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As if sensing they were about to stop, Teddy hopped off her lap and stretched, first his back legs, then his front.
A frown tugged Beatrice’s mouth downward.
“Cassius?”
“Hmm?” he gave her a distracted glance.
“My d-dogs are sure to give us away. How will we g-get them inside without anyone noticing?”
He swung his gaze between the animals.
Their flight would’ve been easier without her beloved pets. Yet he’d never suggested she leave them behind.
“Leave it to me. They’ll stay in the coach for now. After dark, I’ll walk them and see if I can bribe someone to let me sneak them up a back stairway.” He patted Nala’s head. “However, they might have to spend the night in the coach. If that is the case, I’ll stay with them.”
That hardly seemed fair, but what alternative was there?
A woman sleeping in a coach would arouse too much notice, and she risked being set upon by unscrupulous riffraff.
“My poor dears. Look what I’ve dragged you into, loves.” At least they were with her, and as much as Beatrice hated leaving them for the night, she couldn’t argue with Cassius’s logic. No one must notice them, and Nala especially, was hard to hide.
Hopefully, Dr. Lancaster had visited Millborn by now.
She frowned.
Would Uncle Cedric permit it?
A few minutes later, the coach slowed to a bumpy stop before a quaint two-story Tudor-style inn. Golden light glowed from the lower windows, framed by brown shutters, and one upper room as well. What must be the stables parallelled one side of the tidy courtyard.
As Beatrice had never traveled before, she did not know if this establishment was typical for lodging. It mattered not in any event. This is where they would sleep tonight.
The coachmen couldn’t go on either, though they took turns at the reins.
Cassius put a finger to his lips to indicate she should remain quiet before he jumped from the conveyance and shut the door firmly behind him. He murmured a few indistinguishable words to the drivers before sauntering toward the lodging house, his keen gaze taking in the surroundings as he went.
Several minutes passed—just enough time for her imagination to start to run amuck.
A trio of men passed by, their unassuming clothing revealing them as commoners. They spoke in low tones, and she shrank into the vehicle’s shadows.
Nala issued a low growl and Teddy’s ears perked up.
“Shh.” Beatrice ran a hand over each of their heads. “Quiet.”
They knew that command well, for she’d made certain Uncle Cedric could never complain the dogs were too noisy to be in the house. Both dogs promptly settled their head on their forepaws, their faithful gazes trained upon her.
Daring to lean forward to peek out the window, Beatrice only saw one other nondescript coach in the courtyard. However, several horses milled about a corral adjacent to the stables.
Cassius had said this route was less traveled than the Great North Road when weighing whether speed or secrecy was their greatest concern. He’d settled on somewhere in between. Tomorrow, they’d reach the major route and make for Hefferwickshire House hell-bent for nothing.
His words, not hers.
After closing her eyes, Beatrice rested her head against the gray velvet squabs and let her mind wander to what she would do first after she claimed her fortune.
Retrieve my other animals from Highbury House and set up a sanctuary.
Retire Millborn to a cozy cottage.
Find a place to live—not in Brighton.
Not as long as Uncle Cedric lived there. Especially now that she knew the truth of his deception. That meant she wouldn’t see Cassius anymore, and her heart panged with sadness and regret.
She really liked him. A lot. He’d become a trusted friend—maybe something more.
He cannot be anything more, you gullible goose.
