Two years ago...
"Ye watch," she strongly told Ned and Barto. "Ye watch how I do it," she reiterated.
"We can handle this carriage, Lex," said Barto wryly.
"Nae, ye can't, ye fools. Did'ye forget what happened a fortnight 'go?" she asked. "Ye messed up the last time 'n we almost died!"
"The driver simply had good reflexes!" Ned defensively shouted.
"They got away, that's what it was—after almost runnin' over us'll!" she snapped.
"They knew bandits lurk 'round—"
"Shh!" Alex said, raising one hand. "It's comin'."
The three of them waited in silence as the sound of the carriage neared.
"Now, Lex!" Ned hissed beside her.
Alex looked around. There was no one else in sight and the carriage was slowing down as it turned around the bend.
"Wait," she murmured under her breath, holding back Siege's reins.
Just as the carriage had fully turned and was about to pick up speed, Alex kicked Siege's side and the horse galloped out of their hiding place, surprising the carriage driver and the two horses.
"Oi!" she greeted the driver as Ned and Barto jumped from behind the large rocks to calm the horses and tie the driver as she proceeded to the carriage window.
Still atop Siege, Alex reached out to tap on the carriage door with a proud look on her face. "Good evenin'!" she shouted in greeting, knocking on the door again. Ned and Barto rolled their eyes as they watched, their hands on their hips, the driver now securely bound.
Alex wiggled her eyebrows at her cousins. They ought to know by now that perfect timing was everything.
"Oi! Bandit's waitin' 'ere!" she said to the carriage door, chuckling with mirth.
But the smile on her face froze when the carriage door opened.
Bloody hell.
Ralph Everard.
*****
"Can you clearly see my face?" Ralph asked Alex from where he was standing, which was against the door just in case she was considering an escape.
Alex nodded from where she sat, feeling like a prisoner who had no other choice but to confess.
"I am not judging," he told her, his face telling the truth. She nodded once again, gulping. "I am not going to judge." Again, Alex nodded.
But when he added, "And I am not furious," her brows furrowed into a frown of disbelief. "Very well, perhaps disappointed." When Alex raised her brows, he sighed. "Angry. I am angry."
She bit her lips.
"Now, please," Ralph said, drawing her attention back to him. "Would you please tell me what the bloody hell had been going on?"
Alex moistened her lips and opened her mouth to speak. "D'ye remember when I was attacked after escapin' Beechworth?"
With his arms crossed over his chest, Ralph frowned. "You mean when I found you beside the road with a bleeding man?"
She nodded. "Aye. The prisoner who died."
"Yes. What of it?"
"And d'ye remember when we were attacked in Blucksley?"
"Who would ever forget that?"
"There were men who'd been goin' after me," she continued, ignoring his comment. "We all thought they were Osegod's men, aye?"
Ralph's jaw tightened and his arms loosened over his chest, dropping to this side. "They were Durley's?"
Alex nodded. "Aye. And the man I saw outside yer apartment in Wickhurst. 'Twas him—Durley." Before Ralph could draw more conclusions, Alex rushed on, not wanting to spend more time answering Ralph's questions or hearing his outbursts. "And ye took me te Lord Hasting's estate after that."
"And that was when you began acting odd," he pointed out.
"I told ye I was attacked."
"And you were not?"
"Oh, I was, guv," she said with a shake of her head. "Only not in the way ye thought."
"Not in the way you led us to believe," he corrected, voice etched with bitterness.
Alex sighed with no desire to discuss his damaged feelings. She was guilty, yes, but she knew she did what she only thought was best at the time. "There were two men who came to Lord Hasting's estate that night," she began again. "One of 'em was one of the two men who'd been chasin' me. The other was Durley. I thought the other man was goin' te kill me. I was the reason one o' his friends are dead, anyway." Alex swallowed, eyes on Ralph who was intently listening, waiting for her next words. "But Durley ordered the man te step 'way from me."
"And he talked to you."
"Aye," she said, nodding her head. "He'd been try'na get te me but I keep gettin' 'way, he said. And he told me 'bout Osegod and Aurora and how the bastard knew Aurora's been te Meriwether." Alex paused to take a long breath. "The night Durley came te me was two days 'fore Osegod was plannin' te attack me village. Osegod didn't know she's dead and he believed Meriwether's hidin' her."
Ralph remained quiet while Alex talked.
"Durley offered me a deal," she continued. "He said he can help protect Meriwether through his influence on Osegod. "He said he can protect me father in return fer a small favor." She shrugged, remembering that night Durley tried to give her a picture of what Osegod could do to her family and the entire village of Meriwether. It shook her that night and it had the same effect even until now, but there was no reason why she ought to tell Ralph the details of Durley's manipulation. Back then, she barely knew Durley. She merely saw him as a great, evil player who was desperate for something. She had been scared of him. Perhaps she was even still scared of the man after seeing what he was capable of.
