Salting the Wound

by Janet Woods

  He was about to pull his pistol out the rest of the way and give the man a scare for poaching his woman when Seth Hardy chopped his hand across Nick’s wrist, causing a momentary paralysis. The weapon dropped to the ground and Seth gave him a tight sort of smile. ‘Think again, Captain. Her pistol—’

  ‘Say your prayers, Nick,’ Charlotte threw at him.

  The contrary little witch! She meant it, and he still had some living to do. He threw himself to the ground just as the hammer clicked on an empty chamber, crushing the posy of flowers beneath his body. He’d forgotten that her father’s pistol only had one shot, and Hardy reminded him as he finished, ‘– only has one shot, which has already been discharged.’

  Hardy offered Charlotte a grin that locked him out. She held the man’s gaze for a moment, fluttered her eyelashes and blushed. Nick was well aware of the signs. Charlotte’s blush and enticing little smirk said it all. Her new husband was giving her her head before he closed in for the kill. Jealousy tore him to shreds, until he thought, Charlotte was doing it to make him jealous.

  Nick scrambled to his feet, his face flushed with anger . . . and dare he admit it, feeling humiliated beyond measure. Charlotte had always known where to stick her pitchfork so it hurt him the most. And this time it was straight into his heart.

  Seth said quietly. ‘You’ve scared him enough I think, Charlotte. I think Captain Thornton got the message.’

  ‘Did you, Nick?’ Charlotte said.

  ‘For God’s sake, Charlotte, have a heart,’ Nick pleaded. ‘We practically grew up together.’

  ‘No we didn’t. I was forced to play with you when you visited with Erasmus Thornton. You were always an arrogant bully who wanted your own way and wouldn’t take no for an answer. You broke my toys, scribbled over my books and frightened my sister and made her cry. And our father always took your part.’

  Nick wasn’t responsible for the way her father had acted, or his uncle come to that. But had he done all those things? He couldn’t remember her sister. He searched his memory and recalled her as being a pair of years younger than Charlotte. She’d clung to her sister’s skirt like a whimpering grey mouse. He couldn’t remember frightening her. Not on purpose, anyway. ‘I’m sorry for everything.’

  ‘It’s too late, you worm. I don’t want your apology, and neither does Marianne.’

  Ah yes, that was the sister’s name, though he’d always called her by another name . . . one he’d given her himself, since she’d liked to sing, and it was short for Marianne. He remembered turning her round and round, then when he’d let her go she’d staggered around on her plump little legs and crashed into the furniture while he laughed and teased her. Aria is in a dizzy tizzy, he thought, and tried not to grin.

  Behind Charlotte in the shadows, the form of another girl appeared, a shawl covering her shoulders. The girl’s hand lay against her throat in fright, her eyes were wide and her mouth an astonished oval in a heart-shaped face. Dark hair was pulled back into a braid that hung like a rope over her shoulder. She reminded Nick of a startled rabbit before she quickly shrank back. He grinned. That must be Aria, and he hadn’t even said boo to her yet. She didn’t possess the spirit or looks that her sister had.

  He recalled the window as being the bedroom the sisters had always shared. It looked as though they still shared it. Seth Hardy hadn’t had his length of Charlotte yet.

  Nick’s gaze shortened back to his adversary and his grin became a frown. He’d known Charlotte would have put up some resistance to his proposal, but found it hard to believe that she’d have thrown him over in such a callous manner. Their eyes locked, but the expression of disdain in hers defeated him.

  She belonged to another man. He could have no claim to her now. It crossed his mind that he could always challenge Seth Hardy to a duel, then throw Charlotte over his shoulder, take her aboard the Samarand and sail off with her into the sunrise.

  But then what? He’d be forced to settle abroad, and so far he hadn’t seen anywhere he liked better than the land of his birth.

  His thoughts were interrupted when a child came running from the house.

  Charlotte called out with unnecessary anxiety, ‘Come away from him . . . come back inside, at once.’

  The boy stopped, then gazed from Seth to him, then back to Seth again, for all the world as though he was a rabbit caught in a trap. Uncertainty danced in his mossy green eyes. ‘Pa?’

