Devon was already pulling on his gloves. “Before I leave, I’ll tell a select few I’m headed back to London.”
Lily bit her lip, indecision torturing her. “It’s true. I don’t know the first thing about traveling to Scotland.” Not to mention, she didn’t have the funds for such a journey. The small amount of money she did have left was meant for her trip to Northumberland.
Devon covered her hand with his. “Trust me, Lily. Let me do this for you.”
The gentle tone of his voice was more than she could stand. She did need help, whether she wanted to admit it or not. She and Mary were hardly equipped to travel after Eggleston and Annie alone, and the sooner someone got under way, the better. For all she knew, they’d been gone all night.
“Trust me,”
he’d said. Lily squeezed both hands into impotent fists. She trusted no man. Not completely.
“Very well,” she replied, “but if I’m to accept your help, there’s one thing upon which I must insist.”
Devon’s hand gripped the doorknob. He glanced back at her. “Name it.”
Lily straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I’m coming with you.”
CHAPTER 26
To his credit, Devon Morgan didn’t put up a fight. Lily had expected one, of course. A manly dismissal of her request. A dictatorial insistence that his plan was superior. Instead, he merely inclined his head in an oh-so-attractive manner and bowed to Lily. “As you wish.”
Relief shot down Lily’s spine. That was easier than expected.
In the next instant, Colton’s voice became deep and commanding. Mary had pulled the trunks out and was busily tossing all of their clothing inside. “Mary, get back to London immediately. Tell anyone you encounter that Miss Andrews is extremely ill. Answer as few questions as possible.”
Mary nodded and toppled the lid of the trunk closed with a resounding thud. “I packed a smaller bag for ye, me lady,” she said, pushing a satchel toward Lily.
Devon snatched up Lily’s satchel and hoisted it onto his shoulder. “Wait here. I’ll order the coach ready.”
While Devon was gone, Lily scribbled off a note for their hostess. She wrote that she was returning to London with her sister, who had suddenly taken ill.
True to his word, Devon was back not ten minutes later. Lily glanced up at him, biting her lip. “If anyone notices that you and Eggleston are also conspicuously missing, Annie’s reputation might be ruined forever.”
“Don’t worry. I intend to tell everyone that Eggleston and I left together.”
Devon grabbed Lily’s hand and pulled her from the room. They dashed down the back staircase and through a servants’ hallway to the side door. “I’ve ensured as few servants as possible are involved. The fewer people who know about this, the better.” Devon tossed the bag into the coach’s interior.
“George,” he snapped at the coachman. “We’re going to Gretna Green.”
George’s eyes widened, but he didn’t say a word. He just nodded, once, and shook out the reins.
Devon helped Lily into the coach. He stuck his head in the door to see her settled.
Lily dropped her head into her hands and laughed ruefully. “Oh, lovely. Now George thinks the two of us are in fast pursuit of a quick Scottish marriage.”
Devon flashed a grin. “George will think what I tell him to. Wait here. I’ll be back in five minutes.” He disappeared back into the house before Lily could say a word.
* * *
Devon’s harsh rap on Jordan’s bedchamber door was answered immediately. Ashbourne stood there with his bags packed and an inquiring look on his face. “Oh, please tell me you haven’t come to challenge me to a duel now,” he said to Devon with a grin.
Devon brushed past Jordan into the room. “I need you to do something for me.”
Jordan ran his fingers through his hair. “What now? I already asked that Andrews chit to dance last night. Deuced difficult, by the by. She flatly refused me at first. Seems she’s only got eyes for the Eggleston lad. Must admit it was a bit of a blow to my ego. I never ask eighteen-year-olds to dance and if I do I expect them to say yes.” He grinned.
“Yes, well, it’s the Andrews girl and the Eggleston lad I’ve come about.”
Jordan raised a brow.
“Seems they’ve run off to Gretna. I’m leaving now to track them down. I expect they’ve taken the road through Leicester but I need you to take the other road just in case.”
“A trip to Gretna?” Jordan whistled.
“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, and after the trouble you caused me with that blasted bet, you owe me.”
Jordan nodded once. “I’ll leave immediately.”
