Tears stung behind her eyes, but she was too weary to cry. She didn’twantto cry. It seemed she had spent most of this journey either crying or trying to suppress her tears. She was tired of it. So very tired. It had been a battle for survival from the start, but never had she imagined it would end like this, crouched in a cave like a fugitive, awaiting capture.
Mercifully her breathing was starting to regulate, but her whole body was aching so badly that she felt like she couldn’t move if she tried. But as bad as that was, her heart ached worse. That man’s hateful words played over and over in her head. She couldn’t dislodge them.
We planned it together. He was so solicitous towards you so as not to arouse suspicion, my lady. But he will get his cut of the thirty pieces of silver. Hartfield is a shrewd businessman and never lets an opportunity to make some extra money go to waste, just like me.
She pressed herself against the wall of the cave. Her mind was spinning. Had Ambrose sent a letter to the man to meet him at the inn? Had it all been a ruse from the start? He had accused her of being a confidence woman, but had he conned her, acting as if he was enamoured with her just to get her to trust him?
She tried to dismiss the terrible thought, but it kept pressing on her like a vice. They had been stuck at the Black Swan Inn for days. Time enough to let his accomplice know that he thought he had the missing lady within his grasp but needed help to secure her.
Or had he simply been opportunistic, taking advantage of the fact his friend had arrived out of the blue, seeing it as a way to finally lure her into his trap? He had gotten confirmation that she was indeed the missing lady from her own lips. He had been so desperate to discover her true identity that he had searched the trunk behind her back.
Her heart contorted. She had fancied herself in love with him. She had been willing to give her maidenhead to him the previous night. If not for being interrupted, she would have done so. The thought that he was not the man he appeared to be at all made her sick to her stomach.
Had he betrayed her?
The tears welled up again, hot and heavy, but she held them back. She wasn’t going to spill one more tear over him. He had always told her she was such an innocent, but she was toughening up now. The world was a cruel place indeed. And she must realise that and adapt to it if she was going to survive. It was that simple.
She would never give her heart away again.
She had thought that love was like it appeared in the novels she read. But it wasn’t. It was a cruel, brutal thing that made you give yourself over to another person. It made you long for something you could never have. It was a fairy tale, a myth, something that was invented to catch you off your guard and weaken you.
Ambrose had told the truth about one thing. Romantic love was to be avoided at all costs. It was much safer that way.
Suddenly, she tensed. The barking was louder. She heard footsteps shuffling through the snow. Her heart almost stopped as she tried not to breathe and betray her hiding spot.
She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to breathe.
She blinked. Then gasped. The dog was there, growling at her ominously. And just above it, she saw the odious face of Jack Baldwin, grinning like a simpleton.
Her heart crashed and shattered into a thousand pieces. It was over.
“My lady,” he said, holding out his hand. “Let me assist you.”
***
Ambrose raced through the woods, not even turning to see if Mr Giles was still following. He had heard the sound of the dog barking and knew that it was within the forest. And if it was here, then Delia would be, as well. The dog would have her scent and be on her trail.
He kept running, blindly weaving amongst the trees. It was all a blur, mere background. His sole focus was on finding Delia or the dog. He was certain that if he found the dog, then Delia wouldn’t be far away.
His eyes filled with tears for a moment. He had been such a blind, stupid fool. He had been so committed to the idea that he shouldn’t—couldn’t—fall in love that he had pushed away the mere thought that she might be the one for him. The only woman for him. The woman he had been waiting for his entire life.
But he knew it was true now.
By God, he loved her. He would die for her.
The thought of Baldwin or that dog hurting one hair on her head filled him with such rage that he could barely stand it. That rage spurred him on, filling him with a wild frenetic energy, even as his lungs burned at capacity and his legs felt like they might buckle beneath him.
Suddenly, he stopped. His heart contracted. They were just ahead of him. Delia was standing there, her eyes wild, staring in horror at the black dog, which was hunched down growling at her. Baldwin was there, as well, a look of triumph on his face. The mercenary, black-hearted devil.
He heard Giles draw up next to him. The man was panting and red-faced.
“We will approach them slowly,” he whispered. “I don’t want that dog attacking her. She would be savaged.”
Giles nodded, grim-faced. The man stopped, picking up a rock. They advanced slowly.
But then, everything happened quickly. The dog sprang into the air, lunging at her. Ambrose heard Baldwin yell at the dog, telling it to heel, but its yellow eyes were half-crazed with bloodlust. It was going for her throat. He just knew it.
He rushed forward, knocking Baldwin to the ground and pushing the dog away in mid-lunge. The animal was taken by surprise, landing awkwardly. There was a loud yelp of pain.