“As you shall. You are a most fortunate woman, Lady Derica.”
She knew that. Gathering her skirts closer, she timidly picked her way out of the stream.
“Then we should not keep him waiting any longer,” she said. “The sooner we get to Yaxley, the better.”
Her foot slipped on the bank before the last word was out of her mouth. With a whoop, she tumbled into the chilly water, landing flat on her backside. Horrified, Fergus dropped the horse’s reins and rushed to help her, but she just lay there and laughed.
“Are you all right?” Fergus asked. “Did you hurt yourself?”
Derica shook her head. “Of course not. But I am as wet as a mud hen.”
Her laughter was infectious. Fergus was smiling as he reached down and pulled her out of the water. “I can see that,” he picked up the edges of her gown and tried to wring some water out of it. “You don’t have a change of clothes, my lady. I am sorry….”
She cut him off. “Don’t be silly. I shall dry if you spur the horse fast so that the wind swishes through the material like a storm.” She made wide, sweeping motions with her arms and they both laughed.
“I shall do my best to create the tempest.”
“Good.” Pulling away from him, Derica found her slippers and, drying her feet off on the dry portions of the cloak, put them off. “Come along, Fergus. I want to get to the abbey before dark.”
“Aye, my lady,” he shook his head, thinking she was very adept at giving orders and knowing that Garren would have his hands full with her. He was about to help her onto the charger when shouts in the distance caught his attention.
They both froze, ears peaked, listening with the trepidation of the mouse awaiting the cat. The shouts came again and Fergus didn’t wait to interpret them.
He tossed her up onto the horse and mounted in front of her. Spurring the charger through the trees, he struggled through the stream and rocks in an attempt to wipe clear their trail. Behind, Derica clung to him fearfully.
“They’ve found us,” she hissed.
Fergus nodded to the obvious. “They must have undoubtedly heard your scream when you fell in the water.”
“Sweet Lord,” she murmured. “I am so sorry, Fergus. I didn’t know….”
“Of course you didn’t.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Create that tempest I promised.”
Fergus reined the steed out of the stream and into the forest. The horse began to thunder through the bramble, plowing a path and leaving a host of broken branches in its wake. It was an obvious trail to follow, one plowed with furious speed.
“We’re close to the abbey, perhaps a few miles,” Fergus said after several moments. “I am going to leave you there and then try to lead the search party away. Perhaps they will follow my trail and bypass the abbey all together.”
“You’re going to be a decoy?”
“I did not come all of this way simply to have them grab you before you can enter the abbey walls.”
Small branches were whipping her in the face; the green of the trees whizzed by her head as the horse galloped through. She held on tightly, praying that they would reach the abbey before her family caught wind of their trail. She was sickened to think they had come this far, this carefully, only to be discovered at the last possible moment.
Closing her eyes, she could see Garren’s face and she prayed, harder than she had ever prayed in her life, that she would see him again. It was with certainty, she knew, that if her family caught up to her she would be sequestered the rest of her life. She couldn’t bear to think of what they would do to Fergus.
Derica couldn’t hear anymore shouting but she wasn’t convinced that her father wasn’t right behind her. Fergus thundered across a meadow and skirted what looked and smelled like a bog. Derica kept her face buried in his back, holding on tightly, trusting that he would get them safely to the abbey. She lost track of time as they raced along, through the trees and, at one point, across a farmer’s field. But suddenly, they emerged onto a road and Fergus let the horse have his head.
Rocks pelted Derica’s legs and feet. The wet part of her dress lay across the back of the charger, sticking to the horse. Abruptly, the horse slowed and began to lope in a strange,sloppy gait. Fergus looked about the animal in a panic before pulling it to a sharp halt. He leapt off the horse.
Derica’s gown, unhemmed and long, had wound its way around the horse’s back legs. Fergus unwound the dress and pulled Derica off the animal.
“Listen to me,” he made sure she was looking him in the eye before pointing over to his right. “The abbey is through those trees and down a small hill. If you cut through, it will keep you off the road while I lead them on a wild goose chase. When you get to the abbey, you are to ask for Sister Mary Felicitas. Do you understand?”
Derica nodded, the fear in her eyes momentarily replaced by gratitude. “Fergus, I cannot possibly express my thanks adequately. What you have done is….”