Page 10 of Greystone’s Legacy (To All The Earls I’ve Loved Before #5)

"Easier, perhaps," Freddie agreed, "but not right. How can I allow Uncle Edmund to profit from his treachery?"

Together they stood in silence, watching the moon rise slowly over the Welsh hills. Hester was acutely aware of Freddie's presence beside her, of the gravity of his situation, and of how their quiet life at Plas Wyn had been irrevocably altered by his arrival.

"They'll be searching for you still," she said at last. "Sebastian and his men."

"Yes." Freddie's voice was firm despite its quietness. "And sooner or later, Sir James is going to realise who I really am, and that I fed him a pack of lies."

Hester winced, knowing he was right. "And your grandfather…" she murmured.

"He is constantly on my mind. I can't leave him worrying about me. I must leave at first light and try to get to him," Freddie declared.

"Agreed," she said, taking up a candle and lighting it from the fire before moving to her father's old desk and pulling out several sheets of paper. "I'll need to leave instructions for my aunts, of course. And there are arrangements to be made for the estate while I'm away."

Freddie turned sharply from the window. "While you're away? Miss Wynstanley, surely you don't imagine..."

"I do imagine, and I have imagined quite thoroughly," Hester interrupted, dipping her pen in ink. "You're not yet fully recovered from your injuries, Mr. Grey. You'll need somebody with you who knows your situation and can be trusted implicitly."

"But it's dangerous," he protested. "My uncle's men..."

"Are looking for a man travelling alone," Hester pointed out, not looking up from her writing. "A couple journeying together will attract far less attention. We can pose as brother and sister if necessary, though perhaps cousins would be more believable given our differing looks."

Freddie ran a hand through his fair hair in frustration. "Miss Wynstanley... Hester... I cannot allow you to put yourself at risk for my sake. These men are killers."

Now Hester did look up, fixing him with a steady gaze. "You cannot allow or disallow anything, sir. I am mistress of Plas Wyn and answerable only to myself in matters of choice. And I choose to help you."

A clock ticked somewhere in the darkness of the library, marking off seconds as they regarded each other. Finally, Freddie spoke again, his voice softer. "You've already helped me more than I could ever repay. Your care when I was injured, your discretion, your hospitality..."

"Which makes me all the more invested in seeing you safely to London," Hester replied practically. "I should hate to have wasted all that nursing only to have you collapse in a ditch somewhere between here and the English border."

Despite the gravity of their situation, Freddie's lips twitched in what might have been the beginning of a smile. "You are remarkably stubborn."

"I prefer to think of it as practical," Hester said, returning to her letter. "Now then, we'll need to plan our route carefully. The main roads will be faster but more exposed. Secondary roads might be safer but will add days to our journey."

Freddie lit another candle and moved to study the maps spread across another table. "We can't afford too much delay. My grandfather..."

"Quite right," Hester agreed. "We'll take the main roads where we must, but vary our route unpredictably. We should avoid major inns where possible; inns on the back roads have the advantage of being cheaper, too. I did observe that you weren't carrying much money."

"You seem to have given this considerable thought," Freddie observed, something like admiration creeping into his voice.

She finished her letter and began another, this one containing detailed instructions for the running of the estate.

"We'll need to travel light, of course. One small bag each.

I can wear my riding habit; it's practical for travel and respectably plain.

You'll need different clothes; your current ones mark you too clearly as a gentleman. "

"I suppose I should be grateful you've thought of everything," Freddie said, studying the map with greater attention. "Though I still wish you would reconsider accompanying me."

"Then you shall have to remain disappointed," Hester replied crisply, signing her second letter with a flourish. "I've never yet begun a task I didn't mean to see through to its end."

She stood, moving to join him at the map table. "Look here," she said, tracing a route with her finger. "This would be the main route to London, but if we take this road to start, then cut across country here, we can avoid the larger coaching stops where news might travel quickly."

Freddie leaned closer to see where she was pointing, and Hester caught the faint scent of the soap her aunts had provided him with. It was a homely smell that seemed at odds with his aristocratic bearing, yet somehow perfectly suited to this strange situation they found themselves in.

"Your knowledge of the country roads is remarkable," he commented.

"I've been studying this map all my life," she reminded him. "And a lady with limited means learns to know every path and shortcut available to her. Now, about funds for the journey..."

"You said Mr. Bethel has been looking after my horse?

" Freddie queried her. "He's a valuable animal.

Selling him will raise the funds we need.

And no, I'm not particularly attached to him.

" He grinned as she cast him a sideways look.

"He did save my life, for which I'm grateful, but I've only owned him a month. "

Hester nodded approvingly. "Good. Though we should still be prudent with our spending to avoid drawing attention. Now, about weapons..."

"Absolutely not," Freddie said firmly. "I won't have you arming yourself on my account."

