by Candace Camp
Alex stared at her, too astonished to speak. They had both just dreamed of falling? Yes, the Morelands tended to have strange dreams, but how could this happen? Had she somehow entered his dream, experiencing his climbing out the window and racing across the roof?
“Do you think that’s what happened to me?” Sabrina lifted her hand up to the bruise on her forehead. “I fell out of a window and hit my head?”
It seemed logical. It occurred to him that perhaps his dream hadn’t been about his escape years ago at all. Maybe he had just assumed it was, his mind making the logical connection to the time he had escaped as a child and that frightening leap between rooftops. Could he have somehow experienced Sabrina’s dream? That must be utter nonsense. Yet...
“Alex?” Sabrina said tentatively.
“What? Oh.” He realized that he had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn’t answered her. “Sorry. Just trying to reason all this out.” He could hardly tell her his thoughts; she would be certain he was utterly mad. “Yes, to answer your question. It does seem possible, even likely, that you fell yesterday and hit your head. I would think one very well might dream about a frightening experience. I have done so myself.”
“Really?”
He nodded, his thoughts once again going to his dream. He had sensed Sabrina’s presence this morning, but more than that, even before he saw her, he had felt her distress and confusion. If he could sense that something was wrong with her, as he was able to with his twin, perhaps tonight the terror of her dream had touched him, even in his sleep, causing him to dream something similar. Following that line of reasoning, his nightmare the night before might have been caused by Sabrina’s actual fall. It made sense—in a very peculiar way.
“The thing is,” Alex mused, “if you fell from a window and knocked yourself out, why didn’t someone find you? If you were being chased, wouldn’t the people chasing you take the opportunity to seize you? And if you were running away from your home and fell trying to climb down from your window, surely whoever was waiting for you would have seen it and come to your aid.”
“Waiting for me? What do you... Oh, I see, you mean if I were eloping, then he would have been outside.” She paused, thinking. “If that was the reason I left, it would explain that ring and why it was in my pocket instead of on my hand. I was secretly engaged, intending to get married. Maybe he wasn’t there. I was going to meet him somewhere. Only, I fell, hit my head and lost my memory. Still, as you said, whoever was reaching for me would have seen it and taken the opportunity to catch me.”
“True.” He thought for a moment. “Maybe that person wasn’t real but something your brain conjured up, a symbol of the pursuit you feared would follow.”
“So perhaps everyone was still asleep, and I came to before anyone was out of bed. Is that when I forgot who I was?”
“I don’t know. All we’re sure of is that you’d lost your memory by the time you reached London. But, whether you awoke from the fall not knowing who you were or it came to you later, when you awakened, you were aware that you must run. You sensed that someone was after you, so you took off. The same reasoning would apply whether you were eloping or a rebellious miss running off to visit her friend in London, or a schoolgirl escaping from some young ladies’ academy.” Another possibility, that she was a mistreated wife looking to escape her brute of a husband. He didn’t want to think about that.
“True.” Sabrina looked relieved. “It doesn’t have to have been that I was eloping. But why didn’t someone come after me? Wouldn’t they have searched for me?”
“We don’t know that they didn’t.” Alex wished he could call back the words when a new worry bloomed in Sabrina’s eyes.
“Of course. You’re right. They could have followed my trail. They could be here in London searching for me.”
“No need to worry about that,” he said hastily. “Even if they assumed you fled to London, how would they know where you went once you got here?”
“The driver?”
“Let’s say they questioned the driver of every hack at Paddington, the most they could possibly learn is that you’d gone to the agency. Tom Quick won’t reveal where you are, and Con isn’t even here. No, if they think you’ve gone to London, then they’re most likely to go to your friend who wrote the letter in your pocket. She will know nothing about you. Or if you come to London frequently, they’ll go to the places you normally go.”
“And I won’t be there.”
“Exactly.”
She smiled and reached out to squeeze his hand. “Thank you.”
