Chasing Eliza (7 page)

“
Go to the corner, I think I can see an opening we can go
through to get on to the road. Do you know where we
are?”

“
I think we are near Lymster, but can’t be certain in the
darkness.” Eliza replied studying the area for a while as she tried
to make out the shadows of the surrounding countryside. “I need to
see a stone marker.”

“
If we get onto the road, we can find one.” He watched as
Eliza settled into Guinness’ rhythm despite her earlier concern,
and was answering his questions clearly enough to reassure him that
she was managing to hold her fear at bay.

They
left the field and stepped onto the flat road surface with a sigh
of relief. Edward glanced back but could see nothing in the top
corner of the field except dark shadows. The horses behind him
trotted along happily enough now they had left the scene of the
bloodshed.

With no
imminent threat of pursuers for now, they had the time to slow to a
steady trot without the fear of Guinness losing his footing on the
uneven surface.

“
Stop a minute.”

Eliza
glanced across at him, every nerve stretched taught by what she had
just experienced.

She had
seen enough carnage and bloodshed to last her a lifetime and to
watch Edward, whom she had considered her saviour calmly kill those
two men, chilled her to the bone. She was very grateful for the
warmth of the woollen cloak that smelled so much of him, a man she
didn’t know at all. Mentally she chided herself. In spite of
everything that had happened, she had only known him a matter of
hours and simply had no way of knowing if he was a cold-blooded
killer, or the sensual seducer she had encountered in her room at
the inn.

Dutifully she reined to a stop and glanced across at him only
to find three sets of reins being pushed into her hand.

“
Hold these for a minute; I need to check Guinness hasn’t been
injured from the fall.”

“
Is he alright?” Eliza queried hating the thought that the
animal could be hurt trying to help them.

Edward
ran his hands gently over the warm flesh of the large animal,
reassured when he was met with nothing but a soft snort of pleasure
as Guinness enjoyed the attention. Eliza watched as he crooned
softly to the animal for several moments, rubbing him gently
between his ears before giving him a pat.

She
shouldn’t allow herself to be so distracted by him but he was an
enigma, a puzzle that demanded she discover which one was the real
Edward. The harsh, ruthless fighter who ruthlessly killed in battle
or the soft and gentle man who took the time in tense moments to
soothe frightened animals.

“
He’s fine, just a bit dusty. Luckily the ground was soft from
all of the rain we have had; I think it cushioned his fall a bit.”
Edward relieved her of the reins and mounted one of the
horses.

“
What are we going to do with them?” She nodded towards the
two additional animals that trailed dumbly behind them.

“
When we get to the village we will stop and pick the fittest.
We have no way of telling where they have come from, so cannot
return them but we can leave them with a farmer who may be able to
make use of them.” Edward frowned at her only to find her staring
over his shoulder in horror.

Silently
she pointed down the road behind them.

Edward
glanced into the shadows and cursed roundly at the sight of another
three riders approaching at a rapid pace.

“
There!” Eliza pointed to the dense thicket of trees on the
side of the road further down the road.

Edward
studied the small copse of woods for several moments, assessing the
danger. He should have stopped long enough to pick up one of the
surplus swords and cursed his stupidity. He had been so worried
about getting her away from the danger that he had forgotten the
basics. De-arm your enemy. Nodding briskly at her, within moments
they were heading in that direction.

“
Keep quiet.” Edward ordered as they picked their way through
the dense foliage to stand as far back from the road as possible
while still keeping it in sight. Leading the small group as far
into the trees as he could, Edward dismounted and motioned for
Eliza to follow him.

“
Hold on to these.”

Eliza
quenched in fear as she stared up at the big round eyes of their
horses glaring haughtily at her through the darkness, and silently
prayed they wouldn’t take it into their heads to run off. She
turned to Edward only to find he had completely vanished. Twisting
around she couldn’t see or hear anything, and wondered how such a
big man moved so silently.

She sent
a silent prayer heavenward and watched as the three riders moved
slowly down the track directly through the middle of the thick, yet
small copse of woods. They were scanning the trees on either side
of the road, clearly searching for her and Edward.

Eliza
knew for certain they could see her, and any moment now they were
going to shout and come barrelling through the woods towards her.
Tension coiled low in her belly and she rested her head against
Guinness’s huge head and waited.

The
minutes seemed to drag by indeterminably as the riders moved slowly
down the track without stopping and eventually disappeared from
sight.

Seconds
later, her low squeak of surprise was silenced by the large hand
that clamped over her mouth, stifling her scream perfectly. She
swayed with a huge wave of relief, her knees threatening to buckle
beneath as she realised it was Edward.

He
silently pressed a finger to his lips and motioned for her move.
With startling ease he hefted her into the saddle, swinging up on
his new horse moments later. As silently as possible they made
their way back through the trees towards the road.

“
We can’t go back there.” Eliza whispered nodding towards the
road they had just come down.

“
We aren’t, we are going to cut across country and find a
milestone so we can find out where the hell we are. Then we will
find ourselves a tavern so we can get some food, and rest – in that
order - and then you can tell me everything you know.”

“
I have.” She whispered defensively, not reassured by the lack
of movement behind them.

“
No you haven’t.” Edward declared dismissively. “Unless I am
mistaken, those men aren’t the drunken revellers from the tavern.”
He glanced across at her and knew he had hit a nerve when she
shifted guiltily and pretended to study the horizon. He knew that
if it was daylight her beautiful cheeks would probably be stained
with a guilty blush.

“
If we are to get you to safety, you have to tell me
everything Eliza.” Although he kept his voice low, his tone lost
none of its warning.

