A Devilish Slumber by Shereen Vedam

Author:Shereen Vedam
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BelleBooks, Inc.
Published: 2015-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

THE GENTLE SHAKE of the carriage and the horses jingling their leather traces brought Rose awake. Her head ached abominably. The only good feeling was the warmth emanating from the body she rested against. She caught Phillip’s scent of violets and wrapped her arms around him and held him close. “Where are you taking me?”

“You are awake.” He kissed her forehead. “We go someplace safe.”

Resting against Phillip, she gazed out the carriage window at the passing scenery. A lamp post highlighted the street, and then darkness descended until they passed the next lamp post.

Inside, both her golden neck ornament and Phillip’s breastplate had been carelessly tossed onto the opposite seat. No wonder his warmth came through so strong. There was only his linen shirt separating them. She should sit back, but it felt too good to be held close.

Her head pounded and a tentative probe with her fingers told her a cloth had been wrapped around her head.

“We will clean that wound properly once we reach our destination,” Phillip said, lowering her hand.

She wriggled free of his hold to play with a seam on his shirt. “I never wanted you to leave. I hoped you would come back. But you never did.”

“I am sorry I was delayed, Rose. I was searching for a friend, Ben Turner. He should have been outside the Lockharts, watching the house. I do not know what could have happened to him.”

She had not been referring to this evening, but the news that Phillip had been searching for Ben made her shiver. What if he had run across Daniel loitering outside? He might have suspected the shifter of being there to harm her. And where was Daniel? Why had he not come to her rescue?

“In any case, I shall not leave you again, Rose,” Phillip said.

“Another promise,” she murmured. “You make them so easily.”

“Anything you want of me, I will give you.”

Rose had told Eve that on the night she died. That if she asked Phillip to help her sister, he would do so. Her faith in him had been unshakable back then. Yet, Phillip had not considered her wishes when he went after Eve. “I wanted you to leave my sister be.”

His hand that had been absently rubbing her arm stilled.

She waited for him to push her aside and declare that her sister had been a traitor.

After a long silence, he gave a loud sigh and began to stroke her again. “I wish I had.”

She sat up, and had to wait for her head to stop spinning, before she could speak succinctly. “Do you mean that, Phillip? Truly?”

“If I had it to do over, I would let her go. For you.”

They passed another lamp post and it flashed across his face. His eyes were entrenched with pain more than resolve before darkness hid his secrets. But she had seen enough. If he had let her sister go, it would have killed his spirit. Phillip lived to see justice done. To protect England.

“Phillip, why is justice so important to you?”

He gave a heavy sigh.

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