“I will get us a room and then we must talk. Agreed?” He waited for what felt like eons but then she nodded and turned away. Lead fell to the pit of his stomach and he almost tasted defeat. Almost.
“Hobson, try and follow the carriage and see if Darius makes contact with Germaine. I want to know where he is before he learns of our presence. If you do find him, set up a meeting for tomorrow, one o’clock in a town square or marketplace. Somewhere public.”
As he spoke, he watched for any reaction from Daniella but she had already disappeared into the main entrance of the inn. Her spine may have straightened slightly but he couldn’t be sure.
Convincing the innkeeper they weren’t vagabonds took some effort and in the end James had to hand over his heavy signet ring to secure their lodgings and meals. “I will be coming back for that,” James assured him with just the right amount of menace. “If you fence it, you’d better be a crack shot on the fields.”
The man swallowed but nodded before setting his wife to the task of taking them upstairs. He and Daniella had a room at the top of the long, steep stair, Patrick and Hobson right next door.
“The lady might like a bath sent up,” he said to the mistress of the house.
She shook her head. “Not up those steps, milord. There’s a bathing house out back with hot water on the flame all day and night and a tub big enough to swim in if you’ve a mind to it.”
“That will be more than adequate, thank you,” Daniella said, before squeezing the lady’s hands in hers and thanking her for a fine room.
James had seen much better but at least it was clean and warm. He eyed the bed and longed to lie down and close his eyes for a few hours. But there were things to do that could not wait. Seeing to Daniella’s comfort topped the list.
“Would you like to rest first or bathe?” He wanted to say so much more but he couldn’t seem to find the words or the strength. Her despondence should have fired him into action but he found it contagious.
“You needn’t mollycoddle me,” she said, turning her back to peer through the window. Did she search for her father or a way to be rid of her husband?
“Let me be the gentleman, please. As much as you mightn’t wish it, I care for you and for your comfort.”
Her head dropped slightly and he thought he heard a betraying sniff but then her back stiffened and she spoke. “Bathe first and then rest. Hopefully Hobson will find my father and we can resolve our situation. I should like to at least be clean before then.”
Resolve our situation. Why did she make it sound so final and so impersonal?
He’d found his other half. She would never bore him nor he her. Life would be a constant challenge of wills but he looked forward to it. He looked forward to a lifetime with her.
“What is it?” she asked.
He must have worn his need as a mantle and she’d glimpsed it. He shook his head. No good would come of blackmailing her with his desire. It would be best if she chose him of her own accord. “Nothing. Come, let’s get cleaned up. We can talk over supper.”
*
Daniella didn’t want to do anything with James. She wanted to be left alone to wallow in misery. To contemplate her undoing and scheme a way out. She may not have had easy or clear choices in London but she did here. Her father was near and he would protect her. Right after he horsewhipped her for her actions to date.
She groaned.
“Did you say something?” James stopped on the stair. He was a stranger to her. No longer did he place his hand in the small of her back to guide her. He walked ahead. He didn’t look at her as though she were his next meal. He barely looked at her at all. She supposed it was better that way. When the time came to say their goodbyes, it would be easier. If she was still there to say a goodbye.
The cleanest way to cut ties would be to simply disappear. James had left plenty of opportunities for escape open but she had needed to stay with him then.
As soon as she learned her father’s whereabouts, she would climb out the window and be gone. It was the only way. They could forget being married, she was sure their witnesses weren’t about to admit anything anyway, and each go their own ways. She would set Amelia and her mother free and send them back to him before he even knew she was gone. He would get what he wanted and be done with her. Then she would cut the ropes anchoring The Aurora and set a course for China, or the Americas. She would find the exact opposite side of the world from England and make it her home. She would exchange her Jolly Roger for a merchant letter and travel distant coastlines plying legitimate cargo.
It was a heady dream but she didn’t feel it in her heart or her head. She was exhausted to the point where her head hurt and it was an effort to put one foot in front of the other. Her one constant, unhelpful thought now was that she didn’t want to be alone.
She followed James to a sturdy wooden structure behind the inn on the edge of a dense forest. Daniella would have said it looked more like
