by Laura Landon
She washed, then slipped the one nightgown she’d brought with her over her head. She couldn’t wait to lie down, couldn’t wait to close her eyes and rest.
She pulled back the covers then jerked upright when the knob on the door turned. She spun around, but before she could order her feet to carry her to safety, it was too late.
Her gaze locked with Captain Landwell’s and an overwhelming sense of entrapment engulfed her.
“Good evening, Lady Fledgemont. A merry chase you’ve led me on—again.”
“How did you—”
He held up his hand to stop her words. “Finding people who don’t want to be found is what I do. Finding you was of the utmost importance to me.”
The panic she tried to hold at bay erupted inside her. She gasped for air, struggling to breathe. She’d been so careful this time. “Why couldn’t you let us be? Why did you have to follow us?” She heard the hysterical edge in her voice and cursed the weak sound of it.
“What did you expect me to do? You have the Earl of Penderly’s grandchild.”
The room spun around her and she reached out to steady herself. A small bedside table was all that was near and she stumbled until she could grasp it. He was at her side before she reached it.
“You little fool.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and lowered her to the edge of the bed. “You’re exhausted. When was the last time you slept? Or ate?”
She didn’t answer him, but grabbed for the homemade quilt on the bed. She wasn’t dressed and needed to cover herself. She clutched the bedding to her chest and looked into his piercing blue eyes. “Would it have been so impossible to tell the earl you couldn’t find us?”
“Yes.”
Her heart sank and she struggled to stay calm. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“I already promised that neither you nor the babe would come to any harm. I visited with Penderly and am confident he wasn’t behind the attack.”
“He was!”
He shook his head. “I don’t know the attacker’s identity yet, but it wasn’t the earl. I’ve talked to him. He doesn’t even know he has a grandchild.”
Her eyes opened wide. “You didn’t tell him?”
“I promised you the boy would be safe. I can’t keep that promise until I know who hired someone to kill the babe. The only information I gave Penderly was that you and his son had married.”
She kept her gaze focused on him.
“Lady Fledgemont, the sooner you take my word that you and the boy will be safe, the sooner this can be resolved.”
She ignored his statement. There was no use in arguing further. He was convinced that Penderly wasn’t a threat to Jonathan, and she knew he was. He had to be. Lady Fledgemont had warned her not to trust the earl. She’d warned Sarah that he’d do everything in his power to prevent an actress’s blood from tainting the Penderly bloodline. Why couldn’t she convince Captain Landwell of that.
She clamped her mouth shut and turned her gaze from him.
Landwell must have realized words were no longer of use. He stepped away from her. But the manner in which he surveyed the room made her uncomfortable. His gaze moved from one side to the other. When he spied Jonathan in the basket, he moved in that direction. She rose, but he held up his open hand and she lowered herself back to the mattress.
He dropped to his haunches and watched Jonathan. “He’s sound asleep.”
“Traveling exhausted him.”
“And you, too.”
He rose and walked to the single wooden chest against the wall. He opened each empty drawer. “Where are your clothes?”
When she didn’t answer he scanned the room more closely. He picked up her valise on the floor at the foot of the bed. “Is this all you brought?”
“I don’t need much.”
He rummaged through the bag. She knew what he was looking for. He wanted to know if she was foolish enough to leave London without enough money to provide for herself and the babe while traveling. Well, let him look. She wanted him to realize that she had enough money to travel across England and into Scotland if that was her destination.
He found the small velvet bag and opened it. The surprise on his face was brief. If she hadn’t been watching for it, she would have missed it. She felt a flattering sense of satisfaction. Having such a large amount of money at her disposal made running away less irrational.
He dropped the bag back into her valise. “Where did you intend to go?”
She glared at him. “Far enough away that you couldn’t find us.”
“There is no such a place.”
A jarring sense of foreboding settled over her. He was serious. The fear gnawing at her made her realize he was right. He would hunt her down to the ends of the earth. He was loyal to a fault and for some reason she couldn’t understand, his loyalty to Penderly couldn’t be broken.
Sarah swiped her fingers over her eyes. They burned from the hours without sleep. They burned from the dust of travel. They burned from exhaustion. She closed them for a moment. When she opened them, the room spun in dizzying circles and she knew it wouldn’t be wise to close them again. She couldn’t risk losing consciousness while he was here.
“Have you eaten?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He looked around the room. When he saw no evidence of food, he leveled her with a glare that said he knew she was lying. “I left instructions with the innkeeper’s wife to send up a tray later,” she said.
He shot her another dubious look and she cringed.
“You’re quite adept at lying, aren’t you?”
She bristled. “As well as you, I would imagine, since you managed to get Mrs. Pollock to let you come up here unaccompanied.”
A wave of guilt washed over her. She wasn’t at all skilled at lying. Her father had been the vicar in a country parish, one of the most devout men she knew. If he knew she’d told even one lie, he’d have sat her down to a good scolding. She couldn’t imagine what he would have done after finding out every word she’d uttered since meeting Austin Landwell had been a lie.