“
This isn’t your problem Edward. You need to go back to Peter
and tell him that I know nothing. Jemima disappeared about two
weeks ago. I haven’t seen or heard anything from her since.” Eliza
sighed, hoping her sister had stuck to the plan and left a note in
their hiding place.

“
It isn’t that simple.” Edward replied, easing his horse
across the unfamiliar field. “I cannot just let you walk away now.
I can get you to a place of safety, where you can stay until Jemima
is found, and your future is decided.” He didn’t like to admit that
for his own peace of mind he needed to ensure that she was safe and
well. Sometime during the past few hours he had become concerned
for her wellbeing far too much than he was comfortable with, but
there was little he could do about the sudden driving need to claim
her as his. Not only did he want her safe, but he was also
intrigued by her story and wanted to learn as much as she could
tell him. He was a warrior and a warrior never back down from a
fight.

It appeared there wasn’t that much difference between himself
and Peter after all.
Edward mused,
considering the strength of feeling she had brought out in him
after only a few hours’ acquaintance – and most of that had been
while being pursued by an unknown, yet persistent enemy.

“
What do you mean?” She didn’t like the ring of finality in
his voice, as though the matter had already been decided and didn’t
need to be questioned. She didn’t want anyone deciding anything for
her. After the events of the past few months she considered she was
the only one qualified to make any decisions on her behalf and she
certainly didn’t want anyone of such short acquaintance deciding
what was best for her.

“
I mean that I need to know what has happened to you to bring
you to that run down cesspit back in Derby.” He threw her a pointed
glance, daring her to be evasive or untruthful. “You will then tell
me everything you know about your pursuers. Once the people who
want you so badly are dealt with, you and Jemima can decide what
you want to do with your lives.”

“
Does Peter know about Jemima’s situation?” Eliza shuddered as
a cold sweep of night air stole beneath the folds of her cloak with
icy intent. Glancing over at Edward’s thin shirt she wondered if
she should offer him his cloak back. Her heart clenched with guilt;
he must be frozen in the cold breeze with nothing but the thin
material to protect him.

“
Situation?”

“
What drove her to move to Derby.”

“
I’m not sure. I know they met while you were in Devon. She
approached him for help for some reason and confided in him before
vanishing. He has been desperate to find her ever since and has
followed her – your – trail through to Derby. He has practically
pulled the town apart in his quest to find her.” Edward could see
nothing wrong with confiding in her thus far. If she understood the
depth of Peter’s involvement, it just might earn her trust and make
her feel able to confide in him.

“
You cannot in all conscience drop me on his doorstep and
expect him to accommodate me. After all, it isn’t me he is looking
for.” Eliza reasoned, feeling a pang of envy that her sister, her
beautiful fun-loving sister, had someone so adoring of her that he
would move heaven and hell to find her. “I cannot go with you. At
the next village you need to let me down so I can find my own
way.”

“
I won’t countenance such a possibility. Wherever you go, I
go.” Edward was loathed to leave her anywhere, especially after all
of the trouble he had gone to ensuring her safety thus far. She was
going to be delivered to Peter’s safe keeping, via his brother’s
residence – whether she liked it or not.

He
didn’t want to stop and consider that his determination to take her
to Peter and Dominic may be driven by the need to see her again in
more normal circumstances.

“
They are following again.” Eliza gasped, catching sight of
three riders heading in their direction across the fields. Was it
her imagination, or was the darkness giving way to meagre shade of
light? “They’re coming fast.” She tried to keep the panic out of
her voice, but fear swept through her when Edward glanced over his
shoulder and cursed.

They
raced side by side through the night, hooves pounding with brutal
fury as they tried to escape the relentless determination of the
three determined pursuers.

Eliza
knew they couldn’t be the same men Edward had shot earlier, so
where were they coming from? With the arrival of the new pursuers,
Eliza had little doubt now they were Scraggan’s men.

“
Go into the trees again.” Eliza gasped, knowing they didn’t
have a chance of outrunning the three menacing shadows looming
closer with each passing mile, especially as they had no way of
knowing just how many more lay hidden further ahead.

“
Why?”

“
Do it!” She ordered ignoring his look of surprise as she
nudged Guinness directly into the path of Edward’s horse and in
doing so gave Edward little option than to follow her instructions.
Within moments they were crashing through the dense foliage and
uneven forest floor.

Edward
paused, wondering what she was planning. He studied her carefully,
a little nonplussed at this new, decisive Boudicca-style side to
her and he wasn’t sure he was all too comfortable with it. He
suddenly wondered what it was like to be on the wrong side of her
temper, and if all of that fiery passion re-appeared between the
sheets.

“
What the
hell
are you doing?” He snapped watching in horror as she slid
from Guinness’ back and held out the reins to him. “Get back
on
now!”
He
ignored the strips of leather she held aloft and pushed his horse
around, effectively trapping her between the horses. “Eliza, don’t
play games, get back on so we can get out of here.”

“
Listen to me.” Eliza snapped dropping the reins on the floor
when he made no move to take them from her and removing the cloak.
“We have a better chance of evading them if we split
up.”

“
No!” Edward’s abrupt dismissal of the notion rang clear
through the night air.

Eliza
pointed to the far distance. “Lymster is over there, I am sure of
it. On the outskirts of the small village heading towards Derby
there is a large barn, a huge monstrosity that sits in the middle
of nowhere. There is no way of getting to it without being seen
from any side.” She handed him his cloak, persistently pushing it
at him when he refused to take it.