“Miss?”
“My lord—Malcolm,” she corrected. Her eyes roamed the length of him, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “I am glad to see that ye took my advice and sought your bed instead of the hard floor of the hallway.”
If that was what she believed, he wouldn’t correct her. “Aye.”
“I told ye we would still be here in the morn,” she laughed softly. “Would ye like to escort us to break our fast in the dining hall?” she asked.
“Indeed. I wouldna have ye dining alone now, would I?”
“I would imagine no’.”
Mary exited the room and with the two women looped arm in arm, they made their way downstairs. Once in the dining hall, Mary excused herself to sit off to the side. Malcolm would have had no concerns with the maid joining them, but he understood her reluctance to do so. Even though the two of them seemed to be friends, the maid still kenned her station and would do naught to draw attention to her or Lizzie by acting as if she were more.
Lizzie accepted a cup of tea from the serving maid, and he asked for a newspaper and a cup of the Turkish coffee that the innkeeper had mentioned previously. It was supposedly strong in flavor, and Malcolm looked forward to trying it hoping that it was true. He needed to be at full attention on the next leg of their journey.
A frown marred Lizzie’s pretty face as she looked him in the eye.
“’Tis something the matter, Lass?”
“Aye. It appears that e’en though ye finally went to bed, ye didna get as much sleep as ye needed, Sir.”
“Malcolm,” he reminded her gently, not bothering to correct her about why he was tired. He would let her believe he didn’t stand watch for the rest of the night after they’d parted.
“Sir,” she insisted. “There are many around that would expect such formalities being used. That aside, your eyes look tired. I feel sad that I am the cause.”
“Miss,” he said, taking her earlier statement into consideration. “I appreciate your concern. ’Tis no fault of yours, I assure ye.”
She said nothing further as she broke her fast on poached eggs, scones, and clotted cream.
“How long will we be traveling today? Yesterday was quite the long stint and I will admit it was quite tiresome. E’en if I did have trouble sleeping,” she added.
Guilt pierced his gut. That was not his intention when he’d set their journey. “I will take that into consideration.”
“Please do,” she said with a tinge of haughtiness to her voice.
He leaned forward and dropped his voice so that only she could hear him. “I would watch your demeanor, Miss. Need I remind ye of your current situation?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Finish breaking your fast. We leave shortly.”
Eyes round in surprise at his shift in attitude, she snapped her mouth shut. But then she pushed from the table. “I fear I have eaten my fill. I shall ready myself for the journey.
That same pinch of guilt resurfaced, but he ignored it. The lass needed to remember the seriousness of the crimes of which she was being investigated for.
Just as he needed to stay focused on his job and unveiling the truth. That was all he needed to do. Once they were in Stonehaven and her guilt or innocence had been proven, he would leave her behind in the hands of the necessary handlers.
And he could erase her from his memory.
But as he sipped his coffee, he kenned he was lying to himself. He snapped open the paper and whistled low. Overnight, the Phantom Prowler had struck again. At an estate near the center of town.
He’d been sleeping outside of Lizzie’s door. Could she have possibly managed to sneak out of the room without his knowledge?
*
In the carriage,Lizzie sat beside Mary as the hours seemed to tick by slowly. She was attempting to read a book to no avail. She would read a page and when it was time to turn to the next, she realized she couldn’t remember anything she’d just read.
Currently, she’d been reading the same page for the fifth time.
Malcolm consumed her mind. The man was frustrating. Hot and cold. Sweet and sour. Caring and gruff.
As he stated earlier this morn, she was well aware that she was his prisoner. Whatever quiet time they had shared the night before evaporated with the darkness. The light shining anew on her predicament.
