His frown darkened. "Stop causing trouble. You may as well ride with us to Aberdeen. We need to secure a boat to London, but the less we're seen around town, the better. You can take care of that chore for us."
One gracefully curved eyebrow shot up. "And why would I do that?"
"Because I need your help."
She emitted a trill of laughter. "You? Needing anyone's help? That's hilarious. But I suppose you're burdened now." She pointedly gazed at Nicola. "And what will I get as a reward for rendering assistance?"
"The gratitude of the Crown." He strode down the embankment and returned with Valor. He lifted Nicola onto the saddle and mounted behind her. "We've wasted enough time. Well, are you going to help us or not?"
"I may as well." She shrugged and climbed onto her magnificent filly. "It will amuse me to see you pretend to be married." Another merry trill escaped her lips as she rode off ahead of them toward Aberdeen.
John sighed. "Don't say anything, Nicola."
"I wasn't going to."
"You have flames shooting from your eyes and your hands are curled into fists." He sighed again. "She's a good agent. We've worked together on several missions."
"Worked rather closely, I gather."
He said nothing, merely urged Valor forward. They easily caught up to Selena's filly. Nicola wished she had her own mount to ride. They should have taken one of the horses that Sammy had claimed. Since she was not a good rider, it hadn't felt important at the time. Now, she felt like a useless appendage that only served to hold John back.
Selena was beautiful and a brilliant rider. She was an agent of the Crown. Until this very moment, Nicola had no idea that women were permitted to act as agents. Not that it would have mattered. Her brother would never have allowed her to undertake a dangerous operation. She was meant to marry and live a traditional life.
Well, the marriage part hadn't gone according to plan. She had a demented beau now desperate to hunt her down and kill her, and a husband who had married her out of an excessive sense of duty. Well done, Nicola.
They stopped at an inn around midday to rest their horses and grab a bite to eat. John told them to stay back while he made certain no unwanted characters were lurking about. He returned a few moments later. "It's safe."
"From whom?" Selena asked.
Nicola was about to respond, but John cast her a look of caution. Did he not trust this woman? But they were agents of the Crown, working toward the same purpose. Weren't they?
"John, darling, how am I to protect your lovely wife if you'll tell me nothing?" She sidled up to John, suggestively sliding her hand up his chest. "Surely, you can tell me something."
"Nicola was about to enter into a betrothal with the Marquis of Somersby, but that all changed when I declared my feelings for her and stole her away from him. He's enraged and determined to kill us both."
Selena cast her a skeptical glance and laughed. "Darling, she's lovely, of course. But exquisite enough to prod Somersby into a jealous rage? Don't be ridiculous. Why is Somersby really after the two of you?"
John took Nicola's hand as a precaution.
Nicola really wanted to smash her fist into Selena's perfect face. In truth, she knew that she wasn't an exquisite beauty. Selena was right about that. Nor did she have a sensual allure that would push any man into a jealous rage. But Selena had a mocking, disdainful way of stating the obvious that roiled her temper. The woman was purposely goading her.
John gave her hand a little squeeze, nudging her fist open so that his fingers gently entwined with hers while he spoke to their new companion. "Selena," he said with a note of impatience in his voice, "you don't need to know more. All that matters is that Somersby will kill us if he finds us."
Nicola knew that Selena had the same tenacity she had, although she hoped she wasn't as irritating as this proud beauty was. She ought to have admired the woman for her spirit and independence. Wasn't this exactly how she had responded to being denied the truth about the death of John's parents?
"John, darling."
Ugh, there was that annoying air of disdain again.
"John, darling. You need to tell me the rest of it. You are running to London for a purpose. What do you have that Somersby wants? And don't tell me it is your wife, because I know the man and his sexual proclivities. No woman is that important to him." She cast Nicola a sympathetic glance.
John frowned. "Perhaps I'll tell you when we reach Aberdeen."
He arranged for their mounts to be fed, and then led both of them into the inn and ordered a simple meal to be brought to their table. "At once, m'lord." But the innkeeper wasn't quite certain what to make of the three of them.
No doubt he assumed John and Selena were the married couple and she was Selena's maid. Which must have perplexed the man all the more when John settled beside her and proceeded to see to her needs first, leaving Selena to fend for herself.
"My wife would like some tea," John said, pointing toward Nicola.
"Yer wife, m'lord?" The innkeeper now looked thoroughly confused. "Yes, of course. And what would yer … " His voice trailed off, having no clue as to Selena's relation to John.
"Lady Selena will have the same."
Selena tossed her head back. "I'll have ale. Bring me a pint. No lady's portion served for me."
"I'll have the same," John said, looking none too pleased. At the moment, he must have considered Selena more of a liability than a help. Her beauty alone would have brought unwanted notice to them, but she was also loud and outrageous. Everyone would remember them here.
They finished their meal and continued toward Aberdeen. As night fell, they found shelter in an abandoned kirk and slept on the hard pews. Nicola missed falling asleep in John's arms and hoped that he missed having her beside him. His expression revealed none of what he was thinking. "Good night, brat," was all he said and kissed her softly on the cheek.
He took the night watch. Nicola knew he would not dare fall asleep and show his vulnerability to Selena. While Nicola's heart ached for the torment he endured when overtaken by those dreams, she felt warmed by the fact that he'd trusted her with this secret.
Whether he'd had relations with Selena in the past no longer mattered.
He'd given his trust and promise of forever to her.
They resumed their journey at sunrise, John not engaging either Selena or her in conversation. Fortunately, this day's ride proved uneventful, for even Selena was subdued. They arrived at their destination just as the sun was setting over the city of Aberdeen. Its gray granite buildings sparkled like silver in the fading sunlight, and Nicola thought the effect quite magical.
The severity of the granite was softened by the abundance of greenery in its parks and the rivers that flowed through the city. John found a modest inn for them near the center of town and obtained two rooms. They were close to the sea, and the scent of fish and salty water carried to them on the brisk wind.
Nicola breathed a sigh of relief when John engaged one of the rooms for Selena and took the other for themselves. There were times these past two days that she had needed the reminder they were truly husband and wife, for Selena had an insidious way of casting doubt on their marriage. John said little, but she sensed he was troubled by the beautiful marchioness' presence. Yet, he was reluctant to part ways with her. She'd heard the adage about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer, and hoped this was the reason he wanted Selena to remain with them.
"Why don't you trust her?" Nicola asked him once they'd settled in their room for the evening. "Do you think she's a traitor?"
"No, not Selena." He tossed his pouch over the bedpost. "She's loyal to England, but she must have done something foolish to anger Prinny. That's why she left London in a hurry. She needed to keep out of the way of his wrath."
"What do you think she did?"
He shrugged as he sank onto the bed and pulled off his boots. "I don't know. Perhaps resisted his advances. She was his mistress at one time."
Nicola's eyes widened.
He removed his shirt and then rose to pour water from the ewer on the nightstand into a basin. He washed the road dust off his hands and face, and poured some over his head to wet his hair as he continued. "But I think she must have done something more than simply reject his advances." He turned to her, looking quite handsome with pearly beads of water glistening off his shoulders and chest. "She won't betray us to Somersby, but you mustn't trust her."
"I won't." She hastily took her turn at the washstand, knowing that no matter how hard she scrubbed, she was not likely to look very tempting.
John helped her to unlace her gown, then strode to the hearth to stoke the fire before stretching out on the bed with a groan of relief. "Ah, feels good."