24 The Confidential Mission

  There were three names in Queen Adeline’s confidential letter to Parlings. Lord Sherman, Captain Marchessi, and a third person whose name was smudged. They were supposed to witness the Pedlar’s death. Now, Lord Sherman was in Persia. Had Captain Marchesi and the third witness arrived too? Joseph shook his head and tried to look as normal as possible.

  “Lord Mainwood?” Lord Sherman called his name. “You seem unwell.”

  “Pardon me. I have quit alcohol and thought you were an illusion.”

  Lord Sherman frowned. “The duke told me you have become quite odd. I didn’t think it was this serious.”

  “Oh, Sherman. This is my good side.”

  Lord Sherman chuckled, not expecting to hear that from Joseph. “I like this new odd version of you. It seems more fun than the strict man I knew in college.”

  “I’m glad my mental state has satisfied at least one of us.”

  Sherman chuckled again. “You’re much better, indeed.”

  “What brought you here, Sherman?” Joseph asked casually. “I didn’t know you were a fan of Persian feasts.”

  “I’m not,” Sherman said, rejecting a drink from a servant as he spoke. “Persia—as a matter of fact, all Asia—is filthy and hot. I despise being here.”

  Joseph’s suspicion was turning into certainty. “Then what brings you here?”

  “Oh, I’m here for a mission. It won’t take too long.”

  Joseph clenched his jaw. “What kind of a mission?”

  Sherman frowned, suspecting Joseph’s intention. “Why are you so invested?”

  “I’m only curious.”

  Sherman didn’t look eased. Another man joined them, merging into the conversation. Joseph saw that as an opportunity to leave and find the Pedlar. It was a must now. He searched the hallway, the yard, the foyer, the rooms, and the maids' quarters. She was nowhere to be found. If anyone knew where she was, it would be the princess.

  The Princess was talking to a woman when Joseph approached her. “Princess Mitra,” Joseph said, bowing for her, and she looked at him. “I have an urgent question.”

  The princess waited for the woman to leave then she spoke lowly. “Lord Mainwood. You cannot approach me in public. Everyone is watching.”

  “Please, Shahdoht,” he said with the wrong pronunciation. “I won’t take much of your time.”

  She followed Joseph to a corner. “What is it?” she asked.

  “Where is the Pedlar?”

  “The who?”

  “Don’t do this. We’ve already spoken. I saved her life.”

  “You saved her life? I find that hard to believe.”

  “Please. I need to find her. Her life is in danger.”

  “By whom?”

  “It’s complicated. Let me save her before it’s too late.”

  The Princess hesitated to talk. Joseph pulled something out of his clothes. It was the same dagger he had in his boots when the Pedlar found him in the gardens.

  “If I hurt her,” Joseph said, “you can take this dagger to your father and tell him I have stabbed your brother, the prince.”

  The princess frowned. “What?”

  “I didn’t do it. But if you do not trust me with the Pedlar’s life, you are free to turn me in.”

  “That’s insane!”

  “I want you to understand I mean no harm to her, and my intention is not ill.”

  “How do I know this is your dagger?”

  Joseph pulled it out of its cover. Philip Ford was engraved on its metal blade.

  “Philip Ford was my grandfather,” Joseph said. “Ford is the name of my house.”

  The Princess took the dagger and squinted at Joseph. “If you harm her,” she said. “I will kill you myself.”

  Joseph nodded. “Where is she?”

  The princess trusted Joseph and told him about the Pedlar’s whereabouts. Joseph hopped on his horse and started riding. He was fast while his mind played all the scenarios where the Pedlar could’ve got hurt. If Lord Sherman or Lord Parlings could find her sooner than Joseph, everything would be over.

  He arrived at the place to where the Princess had led him. It looked like a small infirmary with few patients. Joseph hitched his horse outside and entered, looking for the healer’s face among everyone. They all stared at him since he looked different, making him regret not changing his clothes to fit in. Stepping further into the place, he looked inside the rooms to find the healer. One room’s door was ajar, someone was treating a man’s wound with only a few candles to help in the darkness of the night. Joseph entered without a warning, and the woman turned to him in shock. Her eyes widened when she saw his face, unable to believe he could find her location. It was indeed the pedlar.

  “Finally!” Joseph said, stepping toward her. “Can you please stop that and come outside for a minute?”

