Guarding Danger: Sinclair and Raven Series

by Vella, Wendy

  “I thought I would never see you… any of you again.”

  “It’s all right now.” He kissed the top of her head. “You’re safe.”

  “What I want to know,” she heard James say, “was why he went after my sister specifically, because something tells me it wasn’t random.”

  Dear Lord, she would have to tell them.

  “Tell me what I want to know, Raynor.”

  Maddie eased out of Harry’s arms and moved to James’s side.

  “He asked you a question!” Harry stepped round her and grabbed the peer’s shirt.

  “You have nothing on me!” Raynor gasped.

  Maddie looked down at the man, took in the bruised and bloodied face, and wondered how this one man could have caused her so much terror.

  “We will interview everyone in this house, throw vast amounts of money about, and get every dirty, underhand thing you have ever done within these walls, Raynor, so never doubt the lengths we will go to ensure you are locked away,” James said. “No one touches a member of my family and gets away with it.”

  James’s words made her feel warmer.

  “Release him, Harry. All the blood is rushing to his head,” Cam said.

  Harry dropped him hard enough that Raynor’s head clunked on the floor.

  “I-I have had dealings with him before,” Maddie said slowly. “My mother sent him to me when I forced her from my house. He paid her to have a night with me.”

  “You lie!” Raynor glared at Maddie. Harry put his foot on the man’s chest to hold him down

  “Speak to her with anything other than respect again, and I’ll kill you, and no one will be able to stop me.”

  “I don’t lie. You came to my house!” Anger was slowly replacing the fear. “You tried to take advantage of me when my daughter slept nearby!”

  She told them everything then. Why she’d run, and the belief that she’d killed him with the rock she’d always had beside her bed. Jacques had put it there one day when he went away for the night. Telling her it was for protection should anyone try to enter the house.

  “Let me kill him,” Harry growled.

  “While I have no issue with his death, I would hate the fallout from that, Harry,” James said. “Things could get messy. So we will let him suffer the humiliation of a public trial.”

  “If Raynor came to her cottage in the dark how did he know what Maddie looked like?” Cam asked.

  Maddie hadn’t thought of that.

  “Answer the question,” Harry reached for the peer again.

  “Her mother!” Raynor tried to evade him. “The village near where they lived. I met her there, and she pointed her daughter out to me. Offered her to me.”

  Maddie wasn’t sure why her mother’s perfidy still had the power to hurt her, and yet it did.

  Raynor was taken away in his carriage by Wolf. To where, Maddie had no idea. All she knew was now she really was safe. No longer did the shadow hang over her that she’d killed someone.

  When they left the property, Harry took her arm and led her to his horse. He lifted her onto its back and climbed on behind. She felt the eyes of the others on them, but no one said anything, simply mounted, and they were soon riding back through the streets of London.

  “So much has happened, and yet the hour is still early,” Maddie said. People walked about the streets, and the sun was still high.

  “Are you sure he did not hurt you, Maddie?” Harry’s voice sounded tight, as if he was in some kind of pain. She rested her hand on the one he had around her waist.

  “I am, and thank you for finding me, Harry. All of you.” She looked at James and Eden, who rode beside them. “I am so relieved it is over.”

  “You are family. We will always protect you,” James said, and to him it was that simple. “But in future you should not keep something like what happened in France a secret, Maddie.”

  “I promise not to do so. It’s my hope I never have to worry about something like that, as I hope to never see my mother again.”

  “You won’t.” Harry’s tone was clipped.

  She rode the rest of the way in silence, but could still feel the tension in the man behind her.

  Maddie was elated that any danger to her was now past. She really could live her life here now and be happy. There would really be only one dark cloud on her horizon, and she doubted there was little she could do to change that.

  What she felt for the man at her back was now startlingly clear. When he’d entered that building she’d felt hope, and no one had ever given her that. Hope and something more powerful. Love.

  “Are you all right, Harry?” The hand around her waist tightened.

  “I am.”

  He did not add anything, and Maddie knew he did not want to talk, so she enjoyed the feeling of being held by him, because there was every chance she would not experience it again.

  Harry’s life was in France, Maddie’s was now here; he’d made that clear.

  When they reached Max’s house, she found Rose and Emily in the hallway. They both hugged her hard.

  “Come, you will feel better when you remove that hideous uniform,” Rose said. She was taken from Harry and led upstairs to change.

  She told them what had happened and what had happened in France. For the first time in her life she wanted to share her story, and especially with these two women who were her sisters.

  “Thank you,” Maddie said when she was once again in her own clothes.

  “For what?”

  “For accepting me, for persisting with me. I really do love having sisters, it’s just taken me time to understand that.”

  “We were the same,” Emily said. “And we love having you also. Now, the tea should have arrived, and that will help settle you.”

  She felt settled by just being here with her family now. Yes, what had happened had been terrifying, but she’d fought back, and her family and Harry had come for her, as she now knew they always would.

  “Dev and Cam have gone to find the others and tell them you are safe,” James said when they found him in the nursery.

