by Wendy Vella
“You should marry him.”
Stay calm, Hero.
“I hardly think Lord Caruthers would wish to marry me, Owen, as I am not the kind of lady who would make the best wife for someone in his position.” Forcing herself to look at him, she smiled in what she hoped was a confident way.
“You’re a lady and a genly breeded one. I knows cus Mrs. Bonny told us.”
Hero wanted to pinch the bridge of her nose, yet knew to show such a gesture in front of this sharp-eyed boy would be fatal. Owen could sniff out a weakness from fifty paces. He was relentless when on the scent of a story and she had wondered if getting him a position at a newspaper would be the best proposition for his future.
“Gently and bred, Owen, and the word is not cus, it’s because,” Hero said, hoping to deter him.
“If you married him, then he’d come and live wiv us.”
“I think Lord Caruthers would have something to say about your choosing his bride for him, Owen. Now enough of this foolish conversation. We are nearly home and the children will be rising and Mrs. Bonny will have breakfast awaiting us.”
“He likes you.”
She did pinch her nose then, hard, and closed her eyes briefly, also.
“Leave it now, if you please, Owen. I have no wish to discuss this further.”
Thankfully, the carriage had stopped and Hero hurried to open the door and help Charlotte down. It was foolish to feel happy when Owen had said Max liked her. After all, Max was a good man and she was sure he liked many people. Walking into the house with Owen and Charlotte seconds later, she put all thoughts of the disturbing Lord Caruthers from her mind as she came face to face with her cousin.
…
Max ate his breakfast slowly, staring at the pattern on the teapot before him.
Hero and the children had gone by the time he woke. Not the start to the day he’d planned. He’d wanted to wake and see her face beside his on the pillow, and that thought should have scared him witless, strangely it didn’t.
“A letter and a child have arrived, my lord.”
“Presumably the first was carried by the second, Freddy?” Max said to his butler, who had just arrived in the doorway.
“Yes, my lord. The lad is the same boy who resided here last night. He appears quite flustered, and indicated the matter is of extreme urgency.”
“Bet he didn't term it in quite those words.”
Freddy unbent enough to smile slightly. “Indeed, he did not.”
“Send him in and bring something a small boy would like to eat and drink, Freddy.”
The butler stared at him for several seconds.
“What?”
“You wish the boy to come in here with you?”
“Have I not just stated as much?” Max said, wondering why Owen was here alone and how he’d got here. Was something wrong with Hero?
“Well?” Max looked at his butler, who was still stationed in his doorway.
“At once, my Lord.”
Freddy left and Max stood, awaiting the boy’s arrival.
“Master Owen, your grace,” Freddy said minutes later.
“My name’s not Master Owen. It’s Owen Nivers.”
Max shook his head at Freddy as he opened his mouth to correct the child. The explanation would take time, which, looking at the boy’s face, he did not believe they had.
“Leave us now, please, Freddy.”
Owen was dressed in a thick jumper and scarf with a woolen hat pulled down so low Max couldn’t see his eyebrows—only his eyes, ears and nose, the latter from which came a loud sniffing sound.
“Why are you here, Owen? Is something wrong?”
The little boy’s shoulders lowered then and his eyes filled with tears and he was soon running across the floor to Max and wrapping his arms around his legs. He lifted Owen into his arms and felt the familiar warmth as the boy hugged him.
“Are you still fearful of your father, Owen? Because if you are, I can assure you he is gone and will not be returning to Neathern.”
The boy lifted his head and then shook it. “No it’s not about him, me pa. You told me he’s gone and I believe you cus Hero said you never lie.”
It was ridiculous to feel ten feet tall just because Hero and Owen believed in him, believed he didn’t lie.
“Then why are you upset if it is not over what happened last night?”
“That man has come—her cousin—and he’s not nice cus I heard her once telling Mrs. Bonny he weren’t and he's saying nasty things.”
“What things?” Max said, his feet already taking him to the door, where he yelled for Freddy to bring his horse around.
“That she’s his and he’ll take her with him by force if he has to. He says he’s head of Hero’s family and she should come back home wiv him to her rightful place. But don’t you see, her rightful place is wiv us, my lord, and you gots to do sumthin.”
“Like hell I’ll let him take her,” Max said softly as he hurried up the stairs to his rooms, with Owen still clinging to him. “Begging your pardon for my language, Owen.”
“You needs to save her from him,” Owen said as Max lowered him to the floor so he could pull on his coat and gloves.
“We’ll save her, Owen. Now tell me how you got here.”
“I took Simon.”
Relived that he hadn’t walked, Max held out his hand when he was ready and Owen didn’t hesitate, placing his small mitten-covered one inside it.
“Come. We shall leave at once.”
His horse was waiting so he lifted Owen up and then mounted behind him.
“Hero likes you, my lord.”
“Does she?”
“You should marry her. Then you could live wiv us.”
Max, who had been looking over Owen’s blue woolen hat, nearly choked on a gulp of cold air.
“I beg your pardon?”
“She’d marry you if you asked her.”
Max’s mind whirled as he looked down the main street of Neathern.
