by Rebecca King
‘Let’s go,’ Roger ordered before mounting his horse.
He watched Hamish and Peregrine force Ronan into his own saddle and shook his head in disgust when Ronan nearly slid off the other side. It was only the forethought of Dean who was on the other side of the horse who stopped him from a nasty fall.
‘Jesus, it is going to be a bloody miracle if he doesn’t land on his head before we can get him bathed,’ Luke huffed.
‘Let’s get him back to Chandler’s Cottage, then we can figure out what to do from there,’ Roger drawled.
Once Ronan was secure, his friends guided him away from the tavern, and hopefully toward a brighter future.
Later that day, Ronan, who had heard the dull murmur of voices coming from the kitchen, was aware that everyone stopped talking the second he appeared in the doorway. He glared at his friends. ‘I don’t want to be suspicious of anybody but why do I get the feeling that you were all talking about me?’
‘We were discussing where we should start to look for Geranium.’ Peregrine slid a look at Roger.
‘Have you asked her parents where she might have gone?’
‘We thought you might be the better man for that job. I mean, if I go and announce to them that I am the boss of the Star Elite, and want their daughter, they might think that I am there to arrest her,’ Roger warned.
‘Whereas they won’t think that if I turn up? Why is that, exactly?’ Ronan challenged.
‘Because you are younger than me,’ Roger shrugged.
Ronan spat an epithet at his friend over his shoulder as Roger forcibly propelled him out of the house. ‘I hope you are not lying to me about her going missing. If I get there and find her at her parent’s house I shall just damned well leave again and you will lose an operative of the Star Elite.’
Roger went still. ‘I meant what I said when I told you that she has gone, Ronan. Her mother was distraught.’
‘How do you know if you haven’t already been there?’ Ronan challenged.
Roger slid a look at Hamish who explained: ‘Mr Muldover told me when I went to the village to speak with Harrison about what they had found at Unwin’s house.’
‘And what had Harrison found?’ Ronan demanded.
‘All of Gorman’s belongings, and a pile of cash,’ Hamish replied. ‘Mrs Snetterton was distraught and told me that Geranium had gone.’
‘Damn it,’ Ronan hissed, raking a shaking hand through his hair.
‘You seem awfully concerned about her for someone who doesn’t care about her,’ Dean pointed out.
‘Why do you hate her?’ Hamish asked.
Ronan glared at him. ‘What makes you think that I hate her?’
‘Because you really don’t want anything to do with her.’
‘That doesn’t mean I hate her,’ Ronan snarled.
‘I am confused,’ Peregrine confessed. ‘You have told us that you don’t want her, yet we find you drinking yourself into oblivion to try to forget her. You want to walk away from her, yet you have sobered up and are outraged that someone has snatched her.’
‘She is nice. She helped us. We put her in danger. I am just alarmed because we have a duty to keep her safe,’ Ronan challenged.
‘So the drunken stint in the tavern isn’t anything to do with the way you feel about her then,’ Joshua drawled.
‘No. I am worried about her because she obviously was still in danger, we just didn’t believe it possible. You said that we have to go and find her, Roger,’ Ronan snapped with an angry glare at his boss. ‘Are we going or not?’
‘We are going to find her, all right,’ Roger bit out. ‘But I want you to decide if you want her or not, preferably before we get there.’
Ronan mounted his horse but was aware that nobody else moved. He knew they were all waiting for an answer; for him to tell them what he wanted.
‘Yes, I want her, but I also want my old life back. I want to make sure that she is all right, but I don’t want to have to offer her something that I can’t give her,’ Ronan admitted.
‘The only thing she wants is you, Ronan,’ Roger warned. ‘That’s all.’
‘She wants a home, a family, a husband.’
‘Has she said that to you?’ Peregrine asked. ‘Because when I spoke to her in town, she didn’t think she would find herself a husband. In fact, from how she sounded she had reconciled herself to never marrying long before you turned up.’
‘Have you discussed it with her?’ Luke pressed.
‘I was busy working on the investigation at the time.’
