The Guardian

Chapter 13

Jack and Nora parted ways with Ben once they docked in England. Now, they traveled with horses, supplies and money. They would be able to afford to stay in inns along the way. Assuming Mr. Stark was correct and there were only the two of Rogan's men aboard The Independence, they would likely remain ahead of Rogan for a time—if he had, indeed, opted to follow them abroad. Of course, with the two destinations of the ship—England and France—he would not know for sure which country they were bound for.

Despite Jack's better judgment, they had begun the journey to her father's holdings—or what may be left of it. Nora had not returned home since she left a hundred years ago. While he had studied maps on the voyage from the Colonies, he was still ignorant of the culture, climate and terrain. Sure, he had a general idea of where everything was situated, but that didn't give him further knowledge of the people here. Nora did what she could to teach him about the European way of life—to the extent she knew it—but he remained uneasy.

After the excitement with Collins and Stark, the rest of voyage passed uneventfully. Jack continued to train Nora in hand-to-hand combat and would resume her weapons training once they were in an area that accommodated those lessons without drawing attention.

Ben traveled with numerous trunks of books, and Jack had continued to read them at night, along with what he could from Hancock's own shelves. There were books on farming, animal husbandry, medicine, history, politics, fiction and poetry.

Ben had given them the addresses of where he would be staying in England and France, if they were to need him. However, Jack had a hard time thinking they would just knock on the palace doors in France. It wasn't until he was part of the discussions with Ben and Hancock aboard the ship that he realized how powerful a man Ben really was. Ben was a gentle man by nature, given to diplomacy first. While he certainly could be roused to passion during an argument, he remained determined to solve problems with words before violence. He was not naïve though. He knew how unlikely it would be for the Colonies to gain their independence without bloodshed, and so he was headed to France to see if he could win the support and aid of the French king and queen. Ben was a man Jack hoped to emulate.

Nora took their parting well. Jack could see that she would greatly miss Ben, but she knew their task and took it seriously. She knew if they were to achieve their goal, they would need to leave Ben's side. They were as ready as they could be. A finer example of man he had just never found.

Though Jack was in no particular hurry to get to Nora's ancestral home, which she told him was named Rushwyck Manor, he would be happy to sleep in an actual bed that evening—one that didn't sway with the waves. Jack and Nora spent their evenings in each other's arms. Once he had her, he couldn't get enough of her. She had awoken feelings in him he never knew he could have. He found peace in her embrace. With their marriage came the assurance that she would always be there with him. She was his family now. As long as he kept her safe, she would remain by his side. What was more, she seemed to genuinely want to be with him. Each night she grew bolder in her touch. He found her to be a wonderful listener as he thought out loud. He had come to truly feel like they were, indeed, a team.

They left the outskirts of the city and Jack reigned his horse in closer to Nora. Her horse pulled a small cart behind it, carrying their supplies. Jack had considered a carriage, but ultimately thought they would be too open to attack from Rogan's men or highway bandits. Neither of which he wanted to encounter.

"What do you think we'll find when we reach your family's manor?" He asked after a long stretch of companionable silence.

"What do you mean?" Nora asked.

"Do you think it will still be standing?"

"Of course it will!" Nora was aghast by the mere implication it could be otherwise. "It was built in the 14th century, sir. It's seen many battles and years of hardship and has persevered!"