She surrendered to the assault that ravaged her body and closed her eyes. Thomas would never have feelings for her. She was nothing but a burden. Besides, Samuel was surely looking for them even now and would find them within the week. And once Samuel learned of the treatment Thomas had received he would find that wretched soldier and have him punished.
Blissful sleep drew around her like a curtain of black fog, while visions of a handsome face, kind eyes, and a generous spirit floated in her memory.
Though she may be nearly engaged to Samuel, there couldn’t be any harm in dreaming about Thomas.
A smile twitched on her lips. No harm whatsoever.
They traversed twenty-five miles, searching every boarding house, every tavern.
Samuel hated how long it took. Almost two weeks passed since the night he found her missing. In his dreams Eliza called to him, and each day he awoke with renewed strength and resolve. Eliza’s love pulled him to her. He would find her. No matter what.
His head throbbed and his muscles pleaded for mercy. He and Donaldson ate little and slept even less. Donaldson didn’t complain, though Samuel saw the weariness in the gray circles that fringed his eyes. His reluctant companion had no choice but to obey orders. The man was a soldier and should expect to be tired and hungry.
They entered a small wayside town with only a few shops and a dreary looking tavern.
“We’ll stop here for the night,” Samuel said, dismounting. “Find a place to stable our horses and I’ll order a hot meal.”
“Right away, Captain.” Donaldson also alighted off his horse then led the animals away.
Inside the small tavern several lanterns glowed, and the few patrons looked up at him with indifference as he entered. An empty table near the back called to him. He wanted to be alone.
Samuel removed his cumbersome cloak and hat, then slumped into the hard chair, feeling almost grateful for the musty, sour air that filled the dingy room.
A circular woman with white hair approached his table.
“How can I be of service to you, sir?”
“I’m in need of a room and a hot meal for myself and another soldier.”
Just then Donaldson entered, looked around the nearly empty establishment for only a moment before spotting Samuel.
“The horses are taken care of, Captain,” he said, as he neared the table.
The old woman twisted her mouth in disgust as if she thought two British soldiers could only mean trouble.
Donaldson took off his hat and cloak. He nodded to the woman then took the chair across from Samuel, emitting an exasperated huff as he sat.
“We have only a Shepherd’s Pie.” The woman slanted one brow. “I do hope that will be satisfactory.”
“That will be sufficient.” Samuel’s impatience mounted higher.
The woman put a hand on her large hip and turned to leave.
“And as I said—” Samuel stopped her with his comment and she turned back. “We’ll be needing a room for the night.”
“I heard you the first time,” she snapped. “You’re in luck. We’ve only one room left, but it’s yours for the customary price.”
Donaldson turned to her as she marched away. “Thank you.”
Samuel leaned forward. “Don’t thank her. You’re a soldier. She should be thanking us for what we sacrifice for selfish colonists like her.”
Reclining in the chair, Donaldson played with a bent fork that lay on the rough-hewn table. His lips tightened. “Did your mother never teach you about etiquette? She looked like she could use a kind word. I’m simply glad to be in a warm place, awaiting a warm meal, and a warm bed. That is all.”
“Well, don’t get used to it.” Samuel rubbed his aching knee. “It’s only for one night. We’ll be on the road again in the early morning.”
His companion poked the fork into the wood as his jaw muscles flinched. “Aye, Captain.”
At that moment the wrinkled woman tottered over to them with two large chargers overflowing with a sumptuous spread, each topped with a thick slice of bread.
Samuel hadn’t realized how ravenous he was until the smell of the juicy meal made him salivate.
He peered at Donaldson whose eyes were as large as the chargers themselves.
The innkeeper plunked the plates down. “I’ll be back with a jug of ale for you.”
The two of them devoured the delicious food as if it was the first meal they’d ever eaten. And their last.
Samuel was so consumed by his need to eat that he almost didn’t notice the man who staggered through the door.
“Greetings, Lee,” the innkeeper said, stepping away from the large fire in the back of the room. She wiped her hands on her stained apron.
“Good evening, Mrs. Langdon.”
“Where’s Roy?” she asked.
The fat fellow looked around the room and put a hand to his jaw.
Samuel swallowed his bite and rested his fork.
“He’s, uh, he’s not here.”
He sat at an empty table. The innkeeper poured him a large mug of ale. He gulped with greedy pleasure then used his hand to dab his mouth.
“Truth be told, we ran into a few pretties a while back and . . .” The sailor looked around the room again. He locked eyes with Samuel and stopped talking. Casting his gaze back to Mrs. Langdon, he took another long drag out of his mug. “He’s already at the wharf.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed and she tilted her head. She looked at Samuel, then back to the sailor.
“I see.”
She went back to her chores by the fire, before seeing to the few other patrons scattered through the small room.
A few pretties? Samuel’s pulse began to race. Could he have seen Eliza?
Samuel shook his head at the foolish thought and took another bite of food. Of course not. The low-life could be referring to any number of women.
Samuel took a swig of drink and gazed back at the sailor who leaned into the long table where he sat.