His pulse leaped at her touch. It was mad that even so small a thing could stir him. He wanted to turn his hand over and clasp hers. Well, frankly, what he wanted to do was to pull her over into his lap and kiss her again.
“It’s, uh...” he began before realizing he had no idea what he was going to say. “Very late. We should probably go to bed.” His face warmed. “That is to say, we should sleep. I’m sure you’re tired.”
Sabrina was just looking at him, her eyes huge and serious. She was so lovely it took his breath away. And she was still wearing only a nightgown. He could see the soft rise of her breasts beneath the thin material, even the hint of the darker circle of her nipples. She had curled her legs up onto the chair, and the nightgown had fallen away a little, revealing her ankles. He could not keep from thinking about reaching out and sliding his hand up, pushing the material higher, her skin smooth beneath his fingertips.
Alex jumped to his feet. “There’s no reason to be afraid.”
“I’m not.”
“It was just a dream—nothing will hurt you here. And I’ll be right down the hall. You can call if you need me.” Why couldn’t he stop babbling?
He swung away and found himself facing her bed. The covers were tossed aside invitingly, the sheets rumpled where she had lain. His mouth went dry as dust. He couldn’t move, couldn’t look away. He wanted to touch her so much the very skin of his palms tingled.
Sabrina rose to her feet, and Alex turned back to her. She was close to him; it would be only a matter of reaching out and taking her arm. Pulling her to him. He remembered in vivid detail each moment of that kiss earlier. Her taste. Her warmth. Her softness.
“Good night,” he said hoarsely and hurried from the room.
Chapter Six
SABRINA HUMMED TO herself as she fastened the buttons down the front of her shirtwaist. It was doubtless peculiar to feel so cheerful this morning after the bad dream last night, but that nightmare had been overwhelmed by the feel of Alex’s arms around her afterward. Alex’s kiss.
She smiled to herself. However little she might remember of her past, she was certain she had never felt anything as delightful. When she’d jerked awake and run from her room, she had acted instinctively, simply getting away. But when she saw Alex, she knew that what she was seeking was the safety and strength of his arms.
His embrace had provided that, warming and calming her, but as she stood pressed against him, she had become aware of much more than feeling safe. Her skin had tingled, and the feel of his body against hers, nothing but the thin cotton of her nightgown between them, had stirred her.
Lean and long, Alex was all bone and hard muscle. His shirt had hung open, unbuttoned, so her face had been pressed against his bare chest, his flesh on hers. She could smell the scent of his skin, subtle and slightly musky, and hear the rhythm of his heart. She’d felt his body suddenly flare with heat.
Sabrina had known what that flush meant, for she felt it racing through her own veins. Innately she understood the subtle signs—the almost infinitesimal alteration in his scent, the ragged draw of his breath, the way his muscles tightened. He desired her.
She had lifted her head, wanting to see his face. Wanting, if truth be known, for him to kiss her. And he had. Thinking about it, her lips curled up dreamily. His kiss had
melted her, turned her quivering and mindless, for a moment a creature entirely devoid of thought or will, recognizing only the desire pouring through her. Looking back on it, it seemed a little alarming. At the time, it had been utterly right.
Perhaps she would come to regret it. It would be difficult to look at him today without blushing. If he counted her as less because of her response, she would rue it. But for those few moments, she had lived in a perfect world of pleasure. The truth was, right now she wanted nothing more than to return to it.
Sabrina pulled on her skirt and buttoned it up the side. One of the best attributes of Megan’s clothes was the ease with which one could dress oneself—buttons where one could reach them easily, fewer petticoats and only the smallest amount of padding in the back to form a bustle. Best of all, she could wear them without having to tighten herself into a corset first.
She had goggled yesterday at Megan’s breezy assurance that none of the Moreland women believed in wearing a corset. The duchess, she said, considered them a symbol of all that was wrong with women’s current place in the world, designed to render them mere ornaments incapable of performing any useful task.