Mentally shaking her head, Alex scoffed, feeling quite incredulous. "In return fer protectin' me father and Meriwether from Osegod, Durley said he'll someday need me help. And he left after I gave him me word."
"And the bloody bastard followed us all the way to Willowfair to rescue his sister," Ralph said, voice gruff. "And when he finally had her back, he came collecting debts!"
"That's what happened, aye," Alex murmured, staring at nothing as memories of what happened in Osegod's study flashed before her once again.
Vega Trilby.
Durley and the gun in his hand.
Osegod falling on the ground, blood pooling around his head.
"Durley is the perfect manipulator and you ought to have seen it!" Ralph's angry voice shattered the images in her head. She snapped her eyes back to him. "You could have said something to me, Alex. I would have done something to ensure Meriwether's safety."
Alex frowned. "A Town Guard protectin' a small bandit village?" she countered.
"What I am trying to say, Alex, is that I am not a Guard where you are concerned!" he burst out, walking toward her. His statement took her by surprise and all she could do was gape at him until he was standing before her. He was too angry to even notice what he said. "You were not thinking!"
"'Cors I was thinkin'!" she retorted angrily as well, jumping to her feet to level with him. "I was try'na protect me family like ye were yers!"
That rendered Ralph speechless for a moment. Alex saw understanding wash over his face.
"How could've I asked fer yer help when ye can barely solve yer own troubles?" she asked in a whisper, dropping back into the chair, finally feeling the exhaustion from everything that had happened to her.
From the moment she found Aurora dying in the Dark Forest, her life had been naught but about running away and fighting against the bad men—and Ralph. The thought of being back in Meriwether—of being by her father's side, of wasting time around the village fire while children and women danced, of men laughing like fools after a good heist—seemed more like a dream now.
Her eyes flickered back to him when she heard his long sigh. The anger in his eyes had died and his shoulders were down, a sign that he, too, was as weary as she.
"We can continue this on the morrow, guv," she suggested.
Ralph looked down into her eyes for a few more seconds. "You are certain you are fine?"
"I am. He didn't hurt me."
He nodded, holding out his hand to cup her face. "Do you wish to talk about it?" His voice was surprisingly soothing that Alex nearly burst into tears. He knew she witnessed Osegod's death.
Alex bit her lower lip, wanting to let out everything inside her she knew was simply lurking in the dark.
But she shook her head. Tonight was not the time.
"Very well, come," he said, taking her hand. "I will have someone prepare you a bath."
"And food, guv. I need food."
"Of course," he said, a corner of his lips twitching into a smile.
*****
After she finished an entire meal for two, Alex spent an hour bathing.
Ralph dared not interrupt and instead waited until she was dressed in a light nightgown and crawled into bed.
She did not protest when he joined her under the covers, both of them fully clothed.
Ralph said nothing when she turned away from him. She had not said a word since she came out form her bath and he did not bother to start a useless conversation when he knew she was not in the mood for any.
Ralph turned and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close against his chest, afraid to talk about anything, but he wished she would open up to him.
They were good at bickering, at outwitting each other—they were good in bed together. But it seemed they had many more things to work on when it came to serious matters.
They were yet to discover what they could be together when they were not being murdered or out to save lives.
He smelled her damp hair. "Sleep well," he whispered in her curls.
She did not reply and Ralph waited until she fell asleep.
Hours later, Ralph stirred and found that he was alone in bed. Before panic crept in, he saw her silhouette form standing in front of the window. He did not move and simply watched as she stood there, unmoving and deep in thought.
He suddenly felt anxious.
Had things changed between them?
Or worse, had been the only one thinking it?
Had things ever changed at all?
Was he losing this woman?
*****
Ralph was having The Town Herald for breakfast, his frown unwavering as he flipped through pages of articles dedicated to one of the greatest Leaders in the Town.
Many expressed their condolences toward the grieving family of Alan Osegod, Lord of Ranford, a great Town Leader, through the Herald, amongst them the Trilby family who were known to be very close friends with the man.
"'Tis politics," was all Alex commented when Ralph finally threw the papers to the side. She had been carefully watching him read every article, watching his expression turn from grim to disbelief and back to fury. "Durley's not takin' a break in his moves."
He made no comment.
Now, while he focused his attention to his plate, Alex said, cleared her throat. "When ye and Durley were talkin' 'bout Osmund Trilby, the Leader who was murdered, ye knew 'twas not Osegod who did it."
Ralph paused to steal a quick glance at her direction.
"Ye know who truly killed 'im, aye?"
He nodded. "Yes."
"'Twas not Durley?"
"No."
