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They paused several ti, they were just two lance Eliza wasn’t certain but thought she may have seen two of Scra
ggan’sin the opposite direction several lance, neither ly oblivious to the opportunity they hadsomewhat uncomfortable, all traces of her earlier enjoyment vanished in an instant
Edward mentally cursed the ering contentment fro in those beautiful amber eyes
“Do you think they realised it is us?” Eliza lance over her shoulder
Edward leant forward ostensibly to brush solance behind theh thechase He frowned and considered their options for several ht had already started to fade He didn’t want to spend another night chasing through unfaers were just too inherent to risk Eliza’s life
“I think ill put a bit of distance between us and find ourselves a coaching inn Unless I am mistaken, Wellby is just a few miles down the road We can lose them there and find ourselves solanced across at her, frowning at the sudden paleness of her cheeks “We’ll be fine” He hoped the calh to reassure her that everything was under control
Although she flicked a brief smile at him, her eyes remained shadowed and solemn and he knew she wasn’t convinced
“Let’s go” He ordered, nudging Guinness into a canter Withinto put as an’s men as possible
“Maybe she was tired” Hetheexhaustion pulling at hi frequently For someone who hadn’t ridden for a while, he was surprised she wasn’t falling off the saddle in pain
It ith a huge sense of relief on many levels that they rode into the stable yard an hour later Ordering the ostler to accoht, he escorted her into the tap room and drew the innkeeper to one side
Eliza watched the lanced at the s the they needed In addition to the man’s silence of their presence in the inn, Edward ordered athe raised eyebrows as theat her more closely for several moments, his eyes popped wide as realisation dawned as to her true sex Elizaone eyelid in a cheeky wink
Edward bit back a chuckle as he watched ruddy colour suddenly sweep over thewhether to greet her ashis head ruefully at her, he caught her elbow and escorted her up the stairs
“Minx” He whispered, solely for her ears Rewarded with a quirk of her lips He really should chide her for revealing the truth of her identity, but was greatly relieved that despite the exhaustion of the day she was still sufficiently light hearted to impishly tease the man His heart swelled with newfound pride in her and respect for her courage and fortitude in the face of adversity
Eliza smothered a yawn as she swept into the room, relieved that the day was now over and pleased with the distance they had covered In a strange kind of way it had been nice to spend the ti over the about hilers, secrets and lost relatives
“I’ to the tap room in search of some brandy and leave you to freshen up I’ll be back in a while” Edwardthe dark shadows beneath her eyes He wondered if she would still be ahen he returned and doubted it He didn’t wait for her to respond and quickly turned on his booted heel, cursing the response of his ard body at the sight of the large bed waiting for theue, Edward quickly took the stairs two at a ti that time, distance and the hustle and bustle of the busy tap roo else to think about