“I shall look forward to it,” Lyra said in all sincerity.
The moment Lyra entered the inn, she was surprised to see her brother’s coachman. “John!”
The man turned and rushed up to her. “My lady! I was just about to head back to the carriage with help. How did you get here?”
“I was fortuitous enough to get a ride from a…friend.” She waved her hand. “I have a feeling the storm is only going to get worse this evening. It’s not fit for an animal, much less a human. I’ll procure us a couple rooms for the evening, and we’ll head back out at first light.”
“Are you sure no one will be looking for you?”
She shook her head. “No one in their right mind will be out in this mess.”
* * *
Alister cursed the ice beneath his gelding’s hooves that caused him to slow their pace considerably. He would have run on foot across the countryside if he thought he could have made better time. As it was, this snail’s pace was damned irritating. What made matters worse was that dark had settled in and the frigid temperatures along with it. He was cold, irritable, and tired, but the only thing that kept him in the saddle was the image of Lyra out there somewhere, freezing to death.
He shook his head. He still couldn’t believe that she had dared to defy all logic and risk life and limb. For him. If there was a truer test of love, he didn’t know what it was.
Unless he counted his own sorry predicament.
In truth, it sounded more like idiocy than love.
But suddenly, as if his prayers had been answered, he made out a dark shape in the distance. As he drew nearer, he saw that it was the Eversleigh coach. A squeeze of unimaginable panic clutched his midsection, and he pulled back on his horse’s reins. He jumped from the horse’s back and would have hit the ground running if it wasn’t for the fact his boots were sliding with every step.
“Lyra! Are you there?” he shouted breathlessly.
He jerked open the door of the coach. It was empty.
Fear colder than any amount of freezing rain or sleet coursed through him. He had never felt as helpless in his entire life as he did in that moment. He gritted his teeth against a wave of panic, but suddenly, a small, white fluttering bit of paper caught his attention. He picked up the note and felt the tightness in his chest unfurl like a ship’s flag. This was the miracle he had been praying for. Lyra wrote this note, which meant she was alive and well and somewhere in the village of Blackheath.
And that’s all that mattered.
He clutched the note in his fist and got back in the saddle. Surely there weren’t that many inns in Blackheath where she could have gone, but he damned well meant to search every single one.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Lyra wiped her mouth and set aside her napkin. Every time the wind rattled the windowpanes in the private dining area of the inn, she shivered. She could only hope that wherever the mysterious Clara was heading, she would make it there soon, for the weather was truly getting atrocious.
At least Roarke would believe that she was safe. Even if she wasn’t at Thorn Hall, he wouldn’t have any reason to think she hadn’t made it there. Either way, she hated to think of when they would next cross paths, for he was sure to never let her live down this day.
Also, with Alister in Kent, he wouldn’t be worried unnecessarily. It wasn’t as if he’d been expecting her this evening. It was bad enough imagining his reaction when he found out about her spontaneous flight and the circumstances that followed.
He would likely take her across his knee.
Perhaps she would be lucky and he’d never have to know.
With a shiver that had nothing to do with the storm, she pushed back her chair and headed upstairs to her rented room. At least she’d had the foresight to have her maid pack a traveling bag for her, even if she’d told her to follow the next day. Lyra had no idea she’d be in need of her services, for she’d pictured Alister undressing her and filling that role.
Traveling wasn’t the only thing Dr. Harris had cleared her for.
Either way, she should have known that fate would have other plans. For some reason, she’d thought she might have made it to Thorn Hall without incident.
After taking off her dress and hanging it over a chair, Lyra snuggled under the covers in her chemise and willed her body to warm quickly.
As she blew out the bedside candle and snuggled under the covers, her thoughts were drawn to one thing.
Alister.
Lyra stirred from sleep to a darkened room, not exactly sure what it was that had awakened her. She only knew that something wasn’t like it was before.
