The Pursuit (5 page)

“Denley,” Osborne tried again, working not to panic. “Please wake up, Denley. Please.”

Osborne stopped speaking when he heard the door behind him, but he didn’t turn away from the top bunk and the pale face that concerned him.

“When was the last time he spoke to you?” Osborne wished to know.

“Just before I came to see you.”

Osborne nodded, relief filling him. Edward stepped up and took the ailing man’s wrist. His pulse was strong, but his skin was still hot to the touch.

“I’m going to find the captain,” Edward said. “I’ll tell him of our plans to head into Lisbon. Once there, I’ll go ahead and secure some type of carriage or other conveyance to transport him.”

Edward half expected this specimen of apparent royalty to object or take umbrage, but he only looked tired and relieved. It made Edward want to ask who he was and what he was about, but that was not important at the moment.

Denley feared he might not make it. Edward thought that if they didn’t find a doctor, the servant’s fears might prove to be correct.

Lisbon

The soft moans that came from Denley as he was transported off the ship were nothing short of pathetic. Edward’s heart twisted a little as he watched the pair of them: Osborne as erect and proper as always, but his eyes glued to his man’s miserable face, and Denley, so ill he was unaware of where he was or who was taking care of him. The ride was short, but when one was in pain, time always seemed to stand still.

The name of the inn was the Silver Cup. Edward had not actually stayed there, but on his previous visit he’d taken a meal in their great room and been treated with respect. When he’d gone ahead of Osborne and Denley to secure a cart, he’d also spoken for two rooms and was treated well.

“It’s just up ahead,” he told Osborne, who nodded.

“Easy,” Edward said to the driver, who took a hole in the road rather fast and elicited another moan from Denley.

“Sorry, sir,” the driver said, trying to sound as though he meant it. He wasn’t overly fond of waiting on royalty—they tended to tip as though they couldn’t afford it—but the man next to him seemed of a different caliber.

“Here we go.” Edward didn’t speak again until they were in front of the inn. Two servants came to their aid, and with a minimum of jostling, they transported Denley upstairs to a bed.

“Fetch a doctor,” Osborne commanded, speaking some of his first words since disembarking. He’d completely packed all of Denley’s and his own bags, clearly willing to wait for a ship after his man was back on his feet.

Edward noticed that he missed little. His eyes had scanned the men helping him and even checked to make sure all bags were in place. Denley’s words from the night about Osborne’s needing special care came rushing back. Edward could not figure out what the man might require. He seemed capable and quite aware of his needs. And he certainly wasn’t afraid to tell someone what he wanted.

“We need some towels,” Osborne said, as though he’d read Edward’s mind.

“Very well, sir,” the innkeeper, now on hand, replied. “My wife can find a nurse if you need one.”

“The doctor and some towels will do for now.”

Someone was already arriving with the towels. The innkeeper handed them off to Osborne, not looking put out in the least over Osborne’s tone, before taking himself back out the door.

Edward stood back while Osborne discarded his coat and went to work. He opened Denley’s shirt, and using water from the basin, sat on the edge of the bed and began to bathe the servant’s face and neck.

“How old is Denley?” Edward asked.

“He’s 31.”

“Have you known him long?”

“Yes.”

“Has he been ill like this before?”

Osborne turned to look at him, his eyes a bit hostile.

“If you were a doctor, it would have helped to know that on the ship.”

“I’m not.” With that Edward became silent. Osborne went back to his ministrations.

“Mr Osborne,” Denley said weakly, finally coherent.

“It’s all right, Denley. I’m right here.”

“You mustn’t do that.”

“The doctor is on his way.”

Osborne stood and went back to the basin. He soaked the towel again and returned to the bed. Denley was now wide awake.

“We’re off the ship,” the servant said with wonder.

“Yes, we’re in Lisbon.”

“I didn’t pack our bags.”

“I took care of it.”

Osborne stopped for a moment, his hand going to Denley’s brow. The servant’s eyes closed—Edward couldn’t tell if it was in pain or with relief. Osborne went back to his gentle bathing and was still at it when there was a knock on the door. Edward answered it.

“I’m Dr Mora,” a man said in thickly accented English.

“Please come in,” Edward invited, standing back.

Osborne had also come away from the bed, his eyes watchful and guarded as the man approached. He introduced himself again and went directly to the patient.

He asked Osborne some of the very questions that Edward had wanted to ask. He listened to Denley’s breathing and said they might need to bleed him if the fever didn’t break.

Osborne said nothing to this, and Denley was sleeping again.

“Are you from the ship just into harbor?” the doctor asked as he repacked his bag.

“Yes.”

“Well, it will be leaving without this man.” He closed his bag with a snap. “Keep him comfortable. Try to get fluids into him. Call me if he’s worse before dark.”

“Thank you,” Osborne said shortly, not moving as the doctor saw himself to the door.

