Of course! He should have thought of that. He leaned in and kissed her. “And you will.”
“I will?” She frowned at him, clearly puzzled by his exuberance.
“My coach will continue on to my estate, while we take horses to Gretna Green. Stay here and eat your fill.” He stood, kissing her one more time, lingering probably longer than was prudent. He pulled himself away and headed out to talk to the innkeeper.
It didn’t take long to get the required clothes Lissa needed, along with two good horses. He just wished it wasn’t so cold, but the greatcoat would keep her warm and they would stop at another inn for the night. Striding back into the private dining room, he found all the food gone and Lissa pacing.
“What is it?”
She stopped, relief obvious in her face. “I wasn’t sure if something had happened to you. You were gone a long time, and this dress makes it unacceptable to go out alone looking for you. Did you find me some clothes?”
“I did.” He handed over the pile.
“It will feel good to move freely again.” She turned her back. “I will need your assistance once more, my handsome lady’s maid.”
He forced himself to simply undo the buttons and step away. Knowing they needed to make good time, he turned his back as she dressed. If he watched, he had no doubt he would take her again.
“I’m ready.”
He turned to find the youth he’d always known. Yet he knew well the woman beneath the clothing, and he would do anything to keep her safe.
She moved to her discarded clothing and expertly folded everything within the red dress, before tying it into a sack.
“The letters?” He hoped they weren’t crushed in her clothing.
She patted the pocket of the waistcoat and the greatcoat. “All here, though folded.”
“Do you need me to take some?”
She shook her head. “No. If we’re caught, I don’t want you to have any, so you can claim you don’t know.”
Her response eased his heart. That she cared enough about him to want to protect him had hope building. “I promise you, we will not be caught.”
“You cannot promise that, Anthony. You can only promise to try to keep us free.”
That had been a phrase he used with her many times in France, when she promised she knew the area or that they wouldn’t be caught. “You are correct.” He gestured and allowed her to precede him out.
Once they were on the road, he set a brisk pace, confident in Lissa’s ability to keep it up. Even so, by time they stopped at an inn for the night, she looked tired. The room they shared was sparse and chilly, so they kept their clothes on except for their outerwear, and he fell asleep with her in his arms.
In the morning, he insisted she drink two cups of warm cocoa, despite her readiness to leave. It was as if now that they had a plan, she couldn’t wait to execute it. He hoped she wouldn’t regret it later.
Luckily, the clouds had dissipated after a cold, rainy night, and the sun made it feel a little warmer. After a couple of hours, they stopped on the side of the road to eat some of their provisions.
“Oh no!”
At Lissa’s exclamation, he jumped up from the log he’d been sitting on while she tended to her needs in the woods. “Lissa!”
She tramped through the forest like a charging sheep. “I’m supposed to be back at school today.”
He’d completely forgotten. Her limitations in England were far stricter than when they were in France. “You won’t be, but at least you’ll return married, which will help a bit.”
She scowled at him as she waved her hand. “It’s not me I’m concerned about. It’s Eleanor. She will have to face the duchess alone. She is not good at lying, so she will tell Lady Northwick that I went to visit my grandmother and haven’t returned. Then they will send someone to my grandmother.”
“If that occurs, it will delay their searching for you anywhere else and give us time to go back and explain.”
“Yes, I suppose. But I’m concerned about Eleanor. She will worry. She worries about everyone. She’s like a mother hen with her chickens.”
He swallowed the last bite of scone and walked his horse closer to hers. “I will have a letter sent to the duchess and Lady Eleanor. You can write whatever you wish to appease everyone’s concerns.”
