by Lisa Kleypas
A lone figure relaxed in a chair by the railing. He drew lazily on a cigar, exhaling a thin stream of smoke that drifted in the air like a vanishing wraith. The scent of expensive tobacco tickled Lottie's nostrils as she reached the top step.
Her stomach flipped uneasily as she realized who the man was.
"Lord Westcliff," she murmured, curtsying automatically. Uneasily she wondered what he would make of the fact that she was accompanied by Lord Sydney.
The earl remained seated as he surveyed the two of them. The refracted light from the windows gleamed on his coal black hair and cast angular shadows across his blunt, strong features. "Miss Miller," he said in his gravelly voice, and nodded coolly to her companion. "Sydney. What convenient timing. There is a matter that I wish to take up with you."
Certain that her employer was displeased with her, Lottie lowered her gaze to the stone flagging of the terrace. "My lord, forgive me. I went to watch the festival in the village, and-"
"You did more than watch, it appears," Lord Westcliff observed mildly, his keen gaze sweeping over her rustic attire.
"Yes, I took part in the Maypole dance. And Lord Sydney offered to escort me home-"
"Of course he did," the earl said sardonically, taking another pull on his cigar. Blue-gray smoke whirled and eddied upward. "There is no need to look so distressed, Miss Miller. As far as I am concerned, you are not prohibited from seeking entertainment in the village-although it would doubtless be wise not to mention such activities to the dowager countess." He gestured with his cigar. "You may go now, while I discuss a few things with Lord Sydney."
Lottie nodded in cautious relief. "Yes, sir." As she began to depart, she was astonished to feel Lord Sydney's light, restraining hand on her arm.
"Wait."
Lottie froze in utter confusion, her face flooding with color. She could not believe that he had dared to touch her in front of the earl. "My lord," she murmured in protest.
Sydney did not return her glance; his gaze was fixed intently on the earl's harsh features. "Before Miss Miller takes her leave, you had better tell me what this is about."
"This is about your so-called family," Lord Westcliff said softly. "And your so-called past." The quiet words rang with condemnation. Lottie realized from the earl's expression that something was very wrong. If any warmth had lingered from the enchanted moments in the forest, it vanished abruptly.
Bewildered, she stared at Lord Sydney. His face had changed somehow, no longer quite so handsome, but suddenly hard and cold. To behold him now, one would believe that this man was capable of anything. Suddenly, she could not believe that a few minutes ago she had kissed that stern mouth, that his hands had caressed her intimately. When he spoke, even his voice sounded different, his accent a bit coarser. The aristocratic veneer had been stripped away, revealing the stony layers beneath. "I would prefer to discuss this in a more private setting," he said to the earl.
Westcliff inclined his head with icy courtesy. "There is a study in the family wing. Will that serve?"
"Yes." Sydney paused deliberately before adding, "Miss Miller will accompany us."
Lottie stared at him blankly. His request made no sense. Suddenly she felt cold all over, and a shiver chased down her spine. "Why?" she asked through dry lips.
"She has nothing to do with this," Lord Westcliff said curtly, rising from his chair.
Lord Sydney's face was dark and still. "She has everything to do with it."
Lottie felt herself turn white. The entire surface of her body seemed to prickle and burn, as if she had fallen into a frozen pond. She found it difficult to speak or move as a paralyzing suspicion crept over her.
The earl dropped his cigar to the terrace and crushed it with his foot. A touch of uncharacteristic impatience edged his tone. "Miss Miller, will you be so kind as to join us? It seems that we have a small mystery to solve."
Nodding in a puppetlike fashion, Lottie followed the earl into the house, while her instincts screamed for her to flee. She had little choice but to play the scene out, however. Forcing herself to behave calmly, she went with the two men to the private study, its rosewood paneling glowing ruddily in the lamplight. The room was hard and uncompromising, with minimal upholstery and sharp angles, and no ornamentation save for a pristine row of stained glass windows.
