She nodded.
“We’ll go into the village and acquire the horses Kirk arranged for us. There should be supplies for our trip as well.”
Isabella looked at him in confusion. “How does Kirk know to get us anything at all?”
A slight smile crooked the corner of his mouth. “Kirk and I have worked with each other long enough that we know the other’s move before we make it. I told him of my plan to come here from London. I know without a doubt that he provided for us in the neighboring village.”
Apprehension unsettled her stomach. In her experience, it didn’t pay to trust anyone. And certainly not someone who knew so much about you.
“If you can trust me, you can trust Kirk,” he said as if daring her to say otherwise.
“Where do we go from the village?” she asked, not wanting to discuss Kirk or her misgivings.
He took a deep breath. “Dover.”
She shot up from her perch on the floor in an instant. “Dover? We cannot go to Dover. It’s out of the question. We’ll be set upon before we ever board a ship there. Didn’t you hear me when I told you that Dover was where I entered England?”
He put a hand up to stop her tirade. “Hear me out.”
Fear and anger warred within her, but she closed her lips tightly together.
“Your plan to travel to Brighton made perfect sense. Very logical. Until I began to think that is precisely what your pursuers would likely expect you to do. They must know by now that you will not be easily apprehended. You’ve proven to be a very worthy adversary.”
Uneasiness hedged some of her anger. What if he was right? She could have been walking right into a trap by moving south. What he said made sense.
“In reality, the most foolish thing on earth we could do is to hire a ship out of Dover. Which is why I think that is precisely what we should do.”
She chewed her bottom lip, not at all trying to hide her agitation. It was logical, but they were taking a huge chance. What if the men who were after her hadn’t the intelligence of a donkey? Then they would likely all be lined up in Dover waiting her arrival. But if what he was saying was true, they were probably trying to anticipate her next move, and as he said, the most illogical thing for her to do would be to go to Dover.
“If we are successful in boarding a ship in Dover, we can be to Leaudor in a matter of a few days,” he pointed out. “If we travel to Brighton, the trip there alone will take several days. Then we cannot be sure of hiring a ship to Leaudor from there, and it will likely take a week providing the weather is agreeable.”
She could be home in days. The thought gave her the most comfort she had experienced in a very long time. And it was worth the risk of being apprehended.
“Very well,” she said after a pause. “Dover it is.”
He stood up and gestured toward their clothes lying on the hearth. “Then let’s dress, and we’ll head to the village as soon as it is light.”
* * *
If anything the temperature had dropped even lower overnight. When they stepped out into the dim light of sunrise, the air seemed frozen around them. The ground crunched beneath their feet, trapped beneath a layer of frost.
Isabella drew her coat tighter around her, thankful, at least, that it had stopped the cold mixture of rain and snow from yesterday.
Merrick took her hand and helped her through the thick underbrush surrounding the small cabin. Once they broke into the forest, the walking was easier and they increased their pace.
In other circumstances, she would have marveled at the beauty of the landscape, but she spared it only a passing glance as they approached the outskirts of the village. A thin plume of smoke, and then another, no doubt from nearby chimneys, alerted her to the fact they were drawing near.
When they spotted a group of small cottages, she breathed a sigh of relief. It wouldn’t be much further.
They traveled a wide circle around the houses, careful not to enter the village from the main road. Finally, they arrived at a posting inn, and Merrick cautioned her to remain out of sight.
“I am going in to inquire about our horses. I won’t be but a moment. If I am not back within ten minutes, get out of here as fast as you can.”
“But how will I…”
He pressed his timepiece into her hand. “I’ll be back in a moment.”
She watched as he disappeared around the corner then she quickly took stock of her surroundings. Deciding against remaining where she was in plain view to passing people, she ducked into the stable that adjoined the inn.