“I assume they won’t travel through the night. Given that they probably left early this morning, if we leave now, with our faster horses, we’ll most likely catch up to them at the Gray Horse Inn. If you come around and meet us there tomorrow night, we should be able to track them down.”
Another nod. “Consider it done. With utter discretion.”
Devon turned to leave. He and Jordan might have their differences from time to time but he could count on him completely. That, he never doubted. “See you tomorrow night.”
Devon returned to the coach, pulled himself inside, and ordered George to start the journey immediately. Then, he settled into the seat across from Lily.
She watched him intently. “Where did you go?”
“To cover all possibilities.”
Lily shook her head at that cryptic answer. “Why do I think I’m going to regret not bringing Mary with us?”
“Mary is needed in London.”
Lily sighed. “You know she’s not going to remember a word you told her. I didn’t want the poor thing to have to endure the treacherous conditions on the road to Gretna or I would have insisted she accompany us.”
“It’ll be faster with just the two of us. Now, you should get some sleep. It’s going to be a very long journey.”
Lily glanced away at his obvious implication that she needed the sleep because she hadn’t gotten much of it the night before. Her cheeks burned. The memory of their night together was a specter in the carriage with them. Should she be embarrassed? Regretful? No, she was neither of those things.
The truth was, she desperately wanted to repeat it. Memories assaulted her mind. Images. Devon’s taut skin, his musky scent, his broad, smooth shoulders under her fingers. Yes, she
should
be embarrassed. Or perhaps ashamed. But she could summon neither emotion. The only thing she felt was a soft, warm glow. God, yes, she wanted to repeat it. One more time. Completely sober. To see if it was as good as she remembered.
Lily shook herself from her indecent thoughts as the coach bounced away from the estate.
She pulled off her riding gloves and tossed them onto the seat next to her. Now that she had time to look at the coach’s interior, she realized how fine it was. Deep, forest-green velvet squabs and shining brass fixtures. More credit, no doubt.
She dared a glance at Devon. If they were to ride together in such close quarters the entire way to Gretna, she must find a way to make things less awkward between them. “I cannot sleep. I’m so worried for Annie.” She tugged at the strings of her bonnet under her chin, untying them. “What can she have been thinking? It’s ludicrous. Madness.” Oh, God. It was the same madness she’d had years ago when she’d wanted to run off to Gretna with Devon, only Devon never came.
Devon relaxed back against the seat. He pushed his long legs out and crossed them at the ankles. Was he remembering the two of them five years ago also? Lily quickly turned her face to look out the window.
“When’s the last time you saw her?” Devon asked.
Lily pulled the bonnet from her head. “Last night, I suppose. Before I … that is … before we…” Oh, surely she would burst into flames from embarrassment.
Devon cleared his throat. “At the ball?” he offered helpfully.
She patted her mussed hair into place. “Yes.”
Devon pulled off his gloves. “Did she say anything? Give you any reason to suspect?”
“No. Nothing.” Lily put a finger to her lips. “Though I did tell her we’d be leaving for Northumberland today. Of course, now that plan is ruined.”
Devon’s brow furrowed. “Northumberland?”
“Yes. We’re planning to live with my cousin.”
“Why?” He searched her face.
Lily let her head fall back against the seat. She groaned. “Does it matter now? Annie’s gone.”
Devon’s jaw tightened. “Sounds as if she left to escape her fate.”
Lily sensed he’d been about to say something else, but changed his mind. He obviously hadn’t liked the thought of her going to Northumberland, but thankfully he dropped that subject, perhaps because he sensed she couldn’t stand that particular discussion at the moment. All she could worry about now was Annie.
She covered her eyes with her fingertips. “I knew she was upset with me last night, but I … I underestimated how much she wanted to stay in London. And all for that awful Eggleston lad.”
Devon cracked a smile. “Ah, he’s not so bad. Just young. And foolish.”
Like she and Devon were, years ago. Lily sighed. “That’s a charitable way to put it.”
“When was the last time anyone else saw her?”
Lily bit her lip. “With Mary’s memory the way it is, Annie might have been gone all night. Why?”
“We need to determine how big of a lead they have on us. If they’ve been gone since early this morning, they’ll probably be to Leicester by now.”