Sabrina studied herself in the mirror. Though the lack of a corset made her waist less waspish than was fashionable, there was a certain grace and fluidity that was lacking with a stiff corset. Best of all, she could breathe deeply. That had been one of the most pleasant aspects about wearing male clothing.
The lines of Megan’s skirts were narrower, which, along with the smaller number of petticoats, made getting around much easier. Her clothes were also more versatile. Sabrina could wear the tailored skirt with only the cotton shirtwaist, or she could don a feminine version of a man’s jacket, one that nipped in at the waist and puffed out on the sleeves. Either way, the ensemble looked crisp and modern and somehow professional, as if the woman who wore it was capable of doing things.
It was so much better than the frilly things young girls had to wear. Sabrina considered that thought and what it meant about the void of her past life. Clearly she liked this streamlined look, so that was another thing she now knew about herself. And, given the distinct tinge of resentment in her thought, Sabrina suspected she had had to wear the ruffles and bows she disliked.
That was a curious thing. She was a grown woman, nearly twenty-one if their guess about the date on her locket was correct. Surely she would have been in charge of her own wardrobe. Sabrina frowned. Had she been so under the dominance of a husband or parents? Or, not having met the Moreland women, had she simply been unaware that the difference existed? Neither, she thought, spoke very highly for her own strength of character.
Shrugging aside the thought, she headed downstairs. The dining room at first glance was such a blur of noise and people that for a panicked moment Sabrina thought of turning around and going back to her room. There seemed to be a veritable army of children, as well as several adults, some sitting, some standing, getting food from the sideboard, reaching down to grab up a running child, gesturing—and all of them talking at once.
Alex, standing at the sideboard chatting with another dark-haired man, saw her and exclaimed, “Sabrina.”
At his word, all conversation ceased, and every eye in the place turned to Sabrina. She froze like a rabbit in the sight of a wolf. Alex set down his plate and came over to her, taking her arm and nudging her inside. “Kyria, this is Sabrina, whom I was telling you about.”
A tall, red-haired woman who could only be the duchess’s daughter kissed the child she was holding and set her down, smiling as she crossed the floor to Sabrina. Up close, Sabrina could see the faint lines beside her eyes, so Sabrina knew she must not be as young as she first appeared, but there was no gray in her vivid red hair and she was a stunning woman.
“Sabrina, this is my sister the Lady—”
“Just plain Kyria,” the elegant woman said cheerfully, reaching out to shake Sabrina’s hand. “As you can see, we don’t stand on formality here.” She waved a hand toward the table. “Don’t be alarmed by all the children. It’s mostly my brood. When they found out I was going out with Megan and Mother this morning, they insisted on coming over to ‘look after Athena and Brigid’—though it’s my opinion that they were seizing the opportunity to have a yard to play in.”
Sabrina could see now that, aside from Megan’s toddlers, there were actually only four young people, all of them with various shades of red or blond hair.
“Miss Davenport,” Kyria addressed the plainly dressed woman sitting against the far wall. “I think it’s probably time for the children to go back to the schoolroom.”
The other woman curtsied and began to round up the children and shepherd them toward the door. As this took all the children bidding each of their relatives goodbye, as well as chasing down the elusive Brigid, it was a protracted process.
“Now, dear...” Kyria turned to Sabrina. “Alex told me about your problem. Such a curious thing. I do wish I could help.” She studied Sabrina for a long moment, then sighed. “I’m sorry, but I don’t recognize you at all.” She turned toward her brother. “She’s not one of the current crop of young girls making their come-out or any from the last several years.” She held up a finger when Alex started to speak. “It’s no use arguing. Trust me, Sabrina is far too lovely for me not to remember her.”
“Then you think she’s not from London?”
“I’m sure I wouldn’t move in the same circle as Lady Kyria,” Sabrina ventured.
