Page 20 of Memories Made At Midnight (Chronicles of the Westbrook Brides #9)
Still at the lodge
ABOUT HALF PAST SEVEN IN THE MORNING
I f they had more supplies, Cassius wouldn’t have considered what he was about to do. But they had no food left, and he couldn’t risk using the ammunition for hunting. Besides, as much as he hated to admit it to Beatrice, he was a lousy hunter. As vulnerable as they were, remaining at the cottage was out of the question.
His conscience had berated him non-stop since awakening.
How could he have been so stupid as to have fallen asleep?
Unimaginable things might have occurred because of his lack of diligence.
It didn’t matter that he hadn’t slept more than a few minutes at a time for days.
Beatrice relied on him to keep her safe, and his failure to stay alert might have ended in disaster.
Without knowing what prevented Layton from returning, their only option was to set out for Hefferwickshire House and pray they didn’t encounter anyone hostile.
He knew his eldest brother was a man of his word and fully capable of defending himself as well as covertly traveling rugged trails. He might not have been a spy as Lucius had been, but Layton had carried out several missions requiring stealth.
Something catastrophic must have kept him from returning last night, particularly since he knew full well exactly how dire Beatrice’s situation was. Fear and apprehension wrestled for dominance, but Cassius couldn’t allow Beatrice to see his concern. If they set out at once, they should make Hefferwickshire by this afternoon.
He prayed to God they would find Layton there, hale and hearty, with a plausible excuse for why he hadn’t returned to the glen.
Still slightly wan from her illness, Beatrice eyed the horse with wide-eyed trepidation. She’d have to ride behind Cassius today, holding him around the waist. The rest of the journey would be rougher and more uneven, and he couldn’t hold on to her and guide the horse at the same time.
If they needed to get away, she’d be safer behind him.
Double mounted, they would have to take it slow—far slower than he was comfortable with—which increased the risk of discovery. That and the fact that Cassius wasn’t entirely positive he knew the route to take. He’d never been in this part of The South Pennines before.
Bloody hell , he swore silently.
Times like this, he wished he were more like his twin—any of his brothers, in truth. Even Althelia could out-shoot him. It was one thing to possess artistic talent, but that skill didn’t lend itself to survival.
From a piece of a horse blanket, he’d contrived a sort of sling-type satchel for Beatrice to carry Teddy in. The little dog couldn’t possibly travel on foot. The journey would test Nala’s stamina and mettle, and she was far stronger and capable.
He wished he had something more to feed the dogs.
The gelding had munched on clumps of grass strewn around the glen yesterday and this morning. Thank God for that small favor. A weak, hungry mount could not take them to Hefferwickshire, and Beatrice wasn’t recovered enough to walk. Nor would Cassius consider leaving her alone while he went for help.
They both either made it to their destination together, or both of them didn’t.
It went against everything in him to make the horse bear him and Beatrice again, and he would have led the mount if he believed Beatrice could sit in the saddle on her own.
He didn’t, and she couldn’t.
Glancing around, he inhaled a deep, fortifying breath.
He didn’t even know the horse’s name.
There was still a chance—albeit small—they would encounter Layton and the others on the way, but Cassius’s gut told him his optimism was misplaced. Fear for his brother rubbed his mind raw, but fretting about Layton right now would benefit no one.
The sooner Cassius and Beatrice reached the ducal estate, the sooner a search party could be mustered to look for Layton.
After this, Cassius planned on steering well clear of damsels in distress. If he’d wanted a life of adventure and peril, he’d have joined the military like Layton and Darius, been a spy like Lucius, run gambling clubs like Fletcher, or traveled the world and explored remote exotic locations as Leonidas did.
“I’m ready, Cassius.”
As he saddled the horse, Beatrice had relieved herself.
She’d braided her hair and tied the end of the crimson and gold rope with a piece of cloth.
“I regret your having to travel in this fashion, Beatrice, when you are still recovering from your illness.”