  Seth stepped between them, creating a barrier. He didn’t look at the boy but said quietly, ‘John, there’s no need to be alarmed. Do what your stepmother says.’

  ‘Yes, Pa.’ The boy returned to the house with some alacrity.

  So, Charlotte had saddled herself with a stepson. Did Seth Hardy imagine he’d harm the brat? Did Charlotte? The fact that she thought so little of him was wounding in itself. It also angered him. But there was no point in making a fuss now. Seth Hardy could have the shrew. There were other women, just as beautiful, much softer and more willing to please him than Charlotte had ever been.

  He’d always loved her, he admitted to himself.

  Bah to such tomfoolery! There were other women in the world, and he’d learn not to love Charlotte. It would serve her right. She’d miss him when he was gone. Under the watchful eyes of Seth Hardy he retrieved his gun and, checking the safety catch, shoved it back into his belt. He had no intention of blowing his own balls off.

  ‘Put the pistol away, Charlotte. Captain Thornton is leaving.’ Hard grey eyes came up to his. ‘Isn’t that right, Captain?’

  For the first time in his life Nick had been denied his own way. He didn’t like it much, but he didn’t blame Seth Hardy for taking advantage of what was on offer. He ignored the man, turning instead to the woman who’d betrayed him. ‘You’ve had your fun, Charlotte, but you should know me well enough to realize that you might live to regret this.’

  It was a face-saving remark. Nick wouldn’t damage a precious hair on her head, no matter what she’d done to him.

  He left the sailcloth satchel in the low gorse where it had fallen, then mounted the black. He rode away without a backward glance, his self-esteem in tatters and feeling like a dog slinking off with its tail tucked firmly between its hindquarters.

  Charlotte and Marianne stood at the window on the landing and watched Nick Thornton’s retreat, a lonely, dejected figure in black.

  Marianne had tears in her eyes. ‘Stop snivelling, he deserved it,’ Charlotte said.

  But her final triumph over Nick hadn’t given her the pleasure she’d expected, and had left her feeling strangely diminished in her own eyes. Nick had always loved her, and Charlotte had held a sneaking regard for him until the death of her father had revealed the extent of the debt owed to Erasmus Thornton, and his involvement with her mother. It had offended her, and she’d simply refused to be the payment to settle the debt. Once she’d refused, her pride had not allowed her to go back on her word.

  ‘You shouldn’t have humiliated him so,’ Marianne said.

  Charlotte shrugged. ‘It was no more than he deserved. You’re never to speak to him again, do you hear? If it wasn’t for his uncle—’

  ‘I’m old enough to make up my own mind to whom I speak, and I refuse to blame Nick Thornton for something that’s not of his doing.’

  Charlotte abruptly changed the subject, as she often did when the conversation was not going her way. ‘You’re not wearing that awful brown gown and shawl are you?’

  ‘It merges with the colours of the heath, so if you keep still the animals mistake you for a plant and don’t take fright so easily.’ Marianne pulled on her scuffed boots. ‘I promised John I’d take him up to the copse, and I’m going to teach him about the heath birds today. We’ll probably be out all morning.’

  ‘Seth was brave standing up to Nick,’ Charlotte said softly. ‘Do you think he’s handsome?’

  ‘Nick has never been fearsome, he only pretended to be. So no, Seth wasn’t that brave, since he’s been trained to fight and
Nick hasn’t. And Nick has always been handsome, in a dark, tough sort of way. He has a nice smile and I love it when he laughs, it’s usually a soft sort of chuckle.’

  Charlotte glowered at her in the mirror. ‘I meant Seth, you idiot. Besides, what do you know about Nick Thornton? He was my friend, not yours.’

  ‘Oh Seth . . . yes, I suppose he is handsome, I haven’t really noticed. I must go, I’m starving and I want to get some breakfast.’

  Her sister dashed off, calling down the stairs, ‘Good morning, Seth. Have you seen John anywhere? I’m taking him out on the heath today and want to make sure he eats a good breakfast first.’

  Charlotte laughed before she whispered, Aria is always in a dizzy tizzy. Then she remembered that was what Nick used to tease her sister with. Spots of colour flared in her cheeks and she had a moment of regret about the way she’d treated him. She picked up the brush and began to furiously attack her hair.

