Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
The first coach from London arrived without warning early the next morning, dropping only two passengers at the inn but confirming the road behind was clear.
Excitement surged, and the delayed carriages were prepared in a flurry of activity while travelers gathered outside in the mud, eager to be away.
Maggie joined the line of travelers attempting to board the first coach headed for London the next morning, only to be disappointed when it filled too quickly.
She hugged her travel case close to her chest and shuffled toward the next coach, determined not to have her sole possession wrested from her grip in the confusion and lost forever. She could not afford to lose what little the case contained.
The second carriage was declared ready for boarding quite quickly, and the crowd surged forward. Maggie was swept along with everyone else, desperate not to miss her chance for a seat inside, out of the weather.
She struggled to make headway, only to suddenly be wrenched out of line—lifted off her feet, in fact—and deposited to the side, where it soon became apparent that she would now be the last to board and have to cling to the back of the carriage.
She turned, irritated, and found herself gazing into the equally irritated eyes of the Duke of Ravenswood.
“And where are you going this morning—without saying goodbye, I might add?”
Dear God, Algernon had grown into a bossy devil.
“I am continuing toward London, of course,” she said, pointing obviously at the carriage that was now almost full. She wrenched her arm from his. “I might have had a place inside, too, if you had let me go!”
He glanced at the carriage and frowned. “I am not letting you board a carriage like that,” he announced. “Not before you give me a chance to talk about yesterday’s kiss.”
Maggie peered down the empty road, filled with exasperation. “You’re regretting that it happened at all, and you’re about to beg my forgiveness and swear it will never happen again?”
“I regret nothing, but I will behave if you ask me to.”
She glanced at him in surprise, but then shook her head firmly. “Goodbye, Ravenswood.”
He caught her arm, preventing her escape.
“Look, there are only two coaches, and the second is nearly full. Who knows when the next one will arrive? I cannot stay here another night just to talk to you.”
“I’m not asking you to, but there are other ways for you to get to where you want to go, and in greater speed and comfort, I might add.”
“How? Where?”
“The carriage you need is being prepared at the stables as we speak. As soon as these two carriages have departed the front of the inn, you will board it—with me.”
“With you? Have you lost your mind altogether?”
“Not yet, but I’m still young,” he promised with a cheeky grin. “You will find my carriage far more comfortable than any other, I assure you.”
“Why would you want me in your carriage?”
“For the same reason you gave me your pillow. Simple kindness. There are still some days of travel before we reach London, and I cannot think of a better way to spend the hours than discussing everything and anything with you, my old friend.”
“That is hardly proper,” she said, astonished by his offer to share. They were not related. They were not anything to each other but very old acquaintances who had kissed on a dare. Well, a few dares, actually.
“There are many ways to get around the appearance of impropriety, and posing as a member of my vast family is nearly foolproof.”
“If I were a member of your family, you’d risk being murdered by me for your high-handed ways,” she muttered darkly.
At that, he only laughed. “Well, I am often accused of being high-handed. However, in this case, it is for your benefit. You might consider traveling with me as repayment for sharing your soft pillow with me last night. I did sleep better for it.”
She smiled briefly, but her stomach pitted, painfully aware that others were listening. She stepped back from the carriage to consider Algernon’s invitation fully.
To travel alone in his carriage was madness.
To be seen doing so could ruin her reputation completely.
But Algernon was always in a hurry. She could reach her destination so much faster if she traveled with him.
To say no would mean enduring lonely days and extra nights at the mercy of innkeepers greedy for her coin.
The innkeeper of the Stag was standing about outside in the sun, watching his paying customers take their leave, receiving new guests…
and then he noticed Maggie. He frowned at her.
But when his gaze shifted to the duke, his smile brightened.
No doubt he was anticipating he’d get more coin from them both.
Maggie had little money to spare to pay for rooms along the way as it was. She had to continue, but she would much rather travel swiftly in a larger carriage than be crushed. Or rained on, gripping to the back of a mail coach.
But accepting would mean incurring a debt to the duke that could only be repaid when she found Papa.
