“That sounds like a good idea.” It also meant that he would be too busy to care about them sharing a bedchamber. Or so she hoped.
Later that afternoon they were settled into their hotel, and the next morning, Captain Higgins sent a note round that the horses and carriage would be offloaded within the next two hours.
Geoff and Elizabeth strolled down to the port to watch. One would have thought that the inhabitants of Ostend would be used to that type of thing, but despite that, a small crowd gathered in front of the pier. Even he had to admit that seeing the horses come out of the hold in a sling was impressive.
“They do not appear frightened at all,” Elizabeth said in a tone of wonder. “I thought for sure my mare would be terrified.”
“They’ve done well,” Geoff agreed.
As soon as they were stabled, he’d inspect them himself.
In a very short time, their grooms had the horses harnessed and a small procession started off to the hotel’s stables.
Now that they were in Holland, Geoff was eager to be on his way, but the horses needed to rest, and until he heard from Sir Charles, he had no idea in which direction to travel. Fortunately, Geoff did not have to wait long.
Early the following morning as they were breaking their fast, a message came for Geoffrey from Sir Charles. He shook open the missive and read it quickly. “We travel to Brussels.”
“That is where I hoped we would go.” Elizabeth called for their senior staff to attend them.
Reading the letter again, Geoffrey frowned. “Do you mind if I ride?”
“No. Is something wrong?” He glanced from the letter with a look of chagrin. “I may have underestimated the number of outriders we require.”
She twitched the letter from his fingers.
I become concerned about the state of the roads. Rumors abound about Napoleon, but we still do not know which way he is going. I am certain he is on his way here. Some of our countrymen have already made arrangements to return home. Others are waiting to see what the duke will do. It is clear that many people have grown uneasy.
“Elizabeth.” Geoffrey took her hand, enfolding it in his. “Do you wish to return to England? It might be safer.”
“No. I will be fine.” It was a shame Lord John had already left, but she and Geoffrey could never hope to match their pace. How bad could it be? The battle had not begun yet and, as far as anyone knew, Napoleon was still in Paris. “Ask the landlord if he has any servants you can hire, and ensure all the coach pistols are loaded with extra balls and powder handy.”
Once their servants were assembled, Elizabeth started issuing orders. “We depart within the hour. Mrs. Robins, Preston, Nettle, Molly, and Kenwood will ride in the baggage coach and leave as soon as the trunks have been packed. Vickers, you will accompany me. His lordship’s curricle will accompany the coach. His lordship will ride Hercules. We are arranging for some of the inn’s servants to act as outriders, but I want all our pistols and muskets to be loaded.” The servants exchanged glances. “We shall meet for luncheon. If, for any reason, you feel we should remain together, I wish to hear it now.”
Riddle folded his lips. “We’ll see how it goes, my lady. We’ll stop at an inn if William Coachman and I feel we should.”
“Very well. I shall leave it to you.” Elizabeth smiled at them. “The sooner we depart, the sooner we will arrive at our new home.”
As their servants left the room, Geoff took her hand. “Well done, my dear.”
“That is the reason you married me, is it not?” She quickly ate the last bites of bread and cheese. “I shall make sure Vickers has our trunks down to be loaded onto the coaches in short order. I do not wish to be too far behind the baggage coach.”
He didn’t know how to answer her. Her ability to manage was not the only reason he’d wed her. He wanted her in his bed as well. But before he could begin to explain himself, the door closed behind her with a snap.
I’ve lost another chance to find out what is wrong with her.
Still, he wasn’t a stupid man. Obviously it had something to do with her abilities. Was he putting too much pressure on her?
* * *
By the time Elizabeth reached her bedchamber, she had her anger under control. She had wanted to rail at him. Tell him that if only he could look beyond her abilities he might be able to see the woman she was. One that needed her husband to love her the way she loved him.
If only she could figure out a way to tell him what she wanted without an immediate and false declaration of love from him. Something had to change because she did not know how long she could keep up her pretense of not wanting him.
She changed into a traveling gown and helped her maid pack what little they had removed from the trunks. “I think this is it.”
“How dangerous will it be?” Vickers asked.
“To be honest, we don’t know. That said, I plan on being prepared for anything.”