‘But you found the time to kiss her.’ Hamish lifted his hands up in a defensive gesture when Ronan glared malevolently at him. ‘I am just saying.’
‘Come on, we aren’t going to find her by standing here all day. Let’s get this investigation over with. Before we do anything, we need to go and speak with her parents about where we can find her. Seeing as I am the boss, I suppose it is up to me to accompany you when you speak with her parents, Ronan. I just hope that they aren’t too worried about me asking about their daughter.’
‘Aren’t they worried about her?’ Ronan asked.
‘Their daughter has gone missing, man. Of course they are sodding worried about her,’ Hamish snapped.
Roger flicked a look at Peregrine who rolled his eyes but wisely remained quiet. He knew that they were all going to Hell if this didn’t work but didn’t say as much in front of Ronan. They all hoped that Ronan would be far too happy when he saw Geranium again to remain angry with them for long.
‘Well, well, well, Ronan, you certainly know how to travel,’ Dean teased when the group appeared in the neighbouring village, a mere twenty-minute ride away. ‘When you decide to walk away from a woman you really do walk away, don’t you? How far have you gone, eh? About three miles is it?’
‘Down to the end of the road,’ Hamish murmured around a laugh.
Ronan stared at the village of Malden. Even from the outskirts of the village he could identify the chimney of Mr Quinton’s house. Now that he had left it, he rather liked the man’s property. It was a shame for it to lie empty seeing as it was a huge family house.
‘It’s a nice village this,’ Hamish mused as they rode through it again.
‘It is up for sale,’ Luke murmured with a nod to their old safe house.
‘I am not surprised. Sir Hugo said the homeowner intends to sell it,’ Roger mused as they came to a stop outside Geranium’s house. He looked at Ronan. ‘Well, we are here. Wait a minute.’
Roger dismounted and climbed the steps to the Snetterton’s front door. It was opened before he even had the time to knock, by a tall, dapperly dressed gent who looked like a masculine, mature version of his daughter.
‘Mr Snetterton? Mr Edward Snetterton?’ Roger began.
‘Yes. I say, is everything all right?’ Edward gasped looking worriedly at the men still on horseback outside his house. They were all big and burly and looked incredibly dangerous. Edward knew instinctively that they were not men anybody should challenge. They had an air of capability that was tinged with menace that was frankly alarming.
‘How may I help you?’ he asked warily of the man on his doorstep.
‘We are here to speak with your daughter, Geranium, but I understand that she is not here.’ Roger began, sliding a curious look at Ronan who, strangely, despite his lack of interest in her had dismounted and climbed the steps to join him.
‘I am afraid that she is no longer here,’ Edward replied.
‘Yes, we heard that. Might we ask where we might find her?’ Roger asked politely.
‘Is she in some sort of trouble?’ An elegant lady asked worriedly from the doorway of the sitting room.
‘No. She isn’t in any trouble. We need to speak with her, about an investigation,’ Roger explained.
While Roger was talking, Edward was eyeing Ronan, who stood sentry-like beside his boss. There was something about the young man that was arresting. It might have been his good looks, or the way
he stood tall and proud, politely waiting to be spoken to. It might have been the sight of the guns the man had strapped to his hips that made him look incredibly dangerous. It might have been the way a muscle ticked in his jaw, the only thing that betrayed his tightly controlled emotions, his restrained power. For the life of him, Edward couldn’t conceive of why such men might want to speak with his daughter. While every instinct told him that he should tell them where to find her, for his own safety at least, his paternal side wanted to do everything he could to protect his daughter.
‘Sir, we need to find her,’ Ronan began, stepping forward with a briskness that made Regina squeak and jump backward.
‘Whatever for?’ she whispered when she had retreated to the safe space behind her husband.
‘I would, with your permission, sir, like to ask your daughter for her hand in marriage,’ Ronan blurted before he could talk himself out of it. He mentally cursed himself for being so bold, but the words were out before he could stop them. He stared hard at Geranium’s father while he waited for an answer.
