Page 63 of Memories Made At Midnight

Twenty

Still at the lodge

ABOUT HALF PAST SEVEN IN THE MORNING

If they had more supplies, Cassius wouldn’t have considered what he was about to do. But they had no food left, and he couldn’t risk using the ammunition for hunting. Besides, as much as he hated to admit it to Beatrice, he was a lousy hunter. As vulnerable as they were, remaining at the cottage was out of the question.

His conscience had berated him non-stop since awakening.

How could he have been so stupid as to have fallen asleep?

Unimaginable things might have occurred because of his lack of diligence.

It didn’t matter that he hadn’t slept more than a few minutes at a time for days.

Beatrice relied on him to keep her safe, and his failure to stay alert might have ended in disaster.

Without knowing what prevented Layton from returning, their only option was to set out for Hefferwickshire House and pray they didn’t encounter anyone hostile.

He knew his eldest brother was a man of his word and fully capable of defending himself as well as covertly traveling rugged trails. He might not have been a spy as Lucius had been, but Layton had carried out several missions requiring stealth.

Something catastrophic must have kept him from returning last night, particularly since he knew full well exactly how dire Beatrice’s situation was. Fear and apprehension wrestled for dominance, but Cassius couldn’t allow Beatrice to see his concern. If they set out at once, they should make Hefferwickshire by this afternoon.

He prayed to God they would find Layton there, hale and hearty, with a plausible excuse for why he hadn’t returned to the glen.

Still slightly wan from her illness, Beatrice eyed the horse with wide-eyed trepidation. She’d have to ride behind Cassius today, holding him around the waist. The rest of the journey would be rougher and more uneven, and he couldn’t hold on to her and guide the horse at the same time.

If they needed to get away, she’d be safer behind him.

Double mounted, they would have to take it slow—far slower than he was comfortable with—which increased the risk of discovery. That and the fact that Cassius wasn’t entirely positive he knew the route to take. He’d never been in this part of The South Pennines before.

Bloody hell, he swore silently.

Times like this, he wished he were more like his twin—any of his brothers, in truth. Even Althelia could out-shoot him. It was one thing to possess artistic talent, but that skill didn’t lend itself to survival.

From a piece of a horse blanket, he’d contrived a sort of sling-type satchel for Beatrice to carry Teddy in. The little dog couldn’t possibly travel on foot. The journey would test Nala’s stamina and mettle, and she was far stronger and capable.

He wished he had something more to feed the dogs.

The gelding had munched on clumps of grass strewn around the glen yesterday and this morning. Thank God for that small favor. A weak, hungry mount could not take them to Hefferwickshire, and Beatrice wasn’t recovered enough to walk. Nor would Cassius consider leaving her alone while he went for help.

They both either made it to their destination together, or both of them didn’t.

It went against everything in him to make the horse bear him and Beatrice again, and he would have led the mount if he believed Beatrice could sit in the saddle on her own.

He didn’t, and she couldn’t.

Glancing around, he inhaled a deep, fortifying breath.

He didn’t even know the horse’s name.

There was still a chance—albeit small—they would encounter Layton and the others on the way, but Cassius’s gut told him his optimism was misplaced. Fear for his brother rubbed his mind raw, but fretting about Layton right now would benefit no one.

The sooner Cassius and Beatrice reached the ducal estate, the sooner a search party could be mustered to look for Layton.

After this, Cassius planned on steering well clear of damsels in distress. If he’d wanted a life of adventure and peril, he’d have joined the military like Layton and Darius, been a spy like Lucius, run gambling clubs like Fletcher, or traveled the world and explored remote exotic locations as Leonidas did.

“I’m ready, Cassius.”