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Cora’s head exploded in pain. She gripped her skull and began to sink. Feebly, she tried to kick toward the surface, but her legs were sluggish.Move!She tried again, but her lungs were burning, and she felt disoriented and slow. Darkness was everywhere, and she was suddenly so tired.
25
Kinsley, Ireland
1844
Cora slid off her bed to light a candle, then slowly limped through the shadowy room to her window near the rose trellis.
She’d turned her ankle on the stairs earlier that day, but she wasn’t going to allow such a slight injury to ruin her plans. Too much was riding on tonight, and she needed everything to go off without a hitch. It was still raining, which was poor luck for her and Liam, but the weather couldn’t dampen her excitement. Nothing could.
Tonight they were running away together.
A thrill shot through her as she leaned on the windowsill and stared out at the midnight sky. At least there was a full moon to help light their way. In a few minutes the clock would strike twelve, and then it would all begin. She, the squire’s sheltered daughter who’d never been anywhere, was going on an adventure that would change her life forever.
On a small table near the window, she’d left two letters. The first one was for Finley Walsh, asking for his forgiveness and explaining that she couldn’t marry him because she’d fallen in love with someone else. She told him how grateful she was that he’d singled her out and hoped that someday he would find someone worthy of his regard. When she thought about the quiet man with the soulful brown eyes, she was gripped with guilt. He deserved better than a letter; he deserved a conversation in person, but she couldn’t risk it. She didn’t know Finley well enough to predict what he would do if she told him her plan to run away. He’d likely go straight to her father, and they would try to stop her. So this was the best she could do. In her heart she believed Finley was a good man. Someday, heaven would see fit to send him a woman who would love him like he deserved.
The second letter had been harder to write. Just holding the folded parchment in her hands made her breath hitch and tears spring to her eyes. Saying goodbye to her father, the man who’d raised her and loved her above all else, was impossible. How could she put into words the gratitude and adoration she felt when she knew it could never be enough? Yes, he’d been overbearing and overprotective, but Cora understood it all came from a place of love. Her mother had died years ago, and Cora was all he had left. This letter was going to break his heart, and the guilt was almost too much to bear. In the end, she’d told him how she’d never forget him and begged him to understand that she had to follow her heart. She’d also promised to write to him as soon as she and Liam were settled in America.
Setting the letters aside, she stooped to gather the bag she’d hidden under the bed. It had been easy enough to pack, since her nanny had been too old and distracted to notice the missing items of clothing, the silver hairbrush and the small purse of coins. Cora had said good-night to her nanny, giving her an extra hard hug, which caused the old woman to pinch her lips together and reprimand Cora for such an outward display of emotion. “A lady must appear serene and dignified at all times,” her nanny had said reprovingly. Cora had just smiled and hugged the old woman harder.
The clock on the mantel chimed midnight, and she shivered with excitement, taking one last look around her bedroom. The fireplace glowed with banked embers, casting shadows along the walls. She’d spent so much time in here, dreaming about the great big world, that for the rest of her life if she closed her eyes, she’d be able to see every detail. The blue-and-white porcelain wash basin on the wall by the door. The painted silk screen in the corner by the armoire. The vanity table with a bottle of French perfume, a bowl of hairpins and a small box of ribbons. Her bed was a very feminine, frilly affair with lacy pillows and ruffles, and it struck her that she had no idea where she’d be sleeping next. A roadside inn, most likely. The only thing she knew for certain was that Liam would be with her.
The very idea of sleeping beside Liam caused her cheeks to flush with heat. She’d be a married woman soon, but she knew almost nothing about relations between a husband and wife. Once, after she’d become engaged to Finley, Cora’s nanny gave her a strange lecture about suffering a man’s baser nature and a woman’s duty to remain still and quiet and endure for God and country. She had no idea what any of it meant, but she figured Liam would know. He knew everything about the world. And she couldn’t wait to experience everything with him.
Cora buttoned her wool traveling coat and picked up her bag. With a final look back, she shed her old bedroom like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. Making her way silently toward freedom, she was careful not to put too much weight on her sore ankle as she crept down the stairs. She’d bound her ankle with strips of cloth, which helped, and she’d already vowed that no matter what, she wouldn’t tell Liam about her mishap. He was so protective of her, she was afraid he’d cancel their plans, and he’d already spent so much time and money arranging everything.
Slinking past the drawing room, she took the side door into the garden and made her way toward the stables, doing her best to shield her head from the rain. The moon cast deep shadows on the path, and the wet mud slowed her pace, but excitement and determination urged her on until she saw the faint glow of a lantern through the stable window. The comforting smell of horses, leather and warm hay enveloped her the moment she stepped inside. A horse snuffled in the far stall, and another horse perked its head up when she drew closer.
“Cora,” Liam whispered from the shadows. “You walked here alone? I was just coming to get you.”
She grinned as he swept her into his arms. “I couldn’t wait. Are the horses ready?”
“Aye, are you?” He held her face gently in his hands, rubbing a thumb over her cheek.
Cora swallowed past the lump in her throat. As excited as she was to go, she was suddenly overwhelmed with the reality that she’d never see her home or father again. “I am.”
“You’re sad,” he murmured, looking deep into her eyes. “Are you certain you want to do this?”
“Yes, of course.” Overcome with nerves, she searched his face. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”
A low, rumbling chuckle vibrated through Liam’s chest. “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from this adventure with you.” He dropped a kiss on top of her head. “I want to go very much, but if you changed your mind right now, I’d say to hell with the plans. I only want to be wherever you are,macushla.”
In the glow of lamplight, Cora drank in the sight of him. All her sadness about leaving fell away, because all that mattered was their being together. From now on they’d always have each other. Liam was her future. “I love you, Liam.”
He brushed her nose with his. “And I, you.”
They quietly led the horses from the stable. Cora’s was a dappled gray mare named Merry, who nickered softly in the moonlight. The sweet horse was getting on in years, but she was a gentle soul, and Cora loved her. Liam took her father’s black horse, Vulcan. He was a gorgeous creature in his prime, and could be a bit temperamental, but he was perfect for Liam. Once they arrived at the next village to take the coach to the coast, they’d leave the horses with a stable boy at the inn. Liam had arranged for the boy to bring the horses back to her father, which comforted Cora. She knew her father would never come after her for horse thievery, no matter how upset he was, but Liam was a different matter. More important, she truly cared for the horses and would’ve hated to abandon them so far from home.
“Wait, you’re limping,” Liam said sharply behind her. “Are you not well?”
Cora squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t lie to him, even if she wanted to. He always saw right through her. “I only turned it on the stairs this morning. It’s already feeling better than it did earlier.”
“Cora, it’s not safe to ride if you’re injured.” He bent to study her wrapped ankle. Then he looked up at her quizzically. “When were you planning to tell me?”
She chewed her bottom lip for a moment. “Never?”
Liam gave her a look that was so stern, he reminded her of her father. A frustrated prickle of annoyance overtook her. “Cora—”
