Chapter Ten
Sofia heard Perry walk past the bedroom and her heart broke. He couldn't have made it plainer. He was regretting this marriage as much as she was. If only he had agreed to wait until she saw she had her monthly courses before insisting they tied the knot.
Perhaps if she was not increasing they could have the Catholic service set aside? He must be thinking the same thing which was why he hadn't joined her. As long as she made sure she kept him at arm's length until they were in England and she could consult a lawyer, it might be possible for her to return to Spain.
Tears trickled down her face. There was nothing for her here, she would never come back. So, if she was not to be Lady Peregrine then she would be forced to throw herself on the mercy of her grandmother. She shuddered at the thought. She would rather be with Perry, however difficult this might be, than forced to marry someone she didn't love.
At least they had strong feelings for each other even if they were both regretting their hasty marriage. There were so many things she hadn't discussed with Perry – she had no notion where she was to live, how he would occupy his time in future and what his expectations were for her.
This was something they would discuss when they could be alone together. Going in search of this Irishman would be an exciting adventure, something to remember when she was trapped inside a pretty gown pretending to be something she was not.
The following morning she was down and ready to leave before the men arrived. She greeted them as if there was nothing wrong. 'Good morning, I have packed food for the journey, and your breakfast is waiting for you on the veranda. I have already eaten mine.'
Perry strolled across and kissed her on the forehead. Hardly a passionate embrace, but exactly what she wanted. 'Have you got your belongings? If not, you will need to return to your mother's house and fetch them.'
'I've already done so, and Smith and Jenkins are preparing the horses as we speak. Marron is to be used as the packhorse now that you have such a magnificent animal to ride, Perry. Hopefully, Zorro will be able to keep up with us.'
The duke smiled warmly. 'Then all we have to do is take our own saddle bags with us and we are ready to depart.'
'Juan has already done that, your grace…'
'Enough of the formality, my dear. You are my sister now and I shall call you by your given name and you must do the same for me.'
Perry laughed, a welcome sound and it made her feel a little more cheerful. 'You have thought of everything, sweetheart. Is there any need to enquire if the necessary equipment has been added to our personal belongings?'
'There is no need, Smith and Jenkins have taken care of that. I heard that the attack on the French yesterday was successful and the English have the gold. It has been sent back to Wellington with an escort and the remainder of the cavalry have joined Don Pablo and the partisans to take care of the deserters.'
This information was received without comment from either of them. She had expected them to be pleased, but they appeared more interested in their breakfast than in what she had told them.
She rode away from the town she had spent the past two years in without any regrets. Her new life was with Perry. Hopefully they would be blessed with a large family and this would occupy her time and give her something useful to do.
There was no one around to see them depart, to wave goodbye, and the further they travelled the more she regretted her childish decision not to wake her mother and say goodbye. Too late to repine. She would write a loving letter as soon as she had the opportunity and repeat the invitation for Don Pablo and Mama to make a prolonged stay in England.
Perry had chosen to ride alongside his brother and they were leading the small cavalcade, Smith was leading Marron so Jenkins had taken up position next to her. The hound loped along beside her and she was glad of his company.
'Jenkins, my husband appears to know the direction to go in. Am I to assume he has had information about the whereabouts of this O'Reilly?'
'He's heard from one of the partisans about a band of roving French cavalry now living in a deserted village. They have half a dozen English prisoners who are being used as orderlies, grooms and such.'
'There are only five of us, how does he think we can rescue his friend against so large a number?'
'Beggin' your pardon, my lady, I don't reckon his lordship expects you to be part of this venture.'
Being addressed for the first time by her new title was disturbing. She had been Sofia to everyone in the town, but now she was someone else entirely. She intended to make the most of the next few weeks of comparative freedom and, whatever Perry and his brother thought, she was going to be part of this rescue.
'Can you fire that rifle from the saddle, Jenkins?' Better to change the subject than argue with one of the duke's servants.
'No, my lady, it's best to be on the ground.'
'I see. Do you know how far away this village is?'
'A day's ride, ma'am, no more than that.'
She squeezed and her horse moved smoothly into a canter so that she caught up with Perry and his brother. 'I should like to ride with my husband, Beau, so could I ask you to drop back?' He guided his stallion to one side and allowed her to pass. No words were exchanged and she thought this odd. What had they been talking about that made them both look so grim?
Her heart was thudding. For the first time since she'd met him she was nervous about speaking to Perry. Then he reached over and took her hand and raised it to his lips the way he always did. His eyes told her all she needed to know.
'I was hoping you would come and join me, sweetheart, I expect you have questions about our future together.'