  “Lord Mainwood?” she asked. “How did you find me?”

  “It’s not the time, dear. We need to leave immediately.”

  The ‘dear’ brought a red tone to her cheeks. She stepped toward him. “Have you lost your mind? You can’t come here! There are sick people here!”

  “We need to talk, woman. Will you listen to me?”

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “No! You need to leave now! This is an infirmary! You’re not allowed here!”

  Joseph pulled a knife out of his pocket and without hesitation, cut his own palm, the blood running down his hand, shocking the patient in the room and the pedlar.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she asked with widened eyes.

  “I now need your expertise, madam. Can you please help?” He raised his palm before her, and she frowned at the bloody sight. “Well?” Joseph said in impatience.

  The pedlar gestured for him to sit in a chair, and he did without parting his gaze. She grabbed an alcohol container, opened its lid, and poured it on his wound. Joseph barely flinched, which agitated her even more.

  “You’re a stupid man,” she said in annoyance, cleaning his injury carefully. “You must have a very important reason for doing this silly gesture.”

  “Who are you?” Joseph asked.

  “Pardon?”

  “Why does the queen of England want you dead?”

  The Pedlar looked shocked. Joseph couldn’t decide if it was because she didn’t know they wanted her dead or if she was shocked that Joseph knew about it.

  “She… she wants me what?” she asked.

  “Don’t you know that?!”

  “No! I supposed someday they would look for me but not murder me!”

  “Why are they looking for you? What have you done?”

  “Nothing.”

  “They wouldn’t want you dead if you didn’t do anything.”

  She stopped attending to his wound and looked at him. “Are you accusing me, Lord Mainwood?”

  “I’m merely trying to understand.”

  “I don’t think I need to explain myself to you.” She got closer to Joseph. “I am a nobody. And you are an earl. I’ve said it a dozen times. I’ll say it again.” She poked his chest. “Stay away from me.”

  Joseph showed his palm. “Not until this gets fixed.”

  She rolled her eyes and grabbed a piece of clean fabric, wrapping it around his hand tightly, but not so tightly to stop his movement. When the bandaging finished, Joseph could feel her withdrawal to leave him and escape again. Instinctively, his fingers sought hers, gently holding onto them to keep her close. She looked him in the eye, wondering what he wanted.

  “I saw many English men at the feast,” he said. “They’ve come to hurt you. I read it in the confidential letter. It’s the Queen’s direct order to murder you.”

  The pedlar barely breathed, surprisingly not taking her hand away. She looked mortified but tried to hide it.

  “I must know about you to help you,” he said, softly stroking her fingers without realizing what he was doing. He wanted to calm her. She was standing too close as he was sitting in the chair. Joseph’s soft touch soothed her worries for a bit yet concern was still evident on her face. “I can help you leave this town immediately,” Joseph said softly. Her gaze returned to his eyes again. Before she could word her thoughts, a voice interrupted them.

  “Be careful,” said a man in English, startling them.

  Joseph put his index finger on his mouth to indicate the urgency of silence. He slowly walked toward the door, hiding behind the wall. There were two armed English men, peeking inside the rooms one by one and inspecting everyone. Joseph’s heart skipped a beat. He returned to her, grabbing her hand and dragging her silently through the curtains that separated each patient’s private space. No one found the time to object as they stepped inside their privacy and moved to the other side of the room. There was a window to the back side. Joseph boosted her up and helped her exit. Then he followed after her.

  Just when they thought they were safe, another voice in English reached them. Joseph hid behind the wall, caging the healer. He moved his finger to her mouth to prevent her from making a noise.

  “This is a waste of time!” the English man said in a frustrated tone.

  Joseph peeked from behind the wall and saw three horses in the front. The Pedlar wanted to move, but Joseph shook his head. She looked angry and impatient. After what felt like an eternity, the English men finally left with their horses. The Pedlar struggled in Joseph’s grip. “Will you move?” she said under his hand.

  Joseph stepped backward, taking a deep breath to clear his mind. “I merely wanted to stop you from doing something stupid.”

  “I would do something stupid?”

  “Yes. You endanger your life. I can’t trust you to leave you alone. Don’t you understand the situation you are in right now? I warned you to stay in the palace and stop being the hero. How could you be so careless?”

  “I am not careless. Let me have a talk with them. Perhaps I can persuade them that I am not a threat.” She wanted to walk toward them, but Joseph put a hand on the wall behind her, blocking her way.

