In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster by Stephanie Laurens Page B

best I can do — the hardest I can grip anything at the moment. They gave me laudanum for the past three days and it still hasn’t worn off. My legs are still shaky, and I can’t hold onto anything. If I slip …”
    A chill coursed down his spine. If she slipped … he might not be able to catch and hold her, and stop her from pitching over the roof’s edge. She was tallish, admittedly slender, yet there was enough of her to make him question whether he would be strong enough to hold and save her. He grimaced; the truth was he didn’t know his own strength — he’d never had occasion to test it before. “All right.” He nodded, keeping both gesture and tone calm and even. “It won’t help our cause if either of us falls and breaks a limb, so we’ll think of another way.”
    She blinked as if taken aback, but then nodded. “Yes. Good.” She paused, then asked, “Do you have any suggestions?”
    Relieved that she seemed to be in a more rational state than he’d expected, not panic-ridden and, heaven forfend, weepy, he turned his mind to considering their options.
    There didn’t seem to be many.
    He frowned. “Freeing you tonight would probably be unwise, anyway. It’s pitch black out on the road, and going back across the Cheviots, even in a carriage, in the dead of night, possibly fleeing pursuers who might or might not have weapons, could end very badly. Given we don’t know this area …” He stopped and looked inquiringly at her, but she shook her head. He concluded, “It would be wisest not to attempt to flee at night.”
    “We might get lost. We might run off the road.”
    “Exactly.” He thought further. “You said there are three of them?”
    Leaning her elbows on the sill, Eliza nodded. “Scrope is the leader — I think he was the one who was waiting in the back parlor of St. Ives House.” She met Jeremy’s eyes. “The room was dark. I didn’t see him, but he drugged me — with ether, I think. They must have taken me out through the window — it gives onto an alley.”
    He looked at her intently, patiently waiting for her to continue.
    “There’s a woman — I’m sure she must normally be a nurse-companion. She’s somewhere in her early thirties, and stronger than she looks. And the coachman, Taylor, is also part of the scheme. He’s burly and strong, too, rather rougher than Scrope, who looks and speaks like a gentleman.”
    His eyes still locked on her face, Jeremy said, “So there’s three of them and only two of us, so even in daylight we can’t try anything direct, not unless we can get rid of at least one of them, if not two.”
    Both paused to think. After a minute ticked past, she shook her head. “I can’t think of any clever way of even distracting two of them — they’re very definitely not stupid.”
    Jeremy nodded. “Where are they taking you?” His eyes again met hers. “Have they said?”
    “Edinburgh.” Her lips firmed. “They’ve kidnapped me for some highland laird and they’re planning to hand me over to him there — they said the day after tomorrow.” She held his gaze. “You see, there’s this Scottish nobleman —”
    “I know all about it — about Heather’s kidnapping and who your family thinks is behind it.” When she looked her surprise, he went on, “I was at Wolverstone Castle, evaluating a manuscript for Royce, when he got a letter from Devil telling him about the incident with Heather, explaining what they thought, and asking his advice. Royce read it to Minerva and me. That’s how I know.”
    “Good.” She let her relief color her voice. “I wasn’t looking forward to explaining it all — it sounds so far-fetched.”
    “There’s nothing far-fetched about you being here, locked in an inn room in Jedburgh.”
    “True.” She grimaced. “This laird is clearly no figment of anyone’s imagination.” Leaning more heavily on the sill, she said, “So if I can’t escape tonight —”
    “I’ll have to arrange to get you