What am I thinking? I have to question him. Samuel had promised to explore every avenue, every path that could possibly lead him to his love. Eliza was in danger. She needed him to save her, to bring her home. He could only imagine the horrors she was being forced to endure. No doubt she prayed night and day for him to rescue her. It may be a gamble, but he had nothing to lose.
“Stay here.” He pointed to Donaldson, scooting his chair away from the table. “I’ll be right back.”
Donaldson nodded and went back to his meal.
Samuel’s heart punched his chest as a new hope built within him. He’d been inspired by this kind of optimism before, only to have his excitement dashed into pieces. This time, he believed that somehow luck would be in his favor.
When Samuel approached, Lee slid his face upward. “I have nothing to say to you.” He sneered before turning back to his own large meal.
Samuel gripped the sword at his side to try and extinguish the embers that sparked at Lee’s comment. “I’m looking for a young woman who’s been kidnapped. I overheard you saying that you ‘ran into a few pretties’, as you put it. I need you to tell me about them.”
The man didn’t look up. “What’s it to you?”
Samuel inspected the sailor. His stature was large, but more from fat than muscle. He picked at his food and only spooned the soft potatoes. That’s when Samuel noticed that one side of his face was dark purple and swollen to a considerable size. His jaw was broken.
Standing taller, Samuel shifted his weight to the other foot. “Did you not hear what I said? A woman’s been kidnapped. Two women to be exact. I need to know if perhaps the women you saw are the ones I’m looking for.”
The sailor cranked his neck toward Samuel again, his face a tangle of hatred. “Sounds like you’re a fool to me. Going after every wind of chance. Those pretties could have been anyone. How could they possibly be the ones you’re looking for?”
Samuel’s patience went bone dry. “Tell me now!”
&nbs
p; “What’s in it for me?”
Glaring, Samuel imagined all the glorious ways he could torture this man to get him to talk. He kept his answer simple. “You’ll have the satisfaction of doing a good Christian act.”
Lee laughed even louder now, then growled and swore under his breath as he put his hand to his enlarged jaw. “I want something in return for telling you what I know.”
Samuel’s own jaw ticked. “Such as?”
Lee’s gaze went to Samuel’s belt. “I want your pistol.”
“Are you saying you want a hole in your head?” Samuel’s arms twitched with raw anger at the gall of the man.
“No,” he stated, before swiveling in his seat. He faced Samuel with scowling eyes. “I want your pistol. No pistol, no statement.”
Blast!
Samuel clenched his fists and snarled. He couldn’t arm the man and wouldn’t be used by him either. His nostrils flared as he considered his options. Of course, he could always take the gun back after he’d gotten the information. Then again . . .
He scowled at the snarling sailor as his confusion and boiling anger reached excessive heights.
Another inner voice called like a wild animal in his brain. What if this man said nothing useful? What if he played him for a fool? But again, what if he did help? What if this man did know something that could lead him to his beloved?
He had to take the risk.
Samuel reached at his side and produced the weapon.
A glutinous chuckle emerged from the sailor as his fingers laced around it. “Perfect.”
“Now tell me!” Samuel demanded, leaning in.
The man shoved the pistol into his belt and turned back to his meal. “I saw two women.”
“I know that much already. What did they look like? When did you see them?”
Lee looked up with a lecherous grin. “A bit over a week, I’d say. They looked like sisters and were far too beautiful for their own good. Dark hair and eyes. Soft skin . . .”
A storm surged in Samuel’s muscles. The man’s description was ambiguous but a nagging feeling told him it was Eliza. The thought of this man’s hands going anywhere near her made Samuel strong enough to break every bone in the sailor’s worthless body.
He grabbed the mug out of Lee’s hand and whacked it against the man’s already injured jaw. Lee flailed, falling out of his chair and onto the ground with a thud. He cried out like a wailing child and grabbed at his face.
The few other patrons scattered through the tavern jumped in their seats.
“You touched her?” he roared. “Get out! All of you!” Samuel motioned to the wide-eyed spectators.
“You can’t tell them to leave!” Mrs. Langdon bellowed. “This is my—”
“I’ll do as I please!”
At that instant Donaldson was at his side. Samuel whipped around, still holding the mug in his hand.
“What would you have me do, sir?” Donaldson’s gaze dashed between Samuel, the man on the ground, and the mumbling crowd.
“Escort these lovely people outside and stay with them until I come to get you.”
The room emptied as the patrons bumped between tables and chairs before scrambling out the front door.
“You too!” Samuel shouted, pointing at the innkeeper.
She glared, then huffed and mumbled fighting words under her breath. Donaldson ushered them out, prodding the small group like livestock and slammed the door behind him.
Silence swelled and matched the emptiness in his heart. Only the sailor’s moaning and the crackling of the fire oscillated in the quiet room.
“You blackguard! You touched her!”
The man started blubbering. “Don’t hit me again! It’s not what you think!”
“Then you better begin talking. I’ve a mind to arrest you for assaulting a woman!”
Samuel crouched down and lifted Lee to his feet by his coat. He shoved him onto the table and pounded the mug down so hard the remaining drops of liquid sprayed out.
“You have three seconds!” Samuel thundered, leaning over him.
