Beyond a Doubt

chapter Twenty-Six




On their last day of the two hundred mile journey from Carlisle to London, Lucy sat by a small lake. The water was covered by fog. A cool wind passed her way, sending a chill down her spine. She pulled the shawl tighter around her trembling frame.

“Are ye ready?”

As ready as she would ever be, Lucy climbed astride the horse and they rode into the abandoned streets. Eerily quiet in the wee morning hours, London reminded her of a graveyard.

The large house stared at her, opposing, ominous, and dark. A secret key was hidden in a pot on the porch.

She opened the door and dusty sheets billowed with the burst of air. Lucy headed to the windows and jerked open curtains, allowing rays of sunlight to stream through the dirt-covered panes.

“Is this yer home?”

Bryce’s voice startled her. Before she could answer, the sound of an alarm drew her attention. A tiny brass clock rested upon the mantel, its alarm blaring. When the noise stopped, Lucy left the room and ran through the house.

She checked every room, ending back where she started. Lucy frowned.

“What is it?” he asked.

“The clock. It chimed. That only happens so long before it has to be rewound. And I’ve been gone a long time.”

“Do ye want me to search the house?”

Lucy shook her head. “No one is here. Maybe the spring stuck again and delayed the alarm. That happens sometimes.” She said the words but she didn’t believe them. Gnawing her lip, she studied Bryce. Could he tell she doubted her own explanation?

Bryce didn’t ask any more questions and Lucy was grateful. Leading him through the hallway, she picked a room for his stay. He hesitated but finally went inside with his meager belongings. Bryce scratched his head, then he placed his hands to his sides, next he moved them to his hips. The palpable awkwardness upset her, but Lucy couldn’t help him right now.

Once Bryce entered his room and turned his back to her, she fled. Inside her old bedroom, she pilfered through drawers. A tiny scrap of paper rubbed her fingertips and she grabbed it, squeezing it tightly in her hand.

They’d done it again. The alarm had been her first clue. The list was all the confirmation she needed.

The parchment contained a full week of activities. Worrying her lip, she studied the information. Instinct caused her to touch the leather pouch. The fan still rested within, poking her through the material.

“Knock, knock.”

Lucy lifted her head, and placed her hand to her wildly beating heart.

“Sorry lass, I didn’t mean to startle ye. I hate to intrude but we need to place the horses in yer stable and then find something to eat. I’m starvin’.”

The smile he displayed kept her worries at bay. Her hand clasped his and she directed him to the kitchen. They checked the cabinets and came up empty.

“Looks like a trip to the market is in order,” she said.

Bryce waited while Lucy raced upstairs. She perused the list. No market day was listed.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she cradled her head in her hands. Her belly growled but she ignored the hunger pains. New worries beset her troubled mind. Like how to deliver her message without alerting Bryce?

If he knew what she planned, he would never approve.