“Do you think so?”
The blue cap bobbed several times.
Strangely, the thought of marriage did not fill him with the horror it usually did. In fact, the thought of marrying Hero Appleby warmed something inside him that he was amazed to think could be his heart.
“She’s always doing fings a man should so you could do them now.”
“Things,” Max corrected absently as he thought about waking with Hero in his arms every morning.
“And best of all, you could take me to see the king.”
“So I get Hero and you,” Max said, pulling the boy into the warmth of his body.
“And Charlotte and the others.”
Max was silent as he wondered if he could marry Hero and live here in Neathern with her and six children. He’d been a selfish bastard, could he now change enough to share his life with a large family? Could he make that adjustment? The fact that he was considering it told Max he could.
“If…if you wants us, that is?”
Owens sounded nervous, telling Max how important his answer was to the boy.
“If I did marry Hero—and I say if, Owen, because this is not your decision but mine and Hero’s to make—it would be an honor to have you in my life, as well.”
The boy didn’t reply, instead running his nose over the sleeve of Max’s coat as he sniffed loudly.
Chapter Thirteen
“You will leave here at once, cousin, as I have nothing further to say to you,” Hero said from behind a chair in her parlor.
Her cousin had been been surrounded by her children when she, Owen, and Charlotte had arrived back at Bratton House. All were talking at him and his face was flushed red, which told her he was angry.
She’d demanded he leave. He’d ignored her, and though she’d managed to keep the children close for as long as she could, when he started spewing vulgar words at her she’d had to order them and Mrs. Bonny from the room.
As soon as they’d left he had lunged at her
, his fingers grabbing a handful of her skirt as she tried to escape. The material ripped, but she managed to flee behind a sofa. He had then proceeded to stalk her, saying vile, vicious things. Lewd descriptions of what he intended to do to her when he got hold of her.
“I will not leave here without you, Hero. I am your only male relative, therefore, I have a right to demand this of you and I will brook no further arguments on this matter. You are mine and I will take you to my bed for as long as I wish it.”
Lord Appleby thought he was the height of elegance in his elaborately folded neckties and gaudy waistcoats, but just looking at him made Hero shudder. Tall, with thin black hair, and narrow brown eyes, he was a vile man who enjoyed physically subduing woman.
“You will come home and take your place in my life. I shall treat you well and when I wed nothing will change. I shall still keep you as my mistress.”
Show no fear, Hero. Stay calm and keep moving.
“As I have already explained in detail, cousin, I will never be in your bed. Nor will I acquiesce to your demands. As you have stated, you are my only surviving male family member. Therefore, it should be your duty to care for me, not abuse me,” Hero said, edging backward as he moved closer.
“I shall take your innocence here in this bloody room! Then you shall be ruined and no one but me will have you!” He lunged at her again but Hero was too quick. Grabbing the fireplace poker, she ran to the sofa.
“Bitch! I shall take a whip to you when we return. You shall be subdued by the time I’m finished.”
Hero saw the parlor door open and Max appear. He looked large and dangerous, and she had never been happier to see anyone in her life. His eyes looked her over briefly, taking in the weapon she had clasped in both hands, and then they fixed on Lord Appleby.
“Hero, leave the room.” His words sounded low and fierce.
“No.” She stayed where she was, although she did lower the poker now Max was here. She was safe; he would make sure of it.
“What the hell are you doing here, Caruthers?” Her cousin demanded.
Max didn’t reply. Instead, he crossed the room and pulled back his fist, letting it go straight into her cousin’s face. Lord Appleby then stumbled back as blood poured from his nose.
“You’ll leave now, Appleby, and you will never return because your cousin is now under my care.”
“She’s mine!”
Hero winced as Max grabbed him by the collar and shook him, then threw him backward until he hit the door hard. He then stalked over and grabbed the lapels of her cousin’s coat.
“No she’s mine,” Max growled.
Hero shouldn’t enjoy the rush of pleasure those words made her feel, as she belonged to no man. Yet, seeing Max looking like an avenging angel on her behalf was doing funny things to her stomach.
“Owen, make sure Lord Appleby’s driver has the carriage ready for his departure, as he is leaving now,” Max called through the door.
“All right,” came Owen’s reply.
Max then grabbed Lord Appleby’s arm and twisted it up behind his back, which made her cousin moan in pain.
“Now, Appleby, are we clear that you will not return here again in your lifetime?” The man didn’t answer fast enough for Max so he raised the arm. “Answer me, Appleby.”
“Yes damn you.” Her cousin’s words were slurred, as his mouth was swollen, and blood ran from his nose.
“Don’t mistake me, Appleby. If you return, I shall ruin you and don’t doubt I have the means to do so. Drop the poker and open the door, Hero.” Max didn’t look at her as he spoke. All his attention was focused on her cousin and marching him across the room with his hand up his back.
Hero did as he said, running to open the door. She was more than happy to let him deal with her cousin because her hands had started to shake. She wasn’t entirely sure her knees would hold her weight much longer either.
“Is Lord Caruthers wanting to dance with that man, Hero?”
