Brotherhood 02 - Broken Promise (5 page)

Sarah placed a cover over little Jonathan and tiptoed to the chair in the corner near the hearth. She’d arrived at the Spotted Goose a few hours ago and would have to leave again soon, but she needed at least one full day to rest before she traveled any farther. She’d been on the road for nearly three weeks without stopping and both she and Jonathan were exhausted.

She rested her head on the back of the rocker and pushed the chair back and forth. She was so tired she could sleep for a week. But that wasn’t an option. One day was all she could afford herself. She prayed she’d lost the captain, but she couldn’t take any chances.

She’d been smarter this time. She’d been fortunate enough to catch a ride in a farmer’s wagon that took her several miles out of London. From there, she’d walked until she reached the first inn where a coach stopped. Then, she waited until the last minute before getting aboard.

Luckily, Jonathan slept in a closed basket the entire time and no one at the inn or riding the coach realized she had a baby with her. Anyone who noticed her basket thought the container held food for the trip. And to convince them that’s what she had inside, she shared with them some of the pastries she’d brought with her. She also included a block of potent-smelling cheese to overpower any smell from Jonathan’s wet nappies.

She was convinced she’d thought of everything, convinced that this time he wouldn’t find her.

When she reached the second stop she got off and walked to the third, alternating walking and riding, keeping Jonathan hidden whenever possible. She’d been fortunate to find a tenant farmer with whom she could stay each night who had a cow to provide milk for Jonathan. Thankfully, she was remotely familiar with the country and zigzagged her way from one place to the other, always moving in a northeasterly direction.

She may have made it easy for Austin Landwell to find her the first time, but she’d learned from the mistakes she’d made. She wouldn’t be so foolish again.

This time she kept Jonathan hidden when she could, and traveled without stopping. She also avoided going into the hostelries when the coach stopped so fewer people had a chance to notice her. But constant traveling had taken its toll on her physically. She ached like she’d never ached before and was so tired she could sleep standing upright.

She hadn’t slept a whole night in the three weeks since she’d left. She knew if she didn’t stop at least one day to rest she’d run the risk of becoming ill.

When her coach arrived at the Spotted Goose a few hours ago, she disembarked and secured a room.

She bathed and fed Jonathan, then put him to bed. As soon as he was asleep, she intended to crawl under the covers and sleep until he woke her.

She closed her eyes and gently pushed the rocker back and forth. Even though she tried to avoid thinking of Austin Landwell, his piercing blue eyes haunted her day and night.

He’d have been furious when he returned to the house and found them gone. He believed she’d keep her promise to wait for him to return from talking to Lord Penderly, but she couldn’t stay. She wouldn’t. Jonathan was hers. She’d promised Lady Fledgemont that she’d take care of him and nothing would cause her to break her promise.

Her heart jolted in her breast and she grasped the arms of the chair. She was frightened, that’s all. And tired. She’d be fine once she got some sleep.

She rested her head against the back of the chair and tried to keep her thoughts from running wild but it was impossible.

She’d spent her whole life caring for others—first her mother, then her father, then Lady Fledgemont. She knew she was being selfish, but she wanted someone of her own to love. Someone who would love her as much as she loved them.

She was almost thirty years old, far past the age when she expected to find love. Past the age when it was possible to have what she’d always prayed for—a husband who would love her, and a home filled with laughing children.

God had answered her prayer when He’d led her to Viscount Fledgemont. But as He so often does, He didn’t give her exactly what she’d asked for. Instead, he’d given her something better. He’d given her Jonathan—a child who would always love her. And she wouldn’t allow anyone to take him away from her.

She rocked faster. She had to make sure Captain Landwell never found her. He was as great a danger to her as Penderly.

She remembered how her heart hammered when he held her, how it had felt more like a blanket of protection than a threat when he pressed his body against hers. Even though it was obvious he carried the weight of a thousand demons, he was the one man in all of England she felt drawn to. Yet for some reason she couldn’t understand, the Earl of Penderly seemed to have a hold on Landwell that blinded him to the danger the earl presented Jonathan.

She breathed a heavy sigh and listened to Jonathan’s soft snores. He was asleep, which meant she could sleep now, too.

She rose from the chair but had to reach out to steady herself. She’d never been so tired, never so unsteady on her feet.

She washed, then slipped the one nightgown she’d brought with her over her head. She couldn’t wait to lie down, couldn’t wait to close her eyes and rest.

She pulled back the covers then jerked upright when the knob on the door turned. She spun around, but before she could order her feet to carry her to safety, it was too late.

Her gaze locked with Captain Landwell’s and an overwhelming sense of entrapment engulfed her.

“Good evening, Lady Fledgemont. A merry chase you’ve led me on—again.”

“How did you—”

He held up his hand to stop her words. “Finding people who don’t want to be found is what I do. Finding
you
was of the utmost importance to me.”

The panic she tried to hold at bay erupted inside her. She gasped for air, struggling to breathe. She’d been so careful this time. “Why couldn’t you let us be? Why did you have to follow us?” She heard the hysterical edge in her voice and cursed the weak sound of it.

“What did you expect me to do? You have the Earl of Penderly’s grandchild.”

The room spun around her and she reached out to steady herself. A small bedside table was all that was near and she stumbled until she could grasp it. He was at her side before she reached it.

“You little fool.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and lowered her to the edge of the bed. “You’re exhausted. When was the last time you slept? Or ate?”

