Chasing Eliza (32 page)

With her
thoughts locked firmly upon the vision of Edward’s handsome face,
she closed her eyes and began to pray.

The slap
on the horse’s rump made her jump. The sudden slide of the soft fur
against the soft skin of her inner thighs was over all too quickly.
She gasped in frozen horror, a scream lodged in her throat as the
thick rope tightened around her throat as she began to
fall.

Suddenly
her hips were encased in strong arms and she was held aloft.
Although the noose around her neck was tight, it wasn’t strangling
her and didn’t pose any threat to her life.

“
Stay still.” Edward growled, trying to juggle her weight and
prevent her from toppling out of his arms while Sebastian sliced
the rope.

Within
moments the noose was dragged over her head and dumped
unceremoniously onto the floor.

“
Thank God.” Edward murmured, clutching the back of her head
in one hand as he stared down into her eyes.

“
Oh Edward.” Eliza gasped, tears shimmering in her eyes.
Without hesitation she drew his head down to hers and kissed him
with a fierceness that was driven by the need to reaffirm her life.
Briefly he returned the kiss before easing her backwards and
sweeping her into his arms.

“
Let’s go home.” He whispered, unable to tear his eyes off
hers while he carried her through the woods towards Guinness who
was waiting patiently for his master.

“
I thought I’d lost you.” Edward growled, his heart still
hammering wildly in his chest at just how close they had come to
losing her. If he had stumbled on the uneven forest floor, or they
had not been able to fight their way through the men who had
approached the house, Eliza would have been dead. Murdered in the
same way as her sister.

The
fierce glint in his eyes matched the rigid set of his stern face as
he eased her on to Guinness’ broad back and mounted behind her. The
sight of her sitting upon the horse, the noose around her neck as
she awaited death would remain with him for the rest of his
life.

They had
arrived at the site minutes after Eliza, and had overheard the
conversation between her and Rogan. The highly trained militia sent
from the War Office, the Star Elite, had swiftly moved into
position and began to work their way through Scraggan’s men, taking
each man out individually, as quietly as spectres in a
graveyard.

Thanks
to them, every one of Rogan’s men was now tied together in
readiness for their long walk to Derby.

Edward
settled her before him on Guinness’ broad back and nudged him
towards home. His mount was the most trustworthy animal Edward had
ever had, and could be trusted to find his own way home leaving
Edward with nothing more to do than stare down into Eliza’s
beautiful amber eyes, savouring the knowledge that she was alive
and safe.

“
Who are they?” Eliza whispered, nodding to the group of
heavily armed men who were moving around Rogan’s camp with a silent
efficiency.

“
They are the Star Elite. The group of men, ex-soldiers,
guardsmen and so on, Dominic and Peter rounded up to go after the
smugglers in Norfolk. While Dominic and Peter returned to
Leicestershire and Oxfordshire to run their estates, the Star Elite
have continued working with the War Office, protecting the
country’s borders. They arrived this morning with Sir
Dunnicliffe.”

Even
through the layers of clothing they both wore, Edward could feel
the fine tremors sweeping relentlessly through her. Eyeing the thin
material of her dress, he drew her against his warmth and savoured
the feel of her snuggling against him.

“
Wait!” Eliza murmured, glancing over his shoulder towards the
meadow. The sudden rigid set of her back made him draw Guinness to
a stop and look behind him.

They
paused and waited as Peter moved towards Rogan, who was sitting on
the forest floor at the back of the line of men looking sullen. She
glanced cautiously at Edward, and wondered whether Peter could
actually be trusted to withhold his anger.

“
I should just run you through where you sit.” Peter spat, his
voice laced with contempt. Everyone in the clearing froze, and
turned to stare at the confrontation that was unfolding before
them. Tension shimmered expectantly in the air as everyone waited
for the inevitable.

“
Do it.” Rogan spat, glaring contemptuously at the man before
him.

“
No.” Peter shook his head slowly and to the relief of
everyone, turned away with a shrug of disinterest. “You are going
somewhere special. I have people in the War Office who want to
speak to you. Oh, and by the way?” Peter’s voice was almost
conversational as he dropped his bombshell. “When you are at the
gallows look up, because I will be there and I will be watching as
the life is sucked from you. On this occasion, vengeance is mine.
If you are lucky, they may hang you before your father – so he can
watch.”

Eliza’s
last view of the scene was of Rogan being hauled to his feet and
dragged from the clearing after his men; his foul epithets ringing
loudly in the air.

“
Let’s go home.” She murmured a thick fog of emotional and
physical weariness settle over her. As the meadow began to
disappear from view, Eliza gazed up at Edward’s beloved face with a
sense of urgency she couldn’t ignore.

“
I love you.” She whispered, her voice trembling with the
emotions threatening to tumble out of her. “I just need you to
know.” Eliza murmured softly. “When I was on top of the horse
facing death, I realised I hadn’t told you.”

“
I’m glad you have now.” Edward replied, his heart soaring
with delight. One blunt finger tipping her face upwards for the
tender kiss he placed on her lips. “I’ve never held anyone’s heart
before.” He smiled ruefully down at her, struggling to put all of
the things he wanted to say in some semblance of order.

“
I know you don’t feel the same way and that’s alright.” She
gazed up at him, a tiny pang of longing and bitter regret stealing
through her. “I just want you to know that I love you
anyway.”

