“I was arriving at St George’s when I saw you coming out of the church. I followed you. I got one of my servants to go into the Gloucester Coffee House and find out where you were headed. Once he knew where you were going, he purchased a ticket for me. I had to hide out on the coach just to be certain you would not recognize me and get spooked,” said James.
That explainedhowJames had come to be standing next to her in the middle of a coaching inn some fifty miles from London. The reasonwhy, she suspected, was something else.
The rest of the passengers for the mail coach appeared from out of the inn and headed in their direction.
“But why?” she asked.
James leaned in close. “I was serious when we spoke yesterday. I want to help you, Leah. We have another thirty miles to go until we reach Salisbury. I suggest we both stick to our established routine within the confines of the coach until then. It might draw undue attention to us if we were to suddenly start talking to one another. At Salisbury, we can continue our discussion and then make some decisions. Does that meet with your approval?”
She nodded, slowly. They both knew she had little option but to do as he asked. Attempting to escape from James would only draw attention to them both, and her plans did not include her being stranded in the middle of Basingstoke with only a handful of coins to her name.
They both climbed back into the mail coach. Leah did as James requested, and put the hood of her cloak over her head once more. She immediately discovered that there were new benefits to be had from hiding under it. With the pie and cider now settling comfortably in her stomach, she could close her eyes and grab some sleep. And with her line of sight to James blocked by the heavy woolen hood, it also meant she couldn’t fall prey to the ongoing temptation of chancing a look at him.
In the darkness of the hood, just before she closed her eyes, one more question crept into her mind. If James was prepared to betray his best friend, then there had to be more of a reason for him doing so than simply wishing to help her.
What was he up to?
Chapter Twenty-Six
They kept to the plan for the next change of horses, neither making a move to speak to the other. James bought an oat biscuit at the coaching inn and handed Leah half of it as he passed her on the way back to the coach. He ventured a smile in her direction—a smile which made her blush. She had forgotten his lovely smile. It was a pity she could never forget that kiss.
In the late hours of the evening, the mail coach reached its final destination for the night. The ancient town of Salisbury. To her surprise, James not only had a small travel bag with him, but a full travel trunk which was unloaded from the top of the coach and carried into the inn by two porters. The sight of the travel trunk immediately raised questions in her mind.
It was as if he had read her thoughts and packed to make the journey with her all along. But that didn’t make sense. The only other person who knew of her plans to flee London was Claire, and she had sworn an oath that she would never tell anyone. Had her trust in Claire been misplaced? Had Claire broken her vow of silence and confided in her brother? She hoped she was wrong.
He caught her staring at his trunk, and no doubt he observed the worried look on her face. He shrugged. “I was leaving for Derbyshire at the end of the wedding service and was already packed; it is purely a coincidence that I had my things with me.” James held out a hand to her. “Come.”
She looked at his outstretched hand, unsure as to whether she should trust him. Her worry about Claire and whether she had revealed their secret to James sat uneasy in her mind. Added to that was the fact that she and James had never actually been friends. True they had kissed, but that had been purely an attempt on her part to get him to convince Guy of her lack of suitability as a wife. Much as she had enjoyed the kiss, she wasn’t certain he even liked her.
Yet here he was, being kind to her. Buying her food and drink and offering his help. She looked at his outstretched hand, still hesitant as to whether she should take it.
He may well have provided her with badly needed sustenance, but she still didn’t trust him. When it came down to it, he was first and foremost Guy’s friend. Who was to say that he was not simply keeping an eye on her while waiting for Guy and her father to catch up with them during the night?
That made far more sense than what James had told her. His story of having seen her leave the church and already being packed for a trip to the countryside was too convenient for her liking. The notion that Claire had caved on keeping their secret and confided in her brother on the morning of the wedding, and that James had been waiting at the coaching inn for her to arrive made more sense.
Claire was a lovely girl who had been raised in a family where trust was easily given. Her friend was well meaning, but at times she could be a little too naïve when it came to the true nature of people. It hurt to think she may have betrayed Leah’s trust, but there was nothing to be done about it. James was here. She would just have to deal with whatever came next.
The real worry, of course, was whether she would be able to make it all the way to Cornwall. There was still some two hundred miles to go before she could reach the safety of her grandfather’s house. Who knew what could happen between her and James on the road between Salisbury and Truro?
James scowled at her continued refusal to take his arm. His response was not entirely unexpected. Men. They always thought they could tell a woman what to do; and when she didn’t immediately comply, their pride got in the way.
She was tired and out of sorts. It was the end of what felt like the longest day of her life. She was many miles from home, and in the company of a man she did not entirely trust. And she had just discovered that her best friend had more than likely broken their sacred promise.
“Come on inside, and out of the cold, Leah. We can get some hot supper before retiring for the night,” he said.
She straightened her spine and met his gaze full on. “I am fine by myself, thank you very much, Mister Radley. I did have some of this planned before your unexpected arrival,” she finally replied.
She began to walk away, but when he took a firm grip of her cloak, she was forced to take a hurried step back.
James had dealt with stubborn females all his life. His sisters had minds of their own, and his recent experience of time spent with his cousin Caroline reminded him that it ran in the family. While it was good to see that Leah was capable of making her own decisions, her picking an argument with him in the middle of the yard of a coaching inn in remote Salisbury at this time of the night was not, in his opinion, the wisest course of action. It was likely to draw unwanted attention to them both.
They were well away from London and the protection of her family. Whether Leah liked it or not, he had a responsibility to ensure her safety. Polite society would demand that he take care of her; his lovestruck heart begged him to.
“I am perfectly aware that you are an intelligent young woman, capable of many things. But I am not leaving you here alone in a coaching inn, end of discussion,” he replied.
Blue eyes blazing with defiance stared back at him. What he would give to haul her into his arms and kiss her senseless right now. If Leah thought that by being willful with him, she was taking a stand and making him angry, his hardening body would have to disagree.
“I wouldn’t be alone. I am going to sit and wait downstairs in the ticket office until the coach for Exeter leaves at first light, the night porter will keep me company,” she said.
