Page 42 of To Catch A Rogue
And then the carriage rolled forward, and Lark clung on for dear life.
Chapter 9
"Lark?" Charlie whispered.
There was no sign of her as the brakes squealed and the steam carriage rumbled past his perch in the hayloft of the stables. He peered out the window. He'd been watching ever since he set the horses loose, and she hadn't reappeared.
She was under that carriage still.
He just knew it.
That left only one option.
He had to go after her.
* * *
It wassix miles to the outskirts of Saint Petersburg, and Lark had little choice but to remain where she was, thanks to an outrider that had joined the column as they left the palace grounds. Imperial guards lingered at checkpoints into the city, smoking cheroots and stamping their feet, as the carriage rolled past. Clearly, they recognized the golden embossedmarqueon the doors proclaiming the House of Feodorevna and didn't dare stop them.
By the time the steam carriage hit the cobbled streets and slowed, she was shivering with cold. Only the heat coming from the rear boilers kept her from falling loose.
Charlie would follow. She had absolutely no doubt about that. There was a tracking device, and if he managed to keep within a two-mile radius, he'd find her. He'd get past the guards, because he knew how to avoid eyes.
Right now, she was undetected, and as long as she stayed that way, she'd be fine.
The outrider surged ahead all of a sudden and Lark saw her chance.
Lowering herself slowly, she caught a glimpse of a carriage coming in the other direction.
Hitting the ground, she waited until the carriage rumbled on, and then she rolled into the nearest alley. It was all over in seconds, and as she sat there panting, she listened for the sound of outcry.
Nothing.
Hauling herself to her feet, she caught a glimpse of the steam carriage turning a corner. Time to finish tracking Dido from a safer distance.
* * *
"I thoughtyou'd never catch up," Lark called, and Charlie hauled his horse to a halt in the streets as she stepped out of nowhere, shivering beneath her brown skirt-cloak.
"Are you... insane...?" He could barely catch his breath. He'd been galloping the horse hard, trying desperately to track the carriage before he lost sight of Lark.
His heart was pounding fit to burst out of his chest, and all he'd been able to picture was Dido getting her hands on Lark.
And here she was, looking none the worse for wear.
He was going to kill her.
Or maybe kiss her. He wasn't quite certain.
"Of course I'm not insane. I stayed with the carriage until several streets back, and then slipped away when I sensed they weren't looking. Then I tracked them here. We couldn't afford to lose them." Lark glanced at him. "When did you learn to ride a horse?"
It wasn't the sort of education one gained in the rookery. "My father paid for lessons when I was younger."Swinging down off the gray gelding, he patted the big fellow's sweaty flanks and started leading him to cool him down. "Which way?"
"That house right at the end of the street, near the canal. Dido's carriage vanished under the arch into the stable yard and nobody's left the building since."
Charlie considered the place. It was painted a salmon pink color, but all the windows were dark. He'd long since learned what an empty house felt like. "Ready for a little breaking and entering?"
"I don't exactly have my tools."
