Chasing Eliza (Cavendish Mysteries 3)

They paused several times to rest the horses and eat, but to anyone who was passing, they were just two men travelling together who didn’t warrant a second glance. Eliza wasn’t certain but thought she may have seen two of Scra

ggan’s men heading in the opposite direction several miles back. After one brief, cursory glance, neither man looked at them again, seemingly oblivious to the opportunity they had missed. They had been close enough to leave Eliza feeling somewhat uncomfortable, all traces of her earlier enjoyment vanished in an instant.

Edward mentally cursed the men, and watched the shadows of doubt and worry steal the lingering contentment from Eliza’s face. He hated to see the shadows of fear lurking in those beautiful amber eyes.

“Do you think they realised it is us?” Eliza murmured, too afraid to glance over her shoulder.

Edward leant forward ostensibly to brush something off the toe of his boot and cast a quick glance behind them as he did so. Although the men had stopped, they weren’t looking at them or giving chase. He frowned and considered their options for several moments. The light had already started to fade. He didn’t want to spend another night chasing through unfamiliar roads again, the dangers were just too inherent to risk Eliza’s life.

“I think we will put a bit of distance between us and find ourselves a coaching inn. Unless I am mistaken, Wellby is just a few miles down the road. We can lose them there and find ourselves somewhere to stay. I don’t know about you but I’m hungry.” He glanced across at her, frowning at the sudden paleness of her cheeks. “We’ll be fine.” He hoped the calmness of his voice and apparent relaxed pose would be enough to reassure her that everything was under control.

Although she flicked a brief smile at him, her eyes remained shadowed and solemn and he knew she wasn’t convinced.

“Let’s go.” He ordered, nudging Guinness into a canter. Within moments she appeared beside him, all too willing to put as much distance between them and Scraggan’s men as possible.

“Maybe she was tired.” He mused considering the miles they had covered that day. He was feeling exhaustion pulling at him and he was used to riding frequently. For someone who hadn’t ridden for a while, he was surprised she wasn’t falling off the saddle in pain.

It was with a huge sense of relief on many levels that they rode into the stable yard an hour later. Ordering the ostler to accommodate their horses and keep them in the stable out of sight, he escorted her into the tap room and drew the innkeeper to one side.

Eliza watched the man’s eyes bulge as he glanced at the small mound of coins in his hand before quickly pocketing them. He immediately bowed and offered them anything they needed. In addition to the man’s silence of their presence in the inn, Edward ordered a meal be sent up to their room, ignoring the raised eyebrows as the man considered Eliza for several moments. Squinting at her more closely for several moments, his eyes popped wide as realisation dawned as to her true sex. Eliza merely stared at him steadily, before slowly dropping one eyelid in a cheeky wink.

Edward bit back a chuckle as he watched ruddy colour suddenly sweep over the man’s face as he turned himself inside out deciding whether to greet her as ma’am or sir, either or both. Shaking his head ruefully at her, he caught her elbow and escorted her up the stairs.

“Minx.” He whispered, solely for her ears. Rewarded with a quirk of her lips. He really should chide her for revealing the truth of her identity, but was greatly relieved that despite the exhaustion of the day she was still sufficiently light hearted to impishly tease the man. His heart swelled with newfound pride in her and respect for her courage and fortitude in the face of adversity.

Eliza smothered a yawn as she swept into the room, relieved that the day was now over and pleased with the distance they had covered. In a strange kind of way it had been nice to spend the time with Edward, without the threat of Scraggan looming over them so intently, and even nicer to learn something about him that wasn’t marked by smugglers, secrets and lost relatives.

“I’m going to the tap room in search of some brandy and leave you to freshen up. I’ll be back in a while.” Edward murmured eyeing the dark shadows beneath her eyes. He wondered if she would still be awake when he returned and doubted it. He didn’t wait for her to respond and quickly turned on his booted heel, cursing the response of his wayward body at the sight of the large bed waiting for them. With the taste of brandy already teasing his tongue, Edward quickly took the stairs two at a time, hoping that time, distance and the hustle and bustle of the busy tap room would give him something else to think about.

Unfortunately the busy tap room was far too noisy for his wellbeing. His head began to throb with the mingled voices, loud laughter and clanking of pottery and tankards. He watched two heavily laden trays of food disappear upstairs and heard his stomach rumble despite the din of the room. The scent of the food tantalised his nostrils and after ordering and waiting for a bottle of brandy to take to his room, Edward returned to the room.

Slowly lifting the latch on the door, Edward pushed it open without stopping to knock. The sight that met him was one that would remain with him for the remainder of his days.

The shutters were closed and curtains drawn to ward off prying eyes. The fire glowed heartily in the grate, bathing the darkened room in a cheery glow. Eliza was standing before a small table in the far corner of the room, a ceramic bowl of water in front of her. The white shirt she had been wearing was unlaced down to her waist, the ripe mound of one breast pressing dangerously against the loose confines of the shirt that was hanging open. The breeches she wore clung lovingly to the rounded curve of her bottom as she bent over the bowl to trail the moisture over her neck and chest, totally oblivious to the dampness of the increasingly see-through material. Her soft moan as she enjoyed the delicious slide of the water was pure sensuality.

Eliza didn’t hear him enter and gasped at the shifting of a dark shadow in the doorway, swinging around in alarm. The wet shirt clung to the tips of her breasts as she stared at the intruder.

“Edward?” She gasped, her shoulders relaxing on a tide of relief for a brief moment before she sensed the tension practically throbbing in him.

“What’s wrong?” She snapped, glancing past his shoulder to the empty corridor beyond.

She shivered at the stark look on his face as he slowly crossed the room towards her, only pausing when his chest was practically brushing hers. His eyes searched hers for any sign of embarrassment, or reluctance to his nearness but he could see nothing but innocent concern.

“God, you are so beautiful.” Edward whispered huskily, his eyes sliding sensuously over the milky white skin of her long neck to the dips and hollows of her shoulders. His manhood called for satisfaction as his eyes absorbed the teasing shadows behind the soft white material of the shirt valiantly clinging to the dusky tips of her nipples. The dampness of the material did little to hide her modesty and left him with the driving need to sample their weight in his hands, and taste her to see if they really were as sweet as they looked.

Without bedding her he knew that one night with this woman would never be enough. He knew from the curiosity and concern in her gaze she had no idea of what she was displaying for his delectation, yet hated to embarrass her by making her aware that he could see everything she had to offer. He swallowed harshly against the raw pain of his arousal and flicked one last, long look at her breasts before handing her a towel from the washstand.

He turned his gaze towards the wall and coughed to withhold the words he really wanted to say. “I don’t know about you but I am starving. If you have finished, we’ll eat.”

Walking casually across the room to the waiting food was the hardest thing he had ever done. Everything within him screamed to take what she so innocently offered; to succumb to the driving needs of his flesh and give her a lesson in the delights of the flesh. The urge to possess her was so strong his fingers trembled with the raw need coursing through his veins.

Keeping his eyes on the food, he busied himself filling the plate with foods he knew he wouldn’t taste and waited for her to join him, hopefully with her modesty covered.

He mentally swore when she sat down on the chair opposite, the still damp cotton shirt cl

inging lovingly to her curves. She was definitely sent from hell to test his fortitude, he decided wondering if he should just drag her across the table and forget the food.

Gritting his teeth he kept his eyes on his plate and began to eat, every sense tuned in so acutely to her every move, her every bite and the soft movements of her mouth as she ate that by the time she had finished sweat beaded his brow with the effort it took to keep his hands off her.