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CHAPTERTWO
Lily didn’t know when she’d drifted off, but the soft whinny of the horse woke her from a deep sleep.
She hadn’t slept in days. Not really. Not since she’d been kidnapped.
And while she knew she’d been in danger riding on the open road, something about his arms…
Lily chastised herself as she attempted to sit up straighter, still pressed into the cradle of his body. She didn’t trust him. She didn’t trust any man.
He’d said she had a sister. Was that true? Her heart beat loudly, rushing in her ears. Her mother had been the only person in the world she’d ever depended on. What would it be like to have a sister?
She gave a quick glance over her shoulder at her rescuer.
She wasn’t worried about what he wanted from her. At least not yet. If he proved a danger, she’d simply slip away…
Twilight was falling, the sky darkening.
“You’re awake.”
His deep voice rumbled through her, causing a shiver to race down her spine. “I’m sorry,” she answered. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“Don’t be.” He gave a little chuckle. “My guess is you’ve earned a good nap.”
“Where are we?” she asked as she rubbed at her eyes, attempting to clear out the sleepy fog.
“Just north of Rochester, I believe.”
“Will we ride through the night?”
He shifted, and she resisted the urge to look back at him again. They’d met on two other occasions: once when he’d come to visit her brothers at Bash’s home near Dover and once in London. Both times the Earl of Easton had unsettled her. That was the only word she could use to describe the emotion.
While he wasn’t built like Ox, Easton was tall and broad, his muscles evident even in the confines of his jacket. His jaw was square and string and he managed to effortlessly convey power without uttering a word.
“No. My horse needs a rest and so do you.”
As he said the words, however, he tensed underneath her, and it made her tense too. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just need to decide where to settle for the night. I’d like to avoid a public inn where people can identify us.”
That was an excellent point. And a problem she could likely help with. Scanning the horizon, she noted a tall structure in the distance. Barns, in order to house the hay, were frequently taller than the farms they supported. “Let’s investigate that building there.”
“Do you think it’s abandoned?”
“Hopefully not.”
He paused. “Wouldn’t it be better if no one was there to discover us?”
She did turn back to him then. “We can sneak in the back. If you’ve got hardtack, we can quiet the dog. In fact, I might have a few bits of food in my pocket. It’s a habit to keep a bit from the meal before.”
“That’s a habit of yours?”
She reached into her pocket to find a crust of bread and a bit of meat she’d saved from the last meal Ox had tossed at her. Lily smiled to herself. “It does have the potential to backfire if you come across a very hungry animal in the woods, but most oft, it’s a blessing.”
He didn’t say more as they made their way to the barn. Did he think her a wildling? What would an earl know about surviving on next to nothing?
The farm was some distance away and Easton dismounted, slipping in through the back door that was shielded from view. In short order, he removed the saddle and brushed down the horse, his animal already happily munching on hay.
Lily slipped out the way they’d come, toward the farmhouse, pleased to find a patch of strawberries and three loaves of bread cooling on the windowsill of the kitchen.
