by Chloe Carley
Noah nodded. “It is.”
“Well, fortunate that I should run after you for he is no longer there. After hearing of his daughter’s passing, he gave up the property in Oregon County and moved to a smaller residence in Virginia. It was much too isolated up there by all accounts and he longed to be closer to people of his own ilk. I have the forwarding address if you would like it?”
“That would be most welcome,” Noah replied. “Indeed, it would save us a rather long and pointless journey. I wonder why you did not mention this yesterday while I was in the customs office?” Suspicion loitered in his voice. Men such as Ephraim Wareing rarely did anything for the good of their own health. He could spot an opportunist a mile off.
Ephraim drew Noah to one side. “The truth is, sir, that I have something of a financial stake in Miss Faulks’ safe delivery to her father. He promised me a not inconsiderable sum of money if I ensured her safe passage through America after she arrived in Georgia. After hearing of the ship’s sinking, I naturally feared that I had lost that reward, but then you came into the office yesterday. I did not like to mention it in front of my colleagues, lest they seek the money for themselves, but I could not find out which ship you had arrived upon, so as to speak with you in private. And so, I have waited to spot you, so I could deliver this news to you.”
“And gain the reward for yourself?”
The wiry man narrowed his beady eyes. “Come now, we are both businessmen. I imagine there is a reward in it for you, too, otherwise, you would have left her to drown.”
Anger spiked through Noah’s heart. “You will be careful what you say, Mr. Wareing. I did not leave her to drown because I am an honorable man. I seek no reward for this.” He drew in a harsh sigh. “As for you, and your reward, I will send it on as soon as Miss Faulks is reunited with her father.”
Mr. Wareing’s eyes glinted. “You will?”
“I will, on one proviso.”
“Anything.”
“If that man, Benjamin Frodsham, manages to reach Brunswick, you will have him arrested by the port authorities for smuggling and piracy,” Noah said, his voice low and threatening. “You will not mention my name, but you will see to it that he is arrested. Any offer he makes you to spare him, I will match. If you require evidence, tell the authorities to look towards Thomas St. Vincent.”
Mr. Wareing’s face paled. “Thomas St. Vincent?”
“Yes.”
“We have been searching for associates of his for a long while. Indeed, the authorities will be most pleased to hear this news. If you are certain that this Frodsham fellow is in league with Thomas St. Vincent then you may have provided us with the catch of the century. Even if we can’t get St. Vincent himself, an associate would be worthwhile. Very worthwhile.”
Noah smiled tightly. “Let me guess, there is a bounty on the head of any known associates?”
“You are very sharp, sir.”
“Well, you will have to hope that he is still alive then. The last I saw of him, he was rowing away from a sinking ship.”
“I shall send word up the coast to the other ports. He will cause you no trouble, sir, as long as my reward finds its way into my hands.”
Noah nodded. “It will, Mr. Wareing. Once Miss Faulks is settled and I have spoken with her father, I will send your money by express rider.”
“Much obliged, sir.”
“Now, the address?”
Mr. Wareing handed over a small slip of paper, the ink somewhat faded on the parchment. With that, the willowy man darted away, disappearing into the crowd like a rat down an alleyway. Noah watched him go, before stepping up to the driver and telling him the location of the new address. The driver nodded and started to turn the horses around while Noah clambered back inside the carriage. Rachel looked startled, her eyes wide in confusion as he took up his seat opposite her.
“Change of plans, Miss Faulks. We are heading to Virginia,” he explained. “Your father has moved back to the Eastern seaboard.”
The chaperone made a disgusted sound. “But I must go to Oregon County!”
“Well, we are no longer going there.”
“Then I must find a carriage that is,” she remarked, pushing the door open with a flourish. Taking her small carpet bag with her, she stepped out while the carriage was still moving and stood furiously at the side of the road. Noah glanced at her in alarm, not quite knowing what to say to the sudden outburst. The silent girl had barely said a word and he had not anticipated such anger. Before he could think of a way to convince her to stay, the carriage had trundled on past.
The soldier tipped his cap. “I’m afraid I’ll have to be going, too. I’m wanted in the state of Virginia. I’d offer to travel with you to the state line, but you never know who might be walking on these roads. Sorry about that. You might be able to pick up a mercenary or two on the path out of town if you’re still in the market. All depends on the time of day, and who’s come from where.”
Noah shook his head. “You can’t go. We need protection on the roads.”
“Ah, you’ll be fine. Just get inside before dark and all will be well.” He banged on the side of the carriage to get the driver to stop, before hopping out with his simple sack of belongings. Noah stared in disbelief as the soldier waved a quick farewell, before heading back down the road to the port, in search of another job.
“Looks like it will have to be you and I for a while longer,” Rachel murmured in evident amusement.
