“Then I’ll make sure it happens.”
“Thank you.”
They didn’t speak more. Neither of them was particularly fond of the morning, and between the rhythmic motion ofthe carriage and the subtle scent of lavender clinging to Nicholas, Sophie drifted away into dreams of a handsome man standing opposite her in a small chapel.
She slept well.
When she woke, the light stung her eyes, and she blinked as they adjusted.
A deep voice rumbled, “Good morning, sweetheart.”
She smiled as she rubbed at her eyes and turned to face Nicholas. “Good morning, future husband.”
His own grin widened, his dark eyes still a little hazy with sleep, as hers no doubt also were. His hair had come free from its knot and hung around his shoulders. She reached up and ran her fingers through the silken strands. So soft.
“Have you been awake long?” she asked.
“Only a few minutes.” He motioned to the window. “We’re passing through a town, although I’m not sure which one.”
She shuffled over and looked out, instinctively flinching against the brightness of the light. The clouds were gray overhead but not in a way that made it any darker. In fact, they only seemed to add to the glare.
The town he’d mentioned was more of a village. There were a few small buildings along the side of the road, including one that was clearly an inn and another that might be a bakery.
Her stomach gurgled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten breakfast. “Can we stop at the bakery?”
Behind her, Nicholas sighed. “I’m afraid that wouldn’t be the best idea. I want to cover as much ground as possible today so that no one can catch us.”
Sophie’s heart punched against her rib cage, and she spun around, turning her back to the window. “You think someone mightchaseus?”
He shrugged. “It’s possible.”
“And it didn’t occur to you to mention this when we were discussing the options yesterday?”
Another shrug. “I doubt they’ll bother, considering the letters we’ve left behind, but it can’t be ruled out. If they were to send a rider after us, they probably wouldn’t take the time to prepare for a multiday journey, so as long as we put as much distance between us and Nunhaven as possible, we should be safe.”
Should be?
Sophie wasn’t certain she liked the sound of that.
She wished she’d considered that they might be pursued. It wasn’t a matter discussed in polite society so the possibility had never crossed her mind.
Nicholas’s features softened. “Besides, I asked the driver to take less popular routes wherever possible, as long as it doesn’t add significant time onto the journey because anyone pursuing us would assume we’d opt for the most direct route.”
She drew in a deep breath and released it in a gust.
All right, this was fine.
She was fine.
Everything was fine.
Only moments ago, she’d been blissfully snuggled against Nicholas, enjoying the intimacy of closeness and the excitement of their adventure. This didn’t change that. It just added a new aspect that they needed to keep in mind.
“Do you have something we can eat?” she asked, assuming that if he’d thought ahead that much, then he might have also brought provisions.
He reached under the seat and pulled out a picnic basket. Opening the lid, he revealed a selection of bread, scones, fruit, and cured meat, along with a glass bottle of water.
“I told the kitchen staff that I wanted to take you on a sunrise picnic, so they had this prepared last night,” he said,lifting it onto his lap and gesturing for Sophie to take whatever she wanted.