“All right!” Lee cried. He spoke as if the words couldn’t come out fast enough. “They were alone when Roy and I found them. The older one said their brother would be back for them any minute, but we could tell she was lying about something. A few seconds later the man did arrive and started handling them rough, telling them they needed to get going and to stop cavorting with strangers. When we tried to help the poor girls, the man attacked us.”
Samuel released his hold. That didn’t seem like Thomas, but then again neither did kidnapping. “Go on.”
Lee lifted onto his elbow from his semi-reclined position on the table. His clothes were covered with food. “Roy got out his knife to protect himself, but the man turned it on him. Killed him. I saw it with my own eyes.”
Samuel straightened and thinned his eyes. “This man killed your friend? Was it he that broke your jaw?”
“Yes, sir.” Lee still trembled.
“Is that all? Did you see where they went?”
“No. But that’s not the worst of it.”
Samuel’s stomach dropped to the ground. What could be worse?
“Well?”
“In the ruckus, somehow the girl, the oldest one, was stabbed too.”
His stomach lurched from his feet to his throat. Eliza had been stabbed? Impossible. It was too horrid to be real.
“I don’t believe you.”
“It’s as true as I’m living.”
“Where was this?” Samuel asked.
“Two miles north of Sandwich.”
Samuel looked away quickly doing the calculations in his head. From where they were it was about another thirty-five to forty miles away.
He took a step away from the table and ground his teeth.
This story had holes. How did he know this man was even telling the truth?
He didn’t.
What was worse, he still didn’t know if the woman was in actuality his Eliza. He could spend all this time following another dead trail and lose precious time.
Lee groaned when Samuel increased the pressure of his grip. “How well did you see these girls? Was there anything unique about them, any distinguishing features?”
“It was past sundown so there wasn’t much light.” Lee turned his head and squinted his eyes. “I didn’t see much of the young one, but the other girl had a small mole right here.” He pointed at his left cheekbone and Samuel nearly vomited.
He pushed the man back down on the table and wrenched the gifted pistol from his belt, speaking only inches from the man’s swollen face.
“Thank you for your help, but I’ll be taking this.”
Lee didn’t seem to care. He cupped his cheek and lumbered off the table, then sunk into the nearest chair.
Samuel hurled out the door and into the shivering group.
He yelled at Donaldson. “Get the horses. We’re leaving. Now.”
Chapter Twelve
As the days passed and the decorated trees relinquished their dressings, Thomas could sense that Eliza continued to gain strength. He stayed at her side as much as he could, while still allowing Kitty her share of the caregiving.
Never had such a task brought more fulfillment. He helped her with every sip of broth, every small bite of bread. Ever so slowly, she spent more time awake, spoke with less strain, and even made a few attempts at teasing him. Her chocolate eyes, so round and deep, seemed to brighten more everyday. He pretended not to notice all the times she peeked at him when she thought he wasn’t looking. Had he imagined the traces of longing that often shrouded her charming face? Perhaps.
She lay quiet most of the time, eyes closed, her chest making lazy movements up and down as she breathed. When she slept, Thomas read by her side, not wanting to disturb her, but ready at any moment to help should she need him.
A gentle tapping sounded on the front door downstairs.
Thomas stood from his perch, placed his book on the chair,
then took quiet steps down the staircase.
He opened the door, already knowing who came to call. “Come in, Nathaniel. Good to see you.”
“Good day, Thomas,” Nathaniel boomed as he removed his cloak.
“Quiet, my friend, Eliza’s sleeping.”
Putting a finger to his lips, Nathaniel nodded.
Kitty hurried in from the kitchen, drying her hands on a checkered cloth. She bobbed her head and curtsied.
Thomas covered his mouth to keep from chuckling. He’d wondered how long it would take her to make an appearance. She always rushed in when Nathaniel arrived, and Thomas had a difficult time disguising his amusement. It was obvious Kitty found Nathaniel charming by the way her cheeks blushed and how quiet she was around him, when most of the time she had plenty to say.
Nathaniel bowed in a playful manner, making sure to keep his volume minimal. “Mademoiselle.” He looked up and flashed his winning smile.
Thomas rolled his eyes.
Kitty’s face flushed as she made another quick curtsy. She flashed an impish grin at both of them and went back to the kitchen, towel in hand.
“Don’t play with her, Nathaniel.” Thomas didn’t say more until he was sure Kitty was out of earshot. “You’ll break her heart before she has a chance to give it to you. Besides, you’re too old for her.”
“I’m not playing with anyone. And who are you calling old? I’m only a few years older than you.” Nathaniel kept his eyes on the kitchen door and sighed before he shook his head and straightened. “I have to be myself, my friend. I can’t help it if my good looks and charm makes those of the fairer sex swoon in my presence.”
A grin he could not contain overtook Thomas’s face. “Your humility amazes me.”
“It should. With such a face one would expect a certain degree of pride, but I like to treat even a common looking fellow like yourself with the highest respect.” He chuckled and patted Thomas on the back then quickly turned solemn. “How’s the patient? I know you said she’s asleep, but I need to see how she’s healing. Would now be all right?”
So Fair a Lady (Daughters of His Kingdom Book 1) Page 12
