Page 109 of A Shadow Amongst the Roses

“I will be,” she said.

The stable hands kept at a careful distance, pretending to busy themselves with tack and feed. Eliza could feel the curiosity in the way they moved, the sideways glances they tried not to show. Hartleigh’s staff had long memories and even sharper instincts. They sensed disturbance before anyone gave it voice.

Thomas mounted his own horse. “We will keep to the road at first,” he said, guiding his horse toward the lane. “If Ashwood lingers near the boundary, I would prefer he not think we rush on his account.”

Eliza eased the mare forward. “He would enjoy believing he provoked haste.”

“Yes.”

They cleared the yard and passed beneath the main gate. Behind them, the great house stood quiet and resolute, the tall windows catching the pale morning light. Eliza glanced back only once. She knew Eleanor would not place Margaret, Edmund, and Sammy in harm’s way. Still, the knowledge of what waited beyond the estate’s borders pressed faintly at her spine.

The lane curved downward through the meadow, the hedgerows heavy with dew. Birds stirred in the branches above, their notes subdued as though still waking.

Thomas remained close enough for conversation but did not intrude on her quiet. It felt natural, this ease between them. They had ridden together before, but never with such unspoken understanding.

After a time, he asked, “Did Margaret say anything more before you left her?”

“She said only that she feared him,” Eliza replied. “And that she did not know where he might be watching from.”

Thomas’s jaw tightened. “She lived under his influence.”

“Yes.” Eliza kept her voice steady. “But she is no longer under it.”

A light breeze touched her face as the lane opened into a long stretch of road bordered by open fields. The mist began to lift, revealing the distant outline of the old milestone where the road divided, one way toward Thornhaven, the other toward the village.

Thomas slowed his horse as they approached it.

“From here, we will see more of the countryside,” he said. “If anyone follows us, it will be at a distance, not hidden by trees.”

Eliza looked along the road ahead. “Do you believe he will?”

“Not openly,” Thomas said. “He prefers shadow to sunlight. But he will know we have gone. He watches the hall more closely than is proper.”

Eliza did not disagree.

They rode on. The rhythm of the horses’ hooves and the soft jingle of tack settled into a steady cadence. Eliza found her breath matching the movement, her mind clearing as the estate fell farther behind them.

After several minutes, Thomas spoke again.

“Thornhaven may not welcome what we ask.”

“They will not refuse,” Eliza said. “Not when the matter concerns Adrian’s widow and the safety of his tenants.”

Thomas gave a faint nod, accepting the truth without comment.

A flock of birds rose suddenly from a nearby field, their wings startling the horses for a moment. Eliza steadied the mare with a gentle hand, and Thomas’s gaze flicked to her, checking without words that she remained secure in the saddle.

Their eyes met briefly.

Something warm passed between them. Not heat exactly. Recognition. The kind that settled rather than startled.

The kind that lingered.

Thomas looked ahead again, the moment absorbed into the morning air.

When they reached the rise before the old bridge, he said quietly, “If anything at Thornhaven troubles you, you must tell me.”

Eliza let out a slow breath. “You will be there. That is enough.”