A Perilous Marriage

by Kelly, Isobel

  “It's my idea, my stealth.” Aaron chuckled. “I’ll go with you, milord, and be pleased to do it. I have a hatred of anyone upsetting our town and our families. You want the best for us, so I’ve heard, and that suits me. I’ll come for you at ten tonight. We’ll ride, then leave the horses and walk. You’ll know about dark clothing and boots that don’t squeak, I presume?”

  He chuckled again as Richard’s face dimpled in a smile. “’Course you do, milord, and it’s right thankful I am to have you with me. Yes, I believe we shall suit well. Meanwhile”—he looked at the other two men—“can you drift round the town and see if any farmers or wives who normally shop or visit haven’t come in? It will give a clue where to go first.”

  The meeting broke up after that, and Richard went on a tour round the house with Walter. The rebuilding was taking a long time, but there was a lot to do. At least, most tasks were on schedule, and the weather was holding up. He decided to go back to the inn to have his breakfast and see how Lucie was faring.

  He had finally left her asleep after waking early and taking her again. She had not demurred at being woken but joined him in lovemaking without a murmur of displeasure, then, sated, had fallen asleep again. He stayed awake, still relishing his satisfaction and thinking how lucky he was to have her. Then, rising silently, he’d left the room to don his clothes. It was early, and Edgar and Mary were not yet arrived, but he needed no one to help him dress. He was out of the inn before dawn had barely lightened the sky, and reaching the house, had been pleased to greet Walter and be introduced to the hunters. His appreciation of that meeting was still with him as he climbed the inn stairs to their rooms.

  He found her still abed, drinking a cup of chocolate.

  She greeted him with a smile. “You are about early, milord. You couldn’t sleep?”

  “Not as well as you, it seems. Yesterday’s ride must have tired you.”

  “I believe quite a few things unaccountably tired me.” Her face lit with a rosy blush. “Perhaps my dreams are too energetic.” She watched his eyes turn sensuous. “However, in spite of the late morning, I shall be quick to dress and join you for breakfast which I am told you have not yet had.”

  “Indeed I haven’t, and I’m as hungry as a bear waking up from his winter hibernation.”

  She laughed as she went to slide out of bed then realised that, apart from the bed jacket that Mary had placed round her shoulders while she took her morning drink, she was naked.

  She stopped and raised her eyebrows. “Milord, I beg you leave me to dress in peace.”

  “In case I growl at you, my love?” His lips curved in a knowing smile, for he knew exactly how he had left her.”

  “Richard! