AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Finally, with the first light of dawn, just as Evie fell asleep, the door to their room opened, and Gabriel walked inside.
“Good morning, sunshine!” he said jovially. “I brought you chocolate.”
He put a mug on the bedside table with a loud smack. Evie flinched and flung her arm over her eyes. “What time is it?” she grumbled in her sleepy voice.
“Just before dawn.” He paused for a moment. “Come now, get up; we need an early start if we want to get to Scotland on the morrow.”
He sounded too cheerful for that time of the morning. And considering her sleepless night, she didn’t appreciate his good humor. She wanted to shout at him that he was the reason she’d slept so badly and ask where he’d spent last night, but she knew she had no right. Instead, she sat up in bed and regarded him from beneath her hooded eyes.
“Please, leave. I need to get dressed now.”
“I’ll get our carriage ready. Be downstairs in half an hour.” With these words, he left the room.
Evie said goodbye to Widow Jane, promising to visit as soon as she could, although she knew it to be a lie. Widow Jane instructed her to eat well and take care of the babe and hugged her tight. Evie fairly melted into the embrace. It felt so good to have an older soul worrying about her again. She missed her grandfather so much, and her eyes watered at the thought.
“Oh, don’t cry, child!” the widow croaked. “We’ll see each other soon, right?”
Evie just nodded and climbed into the carriage.
That night, Gabriel had rented them separate bedchambers. Evie still didn’t know where he’d spent the night before, and if she were honest with herself, she didn’t want to know. And if she were even more honest, then yes, she did want to know, but she was afraid to ask. She knew logically that she had no hold over him, no right to him, and what’s even more, she’d be better off to never feel that she had. But she couldn’t shake this awful gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Mine, it screamed at her.He’smine.
She’d never felt that sort of possessiveness over anyone before. Well, maybe it was all right to have these feelings toward her husband-to-be? She realized that she was justifying something that would only have awful consequences for her. Feeling possessive over Gabriel would lead to a disaster.
Evie had a bath and supper in her room alone. She drew the curtains down and started to prepare for bed. The fire was blazing in the hearth as she sat beside it, brushing out her hair. She was lost deep in thought, of what she could not remember, when she was jolted by the frantic knock at her door.
“Evie, it’s me. Let me in,” came the hushed voice of her future husband. She looked down at her gaping dressing gown and back at the door.
“I am not decent,” she said with a frown.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve seen you in all states of dishabille already. Make haste now; it’s important.”
Evie stood, chewing on her lip. Hadn’t he been the one insisting on maintaining a proper distance between them?
She placed her brush on the mantel and padded barefoot toward the door. The moment she unlatched the lock, the door flew open. Gabriel rushed through and locked it behind him. He put an ear to the wood for a moment before turning back to her.
“Listen,” he said carefully, raising both his hands in a calming gesture. “Do not panic.”
“If you didn’t want me to panic, that is the worst thing you could have said to me right now,” Evie hissed, her eyes darting frantically from his face to the door and back again. He was still dressed in the suit he was wearing earlier on the road. He was rumpled and worse for wear, his cravat mussed as if he’d tugged on it repeatedly. His hat and gloves were missing.
“I was downstairs, drinking.” Now that he mentioned it, she noticed an alcohol smell on his breath. “And two travelers came in looking for a young woman with bright red hair.”
Evie’s eyes widened slightly, and her mouth fell open. It couldn’t be.
They’d reached her. They’d finally found her. It was over.
“Don’t!” he said harshly. He put his hands on her arms and shook her a little. “Don’t you dare freeze on me.”
Evie quickly nodded, frantically searching his face for any indication of assurance. She found it in his stony features of absolute resolution.
“We are getting out of this,” he said confidently.
Evie took a deep breath. “What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to get dressed quickly.” He nudged her toward her valise and sat in the chair she’d vacated several moments ago. “I’ve asked my valet to pack the rest of our things and set out in a carriage back to London tomorrow morning.”
Evie paused in the act of airing out her gown and regarded him over her shoulder with raised eyebrows.