  ‘You’ll pull it out by the roots. Give me the brush, I’ll untangle it.’

  ‘Seth!’ She automatically reached out for her robe, which was on a nearby chair.

  He stilled her hand. ‘Leave your robe where it is, Charlotte. I’ve seen a woman in her chemise before.’

  She retorted, ‘You may have, but a man hasn’t seen me in one before.’

  ‘No? It didn’t seem to bother you when you were at the window.’

  She had no answer for that. He began to pull the brush through her hair, stopping to gently tease out the knots. It was relaxing and she forgot she was so lightly clad and closed her eyes.

  ‘Tell me about Nicholas Thornton,’ he said after a while.

  ‘I’ve told you about him. He’s a persistent rat.’

  ‘I didn’t expect you to react the way you did to him. Who taught you to shoot?’

  ‘My father. He could shoot the eyes from a frog, even when he was drunk. I was tempted to wing Nick.’

  ‘I’m glad you didn’t. Enemies are something I’d prefer not to have. Has there ever been anything serious between you two?’

  ‘We were playmates when we were small, that’s all.’ She gave a faint smile. ‘By now he will have got the message that he doesn’t have any claim to me on the strength of that.’

  ‘Which is the main reason why you married me in the first place, I imagine. To teach Nicholas Thornton a lesson.’

  She shrugged, and decided that truth was better than deceit with Seth. He was no fool. ‘It was one of the reasons. I thought you were a decent enough man and John needed a mother. What was the boy’s own mother like? Did you love her?’

  ‘Aye, I loved her. Mary didn’t have a mean bone in her body. John was only young when she died. I promised her I’d look after him and I brought him back to England.’

  Envy slithered through her body like a cold worm at the thought that her husband had genuinely loved another woman. She knew she was selfish, possessive and stubborn, and she hated knowing it. ‘You lived abroad? You didn’t say.’

  ‘You’ve never been interested enough to ask before.’

  ‘I’m asking now.’

  ‘I was an officer in the army, and my regiment was attached to Port Arthur, which is the penal colony in Van Diemen’s Land.’

  ‘Where’s that?’

  ‘It’s a small island off the south coast of Australia. I met Mary there. She was widowed and destitute, and she had a small baby to care for. When she died I sold my commission and returned to England. John missed his mother for a while then he seemed to forget about her. I wish I could forget her as easily.’

  The woman was dead and of no risk to Charlotte, yet still she experienced envy. The wistful tone in Seth’s voice said he still thought fondly of his former wife. Charlotte had avoided discussing it with him before. ‘Didn’t you mind taking responsibility for another man’s child?’

  ‘Of course not. I always regarded John as my son. I still do. I hope you’ll accept him as such in time.’

  She nodded. ‘Your mind can be at rest about that, Seth. John and I get on well, though I think he prefers Marianne to me.’

  ‘That’s because she’s more easy-going, and plays games to keep him occupied. He’s learned to respect you over the past two months.’

  ‘About Nick Thorn—’

  ‘I would have preferred to have known about the situation with him beforehand.’

  ‘You did. I told you yesterday when I saw his ship come into harbour that he’d proposed and I’d turned him down.’

  ‘You should have told me about it before then. And you should have left the situation for me to handle, Charlotte. I don’t like to see a man humiliated like that, especially when his intention towards you appeared to be entirely honourable.’

  ‘Nick hasn’t got an entirely honourable bone in his body. He’s always thought he owned me.’

  ‘Now he’s aware that it’s me who owns you . . . but what’s more important is that you should realize that. I bought you with the house and business.’

  Her temper flared at that. ‘I’m not a slave to be bought and sold. I only married you because you wanted a mother for John.’

  ‘Not quite correct, Charlotte. You’re not that altruistic. You asked me to marry you for your own reasons. I thought it was for the house, but now I learn that the marriage was also a weapon to use against Nicholas Thornton. I weighed up the drawbacks as well as the benefits of marriage to you, very carefully, for John’s sake as well as my own. That one wasn’t part of the equation.’

