The Highwayman's Bride Read Online Free PDF

his eyelids, he waited for the sound of the innkeeper’s messenger.
    “Uncle Jake said you ’av a job for me, sir,” the lad said as soon as he entered upon Aiden’s call.
    “Do you know Cadogan Square by any chance?”
    “I know the West a bit, but I’m smart, an if ye give me some directions, I’ll find me way.”
    He gave Frankie the address. “Ask for Morley. Tell him AMC lost Florian and to come to the inn at Langton Howe. Have you got that?”
    “Aye, sir. I don’t forget things.”
    Aiden gave a satisfied nod. “It is imperative, Frankie, that you make haste. Do not talk to anyone except Morley. Here’s a guinea, and there’s another for you when you and Morley return, so be sure you do.”
    “Oh yes, sir. I will sir. Most definitely.”
    Aiden quickly gave Frankie directions and, satisfied the boy could remember them, he waved him on his way. “Off with you then.”
    Frankie bounded out of the room, whistling a tune as he skittered down the stairs.
    Alone again, Aiden sank back down on the bed. At last he could think, but damn it, he still could not see. He lay like a baby, peaceful in slumber.
    …
    Tess had gone to deliver the message to the physician, but he’d been attending another patient and wouldn’t be available for some time. Aiden would be alone.
    Blind and alone.
    She knew she should have simply left, but the moment she cast a final glance toward the inn, her determination had withered and she had returned.
    That had been hours ago, and still Aiden slept, his body flushed, soft moans slipping from dry, parched lips.
    Using a clean cloth and fresh water, she dabbed his brow and mouth. He muttered his thanks, but did not wake and she couldn’t help but wonder if his sight remained lost in a blurred darkness.
    Poor soul.
    But what of her? She had to get away. To remain so close to home was to risk being found.
    At the thought of what she had escaped, goose bumps trailed across her arms and she rubbed them brusquely.
    Leaving her patient’s bedside, she crossed the room, opened the shutters, and stared down into the yard. It was quiet now, the hubbub of patrons long gone as night descended once more.
    “You came back.”
    Unable to douse the surprising delight at hearing him speak, she turned to face him. “Yes.”
    His color had returned, his eyes no longer lifeless.
    “Your fever seems to have abated. Perhaps you do not need the physician,” she said, not explaining why she had returned. “Can you see?”
    He didn’t answer her at first and hope swelled in her chest.
    “Unfortunately, ’tis still a blur, though lighter, if it can be called that. It is night again, is it not?”
    She nodded and then remembered to speak. “It is.”
    “Why did you come back, Tess?”
    Yes, why?
    “I think it is because you care.”
    “I don’t have that luxury.” Not if she wanted to be free. “I came back to tell you the doctor would be some time. When I found you wracked with fever, I stayed.”
    “Thank you.”
    “You are correct, though. Night has fallen and I do not fancy being out on the roads. You yourself said it was dangerous for a woman.”
    “It is, and yet you chose a dangerous escapade.”
    “A necessary evil for a moment in time,” she countered easily.
    “Is life so bad that you must resort to robbery?”
    A hiccup bubbled in her throat. “I could ask the same of you, sir.”
    “Aiden,” he corrected, a tiny smile playing along his mouth. “My name is Aiden.”
    Something in her chest tightened.
    “I do what I do, because I must,” Aiden finally said, his voice tainted with bitterness. “Honor is at stake.”
    “Honor! You ride the roads as a highwayman, robbing people and yet you talk of honor? Honor and thievery seem strange bedfellows.”
    “You are just as guilty.”
    “Most probably,” she agreed. “At least you do not condemn me for being a woman.”
    “A strong and determined woman, it would seem.”
    “Not foolish anymore?” she questioned, with a