“It is safer to travel at night. The clothing I have brought for both of us is black. While shrouded in black material we can move about without being seen. We can be in Portsmouth by morning if we keep moving. I have secured us two horses in the village, and need to take this one to the tavern on our way out of the area. Then we can be on our way.”
Seeing no reason to object to his plans, Rose nodded and began to eat, all the while blatantly ignoring the awkward tension that now lay between them.
CHAPTER NINE
Later that night, when dusk had bathed everything in an orange glow, Rose left the cosy confines of the small hut. While it had been a welcome relief from the chill of the night air, she was glad to leave it behind. The memories she had of the place were less than welcome, and something that had changed her relationship with Barnaby forever.
“Do you want to walk to the village or ride?” Barnaby asked as he led the horse out of the lean-to.
“I will walk,” she replied eyeing the heavy boots on her feet. It was the first time she had ever worn such items. They felt heavy and cumbersome. It would be a blessed miracle if she didn’t fall flat on her face. She could only hope she didn’t have to run anywhere. At least they would keep her feet warm and dry.
“Let’s go.” Barnaby closed the door to the hut and followed her.
He had tried several times over the last hour to find some way of breaking the uncomfortable silence. Rose had only become increasingly conservative with each response she had given him until the last question he asked her had been answered with nothing more than a shrug.
Once outside of the tavern, Rose stood in the shadows and watched Barnaby disappear into the yard with the horse. Moments later, he emerged with two huge animals, both of which danced excitedly on the end of the reins Barnaby held loosely in his hands. Rose’s stomach dipped at the thought of having to ride one of them by herself. She had never done anything like it before and wasn’t sure where to start, but absolutely refused to ask Barnaby what to do. Instead, with her chin tipped up defiantly, she waited until Barnaby reached her and began to check the girth and stirrups. When he was done, he stepped back and looked at her.
“Just step into the stirrup and swing yourself up if you can,” he suggested gently.
Rose sat atop the huge animal and was too immersed in fear to pay any attention to Barnaby until he moved his horse to stand alongside her.
“We need to go this way,” Barnaby whispered with a nod toward the end of the road.
“Why are we whispering?” Rose breathed. “Chadwick isn’t likely to be around still, is he?”
Her eyes widened when Barnaby nodded.
“Really?” Rose frowned. She didn’t believe it but didn’t want to argue with him.
“Never assume. Someone as dangerous as Chadwick is won’t give up easily. He won’t just allow us to walk free. We have watched him kill someone and can put him in jail for double-murder. He won’t give up.”
“Have you seen him?”
He couldn’t lie to her and slowly shook his head. “Take it from me, I know men like Chadwick. He won’t leave until he has found us. He will be more determined than ever to catch us now that we thwarted him last night.”
Rather than remain in the area and chat any longer, he nodded to the road they needed to take. “Come on. The sooner we get there the faster we can find somewhere we can get warm and dry.”
He didn’t say as much to her but he had very little in the way of funds on him now that he had purchased the two new horses, their clothing, and food. Thankfully, they still had enough food left to be able to eat while they rode but it was going to be a very long night, especially if Rose didn’t want to talk to him.
“It looks like it is going to rain,” Barnaby sighed as he glanced at the star-lit sky.
Rose nodded but didn’t even bother to glance upward.
Barnaby studied her downcast expression and wished he knew what was going on in her head. He had been right to do what he had but couldn’t explain it to her without sounding conceited. He knew she was hurt but how he went about easing that pain while keeping his distance was anyone’s guess. He had never been one to be too bothered by a woman’s delicate sensibilities. It had never bothered him before what any woman of his acquaintance had thought or felt about anything. With Rose, though, this rather subdued side to her was completely unlike her normal self that it bothered him more than he cared to admit.
“Are you alright?” he asked when he couldn’t stand the quiet any longer.
Rose looked at him. “Yes thank you,” she replied politely. She wasn’t sure what else she could say.
“I know you are tired but this will all be over soon. Then you can rest and get warm at last.” He offered her a wry smile, but it wasn’t returned.
He wished now that he had succumbed to the need that had pummelled him in the hut, even though he knew it was foolish to do so. However, it was too late to go back now. What was done was done. She was hurt, that much was obvious, but he needed to keep watchful and alert if he had any chance of keeping them alive. He couldn’t be that if his attention remained focused entirely on her and what they had shared in bed.
“We need to swap this horse,” Barnaby murmured after several long hours of painful riding. He frowned down at the animal and knew something was amiss.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t think it is all that well. It is not as lively as it should be and keeps stumbling over things. If we have to run anywhere my chances aren’t all that great on this. We need to swap it at the village over there.” He nodded to a small hamlet to the left of them. It would mean them taking a slight detour but it was worth it if they both had horses they could rely on.