  “Absolutely not!”

  “Do you intend to keep me imprisoned?”

  “If that’s what is necessary.”

  She tried to move away from the other side, but he put his other hand on the wall and caged her. “Listen to me,” Joseph hissed, frustrated at her disobedience, “You’re not moving anywhere.”

  Her mouth parted with the sudden intimacy, and she breathed hard, her chest moving heavily. He was acting stupidly possessive of a woman he didn’t know. He realized that the closeness only confused him more than he was. She was only a few inches away to hold onto and feel against his body. That was a dangerous but delicious thought.

  For the first time, The Pedlar found herself oddly submissive toward him. She couldn’t say no to him for some reason. Joseph was a handsome man, she noticed. Men from England looked and dressed differently. Joseph’s hair was a dark shade of gold. His green eyes now looked dark, and his lips were not full or thin, only the perfect size. He had many wrinkles, but they didn’t make him look bad. On the contrary, he looked mature and ripe like a man who had lived and learned much. The constant sorrow in the depths of his eyes confirmed that life had never been easy for him.

  The Pedlar never had someone care for her to that extent to protect her. She was the one who always helped other people. But now this man, Joseph Mainwood, from another side of the world, was doing his best to keep her safe, no matter how many times she rejected him. It was the first time she felt important in another person’s life, and she liked it. It was strange, but she hadn’t felt like she was in a man’s presence before. But now suddenly, Joseph was a man, one with handsome features and a persistent personality.

  The Pedlar gulped hard, slowly melting under his gaze. She had to regain focus and composure. “Who are you to order me around?” Her voice came out softly despite her attempt to look unfazed. She didn’t avoid eye contact, which melted Joseph. His gaze lowered to her lips, the ones that kept defying him every chance they found.

  “If you were in England,” Joseph said, “I could order you to stay put.”

  “We’re in Persia,” she said, a gentle smirk curving her lips. “Your order means nothing here.”

  He couldn’t resist what she was doing to him. The very oath he took in his heart to never have feelings for another woman broke every time he was close to the Pedlar. She affected him in a way Joseph never thought anyone could, which scared him gravely.

  “Let me go,” she whispered with the sanest tone she mustered. Joseph didn’t want to frighten her. Her opinion of him mattered too much. Her long eyebrows were slightly arched. He shook his head and stepped away from her. She was too stubborn to control, even for someone as assertive as Joseph.

  “We must leave now,” he said. “They’re looking for you.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you,” the Pedlar said. “You bring their attention toward me.”

  “I can protect you from them.”

  “That’s unnecessary.”

  “Don’t test my temper, Hood.”

  “I shall discover what they want from me. I can handle—” Before she could end her sentence, Joseph bent, wrapping his arms around her waist and snatching her from the ground. He lifted her in his arms as if she weighed nothing and placed her on his shoulder. “What are you doing?!” the Pedlar shrieked in shock.

  “Shh,” he said, walking to his horse. “They might hear you.” He gently put her down next to his horse.

  She was astounded by his strength and boldness. Her legs felt wobbly, and her cheeks were flushed red. No man had dared to handle her like that. She had just realized how enthusiastic and strong he was. Joseph admired how lovely she looked with her blush. Before she could protest—and Joseph was certain that she would because her tongue was searching for a humbling word—he defended himself.

  “If I am no one here,” Joseph said, “I’ll find a way to make you listen to me.”

  He was just as stubborn as she was, if not more. If he were another man, she would shout at the top of her lungs and hurt him. But Joseph wasn’t any other man.

  “You’re disrespectful!” she said, fixing her clothes. “You cannot touch a woman like that!”

  “I apologize. I admit it was unlike me.”

  “Seems just like you.”

  Joseph raised an eyebrow. “I never act uncivil.”

  “You haven’t acted otherwise with me!”

  “You make me lose my manners! I am a gentleman.”

  “Then perhaps you should walk away from me.”

  “That’s not an option. Please, get on my horse before they notice you.”

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “Anywhere you desire. Just out of Lord Parlings’ reach. Please. I’m begging you.”

  He was now soft despite having her on his shoulder a few seconds ago. She didn’t fight him anymore and mounted the horse. Joseph sat behind her and wrapped an arm around her to secure her, forming an overwhelming intimacy between them, however, neither of them would object to it.