CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

When I woke, it was with a start. It took a moment for me to get my bearings, but when my surroundings rushed in, I remembered I was in Ash’s carriage – and that he had no idea of the fact. Gingerly, still aching, I turned to look out of the window.

Green. Far, far too green for us to still be in the city. The sun was fully up now – a beautiful golden day – and the countryside rolled out on either side of us like gentle waves of jade silk. I wondered how long I had slept, then raised my fingers to my head, hissing when I felt some sort of cut on my temple.

In some ways I had accidentally hit upon the perfect plan – after all, if I had no idea where I was, then how could anyone who was looking for me? Of course, the downside was that Edward Laing wasn’t going to be the only one wondering where I had disappeared to. There was going to be hell to pay explaining everything to Izzy, never mind my mother.

I considered banging on the roof to alert Ash to my presence, but what good could it do at the moment? I was exhausted. He would stop eventually, and then I would explain.

Ash’s carriage was pristine, brand new, with gold inlay in the doors, and plush seats, well padded and covered in a deep crimson velvet, comfortable enough to lull me back to sleep.

The next time I opened my eyes it was because the carriage had stopped and there was the sound of activity outside. Peeping out of the window, I saw Ash jump down from the box and hand the reins to a young boy. They exchanged some words, and Ash slipped him a coin.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the carriage door open and stepped down. I held my hand up to my eyes, shielding them from the sudden blaze of sunshine. My head was aching and I felt a bit foggy. I was standing in the bustling courtyard of what looked like a village inn: a long building with a thatched roof and a sign proclaiming it to be the Red Lion.

I turned back and both Ash and the young boy were watching me with matching looks of astonishment.

“Hello, Ash,” I said, pasting on a bright smile to try and cover the fact that I really wanted to throw myself into his arms and cry into his shoulder. It had been an awfully long day.

“Felicity?” He sounded stunned, as though he wasn’t sure I was really there at all.

That was when my own state of disarray truly struck me. I looked down at my skirts, thick with smears of mud and dirt. My hair was falling down around my shoulders; I dreaded to think about the state of my face. I raised my hand to my head, remembering the cut I had felt there. It was entirely possible that blood was mixed in with the dirt.

Ash followed my movement, and his expression turned from one of bewilderment to fury in the flicker of an eye. His face was pale as he strode towards me, reaching out to grip my arms.

“Who did this to you?” he asked, his voice kept steady under a vicious control that I could feel vibrating through his whole body as he held me.

“Technically, I suppose, I did it to myself,” I said, gently pulling away from him. He was pressing down on the bruises on my arms, and I really didn’t want to start crying here in the middle of the busy yard. I had a horrible feeling that once I began, I wouldn’t stop. “I threw myself out of a moving carriage.”

Ash clenched his hands at his sides, as though he wanted to reach for me again but was fighting the instinct.

“Of course you did,” he said after a moment, matching my deliberately light tone.

“Is this…” I trailed off, looking around us and finding the young boy who was still holding the horses watching with interest. “What are we doing here?”

“I stopped to change the horses. We need to have someone take a look at you, find you a fresh set of clothes. I’ll ask Patty to sort you out.” His voice still held that careful lightness, but I could tell it was an effort, could tell he was upset.

“Who is Patty?” I asked as he placed a hand at the base of my spine, guiding me towards the entrance of the Red Lion.

“Patty is the proprietress of this establishment,” Ash said, and then he turned. “We won’t be long, Sam. Make sure you rub them down properly.” He threw the words over his shoulder at the boy, who looked indignant.

“Yes, Ash,” the boy said in a tone that implied he was offended Ash felt the need to make such a demand.

The inn was clearly looked after with care; the smell of beeswax polish and the light yeasty scent of the beer mixed in a surprisingly pleasant welcome. The wooden surfaces were polished and smooth, the floor ruthlessly swept, and yet the scene was one of easy comfort – several patrons were sprawled in deep, well-worn-looking chairs, while two more perched at the bar, glasses of dark amber beer in front of them. As one, everyone turned to look at us, but no one betrayed any surprise at my appearance.

A woman who looked to be in her forties, small and sharp-faced, her dark hair pulled tightly back, emerged from behind the bar, rubbing her hands on her apron.

“Hello, Ash,” she said coolly, eyes running over me. “Been rescuing strays again?”

Before I could open my mouth and retort, Ash laughed again, and I thought no one would hear the forced note in it but me. It was odd, how clearly I saw him. “Not this time, Patty. This one is perfectly capable of rescuing herself. Felicity, this is Patty. Patty, Felicity.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” I said.

Amusement leaped into Patty’s eyes at my formal response, which must have been quite a contrast with my appearance.

“Felicity has run into some trouble,” Ash said. “Perhaps you can arrange a bath and a change of clothes for her?”

He raised his hand to my face, gently cupping my cheek. He tipped my head to the side, examining the cut on my head with an intensity that was at odds with the easy way he spoke.

“Patty is used to patching up brawlers; she’ll make sure you’re looked after,” he said to me, his voice soft.

“Follow me, then,” Patty said without any further discussion.

She moved briskly towards a narrow staircase and I followed in her wake. I think I would have followed the devil himself if he had offered me a warm bath at that moment.

