Chapter Twelve
As the gates of Durham receded in the distance, fire burned red-hot in Jo’s soul. She bent low over the saddle and kicked her mount hard in the flanks. Ruby raced at her side, her pink tongue flapping.
Her heart ached for her mother and for the answers only her mother had known. Why had they fled Toonan? Who was responsible for the loss of her parents and the contented life she’d once known? Pain twisted her shattered heart as still more questions plagued her mind.
Was she foolish to follow the advice of the old bishop?
Would this Abbot Matthew truly welcome her and give her life a new purpose?
The one thing she knew for certain was the workings of her own heart. She was tired of hiding, tired of being afraid. More than anything, she wanted security and belonging. But in a world torn apart by war and prejudice, did such a place even exist? Could Haddington Abbey be the haven she sought?
There was only one way to find out.
She breathed deep the fresh air and allowed the scent of the earth on the wind to mask her sadness.
Pushing her mount faster, she upturned her face.
The heat of the sun caressed her cheeks.
Too long had she been confined within Durham’s city walls, caged by cobblestone, fear of her landlord’s roving hands, and the constant threats of poverty.
Freedom now pulsed in her veins and imbued her body with strength.
She knew the risks she faced traveling north with only Ruby to protect her, but life’s hardships had taught her many lessons.
She was not the same girl who had first set out with her mother two years ago.
Anyway, what choice did she have? Despite the dangers of the roads, she would stay her course.
AFTER FOLLOWING JO at a distance for several hours, Ian could have drawn the sleek lines of her back, ramrod straight in the saddle, and the graceful waves of her rich brown hair, glistening in the sunshine. Her willful determination was visible in her carriage.
At first, it had been easy enough to follow her astride her massive stead. Travelers filled the roads beyond Durham, but now he had to keep back, moving carefully and slowly to ensure that his presence went undetected.
To his surprise, they were heading north.
He had thought she might wish to return to London from which her father hailed.
He could only assume she had no remaining family there to draw her south.
Mayhap she wanted to make a fresh start in New Castle.
The city did boast a flourishing marketplace.
He kept his cloak over his head, despite the warmth of the late summer day, to ensure his red hair did not give him away were she to catch a glimpse of him from the distance as they crossed rolling moorland.
When the sun began to set, he saw the torch fire of a hamlet called Trang in the distance.
It was a few miles south of New Castle proper.
On several occasions, Ian had stayed in the small village at Gull Tavern.
It was a clean, reputable establishment run by an elderly couple.
The only other place for the weary traveler to rest was the Sheep’s Head Tavern, a haven for unsavory locals bent on gambling and drinking themselves into stupors and raucous brawling.
After Jo gave her horse over to the young groomsman at the village livery, she and Ruby set out through the main road. Ian quickly gave his own horse over before hastening after her, still cautious to keep his distance.
She stopped at the first tavern she encountered, the Sheep’s Head.
“Nay, lass. Keep walking. The Gull is just up ahead,” Ian whispered under his breath as he continued to watch. “Blast!” he softly cursed as she turned and entered the disreputable drinking house.
Following, he peered through the window.
The common room was still reasonably calm given the early hour, although he spied four dirty, rough-looking men sitting in the corner, raising their tankards.
Ale sloshed on the table as they rammed their cups together.
Ian scowled. He knew it was only a matter of time before the room would be crowded with similar men, ready to drink the night away.
He slipped through the door, claiming a small table in the darkest corner while Jo conversed with the barkeep, Ruby’s leash gripped tight in her hand.
“Your beast has to stay outside,” the bartender said, casting Ruby a look of contempt.
In response, Ruby growled, baring her teeth.
“She’ll be no trouble, so long as no one gives me trouble,” Jo said courageously.
The bartender’s scowl deepened. “Did you not hear what I said, girl?”
But Jo would not be so easily deterred. “Then I will keep her in my room upstairs.”
