She knew he hadn't gotten much rest last night.
Since he still wore his pants, she kept her camisole on and climbed into bed with him. They would spend the night sleeping, no magical night of passion for them. But she was quite satisfied to be in John's arms. He wrapped them around her when she lay down beside him. "Nicola, I'll be heading out early to secure a ship for us."
"I thought Selena was going to do that for us."
He nodded. "She seems reluctant. I don't want to make a fuss over it. I'll do it myself. I want you to stay here. This isn't the finest inn, but it's decent. I'll return as soon as I've made the arrangements."
"All right. What about Selena?"
"I don't know what she plans to do. Nothing, I hope. But if she goes out, you are not to go with her. Somersby's men might see you."
"Assuming they're here."
"I hope they're not, but I can't take the risk. It's you they're after, not Selena. Anyway, she can take care of herself."
"And you think I can't?" She should not have felt insulted by the remark, for Somersby's men were dangerous. But it did rankle her to know that John had more faith in Selena's abilities than in hers.
"She's trained to fight," he said with a yawn that spoke of his exhaustion. "You're not. Get some sleep, Nicola."
Sighing, she tipped her head up and kissed his jaw. "You needn't worry that I'll disobey you. I'll follow your instructions to the letter."
He laughed softly at her remark, but the tension in his muscles seemed to fade away. She hoped her presence beside him would ease his tormented dreams. He'd stayed up all night yesterday and badly needed a decent night's sleep, and she wanted to be sure he would be alert when at the docks in the morning.
She wanted to wish him sweet dreams, but knew his dreams would not be. She considered telling him that she loved him, but decided to leave that for another time.
She was tired, too.
Closing her eyes, she nestled against John and soaked in the warmth of his body.
Within moments, she drifted off to sleep.
JOHN STOLE OUT of bed at sunrise, quietly dressed, and then hurried off to secure a vessel for their journey to London. He'd left Nicola contentedly sleeping and was eager to return to her, for his dreams had been filled with Somersby's men finding them, and he was worried that today might be the day they would. He was also worried about Selena. She was plotting something, but he did not know exactly what.
He did not think Selena had fallen so low as to betray him, but she was prideful and jealous, faults that had gotten her into trouble with Prinny before. Although John had never been intimate with Selena, she'd made no secret of her desire to have an affair with him. To now find him with Nicola, no matter that they were running for their lives, and learn that he'd married Nicola, must have riled her all the more.
He was never one to mix business with pleasure. It made for nasty entanglements. But Selena had no such misgivings. She was a sexual being and used her seductive powers to her advantage.
He groaned lightly and shook his head. He'd once thought her an excellent agent for the Crown. But now, he wasn't so certain. She was angry and unpredictable.
She was a dangerous wolf on the prowl, while Nicola-for all her independent spirit-was a lamb.
He slowed his pace and proceeded carefully upon approaching the docks. This was an unsavory area no matter what time of day, certainly not safe to walk alone at this early hour of the morning. Thieves, often working in pairs, were always on the lookout for an unsuspecting mark. Somersby and his ruffians were not the only danger to him here.
Good fortune was on his side. He encountered no trouble in finding a suitable vessel and a captain willing to transport them to London. However, the captain's price was steep. That was the least of John's concerns. He booked passage for the three of them and space in the hold for two horses. Although reluctant to bring Selena along, he was concerned that she would do something foolish if left on her own while Somersby was lurking about.
He hoped it was not a mistake, for he could little afford the cost of bringing her along. Indeed, after paying for the inn and putting down earnest money for passage on this ship, he would have no funds left.
Of course, he would have no difficulty replenishing his pockets once they arrived in London, but that was still days away.
He returned to the inn as distant church bells pealed to mark the noonday hour. Nicola was seated in the common room having tea with the innkeeper's wife. The lively, older woman jumped out of her seat and rushed toward him the moment he stepped into the room. "M'lord, would you care for a cup? And some lemon cake?"
"Thank you, Mrs. Wilkins. I would." There had been an icy wind whipping through the docks and it had left him feeling quite chilled.
"I gather by your smile that you've had success," Nicola said once their hostess lumbered away, leaving them alone.
He nodded and settled beside her. "We'll sail with the afternoon tide. Where did Selena go?"
"Nowhere," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "She claimed to be fatigued and retired to her room about half an hour ago."
John shot to his feet. "Blast, she lied to you. Her horse isn't in the stable."
Nicola rose along with him. "What?"
"I doubt she's resting." He raced upstairs and went straight to his pouch that was now tossed on the bed, its contents spilled atop the mattress. Everything was there but the book.
Damn her.
She'd figured out that it was somehow important and had taken it. But where did she go? Lord help them if she'd completely lost her mind and taken it to Somersby. No, she was crazy and unpredictable, but not a traitor. Was she?
Nicola hurried in after him, her eyes widening when she saw their meager belongings strewn across the bed and realized the book was missing. "John-"
"I have to go after her."
He started past Nicola, but she caught his arm to hold him back. "No, you needn't. She doesn't have it."
He shook his head and stared at her. "What are you talking about? It's gone."
"She stole a book, but not the book. It wasn't ours."
He continued to regard her without comprehension.
Nicola hurried to explain. "I switched it."
"You what?"
"I didn't trust her. Nor did you. So when I noticed a book with a similar binding on a shelf in the inn's common room, I replaced ours with it shortly after you left this morning. Our book is safely hidden under the bed slats." She lifted the mattress slightly and withdrew Somersby's ledger.
John shook his head and laughed. Had he worried that Nicola was no match for Selena? He lifted her into his arms and twirled her around, proud that his precious lamb had bested the wolf. He set her down gently but did not let her go. "Nicola … "
She grinned at him. "It felt good to outsmart her. She had the most irritating way of looking down her nose at me."
He kissed her soundly on the lips. "Remind me never to play chess against you."
"You'd easily best me. I don't know anything about tactics."
"Hah! Napoleon would be quaking in his boots if you were ever appointed to our war ministry. Thank you, brat," he said with uncharacteristic feeling.
She reveled in his admiration for a moment before casting him an impish smirk. "We have the next few hours with nothing to do. Just how grateful are you?"
Laughing again, he strode to the door and was about to close it when he noticed Mrs. Wilkins hurrying down the hall toward him. "M'lord," she said in a breathless rush, "there are two men here asking questions about ye. I instructed my girls to say nothing, but I thought ye had better know. They dinna look respectable."
Nicola gasped and took his hand. "Oh, John!"
Damn. Damn. Damn.
Another few hours and they would have been aboard ship, sailing to London. "Is there a back way out of here, Mrs. Wilkins?"
"Aye, m'lord. Come quick and I'll show ye." She continued to chatter while he quickly gathered their belongings, stuffing them and the precious book in his pouch. "Not respectable men at all. And to be askin' about yer darling wife, too. I know quality, I told m'girls. Ye paid yer account without fuss and yer wife chatted with me, sweet as can be. And these men show up with a look of murder in their eyes."
"They are killers," Nicola said, her voice sounding frail. "They are as evil as they appear."
The older woman led them down the servant's staircase and out a side door hidden behind the inn's pantry. John realized these men must have spotted Valor. Mrs. Wilkins and her staff would be in danger if they lied about the horse. "Tell them that the stallion is mine and that I've left him here for safekeeping. Tell them that we acquired fresh horses and rode off earlier this morning for Edinburgh."