Temptation's Darling

by Johanna Lindsey

  “So you’re staying with us despite the mayhem?”

  She glanced covertly to the side and saw Monty in his greatcoat stepping out of the inn. And lo, he’d even tied a cravat after leaving the dining table. If he hadn’t left his auburn hair loose about his shoulders, he would have been the epitome of a dashing, well-dressed nobleman.

  As for his question, having seen him practically naked last night—and what a delightful show that had been—she had no desire to part company with this bunch until she had to. They were still proving to be far too interesting as companions.

  “We still seem to be going in the same direction,” she answered.

  “I was surprised to find you asleep last night when I returned to the room. Not a bit of curiosity over how an ax got embedded in our door?”

  “I was curious last night, but someone kept me from investigating.”

  He chuckled. “The disturbance was over, so you didn’t miss anything exciting, Ness.”

  “I’ve already concluded that. Inns that serve spirits, like this one, can get as rowdy as any tavern.”

  “You’ve been in that many to know? Even at your tender age?”

  She wasn’t going to tell him she had come of age, but she could say, “My father and I used to stop for lunch in a tavern when we went to town for supplies. More’n once we had to pick up our plates and take them outside to finish eating before our table got smashed to bits.”

  “Is that really true?”

  She chuckled at the skepticism in his tone. “You’re a very suspicious fellow, Monty, but I’m not making up stories for your amusement.”

  “Well, whether you want to hear it or not, I’m obligated to warn you that it might be dangerous for you to travel with us. We’ve already been singled out twice on this trip. Rowdiness wasn’t the problem last night. The boy is in the middle of a power struggle. One side wants him dead, the other wants to keep him alive, and his enemies could be searching for him. I tried to get him out of London with no one the wiser, but I’m not used to this sort of shenanigan. So we will not be staying at any more inns. That was a huge mistake on my part. And while we will still stop for food baskets, Charley and I will remain in the coach, out of sight, if other people are around. It didn’t occur to me until last night that any Tom, Dick, or Harry could point out the direction in which we depart. So the fewer people who see us on the road, the fewer who can tell our enemies which way we went.”

  Vanessa was incensed on Charley’s behalf. “You’re saying the point of that disturbance last night was to kill the boy?”

  “Actually, that one was likely for me.”

  Now she had to wonder who was lying. “Are you in the middle of a power struggle, too?”

  “Not a’tall, that was just recompense for dallying where I ought not to have dallied. But I’ve learned my lesson and am taking m’self away from temptation to a quiet spell in the country where neither the boy nor I will be found.”

  “So the men who shot at you yesterday morning weren’t highwaymen?”

  “Likely not.”

  “And you’ve crossed me off your list of pursuers?”

  That drew a snort from him. “You’re too young and brave to be in the employ of a coward like Lord Chanders.”

  “And too rich to need employment.”

  “Is that so?” he asked. “And how is it so?”

  “Maybe what I consider rich, you’d consider humble. Stop being so bloody nosy.”

  “Ah, said something you shouldn’t, eh? So what difference does it make if I know you have money? You’re not wearing rags, Ness. It was already obvious. What’s your real name?”

  “What’s yours?”

  He laughed. “Touché.”

  “I could’ve sworn you called a truce.”

  “Aha!” he exclaimed. “I knew bloody well you weren’t asleep.”

  “No you didn’t, and I was,” she lied. “You just kept waking me with your silly remarks.”

  “Well, I meant what I said about a truce,” he assured her. “But now I need to ask if you even want to continue with us?”

  “A little danger just sounds like an adventure to me. Tell me you wouldn’t have felt the same at my age.”

  “Well, if I knew your age—”

  She cut in with a chuckle. “I’ll let you know if or when I’ve had enough adventure.”

  She leapt up to mount Snow so Monty would know she was done discussing the subject. A woman carrying a basket rushed out of the inn and handed it to Arlo, who had just driven the coach to the entrance. She guessed it was for lunch and hoped it contained enough food for dinner, too, if Monty really intended to forgo any more inns.