“No, this cannot be. It is woefully inappropriate,” he protested, running a hand through his hair. “I mean, what will your father say to that, if we turn up at his door together?”
“He will thank you for delivering me safely.”
“You are a fool if you believe that,” Noah muttered anxiously. “He will have my head for being so audacious. To travel alone with you, without a chaperone, oh, he will frown on it rather severely, if he does not chase after me with a musket.”
Rachel chuckled. “He does not care for guns.”
“A sword, then.”
“I will assure him of your propriety, Noah. I will make him see that you have been the best of men. Once he understands what you have done for me, and what you have risked for my survival, he will have no reason to feel anger. There may be a momentary confusion over the missing chaperone, but all we have to do is convince him that she had family nearby and wished to be delivered there on the way. There will be no chasing, no harsh words, no anger. I promise you.” She moved over to his side of the carriage and nestled into his shoulder. “Until then, it shall be just you and I, traveling together.”
“And if someone should stop us?”
She flashed him a smile that melted his heart. “We tell them we are newly-married and we are traveling to be with my father who was too unwell to attend the wedding in England.” With a bright laugh, she moved one of the rings of her right hand onto her left and waggled her fingers at him. “See… married.”
“But the papers will be incorrect,” he said, his gaze fixed on hers. To be married to you would be a wondrous thing, but thinking it will not make it so.
“We tell them that the customs office got the names wrong, as we are only recently married.”
“Do you have the answers to everything?” he teased.
“On this particular occasion… yes.”
As the carriage lurched forward once more, moving toward the address in Virginia, Noah sat back and marveled at the young woman at his side. He held her as though nobody could see them. He held her as though they were married. He held her as though she was everything in the world to him and prayed he would never have to let go. Despite her initial rejection of him, he had not lost faith in a mutual love between them. The way she cuddled into him told of unspoken feelings, but he would not put them in her mouth for her. If she loved him, she would have to tell him of her own accord.
He just hoped that he was not mistaken.
***
After staying the night at a road
side inn that the driver recommended, purchasing two rooms with some money that the O’Rourke’s had lent them, they took to the road once more. The Georgian countryside was lush and verdant, with Spanish moss hanging from the trees making them look almost like willows. It was humid, too, a sticky warmth finding its way into every room, leaving a sheen on the skin and a trickle of perspiration down every spine, as the sun rose, hazy and golden to shine its light upon the greenery below.
Rachel could not stop looking out of the window to see this new world drift pass in a rippling mirage of exciting new sights and sounds. Soldiers were stationed along many of the main roads, though they did not pay Rachel and Noah much heed, letting them pass through into the Carolinas without much fuss at all. They continued to stop at roadside inns and fancier hotels, wherever they could find one until they reached the state line of Virginia.
Sensing that their journey was nearing its end, Rachel began to feel anxious and irritable. She could not enjoy the beautiful sights of towering redwoods and exquisite houses painted white with elegant balconies and extensive verandas that wrapped around the entire home. She could feel no comfort in knowing she would live out the rest of her days here because dread still sat like a stone weight in her stomach. Dread at her father’s response. Dread at her having to send Noah away if her plan did not work. They had been through so much together and the thought of losing him was almost more than she could bear.
Each night she spent apart from him in one of the inns or hotels, she was reminded of how close they had once been. In truth, she no longer knew how to sleep without his arms around her. Instead, she tossed and turned, the nightmares creeping in—visions of the storm crashing over them, images of the ship ablaze, Nan’s ghostly face in the darkness, Onions whimpering out his last breath, each cruel dream awakening her in a cold sweat, her body drenched. On more than one occasion, she had contemplated edging down the hallway to Noah’s room, but that was a line too far; she did not dare to cross that one.
“I cannot do this without you,” she blurted out on the morning of their eighth day on the road.
He looked up from his book. “I am here, Rachel. You do not have to.”
She shook her head effusively. “No, I cannot do any of this without you. I do not wish to stay on this foreign land unless you are at my side. I should have spoken when you told me of your feelings. I wanted to, you must believe me, but fear silenced me.” She drew in a shaky breath. “I held my tongue because I hoped to conjure a plan—one that might see us brought together at last. I did not want to tell you of my feelings only to have our hopes dashed once we reached my father’s house. Now, however, I cannot stay silent any longer. Each night I spend without your arms to protect me is a torment. I cannot rest, I cannot sleep, I cannot focus. All I think about is how dearly I love you until the nightmares come to chase my pleasant thoughts away. And when I awaken from those dark dreams, all I can do is think of you and know how swiftly you would chase the horrors away, if you were there with me. I love you, Noah. I love you more than you can possibly know.”
A soft chuckle rippled from his lips. “I had not expected such an admission.”
