by Anne Herries
‘I agree with you,’ Richard said. ‘Of course, had it fallen into the wrong hands it would have been safer. It may be that my informant is a member of the group who wishes to lay information without getting caught.’
‘I hadn’t thought of that,’ Georgie said, giving him an appraising look. ‘He must think that you are clever enough to work it out for yourself.’
‘Yes, perhaps,’ Richard said. ‘Or it might have been sent to mislead…if my informant had been turned or…’
‘Or murdered?’ Georgie felt cold all over. ‘Do you think that the first message was genuine and this one was false?’
‘I think that may be the case,’ Richard said. ‘Whoever is behind this needs time to complete his plans. He is afraid that I may have more clues than I actually do and he sent this message to lead me on a false trail.’
‘To force you to waste time trying to work out something that means nothing—is, in fact, nonsense?’
‘Yes, it could be that,’ Richard agreed, smiling oddly at her. ‘You are an intelligent girl, Georgie. Talking to you has made me see that I could have wasted a lot of precious time. I wondered when I was told the location for the meeting that night. I believe the attack on me was meant to happen only after I had delivered the new message to colleagues—because I am not the only one involved in this affair.’
‘So he wished to confuse you all,’ Georgie said. ‘Had you died in the attack, you would have been one less for him to deal with, but he knew you were not working alone.’
‘I am not alone, but perhaps I have some information others do not,’ Richard said. ‘The trouble is, if I have it, I do not know what it is…unless it is a name.’
‘Raoul Thierry,’ Georgie said, looking at him intently as a suspicion came to her. ‘You’ve heard his name before. You suspect him of being involved, do you not?’
‘Perhaps,’ Richard said. ‘His name has been mentioned by several people as being suspect, but I have no proof. We should go. Henderson will have the horses ready and my groom will be waiting for us.’
‘No, not yet,’ Georgie said. She looked angry, two spots of red colour in her cheeks. ‘You made me wait until you could travel because you thought I might be involved in this horrid affair, didn’t you?’
‘It crossed my mind,’ Richard admitted. ‘You did try to steal from me, Georgie. That package was important—or I thought it was at the time, though if it were a hoax he would not have sent you to steal it.’
‘No one sent me to steal it,’ she said indignantly. ‘I would never do such a thing!’ She blushed as she met his mocking stare. ‘Well, only if I was terribly hungry, which I was—and I didn’t know what it was!’
‘No, I am certain you did not,’ Richard said and laughed softly in his throat. She was magnificent when she was angry! Despite his determination to stay aloof, she was gradually worming her way under his defences. ‘Do not look so outraged, Georgie. I have acquitted you of all malice. You only stole from me because you were hungry, so naturally that makes you blameless.’
‘Oh…’ She threw him a wrathful glare. ‘Well, if you had ever been as hungry as I was, you might have done the same!’
‘I have been and I did—when in Spain with the army,’ he said. ‘Forgive me. I could not resist teasing you. You are very pretty when you are angry, you know.’
‘Please do not!’ Georgie said. His smile was teasing but she knew he must think her a ridiculous scamp. ‘I know I must look awful, not at all respectable.’
‘Well, there is that,’ he agreed, a sparkle in the depths of his teasing eyes. ‘But I must say that I find your disguise rather attractive—though of course I deplore the behaviour that brought you to this masquerade.’
Georgie understood that he was teasing her. She had finished eating her bread and ham and got up, walking out into the yard with dignity. He deserved that she should ignore him for the rest of the journey!
Chapter Four
Georgie’s spurt of temper lasted for the first mile or so, by which time she had realised that it merely made her seem childish, for he was determined to be a charming companion. He had allowed his young groom to drive and sat with her in a more comfortable seat.
‘Well, I suppose it does no good to fall out with you,’ she announced as they passed a pretty village. ‘I have to thank you for making it possible for me to complete my journey. Had we not met, I might have suffered a worse fate than to be teased.’
‘Very nicely said,’ Richard observed with a faint smile. ‘I was wondering when you would remember your society manners, for I dare say you were brought up to behave with decorum.’
