Beyond a Doubt(21)

“Ye said ye have an itinerary for a full week?”

“Aye, I do.”

“Ye can’t be the only one. If ye follow the rest of Joshua’s schedule, maybe ye will run into his replacement.”

Lucy lunged from her position. She placed her hands on either side of his face as she leaned up and kissed him. “Sheer genius! Why didn’t I think of this?”

Bryce felt heat rush to his cheeks. The compliment took him off guard. Lucy didn’t notice his reaction as she flitted around the room. She spun on one heel. Her expression changed to one of worry and she said, “Oh, no. What did I do with my pouch? I know I laid it upon the couch. Where could it have disappeared to?”

Bryce lifted the dainty drawstrings in the air and handed the purse over. She sighed.

Her eyelids fluttered, and she twisted her hands. “Bryce, thank you. I know you didn’t have to stay here. I know you have a home you want to get back to but maybe, would you consider staying on just a while longer? I mean, just a few more days until the message is delivered.” She paused before adding, “I could use someone watching out for me.”

“Aye,” slipped from his mouth without a moment’s hesitation.

Lucy smiled. She placed the silk pouch to her chest as she walked backward from the room.

****

That night in her bedroom, Lucy dropped to her knees in prayer. Thanks rolled in succession from her tongue. Praise be to God Bryce had fallen into that river; otherwise she wouldn’t be making it through this. The man was a rock in a sea of storms. She suddenly realized how much she’d come to depend on him.

Falling back against the pillows, Lucy realized that she didn’t want to separate from Bryce, now, or ever. Could she convince him to stay? Or would she be willing to leave everything behind to go with him?

Sleep that night was fitful. Several times she woke stifling a scream. The sky lit with lightning, and the shadow of a man appeared. It was Bryce. He stepped forward and rubbed her forehead, whispering soothing words until she drifted back to sleep.

When morning came, Lucy was alone. She stretched across the comfortable fabric, feeling more tired than when she’d lain down the night before. Exhaustion and worry for her future gnawed at her.

Nothing said she had to continue with this mission. It could be dropped now or at any time. All of it could be left behind and she could go on with a perfectly normal life with Bryce. He could be a sheep farmer and she could be his wife and mother to his children. Visions of baby boys and girls danced through her head, only to be crowded out by scenes of death and destruction.

The information she passed along protected men of influence. They were a group of people who by their nature changed the world for the common man. These were people determined to make it safe for those of differing faiths.

In her heart, Lucy knew that to walk away might doom someone to death. That would weigh on her for a lifetime. One way or another, the messages had to be sent. There was no alternative.

That morning, she had another surprise upon entering the kitchen. There in the middle of the room stood Bryce. From head to toe he appeared as an English gentleman. Breeches, tunic, and cloak rested handsomely upon his frame. She squelched the sudden urge to laugh as he twirled around in a circle, modeling his new clothes.

“What do we have here?” she asked, hiding her grin behind her hand.

“The list says today your contact would retire to the park.”

She raised her brow at his put-on English accent.

“Aye, needs work, but as long as I speak sparingly, maybe I’ll go unnoticed.”

“You could never go unnoticed,” she whispered.

The comment sent a pink hue to Bryce’s cheeks. The simple action made him seem all that more handsome. The tunic stretched taut across his chest, the sleeves reached the limit of their capacity. His thighs pushed against the breeches’ material. Lucy looked away, hiding her growing feelings of affection.

“I must ready myself,” she said.

Bryce nodded.

When she returned, she wore a light blue gown covered by a thick cloak. She twirled, and held her breath in anticipation of his reaction. As time passed, Bryce’s opinion had come to mean much to her. He walked to her, removed the hood, and cupped her face. As he bent his head close to hers, Lucy rose on tiptoe. The lightest of kisses from him flitted across her lips, leaving her breathless and wanting more.