"'Twas not an Everard, 'cors?"
"No."
"Then it must be another Trilby," she concluded.
"No, it was an angel," Ralph gritted out. When she frowned in confusion, Ralph sighed. "It is not good to bother yourself about the Trilbys, Alex. Durley may not be taking the proper way to deliver vengeance, but I cannot deny that he does have strong reasons to want to ruin them. He knows the repercussions of his deeds, thus he is staying away from his sister and the Everards whom she is marrying into. Whatever should befall him in the end, I only hope Sophia and everyone else not involved shall be spared."
Alex realized that Ralph no longer wished to discuss Durley and the Trilbys for he took advantage of her silence to bring up another subject. "The only good news I've read this morning is from the Haverstons."
She looked at him inquiringly.
"The slaves were finally rescued."
"But the trade isn't gonna end if ye can't find the other passages," Alex pointed out.
Ralph nodded. "Add the fact that there is no one to blame for it for Osegod is dead. Whoever he has been working on cannot be named. Thorne is a Trilby and I would rather not deal with them."
"And ye made a promise," she reminded him. "Ye can't tell anyone."
Ralph's jaw tightened. Shaking his head, he added, "No, we cannot tell anyone."
Alex watched as Ralph continued eating. She moistened her lips to speak but he stopped, suddenly remembering something. "By the by, the family is currently on their way to Wikchurst for a dinner. It seems Nicholas had won over everyone and the bastard is finally taking his bride back to Wickhurst." When she merely looked at him, he added, "You ought to come."
This was the perfect moment to say what she had to say, she thought to herself. She had stayed up all night thinking over what was next and the answer was simple and obvious. No matter how she thought of it, it kept landing her to this moment.
Alex started to shake her head. "Nae, guv. Ye go alone." He frowned and before he could question her, she smiled. "I've been meanin' te tell ye I'm goin' home. Me 'Pa will kill me if I don't. He's probably sharpenin' his knives as we speak."
*****
Ralph felt as though someone drenched him in cold water. He had meant to talk to her of an impending courtship, but how was he to do it if she was going back home? It would not matter, truly, where the courtship shall ensue, but it was Meriwether she was going home to.
"'Tis 'bout time I go home, guv," Alex said, her face showing no emotion. What was she thinking? Was it possible she did not care what would become of the two of them? Surely this must be difficult for her?
Frustrated that he could not read her thoughts, Ralph leaned back into his chair. Shifting uncomfortably, he cleared his throat. "We have things to discuss, Alex."
"Nae, we don't. I don't feel obliged te discuss anythin'."
She refused to talk to him about Osegod's death, of the things she witnessed at Ransford. And now she was dismissing the talk about them.
His jaw tightened. "You ought to know, Alex, that I am planning to court you."
If it was a surprise to her, she did not show it. In fact, she remained passive and merely blinked once after his supposed surprising news. He held his breath as he waited for her response.
Then finally she lifted one shoulder. "We can't be, guv, ye know that."
"Why the bloody hell not?"
"Why the bleedin' hell yes?" she retorted almost immediately. At that moment, Ralph knew she had thought about this long and hard. Bloody tarnation, she stayed up for hours last night thinking to herself. Was this what she came up with? She knew he was going to hold her back and she was ready to refuse him! "We're from two diff'rent worlds."
"No," he said, looking into her eyes, desperate to read anything from their grey depths. "You are simply afraid."
Her face turned scarlet and her hands balled into fists on the table. "Nae, I'm try'na do what ye can't—be sensible."
Ralph jumped to his feet, finally furious, but whatever he had to say was left unsaid when Samuel walked into the breakfast room. "I assume breakfast is ready?" his ignorant friend asked jovially, walking over to a chair while Ralph and Alex stared at each other, the tense air between them almost palpable. Samuel looked at Ralph still standing. "Are you done?" Samuel asked.
Without taking his eyes off Alex, Ralph gritted out, "I thought I clearly gave orders that you recuperate without leaving your chambers, Sam."
"And I believe you were merely jesting," replied his friend.
Alex took the opportunity to stand and say, "I have things te do." She looked at Samuel and then back at Ralph. "So long, guv."
Samuel looked at Ralph watching Alex disappear through the doors. "Are you not going after her?"
Yes, of course he wanted to run after her. Strap her into a chair and talk to her.
No, that was not how Alex ought to be dealt with. He had tried that before and failed.
If she wanted to go home, then she could bloody go home! He had clearly told her of his intentions and she refused to dare taking the risk.
She had disappeared too many times before. Perhaps it was about time he did not come for her.
"No," he said in a calm, certain tone. "Let her be." And he shouted over his lungs for Alex to hear, "I am not too intent on running after someone who had always been intent on escaping from the start!"
He sat back down to resume his breakfast.