of eyes and all that,” Eliza replied casually, knowing there wasn’t any chance he would remain behind. “Or you could stay here.” She didn’t bother to answer Edward’s snorted epithet.
“Eliza, if I might have a word with you?” Edward lunged to his feet, grabbing hold of Eliza’s elbow and practically dragging her from the room. The door closed on the sound of Eliza scolding him for being so rough.
Jemima winced and screwed her face up at the sound of shouting coming from the next room.
“Should we plan for her to come with us or not?” Hugo asked Jemima warily. Suddenly he was very grateful he wasn’t married and had no plans to get married.
“She’s coming,” Jemima declared ruefully, ignoring Peter’s soft chuckle beside her.