Free A Kiss of Lies by Bronwen Evans Page B

Lord Markham’s in a hurry to return home.”
    “Is the
Doreen
Lord Markham’s ship?”
    The clerk nodded assent. “Aye, she is.”
    With a polite thank-you, he stepped out into the sunshine, a thrill coursing through his veins. He now knew where to start looking for her.
    What on earth was she doing with the Earl? Had Lady Serena Castleton known Lord Markham prior to her marriage? His lip curled in disgust. He knew who Lord Markham was, a burned war hero shunned by polite society. Why would that man want to protect her?
    Had Serena Castleton used her body in exchange for protection? A woman on the run would need protection and couldn’t be too fussy about whom she bedded in exchange for it, even a hideously disfigured man like Markham. She was certainly beautiful enough for any man to offer protection in exchange for her body.
    Whore!
    There was only one way to find out: follow the
Doreen
to England.
    He would find her. Once clear of the docks, he strode purposefully to where a young boy held his horse. As he swung himself up into the saddle, he inwardly swore that no slip of a woman would evade him. He
would
catch her.

Chapter Six
    Lily, it turned out, was a magnificent sailor, although it was fair to note that the sea had been relatively calm ever since they left Canada.
    The first night on board ship had passed smoothly. They’d all dined in the main cabin, adjacent to Christian’s stateroom, before Sarah retired early to see to Lily. She’d wanted to ensure that the little girl wasn’t nervous or scared. At night, in the dark, the creaks and groans of the schooner’s wood and rigging could be frightening for a young girl who’d just lost both her parents and was being taken away from the only home she’d ever known.
    Sarah read to her until Lily fell asleep. Then she’d crept to her own cabin and fallen into an exhausted, dreamless sleep. She’d managed to flee Canada without being caught. She prayed she’d be safe in Dorset.
    Christian must have slept soundly too, because Sarah didn’t wake until dawn, having had the best night’s rest she’d had in weeks. No nightmares of Sean, her husband’s vile overseer, chasing her, pinning her down, ripping at her clothes … Unless Sean was a fish, he’d not catch her at sea. She gave a strangled sigh. He was as slimy as a fish. And stank like one too.
    Once she was dressed, the lure of fresh air saw her climbing through the hatch. Arriving on deck, Sarah gloried in the dawn breaking in vibrant oranges and reds, spreading its light like a newly lit fire across the waves. No longer was the joy of being alive a forgotten sentiment.
    She raised her arms and gulped in the fresh sea air, then slowly exhaled. She was going to enjoy this crossing. The pleasure of standing on English soil was one she thought she’d never experience again. A tear slipped from her eye and she wiped it away. She wished she could wipe the last two years from her memory just as easily. She might be returning to the home of her birth, but she could never return home.
    Seeing the captain leaning on the railing, Sarah moved to his side. “Good morning, Captain Weatherspoon. It’s going to be a beautiful day.”
    “Aye, lass. The winds are filling the sails. It’ll be a quick trip down the coast to Jamaica.”
    “Jamaica?” Sarah tried to keep her tone steady.
    “Lord Markham got an urgent missive as we were boarding. He asked me to change ourroute to sail via Jamaica.” The captain smiled. “You’ll enjoy the stop. Jamaica’s a bit wild, but the scenery and sparkling waters are among the most glorious anywhere in the world.”
    With that, he touched his cap and strolled up onto the bridge. She turned back to lean on the railing, her pulse beating frantically.
    She didn’t want to go to Jamaica. Her husband owned a slave auction house on the island, the image of which she would never be able to wash out of her mind. They had made frequent trips to the island when each slave ship