  When it was nearing noon, Arlo stopped the coach by a tree where they could eat. By then she was wondering what was keeping the two Scotsmen from joining them. She had been watching for them since midmorning.

  Charley was first out of the coach and was stretching his arms and legs. He might be a mere boy, but he had long legs and was as tall as most men. She chuckled as she watched him. He even walked imperiously.

  “What’s so funny?” Monty asked.

  She didn’t turn around, lowered her head a little instead before admitting, “The airs your ward puts on.”

  “Utterly silly, I agree, but let’s not tell him I think so.” He suddenly put an arm around her shoulders, causing her to stiffen, remembering that he’d done the same thing yesterday. But today he was merely turning her toward Snow before he let go of her and asked, “I don’t suppose you packed another hood in your bag that I could borrow for m’self? I’m wary of eating out in the open like this where any passerby can ogle me.”

  “Then eat inside the coach. You don’t need to keep me company out here.”

  “Nonsense. We will be spending all too much time in that vehicle, and besides, the least we can do is provide you with excellent company at mealtimes when you’re willing to risk life and limb for our protection.”

  She managed not to laugh. He’d done all the life-risking so far. “Sorry, I traveled light, with only a few sets of togs, and didn’t think an extra cloak would be needed.”

  The moment he sat down on the blanket Arlo had spread on the ground, she headed off to find a tree. Returning a few minutes later, she slowed her step, since Charley still wasn’t there. She located him in the field to the north walking around. Arlo had joined him, and the two appeared to be talking, not thinking about food yet. Before she reached Monty, he suddenly stood, a pistol in each hand. But he wasn’t pointing them at her.

  She followed his threatening gaze to the road they had just traveled and saw her tardy guards finally approaching.

  “Put your weapons away!” she yelled at Monty. “They’re with me.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “WITH YOU? HOW CAN they suddenly be with you when they weren’t?”

  Vanessa ignored Monty’s question and hurried over to the Scots. “Why are you so late?”

  Donnan dismounted. “Calum stood guard last night, so he needed a few hours’ sleep—”

  “I was volunteered, and those few hours were a pittance,” Calum cut in with a grumble.

  “—or we would’ve been here sooner, lass,” Donnan finished.

  She heard Monty laughing behind her. “About bloody time that was settled.”

  “Bloody hell, Donnan,” she snarled. “Didn’t you see him approaching?”

  But Monty was still gloating behind her. “I knew it! My instincts about women never fail me.”

  She swung around to glare at him. “Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, has changed, so keep your ‘I told you so’ to yourself!”

  “Ah, but this”—he pushed back her hood—“you don’t need anymore.” And then with some surprise as he stared at her face, he added, “This beautiful spring day doesn’t hold a candle to you—Nestor.”

  He laughed again, infuriating her so much she swung her fist at him. She got in one blow because he was too busy staring at her face, but then he
put his hands on her upper arms to stave off another.

  That’s when Donnan stepped in. “Get yer hands off her or ye will be feeling mine.”

  Monty didn’t look worried, despite the Scot’s size, but he did remove his hands from her person. He even sounded amused when he pointed out, “The wench put her hands on me first, and rather roughly, too.”

  “She’s not a wench, she’s—”

  “Donnan MacCabe, not another word!” Vanessa cut in sharply.

  Looking at Donnan for a moment, Monty remarked, “And this explains who you were actually guarding last night.” And then his eyes dropped to Vanessa. “Brothers you neglected to mention?”

  “Brothers, yes, but not mine,” she said. “We’re distantly related, though, on my father’s side. We were separated—”

  But Donnan interrupted, “The wee lass objects tae our protection, threatened tae lose us if we didna stay oot o’ sight, but we’ve always been close enough tae hear her call oot.”

  That was the last straw! Monty had no business intruding on her conversation with her guards—who kept saying too much.