Edward’s jaw dropped. He flicked a look at his stunned wife but could see nothing but shock on her face. For a moment, he couldn’t believe what he had heard. When the words finally sank in, Edward turned to look at the stranger once more.
‘Just what in the Devil’s name went on here while we were away?’ he demanded, wondering whether this man was the cause of Geranium’s determination to change her life.
When Ronan opened his mouth to tell them, Roger diplomatically stepped forward and introduced them both.
‘The Star Elite?’ Edward murmured, clearly impressed.
‘With your permission, I think we should tell you what happened while you were away.’ With that, Roger explained everything that had happened. By the time he had finished, Mr and Mrs Snetterton were staring at Ronan with deep respect, but with a lingering air of wariness that made Ronan start to worry that they were going to object to him bringing danger into their daughter’s life.
‘I should like to ask her to be my wife. I will protect her and do everything possible to make her happy,’ Ronan began because he was aware of nothing more than the fact that Edward had yet to give his permission.
‘Well, of course, you are welcome to approach her, but she isn’t living here anymore,’ Edward explained. ‘She said that living on her own while we were away had taught her that she needed a new adventure in her life.’
‘She didn’t tell you what she had battled through,’ Roger said. It wasn’t a question. He suspected that Geranium hadn’t wanted to worry her parents or have them stop her from moving on.
‘No, she didn’t,’ Edward whispered.
‘She is a very brave young woman who has worked to help us. I am afraid that my colleague here fell for her while he was here, and has been unable to forget her,’ Roger said gently.
Ronan blew his cheeks out only to realise that he was the sole focus of everyone’s attention.
‘All right, I love her,’ he stated bluntly. ‘God, I love her,’ he mused in stunned disbelief when the realisation sank in. Rather than make him worry, or feel oppressed, Ronan felt something break free. It cleared the doubts, confusion, worry, and depression, and lifted a heavy burden off his shoulders.
He looked at Roger, who grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Welcome to the club,’ Roger smirked.
Ronan looked helplessly at him. ‘Now what do I do?’ he murmured, stunned yet grinning at the same time.
‘Go and tell her, and ask her to marry you,’ Roger suggested with a grin.
Ronan turned to leave only to stop and turn back to face her father. He held a hand out to Edward, who took it and welcomed him to the family.
‘I will get you her address,’ Regina offered, hurrying over to a writing bureau for a small piece of paper. Moments later, she handed it to her future son-in-law. All she could do was stare at him while she waited for him to take his leave of them.
‘Did you see that gun he was wearing?’ Regina whispered once Ronan had bowed politely and left. She watched him mount his horse and join his friends. ‘Do you think we should let him go and see her? My word, they are intimidating, aren’t they?’
‘It’s a bit late to have any doubts about sending them after Geranium now,’ Edward snorted. ‘And yes, I saw that gun he was wearing. However, he is the Star Elite. It would be a fine fool indeed who dared mess with any of their families.’ He slid an arm around his wife and shook his head. ‘My word, Geranium will be one of the most protected women in the county.’
‘Doesn’t it worry you?’ Regina asked. ‘I mean, he is incredibly dangerous.’
‘He is a fighter all right, but someone who fights for King and country. You won’t find a finer man than that. My daughter will have a husband who is going to protect and honour her. I can’t think of any other man I would be prouder to call my son-in-law.’
Together, he and his wife peered out of the window and watched Ronan and his colleagues ride out of the street. Once they had gone, they sat down in front of the fire to contemplate the latest turn of events, and discuss the forthcoming wedding.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Geranium was bored. She stared at the fireplace and sighed. It crackled and popped but didn’t need topping up anymore. Her sewing was finished. She had no interest in any books because she couldn’t settle her mind to reading.
‘I suppose we could sort out these cupboards, miss. I mean, your aunt isn’t coming back, is she? There is nothing to say that you want all of the things she left you,’ Kitty offered as she eyed the cluttered scullery.
‘I think I am going to have to,’ Geranium sighed as she wandered into the kitchen.
