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Her heart stopped and sheyelped.
Before she could even think, a very familiar voice rumbled in her ear, “Missme?”
Marc!
“Oh!” she exclaimed as relief washed over her. Caroline spun in her spot and threw her arms around his neck, barely noting his very drab attire. “You’rehere.”
He held her tightly for just a moment and kissed the side of her cheek. “Go on, love, we shouldn’t keep themwaiting.”
She slid her arms from his neck and shot a glance toward the driver who was regarding them with a frown. “Yes, the royal mail waits for no one, I know.” Then she climbed inside the coach and found a stoic looking vicar and what she assumed was his wife, a sour faced woman all in black, on one bench, with Rachel and Emma sitting on the opposite one. They were to be squished,indeed.
“Emma, up,” Caroline said. “You’ll have to sit onmylap.”
As soon as she assumed her spot and Emma settled on her lap, Marc slid onto the bench beside her. He draped his arm around her shoulders and a relieved sigh escaped her. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing or how she would manage it, but with Marc beside her, every ounce of fear began toslipaway.
* * *
Finally,they were headed north! Marc breathed a sigh of relief when the couple traveling with them climbed out of the coach at Biggleswade and no one else climbed in. A short respite for the next day, he was certain, but a respite justthesame.
Rachel slid to the opposite bench, and Emma followed her lead, then she curled up and laid her head in her sister’s lap. In no time, the little girl was fast asleep, but her sister was wide-awake and casting a censorious glance in Marc’s direction. That was to be expected, he supposed. Rachel had, after all, discovered him only partially clothed and heading to her mother’s bedchamber just a fewhoursago.
He squeezed Caroline’s shoulder slightly, and when she looked up at him, her usual bright eyes were dulled from exhaustion and his heart ached a bit. “Emma has the right idea. Why don’t you fall asleep, my dear? We may not have this whole thing to ourselves the rest of the waytoYork.”
“How long to York?” Rachelasked.
“London to York can be done in a little over twenty hours,” he replied. “But then we’ll have to switch coachesthere.”
“Yes.” Caroline sat up a little straighter against him. “Simmons said as much. He said you’ve done this a number oftimes.”
“Every couple weeks or so,” heagreed.
“You don’t like riding in your own carriage?” Rachel asked a bit waspishly. “Youprefer…this?”
Marc gestured for her to keep her voice down. They could still be overhead after all. “Thisis faster,” he told her quietly. “And my comings and goings aren’t noticed as they would beotherwise.”
“Every couple weeks?” Caroline blinked up at him,expectantly.
“Aye.” Marc nodded, though he didn’t explain more than that. They could, after all, be overheard if the driver was of a mind to do so, and Marc wasn’t willing to risk Callista’s safety by saying more than that at themoment.
“There is so much about you I don’t know,”Carolinesaid.
And she knew more than most. He smiled in response. “When we’ve reached our destination, you may ask me anything you’d like.” Saddleworth was the one place in the world he felt as though he could speak openly, as it was so far removed fromSociety.
“May I ask anything I’d like as well?” Rachelasked.
“Of course.” After all, Marc wasn’t certain he could stop the girl if he tried. “Though I’ll decide what I choose toanswer.”
She narrowed her eyes slightly at his response, but she thankfully didn’t sayanythingelse.
Marc almost felt sorry for whatever fellow she brought up to scratch in the years to come. He had a feeling she would keep that man on his toes every day ofhislife.
Caroline settled back against him, and Marc slid his arm around her shoulders. And for the first time in the last few hours, she smiled as she closedhereyes.
“I think,” she began softly, “I am going to come up with a list ofquestions.”
Belatedly, Marc regretted not stipulating the removal of an article of clothing for each question she asked. Perhaps he could negotiate that in once they reachedSaddleworth.
Chapter23
