Fallonremembered being shocked that her mother had been increasingbeforeshe was wed.Even she knew that was quite scandalous, but if her parents had truly loved one another, as they had always seemed toappear, then perhaps some mistakes could be forgiven.
‘I wishMoirahadn’t been sosecretive of her past, but I suppose she had her reasons, either because it left a scar, or she was afraid,we’renevertoknowwhich.But I don’t doubt that sheloved my son and I’m lucky to havegained a beautiful granddaughter from theirunion.I just wish I could have found out—’
And that was all Fallonhad heard.Anoisehad interrupted the conversation,so she’dscurried back to her room, fearful of getting caught eavesdropping. However, thatmysterious exchangehad stayed with her for years.She couldn’t imagine anyone but Eoin as her father, but ithad sounded as if therewas theslightestpossibility…
Fallon shook her head, pushing aside the cobwebs of her past. Now was not the time to unravel the secrets about her mother. She must concentrate on the task at hand.
Diggingdeeperintothe bottom of the trunk, her hand brushedsomething made ofcoarse wool. She withdrew theblack sweater and the pair oftrousersthat her grandmother had made out of the sheep’s wool they had raised and what Fallon’s grandfather had used to toil in the gardens in the winter. Fallon raised the scratchy wool to her face and closed her eyes, picturing herself back at her grandmother’s feet.Abigailwouldhum anoldIrish tune while her knitting needles went to work.Fallon wasn’t even sure why she had packed these items, except that it had been a memory of both of her grandparents that she hadn’t been willing to letthemgo.
But as she held upthe itemsand inspected themwith a critical eye, she realized it would be the perfect disguisefor tonight.
Hidingthe items in the back of her wardrobewhere Ingrid wouldn’t venture to look,Fallon put the rest of the items back in the trunk andlocked it, replacing the key back in her dresser. She glanced at the clock on her mantel and noticed that itwas nearly five.
Seven more hours.
She blew out a heavy breath andprayedthatshe could plead her case convincingly enough for the Raven to listen, for he was quite literally the one man whojust might be holdingher fate in his very hands.
***
Dinnerwith her aunt, Locklyn, and his motherwas a strained affair.Fallonspoke when asked a direct query and picked at her food.The leering glances she felt upon her skin enough to steal her appetite, but stress about her upcoming journey hadevery nerve ending stretched to the breaking point.
Tosayshe wasgrateful whentheir guestsfinally tooktheirleavewould have been an understatement.And, of course, when they weregone, Francine eyed her critically. “You might have been a bit more gracious to Mr. Durmor if you have any hope of securinghis regard.”
Fallon offered a weak smileand what she hoped was a plausible enough excuse.“You mustforgive my reluctance to engage in much conversation this evening.I fearI havea headachecoming on. I believe I shall retire early.”
Francinesniffed. “Perhapsif you hadn’t spent so much of your time in the library this afternoon, you might not have strained yourself to the point of rudeness.” Shestood andswept past her.“Ido, however, think it is wise of you to go to bed so that you will be well rested whenLocklyn calls tomorrow.”
Fallon held back a retort as she inclined her head obediently and headed to her chamber. Once she was inside, she shut the door and released her first full breath of the evening.
She walked over to the table beside her bed and picked up the book she’d been perusing so thoroughly earlier. It was a detailed map of England that she’d found in the library. Considering her time was limited, andshe wanted to make it back before the servants began to stir at dawn,sheneededto ensure thatshe had found thequickestroute.It wouldn’t do for anyone to question her absence if she were gone.
Hythe was a few miles from Southampton and although she had to go around the mouth of the River Testto get there, it shouldn’t take her more than an hour or so toarrive, especially since the roads had dried outsomewhatfrom therecentrains.
To keep herself busy until the time came to leave, Fallonhadalsobrought anovelto her roomto continuethe pretense of reading. Of course, there was no way that her mind would allow her to keep track ofthestory when hermindwas awhirl with the thought of meeting theRaven.
Until now, she’d been a bitlonely withEliza’s continued void when Fallon had been in desperate need of someone to confide her troubles in. And yet, the Raven was one subject that shewouldn’t ever be able to openlydiscuss with her cousin.
Naturally, she was happy for Eliza, for she had the feeling that it wouldn’t be long before Brendan offered for her hand. Since they had extended their stay in London, they must be having a marvelous time and shedidn’tfeel upset that Eliza was getting everything that she wanted.But at the same time, a pang of jealousy swept throughFallonwhen she thought of thelight of adoration in her cousin’s eyeswhen she looked at Brendan. Fallonhad yet to feel that sort of strong attachment toany man,even Atticus Clare. She was smart enough to ascertain that attraction wasn’t the same as all abiding love. At this point, she wondered if she would ever care for someone the way her cousin obviously did for Brendan Hayes.
She had been so lost to her thoughts that by the timethe clock chimed eleven,she had to rush to don her dark apparel. Once she was changed, sheheaded for the balconyand steppedoutside.A slight, greymist shrouded the landscape and she paused, waiting to see if any sound of life could be heardbefore shecarefullydescended the trellis. But all was quiet throughout the house. Not even a random creak could be heard.
With her hair braided and pinned atop her head, she prayed that, along with her attire, that the combination would be enough to dissuade anyone from looking twice in her direction.
There was a bite to the night air,and the breath left her lungs in a delicate puffy cloud as she reached for thetop rungs of thetrellis. Shehuddled in her overlarge sweater andpaused as her fingers clutched thewood.
She hesitated, for there was no going back after this.It was time to either retain her courage to see this meeting through to its completion, or remain in her room and hope that Father O’Leary was able to send hersalvationin enough time torescueher from a lifetime of misery with Locklyn Durmor.
She threw a leg over the balcony railing andbegan to climb to the ground.
Not even abreeze stirred as she rushed across the lawn to the stables. She cautiously glanced aroundherbefore she disappearedinside. Her fingers were quickly feeling the chill and she fumbled withthebucklesof Samson’s reins, the black gelding she had decided upon for this evening’s excursion,before she finally picked up thestraps.Honeytossed her headand gave a slight nicker of disapproval at being left behind, but once Fallon patted her velvety nose and whispered soft words of praise in her ear, she quieted.
Not a single lamp burned in the house as she walkedSamsona short distance away, just far enough whereshe could ensurethey wouldn’t be overheard.She had put a regular saddle onto Samson’s back, but there had been many times in Ireland when she had ridden bareback, so sitting astride was nothing new to her. It had actually taken her some time to grow accustomed to the side saddle that was expectedofladies.
She urgedSamsoninto a gentle canter, and then a steady galloponce they were farther away from the manor. She looked back to see Shawsea Hall wreathed incontinueddarkness and a small start of triumph coursed through her, although she knew she had a longroadtotravelbefore she could claim victory just yet.
It didn’t take her long to realize that she had chosen her mount wisely.Thegelding was young and strong and hishooves flew over the groundwith a pounding intensity that was answered in her veins.Even thechillhad receded to where she didn’t feel the cold anymore. Anticipation was keeping her warm as they drew steadily closer to their destination.
The moon overhead lit their way andtimequickly receded until Fallon saw a few twinkling lightsin the distancethat proclaimed she had made it to the small town of Hythe.More of her earlier tension eased, for if everything went as smoothly as her journey here, she would have no problem making it back to Southampton undetected.
