Stephanie Laurens - The Elusive Bride

“Without making it obvious you’re carrying a copy and not the original.” She nodded, then looked frowningly at him. “You’re not carrying the letter on you, are you?”

“No.” He couldn’t see any reason not to tell her. “It’s in one of those wooden scroll holders the Indians use to ferry documents.”

“Ah-I see.” She studied him a moment more. “Arnia’s carrying it.”

He stared at her. “It can’t be that obvious.”

She lifted one shoulder. “That’s who I’d leave it with-she’s from a warrior tribe and quite dangerous, I imagine, yet to the cultists she’ll be all but invisible. They’ll never think of her.”

He grunted, partly mollified. “Watson mentioned you’d decided to return home by the overland route-that you hoped to see the pyramids and other sights along the way.”

She shrugged again. “It seemed sensible to see more of the world while I can, and as I was already in Bombay…”

“Be that as it may, now that the cult have sighted you, and clearly would be happy to do you harm, it would be wiser, for safety’s sake, to combine our parties, at least until we reach Alexandria.” He paused, then went on, “I don’t believe Ferrar knew of our endeavor before we left Bombay, but he must have learned soon after, and has moved quickly to get cultists ahead of us-I believe they were waiting, watching the docks. They were already here.”

“Which means they might be ahead of us, potentially all the way home?”

He nodded. “If I were Ferrar, in the position he’s now in, that’s what I’d do, and he has men to spare. Which, of course, is the principal aim of my mission-reducing his forces.”

She nodded, her gaze abstracted. When she ventured nothing more, he prompted, “So, do you agree that it’s best to go onward together? To combine our parties in the interests of safety?”

Hers, especially.

To his relief, she smiled. “Yes, of course. I see no reason why we shouldn’t proceed together. I have my maid with me, and in the circumstances, my parents would approve.”

“Excellent.” He felt like a weight was slipping from his shoulders, yet he’d just taken on all responsibility for her safety. For her life. With the cultists at large, that wasn’t putting it too highly.

She continued to smile at him. “Besides, I became involved in this through helping poor Captain MacFarlane, and in light of his sacrifice I feel compelled to do whatever little I may to ensure his mission succeeds.”

The mention of James reminded him that, in some respects, he now stood in James’s shoes, taking on a responsibility that originally had been James’s-seeing Miss Ensworth safely home.

For a moment, he felt as if James’s ghost hovered in the room beside them-he could almost see his insouciant smile. James had died a hero. He’d been dashing and handsome, a few years older than Miss Ensworth-hardly surprising if, in the circumstances, she harbored some romantic feelings for his dead friend.

He wondered if that was what he saw in her eyes.

Somewhat abruptly, he stood. “I must check with the others about setting a watch-we can’t be too careful. I’ll see you at dinner.”

She inclined her head. “We’ll need to decide how best to journey on.”

“I’ll check what our options are tomorrow. I’ll tell you once I know.” He headed for the door.

“Excellent-we can discuss it in the morning.”

In the doorway, he looked back, then nodded. “In the morning.”

He strode down the corridor, a sense of relief returning. She’d agreed to travel on together. He’d be able to keep her safe. That was the critical point. The instant he’d seen the cultist making for her on the dock, he’d known he’d have to keep her with him, almost certainly all the way back to England, until he could leave her somewhere the cult couldn’t reach her.

The responsibility wasn’t one he could possibly shirk. Quite aside from all else, honor wouldn’t allow it. She’d become a target for the Black Cobra through helping with their mission, and he and his comrades, James included, owed her a huge debt. If she hadn’t played her part and brought the letter to Del, they would still be chasing cultists through the Indian countryside, and the Black Cobra would be continuing his reign of terror and destruction unabated.

Instead, thanks in large part to Emily Ensworth, the Black Cobra was now chasing them.

All they had to do was keep one step ahead of the fiend’s minions all the way back to England, and all would be well.

3rd October, 1822

Morning

A private guesthouse in Aden’s Arab quarter

Dear Diary,

I was too distracted to write last night. I suspect that while traveling, the time of my entries may vary due to whatever exigencies might arise. But to my news! First and most importantly, I’ve learned that Major Hamilton is innocent of any degree of cowardice in returning home-indeed, he is on a mission to vanquish the Black Cobra, and by extension avenge his friend, MacFarlane. I had felt that the major could not be cowardly-how could he be my “one” and be so?-but I freely admit I had no idea of the level of noble enterprise on which he and his friends have embarked. It is truly humbling, and I am delighted to report that, by a twist of fate, it appears I, too, will be able to play a part. Thus the second half of my news-we are to combine our parties and travel on together!

While I must admit I am not at all keen to meet any further cultists-they are fanatics and quite mad-I do feel moved to do whatever I may to avenge poor MacFarlane given he was, after all, there to be killed because he was escorting me. However, my primary consideration in agreeing to Hamilton’s request to join forces is more prosaic-what if I declined, and something happened to him? Something I might have, had I been with him, prevented?

No. Now that I know he is no coward-in fact, quite the opposite-and the opportunity to aid him has come my way, if, as I ever more strongly suspect given the sensory turmoil he continues to evoke in me, he is my “one,” then it is clearly incumbent upon me to continue by his side.

That said, I am writing this this morning as I discover I have time on my hands. I rose fresh and rested, and emerged from my chamber ready to discuss our onward journey, as I believed we’d arranged, only to discover he had already quit the house. Apparently his definition of “morning” means before 8 o’clock-which as a start to our joint journey does not bode well.

E.

G areth returned to the guesthouse at noon, Mooktu by his side. Exchanging a word with Mullins, currently on watch by the gate in the wall, he passed through, and found Bister sharpening swords and various knives by the pool in the courtyard.

Bister, a cockney lad who’d attached himself to Gareth in the last year of the Peninsula campaign and stayed stuck ever since, glanced up. “So are we moving soon?”

Gareth nodded. “Tomorrow evening was the earliest possible.” He glanced at the house. “All quiet here?”

“Seems to be.” Bister went back to his whetstone. “But the lady’s in the parlor-I think she’s waiting for you. Been pacing something fierce.”

Gareth was unsurprised to learn that Miss Ensworth was keen to learn of his arrangements. “I’ll speak with her now, tell her the news. You can spread the word to the others-we’ll be leaving tomorrow on the evening tide.”

Bister nodded.

Rather than use the main door, Gareth crossed to the open doors of the salon. As he paused on the threshold, the sun threw his shadow across the room-making Miss Ensworth, who was indeed pacing, whirl to face him.