As Lord Westcliff closed the door, Lottie took care to keep as great a distance between herself and Sydney as possible. A sense of foreboding nearly made her ill. She could not bring herself to look directly at Lord Sydney, but she was intensely aware of him.
Lord Westcliff spoke. "Will you have a seat, Miss Miller?"
Lottie shook her head dumbly, afraid that if she moved at all, she might collapse.
"Very well." The earl's attention moved to Lord Sydney. "Let us begin with the information I received today. Immediately upon your arrival at Stony Cross Park, I undertook to make certain inquiries about you. I suspected that you were not being entirely truthful in some regard, although I could not quite put my finger on what it was."
Lord Sydney appeared relaxed but watchful, his blue eyes hard as he returned the earl's stare. "And the results of your inquiries, my lord?"
"There is no Viscount Sydney," Westcliff said bluntly, ignoring Lottie's gasp as he continued. "The family line ended approximately twenty years ago, when the real Lord Sydney diedsine prole mascula superstite -without surviving male children to establish a legitimate claim to the title. Which begs the question...who the hell are you? And what is your purpose here?"
"I'm Nick Gentry."
Although Lottie had never heard the name, Lord Westcliff seemed to recognize it. "I see," he said softly. "That explains Sir Ross's involvement. You're about some business for Bow Street, then."
Lottie gasped in astonishment as she realized that the stranger was a Bow Street runner. She had heard of the small, elite force of officers who did everything from solving murder cases to serving as bodyguards for royalty. They were known for their ruthless efficiency and courage, and had even achieved a celebrated status in higher social circles. No wonder this man had seemed so different from the other guests here."I hunt," he had told her, conveniently omitting the fact that his prey was the two-legged variety.
"Not always," Gentry said in response to Westcliff's question. "Sometimes I accept private commissions." His gaze moved to Lottie's tense face. "Two months ago I was hired by Lord Radnor to find his runaway fiancee, Charlotte Howard, who has been missing for two years."
Lottie was utterly still, while cruel pain burst inside her chest and leaked all through her. Her mouth shook with violent denial, but no words would come out. Instead she heard a high-pitched, incoherent cry, only later realizing it had been her own. She was not aware of moving, but suddenly she was across the room, clawing at Gentry's dark face, while rage and terror swooped around her like attacking buzzards.
A savage curse rang in her ears, and her wrists were snatched in crushing vises, but she did not, could not, stop struggling. Sweat and tears poured down her face, and she breathed in sobbing screams, fighting for her life, for the freedom that was being ripped away from her. Somewhere in her mind she knew that she was acting like a madwoman, that this would do her no good, but she could not seem to stop herself.
"Stop it, Lottie," Gentry snarled, giving her a hard shake. "Calm yourself...for God's sake-"
"I won't go back!" she shrieked, panting furiously. "I'll kill you first, oh God, I hate you,hate you -"
"Lottie." The cold voice of sanity cut neatly through her writhing torment. It was Lord Westcliff's voice. One of his powerful arms slid around her from behind, and he hauled her away from Gentry. She reared back against him like a terrified animal. "That's enough," Westcliff said against her ear, his arm tightening into a steely band. "He won't take you, Lottie. I swear it. You know that I always keep my word. Now take a deep breath. Another."
Somehow the earl's stern, quiet voice reached her as nothing else could have, and she found herself o
beying. He guided her to a chair and forced her to sit. Lowering to his haunches, he pinned her with a steady, black gaze. "Stay still. And keep breathing."
Lottie nodded jerkily, her face still streaming. "Don't let him come near me," she whispered.
Standing, Westcliff shot the Bow Street runner a glance of obsidian ice. "Keep your distance, Gentry. I don't give a damn about who has paid you to do what. You're on my estate, and you'll do nothing without my consent."
"You have no legal claim on her," Gentry said softly. "You can't keep her here."
Westcliff responded with an arrogant snort. Going to the sideboard, he poured a small quantity of amber liquid into a glass. Bringing the liquor to Lottie, he forced her trembling fingers around the vessel. "Drink this," he said curtly.