  “Mama!” Fleur ran at her, and Bran led Daisy over.

  She held her girls close.

  “Where is Harry?” Maddie looked around the room but saw no sign of him.

  “He had to go, something about a meeting,” James said. “Which I didn’t believe for a minute.”

  “He’s scared,” Rose added. “Scared of what he feels for you, Maddie.”

  “Why?”

  “Because from the day he was old enough to understand, his father made him promise not to trust a Sinclair. Never to reconnect with his family,” James said. “The man is battling with that.”

  “He cares for you, Maddie,” Emily said. “My fear is he’ll sail away from us before he realizes just how much.”

  “But I am not a Sinclair.”

  “You are one and the same because you live here with us,” Emily said. “You will need to make him see reason, sister, if that is what you want.”

  What did she want? A life with Harry? Maddie thought that perhaps that was exactly what she wanted. But how was she to make the man she loved realize he wanted the same thing?

  Chapter 31

  Harry sat at his desk, preparing things for departure. His grandmother was due to arrive shortly with her entourage and get settled in her cabin before they sailed on the next tide.

  Picking up the letter Wolf had sent him, he read it once more.

  Lord Raynor will be charged and is at present being held until a trial is set. Maddie is well and recovered and would like to see you, as would Fleur, Daisy, and the rest of us. We shall be extremely displeased if you leave London without at least saying goodbye.

  Yours,

  Wolf (your cousin, in case that slipped your mind.)

  Harry read the words once more. Maddie was well, what did that mean? Had she been unwell in the four days since Raynor had abducted her?

  He’d woken in a cold sweat last
night thinking of her in his hands. How was it possible her own mother had sold her to that evil bastard? His father hadn’t been the best, but still, Harry had been cared for.

  He loathed Maddie’s mother, even if she had given the world the beautiful and sweet Madeline Caron. How she must have suffered at her hands. He hated that she’d known any pain.

  He missed her. It was like an ache in the bones, and he hated it. No one had made him feel that way. She’d slip into his head constantly, and he’d wondered what she was doing. Were Daisy and Fleur all right? How was the investigative agency going? They’d all slipped past his guard and become part of him, and he had absolutely no idea what to do about that.

  Harry looked at the note again. Was Maddie sick? Should he go and see her one last time? The pain in his chest at the thought told him no.

  Looking down once more, he attempted to read the ledger before him. He couldn’t allow thoughts of Maddie to stop him from doing what must be done before they left England.

  “Enter,” Harry muttered as a knock sounded on his door.

  The door opened and closed, but he kept his eyes on the ledger before him, finishing his tally of the numbers before looking at whichever crew member had entered.

  “What do…” His words fell away as his eyes met Maddie’s. “What are you doing here?”

  She wore pale lemon today, the dress soft and feminine. A rose satin ribbon was tied beneath her lovely breasts, and the ends fell down the fall of the skirt. It was simple in style yet anything but on her. Her bonnet was straw and also had rose ribbons. Just looking at her made him ache for something he could never have. He saw no sign of the suffering she had endured at the hands of Raynor.

  “I came to talk to you about Daisy.”

  “Alone?” He got to his feet. “That was reckless.”

  “I have a maid with me. She is waiting in Max’s carriage. I wanted to see you alone.”

  “You should not have walked onto this boat without an escort, Maddie. Surely your brothers have no notion of where you are.”

  “No, I told them I was going shopping.”

  “Which you aren’t?”

  “I will be, after I have talked to you.”

  “Alone?”

  “With the maid.”

  “She is not enough protection.” He waved to the seat across from his desk.

  “I am no longer in danger, Harry.” She sat.

  “And are you fully recovered, Maddie?” Harry did the same.

  “I am, and knowing that man can no longer harm me or any women is a relief.”

  “He won’t touch you again.” Harry hadn’t meant to growl but it came out that way.

  “I know. My brothers will ensure that does not happen.”

  Her brothers, not him. Harry had no claim to her, so he should not mind hearing her words. He did.

  “Your cabin is nice, Harry.”

  He looked around the room that had been his home whenever he’d been at sea. His bed was wide, simply because he was a big man. He had a small table, and his desk. A shelf where he stored his ledgers and books. His clothes were in a trunk.

  “Thank you. Can I get you anything?”

  “No, thank you. Will you leave soon?”

  “Yes.” Tell her you’re leaving today.

  “Do you not wish to stay and spend more time with your family?”

  She wasn’t looking at him, her eyes over his shoulder.

  “My life is not here, it is in France.” His words sounded hollow even to his own ears.

  “And yet you have only your grandmother there, so in fact more of your family is here.”

  “I run my business from France and live there. I have friends there that are important to me.”

  “Can you not live in both places?”

  Harry saw the hope in her eyes and squashed it.

  “No. Now what did you want to discuss about Daisy, Maddie? I have had my man here in London send word to that school. He will contact you directly with the details.”

  She looked at her hands briefly. When her eyes met his again, the emotion was gone.

