Page 21 of By the Sword
‘A very old friend.’ Jonathan smiled. ‘Ah, here is the landlord with food. I took the liberty of ordering for you. Come and dine, you must be famished.’
They adjourned to the table and sat in silence as their supper was served.
‘I have a favour to ask of you,’ Jonathan said as soon as they were alone again.
Kate paused in cutting her meat and looked up at him. ‘A favour?’
‘As you may have noticed the roads are busy with troops.’
Kate nodded. They had been passed several times by red-coated soldiers heading northwards.
‘A man travelling alone is instantly suspect, no matter how good his papers. A man travelling with a woman and child excites less interest. Would you object to my riding with you as far as York?’
Kate’s breath caught in her throat. ‘Do you know how dangerous that would be for us?’
He laid his hand on hers. ‘I wouldn’t ask if I thought it would bring danger to you. I assure you my papers are quite in order and the reason for my journey quite plausible.’
Kate looked down at the strong hand that covered hers. The simple gesture stirred something deep within her; a forgotten memory of a man’s touch on her skin. It had been so long since a man had touched her…held her.
Propriety wrestled with curiosity. If she were honest with herself, she had thought about this man a great deal over the last few days and the thought of his company for the few days they had left on their journey intrigued her.
She withdrew her hand and smiled. ‘I’ve no objection, and Tom would relish your company. He has had enough of mine for the last few days.’
‘Good.’ Jonathan sat back. ‘It’s settled. Your cousin, John Miller, will join you tomorrow.’ He frowned. ‘Can your servants be trusted? They both know who I am.’
Kate stiffened. ‘Ellen and Dickon are trustworthy,’ she said. ‘Ellen has been with me since I was a girl. Dickon’s her nephew.’ A moment of doubt nagged at her. ‘How much is your head worth?’
‘Enough to keep the likes of Dickon in comfort for a year or too,’ Jonathan said.
‘Well, if you want to travel with us, you will have no choice but to trust them,’ Kate observed.
‘True.’ Jonathan poured himself another glass of wine. ‘So, home to Barton, Mistress Ashley, home to peace, away from the Thorntons and their terrible impositions.’ He raised his glass to her and smiled.
‘For the moment anyway,’ Kate said.
The further she travelled from Seven Ways, the angrier and more resentful she had become. How dare Sir Francis think to impose this burden on her shoulders at a time when the Thornton fortunes were at their lowest. In the good times, there had been no generosity of spirit to his abandoned daughter and her family to warrant any magnanimity on her part. She could, she had reflected several times, snap her fingers at the whole shipload of Thorntons and leave them to drown in the tempest of their own choosing.
She could if it were not for one thing. She liked them.
Sir Francis’ days were numbered but he had been right. What would happen to the tenants and Nell and little Ann if she were to desert them? Could she, in all conscience, see them drivenfrom Seven Ways to face an uncertain future dependent on the charity of friends and relatives even worse off than they?
‘What shall I do, Jonathan?’ She looked up at him as if expecting him to have read her thoughts.
For a moment their eyes met and she knew he understood exactly what she had been thinking.
He shook his head. ‘I can’t answer that question. Your best hope is to pray that the King will prevail in the coming conflict and I am returned to my inheritance before my grandfather dies.’
She sat in glum silence for a moment. ‘It seems a slender thread of hope,’ she said at last.
Jonathan shook his head. ‘It is. I wish to God that I could change the past, but I can’t. Kate?’ He caught the yawn that Kate tried to stifle. ‘You’re exhausted. Might I suggest you retire? We have another long, damp ride again tomorrow.’
Kate pulled a face and reluctantly stood to leave.
‘I will excuse myself,’ she said. ‘Good night, John Miller.’
Jonathan rose and his eyes smiled at her again as he inclined his head. ‘Good night, Mistress Ashley. Thank you for your company.’
Ellen dozed by the fire in their room, waiting for Kate. She started up when Kate closed the door and made Kate sit on the stool while she unpinned her hair. Behind her, Thomas slept curled up in the bed with a beatific smile on his face.
