He helped her up into her seat, then hoisted himself in beside her. The stable hand waved them on their way and pulled the door shut behind them. Lindley slapped the reins and the horses jolted into action. If anyone had been watching them with malicious intent, they would soon be left behind. There had been no other carriage or waiting horse saddled and ready. They were safely away.
“I believe that stable hand was glad to be rid of us,” Lindley said, introducing casual conversation as Sophie stared impassively ahead. “I had the feeling we interrupted something there.”
“It’s rather late; I’m sure he was looking forward to taking his bed.”
“Unless his bed was that pile of fresh hay piled in the corner of the room with the suspicious lump of canvas that seemed to wiggle inexplicably, I doubt that was his intent.”
“What do you mean?”
“I believe our young man was not entirely alone when we found him,” Lindley said with a chuckle. “I had the idea the boy was entertaining a ready mort.”
“A what?”
He chuckled at her naiveté. “I think we interrupted him with tonight’s convenient little tail.”
“Convenient little tail?”
“Oh, you know, some easy mab who doesn’t mind a roll in the hay.”
“Some easy mab?”
Could she truly still be this innocent that she did not understand?
“He had a woman in there, Sophie,” he explained carefully.
“Oh, I know what you meant, my lord. And what lovely names you have for her, too.”
He recognized sarcasm when he heard it. Very well, he supposed he had been rather free with his use of colorful language. She clearly did not like it.
“I’m sorry,” he conceded. “I should watch my tongue.”
“Whyever should you need to do that? It isn’t as if there are any ladies present or anything, merely convenient tails or valueless mabs.”
“Now see here! I never claimed she had no value. By my guess, her gentleman was eager to get back to making full use of her value.”
He had to smile at his own turn of phrase. Sophie, however, did not seem to find it so humorous.
“Oh, so he’s a gentleman, is he, while her only value is to be used for sport?”
“It’s merely a phrase, Sophie. What the devil are you talking on about?”
“I simply would like to know what criteria you used, my lord, to pass such judgment on that poor woman. Was she wearing a sign, perhaps?”
“By deuce, Sophie, I never saw one hair of her. How should I know whether she wore a sign?”
“Yet you quickly assumed she was not a respectable person.”
“She was waiting in a pile of hay to shag a stable hand. I’m fairly certain she was not a royal princess.”
“She could be his wife.”
“I don’t know many wives who would willingly brighten their husband’s filthy workplace in such a way. Really, Sophie, why are you ranting on about this? Those were nothing more than words I used to describe what I assumed was going on.”
“Oh. So you would use similar words to describe me.”
“No! Good God, of course I would never.”
“Why, because I made myself valuable in a borrowed bed rather than on the floor of a barn?”
Ah, so that was what had her in a flap. He should have realized it, should have been more sensitive. Of course she would be concerned about how people would label her now. He had been very much a party to her crossing that line between respectability and commonness.
Well, Sophie Darshaw was far from common. As long as he had breath in him, he’d see that no one so much as hinted at impugning her character. She was above all that, despite what she’d done tonight. Or what she’d been wearing when she’d done it.
He put his thumb on her chin and tipped her face so she would look at him. “No, Sophie. I would never use words like that about you. And I promise, I will be much more judicious in using them to describe anyone else in the future. Will you forgive me?”
She shook his hand off and stared straight ahead. Damn it, but since when did he need forgiveness from some slip of a girl simply because she’d disapproved of his language? He did not much like the feeling.
At last she gave absolution, and he could finally breathe.
“Well…I suppose you meant no real harm.”
“No, I assure you I did not. I spoke without thinking.”
“You excel in that, it would seem.”
Indeed, she was correct. It did seem he’d been saying and doing quite a few things without thinking of late. He hoped rushing Sophie out into the night like this was not one of them. He needed to believe she—and the locket—would be safe.
SOPHIE SCOOTED AS FAR OVER TO THE EDGE OF THE seat as she could. She recalled the way Lindley had flipped the young stable hand what looked like quite a goodly sum for such a simple thing as readying a carriage. Perhaps that was how things would go for her, too. Lindley would use her until he was through, pass her a handful of coins, then leave. And then she would be a real, honest whore.
She would have no reason at all not to allow Madame to introduce her to gentlemen. And she would accept money for it. She may be riding in a stylish phaeton tonight, but she’d be a fool not to remember where this was all leading.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Where would your father most likely be if he is not at Loveland?”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “I’ve thought him in the grave for years. How do I know where the man spends his time after a day and a half of reacquaintance? I thought you were going to get that information out of the locket.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to get some distance between us and whoever was spying on us from behind the mews. I didn’t notice any other carriages around, so I’m hoping he’s not prepared to follow us.”
He was right, there hadn’t seemed to be any other conveyances at the ready. Good. That probably meant Madame’s plan was going as expected and she was waiting with Annie just out of town on the south road. All Sophie needed to do was get herself away from Lindley.
“Perhaps we should not go together,” she said, desperate to think of something reasonable that might serve her purposes. “Perhaps I should wait here and you should go, leading him astray.”