“We must hasten. The itinerary gives us but a brief window of time. And since ye don’t know who ye are looking for, it will no doubt take longer than we have.”

Although saddened that the moment was over, she agreed with Bryce.

“Do they know what ye look like?” he asked.

“Nay. In fact, they only know one thing — L.L. Those initials belonged to my father. It was his code name. After he retrieved a message, he would leave those letters somewhere behind. This way they knew he’d acquired the parcel.

“Not only do they not know what I look like, but I don’t believe they know I’m a woman. Father told me secrecy of identity was the only way to survive. I have maintained that.”

Bryce whispered, “Lucille Lombard.”

“Aye, L.L. does stand for me as well.” Lucy waited for the accusations of her lies. No doubt the twins next door had filled Bryce in on his mistake with her name. Breathless, she waited, but the words she expected never came.

Instead Bryce held out his arm in an invitation as he said, “Shall we go? The park awaits.”





Chapter Thirty-Eight




The feel of her hand wrapped around his arm sent fresh tingles along his skin. His heart raced as her chin tilted upward, displaying lips which spread into a beautiful smile. Bryce moved his free hand. The back of his knuckles grazed the fresh, soft skin of her cheek. Her eyes closed and her lips parted. He leaned forward and felt the blood rush between his ears. His palms grew sweaty.

Their lips were a hair’s breadth from connecting when they heard a loud banging and jumped apart. Now his heart raced for a different reason.

“Who is that?” asked Lucy. Breathlessly and with a smile, she added, “Because I think I want to kill them.”

Bryce laughed under his breath while heading for the vibrating door. He released his pent-up frustration as he opened the wooden door with a rough jerk.

A stranger stood on the landing. “Pardon me, sir. A thousand pardons, but my wagon threw a wheel. I need assistance in repairing it.”

Bryce didn’t speak but followed the man into the street. Bryce inspected the apparatus. Indeed the wheel lay crookedly against the base. The top covering of the wagon was pulled aside and several tiny heads poked through the opening, until a female voice spoke, with confidence exuding from her tone. “Children, please be still. Father will have us moving again in no time.”

This caused the man standing to the side to twist and squeeze his hat within a tight grasp. A grimace rested upon his face and a shrug lifted his shoulders.

Bryce whispered to avoid embarrassing the man in front of his wife and children. “I can help ye but yer family will have to come out.”

The stranger lifted his brows, and his eyes widened with fear. “Nay, they cannot.”

“But sir, there is no way to place yer wheel back in place with the extra load inside. I may be strong but that is beyond even my abilities.”

The man shuffled his feet back and forth and Bryce couldn’t understand his worry. A glance at his pocket watch let him know they would need to be at the park soon. Should they help the man and risk missing their connection at the park, or should they tell him to find other assistance and live with their guilt?

Lucy appeared. She whispered words to the husband that seemed to ease his worries. Wife and children were ushered inside and out of the street. While Bryce watched the retreating group, the young man walked to the carriage and struggled to right it himself. Bryce snapped from his thoughts and assisted. They completed the task without another word shared.

Once the wheel was back in place, the woman and six small children were ushered from the house. They climbed inside the carriage and left. The whole event left Bryce confused.

Lucy held out his cloak. “Are we ready?”

Words of argument came to his lips. No longer clean and dashing, he felt dirty and unkempt. She spoke of her need to have him by her side, and he acquiesced. He took the cloak from her arm and donned it. Before they left, he grabbed a basket and laid it over one arm.

They wound their arms together and set out at a brisk pace.

“Smile at me as we walk. Laugh occasionally,” she said.

The expression upon his face felt more like a frown but he did try to do as she suggested. Between clenched teeth, he asked, “What are we doing?”

“Why, we are headed to the park, my dear,” she said loudly before softening her tone to add, “We are being watched.”

Bryce’s head reared back and he roared with fake laughter. He patted her arm and said, “My dear, you do so tell the funniest stories.”