"I don't-" she began, but he interrupted in a tone of absolute authority.
"Now. Every drop."
Grimacing, she downed the liquid in a few gulps and coughed as her lungs and throat were filled with velvet fire. Her head swam, and she regarded the earl with watering eyes. He extracted a handkerchief from the inside of his coat and gave it to her. The linen was warm from the heat of his body. Blotting her face with it, she sighed shakily. "Thank you," she said hoarsely. She kept her gaze fastened on him, unable to look at Gentry. She had never dreamed that such devastation was possible...that her ruin had come in the form of a handsome man with cruel eyes and raffish charm...the first man she had ever kissed. The pain of betrayal, the crushing humiliation of it, was too great to bear.
"Now," Westcliff said evenly, taking a chair beside Lottie's, "your reaction to Mr. Gentry's revelation would seem to confirm that you are indeed Charlotte Howard." He waited for her brief nod before continuing. "It is also true that you are betrothed to Lord Radnor?"
Lottie was reassured by the earl's powerful presence, knowing that he was the only thing that kept her safe from the predator who lurked nearby. Staring into Westcliff's blunt features, she struggled for the right words to make him understand her situation. As the earl saw her agitation, he surprised her by reaching out and taking her hand in his square one. His grip, so strong and secure, seemed to drive away the incapacitating fear. Lottie was amazed by his kindness. He had never shown her this kind of consideration...had never seemed to take much notice of her, actually.
"It was never my choice," she told him. "It was arranged when I was a child. My parents promised Lord Radnor my hand in return for his financial patronage. I have tried very hard to accept the situation, but Radnor is not rational-not sane-in my opinion. He has made no secret of his plans-he regards me as some kind of animal to be trained to his satisfaction. Suffice it to say that I would be better off dead. You must believe me, I would never have resorted to this otherwise-"
"I believe you." Still retaining possession of her hand, Westcliff glanced at Nick Gentry. "Having been acquainted with Miss Miller for quite some time, I can only assume that her objections to marrying Radnor are valid."
"They are," came the runner's flat response. He lounged near the fireplace with deceptive laziness, resting an arm on the marble mantel. Flames cast tongues of red light over his dark face. "Radnor is a swine. But that is beside the point. Her parents have agreed to the match. Money-a great deal of it-has changed hands. And if I don't retrieve her, Radnor will send a dozen more like me to do the job."
"They won't find me," Lottie said, finally managing to meet his gaze. "I'll go abroad. I'll disappear-"
"You little fool," Gentry interrupted in a low voice. "Do you plan to spend the rest of your life running? He'll send another man after you, and another. You'll never have a moment's peace. You can't go fast enough, or far enough-"
"That's enough," Westcliff said curtly, feeling the shiver that ran through Lottie's body. "No, Lottie will not go abroad, nor will she continue to run from Lord Radnor. We will find a way to resolve the matter so that she may lead a normal life."
"Oh?" One of Gentry's dark brows lifted in a mocking arch. "This should be interesting. What do you propose to do, Westcliff?"
The earl was silent as he considered the matter.
As Lottie continued to stare at Nick Gentry, she tried to think past the welter of emotions. She would find some way out. She would be damned if she would be taken to Radnor like a lamb to the slaughter. Her thoughts must have been obvious, for Gentry's gaze was suddenly touched with flinty admiration as he stared at her. "As I see it, you have only two options," he said softly.
Her voice shook only a little as she replied. "What are they?"
"With the right inducement, I may be persuaded to let you go, in which case you will continue to hide from Radnor until you're caught again. Or...you can remove yourself from his reach permanently."
"What do you mean?"
Lord Westcliff intervened in the taut silence. "He means marriage. Once you are married and legally under another man's protection, Radnor will cease his pursuit."
Lottie's gaze dropped to the strong hand covering hers. "But that is impossible. I don't know any men who would be willing..." She stopped, feeling ill and bitter.
"Itis possible," the earl countered calmly.
