Beyond a Doubt - By Felicia Rogers Page 0,26
public events, and follow a planned schedule. Through these events I’m contacted. Never the same way twice and never in person. I know you thought I could reveal L.L.’s identity but I’m afraid I can’t help you. However, here is a list of my itinerary for next week’s London visit.”
Gustav caught the paper as it fluttered to the ground. When he looked up Joshua was gone.
Chapter Twenty-Six
On their last day of the two hundred mile journey from Carlisle to London, Lucy sat by a small lake. The water was covered by fog. A cool wind passed her way, sending a chill down her spine. She pulled the shawl tighter around her trembling frame.
“Are ye ready?”
As ready as she would ever be, Lucy climbed astride the horse and they rode into the abandoned streets. Eerily quiet in the wee morning hours, London reminded her of a graveyard.
The large house stared at her, opposing, ominous, and dark. A secret key was hidden in a pot on the porch.
She opened the door and dusty sheets billowed with the burst of air. Lucy headed to the windows and jerked open curtains, allowing rays of sunlight to stream through the dirt-covered panes.
“Is this yer home?”
Bryce’s voice startled her. Before she could answer, the sound of an alarm drew her attention. A tiny brass clock rested upon the mantel, its alarm blaring. When the noise stopped, Lucy left the room and ran through the house.
She checked every room, ending back where she started. Lucy frowned.
“What is it?” he asked.
“The clock. It chimed. That only happens so long before it has to be rewound. And I’ve been gone a long time.”
“Do ye want me to search the house?”
Lucy shook her head. “No one is here. Maybe the spring stuck again and delayed the alarm. That happens sometimes.” She said the words but she didn’t believe them. Gnawing her lip, she studied Bryce. Could he tell she doubted her own explanation?
Bryce didn’t ask any more questions and Lucy was grateful. Leading him through the hallway, she picked a room for his stay. He hesitated but finally went inside with his meager belongings. Bryce scratched his head, then he placed his hands to his sides, next he moved them to his hips. The palpable awkwardness upset her, but Lucy couldn’t help him right now.
Once Bryce entered his room and turned his back to her, she fled. Inside her old bedroom, she pilfered through drawers. A tiny scrap of paper rubbed her fingertips and she grabbed it, squeezing it tightly in her hand.
They’d done it again. The alarm had been her first clue. The list was all the confirmation she needed.
The parchment contained a full week of activities. Worrying her lip, she studied the information. Instinct caused her to touch the leather pouch. The fan still rested within, poking her through the material.
“Knock, knock.”
Lucy lifted her head, and placed her hand to her wildly beating heart.
“Sorry lass, I didn’t mean to startle ye. I hate to intrude but we need to place the horses in yer stable and then find something to eat. I’m starvin’.”
The smile he displayed kept her worries at bay. Her hand clasped his and she directed him to the kitchen. They checked the cabinets and came up empty.
“Looks like a trip to the market is in order,” she said.
Bryce waited while Lucy raced upstairs. She perused the list. No market day was listed.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she cradled her head in her hands. Her belly growled but she ignored the hunger pains. New worries beset her troubled mind. Like how to deliver her message without alerting Bryce?
If he knew what she planned, he would never approve.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The market was hectic. People threw packages of raw meat over Lucy and Bryce’s heads. Hawkers stood beside stands and argued loudly over the price of every item, from a piece of fruit to a bolt of cloth.
Packs of raw vegetables and a loaf of bread lay in Bryce's arms. Normally a man who enjoyed vast quantities of meat, Bryce would willingly give up his favorite food to leave this place behind.
Lucy slid through the crowd with ease. Her short stature and tiny frame allowed her to maneuver through the people and stalls. The largeness of his own body created a problem in the tight quarters. At one point the lass escaped his vision and an onset of trepidation took hold.
Taller than most individuals, Bryce scanned the ground from above. When he spotted a head of brown