She dropped her hands to her lap and breathed a heavy sigh. “Actually, I’m not. I’ve never lied so much in my life.” She lifted her gaze. “I’ve never felt the need to lie before.”
“But you do, now?”
“Yes. I’ll do everything necessary to keep Jonathan with me. He’s mine.”
“Don’t you realize you won’t have to give him up?”
“I will if you inform Lord Penderly that you found us.”
He picked up a straight-back wooden chair from the other side of the room and set it down in front of her. “After visiting with Lord and Lady Penderly, I’m more convinced than ever that you and your son would be safe for the rest of your lives. If your husband were here, he’d tell you that, too.”
Blood rushed to her head. It roared so loudly she couldn’t think. “You can’t believe that.”
“I do. Lord Penderly is more than eager to welcome you into his home. He deeply regrets everything he said to you and his son. Lady Penderly feels the same, perhaps with an even deeper conviction. She wants to be the mother she would have been to you if their son had brought you home as his wife.”
“And you believe them?”
“Yes.”
The room closed in around her. She was desperate to escape but knew that was impossible. His chair was too near her, his long, muscular legs were braced on either side of her. She’d never be able to reach Jonathan before he stopped her.
She couldn’t think. She couldn’t—
The thundering in her head pounded louder than before. She needed to put some distance between her and the man whose presence threatened her, and she stood, wanting to push him away from her.
The room spun around her and she reached out for anything that would steady her. All that was within reach were his strong, sinewy arms. She felt herself falling into him and before she could stop herself, she collided with his hard, immovable ch
est.
His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her to him. In one swift move, he picked her up in his arms and held her.
She remained alert long enough to meet his gaze, then lost herself in the bottomless depth of his midnight-blue eyes. With his arms wrapped around her and the strength of his body cocooning her, Sarah lost her grip on consciousness.
Chapter 6
Austin looked down at the woman in his arms and his heart began a steady pounding. What was there about her that affected him like she did? She was beautiful, but he’d been with hundreds of beautiful women and none of them made his heart race and his head spin like she did. None of them made him want to gather her close and make sure nothing bad ever happened to her.
He should put her down, but he couldn’t. Her wholesome demeanor was like a soothing balm that contained the power to heal him. The innocent expression on her face reminded him of the females he’d associated with before he’d gone to war. Before he’d made decisions that had cost men their lives.
He gently lowered her to the bed and drew the covers over her. He watched the steady rise and fall of her breasts, unable to pull his gaze away from her. Even though she’d been an actress on stage, she didn’t have the look of any actress he’d ever known. There was nothing worldly in her eyes or in her voice. There was an innocence about her that belied what Penderly told him about her.
If he had been fortunate enough to have met her before he and Gabe had left for the Crimea, he liked to imagine things might have been different. He liked to think perhaps he and Collette Flemming might have become friends, then lovers, then…
He sank into the chair beside the bed and rested his forearms on his knees. He was a fool to dream such a foolish thought. Even more foolish to entertain thoughts about Lady Fledgemont. He’d been hired to find her and take her back to London where Lord and Lady Penderly could take care of her. The sooner he put all other thoughts out of his head, the better off he’d be.
The minutes stretched to an hour, then more. Before the room took on a chill, he added more wood to the grate, then sat back and watched the fire blaze.
Austin didn’t know how long he’d stared at the flickering flames while his mind evaluated Lady Fledgemont’s accusations, but his shoulders ached when he shifted in his chair. Silence had replaced the sounds of laughter and ribaldry from below and he breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid the noise that carried upward from the taproom would wake the baby and he’d want to be fed.
Heaven help him. Austin didn’t have the vaguest idea what he’d do if that happened.
Thankfully, there was a knock, and when he answered the door, the innkeeper’s wife and a young serving girl stood in the hallway. “Has the poor lass gone to sleep, then?” the older woman asked.
“Yes.” He stepped back. “Come in.”
The innkeeper’s wife entered with one of the glass jars he’d seen Lady Fledgemont use to feed the babe in London. The young girl followed, carrying a tray of delicious-smelling food.
“Put the tray on that table, Jenny, then run off to bed.”
The young girl placed the tray on the small bedside table, then rushed from the room.
“Thank you, Mrs. …
“Pollock. Maudie Pollock. That was my youngest—Jenny.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Pollock. For everything.”
“Call me Maudie. Everybody does.” She glanced at the tray on the table. “I brought enough food for the both of you, so you might as well eat it while it’s hot. If I’m any judge of people, the food will be ice cold before the lady wakes.”
Austin looked at the bed where Lady Fledgemont slept and knew Mrs. Pollock was right. “She’s exhausted,” he said, more to himself than the innkeeper’s wife.
“I could see that when she arrived.” She looked at him with raised eyebrows. “And so are you. You must have gone without sleep as long as the lady.”
“But I didn’t have an infant to care for,” he said, wondering how on earth Lady Fledgemont had managed.
“I prayed someone would come after her. Mr. Pollock says you were a Captain in the war. That you’re her family?”
He thought how to answer her, then realized the truth was his only option. “No, but I was sent by her family.”
