Murray scratched his head. “It’s best if we wake him. He willnae take it kindly if we leave him behind.”
“Well, I vote we leave him behind.” She looked at Ines. “What is your vote?”
Ines knew who her ally was and did not hesitate. “Leave him.”
“This is why women are nae allowed tae vote,” Murray grumbled. “Nae, dinnae lead the way. I’ll go first and make sure all is clear.”
He opened the door, and Ines slid behind him, liking the warmth of him in front of her. She’d been ready to go on her own, but now that he was here, she could not stop herself from sliding her hand into his. The Highlander’s hand was rough and callused, and she never wanted to let it go. How could she have been willing to leave him behind just a quarter hour ago? She couldn’t imagine never kissing him again, never touching him again. She hadn’t known kissing could be like he had shown her. If kissing was that wonderful, why did Catarina and Draven not kiss all the time? Perhaps they did, in private. And that led her to wonder if the other things done in private were as wonderful as kissing. How could she convince Murray to give her a taste of that forbidden fruit?
But she had to be careful not to fall in love with him. How many times had Catarina told her that just because a man desired a woman, that didn’t mean he loved her? Ines had seen too many girls in her shop heartbroken because they’d fallen in love with men who did not love them back. She’d seen a number of babies born as well due to men’s lies about love and women’s willingness to believe them. Slowly, Ines pulled her hand out of Murray’s and tucked it in her pocket.
Eleven
EMMELINE
Emmeline watched Ines step carefully down the stairs, avoiding steps that might creak. She took hold of the railing herself and prepared to step cautiously when a voice whispered in her ear, “Where are we going?”
She spun around and almost toppled backward and down. She might have fallen head over heels if Stratford hadn’t caught her arm and hauled her against him. Her heart had been beating hard from the fright, but it still managed to speed up when her body connected to his. She liked the feel of his chest pressed against hers. She liked it too much, which meant she immediately pushed away and then almost fell right back down again. He grabbed her and pulled her away from the precipice.
“What the devil are you about?” he hissed. “Are you trying to break your neck?”
“You scared me half to death,” she accused him. “How dare you!” It was only with a great deal of feigned indignity that she managed to move out of his embrace when everything in her told her to move closer.
“I wouldn’t have to sneak after you if you weren’t escaping in the dead of night like some sort of criminal.” He looked down the stairs and pointed at the two faces peering up at them. “I thought better of you, Duncan.”
The Scotsman muttered something about women voting.
Emmeline started back toward the stairs. “If we’re to argue, let’s do it outside. I don’t want to wake the duke or the other guests.”
“Fine.” Taking hold of her arm, Stratford escorted Emmeline down the stairs, and they followed Ines and Murray outside and into the yard. All was quiet except for the chirp of insects and the rustle of leaves in the breeze. A gibbous moon hung in the sky, the occasional cloud sailing over it.
“I told them tae fetch ye,” Murray said.
“You and I will speak later,” Stratford said.
“How did you hear us?” Emmeline asked, annoyed now that he stood before her, his expression disapproving. She pulled her arm away, and Loftus, sensing her dismay, licked her hand. She’d lost her gloves at some point on this trip, and it seemed one more indignity.
“I was listening for you,” he said. “I went through all the possible scenarios for this evening, and the most likely one was that you two”—he pointed at the women—“would try to flee. I didn’t think he’d be part of it.”
“Because ye kent Mayne planned tae drug me.”
“I shouldn’t have bet against you,” Stratford said. “Where is Mayne now?”
“He’s having a wee lie down. If the potion he thought tae slip me is worth anything, he’ll be oot for hours yet.”
“I don’t suppose I can convince the rest of you to go back inside and lie down?” Stratford asked.
In answer, Ines said, “Which way is north?”
Stratford sighed and looked at Murray. “Have you considered throwing them over our shoulders and carrying them back home?”
Murray raised a brow. “And just how far do ye think we would get before they concocted some devious plan?”
“I have a devious plan in mind right now,” Emmeline said. “If we don’t start walking, I might just put it into action.”
Grumbling, Stratford fell into step behind Murray, who led the way, Ines right behind him.
After an hour or so of walking, Emmeline had grown to appreciate the comforts of the coach. She also realized it might have been wiser to sleep a few hours before starting out. She was having difficulty focusing on where she put her feet and every muscle seemed to ache. By now the small party was well away from the inn and village, and she was relying wholly on moonlight to see the road. Emmeline tried to watch where she stepped so as to avoid large rocks or dips in the road, but she could feel Stratford looking at her. For his part, he walked as though he had slept for days and could walk as far north as Dunnet Head without pause. Seeing her looking at him, he gestured to Murray and Ines, walking ahead of them. “Duncan may seem fine, but you can’t expect him to walk all the way to Scotland. He’ll do it because he’s an idiot and then fall down dead on his doorstep.”
“I see what you are about,” she said.
He gave her an innocent look.
“You worry that I am tired and need to stop, but you think if you behave as though a rest is for Mr. Murray’s benefit then I will not object.”
“Will it work?” he asked.
“It might if I didn’t have a plan already.”
“What’s that?”
“In the morning”—please, God, let it be morning soon—“we plan to ask farmers if we can ride in their carts,” Emmeline said.
He snorted. “I suppose that seems romantic to you. Never mind the manure and chicken feathers.”
She tossed her head, even though she knew it was childish. “Then we buy a cart.”
“Oh, you have blunt, have you?”
She didn’t answer. He knew she’d lost her money on that first day in the dog/baby swindle.
“I spent almost the last of mine to hire the last coach and driver,” he said. “You know, the one we have now left back at the inn.”
How she mourned leaving that coach behind now. “Is your point that this is not the wisest decision I have ever made?” she asked. “Because I know that already.”
“Then why are you doing this? I understand you feel obligated to help Miss Neves, but Draven will catch up to her sooner or later. Sooner if he has already located Lord Jasper.”
She continued walking, her back stiff, despite how heavy her shoulders felt.