“I’ve already concluded that. Inns that serve spirits, like this one, can get as rowdy as any tavern.”
“You’ve been in that many to know? Even at your tender age?”
She wasn’t going to tell him she had come of age, but she could say, “My father and I used to stop for lunch in a tavern when we went to town for supplies. More’n once we had to pick up our plates and take them outside to finish eating before our table got smashed to bits.”
“Is that really true?”
She chuckled at the skepticism in his tone. “You’re a very suspicious fellow, Monty, but I’m not making up stories for your amusement.”
“Well, whether you want to hear it or not, I’m obligated to warn you that it might be dangerous for you to travel with us. We’ve already been singled out twice on this trip. Rowdiness wasn’t the problem last night. The boy is in the middle of a power struggle. One side wants him dead, the other wants to keep him alive, and his enemies could be searching for him. I tried to get him out of London with no one the wiser, but I’m not used to this sort of shenanigan. So we will not be staying at any more inns. That was a huge mistake on my part. And while we will still stop for food baskets, Charley and I will remain in the coach, out of sight, if other people are around. It didn’t occur to me until last night that any Tom, Dick, or Harry could point out the direction in which we depart. So the fewer people who see us on the road, the fewer who can tell our enemies which way we went.”
Vanessa was incensed on Charley’s behalf. “You’re saying the point of that disturbance last night was to kill the boy?”
“Actually, that one was likely for me.”
Now she had to wonder who was lying. “Are you in the middle of a power struggle, too?”
“Not a’tall, that was just recompense for dallying where I ought not to have dallied. But I’ve learned my lesson and am taking m’self away from temptation to a quiet spell in the country where neither the boy nor I will be found.”
“So the men who shot at you yesterday morning weren’t highwaymen?”
“Likely not.”
“And you’ve crossed me off your list of pursuers?”
That drew a snort from him. “You’re too young and brave to be in the employ of a coward like Lord Chanders.”
“And too rich to need employment.”
“Is that so?” he asked. “And how is it so?”
“Maybe what I consider rich, you’d consider humble. Stop being so bloody nosy.”
“Ah, said something you shouldn’t, eh? So what difference does it make if I know you have money? You’re not wearing rags, Ness. It was already obvious. What’s your real name?”
“What’s yours?”
He laughed. “Touché.”
“I could’ve sworn you called a truce.”
“Aha!” he exclaimed. “I knew bloody well you weren’t asleep.”
“No you didn’t, and I was,” she lied. “You just kept waking me with your silly remarks.”
“Well, I meant what I said about a truce,” he assured her. “But now I need to ask if you even want to continue with us?”
“A little danger just sounds like an adventure to me. Tell me you wouldn’t have felt the same at my age.”
“Well, if I knew your age—”
She cut in with a chuckle. “I’ll let you know if or when I’ve had enough adventure.”
She leapt up to mount Snow so Monty would know she was done discussing the subject. A woman carrying a basket rushed out of the inn and handed it to Arlo, who had just driven the coach to the entrance. She guessed it was for lunch and hoped it contained enough food for dinner, too, if Monty really intended to forgo any more inns.
When it was nearing noon, Arlo stopped the coach by a tree where they could eat. By then she was wondering what was keeping the two Scotsmen from joining them. She had been watching for them since midmorning.
Charley was first out of the coach and was stretching his arms and legs. He might be a mere boy, but he had long legs and was as tall as most men. She chuckled as she watched him. He even walked imperiously.