‘Certainly I was,’ Georgie replied. ‘Mama would have been shocked if she knew what I had done these past days—though I believe she would understand I had no choice. My father would have thrashed my uncle, but of course had either of them been still living it could not have happened.’
‘Have you thought about your future?’ Richard inquired for all the world as if he were an uncle and they out for an afternoon drive. ‘You spoke of setting up your own establishment if your aunt did not wish for your company, but you are a little young for that, are you not?’
‘Yes, perhaps,’ she agreed. ‘But I dare say I might hire a respectable companion to keep me company. If I had no relations, I must have done so anyway.’
Richard nodded. He was thoughtful as he watched her, wondering how he could ever for a moment have been deceived into thinking her a youth. She was extremely pretty even dressed as she was; indeed, there was something fascinating about a young woman in a boy’s clothing, and he had to castigate himself severely for thinking that had she not been so well born he might have made her his mistress.
What was he thinking! It was a rogue thought and one he hastily dismissed, even though she was wholly enticing, especially when she got on her high horse. There had been moments when he had been tempted to kiss her simply to see her reaction, but each time he had crushed the unworthy impulse. No matter what she had done, she was a young lady of good birth and fortune and as such deserved his protection. He had no right to be imagining what she might look like without those ridiculous clothes—or what her hair would smell like as it lay spread on the pillow beside him!
‘Do you think anyone would consent to be my companion?’ she asked a little naïvely, looking uncertain. ‘Perhaps my great-aunt will be pleased to have me and I shan’t need one.’
‘Yes, we must hope so,’ he replied. ‘I should imagine any number of ladies would be happy to come and live at your expense, Georgie—but you must be careful that you choose the right one.’
‘Yes…’ She looked doubtful. ‘Do you think—?’
Before she could continue a shot rang out. She ducked forward as she felt the air rush past her cheek and realised that it had almost hit her. The horses had taken fright and the young groom was having difficulty in holding them. She controlled her little squeal of fright as she saw Richard move swiftly to the driving box and grab the reins from the hands of his valiant groom.
It took only a few minutes before he had managed to slow their pace to something more manageable, though he did not immediately bring them to a halt. She realised that he was putting some distance between them and whoever had shot at them, and when she heard two more shots behind them she guessed that Henderson had arrived and was making sure that the assassin did not attempt to follow them.
It was perhaps fifteen minutes later that Richard slowed his horses to a walking pace, then gave the reins back to his groom and climbed back to sit beside her. He looked at her for a moment, his intent gaze registering that after her first fright she had taken the incident well.
‘Good girl,’ he said and picked up her cap, which had come off in their mad flight. ‘It is a pity to hide that glorious hair, but I think you should. It won’t do for you to be seen like this, you know.’
‘No,’ she agreed and blushed as he helped her to gather her long hair and tuck it back beneath the cap.
‘He chose his spot well,’ Henderson replied. ‘He was sheltered by the trees, but his very vantage meant that he could get off only one shot, for the trees sheltered you too after you had passed. I shot at him twice as he fled and I think I may have winged him.’
‘Not dead?’ Richard asked, brows arched.
‘More’s the pity,’ Henderson growled, looking at Georgie. ‘He might have killed you, miss. A fraction either way and he would have shot you through the head.’
‘Don’t!’ Georgie shuddered. ‘Do you think he meant to hit me or Captain Hernshaw?’
‘I think it was you, miss,’ Henderson replied, his expression grim. ‘From what I saw, he couldn’t have been aiming for the captain.’
‘But why would he want to kill me?’ Georgie asked. She had imagined the shot was meant for her companion, and the idea that she had been the true target was frightening. ‘Who could want me dead? Monsieur Thierry wants to marry me. I should be of no use to him dead.’
‘No…’ Richard was thoughtful. ‘Who would inherit your fortune if you died unmarried? You have not made a will?’
