Chapter 13

Stirring slightly, the young lady pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and smiled at her companion. "When will we be there, George?" she asked with a slight frown as her companion's hand traveled up her thigh.

Glancing at Emily, he shifted slightly against her. "We will be there soon, my sweet I promise," he said turning his attention back to the window. The wind was blowing the trees slightly and he shivered against the cold outside. They would soon be arriving in Hertfordshire where he would be meeting up with his commanding officer and when the time was right, leave the young lady sitting next to him.

He had met her two weeks ago after befriending her brother and had easily convinced the naïve young woman to run away and get married. Smiling down at her head, he wondered if he would finally be able to bed her. She had been very willing to accept his advances, but everytime he tried to go further, she pushed him away and wagged a finger in his face, saying they were not married yet.

The coaching post pulled into the little village of Meryton and George quickly pushed Emily away from him. He did not want anyone in the town suspecting what he was actually doing with her. Opening the door, he quickly jumped down, and helped Emily to the ground. Scanning the small town, he scowled slightly at how small the town was. He was hoping there would be a few entertainment places for him to visit, but unfortunately it looked like he was out of luck once again.

Turning her attention to George, Emily wondered for a brief moment if she was making the wrong decision. He had promised to marry her, but she kept having this nagging feeling that something was not right with him. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed the inn, and decided to head inside. It would be nice to have a hot meal and to wash the trail dust of her person. Letting her eyes ajust to the dim lighting, she offered a small smile to the innkeeper behind the desk, before quickly taking in her surroundings.

"I did not give you permission to come in here alone," George whispered in her ear as he grabbed her arm a little too forcefully.

Pulling her arm out of his grasp, Emily smiled sweetly at him. "Get two rooms for us please George. I would like to rest before spending time looking over the town."

Bowing his head slightly, George knew that he would have to do as she said or else the innkeeper would start asking questions. Striding over to the counter, he requested two rooms for him and his sister. The innkeeper raised an eyebrow slightly as he handed over the two room keys but did not ask any questions.

Handing one of the keys to Emily, George followed her up the stairs. Seeing her to her room, he quickly glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching them and slipped into his own room. Putting his bag on the bed, he quickly washed off the road dust and slipped into his uniform. He would need to meet up with Colonel Foster before the end of the day and report to his post. Turning the door knob, he slipped out of the room, making his way out into the street. Glancing up and down the street, he decided then and there to leave Emily to fend for herself. He would be able to easily find other young ladies who were willing to give him what he wanted.

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Sitting on the edge of the bed, Emily leaned her hands back behind her, and took in her soundings. The little room in the inn was small with only a bed, table and chairs, and a small wardrobe. Opening up her carpet bag, she shifted through the items, before pausing when she found the letters from her brother. Lifting them out of the bag, she wondered what he was doing right now. Was he searching for her? Was he worried about her safety? Closing her eyes, she knew it was a bad idea to be with a gentleman alone, but he had promised to marry her.

Walking to the small basin, she dipped her hands into the water and rinsed her face of all the grim and dirt from the trail. Lifting the towel to her face, she paused when a blur of red hurried up the street. Why was George leaving her alone? Shrugging her shoulders slightly, Emily decided not to waste the day alone in her room, but made the quick decision to see if they had a bookstore in town.

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Glancing at mary sitting beside him, Michael smiled slightly. She had agreed to take a ride with him into town, but only if one of the places he stopped was the bookstore. Chuckling at the serious look on her face, he had agreed to her request. Pulling the blanket snuggly around her, he felt her shift a little closer to him to keep warm. "are you warm enough, Mary?" he asked with a slight smile.

Glancing quickly from him to the horses, Mary gave him a grin through her scarf wrapped around her neck. "it may be a bit windy today, but with the extra blankets, Mrs. Jackson saw to give us, I am quite warm. Thank you for bringing me to the bookstore, Michael," she said softly still unused to calling him by his Christian name. Since that day when she had broken down in his arms and let out all her frustrations, he had requested that she call him Michael and he call her Mary.

Bowing his head slightly, he replied, "It is my pleasure, my lady. Are your sisters still enjoying the company of Darcy and Fitzwilliam? He asked. It had been about two weeks since he had seen either gentleman since they never seemed to cross paths when they visisted the Bennet household.

Mary chuckled softly, "Colonel Fitzwilliam decided to take Jane out to the garden today to enjoy the weather before it became too cold to venture very far."

"She is not allowed to walk yet on her leg is she?"

"No it will be at least another week before the cast can come off. Colonel Fitzwilliam would not listen to Jane when she said she could walk outside, so he decided to carry her out to the bench in the garden. I have never seen Jane so mad at someone before," Mary said with a laugh and realized that Colonel Fitzwilliam was good for Jane. He seemed to know how to bring out a different side of her that none of them had seen before.

