The Raven's Revenge Read Online Free PDF Page B

mother’s advice: Go to Cousin Alicia. She will help .
    Alicia Pemberton had visited several times while Katherine’s mother ailed. At their last good-byes, Alicia had cordially bid Katherine come see them in London. With offspring ranging from eighteen months to eight years, Katherine knew she could make herself useful. Surely Cousin Alicia meant the invitation?
    If anyone could keep her safe from her father’s plans, it was Alicia—or more precisely Alicia’s husband, James, a successful barrister. He would be able to protect her from this marriage. Her father did not have the legal right to force her to marry Finch, even though here in Dorsetshire, he could make her do it anyway. In London, she would be able to seek the protection of the law. While she did not have the right to choose whom she would marry, she did have the right to choose whom she would not .
    So, she must leave Ashfield and make her way to London. Perhaps she had known this the afternoon she’d run into the storm, the same afternoon Mr. Eddington had made his propitious arrival. Had he been heaven-sent to help her escape?
    Such a fanciful thought! Katherine shook her head. It seemed unlikely an outlaw—and an injured one at that—would provide any sort of deliverance. Most likely, he would offer peril rather than protection.
    He had slept a good part of four days, waking for broth and bread. For the last two, he had been without fever. Blessedly, none of his band of hooligans had appeared. Soon he would need to move on.
    Since she must also travel, it made sense to find out if he would be going to London.
    Katherine rescued the ball of twine as Montford tried to bat it away.
    How dangerous would it be to travel with him? Surely, the man was no gentleman. Still, since their initial encounter, his behavior had been above reproach. Of course, that could be because he had slept through most of her visits.
    Yet, how else was she to get to London? A woman traveling alone and unprotected would be prey to both man and beast.
    Katherine shivered and tied the twine into a knot. She eyed the bush critically and discovered she had missed a branch. Her mind had not fully been on the task; she would have to do it again.
    “Good Katherine,” Richard Finch’s voice came from behind.
    Katherine rose with a start. She had been so preoccupied, she had not heard his approach. She had even missed the sounds of his coach coming down the drive and arriving at the front of the manse.
    Finch’s smile did not reach his eyes. “I have come to tell you we will say our espousals and exchange gifts before witnesses tomorrow.”
    So soon? “I-I am not ready.” She looked away to mask her rising panic and took a step back. Her skirt caught on the thorns of the errant branch.
    “I think you will be.” He took a step toward her.
    She shook her head. “Three more days. Father said ‘twould be a sennight for me to—“
    “Your father and I agree. It is time.” Finch reached for her hand, but, seeing her fingers covered with dirt, did not take them. His nose wrinkled. “I have learned you do much walking in the woods of late. ’Tis not prudent.”
    Katherine tugged on her skirt to free it. The rosebush held tight.
    “You may be aware there is a bandit loose in this area. I shot him when he attempted a holdup.” Finch gloated. “Since then, none have come across him, dead or alive. He is dangerous, Katherine, and I would not see you come to harm.”
    She looked back at him, at the cruel smile that played on the corners of his mouth. He simply did not want her hurt by anyone else.
    “Thank you for informing me,” she said stiffly. 
    “Just this day I have offered a reward for his capture. Five gold sovereigns will inspire much interest in his arrest.”
    That much money would lure many to scour the forest. Even the most superstitious would brave Witches’ Rock for such a reward. Mr. Eddington could easily be discovered. He must leave soon.
    She pulled her skirt