“What’s going on here?” Lucas had returned and now stood glaring at the two women. Charlotte slid the bag under the table, praying he hadn’t seen the bank notes.
“Oh, your little woman here wants to know if we serve tea,” the publican’s wife chortled. “Seems the ale is too bitter for her delicate throat.”
Those within earshot laughed out loud, and Lucas joined in as he sat down beside her. “There are no fresh horses to be had,” he said casually, “so I’ll have to rest mine for the night. It looks like we’ll need that room, after all.”
Charlotte’s throat constricted.
“I’ll see to it straightaway, sir,” the publican’s wife said, glancing at Charlotte.
“One room?” Charlotte turned to Lucas. “Surely, you don’t expect me to stay in the same room as you?”
“You needn’t worry about your reputation. I’ll still marry you. And once that happens, nothing else will matter.”
He slipped his hand under the table and squeezed her thigh again. Charlotte looked ahead and saw the innkeeper’s wife watching her. The woman nodded at Charlotte and smiled.Does that mean she is willing to help me? Dear Lord, I hope so. But I can’t rely on her. I’m all alone here, and I need to fight for myself.
“Take your hand off me, Lucas,” she said in a low voice.
His lips curved into a sneering smile, and he lifted his hand from her leg. “I see your point. We are in public, but soon we will be ensconced in our room without prying eyes. And then, I may do with you as I wish.”
Rage engulfed Charlotte, rising in her chest like a furious storm. She stared at Lucas’s offending hand as he placed it onto the table, and without thinking, picked up her knife and plunged it into his flesh, slicing through his black leather glove, and pinning his hand to the table. “I’ll die before I allow you to touch me again!” she said.
Lucas let out a piercing shriek. Charlotte scrambled to her feet, grabbing her carpet bag as everyone in the room turned to see what the commotion was all about.
“She’s stabbed him,” someone shouted, and then an uproar erupted. People rushed over to their table, pushing and pulling. They closed around Charlotte. She could not move.
“Make way, make way!” The innkeeper pushed people aside as he made his way toward the table, carving out a small pathway.
Someone tugged at her arm. She tried to pull away before turning and seeing the innkeeper’s wife. “Come with me, luv. Quick!”
Charlotte followed her through the chaos.
“In here.” The woman pushed Charlotte into a small, windowless room that housed a single bed, a small dresser with a lantern perched on top, and a wash basin. “There’s a chamber pot under the bed. You can stay in here for that fee you showed me earlier, and we’ll keep you safe until your papa comes and gives us that reward you promised.”
“Thank you. I shall never forget your kindness.” Charlotte extracted the banknotes from her carpetbag and placed them into the woman’s waiting hands. “My papa will be mostgrateful.” She looked around the room. The chaos outside was still too close and audible for comfort. “Are you sure I’ll be safe here?”
“Aye, I’ll lock you inside.” She jangled a set of keys in front of Charlotte. “We’re not taking any chances on letting you go until your papa comes with our reward money.”
Charlotte swallowed. Had she just exchanged one captor for another?
“Now don’t ye worry, my Jacob will get rid of that fiend who abducted ye. We’ll tell him you ran away an’ send him searching in the wrong direction.”
“Thank you,” Charlotte said. And then a thought came to her that filled her with warmth.If Mama heard my call for help, Hugh or a search party might be out looking for me already.
“A search party may already be on my trail. If anyone comes—a man by the name of Warsham, perhaps—”
“Will this Warsham fella give me the reward?”
Charlotte nodded, even though she had no idea how much money Hugh would have on his person. “Most definitely.”
“Then it’s Mr. Warsham or Papa, I’ll wait for.” She nodded and left the room.
With little else to do and overcome with a confusing slew of emotions Charlotte curled onto the bed, drawing her carpetbag to her chest for comfort, as she heard the key turn in the lock, shutting her inside. It wasn’t long before she drifted off to sleep.
Hugh knew thatLucas would have to stop at an inn and change his horses after fifteen or twenty miles. He guessed that the cretin would have been in an enormous hurry to get to Gretna Greene and force Charlotte to marry him, so he would likelyhave taken the fastest path there and would have pushed his horses to the limit. Nonetheless, Hugh stopped at two inns—one at the ten-mile mark and one at the fifteen-mile mark—before arriving at the Black Dog Coach Inn in Hunton Bridge, twenty miles outside of London.
A stodgy woman eyed him as he entered. “Well,” she said as she approached him, “you look like a fine young gentleman. Up from London, are ye?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’ll be needing fresh horses.”