“Oh, good. She needs family. Especially now.” She gave him a motherly look. “Glad I am that you’re here.” Her smile broadened. “Is there anything else you need before I turn in for the night?”
“No, you’ve been more than kind. Thank you.”
“No trouble, sir.” She handed him a container wrapped in warm cloths. “Here’s the baby’s milk. Feed him when he wakes. He should fall back to sleep once he’s full.” She walked to the door. “I’ll be back shortly after sunup with more milk and some dry nappies. Just let the lady sleep. She needs her rest.”
Austin thanked Mrs. Pollock again, then handed her enough money to cover anything they might need for as long as they were here. She wasn’t gone long before Jonathan stirred in his basket.
Austin stared at the squirming baby, knowing that he had no choice but to pick him up. The only babe he’d ever held before was his niece, Rachel, the day before Gabe and Liddy took her to their country manor estate, Southerby. But he hadn’t had to pick her up. And she’d been wrapped in so many blankets that holding her was like carrying his stiff army bedroll.
This was different. There was just a single cover over little Jonathan, not nearly enough so Austin felt safe lifting him in the air.
He hunched down beside the cradle and stared at the infant. He was fussing in earnest now, and if Austin didn’t do something soon he’d wake up his mother, as well as everyone in the inn.
Austin reached out, then stopped. “Are you ready for this, Johnny?”
The baby kicked his feet, waved his hands, and made some indistinguishable sound. Austin took that as a good sign. He placed his hands on either side of the baby’s waist and prepared to lift him from the blanket. He was sure this was how he’d seen Lady Fledgemont pick him up before.
He started to lift the babe then quickly lowered him. Damn. His middle came up but his head and feet stayed down. If he continued lifting he’d snap the babe’s back like a twig.
“I guess that’s not how she did it, huh?”
The baby squirmed beneath the cover and made more noise. Maybe it was Austin’s imagination, but little Johnny sounded angry.
“Don’t get upset, fellow, I’ll get this figured out in a minute.”
Austin studied the babe. Picking up something that size shouldn’t be that difficult. He’d watched his brother-in-law, Gabe, pick up his daughter and he hadn’t had any difficulty. Maybe if he—
Just then, the babe let out a loud holler and Austin knew he didn’t have a choice. He’d have to lift him out of the basket or he’d wake up Lady Fledgemont, and he couldn’t let that happen. The lady was dead on her feet.
The baby let out another cry and without thinking, Austin grabbed the babe beneath his outstretched arms and lifted him along with all the covers. Austin ignored the damp blankets beneath the baby’s bum and carried the fussing infant to the chair. The minute he sat, he reached for the bottle Mrs. Pollock had warmed, and stuck it in the baby’s mouth. The speed in which little Jonathan clamped his mouth around the teat made Austin laugh. He relaxed in the chair and let the baby drink.
Holding an infant so small and innocent caused an odd sensation to settle inside Austin’s chest. Little Jonathan relaxed in his arms as if he had complete trust in the person caring for him. As if he wasn’t aware that the world was a very ugly and terrifying place.
As he watched the baby eat, a blanket of peace washed over him. He was startled by the calming sensation that spread through him. He didn’t know how it was possible, but the babe in his arms represented everything in life that was clean and good. But even more consoling, the babe was a gift he could give to Lord and Lady Penderly. This tiny child provided him with the chance to make whole the family he’d torn apar
t. The tiny babe made it possible for Austin to wash himself clean of the death and destruction he’d lived with longer than he wanted to remember.
He watched in awe as the infant happily waved his arms and kicked his feet. The need to protect a babe so young and helpless tugged at his heart. He didn’t doubt that someone had tried to harm the babe. But he knew that Penderly wasn’t involved in the attempt. There was someone else who wanted the babe dead. And he couldn’t hand Jonathan over until he knew who that was—and eliminated him.
In the silence that came with darkness, Austin vowed that nothing would threaten the child. When he discovered who wanted to hurt the babe, he’d take care of the threat. Then he’d return Jonathan to Lord Penderly so the child could grow up with the advantages that were due him. He owed it to Lord and Lady Penderly. He owed them a son to replace the one he’d killed.
His gaze drifted to where Lady Fledgemont slept. She was buried deep between the covers, with wisps of her auburn hair loose from their pins. Heavy curls spread out across the pillow, framing her delicate features in ethereal shadows. Knowing she would hate him when he betrayed her settled inside his chest like an uncomfortable weight.
He lowered his gaze. The babe still drank from the glass bottle, but his eager gulps had slowed a great deal. Hopefully, that meant he was almost full. Austin didn’t know what he’d do if the lad wanted more. There wasn’t any.
The babe ate for a while longer then turned his head and released the bottle. A movement to his right where Lady Fledgemont slept drew his attention. She was waking.
Her eyes opened, slowly at first, then fluttered as if fighting to stay open. She frowned, as if she needed a moment to remember where she was. When she did, her eyes filled with fear and she sat upright in bed.
“Jonathan!” She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and searched the room.
“He’s here,” Austin answered. “He’s safe.”
Her gaze found him, then lowered to the bundle in his arms. Relief flooded her features when she saw him.