Page 71 of A Rake's Redemption
“If you are sure.”
“Aye.” That came out a little louder than she’d intended, and the young boy holding the bridle gave her a startled look. “I think we should get started,my lord,” she said in a lowered voice
Alex raised an eyebrow. “As you wish, Miss O’Brien.” He stepped up and sat beside her on the bench, unwinding the reins from the handle of the brake, and releasing it. He nodded to the stable lad. “Tell Jameson not to wait for our return. I will take care of the horse myself.”
The boy nodded and scampered away as Alex flicked the reins across the horse’s rump and they ambled down the drive.
Once they had crossed the Thames and gotten past Battersea, the city fell away, eventually turning into still-fallow fields and meadows where grass was turning green.
Inis gave Alex a sideways glance as he put the gelding through his paces. Since her latest accident, he’d been attentive, but in a formal way. He always made sure Elsie was there when he visited, or else he left the door properly ajar. It was hard to believe she’d thought he’d held her close, and that she’d heard him whisper not to leave. Maybe she hadn’t. In that fog-like place in which she’d drifted, perhaps she had imagined it. Still, watching his arm muscles flex and his strong hands maneuvering the reins, it wasn’t hard to remember how they’d felt on her. Had it been real?
The road narrowed to little more than a lane that wound through occasional copses of trees spouting fresh leaf shoots. Inis breathed in the clean air. “I miss the country. ’Tis so quiet out here.”
Alex frowned and looked around. “It is too quiet. The birds are not singing. The cattle in the field over there are all huddled together, too.”
“Are ye telling me it’s some kind of omen?” Inis smiled at him. “Ye are beginning to sound a bit Irish, believin’ in such things.”
“Not an omen,” Alex said as several large raindrops splashed on the footboard of the carriage. “I think we may be in for a storm.”
Inis looked up, surprised to see the sky had grown completely overcast and the layered clouds looked much darker. Somehow, she’d been so entranced with the surroundings, she hadn’t noticed. “How much farther is it?”
“We are still a good twenty minutes away.” Alex grimaced as he studied the sky. “We’ll never make it.”
He hardly had the words out before thunder rumbled and the sky opened as though someone had rent it in two and the rain came down in torrents. It took only seconds for them to slip into their oilskins, but they were both drenched. A few minutes more, and the country lane was a muddy, slippery track.
“I don’t dare go any faster, “Alex said as the carriage hit a rut, causing it to lurch slightly.
“It wouldna be safe for the horse,” Inis answered. “But maybe we could take shelter under the trees?”
“I don’t want to risk that with the lightning,” he said. “As I recall, there is a tavern not far.”
She swept long, wet tendrils of hair out of her eyes and looked around. “We’re in the country.”
Alex managed a smile. “Well, one never knows where a man might work up a thirst, and an enterprising individual might anticipate that need.”
Inis pulled the collar of her oilskin closer, although she could feel rivulets of water sliding past her neck. “Are ye sure it’s still in operation?”
“Never fear a tavern closing. Actually, the place was a travelling stop for coaches before a newer road was built. A tavern is not exactly where I planned to take you today.” He fed out more rein when the horse suddenly stumbled and jerked the bit. “Easy there.”
“It will be shelter,” Inis replied. “Besides, we’re hardly fit to be seen at a high tea this bedraggled.”
“True. We will have to do that another day,” Alex said as he guided the horse to a smaller path leading off the muddy road.
Inis grabbed the side of the cabriolet as it lurched sideways. “Are ye sure this is a road?”
“It is a shortcut,” he answered. “You can see the building just past those trees.”
Ahead was a two-story building with a sagging roof that needed thatching, hanging shutters, and paint so peeled it was hard to determine an original color.
“It looks deserted.”
Alex shook his head. “Doubtful. Rain is a perfect excuse to down a few pints.”
“But there are nae horses outside.”
“There is a small stable behind the tavern,” Alex said. “It’s not in much better shape, but it serves its purpose.”
“I’m sure our horse will be verra happy to see it,” Inis replied and laughed as the horse picked up his pace. “Maybe he heard us.”