“I know and I have been foolish. At first, I was worried that my feelings for you were mere gratitude, but then I realized they were something far deeper than that,” she went on, flustered. “I love you so very much and I feel terrible about not saying so when I had the chance. It must have left you feeling awfully rejected and I hate that I may have placed you in such a position.”
“I did not stop hoping.”
“I am glad of it. Oh, I am glad of that.” She reached out for his hands and held them tightly. “If I had lost you, I would not have known what to do with myself. When you tried to remain behind at Brunswick harbor, I knew I could not be without you. It terrified me to think of life without you in it. I could not endure such panic again.”
He smiled, lifting her hand to his lips. “And what, pray tell, is this plan of yours?”
“We shall arrive at my father’s house and I shall tell him of all the wonderful things you have done. When he hears my stories and understands the heroics you have endured, he will not be able to deny our courtship. He will have to agree to it for you have saved me.”
“You realize that I do not have much to offer you, don’t you?” he said quietly, dropping his gaze. “I am not a wealthy man nor will I ever be a wealthy man. Yes, I love you… I love you with everything that I am, but I understand my position in life. If you would rather choose a wealthier man who can offer you more in the way of financial security, I will not hold it against you.”
She pressed her finger to his lips, to silence him. “Hush now, enough with that. I love you and you love me; that is all that matters. In this cold world, that is more than many women are granted. With you by my side, I shall be one of the fortunate ones.”
“Are you sure?”
Rachel nodded. “I have never been surer of anything.”
“And if he refuses regardless?”
“Then we shall forge our own path through this New World where everything and anything is possible,” she said firmly. “This is supposed to be a place of hope and possibility, far from the strict rules and stuffy doctrines of English society. If our love cannot be accepted here, then something has gone terribly awry. We could not have endured so much only to be torn apart at the end of it all. I will not hear of it.”
Noah smiled. “I pray you are as courageous before your father’s judgment, Rachel.”
“You are worthy of his acceptance, Noah. I will not require courage, only your love.”
“You have it. You have it all.”
She squeezed his hand tighter. “Then we shall prevail, my love. You will see—we shall prevail.”
“I love you,” he murmured, leaning closer.
“And I love you.”
Her heart leaped in her chest as he cupped her face gently in his palms, his thumb stroking the soft apples of her cheeks. His eyes gazed down into hers with such warmth and affection that her pulse quickened, her face flushing with happy delight as her hands pressed gently against his chest. He pulled her closer, pushing a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he simply looked at her as though seeing her for the very first time.
“May I kiss you?” he asked.
She nodded nervously.
Slowly, he drew his fingertips down to her chin and tilted it up with gentle pressure. With joy still twinkling in his eyes, he closed the gap between them, his lips grazing hers with exquisite tenderness. A steady brush of his mouth, pressing firmly but gently. He kissed her again, her own lips responding this time. She kissed him back with unexpected fervor, the rapid beat of his heart tapping out a fierce rhythm against her palm. It was quiet and soft and sweet, nothing like the frightening thing she had anticipated.
As he drew away, his hands still holding her face, she found herself breathless. “I love you,” he whispered, kissing her forehead.
“And I love you,” she breathed, sinking into his embrace.
Chapter Thirty
A loud bang disturbed Noah from his slumber. He did not remember falling asleep, but Rachel rested against him with her eyes closed. The noise had not woken her. Outside the carriage window, the sun was setting, the sky shot through with bolts of bronze, rich pink, and dusky orange. It would soon be night which was not a good time to be out on the road. He moved toward the window, so he might ask the driver to stop somewhere. The moment his hand touched the handle of the carriage, the door was wrenched away by an unseen force. He staggered back into the carriage, careful to hide Rachel beneath a blanket. He quieted Dandelion too who was trying to leap out in defense of him.
“You there!” a voice shouted. “Come out with your hands up!”
Noah swallowed his fear and tucked Rachel into the shadows of the carriage. Fixing his gaze on the outside world, he stepped down into the brisk night air. Four men surrounded the carriage with mus
kets raised toward him. He did not know any of them nor did they wear uniforms to mark them out as soldiers. Their appearances were rough and disheveled, stains spattering the front of their waistcoats, their stubble unshaven, and their eyes bloodshot and glassy. Whoever these men were, they had recently been drinking. Noah could sense it in the sway of their bodies and the aggression in their voices.
“Give us your money and we’ll leave you alive,” one of them hiccupped.
“I have no money,” Noah replied calmly.
“Give us your money!” another of the men demanded. It was only then that Noah realized what the loud bang had been. The carriage driver lay in the dirt, clutching his knee. Blood trickled down his leg, though he fought to keep hold of the wound, adding pressure to stem the bleeding. Anger coursed through Noah’s veins. Who do these people think they are, shooting an innocent man like this? He prayed that Rachel did not wake until he had finished with these men for he did not like the idea of her seeing the harder side of him.