“No, Emmaline, he’s escorting him outside,” Hero told the little girl as Max walked the man to the stairs. The children had been lined up outside the door eager for news on what was taking place inside.
“Well, he has his hand behind his back and do you remember that time we danced and you did that?”
Following closely, Hero started down the stairs with the children following at her heels. Questions were inevitable, she knew, especially as not much excitement happened around here in the normal course of the day. Although they had more than made up for that in the last two.
“No more questions at the moment, please, Emmaline.”
“He's got blood drippin’ off his snout, Hero!”
“Dripping and nose, Colin,” Hero corrected, wondering why it was taking so long to reach the front door. “Pigs have snouts.”
“Who clobbered him?”
“It's bleedin’ obvious, ain’t it? It was Lord Caruthers,” Owen said, looking at Max as if he was a hero. “Got him flush on the bugle,” he added proudly.
Hero gave up then because she could feel the swell of hysteria bubbling up inside her. If she gave in to that there would be more questions she had no idea how to answer, so she remained silent while the children debated who had clocked whom and why.
“I insist you release me at once!” Her cousin found his voice as he reached the ground floor. “Hero is my cousin and therefore under my care. My intentions were to return her into the family fold and nothing more.”
“As I have already explained whilst holding a poker aloft, cousin,” Hero said, “I have no need of either your or your family's care.”
“Door, Hero.” Max’s words were still clipped.
“But I wish only the best for you, my dear, sweet cousin.”
Rushing around Max, Hero opened the door and held it wide. Max marched her cousin through and she followed, shutting it firmly behind her, to the dismay of the children, who would now be searching hastily for a window from which to watch what was happening on their doorstep.
“You’re a disgrace, Appleby.” Max shoved him down the steps to the waiting carriage. “To push your attentions on your cousin when she had no one to turn to is beneath contempt. Were she and the children not watching, I would set about teaching you a lesson in manners.”
“I assure you I was never anything but kind to Hero.”
Hero made a scoffing sound as Max let her cousin go and he scurried toward his carriage.
“You are a lying, miserable excuse for a man, cousin, and always have been,” Hero said, feeling her anger rise at his lies. “Your intentions toward me have always been nefarious and I dare you to state otherwise.” Starting down the steps, Hero advanced, only to stop as Max grabbed her. She was then hauled to his side, his arm around her waist.
“So that’s the way of it, Caruthers. You’ve already poached my peach.”
Lord Appleby sneered at her and Hero pinched the fingers at her waist to be released. She wanted to smack that expression off her cousin’s face, even if his vulgar words were true.
“Be very careful what you say about my future wife, Appleby, or I shall be forced to blacken your other eye and your name along with it,” Max said.
Future wife?
Hero was momentarily stunned into silence. Why had he lied like that? Surely her cousin would talk and then rumors would start. Society was a hot bed of gossip, many of its members thrived on it.
“No, he’s—”
“Go now, Appleby, and see that you never return. Nor will you ever approach your cousin again.” Max cut off her words.
“You want to marry Hero?”
Hero could see the surprise on her cousin’s face and then it was suddenly replaced by cunning. “We will, of course, need to talk about her settlements.”
“So help me, Appleby,” Max ground out, releasing Hero. “I will kill you if you do not leave this property and Neathern at once.” He took a step in her cousin’s direction, but Lord Appleby must have seen the rage and jumped in
to his carriage, slamming the door, in seconds she was watching it roll down the driveway.
They stood in silence for several seconds, breathing in the bitterly cold air, and then Hero turned to face Max.
“Are you all right, Hero? Did he hurt you in any way?”
Ignoring his words, Hero said, “You should not have lied to him like that. He will tell others, who, in turn, will tell others and then it will have reached all corners of England that you are to wed me.”
“It wasn't a lie.”
Chapter Fourteen
When Max entered that room and saw Hero holding the fireplace poker, fear in every line of her body, he’d wanted to kill Appleby with his bare hands. It had taken all his restraint not to, and only the fact that she appeared unhurt had kept him from pummeling the man senseless.
“It wasn’t a lie, Hero. I meant every word.”
“I entered into what we did last night willingly, Max. There need be no repercussions so please put your gentlemanly morals aside.”
Her cheeks were flushed and her hair tied back in a haphazard fashion with a piece of wool and she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He felt it then, the love stirring his insides. She was everything he had never wanted in a wife. She would be demanding, argumentative and want to play a full roll in his affairs and suddenly Max couldn’t wait.
“We will be married as soon as I can organize it.”
She blew out a frustrated breath, which drew his eyes to her soft, pink lips. He wanted to kiss her again, now, out here in the cold, with possibly the entire household watching.
“No, Max, be sensible about this. My home is here with my children. I am not a lady of society, nor will I ever be. You deserve a beautiful wife who will be a wonderful hostess and someone you can parade about on your arm during the season. I would never tie you to me because we spent last night together.”
He cupped her cheek. “You are the most beautiful woman I know, Hero Appleby, both inside and out.” That made her blush but she did not lower her eyes.