Page 88 of Lord of Mischief
Chapter Forty-Four
The following morning, Eve and Freddie slept late.They made love a second time in the early hours before the dawn, after which Freddie wrapped his arms and legs around her and held her close.
A hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, and kippers replenished the energy levels that Freddie’s lustful attentions to her body had depleted.Eve sat with a cup of coffee in her hand and looked at him over the rim.
“So, what do you intend to do about the blackguards who kidnapped me?I am surprised you didn’t ride to find the local militia once we got here,” she asked.
Freddie looked up from his breakfast.“The nearest militia post is a good twenty miles away.I reasoned by the time I managed to get there, find someone who would listen to my story, and have them return with me, it would be too late.I am sure once we return to London, we shall gain a better understanding of who exactly had you kidnapped,” he replied.
“So how was it that you found me?”
He put down his knife and fork and cleared his throat.Eve sensed something was off by the way he wouldn’t meet her gaze.“They left a note,” he finally replied.
She was about to question him further when the innkeeper arrived at their table.
“Begging your pardon, sir, but I have not been able to find a small carriage for your use.The only thing I have is a cart.If you wish to take that, you could change it over for something more suitable at the next major town,” he said.
Freddie wiped his lips with his napkin and got to his feet.“Excuse me, my love, I must go and attend to the matter of our transport.If you would finish your breakfast and then gather anything you have in our room, I shall meet you out at the stables shortly.”
He followed the innkeeper out the door, leaving Eve to ponder his sudden evasive manner.
She went back upstairs and made herself ready to leave.She wrapped her cloak around herself ready for the long journey home.
The inn was situated at the front of the yard, with the stables at the rear.As she stepped out, Eve saw the various carriages and travel coaches of the other guests who were staying at the inn.She was walking slowly toward the stables when she passed by a carriage that nearly made her heart stop.
It was a black carriage, like hundreds of others that travelled the roads of England, but it was the man who was seated up on the driver’s seat which had her hastening her steps.
She rounded the corner and was relieved to see Freddie talking to the innkeeper.She kept her stride even as she walked, resisting the urge to run to him.Will had taught his siblings never to show when they had uncovered a secret—it gave too much power away.
The innkeeper’s son was busy loading a small trunk into the back of the cart to which Freddie’s horse had been harnessed.She ignored their odd mode of transport, her mind solely focused on her need to speak to Freddie.
To warn him.
As soon as she reached his side, she took a hold of his arm, and pulled him in close.“The men who took me are here!I saw the man who grabbed me at your house on top of a black carriage in the front yard,” she said.
Freddie frowned.He looked to where the carriages were lined up in the front yard.
“Which one?”
She followed his gaze, then shook her head.
“It’s the third or fourth as you go back around the corner.You can’t see it from here.Thank god.It means they cannot see us.”
He told a hold of the reins of the cart and spoke to his horse.He ran his fingers up and down its forehead.“I know it’s a small cart and it is beneath you, but beggars cannot be choosers.”
With a loud huff, Eve grabbed hold of Freddie’s arm.He was taking the situation far too lightly for her liking.“What are you going to do about them?If the militia are as far away as you say they are, then what is to stop them from assailing us on the road and taking both of us captive?”
Her words seem to have the desired effect.Freddie stopped tending to his horse and turned to her.“This is what we are going to do.We are going to get in the cart.You are going to cover yourself with your cloak and we are going to pray to the heavens they don’t get a good look at us,” he replied.
Without further ado, Freddie put his hands around Eve’s waist and lifted her into the passenger seat of the cart.He climbed up beside her and gave the whip a crack.
Eve put the hood of her cloak up and covered her head.As they passed by the row of carriages, she turned her head away from them.Freddie gave a crack of the small whip, and the horse picked up the pace.
He turned the horse’s head to the north as soon as they cleared the inn.A mile or so outside the village, he turned to her.“You can take your hood off now.We are well out onto the road, you can relax” he said.
Eve threw back the hood and glared at him.When he refused to meet her gaze, she gave him a hard thump on the arm.“Relax, are you mad?What is to stop them from coming after us?I am sure that they must know who we are, and this cart is not exactly built for speed.What are we going to do?”she asked.
Freddie pulled the horse and cart over to the side of the road.He jumped down and tied the horse to a nearby tree.