"He is a good man, Mary and maybe someday he will make your sister a decent husband," he replied as they made their way into town. Lifting a hand to a few of the people he knew on the street, Michael pulled the curricle to a stop in front of the bookstore. Jumping down, he tied the horses, and walked around to the other side to lift Mary down. Once she was settled on her feet, he let his hands rest a moment longer on her waist, before giving it a slight squeeze. Giving Mary a smile, he led them into the bookstore.

"I would like to browse for a few minutes and see if they have the book I have been waiting for. Are you going to come with me or browse another section," Mary asked as she gazed up at him and Michael could have sworn he saw a plea in her eyes to join him.

"I will join you in a few moments. I need to find a book that Charlotte wanted for her birthday," he said quickly as he made his way to another part of the bookstore.

Shrugging her shoulders slightly, Mary made her way to the part of the bookstore that usually housed the stories she liked to read. Running a finger along the spines of the books, she quickly found the one she was looking for and smiled. She found another book she could hid behind Fordyce Sermons with and no one would be the wiser. A hand on her shoulder made her jump and she turned to find herself looking into the face of a young lady she did not recognized.

"I am sorry to bother you miss, but I was wondering if you knew where the dime novels were kept. I have never been to this bookstore and cannot seem to find them."

Glancing over her shoulder at the books she had just finished browsing through, Mary chuckled softy. "i was just browsing through them myself and was blocking them when you walked by." Moving over to the side some, Mary gestured to the row of dime novels and let the young lady pursue them. "Is there one in particular you are searching for? If it is not here, I am sure Mr. Graves would have it in a new shipment or be able to get it for you," she offered when the young woman did not seem to choose one

Finally pulling a novel out, Emily shook her head and smiled. "Thank you for the offer, but I have found just the one I was searching for. Thank you for your help, Miss."

"My name is Mary Bennet and you are welcome. It was my pleasure to help another reader find what they were looking for," she offered with a smile, before glancing down at her own novel.

Peeking at the novel, Miss Bennet had in her hands, Emily giggled. "You will love that novel, Miss Bennet. It has always been one of my favorites. My name is Emily Sidle. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Mary are you ready to head back home. I found the book I was looking for," Michael said as he came up to Mary in conversation with a young lady he did not recognize. The red head turned her head slightly and he knew who Mary was talking to. "Miss Sidle?" he asked.

Gasping Emily turned around to look at the man who said her name and went pale. Of all the towns to come to she had to be in the one where her brother's good friend Mr. Lucas was staying. "Mr. Lucas," she stammered and wondered how she was going to talk herself out of this one. "It is nice to see you again. It has been too long."

"Its Lieutenant Lucas now Miss Sidle. How come you to be in our little village of Meryton? Last I heard from your brother he was still stationed in the North," he asked with a slight raise of his brow and watching in satisfaction as her eyes got bigger and her cheeks turned red. Would she admit who she was really here with?

She knew Lieutenant Lucas would be able to see through lies, so she decided the best thing to do was tell him part of the truth and leave it at that. "My brother is still stationed in the North, but I decided to go and visit some friends in London. The North is too harsh for me and Jackson decided I needed to spend some time with society again. It was a pleaure seeing you again and meeting you Miss Bennet, but I really must be going," she hurriedly said taking the book she picked out with her.

Mary watching Miss Sidle pay for her purchase and practically run out the front door. Turning her attention to Michael, she saw he was staring at the door Miss Sidle had just went through. Laying a hand on his arm, she gave it a gentle squeeze, and smiled at him when he turned to look down at her. "Is everything alright?"

Taking the book from her hands, he chuckled as he read the title, and laughed harder at the glare Mary was shooting his way. Taping her nose slightly, he gave her a small grin. "Everything is going to be fine, but I need to send off a note to my friend in the North as soon as possible. Let me pay for these books quick and then let us head to the post office," Michael said as he paid for their books. Opening the door for Mary, he followed her out to the curricle. Putting their purchases under the seat, he offered his arm to her. "Would you like to join me?" he asked.

Taking his arm, she wondered what was so important all of a sudden. Giving his arm another light squeeze as they crossed the street, she whispered, "You can trust me Michael. I hope you know that."

Laying a hand over hers, he slowly nodded his head. "The day we went on our ride, I received a letter from an old friend of mine I had made while in the militia. It seems his sister had run off with an officer and they were seen headed in this direction. Jackson had asked that I keep an eye out for them and to let him know if I had seen or heard anything."

"From your expression I take it that young woman is Emily Sidle? What are you going to do?"

"I am going to send an express to Emily's brother and tell him that she is here in Meryton. After that is completed I will return you home and then see if I can make inquiries into the officers staying in Meryton to see if any knew men have shown up within the last few days. If Darcy and Fitzwilliam are still visiting your sisters that I hope they can help me out."