‘No.’ Georgie screwed up her forehead. ‘My aunt did suggest it once, but I told her I had no intention of dying for years. I suppose my uncle is my nearest relative, though my great-aunt might also have a claim. There is no else.’ She held back a sob. ‘Surely my uncle would not try to have me killed for money?’ She had made just such a story up for Mrs Jensen, but the suggestion that it might be true was shocking.
‘He was willing to sell you into a marriage you disliked.’
‘Yes, but it was to clear a debt, and he was afraid of Raoul Thierry.’ Georgie looked at him, feeling slightly sick. ‘It might have been him—if Monsieur Thierry thinks that I can tell you something he doesn’t wish you to know.’
‘That would mean he knew who you were,’ Richard said. ‘You told me you saw him in the street in London. Could he have seen you—for long enough to know it was you?’
‘I don’t think so…though he might have seen me last night,’ Georgie said. ‘I saw him clearly in the inn yard, but the lights of the candles in the parlour were behind me. It is possible that he saw me. He might not have known it was me then, but he perhaps realised it later.’
Richard’s eyes went over her. ‘If I knew you before we met, I should not have been fooled for a moment,’ he told her. ‘To a stranger you might pass for a pretty youth, but to anyone who knows you…’
‘Then he must think I am with you for a purpose,’ Georgie said. ‘He may think that I can help you to recognise him…or something of the sort…’
‘Yes, perhaps,’ Richard said and looked thoughtful. ‘You are certain that no one else would benefit from your fortune other than your uncle?’
‘My father was an only child,’ Georgie said. ‘I have only my uncle and my great-aunt.’
‘Then we must assume it is either Thierry for reasons of his own or your uncle for money,’ Richard said. ‘When we reach the next posting inn I shall hire a closed carriage. If your life is in danger, I must protect you.’
‘But we cannot be sure the shot was meant for me,’ Georgie said, frowning. ‘Perhaps the rogue who fired at us thought you would be travelling alone and fired without being sure who he would hit.’
‘Yes, that is possible,’ Richard agreed. ‘But in future I do not intend to give anyone the chance to shoot at you again. We shall travel on by closed carriage.’
Georgie kept her silence. To drive with him in a closed carriage would do little for her reputation if it were discovered, but then she had already lost any claim to respectability and must hope it could be recovered when she reached her great-aunt’s home.
However, he winced as he moved and, glancing at him, she saw the blood spotting on his otherwise immaculate breeches. ‘Your wound,’ she said. ‘It must have opened when you moved so suddenly to grab the reins.’
‘Yes.’ He glanced down dispassionately. ‘It may be as well, for there was a little festering, which is why it was causing me pain. Sometimes it is better to open a wound and let the blood flow to cleanse it.’
Georgie felt doubtful, guessing that he was in far more pain than he would ever say. She made no comment; she knew that he would not thank her if she offered sympathy. He settled back into his seat, telling his groom to drive on, though she noticed a little pulse beating in his throat and sensed that he was having difficulty in holding back his pain as the carriage rattled over a particularly bumpy road.
At the inn, a bustling, busy place at a crossroads, Richard secured both a private parlour and a bedchamber. He left Georgie to herself in the parlour while he and Henderson went upstairs. They were gone for half an hour, during which time she amused herself by staring out of the window at the inn yard. Several private vehicles drew up during that time, their owners calling for refreshment while their horses were being rested or exchanged for fresh. She saw no one that gave her the least need for anxiety, her thoughts centred on what was happening upstairs, and she turned with pleasure as she heard the door open.
Richard had changed into fresh breeches, and there was evidence of a bandage beneath the clinging material. As he seemed to walk a little more easily she assumed that he was feeling better for his man’s attentions.
‘We may as well stay and eat,’ he told her. ‘I am sorry that this journey is taking longer than it ought, Georgie. Had we not been forced to break our journey again, we might have reached your home by this evening. As it is, I am afraid we may have to stay at an inn for one more night.’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Georgie said. ‘It wasn’t your fault that we came so close to an accident. Besides, I shall be sorry when we part, sir.’
‘Shall you?’ Richard arched one eyebrow. ‘I thought you could not wait to get away from me when we were in London?’