  Glaring at Monty, she said rather sharply, “Do you mind? This is a private conversation.”

  “I’m feeling decidedly accommodating,” Monty said with a grin. “So I don’t mind a’tall—Nessi.” He chuckled as he walked back to the food basket.

  Vanessa hated how amused he was by this discovery that she was a lass, but she swung back around to Donnan. “We do not need to explain every bloody little thing to that man.”

  Donnan shrugged. “I met the mon last night and now he kens we were with ye. Ye trust him enough tae guard his back, ye can trust him with the truth.”

  “You were supposed to join me earlier this morning when we would’ve had time to talk before he noticed you,” she reminded him, still furious that the Scot had revealed so much about her.

  “I was nearby,” Donnan assured her. “I was just waiting on Calum tae catch up before we joined ye.”

  Calum spoke up. “I asked the bonny maid tae wake me after a few hours. I think she thought I wanted something else from her, so she didna show up tae get me oot o’ bed. A disturbance ootside woke me, or I would’ve slept the rest o’ the day away—which is what I still feel like doing.”

  He headed toward the coach, climbed to the top of it, and started pushing the trunks around before lying down between a few. She stared at him incredulously until Donnan said, “Dinna begrudge him a wee bit muir sleep when he was awake all night guarding ye. At least he isna asking the haughty lowlander for a seat in his coach for the nap. Getting a nay would add hot spice tae the pot.”

  That remark gave her pause. “You’re both annoyed with me, aren’t you?”

  “Aye. Ye be playing a dangerous game, sleeping in a mon’s room and accompanying lowlanders who’ve clearly been marked by every thief ’tween here and London. Yer father certainly wouldna approve.”

  “There was nothing untoward when he thought I was a boy—until you just informed him otherwise.”

  She thought about telling him that it wasn’t robbers who were after her traveling companions, but that would just make the situation worse. Besides, the brothers would be alert to any kind of threat.

  Instead, she said, “This is my last chance to be myself before my mother starts ordering me around for my debut. And after what happened last night, my companions are going to take the precaution of not stopping at any more inns to eat or sleep, which will lessen the chances of their being attacked at night, but I still want to help protect them during the day.”

  “Championing them, are ye?”

  “If you didn’t notice, one of them is just a boy. Pompous and haughty, but still a boy who won’t be a bit of help in a fight. Yes, I’m going to help them until their path diverges from mine.”

  “Does the laddie need lessons in firing a pistol?” he asked.

  She chuckled, trying to picture Charley holding one. “Undoubtedly, but you won’t like his response if you offer to teach him, so maybe you shouldn’t offer. The boy acts like he’s a bloody royal, so protecting himself would be beneath him.”

  She was still utterly frustrated that the choice of revealing her true sex had been taken out of her hands, but she reminded herself that she’d already concluded it didn’t matter if Monty and the boy knew she was a girl, they just couldn’t know that a Lady came before her name.

  She looked over at the blanket and the basket of food. “Can you join us for lunch without spilling any more secrets?”

  “I’ve eaten already.”

  That wasn’t the answer she wanted. “Donnan, they can’t ever know my real name, is that clear? It would cause a scandal if it were to get out. That sort of tidbit could hurt my sisters—and me—if it made its way to London before our debut this Season. Absolutely no scandal can be attached to my family’s name.”

  “A thought that should’ve took guid hold before the disguise, aye?” he countered.

  “No one was supposed to see through it, and Monty didn’t until you called me a lass.”

  “Is he blind, then?”

  “No, he guessed, but I convinced him he was wrong.” And she yanked her hood up, adding, “How much can you really tell about me when I wear this—if you didn’t know?”

  “It mun be hot under there.”

  She laughed at the evasion. But she had to agree it was hot on such a beautiful spring day and she had nothing to hide any longer. No one approaching from a distance could distinguish that she was female, and she would have enough time to pull up her hood before she spoke to any strangers.