She worried her lip. The duke’s carriage had looked quite large, even broken, and no doubt it was terribly comfortable, now it was fixed.
And there was the added danger—he might want to kiss her again.
Maggie wasn’t sure that was a good idea. It had been an age since a gentleman had taken any interest in her, but at least she knew where she stood with a duke. Algernon would never hint at making her an offer of marriage just to get beneath her skirts, if he even thought about it anymore.
She considered her options, but she had none better. A lady’s reputation might be ruined during any carriage ride with a bachelor, but it could survive a journey if they claimed to be cousins.
She met Algernon’s gaze again, and she could see that he knew she had no other choice by the way he grinned back at her. He had been just like that as a boy, reading her mind, especially when his arguments had won her over. He was doing so again—and far too easily for her comfort.
“As long as no one discovers the lie, I suppose it could not hurt to at least travel with you to the next town,” she agreed. “I am not going all the way to London, after all—and I shall not be telling my father about our arrangement, either.”
“I should be very happy to take you directly to him.”
“No.”
Algernon pressed his lips together. “To the town nearest his place of employment it is, then.”
That was more acceptable to Maggie. “Very well.”
“I’ll lend you my book to pass the time,” he offered. “But don’t berate me for its poor condition. It got a bit damp.”
She smiled, overcome by a wave of relief that he was still the generous boy she remembered. Algernon had always shared the things that mattered to her. Books were her favorite things in all the world. That, and her new favorite: his kisses.
“Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it.” He held out his arm. “Most likely, you have read it already. It’s from home. From Ravenswood’s library.”
“I remember the library,” she replied, although she wasn’t sure she did. Thanks to her father’s many positions as tutor to great families, she’d seen so many that they had all blurred together. The Ravenswood library had undoubtedly been a place of wonder and riches beyond her reach though.
“Well, where is this carriage of yours, cousin?” she said, squaring her shoulders.
“Our carriage,” the duke corrected, as he held out his arm again. “It is this way, dear cousin.”
Maggie blushed at the warmth of his voice and slipped her arm through his—something she had not done with a gentleman in a long time, either, and certainly never with Algernon, who used to put two hands on top of her shoulders and steer her everywhere, especially out of the library to play.
Thinking of those special days made it easier to pretend she was as important as him, though she refused to let him carry her traveling case.
She went with him willingly, picking their way down the muddy street, lifting her skirts high to avoid ruining the hem with mud.
But there was no chance of saving her best shoes from utter ruin because when they reached the stable yard, there was a great puddle of soft mud between them and the waiting ducal carriage.
Algernon suddenly swept her up into his arms and, despite her weak protests that she could walk herself there, carried her across the revolting stable yard.
The grooms surrounding the carriage grinned and whispered, and Maggie’s face warmed again with an unstoppable blush. “You should not have done that,” she complained in a whisper.
“Anyone watching will think that I have a gallant soul, ensuring that my cousin’s shoes and skirts remain free of mud and muck,” he said loudly, clearly for his men to hear.
“Men, allow me to introduce my cousin, Mrs. Black. You will all ensure her journey with us is without incident, and watch your language.”
“I would appreciate your restraint,” she said to them. “Now put me down, you great lump,” she demanded, thumping Algernon’s shoulder. “Gentlemen do not hold their cousins for so long.”
“Be still, Maggie,” he whispered. “We need to make sure the mud stays out of our carriage, too.”
One of the men whipped out a rag and wiped any mud carefully off her boots, and then Ravenswood tossed her unceremoniously onto one of the well-padded seats within, before stooping to awkwardly wipe the mud from his own once-glossy black boots.
He took a place at her side and passed over her pillow. “Returned in perfect condition.” He smiled and gestured around them. “Surely this is more appealing than the overloaded mail coach, dear cousin.”
Maggie glanced around, admiring the blue velvet cushions beneath her bottom, and noting the fine quality of the paneling and the thick velvet draperies at the windows. She was shabby by comparison. “Yes, I suppose this is tolerable,” she replied, as haughtily as she could manage.