“To what purpose, Miss Darshaw?”
“Well, it would confuse him.”
He looked at her as if what she’d said was even more ridiculous than she knew it was. “And I suppose you’d like me to hand you the locket while I’m at it?”
“Well, you could, you know. That way if he followed after you and your oh-so-inconspicuous carriage it would be safe and he could not get it.”
“We will stay together, Miss Darshaw,” he announced. “You, me, and the locket. Once we are a safe distance, perhaps we will find a place to stop for the night, and there we can see about opening it.”
“With what? I thought you needed to hunt down something to…”
He bumped her with his elbow as he reached behind to take something long and pointy out of his pocket. She heard fabric tear as he produced it.
“Damn!” he swore, pulling up what turned out to be an awl. He must have found it in the stable, probably used for leatherwork on some of the tack. My, but wouldn’t she have loved to have had something like that when she was fabricating the rather vulgar little strapping device Madame had ordered!
“That’s lovely,” she said.
“Yes, but it ripped my lining,” he grumbled.
“I can repair it,” she said without really thinking. “Do you believe this will break open the locket?”
“We don’t wish to break it, Miss Darshaw,” he said, readjusting himself in his seat and driving the horses quickly out of the yard. “As I said, it is not merely a locket.”
“Yes, you said it is a key of some sort.”
“That’s right. I’m given to believe that by some manipulation, it is a literal key.”<
br />
“Well, it certainly looks like no key I’ve seen before.”
“Agreed. I assure you, once I am convinced Fitzgelder’s henchmen are not hovering over us with murder on their minds, we will take a good, thorough look at this locket.”
“That you are holding on to and do not trust with me.”
“You were trying to take it and leave, you may recall.”
Indeed, she did recall that. She also recalled, however, why she was attempting to take the locket and leave him.
“Because you are trying to use it to drag my father to the gallows, you may recall.”
“He will have a fair trial.”
“Which will undoubtedly merely prove all the things you’ve said about him, my lord. And then he’ll be dragged to the gallows.”
He was silent. The carriage rumbled through the sleeping village until after a minute or two he pulled it to a halt. Had he finally grown so weary of her arguments that he’d decided not to honor his agreement, not to take her with him to find Papa? Heavens, would he put her out here, at the side of the road?
But of course she could be glad for that. It would free her to go find Madame and continue with her original plan. Yes, it would be a good thing if Lindley abandoned her.
So why was her heart pounding and her breathing so suddenly difficult?
“Well, here we are at a crossroads, Miss Darshaw,” he said.
She glanced around and realized he was not speaking figuratively. They were, indeed, at a crossroads. Three roads intersected at this point, going off in several directions. Lindley could direct them north, which would take them toward Loveland where there was a very strong possibility Papa might go for refuge, or they could go south, which would take them toward the advancing Fitzgelder contingent but also toward her planned rendezvous with Madame; or they could angle back on the third road, which seemed to veer off to the northeast. She had no idea what lay along that road.
“Which way do we go?” she asked, not sure which answer to hope for.
“We wait,” he replied. “I sent Feasel out to…ah, there he comes now.”
As if on command, hoofbeats could be heard approaching. Sophie made out a man rapidly approaching them from the south. She hoped Lindley was not mistaken about his identity, as they were very much alone and exposed here.
Apparently he was not. The man greeted them and Lindley called back. He sounded remarkably cheerful, considering they were being forced to flee in the night for their lives. Men.
“So, what have you found for me, Feasel?” he asked when the man pulled his horse to a halt beside their carriage.
“Nothing that plans to kill you tonight, milord,” Feasel replied. “My man down here on the south road says he hasn’t seen anything come this way since after dark. Word earlier was no sign of the Frenchy or any of Fitzgelder’s thugs on the north road, either.”
“I’m fairly certain we saw at least one of those thugs back at the inn,” Lindley grumbled. “I’m only hoping he doesn’t follow us.”
“That’s what I’m here for, milord. You get yourselves on to safety—I just came by some troubling news.”
“Oh?”
“Tom just sent me word that Fitzgelder left London. He’s on his way here.”
“What, Fitzgelder himself?”
Sophie couldn’t help but shudder at that thought. Was her horrible former employer that desperate to do away with his cousin, or was he more concerned with finding the locket? If so, he’d obviously be after her.
Lindley didn’t seem any more thrilled by this news than she was. “Keep an eye on him, Feasel. We know he’s up to no good.”
“He’s not getting by us, milord.”
“I want to hear what he does, where he goes…who he sees.”
“Of course,” Feasel said. “And where will you go?”
Sophie decided that was an excellent question. Where would they go? Was anywhere safe?
She worried for Madame. Feasel said no one was seen on the south road—Madame should have been there waiting for her by now. Surely his men could not have overlooked two women and a baby waiting at the side of the road. Had something happened? She glanced up to Lindley.
His expression was unreadable. “We’ll go to Haven Abbey.”
Sophie frowned. Where on earth was Haven Abbey? She did rather like the name, though. Hopefully it would be prophetic.