  She pushed the hood off her head before saying, “Well, I’m hungry if you aren’t—and glad you can ride beside me now. So even if I’m presently annoyed with you, I’m still glad you’ve joined us.”

  He chuckled as he took his and Calum’s horses over to the grass alongside the road. She headed to the blanket where Monty was sitting by himself. She looked around for Charley and spotted him and Arlo. They’d stopped strolling and appeared to be having an argument.

  “D’you need to break that up?” she said, gesturing toward the pair.

  “His manservant from the day he was born was how Charley referred to Arlo. I think not. Perhaps Arlo is trying to talk some sense into the boy.”

  “It’s difficult to believe Arlo has been Charley’s manservant for that long when he doesn’t look much older than him.”

  “No doubt it was Charley’s bombastic way of saying they grew up together. Then again, who knows how things are done in their country?”

  She might have been relieved that she could now look directly at Monty. Having to avoid eye contact with him had been very frustrating for her. But the amused expression she saw on his face now rubbed her the wrong way. The man was gloating and making no bones about it.

  He proved it when he asked, “Are you going to tell me why you are trying to disguise yourself as a boy?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. Just because he knew she was a female didn’t mean he had a right to know anything else about her. “No, I’m not, and if you pry into my personal affairs any further, Monty-whoever-you-are, you’re going to end up with another hole in your chest to match the one you got in the war. I promise you that. Who will protect your ward then?”

  She thought that was a pretty good threat, yet all he said in reply was, “That implies you’re not deserting us?”

  She raised a brow at him. “Just because you’ve been an arse?”

  Monty laughed. She ignored him and reached into the basket for a sandwich. He was already done eating, and she had the feeling he was still watching her. A glance back at him confirmed it, and she felt a delicious warmth spread through her. His gaze wasn’t just admiring, it was ardent! And like a moth to a flame, she was drawn to him, unable to look away from his emerald eyes, feeling suddenly breathless and most certainly stirred.

  Even though she no longer had to fight the urge to look at him directly, maybe she should stil
l refrain. There was far too much heat in his eyes now. Very annoying! And yet she still liked the man. He was witty and humorous, sometimes even charming, incredibly handsome, and certainly heroic in his diligence in protecting his ward. She didn’t want him to get hurt on her account.

  “You have to stop looking at me like that,” she cautioned. “If the Scots notice, they won’t care if you’re a lord, they’ll knock you on your arse. And don’t look so bloody pleased about what you now know about me.”

  “Do I need to apologize again? I had thought I could let it go, that suspicion I had that you’re a female. I truly did intend to. But now that it’s out of the bag, as it were, sweetheart, I am a man and you’re a beautiful young woman in close proximity. It’s my bloody nature to entice—”

  Her laugh cut him off. “This changes nothing, so no more seductive looks.”

  “What about you? You fessed up to seeing my wound, so you must have seen a lot more. You couldn’t take your eyes off me last night, could you?”

  For the first time she blushed in his presence, not just from his teasing—and she was sure he was just teasing—but because she’d been unable to push the image of his magnificent body out of her mind. And he was close enough to see her blush, so hoping he’d attribute her reddened cheeks to anger, she sharpened her tone. “You weren’t facing me when you started to undress, so you don’t know if I was gazing at you or I was mortified and turned away. It’s not wise to assume things about me.”

  “I would never—well, only occasionally . . .” Then a sigh. “Very well, this is becoming a dreadfully bad habit, but I apologize again.”

  It sounded grudging yet sincere, so she allowed: “I’ve a bit of a temper, not that you would’ve noticed.” She smiled to indicate she was teasing, because of course he’d noticed by now. “But I suppose I should apologize, too, for being snappish. I would’ve preferred to finish off our journey with you thinking I was a boy. We won’t be traveling together much longer, but I’d just as soon you not tell your ward. Unlike you, he hasn’t suspected anything amiss.”

  “Unlike me, he lives in a world that apparently revolves around himself. And for the record, I most certainly did notice your temper.”