Page 46 of The Artisan and the Duke
The innkeeper picked up her bowl and gave Jules a quick bow of her head. “Excuse me, Your Grace, but I need to see to the driver,” the woman said.
Jules nodded her understanding, and the woman swiftly was out of the room on her mission. Jules sighed heavily and sat back down. The room was suddenly very quiet. Breaking the silence was a roll of thunder in the distance.
She had been unnerved at the idea of riding in the carriage during the storm, but the notion of riding without the protection now sought to take away her last bit of courage.
She thought of Fredrick in the clutches of the bandits and forced herself to ignore the flutter of her stomach. “I wish Gregory were here,” Jules whispered to herself.
***
“We haven’t passed another soul, so they have to be at the next inn, surely,” Talbert reasoned. “What do you think, Your Grace?”
Gregory nodded. “At this point, I would settle for finding a bed,” he said wearily.
The two young men accompanying him nodded their agreement. “The morning will find us, I fear, before we find our beds,” Olly said with a sigh. “We couldn’t have passed them, though. We’ve checked every inn, meadow, and mound between here and London.”
“Lest they went round another road,” Talbert said helpfully.
Gregory sighed, “This is the main road. It was the road they were on when I saw them last. They have no reason to go elsewhere.”
“So, then they have to be at the next inn,” Talbert said.
Olly scoffed, “You said that three inns ago.”
“This is the last one,” Talbert said reasonably.
Gregory said firmly, “While I do hope that we find the Duchess and my brother there, we have been riding for hours. We will find beds and sleep at the next inn regardless. It will do no one any good if we are set upon by thieves because we were asleep in our saddles.”
“You are a wise man, Your Grace,” Olly said as he stretched. The storm broke a moment later, and Olly groaned loudly in dismay as the rain pelted them. The horses shook to rid themselves of the rain, almost ridding themselves of their riders in the process.
Gregory motioned for the young men to follow him as he took shelter under the trees. The trees broke the rain’s fall and protected them somewhat as they slipped from their saddles and huddled close to the tree trunks. The rain had soaked through Gregory’s coat, and the chill seeped into his shirt despite the warmth of the night.
Talbert remarked over the den of the storm, “This reminds me of that time we got caught out in a downpour while hunting for rabbits.”
“My father and I got caught out one time while hunting. Only then we had a bit of a rocky overhang to get under,” Gregory said to keep his mind off the water slowly dripping down on them through the canopy.
Olly laughed. “What I wouldn’t give for a bit of rock to get under right now,” the young man said as he pulled his coat over his head.
Gregory was glad he had worn his hat now. It was not much, but it did protect his head a little. Talbert miserably pulled his jacket tighter around himself. The rain showed no signs of abating.
“I’d suggest a nap, but I doubt I could sleep,” Gregory said jovially.
Olly teased, “I bet Tally could sleep anywhere. Couldn’t you, Tally?”
“I’m asleep right now,” Talbert said with a grin, “dreaming of my bed.”
***
Jules managed to get up in the saddle with little help thanks to her riding lessons. She, however, was not as confident in her ability to ride at night, especially if there was a storm.
The innkeeper, along with several others had tried to talk her into staying and letting the men ride out, but Jules would not have it.
“Let’s get this underway,” Jules said as she took a steadying breath. The horse danced underneath her, and Jules was certain that it was mostly due to the fear that the horse could feel from her.
David swung up into the saddle easily and snapped the horse’s reins crisply. He coaxed the horse forward. Jules urged her horse after him, and to her surprise, the horse actually obeyed.
They rode silently for a bit before David said, “There’s a road that diverts here and heads into London via another route with lots of wooded areas. If they want to hide, it would be a good spot to do so.”
Jules pulled on her reins to stop her horse as it came alongside David’s horse. “That wasn’t what we told the people at the inn we would do. We should stick to the plan so that if anything goes wrong, we can be found easily,” Jules said as she stretched her fingers around the reins. She had been holding the reins tightly, and her fingers felt very stiff.
