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.”Alexandra didn’t have to ask which role the marquess expected her to play.No doubt she was to be the diversion.But she couldn’t do anything that would get Nathaniel hurt, or worse, killed.“He has the senses of a cat,” she replied honestly.“I doubt it would be wise to try and thwart him now.Besides, there’s no point in it.He’s already agreed to release the both of us.”“When it suits him,” Lord Clifton responded bitterly.“I’ll not have him hold me as ransom for that thief Richard.”Alexandra studied Lord Clifton’s injured arm.The marquess was brave, she had to admit, but pride seemed to motivate most of his actions.“You could be harmed if you don’t cooperate.Haven’t you paid too heavy a price already?”Hate contorted Clifton’s features.“I’ll have that blackguard’s head mounted on the gate at Bridlewood someday,” he vowed.Alexandra’s stomach clenched at the thought.“I don’t doubt that you will.” Or rather, that your father will, she added silently.“But today is not the day.We’re too close to freedom to risk further loss of life or limb.We’d be foolish not to go along with him until he releases us.”She noticed Nathaniel scowling at them and stood, brushing bits of twig and dirt from the trousers she wore.“I think it’s time to go.It looks as though the wheel is fixed.”* * *Fortunately, the marquess seemed to take her advice.The journey to the next small town was uneventful.Lord Clifton didn’t speak again, to her or anyone else.He stared out the window, his face an emotionless mask.Nathaniel, on the other hand, studied her every move.Alexandra felt his gaze upon her like the sun beating through a window and wondered if he, too, dreaded the moment when they would part.Had the desire for revenge captured the whole of his heart, or had she managed to achieve some small purchase there?They rolled into Farringdon long after dark.Alexandra had expected to continue through the night, so she was surprised when Nathaniel called to Garth, whose turn it was to drive, to stop at the first inn.“Why are we stoppin’?” Tiny posed the question, but the rest of Nathaniel’s men stretched and looked to him for the answer as well.“I’m going to send a message to Greystone.We’ll arrive in London tomorrow afternoon, several hours after our message has been delivered.”Tiny shrugged.“Whether we wait in London or ‘ere is all the same to me.But I am longin’ for a bed, that I am.”“Aye,” a tired, dusty Garth agreed.Alexandra didn’t say anything, but she was glad for the delay.They’d arrive in London soon enough.She took a deep breath as the stranglehold of emotion that had squeezed her heart all day lessened just a bit.A few more hours, she thought.A few more hours were better than nothing.* * *The inn was on the outskirts of town, just beyond a series of small farms.A string of squat buildings with thatch roofs, it was old, but the proprietor and his wife kept the place clean and in good repair.Nathaniel rented several rooms for the eight of them, and made Garth guard the marquess.He knew Garth was tired, but Clifton was easier to control when Nathaniel wasn’t near him.Nathaniel didn’t want to end up killing the boy during the night, which was, at times, no small temptation.Besides, he had enough to worry about.The closer he came to freeing Alexandra, the more reluctant he was to do so.Using one of the keys the steward had given him, he opened a door at the end of a dimly lit corridor and motioned Alexandra inside.“You’ll sleep here tonight,” he said.He was tempted to follow her in, but forced his feet to continue on to the next room.She stepped back into the hall long enough to watch him open his own door.“You’re going to trust me?” she asked.“You have no reason to go anywhere.I’m already taking you to London.”“Don’t you think I’ll implement some desperate plot to save the marquess? Isn’t that what you were afraid I’d do in Bristol?”“My father doesn’t live in this town,” he countered.“Besides, I don’t think you’re foolish enough to risk Lord Clifton’s life.Garth is tired and bad-tempered.A stupid move would only get my half brother shot, and possibly yourself as well.”Nathaniel knew that he was the one who sounded tired and bad-tempered, but it provided a safe facade behind which to hide his true feelings.“Good night.”Alexandra smiled and nodded before entering her own room.She closed the door, and he wondered if she was pleased with her newfound privacy.His own room seemed cold and empty without her.After spending the past few weeks in such close proximity, he’d become accustomed to Alexandra’s presence—the small sounds she made in her sleep, the way she arranged his few personal belongings on the wash-stand, the womanly smell of her.But he dared not place temptation in his path tonight.He was too close to releasing her
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