Denley chose that moment to groan. Osborne went to him, the cool cloth in hand once again.

Edward made his first move since entering the room. He walked to the other side of the bed where he could see Osborne’s face.

“You did get all of your belongings from the ship?”

“Yes,” Osborne answered without looking at him.

“I think you may be here for a time,” Edward commented, waiting. Osborne finally looked up at him. “Clearly Denley is very ill and needs time to recuperate. I don’t know what your time schedule is, but I will inform you that he’s afraid he’s going to die and leave you alone.”

Osborne’s eyes were glued to Edward’s, but he said not a word.

“He asked that I keep an eye on you if something should happen to him. He said you have special needs. I’m not going to pepper you with questions at this moment, but I think there’s one thing you should tell me.”

“What is that?” Osborne asked, his voice guarded.

“Why are you dressed as a man?”

Chapter Three

Osborne stood slowly and stared across the bed at Edward. Neither moved for a full minute. Finally, Osborne spoke.

“How did you know?”

“I have three sisters,” Edward said simply, his voice a bit dry.

Osborne’s hand came to her face. Who was this man? Could he be trusted? It was almost more than she could take in. Denley had never spoken to anyone in such a personal manner; she was sure of that. Why this man? Did he really feel that he was going to die?

Her eyes suddenly swept to the prone man on the bed. He was her friend and often her protector. The thought of him dying was almost more than she could bear.

“Are you going to tell me?” Edward pressed her.

“It’s complicated,” she said shortly, her eyes still on Denley even as the air of royalty fell away.

“I assumed as much,” Edward said, his voice not divulging any of his feelings.

Osborne looked at him. “It’s not fair of me to ask your discretion when I’m willing to say so little, but there is no point in my telling you anything.”

“I see.”

The room was silent for a moment, Edward seeing that he would get no more at the moment and Osborne still trying to recover from her surprise.

“Well, I’d best get back to the ship and gather my things.”

Osborne, whose mind had been casting about for something to say, turned swiftly in surprise.

“You’re staying here in Lisbon?”

“Not just in Lisbon, but right here in this inn. Denley asked me to look after you. I told him I would.”

Osborne was still framing a reply when Edward went for his hat and coat. “I’ll be back,” he said quietly before slipping out the door.

Osborne didn’t move from her spot for a long time. She had dealt with many unpleasant situations, but never something like this. Her eyes went to Denley again. He was out cold. If he wasn’t, she thought she might be tempted to cry on his shoulder.

“What made you decide to stay?” Captain Spencer asked before Edward could disembark.

“Denley might not make it. He’s very ill. I’m not sure that Osborne has dealt with burial details and such. I still think I’ll be home before Christmas so it won’t hurt to alter my plans a bit.”

“Well, the
St James
should pass this way in another week or so. Maybe you can find passage with her.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Edward didn’t waste any time. Needing the walk, his bag in hand, he set out for the inn. He didn’t know when he’d ever had an experience quite like this. It was only natural for him to wonder what was going on, but he couldn’t exactly force it out of Osborne.

Edward’s swift pace slowed to a crawl. He had absolutely no reason to believe her name was Osborne. If she could travel as a man, she could easily change her name. But none of that answered why. Was she guilty of something, or was she the victim?

Edward’s thoughts had been so active that he was back at the inn almost before he was ready. He entered, gave a small nod of his head to the proprietor, and then took the stairs that led to the rooms. He knocked quietly on the door and waited for Osborne to answer it.

She did so without comment or ceremony, stepping back to let him in and then shutting the door behind her.

“I don’t know if you should do this,” Osborne began.

Edward set his bag down and looked at her.

“I mean,” she tried again, “I don’t know what motive Denley had for asking you such a thing. You don’t need to take care of me.”

“When Denley is well enough to assure me that he can be the escort he’s been to you in the past, I shall go on my way.”

It was not what she wanted to hear, but she didn’t argue. On ship she had thought it might help to have a third member in their party, but she had not counted on this.

“Has he stirred?”

“Yes.” Her voice sounded relieved for the first time. “While you were gone he drank a bit of water.”

“Good. Do you want me to sit with him for a time?”

Osborne hesitated. She had just been thinking that she needed to take care of a few things but hadn’t been willing to leave Denley alone.

“Are you certain?” she asked, unaccustomed as she was to help from anyone aside from Denley.

“Yes, very.”

Edward was headed to the chair by the bed when he noticed Osborne moving directly for the door.

“Wear your coat,” Edward commanded quietly.

Osborne looked down at the front of herself, checking to see if her vest still lay flat against her. When she found all in order, she looked back to Edward.

“You don’t look like a man from the back.”

She didn’t blush, at least not where Edward could notice, but her face told of her embarrassment. In truth, she rarely went out without some sort of long coat, but her distraction over Denley’s illness was very real.