‘Well, yes, I did think it would be better to leave, but…Jensen did not have a good opinion of me, you see. Mrs Jensen was kind, but she would not let me help her and I felt that I was in the way.’
‘I am sorry if you were made to feel uncomfortable.’
‘Oh, no, it wasn’t their fault, and Mrs Jensen was very kind, even though her husband obviously thought I was…no better than I should be.’ She bit her lip. ‘You must not blame him, for the circumstances were unusual to say the least.’
‘Yes, I suppose it was inevitable that he should have thought the worst,’ Richard said. ‘It might have been better if I had let them think you were my niece or something.’
‘They wouldn’t have believed you. No one would.’ Georgie pulled a rueful face. ‘I told Mrs Jensen I was in desperate trouble. I think she half-believed me, but I am very certain her husband did not.’
‘I have placed you in a difficult position,’ Richard said, eyes narrowed, thoughtful. ‘You stayed at my home without a chaperon and have had only my tiger and Henderson as our companions on this journey. I have, in fact, compromised you, Georgina.’
‘I did that for myself,’ she admitted, a blush in her cheeks. ‘Besides, you were only trying to help me when you took me to your home—and no one needs to know.’
‘Your great-aunt will know,’ Richard observed. ‘At least she will know that you have arrived at her house with a gentleman she does not know and no luggage.’
‘You are a friend of the family,’ Georgie said, ‘and my luggage was lost on the way. We were attacked by ruffians who stole our baggage and that is how you were wounded.’
‘You have a fine imagination,’ Richard said and he wasn’t smiling. ‘How much can I believe of what you say, I wonder?’
‘Everything!’ She sparked with indignation. ‘I did tell you a little white lie when we met, but I had to be wary, for you might have been anybody. Besides, it was not so far from the
truth.’
‘But you have made up a string of lies to tell your great-aunt.’
‘Yes, well, I didn’t know what else to say. You talked of having compromised me and…and you must not feel obliged or anything.’ Her cheeks were deep rose with embarrassment. ‘I would not want you to feel that you had to marry me.’
‘Believe me, I don’t!’
‘Oh!’ Georgie glared. ‘Good, because I do not want to marry you. In fact you are the last man I would marry!’
‘Perhaps you would prefer to marry Thierry?’
‘No, of course I wouldn’t! You know I would rather die. I told you so…’ She understood that he was mocking her and threw him a fulminating stare. ‘I never know when you are funning! Of course you don’t want to marry me, and I shan’t expect it—even if my aunt says I am beyond the pale.’
‘Poor Georgie,’ Richard said and smiled. ‘You have got yourself into a pickle, haven’t you?’
‘Yes, I know it was a mad thing to do—but what else could I have done? My uncle meant to force me to marry that odious man and I did the first thing that came into my head. There was no one to help me.’
‘Impulsive,’ Richard murmured. ‘But brave too. I am not sure what else you could have done, but perhaps a little more planning would have had better results. You could perhaps have gathered enough money to hire a post-chaise to your great-aunt’s instead of taking the public stagecoach and getting robbed.’
‘Yes, it would have been better,’ she agreed. ‘I was afraid my uncle would lock me in my room, and then I was careless…’ She lifted her head, giving him a frank look. ‘I think I should have starved or ended up in prison if you hadn’t helped me. I am very grateful, you know—and sorry if I have caused you a deal of trouble.’
Richard looked into her eyes, which just now were soft brown, slightly moist and heart-wrenchingly appealing. He felt something stir inside him, an emotion he could not recall ever feeling before, something warm and tender, an urge to sweep her into his arms, carry her off and hold her for ever in his protection. In another instant he had quashed it. Love was foreign to his nature, an emotion he had long dismissed as being behind him, too dangerous to encourage. There had been women to share his bed, of course, but none of them serious and there had been no one at all for a long time. Perhaps that was why he had been experiencing these sudden swathes of hot desire as he looked at Georgie in her youth’s clothing. Something he felt disturbing and not to be indulged.