Beyond a Doubt - By Felicia Rogers Page 0,23
his horse. If Bryce hadn’t been close-by, Lucy would have crashed upon the ground when the angry man jerked her bonds and pulled the hem of her gown.
“Take the wench. She probably wouldn’t have been a good wife anyway.”
Bryce cradled Lucy in his arms as the man and his horse trotted away. Bryce laid Lucy tenderly on a soft patch of green grass. For the longest time, Bryce stared at her purple-tinged face. Gently he used his fingertips to smooth back her hair. Whispered words in the form of a prayer fell from his lips.
Then a miracle happened. Her eyelids fluttered opened. Her brown orbs stared at him with a mix of trepidation and relief.
“Bryce?” Her voice cracked as she spoke.
“Aye lass, ye are safe and I won’t leave ye again.”
A sigh escaped her parted lips as unconsciousness overtook her once more.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The first thing she remembered was intense warmth, followed by a pleasing aroma of food wafting through her nostrils. And then there was the sound of a familiar voice.
“Hullo, sleepyhead.”
“Where am I?” Lucy asked.
“In an inn.”
“But how?”
Bryce shrugged. “Best I understand, a con artist won ye from the troupe master and was carting ye off to his lands. Rode right past me, he did, and I stopped him and won ye back.”
Shock registered upon Lucy’s face. “What? You gambled? That doesn’t seem like something you would do. Perhaps this is a dream.”
She placed her hand on the bed and pushed upward. Sharp stabbing pains ran the length of her body, causing a swift intake of breath.
“I think ye should rest.”
Her hand fell out from under her, and she dropped back onto the bed. “Why am I so warm?”
A chuckle rent the air. “The innkeeper’s wife didn’t want ye to catch cold.”
“That would not be possible. I feel like I’m going to melt.”
The sound of his deep, throaty laughter brought a smile to her face. At least for now his shyness had abated and she was grateful. She needed to share her experience with someone.
“I don’t remember too much. I mean, I remember riding with the troupe for a short distance. Then the troupe master stopped and entered a small building. The rest of us waited. When he returned, he summoned us inside. I have vague memories of walking into a room as dark as a cave and then nothing.” A spot on her head ached. When she rubbed the spot she felt a knot. One of the players must have struck her. Moving on, Lucy asked, “You said you saw me riding on the back of another person’s horse? How was such a thing possible? You couldn’t have been that close to Carlisle.”
An uncomfortable shifting occurred. “I was movin’ slow.”
“Why?” Lucy asked, holding her breath as she waited for his response.
Bryce shrugged.
There was that infernal movement. This time she couldn’t let it slide. “Bryce, please answer me. Why did you leave town so slowly?”
“Guess I didn’t want to part with ye. Maybe I missed ye.”
“Oh.”
He stared at his fingers with intense interest while he kept talking. “I was worried about ye. Those men didn’t seem the safest of company and I feared for yer safety.”
“But you said you missed me?”
“True. It was quieter than usual.”
“I thought maybe you missed me and not just my noise.”
“Maybe a little.”
The grin that split her face couldn’t be helped. Whether Bryce admitted it or not, he liked her. So much so that he had been unwilling to just race away.
“What now?” she asked.
“What do ye mean?”
“I mean, what do we do now? My trip to London is no less important and now I am without escort.”
“Aye, this is true.”
“Perhaps we might catch the troupe before they get too far ahead.”
“I think not.”
“But—“
“I will escort ye.”
“Are you certain, because—“
“I will escort ye.”
The words brooked no argument and Lucy readily accepted.
Lucy spent the next few days recuperating while Bryce waited on her hand and foot. He brought her food. Kept the fire going at all times. Attended to her every request, although she tried not to make that many. Why, one night, he even massaged her feet.
What little belongings she owned had been left behind with the players, except for the dress she wore and the tiny leather pouch, which never left her wrist. They would need to purchase more gowns and essentials for her before they left the village.
As she was pondering these thoughts, the housemistress entered the room. Snug in a huge, four-poster bed, Lucy learned why she had received the best