Chasing Eliza by Rebecca King Page B

was
concerned he had done nothing that would give her pause to doubt
him, or consider him a threat. He refused to relinquish his hold
when she would have eased away and instead, held her firmly in
front of him, silently demanding they deal with matters here and
now.
    “ If we are to go any further, we have to be completely honest
with each other.” Edward warned, waiting patiently until her gaze
met his steady regard. “I am no threat to you. Everything I have
told you has been the truth, but I cannot continue to protect you
unless I know everything, especially where you intend to go. We
cannot go haring off across the country without any destination in
mind. Something tells me you know exactly where you are
going.”
    “ I am going back to Padstow.”
    Edward
stared at her nonplussed for a moment, wondering if he had missed
something.
    Eliza
knew from the scepticism on his face that he didn’t believe her.
Carefully she lifted his hands off her waist and held them in hers
while she spoke. Her voice trembled with a mixture of emotions as
she stared down at their clasped hands.
    “ I cannot ask you to come with me. The dangers involved pose
too much of a threat to your life.” She looked up at him
beseechingly with water-filled eyes. “It would help me greatly if
you went on your way and forgot about me entirely.” She wished he
wouldn’t, but had to put the option forward to him given the risks
involved.
    “ You know I can’t do that.”
    “ How do you think Peter would feel if you got yourself killed
by becoming involved in this through some moral obligation to him?”
Eliza argued, dropping his hands and resuming her seat in front of
the fire. “You have an obligation to keep yourself safe from
harm.”
    “ I cannot let you go on your own now. I am a man first and
foremost and it is my duty to look after you.”
    “ I am nothing to you!” Eliza protested, her voice rising with
temper. “I am not your wife, your sister or your intended. I am
merely a tavern wench whom you stumbled upon one evening who is
related to someone your friend may or may not be looking
for.”
    “ Eliza.” Edward began wearily feeling exhaustion pulling at
him. The tempting thought of lying on the bed with Eliza wrapped
safely in his arms swam into his mind and predictably his body
began to respond.
    “ I am going to Padstow, preferably without you.” Eliza
declared flatly, her tone daring him to argue or try to persuade
her otherwise.
    “ Why?” Edward asked grabbing her shoulders and giving her a
gentle shake in frustration. “What the hell could be in Padstow
that you would risk your life for?” He dropped his hands and stood
back warily. “Are you married? Do you have a child there or
something?”
    Eliza
scowled at him and considered her words carefully. “Before my
father left for the War Office, he told us about a hiding place he
had created within the house we lived in. He told us that if he
didn’t return, then we were to use the contents of the hiding place
freely.”
    “ Money?” Edward frowned, wondering if that was all that the
hiding place contained. If she was determined to go to Padstow
solely to get the money to live off, then he could help her and
give her all of the funds she required. Indeed, he had an ever
growing feeling that she would never have to consider financial
problems again without ever needing to go to Padstow.
    “ Not just money. My father left numerous small items in there
for us. But when he didn’t return and Scraggan started to make
pointed threats, it became apparent that Jemima and I had to leave.
Before we did, we agreed that if anything happened to either of us
and we were found alone, we would use the conte-.” Eliza glanced at
him with a sigh. “-money, and leave a note to say where we were
going. We would leave an address if possible so the other person
knew where to look. If Jemima is alive and out there, she could
have gone to Padstow to collect the money and find