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“You spoke to her?” Eliza whispered, watching Edward through tear-filled eyes

“Briefly” His eyes met and held hers “She just asked me to look after you”

“Where did Peter’s black eye come from?”

“Dominic knocked him out” Edward replied cautiously Already the questions had begun to tumble out of her, and he didn’t want her to ask too h him as he waited for her next bout of questions

“Why?”

“Because Peter became extremely distressed when it beca to stop her return to the cell As she left Peter becary, so Dominic was left with no choice but to knock hih for them to leave the area for several hours

“He came round when it was over”

It was bad enough to learn of Jemima’s fate in the security of Havistock Hall; she couldn’t even begin to iine what it must have been like for Peter To actually be so close yet not be able to do anything to prevent the execution of the one who held your heart

“Poor Peter” She whispered, feeling sad for Peter’s loss as well as her own

“It should never have happened She should never have been killed like that” Edward declared flatly “We will get to the bottoeance”

Eliza shivered at his icy declaration and sat up, turning to stare at him as he lay propped up on the soft mound of pillows

“Don’t you think there has been enough death and destruction?” She stared at hiust at his declaration Anger at the cruel twist of fate that had taken the only relative she had left; fury at Scraggan for his evil and wicked ways; disgust at the judiciary syste the execution until they had all the facts

“Peter feels the sah he kneas the wrong time to discuss it, he was relieved to see the spark of fire back into her eyes The delicate pink hue on her cheeks was the first he had seen for several days, and it suited her farlook of fear and worry, and ultirief

“If I know Peter, as soon as the fog of grief eases he will be heading out to search out Scraggan and won’t return until the allows hiers, his eyes hard and deter with him Not only-” He raised a hand to ste in Eliza’s horrified eyes and continued “Not only because Peter cannot face this alone, with only a rag-tag eance too For all of the an has caused you I want the spectre of this man removed from our lives once and for all, so we can put hiet on with our future”

“Edward, you have seen how an has a veritable army at his disposal At each inn we have been to, they have appeared They have tracked us up and down the country relentlessly Fought and challenged us on every occasion Do you really think that a handpicked group of half a dozen an? It’s suicide” Eliza knew her voice had risen to a near-shout but couldn’t stop the