She didn’t answer him, but grabbed for the homemade quilt on the bed. She wasn’t dressed and needed to cover herself. She clutched the bedding to her chest and looked into his piercing blue eyes. “Would it have been so impossible to tell the earl you couldn’t find us?”

“Yes.”

Her heart sank and she struggled to stay calm. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I already promised that neither you nor the babe would come to any harm. I visited with Penderly and am confident he wasn’t behind the attack.”

“He was!”

He shook his head. “I don’t know the attacker’s identity yet, but it wasn’t the earl. I’ve talked to him. He doesn’t even know he has a grandchild.”

Her eyes opened wide. “You didn’t tell him?”

“I promised you the boy would be safe. I can’t keep that promise until I know who hired someone to kill the babe. The only information I gave Penderly was that you and his son had married.”

She kept her gaze focused on him.

“Lady Fledgemont, the sooner you take my word that you and the boy will be safe, the sooner this can be resolved.”

She ignored his statement. There was no use in arguing further. He was convinced that Penderly wasn’t a threat to Jonathan, and she knew he was. He had to be. Lady Fledgemont had warned her not to trust the earl. She’d warned Sarah that he’d do everything in his power to prevent an actress’s blood from tainting the Penderly bloodline. Why couldn’t she convince Captain Landwell of that.

She clamped her mouth shut and turned her gaze from him.

Landwell must have realized words were no longer of use. He stepped away from her. But the manner in which he surveyed the room made her uncomfortable. His gaze moved from one side to the other. When he spied Jonathan in the basket, he moved in that direction. She rose, but he held up his open hand and she lowered herself back to the mattress.

He dropped to his haunches and watched Jonathan. “He’s sound asleep.”

“Traveling exhausted him.”

“And you, too.”

He rose and walked to the single wooden chest against the wall. He opened each empty drawer. “Where are your clothes?”

When she didn’t answer he scanned the room more closely. He picked up her valise on the floor at the foot of the bed. “Is this all you brought?”

“I don’t need much.”

He rummaged through the bag. She knew what he was looking for. He wanted to know if she was foolish enough to leave London without enough money to provide for herself and the babe while traveling. Well, let him look. She wanted him to realize that she had enough money to travel across England and into Scotland if that was her destination.

He found the small velvet bag and opened it. The surprise on his face was brief. If she hadn’t been watching for it, she would have missed it. She felt a flattering sense of satisfaction. Having such a large amount of money at her disposal made running away less irrational.

He dropped the bag back into her valise. “Where did you intend to go?”

She glared at him. “Far enough away that you couldn’t find us.”

“There is no such a place.”

A jarring sense of foreboding settled over her. He was serious. The fear gnawing at her made her realize he was right. He would hunt her down to the ends of the earth. He was loyal to a fault and for some reason she couldn’t understand, his loyalty to Penderly couldn’t be broken.

Sarah swiped her fingers over her eyes. They burned from the hours without sleep. They burned from the dust of travel. They burned from exhaustion. She closed them for a moment. When she opened them, the room spun in dizzying circles and she knew it wouldn’t be wise to close them again. She couldn’t risk losing consciousness while he was here.

“Have you eaten?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He looked around the room. When he saw no evidence of food, he leveled her with a glare that said he knew she was lying. “I left instructions with the innkeeper’s wife to send up a tray later,” she said.

He shot her another dubious look and she cringed.

“You’re quite adept at lying, aren’t you?”

She bristled. “As well as you, I would imagine, since you managed to get Mrs. Pollock to let you come up here unaccompanied.”

A wave of guilt washed over her. She wasn’t at all skilled at lying. Her father had been the vicar in a country parish, one of the most devout men she knew. If he knew she’d told even one lie, he’d have sat her down to a good scolding. She couldn’t imagine what he would have done after finding out every word she’d uttered since meeting Austin Landwell had been a lie.

She dropped her hands to her lap and breathed a heavy sigh. “Actually, I’m not. I’ve never lied so much in my life.” She lifted her gaze. “I’ve never felt the need to lie before.”

“But you do, now?”

“Yes. I’ll do everything necessary to keep Jonathan with me. He’s mine.”

“Don’t you realize you won’t have to give him up?”

“I will if you inform Lord Penderly that you found us.”

He picked up a straight-back wooden chair from the other side of the room and set it down in front of her. “After visiting with Lord and Lady Penderly, I’m more convinced than ever that you and your son would be safe for the rest of your lives. If your husband were here, he’d tell you that, too.”

Blood rushed to her head. It roared so loudly she couldn’t think. “You can’t believe that.”

“I do. Lord Penderly is more than eager to welcome you into his home. He deeply regrets everything he said to you and his son. Lady Penderly feels the same, perhaps with an even deeper conviction. She wants to be the mother she would have been to you if their son had brought you home as his wife.”

“And you believe them?”

“Yes.”

The room closed in around her. She was desperate to escape but knew that was impossible. His chair was too near her, his long, muscular legs were braced on either side of her. She’d never be able to reach Jonathan before he stopped her.

She couldn’t think. She couldn’t—

The thundering in her head pounded louder than before. She needed to put some distance between her and the man whose presence threatened her, and she stood, wanting to push him away from her.

The room spun around her and she reached out for anything that would steady her. All that was within reach were his strong, sinewy arms. She felt herself falling into him and before she could stop herself, she collided with his hard, immovable chest.

His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her to him. In one swift move, he picked her up in his arms and held her.

She remained alert long enough to meet his gaze, then lost herself in the bottomless depth of his midnight-blue eyes. With his arms wrapped around her and the strength of his body cocooning her, Sarah lost her grip on consciousness.