As Lottie stared at Westcliff with wondering eyes, Nick Gentry's quiet jeer cut through the air. "Planning to make her your countess, my lord?"
The earl's face was expressionless. "If necessary."
Stunned, Lottie clung to his hand tightly before withdrawing from him. It was inconceivable that Westcliff would be willing to make such a sacrifice. Perhaps she could reconcile herself to the prospect of marrying without love. After all, anything was preferable to becoming Lady Radnor. However, the earl was a good, honorable man, and she would not take advantage of him that way.
"You are remarkably kind, my lord," she told him. "But I would never marry you, as you deserve far better than a marriage of convenience. That is too great a sacrifice for you to make."
"It would hardly be a sacrifice," he replied dryly. "And it is a logical solution to your dilemma."
Lottie shook her head, her fine brows knitting as a new thought occurred to her. "There is a third option."
"What is it?"
A great icy calmness settled over Lottie, and suddenly she felt removed from the scene, as if she were an impartial onlooker rather than a participant. "I would rather not say just yet. If you would not mind, my lord, I would like to have a few minutes alone with Mr. Gentry."
CHAPTER 5
Nick had known that Lottie would not react passively to the news that he had hunted her down on behalf of Lord Radnor. But the passionate fury of her response when cornered had startled him. Now that she had regained her self-possession, she stared at him with a desperate calculation that he understood all too well. He thought her magnificent.
Although Lord Westcliff clearly did not agree with Lottie's request, he complied with a frown. "I will wait in the next room," he said, as if he expected Nick to fall on her like a ravening animal as soon as the door was closed. "Call out if you require assistance."
"Thank you, my lord," Lottie murmured, giving the earl a grateful smile that caused Nick to boil with jealousy. He would have required little provocation to drive his fist into Westcliff's aristocratic face, especially at the moment when he had taken Lottie's hand to comfort her. Nick had never been possessive of anyone in his life, but he could barely tolerate the sight of Lottie accepting another man's touch. Something was happening to him-he had lost control of the situation, and he was not certain how to regain it. All he knew for certain was that Lottie was necessary to him...that if he could not have her, this endless feeling of being hungry, unsatisfied, cold, would never leave him.
Nick remained by the fire, relaxed except for his clenched fist on the mantel. Silently he damned Westcliff for this turn of events. Nick had planned to impart the news to Lottie in a gentle way, and soothe her fears before she had a chance to fly into a panic. Now Westcliff had fouled things up considerably, and Lottie was understandably hostile.
She tur
ned to him, her face pale, her eyes reddened from her tears. Her expression was composed, however, and she looked at him with unsettling intensity, as if she were trying to see inside his mind. Her searching gaze made him feel oddly threatened.
"Was it all an act?" she asked quietly.
Nick blinked. He, who had endured countless hours of scrutiny and interrogation and even torture, was completely thrown off by the question.
"I know that some of it was," Lottie said. "It was part of your job to gain my trust. But you went quite a bit farther than necessary." She approached him with hypnotic slowness. "Why did you say those things to me tonight?"
God help him, he couldn't answer. Worse, he couldn't look away from her, and she seemed to be staring through his eyes into his soul.
"The truth, Mr. Gentry," she insisted. "If I can bring myself to ask, surely you can bring yourself to answer. Did you mean any of it?"
Nick felt a light sweat break out on his face. He tried to close her away, to deny her, but it was impossible. "Yes," he said hoarsely and clamped his mouth shut. The devil take her if she wanted him to say anything more than that.
For some reason, the admission seemed to make Lottie relax. Nick couldn't begin to imagine why. Finally managing to rip his gaze away from hers, he stared blindly into the dancing firelight. "Now," he muttered, "perhaps you can explain what the third option is."
"I need protection from Lord Radnor," she said bluntly. "Few men would be able to hold their own against him. I believe that you could."
The statement was matter-of-fact...there was nothing complimentary in her tone. Nevertheless, Nick felt a flicker of masculine pride that she recognized his abilities.