Lily closed her eyes. An awful vision flashed in her mind. One of Annie, standing in front of the blacksmith in Gretna Green, exchanging vows with Arthur Eggleston. Ruining her entire life. Lily squeezed her gloves tightly. “Do you think they will stop tonight?”
Devon shrugged. “It depends on how much money they have and what resources they can find along the way. They’re both young and inexperienced, however. My guess is they will stop tonight. If they do, we may be able to catch up to them.”
Lily’s shoulders shook. “But how will we know where they stopped?”
Devon leaned forward and took her icy hand in his warm one. Sparks flew up Lily’s arm. She couldn’t look him in the eye. Not yet. Not after the night they’d spent together. But he was comforting her. And she so appreciated it.
“Don’t worry,” Devon said. “There aren’t many inns between here and Gretna. I think I can guess where they might stop.”
“How do you know so much about the way to Gretna?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
Devon looked off into the distance, a reluctant, humorless smile on his face. “I looked into it, once upon a time.”
Lily bowed her head; the lump had returned to her throat. “Gretna is the destination of fools and the very young.”
Devon’s voice was quiet, a bit ironic. “Or those who are very much in love.”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she closed her eyes and swallowed. Then she glanced back out the window. “Oh, Devon. What if they don’t stop?”
He leaned forward and squeezed her hand. “Get some rest, Lily. It’s sure to be a long day.”
* * *
Devon was right. The journey north to Scotland was both difficult and uncomfortable. At the pace they’d set for themselves, they were forced to stop to change the horses more often than they liked. By nightfall, they hadn’t made nearly the progress they meant to.
Lily woke from a short nap and found herself thoroughly entertained by Devon. He kept her laughing with jests and stories from his various exploits. She enjoyed herself, and she knew, without a doubt, he was doing his best to make her feel better and keep her mind off her worry for Annie.
“I think they may be at the Gray Horse Inn,” Devon explained after climbing back into the carriage from the last stop. “From what I understand, that is a popular destination.” Lily looked through the window of the coach through bleary, sleep-deprived eyes. Stars blinked in the night sky. She stretched.
“How far is that?” Lily croaked.
“A few hours yet. We must travel through the night.”
Lily nodded. “Yes. Yes, of course.” She made a move to sit up, but Devon shifted across the seat to sit next to her. He gently pulled her head into his lap and stroked her hair. “Shh. Rest.”
It was an impropriety, but Lily couldn’t help herself. She was tired. Exhausted, actually. It felt so good to rest her head in Devon’s warm lap. Besides, after the wine bottle incident, “impropriety” had taken on a new meaning. His fingertips on her temple lulled her to sleep and soon she was dozing. A sweet, blissful slumber.
* * *
When Lily woke, much refreshed, it was still dark and the coach was still bumping along. Her head remained in Devon’s lap. Suddenly shy, she struggled into an upright position.
“What time is it?” she whispered, wrapping her arms around her middle and curling herself into a ball in the corner. She shivered. Devon had drawn a cozy blanket over her and she pulled it all the way to her chin.
Devon retrieved his silver timepiece from his waistcoat. The one small candle burning in the lantern inside the coach illuminated it for him. “Nearly three o’clock.”
Lily yawned. “Are we almost there?”
“It shouldn’t be more than half an hour.”
Lily let her shoulders relax. She desperately hoped Devon was right and that Annie and Eggleston had stopped at the inn for the night. What would she do if they hadn’t? She shivered again. She couldn’t think about that now.
“Annie doesn’t understand.” Lily sighed. “She thinks I’m trying to ruin her life, but I’m trying to save her from ruin. Why are the young so foolish?”
Devon made a steeple with his fingers. “Ah, now that is a question for the ages, is it not? Some would argue they do not know any better. They are ruled by their emotions. Fools rush in, as Pope said.”
“If only she would listen to me,” Lily moaned. “I would never do anything to hurt her. She must know that.”
“You do not want her to marry. And she wants to, correct?”
“Yes, but if she doesn’t marry, she’ll never have to listen to a man. Be at his whims and mercy. She doesn’t understand how awful it is.”
“You were only married for a month. Was it so awful then?”
Lily hung her head. “Before that, I had to answer to my father. And all he ever cared about was money. Annie has the opportunity to escape all of that. She’s at no one’s mercy.”