Together, she and an equally bored Kitty ventured into the scullery and began to open the cupboards. Half an hour later, Geranium tugged a box of pots out of the cupboard without thinking. The weight that slammed into her chest was hard enough to make her stagger backward. With a gasp, she dropped her heavy burden onto the floor and winced when the sound of shattering pots interrupted Kitty’s scream. That wasn’t what worried Geranium, though. It was the huge black spider that scuttled out of the box and raced across her foot. Desperate to stop it running up her skirt, Geranium kicked her legs out and flicked her skirts before racing for the door. She didn’t stop at the door either when she looked down and saw the spider was indeed climbing up the side of her dress. With another scream, Geranium pelted out of the house only to slam bodily into an immovable object standing right outside the back door.
For a moment, all she could do was gasp while she tried to get her breath back. The first thing that struck her was the spider. Flicking at her skirts she danced around while she tried to shake it off. All the while she danced about, she shook out her skirt and screamed like she had never screamed before.
‘What in the Hell?’ Ronan growled, glaring at the frazzled looking maid who appeared in the doorway behind her. Shocked, he watched the maid race up to Geranium and start to dance about her as she tried to flick at something on Geranium’s dress.
‘It’s gone now, miss,’ Kitty called breathlessly several moments later.
Geranium slammed to a stop and searched the grass for it. She only relaxed when she watched it scuttle into the grass. Sucking in a deep breath, Geranium then turned to the man who was staring at her as if he had never seen her before.
For a few brief moments, Geranium’s world went still. All she could do was stare at him as a wealth of emotions swept through her. The first thing that struck her about Ronan was that he had lost a lot of weight. His face was also paler, as if he hadn’t been outside much. More importantly, there was a dark, almost haunted look in his eyes that was disturbing.
‘Ronan,’ she whispered, lost for words.
He stared at her without speaking as if he was in some sort of trance. Geranium flicked a look at his colleagues who were all seated on their horses doing their damnedest to pretend that they were invisible. Roger lifted a finger and curled
it at Kitty, beckoning her closer so he could have a private word and in doing so draw her away from the hapless couple so that they could have a few private moments together.
‘What was all the screaming about?’ Ronan asked eventually in a voice that was far huskier than he intended it to be.
‘Spiders,’ Geranium informed him crisply. ‘I hate them.’
‘Spiders.’ Ronan’s lips twitched.
‘Don’t laugh. It’s not funny,’ she protested for want of something else to say.
Ronan squinted at her before sliding a look at the modest cottage beside them. ‘So, this is your house now?’
‘Yes. My aunt left it to me.’
Ronan nodded, but then said: ‘It is not suitable.’
Geranium blinked at him. ‘For what?’
‘For raising a family,’ he announced. ‘It has got what, three bed chambers?’
‘Well, yes, but I don’t see what that has got to do with anything,’ Geranium replied seeing no reason why she should apologise for the size of her home.
‘I hear that Mr Quinton’s house is up for sale,’ Ronan added.
‘Well, yes. We all thought that he wouldn’t return.’ Geranium frowned at him because she was struggling to follow the conversation. ‘Are you all right?’
‘No. No, I am not all right,’ Ronan replied honestly as he turned to look at her. ‘I am far from all right.’
‘Are you ill? Is it your wound?’
‘The wound to my side? No. The wound to my heart? Yes.’
‘Heart?’ Geranium’s own heart skipped a beat.
‘Yes. Mine. It hurts, you see.’
‘Oh?’ Geranium daren’t breathe for fear of doing something that would break the growing connection she could feel burgeoning to life between them once more.
Ronan’s eyes searched hers, looking for shadows or hesitation as he slowly reached out and slid a finger down the delicate silk of her cheek. ‘My heart hurts.’
Geranium stared at Ronan with all the adoration she felt. ‘You- your heart?’
Ronan nodded. ‘More than I ever thought it was possible. I still cannot quite understand what happened or when, but something changed during our investigation. You became so important to me that my entire life changed. I wanted to ignore it, deny it, but when I tried to resume my old life, I discovered that it didn’t fit anymore.’