'Actually, I'm more interested in how you intend to rescue your man when we will be seriously outnumbered.'
'We have the element of surprise, but far more important, I have two of the best marksmen the army has ever produced. Jenkins and Smith will make this work for us if it comes to a fight.'
'I see that you are wearing that sword again. I thought you returned it.'
'I did, but Don Pablo sent it back. I'm glad that he did, because it might well come in useful.' He released her hand and his smile was sad. 'I have to tell you that my vision is still impaired. I can see well enough looking forward, but nothing at all on either side unless I turn my head. Therefore, you will not be obliged to follow the drum after all.'
'You told me that yesterday when you said you would no longer be a soldier. I wish it were otherwise for both of us as I don't think you will enjoy being a gentleman of leisure any more than I will being a pampered wife with little to do.'
'There is nothing we can do so we must accept what we cannot change. We are to live at Silchester Court with Beau. My twin, Aubrey, will reside in the eastwing when he returns from his gallivanting around the globe and we still take the west. The house is so vast we could go a month and never see each other unless we wished to.'
For a horrible moment she thought he was referring to himself and her. Her shock registered on her face and he laughed out loud causing his magnificent horse to shy. He dealt with the situation whilst continuing the conversation as if nothing untoward was taking place.
'I am, you pea-goose, referring to not being obliged to see anyone apart from ourselves if we do not wish to. I am fond of my family, but have no intention of living in their pockets.'
'You must tell me about all of them. I am looking forward to being part of a big family and having a plethora of brothers and sisters as well as nieces and nephews to mingle with.'
He told her everything she wanted to know and by the end she could almost believe she had met each one of them so vivid were his descriptions and lively his anecdotes.
'We must stop here and rest the horses. I can see fresh water in that small valley and there is sufficient grass to keep them happy.' He swung round in his saddle and pointed. That was all he needed to do for the others to understand.
Jenkins and Smith took care of the beasts, her husband and his brother made themselves comfortable on a flat rock and waited for her to prepare them something to eat. She did so with good grace, she could hardly expect either of them to wait on her.
They moved on an hour later and continued in their leisurely way. Jenkins frequently rode on ahead, or dismounted and scrambled up the nearest hill to check they were alone on the track. Twice they saw a donkey loaded down with panniers travelling along the main route, which occasionally they could see from the little used track they were on.
Their party was now riding single file and in silence. Occasionally she saw an eagle or a hawk diving for prey. She loved the mountains, she was going to miss this wild and beautiful countryside when she was living in flat and boring England.
They didn't make camp until dusk. She was an excellent horsewoman and could spend all day in the saddle without coming to grief. From the winces and groans she heard coming from Smith and Jenkins they were not so lucky. Riflemen travelled with the infantry on foot, they must be less used to riding than the rest of them.
*
Perry had instructed Smith to prepare the meal. Sofia had been willing to feed all of them at lunchtime, but it wasn't fair to ask her to wait on the servants in the evening as well. The fire gave a welcome warmth and soon the smell of roasting meat made his mouth water. Zorro was already earning his keep by fetching them rabbits.
The saddles were used as seats and he was sitting next to her. 'This is an interesting wedding trip, sweetheart, but I promise I shall take you somewhere better once this is over. Is there anywhere you would particularly like to see before we return to England?'
'I would love to go to Seville, Madrid or any Spanish city that is free of the French. I travelled extensively with my father but only in rural areas.'
'I am not sure that will be possible, my love. We need to be at Oporto before bad weather starts or we will not get a ship home. I have no wish to stay here for months.'
She nodded and smiled but he wasn't convinced by this effort. 'I need to see someone who knows more about my eyes. I fear my vision could deteriorate again without the correct treatment.'
Her expression changed to concern. 'Of course we must go home immediately you have located O'Reilly. We have the rest of our lives to travel. I never had a Season. Do you have a house in Town? Perhaps we could spend some time there so I can visit the theatre, museums, and lectures.'
'No balls, parties or routs?'
'I should not say no to any of those, but equally I should not be disappointed if there were none. I'm not like other young ladies, I prefer to be outside not flirting with a gentleman on the dance floor.'
'If ever I catch you flirting with another gentleman there will be hell to pay, madam. However, you may flirt as much as you like with me.'
They continued to exchange pleasantries and then Beau, who had been giving them some privacy, strolled over to sit down beside them. 'My men are not used to spending so many hours in the saddle. I sincerely hope we are close to our destination.'
Perry decided it was time to arrange the rugs on the ground to make a rudimentary bed for them both. It would be much warmer curled up together and he was looking forward to holding her in his arms all night for the second time even if they couldn't make love.
