Page 24 of The Hired Hero
“Have you another idea?” challenged Caroline. When he didn’t answer, her mouth set in a line of grim satisfaction. “Besides,” she added, “no one will be looking for two men traveling east.” She rose. “Come, let’s not waste any more time.”
Davenport pushed back from his desk. “Do you mind if I have my damn breakfast first?” he snapped irritably. “Then I intend to pack a valise. And shave.” His eyes strayed once again to her garb. “I suppose we ought to take another look in the attic as well. You’ll need…some other things if we are to carry on with this harebrained idea.” He shook his head slowly. “Ishould be birched, though I fear I shall face far worse before this is all over.”
She smiled sweetly. “Of course, please see to anything you feel is necessary, milord. As long as we are ready to leave in, say, forty-five minutes?”
He stalked from the room, muttering darkly under his breath.
* * *
Caroline tooka sip of tea and nibbled at a piece of toast from the tray that the earl had sent in to her. It seemed that Fortune had looked kindly on her at last. Despite her boast to the earl, the thought of traveling alone, disguised as a man, and having to brave the ostlers, the common rooms and the long stretches of deserted roads was a daunting—if not terrifying—thought. It would be nice to have a companion, however ill-tempered.
She gave an inward grimace.Ye heavens, he had been angrier than a mad hornet earlier. With good reason, conceded Caroline. She had goaded him unmercifully with her razor-sharp tongue. Her lips thinned as she recalled how many times both her father and Lucien had warned her that a lady had to learn to curb her emotions or risk placing herself beyond the pale.
But though he had been tempted to lash out, the earl had held back. Some emotion she hadn’t been able to decipher had flickered through his eyes at the last minute, tempering his rage. It was as if he had been…ashamed of his reaction.
That puzzled her. A rakehell wasn’t supposed to have any emotions—at least not any decent ones.
Or perhaps she had misunderstood Lucien’s whispered explanations on the subject.
Regardless, it appeared the Earl of Davenport was not entirely without honor. He could very well have let her slip to her death under the pounding hooves, and not a soul would have blamed him. And then, the touch of his hand around her waist had been almost gentle as he had helped her recover.
It was all so very confusing. Even now, despite the fact that he had stalked from the room in an ill temper, the earl had been thoughtful enough to send breakfast in to her.
Caroline let her breath out in a sigh. No doubt it would be best not to dwell on the gentleman—especially his interesting eyes and pleasant laugh. All she should care about was whether he could bring her safely to Town.
A sharp rap on the library door interrupted her musing. Davenport stuck his head into the room, making a point of letting his gaze linger on the clock on the mantel.
“Are you ready? Or, like most females, did you mean forty-five minutes to indicate we won’t be leaving until after noon?”
Caroline brushed the crumbs from her breeches as she stood up and shrugged into her coat. The earl waited as she paused by the mirror to tuck her hair up under the wool cap, then turned on his heel, leaving her to follow in his wake. He ignored the incredulous looks from both Mrs. Collins and Owens as the two of them strode through the entrance hall. Caroline managed a brief smile, then shot forward to keep the heavy oak door from slamming on her nose.
Outside, Davenport flung a leather portmanteau over Nero’s flanks, then tied another set of bags at the back of the other horse’s saddle. As he turned, he noticed Caroline looking with longing at the stallion.
“Don’t even think of it,” he growled.
Caroline sighed and let him give her a leg up onto the smaller mount. “Milord,” she ventured as she set her boots into the stirrups. “I have one other question. Are you armed?”
His eyes narrowed. “Do not let that lively imagination of yours run away with you. Though you may relish the idea of pistols at dawn and other such nonsense, I do not. You may rest assured that our journey will pass without incident.”
For the first time, Caroline felt a stab of guilt.Did she truly have a right to bring another person into danger?The papers pressed against her ribs were an all-too-uncomfortable reminder that what lay ahead was no ordinary journey. However, it was for the safety of their country, she reminded herself. Surely, even a dissolute rake would feel honor bound to help if he knew the truth.
The earl swung himself into the saddle and, without a backward look, spurred his horse into a canter.
An hour later, Caroline found herself wondering whether the earl was going to utter a word to her during their journey. He had kept up a rapid pace without so much as a glance as to whether she was still with him—which only made her determined to use all of her considerable skill to keep up.
From her position behind him, Caroline noted that Davenport rode with an effortless grace, handling the spirited stallion with subtle commands rather than engaging in a heavy-handed battle of wills. The horse moved with a confident exuberance, yet there was no doubt as to who was in control. Grudgingly, she admitted that in this, at least, he was bang up to the mark.
As they reached a long stretch of flat road, Davenport slowed his horse to a walk. Caroline urged her own mount forward to come abreast of him.
“You ride tolerably well,” he said curtly before she had a chance to say anything. “You may count yourself lucky.”
The compliment she had intended to give died on her lips. “What do you mean?”
“If you hadn’t been able to keep up, I would have ended this harebrained scheme an hour ago.” A pause. “I still might,” he added under his breath.
“B-But we have an agreement!” sputtered Caroline.
“Yes,” he replied coolly, not taking his eyes from the road ahead. “But be that as it may, if it had been beyond your powers, I’d not have risked your neck—or mine. I’ve no intention of having to play nursemaid, no matter what the reward.”
