“I see. Well, perhaps in time, I may prove my superiority to the horse.”
She moved ahead of him before tossing a look over her shoulder. “Perhaps, sir. For now, I will give Beelzebub the benefit of the doubt. You, however, are on notice.”
“Fair enough,” he whispered. “Fair enough.”
Chapter Thirteen
A growing sense of unease drove Jane to walk ahead of Adam as he dragged the mischievous horse along the road. For a moment, she had forgotten her duty to despise House Ashford and every member of it. In doing so, she betrayed three generations of Hancocks who had worked so diligently to cultivate animosity. With her future hanging in the balance, she could not afford to fall victim to Adam’s easy charm and handsome face. She simply could not.
Still…those moments of freedom from the weight of the feud had refreshed her soul. After stewing for a time, feelings of disloyalty gave way to resentment. Resentment for the crushing burden of an old fight bequeathed to her without her consent. Resentment for the dire straits she navigated because of the feud. Most of all, resentment for the deprivation of possible friendships disallowed by hatred between the families. Over the next two hours, she walked in silence behind a chatting Barlow and Hester while sipping from the bitter potion of resentment and regret. However, the inner turmoil did not abate.
“Enough,” she whispered finally. Her isolation had not moved her any nearer to finding the gold, or any nearer to liberation from the doubt plaguing her. She wiped unbidden tears from her eyes, gathered her pluck, and slowed until Adam caught up. He peered sideways at her.
“Beelzebub missed you, Jane.”
“Only Beelzebub?”
He chuckled. “I suppose I missed you as well. Although I did enjoy the view.”
She shot him a sharp glance. Had he made an inappropriate remark about her figure? To her surprise, she took little offense. Perhaps he was as befuddled as she was. Still, she preferred not to dwell on the implications of his comment.
“With regard to the view, sir, it seems we should begin paying more attention to the next portion of the letter.”
“Agreed. How does the next line of your letter read?”
She did not need to retrieve it, having committed the next several lines to memory. “To long-hallowed ground of ancient giants, who offered to men and to kings great defiance.”
“You stole my thunder, Jane.”
“I merely remembered what you read earlier. Even a child can do that. A Hancock child, anyway. As for Ashford children, well…”
He smirked and shook his head. “Always with the Hancock superiority. How does one survive among mere mortals with such lofty self-regard?”
“Simple. We observe the actions of the Ashfords and then do the opposite.”
“In that case, I will strive to present a worse example. That aside, should we not be discussing giants rather than comparing pedigrees?”
“Of course. I suggest we begin by contemplating the nature of ancient giants. As we have little evidence of actual giants outside of fairy tales, I will assume the phrase is metaphorical.”
He pursed his lips and nodded. “A valid assumption. Given that, I propose that the giants might be physical phenomena.”
“Such as?”
“Trees, for instance. A dense forest of tall trees would be difficult to penetrate, and thus offer defiance to any attempting to do so. Even to kings.”
She nodded agreement, pleased with his observation. Her mind spun along his line of reasoning. “A good point. Another possibility lies in the landscape.”
“The landscape?”
She swept her hand toward the road before them. “If my grasp of geography is correct, this road will lead us along the Lake District. Some of the tallest fells in England are there and have provided a natural defense against invasions from the north. Perhaps these are the giants referenced by the letters.”
He nodded while scanning the road ahead. “An excellent observation. Fells would certainly qualify as ancient and would defy the movements of men and kings.”
His response threatened to bring a smile to her lips. She had always assumed Adam to be a condescending person, likely dismissive of those beneath him and disregarding of women. However, the warm authenticity of his words seemed to count her as a person of at least some importance. She quickly thrust the conversation forward to prevent a return of mental turmoil.
“Another idea occurs to me.”
“I am listening.”
