Lies and Misdemeanours

“I said, are you alright?”

“Fine,” she smiled at him. “How much longer do we have to go?”

Hetty shifted uncomfortably in the saddle, and silently prayed it wouldn’t take too much longer to get there.

“Afferley is about half a mile away,” Charlie replied. The look he gave her was part assurance, part warning. “It won’t be long now before this particular part of our adventure is over.”

Hetty suddenly felt a bittersweet pang of loss. Although she didn’t relish spending another night outside, she would miss being alone with him. She froze at that thought and frowned at the awkward situation that lay ahead.

She was his wife now. Did that mean that he would automatically assume that she would share his bed? If so, what would her brothers make of it? In the jail, he had offered to marry her to protect her in the event of his death. Now that he was a free man, the situation was different.

Now that the marriage had been consummated, it was very real, but what did that mean for their future?

“It won’t be long now,” he assured her when he misread the reason for her discomfiture.

She smiled at him. “I won’t be sorry to get off this horse, I can tell you.”

Charlie nodded. “I am starving. I must admit that this horse is starting to look appetising.”

Hetty groaned and rolled her eyes, but was spared having to reply when the safe house came into view.

When they turned into Afferley’s long driveway, a gasp escaped her.

She wasn’t sure what she had anticipated the safe house to be, but it wasn’t the tall, imposing Jacobean mansion which sat nestled amongst thick woodland. A huge lake lay to the left of the large, rolling green lawns which surround the property on all four sides and was only interrupted by several outbuildings, which appeared to include a stable block.

“Oh, good heavens above,” she whispered.

It felt as though she was entering another world. She stared at the huge chimneys that were lavishly decorated with a zig-zag pattern of darker brickwork. At some point over its centuries of history, someone had added two huge, stone turrets on either side of the massive portico. They made it clear to anyone who happened by that the building was owned by someone of great wealth and status, and one should be mindful of this when entering.

Painted pure white, the house stood out like a beacon against the rolling hills that surrounded it on all sides. The old home of a country squire, it was clearly well tended, and owned by someone who could easily afford to live there.

Charlie grinned at the surprise on her face. “Gorgeous isn’t it?” he murmured.

He eyed the burnished copper of her hair which cascaded in a wild tumble down her back. He knew it really was as soft as it looked now, and clenched his fingers on the reins against the need to slide them into the long tresses.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered reverently.

Indeed it was, and it was a far cry from the mill house she had grown up in. The vast manicured lawns felt as though they belonged in an entirely different world to the one she was used to.

“Where is the owner?” she gulped as she tried to remind herself that it was rude to stare.

Charlie looked a little secretive, and smiled at her. “It’s better not to ask too many questions,” he replied obliquely.

Hetty’s eyes grew wide. “What if the owner comes back?”

Charlie merely winked at her. He could tell her right now that he had no idea where the owner was, or how Sir Hugo had known that the owner was ‘away’. However, from his time in the Star Elite, he had learned not to ask too many questions. Sometimes, it was better to know what you needed to know, not what you wanted to know.

“We need to go around the back,” he replied, carefully side-stepping her question.

No sooner had they drawn to a halt beside the back door, than Wally appeared in the doorway. He hurried toward Hetty, practically yanked her off the horse, and drew her into a fierce hug.

“Thank God,” he growled. “We have been looking for you everywhere.”

Simon suddenly appeared behind him, and threw a relieved look at Charlie as he waited for his turn to hug his sister. “We are so glad to see you.”

“Where is everyone?” Charlie asked as he dismounted. He scowled at Simon. “Are you here alone?”

“Of course not,” Joshua said as he appeared in the doorway. “Glad you chose to join us.”