“
You are wrong you know.” He replied, his tone almost
conversational as he discussed
the
most important issue of his life. His gaze
captured and held hers. He made no attempt to hide the emotions
swirling in their depths. “I do love you.” He ignored her gasp of
surprise and turned his gaze to Havistock Hall resting just ahead
of them. “I think I have from the very first moment I saw you
throwing tankards of ale at the patrons in the tavern. It’s the
only explanation I can come up with why I was so determined to pay
for a night with you. You tempted me beyond everything I was
familiar with. Knowing you has made me reassess who I am, what I am
and what I want out of life.” He lowered his gaze to her beautiful,
achingly familiar face, his voice humbled with emotion. “Knowing
you has made me consider my future and despite our short
acquaintance, I really cannot consider my life without you in it.
You are my heart. You are my soul and everything in between. I love
you Eliza.” His soft whisper swept over her, chasing away the
darkest shadows, quickly replacing them with the light of
hope.

Blinking
up at him, she studied the raw emotion plainly written there and
for the first time in months, felt her world settle and the rocky
path beneath her feet even out.

“
I know the timing is awful given there is Jemima’s funeral
tomorrow and then my imminent departure, but I would consider
myself honoured if while I am away, you could consider the
possibility of becoming my wife.” He silently shook his head when
she took a breath to reply and continued, choosing his words
carefully.

“
I have made provision for your future comfort in my will
should I not return, but now that I have you to return to, wild
horses wouldn’t keep me away. Upon my return, the first thing I
will do is propose to you properly.” He frowned down at her sternly
for a moment, the quirk of his lips betraying him. “I expect you to
love me even more when we have been apart for a while, and hope you
will readily accept my offer for your hand when the time
comes.”

“
I would be honoured to be your wife if you return to me still
wanting to be my husband.” Eliza whispered. “I love you so much
that you are everything that I am. I cannot consider a future
without you.”

Her
heart; although battered and still deeply bruised; was already
beginning to feel whole and warm again. Something only a few short
weeks ago she hadn’t considered possible, she mused sliding off
Guinness and into the security of Edward’s loving
embrace.

She
briefly returned his smile and snuggled against him when he slid
his arm around her waist, seemingly content to keep her by his side
as much as possible as they walked towards the house.

Whatever
the future held in store for them, Eliza had no doubt that they
would face it together. She had seen enough of the Star Elite to
know that they were a highly trained group of militia that made
Scraggan’s men look like rank amateurs. Seeing them in action went
a long way towards reassuring her that both Edward and Peter were
going to be as safe as possible.

There
was no question that she wouldn’t remain at Havistock Hall and get
to know Edward’s family while she waited for him to return to her.
She could get to know Edward’s family and decide on the words she
was going to use to accept Edward’s proposal of
marriage.

They
were so lost in each other that it took them forever to get to the
study and the waiting group of people, having stopped to exchange
whispered secrets and promises amid many, many kisses along the
way.

“
We thought you’d never get here.” Dominic murmured ruefully
from beside the hearth, wincing as his wife’s sharp elbow jabbed
him in the stomach. “What?” He grinned briefly at her, delighted at
the sight of Edward staring adoringly at the woman he held
plastered to his side.

“
Sorry, we were somewhat delayed.”

“
I’ll bet.” Sebastian added, raising his brows unrepentantly
as his wife scolded him in frantic whispers.

Edward
shook his head at them, drawing Eliza to a halt in front of their
new guest.

“
Eliza, I would like to introduce you to Sir Dunnicliffe from
the War Office.” Edward murmured, a tone of formality hardened his
voice.

Eliza
watched the man bow formally over her hand, before kissing the back
of it and standing upright, his grey eyes twinkling down at
her.

He was
far younger than she had expected and couldn’t be all but eight and
twenty, if that. His shock of dark blond hair sat above his
handsome, bronzed face that bespoke the fact that he had either
recently been at sea, or spent a considerable amount of time
outdoors. The twinkling grey eyes staring kindly back at her held a
wealth of intelligence and hidden secrets that made her wonder if
despite his youthful looks, he was indeed considerably older than
he appeared.

“
Pleased to meet you, Sir Dunnicliffe.” Eliza replied, before
Edward swept her across the room and seated her on the long chaise
before the fire.

“
I hope you don’t mind Eliza, but Dominic has already brought
me up to speed with what has happened so far, with your father
etc., and has shown me the papers you and Jemima have taken such
care of over the past few months.”

Eliza
smiled briefly at him, wondering where this was headed. There was a
hint of hesitation in the man that gave her a sense of deep
foreboding. Instinctively her hand sought and found the reassuring
warmth of Edward’s. She made no attempt to hide her anxiety when he
turned to look at her and knew he understood when his eyes met and
held hers in silent reassurance for several moments.

“
I can assure you that we are fully aware that Jemima was set
up by Scraggan, only on this occasion I think it was Rogan who set
her up. While I am happy for him to go to Derby for the moment, he
is going to be moved to The Tower as soon as possible.”

“
Th-The Tower?” Eliza’s eyes grew wide and she shuddered with
a wave of revulsion. “In London?” She had heard a lot of stories
about the place, and none of them were pretty.

“
He will be tried for treason, smuggling spies, smuggling
goods, evading taxes, numerous counts of murder, fraud and anything
else we can throw at him. He will swing from the gallows at
Newgate. Once we have some information from him.”

While
informing them of Rogan’s future, Dunnicliffe’s demeanour had lost
the appearance of affable bonhomie and he had become hard and
unwavering. The firming of his jaw, the dark glint in his eye and
steady clenching of his jaw turned him into a true warrior, very
much like the man seated beside her.

“
He isn’t going to see the light of day.” Dominic’s voice held
a ring of satisfaction felt by everyone within the room, not least
Peter who felt slightly appeased that at least one of the Scraggans
were going to face justice.

“
Do you think-?” Eliza broke in, frowning at the carpet for
several moments. She slowly became aware that everyone was waiting
for her to continue. “Do you think it was a bit odd the way Rogan
was so easy to capture?”