Read Online Ghost of Christmas Past by Rebecca King - Free Book Online Page B

say
goodbye.
    “ Is that everything, Thea?” He nodded to the housekeeper once
the hugs and last minute instructions were given, and helped her
into the luxurious confines of the carriage with great
tenderness.
    Thea
settled onto the seat and took far too long smoothing her skirts
out, but she needed a moment to steady herself. Her hands trembled
slightly from the almost proprietary way Rupert had taken over. She
nudged aside the large baskets of food and froze in the process of
removing her gloves when she realised that he had followed her
inside. The interior of the carriage suddenly seemed incredibly
small and she found herself shrinking back against the squabs as
she eyed him warily.
    “ I don’t mean to pry Thea, but I need to ask you something
important.”
    Thea
felt her stomach tighten with nerves and nodded when words failed
her.
    “ How uncomfortable are your legs? I mean, will we need to stop
at frequent intervals so that you can get out and walk around?”
While he spoke he studied her face closely for any sign of
reluctance to talk about her injuries but couldn’t see anything in
the beautiful blue orbs than quiet contemplation.
    “ Do you know something? I don’t really know. I have only ever
travelled from Bainbridge to here. At the time I was still in
considerable pain so we had to stop many, many times so that I
could take laudanum to ease the discomfort. I haven’t really
travelled very far since, apart from to town and back of
course.”
    Rupert
nodded and remembered John mentioning that he had invited Thea to
visit him many times but she had refused to leave Leicestershire.
“Then we will carry on until you wish to stop. I would like to
travel throughout the night if I may but that would mean you will
have to sleep in the carriage. Although there will be the need for
changes of horses, if we don’t stop then we will be in London in a
couple of days.”
    “ That’s fine,” Thea assured him a little too loudly. “I really
want to get to my uncle. He needs me and I have to be there for
him.”
    Rupert
nodded in understanding. “If you grow too uncomfortable, don’t
suffer through it. I don’t want you arriving in London tired and in
pain or your uncle will have more to worry about than he needs to.”
He gave in to the need to touch her and stroked the softness of one
cheek with the back of one finger and gave her a gentle smile
before he left the carriage and stood back to hand Tilly
in.
    She
watched him mount his horse with effortless grace and almost sighed
as the carriage suddenly lurched into action and he disappeared
from sight. She barely had the opportunity to wave to Agatha and
Bertie before the house too disappeared from view and she had
little choice but to sit back against the seat with a sigh. Her
eyes met and held Tilly’s over the width of the carriage and she
smiled ruefully at the excitement her maid couldn’t
hide.
    “ I would settle back if I were you because we are going to be
here for a long time.”
    “ I am so excited mistress, I don’t mind telling you. I have
never been to London before.”
    Thea
sighed and studied Rupert, who was trotting alongside the carriage.
She had been to London before; several times in fact but
unfortunately it had never filled her with the same innocent
enthusiasm that made Tilly positively wriggle in her seat. Although
she tried to tell herself that this time it was different; this
time she was the one in control of where she went and what she did,
it did little to quell her disquiet.

    Two days
later, the carriage drew to a stop outside John’s Mayfair town
house, Ridings. Thea was stiff, sore and, for the last day and a
half, had wished with all of her might that she had opted to stop
overnight in a coaching inn. She was exhausted, dusty and so
thirsty that she was certain that she could drink a well dry. They
had stopped to change horses numerous times along the way and,
while Thea had taken the luxury of being able to step outside