Hiding Rose (Saved By Desire 5)

It felt strange and a little uncomfortable to lie with her head resting on his shoulder, but Barnaby didn’t seem to mind. In fact, as soon as she was settled against him, he sighed deeply and tucked a hand behind his head as he studied the rain splattered porthole.

The silence that settled over them could only be described as companionable. There was nothing of the previous awkwardness they had shared. In fact it was soothing to both of them. Before long, Rose felt her eyelids droop as his warmth seeped into her chilled skin and began to relax her.

Barnaby rested his head against hers and felt tiredness sweep over him. He woke enough to watch Rose tug the blanket they shared over him too and smiled gently at the ceiling as he settled back down again.

Relaxed, content, and safe in each other’s arms, Barnaby and Rose finally slept.

When Barnaby awoke it was night outside. The stars visible through the porthole confirmed that the storm had dissipated. The boat no longer rocked as severely. It merely creaked and moaned as it forged its path through the ocean currents. Rose was tucked tightly against his side, which is where he wanted her to be. For a few precious moments everything was right in his world - until the reality of the situation they were in them slammed into his consciousness. He hated to have to let it in and turned his thoughts to what they needed to do next. He had to tackle telling Rose about their new plans but struggled to find a way to get her to go along with everything and be content to wait here without him. Before he could decide on what to tell her, a discrete knock on the door shattered the silence. Easing carefully away from her, Barnaby went to answer the door.

“Problem,” Noah murmured. He glanced furtively up and down the corridor.

Aware of the dull murmur of voices, Rose pushed her hair out of her eyes and sat up. Her stomach dropped when she saw the look on the captain’s face, and waited with nervous trepidation for him to speak.

“The ship that was tailing us is trying to catch up now that the storm has gone, and doing a credible job of it. Now the seas are calmer we can try to outrun it but the other rig is equally matched. We aren’t likely to make much headway. We need to make another plan,” Noah reported. He looked warily at Rose. “I know you won’t like it, but I have a suggestion.”

“Go on,” Barnaby said, holding his arm out when Rose crossed the room.

Rose didn’t think about how instinctive it was to move to his side and lean against him, or the tender way he slid an arm around her waist to hold her close. She was too busy mulling over what the captain had just said.

“Who are they?”

Barnaby looked at her. “Chadwick’s men, we think.”

“At sea?” She asked with a frown. “I thought they were from London’s underworld?”

Barnaby nodded. “They are.”

The speed in which they had managed to get hold of a vessel was odd to him too. He needed to give it more thought.

“They started to follow us not long after we left harbour. We can only assume that once they realised we had set sail, they commandeered a ship of their own and decided to give chase.”

“We can’t outrun them, ma’am. We need to get you off this ship without stopping or having to pull into harbour.”

“Can we?” Barnaby knew they could but looked warily down at Rose’s dress.

It was highly inappropri

ate attire for a journey on a working ship like this. He didn’t know what Reg had been thinking when he had brought it for her. It was now posing more problems than Chadwick’s men.

“Under the cover of darkness they are not likely to see you rowing to shore if we drop you over the side. We can keep an eye out for a suitable strip of beach for you to land on. As long as the moon has been covered by the clouds they are not likely to be able to see you. We can manoeuvre ourselves around so we block their view of you just in case the moon does come out. You can row to shore and hide out. As soon as you reach shore, you are on your own I am afraid.”

Noah he gave Barnaby a meaningful look to which Barnaby nodded his understanding. Neither man needed to discuss the dangers they faced. The sea was still a little rough because the winds were high, and they had a boat full of gunmen not far behind. It was a difficult situation for anybody even without Rose to take into consideration.

“Alright. Let’s see if we can find a suitable strip of beach we can row to. Have you told Reg and Ben?”

Noah nodded. “They are all ready. My men will lower the boat when we find somewhere you can reach shore, and I can manoeuvre the boat into position so you stay hidden for as long as possible.”

“How far away from Edinburgh are we?”

“As the crow flies? About three hours. If you go ashore in the next hour, you should get there by early morning if you keep moving,” Noah replied.

Barnaby wrinkled his nose up. It was the worst scenario to reach Edinburgh’s crowded streets in the middle of the morning. Still, he was relieved that he had decided to keep Rose with him. He was beginning to suspect that there was nobody more trustworthy to protect her than himself. Not least because he now had a vested interest in keeping her alive; his future happiness depended on it.

Again he studied Rose’s dress before his lips curved into a grin. He looked at Noah slyly. “It is alright, Noah,” he said heartily. “Just pick a spot on the beach and leave it to us.”

“What are your plans?” Noah asked with a squint.

Barnaby looked at him ruefully. “Now if I told you that I would have to kill you.” He winked to soften his statement when Rose gasped.