"Don't be ridiculous," Hester retorted. "My father's pistol has been in my possession since his death, and I know perfectly well how to use it. Unless you're carrying a weapon yourself?"

Freddie's silence was answer enough.

"Then that's settled," she said with satisfaction. "We'll leave before dawn. I'll speak to my aunts before I go to bed. They'll understand, or at least Aunt Cecilia will, and she'll help Aunt Felicity accept it."

She turned to face him fully, her expression serious. "I give you my word, that I won't be a burden to you on this journey. But I am coming with you, and that is final."

In the darkness of the library, with only moonlight filtering through the windows, Freddie's face was difficult to read.

But when he spoke, his voice carried a warmth that suggested he might be smiling.

"I begin to think, Miss Wynstanley, that far from being a burden, you may prove to be my salvation. "

Although she should go, should speak to her aunts and pack her bag, Hester found herself lingering in the library, reluctant to end this strange, intense evening.

"I should retire," she said softly, though she made no move toward the door. "We have an early start tomorrow."

Freddie had settled into one of the leather chairs, his long legs stretched toward the dying fire. "Something's troubling you," he observed. "Beyond the obvious dangers ahead."

Hester smiled faintly at his perception. "Is it so apparent?" She moved away from the window when he nodded, taking the chair opposite his. In the darkness, it felt easier to speak of things she'd kept close to her heart for so many years.

"Do you know, I've never been further from Plas Wyn than Shrewsbury?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "All my life has been contained within these mountains, these valleys. I've read about London, about Bath and Brighton and all the great cities, but I've never seen them."

"And now you're about to," Freddie replied, his tone encouraging.

"Yes. Though hardly in the way I'd imagined." Hester laughed softly. "In my girlhood dreams, I was never fleeing from murderous relatives. I rather thought I'd make my debut in London society, attend balls, perhaps make an advantageous marriage."

"Those dreams weren't unreasonable for a gentleman's daughter."

"No, but they became impossible when Father died and left us with nothing but the house and barely enough income to maintain it.

" Hester's fingers drummed lightly on the chair's arm.

"Don't mistake me; I love Plas Wyn. I love my life here, my aunts, even the endless responsibilities of keeping everything from falling into complete ruin. But sometimes..."

She trailed off, and Freddie finished for her: "Sometimes you want more."

"Is that terribly selfish of me?"

"I think it's perfectly natural," he said gently. "You're young, intelligent, capable of so much more than managing a remote Welsh estate."

Hester felt warmth rise in her cheeks at his praise. "When you were brought here, hurt and mysterious, I thought perhaps God was finally answering my prayers for adventure. Though I doubt this is quite what the vicar meant when he advised careful prayer."

That drew a quiet laugh from Freddie. "I suspect not. But you've risen to the challenge admirably."

"Have I?" She leaned forward slightly, her voice earnest. "Because I'm terrified. Terrified and exhilarated all at once. Tomorrow we ride out into a world I barely know, facing dangers I can scarcely imagine, and part of me wants to hide under my bed like a child."

"Yet you're still determined to come with me."

"Oh yes." Hester's voice grew stronger. "Because the part of me that isn't terrified is finally, finally alive. Does that make any sense at all?"

In the darkness, she could just make out Freddie's nod. "Perfect sense. Fear and excitement often walk hand in hand. I felt much the same when I first went up to Oxford."

"Tell me about Oxford," Hester requested impulsively. "Tell me about all the places I've only read about. If we're to be travelling companions, I should like to know what to expect."

And so, in the quiet of the library, Freddie began to describe the gleaming spires and ancient stones of Oxford, the busy streets and glittering shops of London, the elegant promenades of Bath. Hester listened, enraptured, as the places she'd only imagined came to life in his words.

When he finally finished, she sat in silence for a moment before speaking. "It won't be like that for us, will it? We'll be running, hiding, watching always for your uncle's men."

"No," Freddie agreed quietly. "It won't be quite like that. But perhaps, when this is all over..."

He left the sentence unfinished, but Hester understood. First they had to survive the journey, had to reach London and somehow prove Edmund's treachery before Freddie's grandfather died. Only then could she think about seeing those wonderful places properly.

"We should rest," she said at last, rising from her chair. "Dawn will come soon enough."

At the library door, she paused, looking back at Freddie's shadowy figure. "Thank you for understanding about my dreams. Silly as they might seem given our circumstances."

"Not silly at all," he replied softly. "Dreams give us courage when we need it most. And I suspect we'll need all the courage we can muster in the days ahead."

Hester nodded, then slipped out into the darkened hallway, leaving Freddie alone. Tomorrow would bring whatever it would bring, but for now, she had this moment of understanding, this perfect blend of terror and anticipation, this first step toward a wider world than she had ever known.