  ‘What drawbacks?’

  ‘You have a mulish disposition. I can understand why, but I’m hoping marriage will cure you of that, since I’d rather not make an enemy of my wife, and it wouldn’t be wise for you to make an enemy of me. Let me make one thing very clear. I will not be treated with the same lack of respect you offered Nick Thornton.’

  She gave a small huff of annoyance. ‘What of the benefits of being married to me? I suppose there are some.’

  ‘There will be in the future. You’re beautiful to look at and can cook well . . . and you’re an intelligent and amusing conversationalist when you put yourself out to be. Also, you’re of childbearing age.’

  ‘The likelihood that you’d wed a woman who wasn’t is rather remote, since she’d be either too young or too old.’

  He kissed the spot between her neck and her shoulder, and she stiffened, then shivered. Her eyes flew open to encounter his and her mouth dried. She’d never seen his eyes so predatory. ‘What do you think you’re doing, Seth? When we married you agreed to wait until I was ready.’

  ‘Did you think I would wait for ever, even though encouragement was not forthcoming?’

  Outside, John and Marianne were chattering and laughing as they left. Charlotte was tempted to call her sister back on some excuse, but something stopped her. Cowardice was not one of her many faults, nevertheless she could feel her face flaming. ‘No, of course not. Damn you, Seth! You’ve embarrassed me. Didn’t it occur to you that I wouldn’t know when I was ready to become a wife in that way? I’ve never been one before. The longer a union between us was avoided, the harder it’s become for me. I thought that you . . . didn’t find me attractive.’

  His grey eyes softened and he smiled. ‘I find you exceedingly attractive, which was one of the reasons I accepted your surprising proposal. And perhaps we should have discussed this before. Even so, I’ve decided to claim what I bought with the house.’

  ‘Please don’t regard me as a commodity you bought . . . it doesn’t endear you to me.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Charlotte. Suddenly discovering that I’ve got a rival for your affection has added a little spice as well as some urgency to the situation.’

  ‘Nick’s not a rival.’

  ‘Ah, but he is. His regard for you is such that he’s prepared to give his all for you. Yet still you profess to hate him. A man who brings such a strong reaction from a woman is a rival, and I’d prefer that passion to be expended on me.’

  Her heart began to flutter. �
�You might as well know, Seth, I hold you in no affection . . . I haven’t even decided if I even like you yet.’ She shrugged. ‘Well, yes, I do like you, but if I’d just wanted the house I could have married Nick and had it all back. Erasmus Thornton intended to give it to us if we wed. And Nick would have given it to me as a wedding present. He couldn’t get it through his head that I didn’t want him along with it.’

  ‘Yet you took me—’

  ‘On the spur of the moment.’ When Seth winced, she smiled ruefully, ‘and for better or worse. Remember that you’ve been warned, when my worst comes out.’

  Seth chuckled. ‘It matters not if you feel affection for me, and I’m sure I’ll find a way to handle you, since I didn’t imagine that you’d fall instantly in love with me. However, I’ll expect you to respect our marriage and remain faithful. From now on you’ll spend your nights in my bed, but I intend to show you exactly what to expect from your marital duty now, so you needn’t wonder about it any more.’

  Her blood chilled. ‘I didn’t think you’d go about it in such a cold-blooded manner.’

  ‘I promise you it won’t be that. I’ve sent Alice into town on an errand and we’re quite alone, so there’s no danger that we’ll be disturbed.’

  ‘You planned this right from the start, didn’t you?’

  ‘Your seduction? Yes, of course.’ He gave a regretful sigh. ‘I’d intended to give you six months in which to get used to me. After your gentleman friend left I decided to bring it forward.’

  ‘How many times do I have to tell you. Nick is not my gentleman friend. He’s not even a gentleman, and after today he certainly won’t even be a friend. Stop being tiresome. Better we wait until the six months is up.’

  ‘Hush, Charlotte, I will not be manipulated.’ Seth slid his hand under her chin, tipped her head back and kissed her. He kept her face there when she tried to turn away, his mouth caressing an eventual response from her. Sneakily, he slid his other hand over one of her breasts, his thumb brushing the nub to a response.