Ian smiled. She certainly had gumption.
The bartender considered her. “That will cost you another farthing.”
Jo pressed what appeared to be a few coins into the barkeeps hand. Ian was relieved that she’d had the sense not to bring the large purse he had given her out in the open. “Can I have supper sent upstairs?”
“Where do you think you are? The King’s palace. You’ll eat in the common room like everyone else.”
Jo disappeared upstairs with Ruby whose low throated growl could be heard even after she and Jo passed from view. A short while later, Jo returned and claimed the table nearest the bar and sat with her back to Ian...and the rest of the room.
His shoulders tensed as he watched every man in the room shift his gaze on her.
It was clear by the sudden pointing and the leering smiles that numerous conversations in the room had turned salacious in nature—the object of desire none other than Jo, not that she could be aware of the trouble her presence had stirred.
Ian gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles whitening from the strain. “She should know better than to turn her back to a room,” he whispered aloud.
At least, she was making it easy for him to remain unseen.
After several moments, a young woman passed through the door behind the bar, holding a tray.
She headed straight for Jo’s table and set a steaming trencher in front of her.
An instant later the barkeep arrived. His leering smile revealed his own desire for Jo as he set a tankard in front of her.
Thankfully, the barkeep did not linger. Ian sat back, willing himself to relax a little while she ate.
No sooner did he let his guard down than one of the four men in the corner stood up, downed his ale, and headed straight toward her. In a flash, Ian was on his feet and intercepted the man. “Turn around and sit back down,” he hissed, scowling at the smaller man from beneath his drawn hood.
The man glowered back and gestured to Jo. “I saw her first—”
Ian’s hand lashed out, catching the man by the throat. “If ye know what’s good for ye, ye’ll sit down and leave the lass alone.”
Ian squeezed until the man’s head started bobbing up and down to show he would heed Ian’s warning.
Releasing him, the man scurried away, and Ian glanced at Jo to ensure her back was still turned away from him.
Then he whisked his hood off his head and scowled a warning to the room, turning to make certain he met the gaze of each and every man.
His message was simple—keep away from the girl or deal with me.
JO WIPED UP THE LAST of the thick sauce from her wooden trencher with a hunk of bread before downing the rest of her ale.
Then she stood and glanced quickly behind her at the room.
The men at various tables glanced at her, but their gazes did not linger.
Satisfied, she turned back around. She knew that by showing her back to the room, she had conveyed one simple message—I’m not interested in being bothered. Don’t talk to me.
This was her first night traveling alone, which she knew was dangerous for anyone, especially a woman, but she also believed in herself.
She had common sense and nerve. Head held high, she ascended the stairs to her room.
Once inside, she locked the door, spread her cloak out over the moldy, straw mattress and called Ruby to her.
“Here you go, girl,” she crooned, petting Ruby’s long back, and feeding her some thick pieces of mutton she had saved from her stew. After Ruby gobbled down her dinner, Jo rose and crossed the room to a pitcher and basin on a stand in the corner.
“No surprise, but it’s empty,” she said dryly to Ruby who sat alert, waiting for Jo’s next move.
“I’ll be right back,” she put her hand on the door handle. “I’ll just pop down to the bar and fetch some—”
Ruby started growling, her teeth bared. “What’s the matter girl,” she muttered.
“Is someone out there?” She put her ear against the door, listening for movement, but all she could hear were muffled voices rising up from the common room.
Seizing Ruby’s leash, she opened the door.
Ruby lunged forward, growling and gnashing her teeth.
Jo leaned out just in time to see a tall, cloaked figure hurrying down the hall before disappearing into another guest room.
“That was odd,” she said to Ruby who continued staring in the direction of the stranger, a low growl in her throat.
Jo turned around to put Ruby back inside, but then she changed her mind.
“The barkeep be damned.” Firmly grasping Ruby’s leash, she decided to make the journey back downstairs with a sharp-fanged escort.