Smith was no longer with them, he assumed he had gone to scout the area as they must be within a few miles of their destination. Jenkins dished up a tasty stew and this was washed down by a skin of rough red wine for the gentlemen and coffee for Sofia.
They disappeared in turn to do what was necessary and then the campsite settled down for the night. She didn't object to their sleeping arrangements, in fact seemed pleased she was to share his blanket.
As soon as they were comfortable he turned her to face him and began to kiss her. At first she responded but then stiffened in his arms. 'No, not here. There will be nothing of this sort between us until we are sleeping in the privacy of our own bedchamber wherever that might be.'
'I wasn't intending to do more than kiss you, my love, but I shall respect your wishes. I meant to ask you, did you bring your lovely wedding gown or has that been abandoned?'
She sighed and relaxed into his embrace. 'I have it safely in one of my saddle bags along with two other gowns and the necessary underpinnings. I'm hoping I shall have the opportunity to wear it again soon as it is the most beautiful gown I have ever owned.'
He was disappointed she hadn't said she wished to keep it because it was the one she had got married in, but at least she had brought it with her. He had been thinking about her wish to see a Spanish city. Salamanca was on their route to Oporto and this had been freed from the French vermin after a vicious battle which had taken place just before he had set out on his last mission.
They would stay there for a week or two so they could replenish their wardrobes and hopefully mix with the highest echelons of Spanish society. The city would still be suffering from having been occupied and then violently liberated, but people were resilient and hopefully he would be able to show her the stunning architecture and cathedral. He thought they had been undamaged during the fight.
It would all depend on his brother's finances. He had no money of his own as he had handed it all to the don. He slept lightly, one ear open for trouble and heard Smith returning in the middle of the night. He carefully rolled sideways and then tucked Sofia back inside the rugs before getting to his feet.
Beau woke as he stepped over him and without being asked he too wriggled out of his cocoon of blankets and came with him to see what news Smith had brought.
Jenkins had remained alert and on guard and this gave him pause. He was officially still a soldier and should have taken his turn and not been sleeping like a civilian.
'Have we found them?'
'Yes, my lord, we have. There are no sentries outside the village but I saw movement at three of the windows in the houses. They have men guarding the approach from the road. It'll be impossible to attack from that direction.'
'My intention is not to attack at all if we can avoid it, but to somehow get into the place without being detected, find my man and leave.'
'Don't reckon that's possible, sir, only a mountain goat could get in from any other direction.'
'Were you able to count the horses and work out how many of them there are?' Beau asked.
'Couldn't get close enough, but it ain't a big place, no more than a huddle of stone houses. Maybe only a dozen or so – certainly no more.'
'I can get you in if you will allow me to.' Sofia had woken and spoke quietly from behind them. He was about to tell her that she was not going to be involved, when he thought again. She had spent the best part of two years roaming the hills with the partisans and might well know something they didn't.
'Go ahead, sweetheart, what do you suggest?'
'I have something similar to a riding habit that I can put on over these breeches. If I take Marron, he's a faster horse than mine, I can gallop up screaming that I am being pursued by brigands. I shall speak in Spanish, naturally, and they will let me in, not because they wish to help me but because they will be short of women of any sort.'
'Why would you be wandering around legitimately in this remote part of the hills? They might shoot you on sight as a partisan.'
'I haven't thought that far, I'm sure between us we can come up with a credible story. We can't be more than an hour from the main route that leads from one village to the next. There are several small towns and villages dotted about, I could easily have come from one of those.'
'I cannot allow you to put yourself at such risk for a man you've not even met,' Perry said firmly.
'O'Reilly knows you better than I do, has saved your life more than once so you told me. If Smith and Jenkins position themselves carefully in the hills I'm sure they can protect me if things go badly.'
Beau had been listening to this with interest. 'I applaud your courage, Sofia, but even if you do get in, how is that going to help us as we would now have two hostages instead of one to rescue?'
'If this place is as small as Smith says it is, it would not take me long to locate the six prisoners. If I can speak to one of them and tell them that there's a rescue party outside the village, then I'm sure they will make every effort to escape.'
Perry had heard quite enough of this nonsense. It was pointless to argue as his headstrong young wife would continue to insist she was quite capable of entering the enemy camp and then exiting unharmed along with the six other prisoners.
'We shall discuss this further in the morning. Smith and Jenkins need to sleep, they have not done so yet. I shall stand guard for the next three hours and then you can relieve me, brother.'
Nobody questioned his orders and ten minutes later the place settled back to silence leaving him alone with his thoughts and they were not happy ones. His dog joined him and he thought that perhaps there was no need for a guard as the animal would warn him if anyone was close by.