“Oh, I have a very wide circle—or perhaps I should say a large number of them.” Kyria smiled. “Still, you’re right, I can scarcely know every young gentlewoman in London. But you mustn’t worry, dear. Alex will help you straighten it out.”
“There are one or two avenues still to explore,” Alex assured her. “Megan asked some fellow reporters yesterday, but she hasn’t even started on her various contacts. If there’s gossip in the taverns, Tom will find it.”
Kyria linked her arm through Sabrina’s and steered her toward the table. “Now, you must put it out of your mind. You know, when you stop thinking about where something is, you find it right off. Give it a little time. Have you met Theo yet?”
Theo, it turned out, was the black-haired man Sabrina had seen talking to Alex when she first walked in. It wasn’t hard to see he was kin to Alex. Though obviously several years older than Alex and a little more fleshed out, his eyes were the same leaf green, and his hair was as thick and dark. There was about him a more rough-and-tumble look than she would have expected in a future duke.
“Come, let me introduce you to my husband, Rafe.” Kyria led Sabrina toward a blond-haired man chatting with Uncle Bellard. Sabrina was surprised to see the diminutive, hunch-shouldered Bellard talking so volubly to anyone.
As if sensing her thoughts, Kyria said, “Rafe and Uncle Bellard are good friends. People are always surprised. They assume that Rafe’s so handsome and charming that he’s empty-headed, or that because he’s an American, he’s rather primitive—of course, that could also be because he has a sad tendency to settle things with his fists. But he and Uncle share a love of history.” She smiled fondly. “Don’t get caught in one of their conversations or you’ll soon be struggling to keep your eyes open.”
Both men stood as Kyria and Sabrina approached, Rafe’s gaze resting on his wife with such warmth and love it was almost too intimate for company. It was easy to see why he was labeled handsome and charming. The sprinkling of gray in his hair mingled unobtrusively with the pale gold strands, and his eyes were a bright blue. A neatly trimmed Vandyke beard kept his even features from being too perfect.
When Kyria introduced him, McIntyre gave Sabrina a slow smile that lit his face, then he bowed gracefully over her hand and said, “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
His voice was rich and thick, like honey, with a faint slur that made it as lazy and warm as his smile. Sabrina imagined that a good num
ber of women would not look past the charm to see the intelligence beneath. But Sabrina caught the shrewd expression in those vivid eyes, as wary as Megan’s had been, and she knew that he, too, was suspicious of her.
“Sit down and eat,” Kyria said, tugging Sabrina down into the seat beside her. “Alex, get the girl some breakfast.”
“I can do it,” Sabrina began, starting to rise.
“No, no, let Alex,” Kyria said lightly, placing a hand on her arm, and though she smiled, Sabrina wondered if Kyria, too, held some suspicions about her. “I’m so eager to chat with you, and Mother and Megan and I must be leaving soon.”
“You are going shopping?” Sabrina asked. Surely it was too early for making calls.
“Shopping?” Kyria laughed, exchanging a glance with Megan, who also seemed amused. “No. We’re going to a gathering in Downing Street.”
“Gathering?”
“Yes, it’s a little impromptu demonstration that we’ve been planning for days.” Kyria’s eyes twinkled.
“What are you demonstrating?”
“Our support for women’s suffrage,” the duchess declared. “We want to show the prime minister that we will not be put off. No matter how long it takes, we will continue to fight.”
“Mother is hoping we’ll get arrested.”
“Arrested?” Rafe turned to his wife with alarm. “You’re going to jail? Kyria... No. You can’t.”
“I can’t?” Kyria cocked an eyebrow at him.
He changed tactics, his voice turning to a wheedling tone. “Be reasonable, darling. I can’t let you rot in a cell. I’d have to break you out, and then I’d wind up there myself. What are our children going to do with two prisoners for parents?”
Kyria chuckled and patted his arm. “Don’t worry, they won’t arrest us.”