We enveloped each other in a hug. She squeezed me so tightly that I could feel her baby moving under the pressure. A reminder of the things I’d miss while away.
“Be safe,” she whispered to me.
“I’ll do my best. Don’t worry, I’m strong and resilient. I can make it through anything, just like you.”
She pulled back and wiped tears away. “I know. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
With that, she left my room and let me go.
I penned a letter to Cameron and Father, apologizing while also making it clear that I was not sorry for anything. I knew deeply that my choice was right. It came as naturally as my decision to marry Graham in the first place.
As much as he vexed me, I would not give up on our promise to each other so easily. He would have to break our engagement personally. I knew that if we were face to face, it wouldn’t be so simple for him to say those things. As I put my pen away, my hand brushed against a stack of unsent letters to Graham bound in string. I ran a finger along them, and on a whim, I put them in my carpet bag. Perhaps those two dozen letters would make him think again about ending things between us.
I sat in front of my vanity, waiting for Patrice to enter after everyone had gone to bed, as we had planned earlier. I let the anticipation fill me up until only one thought remained. A burning, indignant thought that moved me to action. I crossed my arms and glared at my own reflection as his face appeared in my mind’s eye.
Just you wait, Graham Anderson. Just you wait until I find you.
Chapter 3
Thesecludedlocationofthe Edleroy stables made for a convenient escape on horseback. My horse was at the end, occupying the biggest stall. I looked at each horse as I passed by, knowing which one my father would use to follow us. An idea struck me.
Patrice had already saddled my mare along with Melody’s, and I quietly enacted my plan. I stopped just outside of my brother’s horse’s stall and silently apologized for what I was about to do. I opened it, led the horse outside, and smacked its behind. It took off, and I hoped it would be gone long enough to slow them down. I did the same with my father’s horse. Those two were the fastest after mine and Melody’s. Any of the others would take much longer to reach us.
Patrice held my gaze as I handed her the food. I could tell she was taking things in stride, but there was an air of disapproval in each movement and each look. And yet she supported me. We secured our bags onto the horses before settling onto our saddles and taking off into the woods along a rarely used pathway. The moon peeked through the trees, casting shadows and light upon our route. My heart raced in time with my mare’s pounding hoofbeats, my cloak billowing out behind me. This grand adventure was a culmination of dreams long forgotten, dreams that had been awakened at the prospect of sailing across seas to lands unknown. Scotland was full of wondrous things, but it was familiar. Safe.
My mind was singing with the possibilities.
Patrice and I had haphazardly mapped out our route. We followed it for a long while and tried not to tire our horses, but we both felt the rush to get as far away from Edleroy as possible before we were found out. Eventually, we slowed and rechecked our map to orient ourselves.
“We should come into Selkirk before midnight,” I told her.
She nodded. “Let’s take this road.” The moonlight was thankfully bright enough to see the map well. “We shouldnae stop there, ye know. That will be tha first place they’ll search.”
“I agree. I didn’t intend to stay there. We need only to rest our horses for an hour and then push forward to Leith.”
“Do ye ken if we may catch up to Mr. Ashby?”
“I had hoped to, truthfully. It would make our journey much smoother.”
“Aye, we should’ve sent him a note afore leavin’.”
I nodded and sighed. “We had nowhere to send it. No matter, we shall do what we must.”
When we reached Selkirk, Patrice and I worried our horses would not make it the rest of the journey to Leith. They were covered in sweat and had slowed significantly. I tried not to panic at the thought of being stuck here for too long. Would we be found out before the journey even began?
No, it was only midnight. Everyone was asleep. We had plenty of time to let our horses rest and continue before sunrise. Patrice and I entered the roadside inn and ordered whatever they had, taking seats near the door.
Patrice glanced warily around us and I followed her gaze. A group of men watched us from across the room. A shiver went down my spine as I looked away from them quickly. I met Patrice’s eye and we exchanged expressionsof caution.
Once our food arrived, we devoured it. I knew we’d need the sustenance to remain alert on the road, though perhaps we’d need to be just as alert at roadside inns. I tried not to look at the men behind Patrice again. We both knew the danger we faced when we’d decided on this adventure. There was nothing to do but trust in the general kindness of strangers. That and swift horses.
One of the men was making his way to our table. Both Patrice and I straightened and stiffened. Her face turned stony, and I set mine in a polite but warning expression.
He leaned onto the table before us and spoke in a lazy way. “’Scuze us, lassies, but we was hopin’ to know where ye might be headed? Perhaps we could escort ye there.”
“No need,” I responded curtly.
