“The White Hart Inn?”
Daniel nodded. “It is a common hideaway on the road to Gretna Green, where travelers pause to rest before continuing on. There are two more favored inns between here and the border, and I intended to search those, too, but… there is no need.” He expelled a breath. “They are at the White Hart. I spoke with the innkeeper. They introduced themselves as a married couple, though I imagine they all do, and they have a bedchamber for the night. He said they had asked for breakfast early in the morning, for they would be leaving as soon as possible after dawn.”
For a fleeting moment, Phoebe forgot her anger and heartache, her mood soaring on a wave of relief. They had not gotten too far ahead. Indeed, they were within reach.
“Thank you,” she said, pressing a hand to her chest.
She stooped to catch her breath, feeling suddenly dizzy. She had barely slept, had not eaten, and had been in a state of vicious anxiety since being awoken by Joanna—of course, she was not exactly feeling her steadiest.
Daniel’s hand circled her elbow, holding her upright. “Are you well?”
“My condition is none of your concern,” she replied, pulling her arm away from him. “Thank you for riding ahead and discovering the whereabouts of my sister. Now that you have done so, you may leave, with my gratitude. Indeed, it is my hope that this shall be the last time that you and I see one another, unless it is in passing at a ball or something.”
Daniel folded his arms behind his back. “Phoebe, please.”
“Please? Please what? There is nothing more to be said between us.” Phoebe’s heart began to ache afresh, remembering his thinly veiled confession. “Your courtship with my sister is finished. You may write to her to explain why—fabricate any story you please, as long as it is believable—but you will have no further communication with her. I assume you understand why, so I need not say it.”
Daniel shook his head, holding his ground.
Phoebe braced for yet another insistence from him that he simplyhadto marry Joanna, another blow to her tender heart, but it did not come.
Instead, he said, “I cannot leave until I know that everyone is safe. I promised Olivia that I would bring you all back in one piece, and even if no further words are said between us, I do not intend to break that promise. She is like a sister-in-law to me.” He paused. “Moreover, the Baron of Harburgh can be a very dangerous man when threatened, if my memory of him is correct. He had a rather foul temper as a boy, and I fear that has not changed with the years. Now, I have no doubt that you could inflict a great deal of damage on him with that reticule of yours, but I would feel better if I could ambush him at your side.”
“Do not tease me, Daniel.” Her voice hitched, her eyes stinging with tears that she feared could not be held back.
He bowed his head. “I was not teasing, in truth, though I understand why it might sound like that. I trulydobelieve you could inflict great harm on him, for you are spurred on by the most noble of purposes—defending your sister. Even so, I cannot let you go on alone.”
“I have Joanna with me,” Phoebe protested.
“And she will be as much use in a fight as a boiled trout,” he replied, definitely teasing this time. “She loves her twin, that is true, but she does not possess that ability to protect, as you do. Nor would I be able to forgive myself if any harm comes to… any of you. We do not have to speak, you do not have to want me here, but I will be staying, regardless.”
Phoebe could tell that she was not going to win this argument, but she was not going to give him the satisfaction of standing down either.
“Very well, you may accompany us to the inn, but you will not be coming up to the chambers with me. Joanna will not either. The two of you can stay downstairs, and if I should need you, I am certain you will hear me yelling… or hear something smashing.” He opened his mouth, his expression one of protest, but she cut him off before he could speak. “These are my terms, Daniel. You will not defy my wishes, this time.”
They stared at one another for a while, Phoebe daring him to refuse her request. He said nothing, his face pinched as if in pain as he looked upon her.
In truth, he did not look well. His complexion was pale, there were dark circles beneath his eyes, and his lips were bloodless. Beyond tired and into the realm of exhaustion. She knew the feeling.
But what has kept him awake?
Phoebe did not want to wonder if it was her. She had enough to worry about without bringing her future and her fruitless hopes into it.
“Fine,” he said, at last, “but if I hear so much as a startled gasp, I will not hesitate to run to you.”
Phoebe shrugged. “As long as you stay downstairs and do not interfere unless absolutely necessary, we are in agreement.” She looked up the country road, the golden afternoon revealing the first hints of spring along the hedgerows, small buds just beginning to appear. “Now, where is this inn?”
CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE
Daniel rode alongside the carriage as it trundled up the road to the White Hart Inn. A beautiful countryside oasis that looked as if it had been standing there for centuries, with a thatched roof, whitewashed walls, and diamond-hatched windows in a Tudor style. He could see why eloping couples might like to stop there on their way to being married, for he had never known that a building could appear romantic until he had set eyes on the inn.
How many couples have damned everything else to be together, stopping here on their way? How many have risked everything for love?
It was an intriguing thought that kept his mind busy, and his gaze turned away from the window of the carriage beside him, where he kept hoping to see a glimpse of Phoebe’s face. Clearly, she was still furious with him, and rightly so, but… at least she had not sent him back to Westyork Manor with his tail between his legs.
There was something to be said about that, he just did not know what.
Soon enough, the carriage pulled into the cobbled yard that stretched out to the rear of the inn, where several ostlers hurried forward to tend to the newcomers.