Would she relapse?
Would the strain of hard travel be too much for her to endure?
Cassius’s mind recoiled from such thoughts.
He would ensure they reached Hefferwickshire House safely. He’d given his oath, but in his heart, he couldn’t deny that it was much more than that.
Beatrice gave him a nascent smile, roving her gaze over his face, as if she wanted to graze her fingertips over his jaw, but didn’t dare.
Part of him wished she would.
“Again, it is I who should be apologizing Cassius.” The upward sweep of her lips turned stalwart, and a determined glint sparked in her eyes. “I shall manage perfectly well.”
Cassius held his tongue, knowing full well that false bravado prompted her confident claim to hide her fear.
Water and a few berries comprised their meager rations to sustain them on the journey. Already hungry and tired, they needed to reach Hefferwickshire House today.
He slid the sling over Beatrice’s slender neck and shoulder, then arranged it so that the pouch hung at her back. “Let’s hope Teddy likes his travel accommodations.”
“He’ll be a good little lad.” Her troubled gaze betrayed her doubt.
Cassius placed the confused dog in the sling.
At once, Teddy popped his head over the edge but did not climb out.
Cassius rubbed between his ears. “Good boy.”
The pouch wiggled as Teddy wagged his tail.
“I’ll boost you, Beatrice, and you shall sit behind the saddle. Hold on to the cantle—” at her bemused expression, he explained, “—the back, while I climb on.”
Cassius had never mounted a horse with someone already sitting astride, but there was no way in hell Beatrice could manage on her own.
They would be lucky if they didn’t both end up on their arses.
“I had a thought about that.” She grimaced, looking like she’d swallowed a slug. “I have an idea. It’s not exactly brilliant, but it may work.”
As Brighton fell farther and farther behind them, her stutter continued to improve.
He supposed it was possible that Beatrice’s uncle caused the nervousness that tongue-tied her, and that with him out of her life, her stutter would disappear too.
She gazed at Cassius expectantly, and he brought his thoughts back to the matter at hand.
He lifted an eyebrow, happy to hear anything that could get them both atop the horse, uninjured. “I’m all ears.”
“What if we moved the table outside? You could help me stand on it. Then, after you’ve mounted, I could straddle the horse.”
It was brilliant.
For the first time since waking, he smiled. “Excellent idea.”
It would mean leaving the table in the elements, but it was already in a sorry state, and it didn’t look like the lodge’s owner had used it in decades.
A couple of minutes later, they’d moved the less-than-sturdy table outdoors and braced it against the cottage.
“Here goes.” Cassius lifted Beatrice onto the table, holding her steady as the ancient piece of furniture wobbled. She’d already rucked up her skirts, the brave darling.
She planted a hand against the shack’s side and gave a valiant nod.
After climbing into the saddle, Cassius directed the horse to the table.
The animal shifted, adjusting its stance under his weight. Holding the reins in one palm, Cassius offered his other hand to Beatrice.
Teddy craned his neck, eager to see what went on.
Nala, on the other hand, appeared anxious and uncertain.
Gracing him with a grateful smile, Beatrice clasped his hand with unexpected strength and with surprising agility, clambered onto the gelding’s back. She quickly wrapped her arms around Cassius’s waist, and he doubted a debutante’s tightened corset could squeeze his ribs any harder.
He didn’t examine why his heart tripped over itself or why, despite the severity of their situation, his pulse quickened in joy and excitement. That either made him a libertine or a man on the verge of falling in love.
Neither made him happy.
Nala cocked her head, one ear lifted.
They must be quite a sight.
Looking over his shoulder, Cassius gave Beatrice an encouraging smile. “No talking. Voices carry in the woods.”
She nodded and then snapped her fingers.
Nala immediately came to her side.
With a soft click of his tongue, Cassius murmured, “Walk on.”
God only knew what the next few hours would bring.