Patty led me up to a neat bedroom, which, while simply furnished, was as clean and welcoming as the rest of the establishment. It also contained a large copper tub in front of the fireplace. “I’ll ask Ruth to draw a bath for you and hunt out a change of clothes,” she said. “It won’t be what you’re used to, but it’ll have to do.”

“Thank you,” I said, hesitating. “I was forced to leave home without any luggage. I’m afraid I don’t have any money with me, but I assure you that I’ll make certain you’re compensated as soon as possible.”

Patty waved a dismissive hand. “Ash’s money is no good here,” she said. “Any friend of his is a friend of mine. I’ll get something for that cut.” Her brisk, businesslike tone did more to steady me than anything else.

She disappeared again, and I decided I’d better remove my stained dress before sitting on the pristine bed sheets. This also gave me the opportunity to assess the bruising on my body. It was bad, particularly on my right-hand side, but not as terrible as I had feared.

Patty bustled back in, holding a small dish of water and some linen cloths, followed by a girl with a shy smile. She looked a couple of years younger than me; I took her to be a sibling of Sam’s, due to the family resemblance.

“This is my Ruth,” Patty said. “She’s brought you something to wear after your bath.” She eyed the ugly bruises. “You’re going to need one or you’ll not be able to move tomorrow.”

“Yes,” I agreed distantly. “Thank you.”

Instructing me to sit on the bed, Patty perched beside me and set about cleaning the cut on my head with surprisingly gentle hands, while poor Ruth hauled hot water up from the kitchen.

“Oh, I’m used to it, miss,” she said brightly when I mentioned that I only needed enough to clean myself up. “Lots of our guests enjoy a nice bath by the fire, and Ma don’t believe in those gas geysers.”

“Boiling people up in the bath like soup,” Patty muttered.

Ruth looked me over with a practical eye. “And she’s right. You need to soak for a while, or you’ll be awful stiff.”

“I’m grateful,” I said, swallowing against the sudden sting of tears. “To both of you. You’ve been so kind, and I’m a stranger.”

“Anything for Ash’s lady,” Ruth said, unconsciously echoing her mother’s earlier sentiment, before flashing me another smile and leaving the room, the door pulled closed behind her.

I found Patty giving me another long look. “Are you in trouble?” she asked, her tone quiet. “Has a man put his hands on you?”

“I got the injuries in an accident,” I said carefully.

Patty pursed her lips. “Well, if you ever need help, you come here,” she said finally. “We know how to keep people safe.”

She stood and made her way to the door. She drew a jar and some linen from her apron. “Now, you have a good soak, and then use these to cover those bruises.”

With that, she left, and I was alone.

Undressing and climbing into the bath, I gave a hiss of pleasure that edged its way into pain as the hot water touched my skin. After a moment, the overwhelming sensation eased and my limbs relaxed. Here, I felt safe at last. Perhaps it was that feeling of safety that meant I could let the tears finally come. I wrapped my arms around my knees and pulled them to my chest, indulging in a good, soul-clearing bit of weeping. Finally, when I felt stripped clean like the air after a summer storm, I lay back in the water.

I’m not certain how long I lay there, dazed in the soothing steam. Ruth had added some sort of oil to the water with a herbal scent and I found I liked it enormously. Eventually there was a knock at the door.

“Hello?” I called out, my voice surprisingly rough.

“It’s Ash.” His voice came from the other side of the door. “I’m going to order some lunch. I bet you need feeding. Would you like me to ask Patty to send something up to you?” There was something in his voice that made me think either Ruth or Patty had mentioned the bruises.

“No,” I said quickly. “I’ll get out and come down.”

He paused, then said, “If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

It took me the best part of half an hour to remove myself from the bath, and to rub ointment into all the bruises I could reach. The balm that Patty gave me smelled wonderful, of mint and something sweet. Ruth’s dress of plain blue wool was not a bad fit and I bundled my hair up as best I could with the ribbon she had left me. I was touched by the fact she had donated one – a strip of fine blue silk that I knew must be something treasured. I was determined to send her a whole rainbow-coloured drawer full of the things, courtesy of the Aviary, when I got home.

Glimpsing myself in the small mirror over the dresser, I saw huge eyes staring back from a pale face. Only a hint of pinkness gave away that I’d been crying, and I hoped Ash wouldn’t notice. The cut at my temple had been cleaned, but a nasty mottled bruise surrounded it, and I dabbed at it with ointment, then fussed with my hair, pulling it forward to cover the injury as best I could. It would have to do.

When I finally made my way downstairs, it was to find Ash seated in an alcove at a table heaving with food. I caught the relief on his face. I must really have looked dreadful when I first tumbled out of his carriage.

“I guessed you’d be starving,” Ash said, gesturing to the table. I dropped into the seat across from him, my fingers already grasping a slice of generously buttered brown bread, which I shoved hastily in my mouth.

“Yesh,” I said thickly, too hungry to worry about good manners.

Ash gave me his lopsided grin, although I thought it didn’t quite reach his worried eyes, then he poured me a large glass of water and began piling meat and cheese and tiny pickled vegetables on to a plate for me. When he cut into a golden-crusted pie filled with fragrant cured pork, I let out a whimper that had that false smile of his looking more real.

After several minutes of dogged eating, I looked up to find his watchful gaze on my face, as if carefully cataloguing every detail.

“So,” he said, leaning back in his seat and clasping his hands on his stomach. “It seems that I have kidnapped you, Felicity Vane. Care to tell me why?”

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