Feasel nodded. “Need an escort there?”
“Any reason you believe we need one?” Lindley asked.
His man eyed him, then slid a glance in Sophie’s direction. He grinned. “No, sir. It appears you have things well in hand. Nothing should be out to bother you on that route, and I’ll make sure there’s no one that follows.”
So just how far away was this Haven Abbey? Sophie watched Lindley for some sign of a clue. Her concern must have showed on her face, because Feasel chuckled under his breath and gave a polite bow in her direction.
“Don’t you worry, Miss Darshaw,” he said. “His lordship will get you there safe and out of the cold night air in no time.”
So Lindley’s hired man knew her name. She wasn’t quite comfortable with that. What else did the man know about her?
Lindley seemed eager to be on their way, so he and Feasel exchanged a few words planning how soon they could expect to hear from him regarding Fitzgelder, and Lindley reminded the man how important it was that no one know where they were going.
“You and Tom,” Lindley instructed. “No one else.”
“You can count on us, milord,” Feasel said. “It’s all going to be over soon, and we’ll see those bloody murderers hang. Er, beg pardon, Miss Darshaw.”
Sophie glared at him. There were two sides to justice, and she needed no additional reminder that she and Papa were on the wrong one.
“Miss Darshaw is as eager to see an end to this as we are,” Lindley said. She glared at him, too. “She’d very much like to know her father’s whereabouts, so be sure to keep me informed.”
“Of course, milord—so long as the two of you don’t mind the interruption,” Feasel said with a knowing wink.
Sophie rolled her eyes.
“I’m sure we’ll manage,” Lindley said.
Feasel simply laughed. “Oh, I know you’ll manage. I just hope you don’t lose track of things and forget what we’re all about here.”
“Shouldn’t you be off about some business or other and let us be on our way?”
“Business it is, milord,” Feasel said, touching his dirty cap and nodding toward Sophie. “Good night, Miss Darshaw.”
With reassurances that all would be well and with Feasel’s word that they would not be followed by Fitzgelder’s unsavories, Lindley’s man left them and they were, once again, alone. Except for the dozens of questions racing through Sophie’s mind.
“I’m sorry,” Lindley said as the carriage rocked into motion. “I didn’t mean to give him reason to think anything untoward would be transpiring between us.”
Sophie shrugged. “It hardly matters, my lord.”
“It does matter.”
“He knows my name,” she remarked, changing the topic. “How?”
“He works for me. When there are things I need to know, Feasel is the one who finds them out for me. I’ve had him following you since you left Eudora’s employ.”
“What? You’ve had him following me?” The nerve of the man!
“You can hardly blame me,” he said, directing the horses to veer onto the road that went off toward the northeast.
“I most certainly can blame you,” she said. “It’s very rude to spy on people.”
“I couldn’t be sure you weren’t working with your father, a part of their whole network.”
“I believed my father was dead.”
“I know that now, Sophie. Six weeks ago I did not. And you have to admit, leaving the security of Eudora’s and going to work for a cretin like Fitzgelder did seem a bit suspicious.”
Indeed, she could practically
laugh at that. “Hardly suspicious, my lord. Foolish, is what it was. I left in the hopes of working my way into a more respectable position, if you can believe that.”
“Yes, I can believe that, Sophie,” he said. “You are not cut out for the sort of life you have. But no fear. I’ll set you up so that you never have to worry about going to work for someone like Fitzgelder or even Eudora again.”
She heard the words but still had no idea what to make of them. His eyes were focused ahead on the road, so there was no way to read them to learn what he meant. Was she to become his mistress? It was a disheartening thought, becoming that sort of woman when for so long she’d dreamed of respectability, yet a part of her was thrilled at the notion. A very big part of her, actually.
“You keep saying you’ll set me up. What do you mean?”
“Well, would you like a house? You should have a house, a nice house in Town, on a fashionable row.”
A house! So he would make her his mistress. She would have a house, she could dress in fine clothes, she would be safe from the likes of Fitzgelder, and her nights would be spent paying for it all in the sweetest way imaginable. True, it was not respectability, but it was a far sight better than any hope she’d had so far.
Still, it would all come at a price.
“And will my father be allowed to live there with me, sir?” she asked finally.
He did not answer. He merely kept his eyes on the road ahead, though she did note his gloved hands clenched the reins just a bit more tightly. That was answer enough.
“I didn’t think so,” she replied for him.
She knew how she had to reply to his most tempting offer. It was simply not tempting enough.
“I’ll not be needing you to set me up, then, after all, my lord.”
HE COULD SEE THE FEW DISTANT LIGHTS THAT REPRESENTED Southam. How long since he had been here? Too long. Fortunately, he doubted he would run into anyone he knew as they made their way through town. His destination lay just to the south of there. Haven Abbey. This visit was long, long overdue.
Sophie had ridden in silence most of the way, giving in to sleep finally, and now she was propped snugly against his side. She’d gamely tried to stay awake for the hour’s ride, but about five miles ago slumber won her over. Her last angry words had been fueled by concern for her father.
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