Grandfather would be disappointed in him.
Isaac had avoided confronting that truth, but now there was no escaping it. Within a week, he would be forced to face the house that he had abandoned, and the memories of his grandfather’s final days he had spent years burying. A chill washed over him. He never could have imagined that he would be traveling to Cornwall with Sophia. They had faced a few parts of their past together in Lord Finchley’s study, but now they would be forced to face the rest. There were secrets there that needed uncovering, answers that needed to be found.
Perhaps Prudence was leading him straight to them.
The carriage rocked gently as it traveled across the Great West Road. Isaac hadn’t forgotten how rough the road conditions would become in the final days of the journey, so he tried to appreciate the smoothness of the ride. It had been hours since he had escaped the crowded roads of London, and now his window greeted him only with an open landscape of green.
He had packed his trunk hastily, completely forgoing the comforts he would have usually packed for a journey of several days. He didn’t have a book, a journal, or even a paper to sketch on. All he had to entertain himself were his own thoughts, and the ongoing mystery he had been trying to solve about the forged letters.
Mrs. Liddle and Sophia were in the carriage behind his, and each time they stopped to change horses, Sophia looked more worried. The end of their first day was drawing to a close, and what hope she had that they might catch Prudence on the road was fading. The only hope they had was that Prudence might have stopped at an inn that evening, and if they persevered without resting, they might be able to make up the time.
The sun hung low in the sky, disappearing behind the hills. Isaac watched with misgiving as dark clouds crowded in, stirring a storm above the road. As the sun disappeared, large raindrops began spiraling down, striking hard against his carriage window. The downfall intensified, until the raindrops merged into sheets.
The carriage slowed, slogging through the mud.
“Devil take it.” Isaac squinted through the window, struggling to see behind him. Between the darkness of the night and the constant rain, it was impossible. The moon and stars were covered in clouds, leaving Isaac with no question that his driver’s vision was impaired. The horses would need to be changed soon, but taking the carriages back out in the storm would be dangerous.
He needed to ensure Mrs. Liddle and Sophia were still close by.
He rapped on the rooftop, alerting the driver to bring the horses to a stop, and then opened the door to lean out into the rain.
The road behind him was empty. At least as far as his vision could reach.
The water attacked him, soaking through the top half of his jacket. Thunder rattled the sky. He waited, searching for any sign of Sophia’s carriage, but it was nowhere to be seen.
Chapter Twenty
Equanimity was not one of Aunt Hester’s virtues. She let out a shriek that was shrill enough to shatter the windows of their carriage, clutching her chest as if her heart might fly straight out of it. The carriage tilted to one side, then rocked back with a loud crash. The sound of splintered wood mingled with the rain, and then everything went still.
Aunt Hester searched for her spectacles from where they had fallen onto the carriage floor. Sophia fetched them for her, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart.
“Have the highwaymen found us?” Aunt Hester lunged for the window, nearly pressing her nose against it. Her breath left a circle of fog on the glass. “Was that a shot I just heard?”
“No.” Sophia’s shoulder ached from where it had collided with the side of the carriage. She adjusted on her seat, following her aunt’s gaze out the window. “But I think our wheel may be broken.” The rain seemed to have created trenches in the road, leaving it uneven and thick with mud. Had they slid off completely?
Sophia opened the door, peering out into the rain. The coachman had already stepped down from the box, his hair and clothing drenched as he stooped over one of the front wheels.Sophia wasn’t experienced in repairing wheels, or anything really, but she couldn’t wait helplessly in the carriage. Traveling at night was not safe, especially for two women. The more distance Isaac traveled without them, the more danger they were in from being robbed by highwaymen and actually hearing a shot, just as Aunt Hester had imagined.
And the longer they were delayed, the farther they were from Prudence.
Before she could lose her nerve, Sophia jumped down from the carriage. Her boots squelched in the mud as she landed, splashing the lower half of her skirts. The rain was blinding as she trudged over to the coachman, Giles. He had been reliable on their journey thus far, safely transporting them from one stop to the next. But now, as he stared at the wheel, he looked perplexed.
“Can it be repaired?” Sophia asked. Water dripped into her eyes as she leaned over.
“Not in the dark, I’m ‘fraid.” Giles wiped his forehead, a deep line in his brow as he stared down the road in the direction from which they had come. “Nearest inn is two miles that way.”
Sophia remembered passing it, wishing she could escape the confines of the carriage for the night. Now, they would have to walk two miles in the mud if they wished to reach it, and Isaac was far ahead of them now, possibly unaware of their mishap. The four horses at the front of the carriage shifted uneasily without the driver commanding their movements. The poor creatures had already been drawing the carriage for the last ten miles. Surely they were craving shelter and food as much as Sophia and Aunt Hester were. But she didn’t have time to waste. Prudence could be in danger. Traveling backward two miles and sleeping at an inn would set them back greatly.
“Is there anything up ahead?” Sophia shivered. Her spencer jacket was completely soaked through now.
“A posting house, ma’am, nothin’ more. Still another two miles.”
Giles stood up straighter, assessing their surroundings again. She could barely see the details of his face in the dark. She froze in her uncertainty. What were they to do? A posting house wouldn’t provide lodging for anyone but the horses, and continuing on their journey that night was now impossible. Until the wheel could be repaired, it seemed they had no choice but to walk to the inn.
Aunt Hester hovered inside the carriage but still observed the conversation. It was unlikely that she could hear a word of it over the rain. Sophia took a step to rejoin her aunt inside but stopped when she saw movement on the road ahead.
Was it Isaac? She imagined a highwayman would ride a horse, not be walking on foot through the mud. The man’s features were impossible to decipher from a distance, but she could identify him by his height and the width of his shoulders. It was certainly Isaac. As he grew closer, his face came into view. He held his jacket partially over his head, but his hair was still soaked as he jogged toward them. His shirtsleeves clung to his arms, droplets of rain racing down his forehead.
Sophia sighed in relief, picking up her skirts in one large handful and starting toward him.