  “I don’t want to send her away to a school. I want to keep her with me and Fleur.” She said the words quickly. “Let me explain, please.”

  Harry closed his mouth on the instant refusal.

  “She and Fleur are inseparable, and I have come to love Daisy also. I know it has only been a short time, and I also know that if she is not to live with me, the family are already making plans to keep her with us. But I want her to be part of our lives in the house Max has given us, which I moved into yesterday.”

  “He gave you a house. I suppose it’s on the same street?”

  Her smile was small. Maddie wasn’t really one for large gestures.

  “Of course, and next door to where Rory and Kate will live. It’s all a bit odd, and yet that’s who these families are, don’t you think, Harry?”

  “Definitely odd.”

  She had changed in so many ways since that day he’d found her sitting alone with Fleur clutched to her chest, and not just in appearance. Small changes that had softened her. She smiled more and talked instead of sitting silently in the background. There was a confidence in her now too. Still shy, and yes, vulnerable, but she’d found strength nestled in the protective arms of her family. Raynor had not broken that; he’d not sent her back to the woman who had arrived in London.

  “Have you talked to Daisy about it?”

  “No. I wanted to discuss it with you first, and then I will speak with the others.”

  Why did the fact that she’d come to him first make him ridiculously pleased?

  “Why me?”

  “You saved her, Harry. There will always be a bond between you and Daisy, and I know you have been searching for a place for her to live and feel a responsibility to her. You don’t need to any longer. She will stay with us.”

  Harry got to his feet and walked to the porthole. They would leave today. He should tell her that, and yet was strangely loath to do so. They would not see each other again for many months, that was if he chose to come back to London and visit with them.

  He would miss them.

  Then why not make a life here?

  He rebelled at the thought. When you were told from the age of five not to seek out your family, you listened. It was ingrained in him he couldn’t change that. And yet he’d spent time with them and knew they were good people.

  Harry had never needed or wanted anyone else in his life until now.

  “Do you not think I will be a good mother to Daisy, Harry?”

  She’d followed him and stood just behind his right shoulder.

  “Of course you will be a good mother for her.” He made himself turn.

  “You cannot have her here with you, Harry. It would be dangerous for a girl with sight, but for one without it would be doubly so. Surely you see that?”

  “I had not even considered that.”

  “Well, then?” She waited, hands clasped before her.

  “Well, indeed.” He touched her cheek. It was folly. He should simply give her his blessing and let her walk away from him. The hell of it was, he didn’t seem able to.

  “Maddie.” Harry sighed, cupping her cheek. “How is it you disturb me so much?”

  “I don’t know.” To his surprise, she turned her lips into his palm. “But you disturb me very much also.”

  That soft kiss was his undoing. The feel of her lips on his palm had his body simmering in seconds. He stepped closer until they touched, then kissed her, pouring all the longing and confusion that was his life into that moment.

  He didn’t want to scare her with the need inside him. It was just a kiss and nothing more, but when she wrapped her arms around his neck, he thought there was every possibility that he would shatter, his body was so hard.

  “I am a widow, Harry.”

  “But an innocent, for all that.” He kissed her neck, inhaling the soft scent that was hers alone. “I can’t hurt you,
Maddie.”

  “You could never hurt me, Harry.”

  He could, because he could take her. Here and now, and then sail away. But Harry wouldn’t. He respected her and their families too much to do that.

  She stepped out of his arms and removed her bonnet.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Undressing.”

  “No, Maddie, we cannot do that.” His words had absolutely no strength in them. In fact, his knees had gone weak.

  “Do you know, Harry, that no man has touched me with reverence other than you.”

  “Your husband—”

  “Was a good man, but there was no passion. Will you show me passion, Harry, just once?”

  “You ask too much of me, Maddie.” His words were hoarse.

  “Oh.” She looked away, grabbing her bonnet. “I had thought—”

  “I want you,” he said as she turned away. “Never doubt that, but I can offer you no more than this.”

  She turned back to face him. “And yet I have asked for no more.” Maddie made it to the door before he stopped her.

  Placing a hand over her head, he reached around her and turned the key in the lock. Sliding his hand down her arm, he removed her bonnet and hurled it onto his desk.

  “I only have so much restraint where you are concerned.”

  The buttons of her dress marched in a row down her back. He stroked her neck, then lower to where the buttons started. Leaning forward, he kissed the smooth, pale skin and felt her shiver.

  “I won’t let you back out now,” he whispered in her ear. “Do you understand that, Maddie?”

  Her nod was a small jerk of her head.

  Harry started on her buttons, opening them slowly, then placing his lips on the skin he’d uncovered.

  Will you show me passion, Harry.

  He wondered if she knew just what those words had unleashed inside him. His need for this woman had been steadily growing, hence the reason he’d tried to keep his distance. But she’d come to him and wanted him to show her passion.

  When he reached the last button, he slid his hands inside the now gaping dress and round the front of her stomach, stroking her through the fine lawn of her chemise.

  “I am not—”

  “You are perfect.” He pressed a kiss to her back. “I want you, Maddie, very much.”