Chasing Eliza (Cavendish Mysteries 3)

Eliza knew they couldn’t be the same men Edward had shot earlier, so where were they coming from? With the arrival of the new pursuers, Eliza had little doubt now they were Scraggan’s men.

“Go into the trees again.” Eliza gasped, knowing they didn’t have a chance of outrunning the three menacing shadows looming closer with each passing mile, especially as they had no way of knowing just how many more lay hidden further ahead.

“Why?”

“Do it!” She ordered ignoring his look of surprise as she nudged Guinness directly into the path of Edward’s horse and in doing so gave Edward little option than to follow her instructions. Within moments they were crashing through the dense foliage and uneven forest floor.

Edward paused, wondering what she was planning. He studied her carefully, a little nonplussed at this new, decisive Boudicca-style side to her and he wasn’t sure he was all too comfortable with it. He suddenly wondered what it was like to be on the wrong side of her temper, and if all of that fiery passion re-appeared between the sheets.

“What the hell are you doing?” He snapped watching in horror as she slid from Guinness’ back and held out the reins to him. “Get back on now!” He ignored the strips of leather she held aloft and pushed his horse around, effectively trapping her between the horses. “Eliza, don’t play games, get back on so we can get out of here.”

“Listen to me.” Eliza snapped dropping the reins on the floor when he made no move to take them from her and removing the cloak. “We have a better chance of evading them if we split up.”

“No!” Edward’s abrupt dismissal of the notion rang clear through the night air.

Eliza pointed to the far distance. “Lymster is over there, I am sure of it. On the outskirts of the small village heading towards Derby there is a large barn, a huge monstrosity that sits in the middle of nowhere. There is no way of getting to it without being seen from any side.” She handed him his cloak, persistently pushing it at him when he refused to take it.

“Lymster is back on that road.” She nodded towards the narrow strip of road barely visible through the night. “You ride Guinness and I’ll ride your horse. If you wear the cloak, they will think you are me and will most probably chase you, but on Guinness they don’t have a chance of catching you. He is too big for me to control if he decides to take his head and I don’t feel comfortable riding him at a gallop, especially on my own.”

She watched with satisfaction as Edward reluctantly dismounted and donned the cloak, seemingly accepting the wisdom of her plan. A tiny shiver of awareness swept through her, as he placed his hands on her waist and hoisted her up on to the smaller horse, pausing only long enough to make sure she had the reins before mounting Guinness and shaking out the cloak behind him.

His eyes met and held hers through the darkness.

“This is sheer insanity.” He growled hating to acknowledge that together their chances weren’t good. They could out-run a group of three men – maybe, if they were lucky. But they couldn’t out-run a continual flow of people. The horse would grow tired sooner rather than later given their exertions already. It was growing increasingly more important that they found somewhere to rest and take sustenance.

“If you can find somewhere to gain some provisions for us then bring some with you.” Eliza offered cheekily, trying to alleviate th

e sheer terror thrumming through her veins, only this time her fear wasn’t just for herself, it was for him too.

“You had better be there.” Even through the darkness Eliza could see the distinct glare of warning in his steady eyes.

She was in the process of turning her horse around in the opposite direction to Edward when a hand on her thigh stopped her. Her head turned just in time to capture the swoop of his lips against hers. Her instinctive gasp was captured by his hot mouth as he kissed her swiftly with no trace of tenderness. The large palm he slid into her hair cupped the back of her head, holding her steady to the hungry possession of his dominance as he sought to convey all of the words he could not put voice to, through the persistent pressure of his kiss. Although brief, Eliza felt she had been branded and sucked in a stunned breath when his lips broke away from hers just as quickly.

“Be safe.” He whispered, turning his horse away with one last, lingering gaze. “I’m waiting until dawn only and if you are not there I am coming after you.”

With that promise lingering on the air between them, he nudged Guinness through the foliage towards the field on the far side of the woods. Eliza watched until he melted into the shadows before nudging her horse in the opposite direction.

It was the hardest thing she had ever done; riding away from his reassuring presence. It wasn’t until the silence of the woods settled around her that she realised just how much she had come to depend upon him, how important he was for her safety. She could hear the pursuers crashing through the trees behind her, urging her onwards without mercy. Sending a silent prayer heavenwards she cleared the trees and immediately nudged her horse into a gallop.

As she rode through the night, Eliza’s thoughts were firmly focused on the man she had just sent in the opposite direction. He had fought for her; killed for her while asking for very little in return. He was even taking her to his brother-in-laws for protection, so what exactly was in it for him. His actions had already gone far beyond those of a concerned relation, so what was it all about? Why was Peter searching for Jemima with such determination?

She raised a hand to her ribs and the thin packet of papers nestled beneath her breast and frowned as she studied the ground racing past her. For some reason Peter and Edward, and especially Scraggan and the men giving chase, must be desperate to retrieve the information the papers contained if they were going to such lengths to capture her and Jemima.

Without the thick warmth of the woollen cloak, she was absolutely freezing. Her fingers had long since gone numb as they clutched the reins tightly, her toes tingling with advancing chill. She was glad Edward wasn’t riding alongside her to witness the attractive picture she must make, sitting stride her horse with her hair wild and hanging hither and thither, her nose red and running like a tap and her teeth clacking together with frostbite, she was hardly a picture of female temptation.

She wondered how he was getting on, and if he had managed to remain ahead of his pursuers. A quick glance around her confirmed that nobody had bothered to chase her, it appeared that the plan had worked and Scraggan’s men had been fooled into thinking she was Edward. She wondered briefly how they could be so stupid and shivered as the possibility they may not be rang in her mind. Despite their apparent success, they themselves could find they had been duped into believing they were free. Was she being set up? Was Scraggan going to appear in the road ahead of her, ready to make sure she didn’t take her secrets anywhere else?

She shivered and turned in the opposite direction to the one she really needed to take. Although it hadn’t been discussed with Edward, a circuitous route to the barn seemed best.

Dawn was peeking over the horizon by the time Eliza made her way along the hedgerow to the small village of Lymster. She was frozen, exhausted and trembling with hunger but was worried about Edward and his wellbeing. Coping with the situation she was in was bad enough but to think she had potentially caused the death of someone who had tried to protect her was horrifying, especially when it concerned Edward’s life.

At the moment he didn’t understand just how much danger he was really in. She had seen with her own eyes just how brutal Scraggan and his men could be, but did it make it right to tell Edward everything she knew about Scraggan? Could she really involve him in her plight?

He was only trying to help his brother-in-law, but even Peter had no idea just what dangers he was facing in trying to locate Jemima. She fingered the gold coin tucked into the top of her dress and considered her options for a moment.

Although it was going to be a long journey, she could make the Great North Road. When she got to one of the main post chaise routes, she could catch a chaise to London or continue to ride on the horse she had as long as she took the journey a bit at a time and gave the horse plenty of rest. Thanks to Edward’s generosity, she had enough coinage to purchase a change of clothing, something to blend in with the locals and food. Probably even enough to get back to Padstow.

Could she really leave Edward? He had faced death in an attempt to help her, did he really deserve being left to cool his heels in a barn in the middle of nowhere? He had faced death to help her, but by continuing to try to fight her seemingly insurmountable cause, he was unwittingly putting himself in so much danger Eliza could see no way of him surviving.