He rose and extended a hand to help her up. “Let’s look in the captain’s kitchen and see if there is anything for us to eat.”
Ignoring his outstretched hand, she rose and straightened her clothing.
He collected the candle and carried it into the kitchen ahead of her. They sat down at a small table near a window and munched on a loaf of bread they had found in the pantry.
She cursed the disappearance of their easy camaraderie. It was her doing. Her inability to separate her growing dependence on him and her enormous responsibilities. Just hours earlier, they would have shared more than bread. They would have shared companionship and friendship.
In the back of her mind, she imagined her mother and father sitting in their cottage after a hard day of farming and eating a loaf of bread just as she and Merrick were doing. She’d trade all the royal jewels and the throne itself to be in that cottage with her parents, living a simple life. At least she would still have them.
“Piece of bread for your thoughts,” he said, extending the crust heel.
She attempted a smile. “I was imagining Mother and Father in a cottage such as this.”
His eyes softened, and he took hold of her hand across the table. “When you return to Leaudor, perhaps you can visit their cottage once everything has been returned to rights.”
“I should like to live there,” she said ruefully. “I am not sure I will be a suitable queen. I certainly never expected to become Leaudor’s ruler.”
“Just as I never expected to become earl, but we do what we must. You will adapt.”
“Are you always so pragmatic?” she asked with an arched eyebrow. She wanted to ask him if he were always so disgustingly levelheaded. Did he never do anything remotely rash? Irresponsible? She clenched her teeth to staunch the tide of accusations. Perhaps she was overwrought. She had no reason to lambaste him, and moreover, she ought to be grateful for his extreme calm and intelligence. It had certainly kept her alive thus far.
They were interrupted by the opening of the front door. Merrick whirled around as the captain entered the cottage.
“I’ve readied my ship,” he announced in a tired voice. “We’ll board in a few hours and set sail with the first wind.”
“Did you have any difficulty?” Merrick asked.
The captain removed his hat and scratched his head. “No, but the town is buzzing. The reward has been raised for information on the woman criminal and her companion.”
“And the men you hired. Can they be trusted?” Isabella asked.
“Aye. That they can. They’ve sailed with me many a time. I’d trust them with my life.”
Merrick nodded. “Then all that is left is to make it back into town without notice and board the ship.”
“I’ve made arrangements that may not be to your liking, but it was the only way to get you on the ship without someone seeing you,” the captain said, looking cautiously at the two of them.
She looked enquiringly at him and he continued.
“You’ll get into a crate which my men will then transport to the ship. You’ll be mixed in with all the cargo.”
“You’ve thought of everything,” Merrick said approvingly.
“If all goes well, we can be in Leaudor in as little as two days.”
Her breath left her in a rush. Two days. She wanted to weep and laugh all at the same time. For as much as the thought of going home frightened her immeasurably, she could hardly wait to step onto Leaudorian soil.
Merrick reached out to squeeze her hand. She said nothing, but returned his squeeze with one of her own.
Her brief moment of joy was brought to a crashing halt when a knock sounded at the door. Merrick immediately shoved her behind him, and the captain glanced frantically around.
“To the bedroom, both of you,” he said, gesturing frantically toward the back of the house. “There is a large trunk Her Highness can hide in.”
Simon took Isabella by the arm and all but dragged her with him to the bedroom. He threw open the trunk at the foot of the bed and ushered her inside. After making sure she was tucked into it, he closed the lid. Now where in the name of God was he going to hide?
After a quick perusal of the room, he resigned himself to the fact that if anyone came this far, he’d just have to fight his way out because there was not a place he could fit his large frame. Withdrawing the dagger from his boot, he eased to the door and placed his ear to it.
“I heard you were putting out tonight,” he heard an unfamiliar voice say.
