Chasing Eliza (Cavendish Mysteries 3)

She wasn’t a noisy crier. No raucous wailing or loud sobs. The large, round tears that slowly slid down her alabaster cheeks unmanned him and had more of a profound effect on his heart than he wanted to acknowledge. He found himself wanting to do whatever she needed to ease her heartache and offer her comfort.

In that moment he knew that the possibility of just handing her over to Peter to deal with had vanished and if he was honest, he wasn’t sure if he was all that sorry. While he didn’t relish taking on a band of marauding smugglers, he knew if he did hand her over to Peter and go on his merry way, he wouldn’t settle until he knew Scraggan had been dealt with and would worry about her safety and wellbeing until the matter was closed.

Briefly he wondered if this was how Dominic and Sebastian had felt when they had dealt with the situations Isobel and Amelia had been involved in. He began to wonder if his heart was more involved than his common sense but knew there was little he could do about it.

“I’m sorry.” Eliza whispered, easing out of his arms reluctantly after several long minutes of self pity. She brushed absently at his shirt. “I seem to have gotten your shirt wet.”

“It’s alright.” Edward murmured, concerned with how reluctant he was to release his hold on her. He kept her from withdrawing completely by tightening his hold on her waist, settling her all too comfortably against him.

“I want to know where you are so intent on going to.”

Eliza sighed deeply and stared up at him in consideration for several quiet moments. She had to crane he neck to look him in the eye he was so tall. Even staring down at her as he was, he was so incredibly handsome that he made her yearn for something she couldn’t identify.

“How did you find me in the inn?” She asked, carefully delaying answering his question.

Edward sensed her reluctance and wondered at the cause. As far as he was concerned he had done nothing that would give her pause to doubt him, or consider him a threat. He refused to relinquish his hold when she would have eased away and instead, held her firmly in front of him, silently demanding they deal with matters here and now.

“If we are to go any further, we have to be completely honest with each other.” Edward warned, waiting patiently until her gaze met his steady regard. “I am no threat to you. Everything I have told you has been the truth, but I cannot continue to protect you unless I know everything, especially where you intend to go. We cannot go haring off across the country without any destination in mind. Something tells me you know exactly where you are going.”

“I am going back to Padstow.”

Edward stared at her nonplussed for a moment, wondering if he had missed something.

Eliza knew from the scepticism on his face that he didn’t believe her. Carefully she lifted his hands off her waist and held them in hers while she spoke. Her voice trembled with a mixture of emotions as she stared down at their clasped hands.

“I cannot ask you to come with me. The dangers involved pose too much of a threat to your life.” She looked up at him beseechingly with water-filled eyes. “It would help me greatly if you went on your way and forgot about me entirely.” She wished he wouldn’t, but had to put the option forward to him given the risks involved.

“You know I can’t do that.”

“How do you think Peter would feel if you got yourself killed by becoming involved in this through some moral obligation to him?” Eliza argued, dropping his hands and resuming her seat in front of the fire. “You have an obligation to keep yourself safe from harm.”

“I cannot let you go on your own now. I am a man first and foremost and it is my duty to look after you.”

“I am nothing to you!” Eliza protested, her voice rising with temper. “I am not your wife, your sister or your intended. I am merely a tavern wench whom you stumbled upon one evening who is related to someone your friend may or may not be looking for.”

“Eliza.” Edward began wearily feeling exhaustion pulling at him. The tempting thought of lying on the bed with Eliza wrapped safely in his arms swam into his mind and predictably his body began to respond.

“I am going to Padstow, preferably without you.” Eliza declared flatly, her tone daring him to argue or try to persuade her otherwise.

“Why?” Edward asked grabbing her shoulders and giving her a gentle shake in frustration. “What the hell could be in Padstow that you would risk your life for?” He dropped his hands and stood back warily. “Are you married? Do you have a child there or something?”

Eliza scowled at him and considered her words carefully. “Before my father left for the War Office, he told us about a hiding place he had created within the house we lived in. He told us that if he didn’t return, then we were to use the contents of the hiding place freely.”

“Money?” Edward frowned, wondering if that was all that the hiding place contained. If she was determined to go to Padstow solely to get the money to live off, then he could help her and give her all of the funds she required. Indeed, he had an ever growing feeling that she would never have to consider financial problems again without ever needing to go to Padstow.

“Not just money. My father left numerous small items in there for us. But when he didn’t return and Scraggan started to make pointed threats, it became apparent that Jemima and I had to leave. Before we did, we agreed that if anything happened to either of us and we were found alone, we would use the conte-.” Eliza glanced at him with a sigh. “-money, and leave a note to say where we were going. We would leave an address if possible so the other person knew where to look. If Jemima is alive and out there, she could have gone to Padstow to collect the money and find herself somewhere safe to live until I could get to her.”

“But would she do that knowing Scraggan was after you? I mean to go to Padstow and use the money was dangerous, but acceptable. But would she do that, knowing that she would lead you there too and place you in danger?” Edward reasoned.

“I don’t know, but there is nothing else I can do. Jemima simply vanished, Edward. She could have disappeared because Scraggan got too close to her. I know that if she is out there and by herself, then she would need the money from the hiding place to live off.” She didn’t add that she too needed the money as much as Jemima did. “If she hasn’t been back to Padstow, then I think she must be back in Derby somewhere, but well hidden. But I need the money to live off while I try and find her.”

“What will you do if Jemima has been to Padstow and taken the money to live off?” Edward studied her closely, wondering how she planned to finance her own quest for Jemima. The single g

old coin he had given her certainly wouldn’t be enough to furnish her with food and accommodation for the several nights it would take her to get to Padstow and back, and reside near to Derby while she looked for her sister. He was certain Eliza hadn’t considered all of the problems she faced beyond the threat of Scraggan. After all she was a single, beautiful woman travelling alone. She’d be lucky if she got half way to Padstow with her virtue intact, and the threat wasn’t altogether just coming from other travellers.

Indeed, although she may not know it yet the biggest threat to her virtue came from the man standing before her.

“Eliza, Peter has been searching Derby for several months now.” Edward reasoned softly. “Believe me when I say he – we – have all been very thorough.” He hated to break the news to her. “I think if Jemima was still in Derby, we would have found her by now. I think that she must have left not long after you saw her last.” He didn’t add that Jemima may well have known it was the last time she would see her sister and had chosen not to tell Eliza she was about to go.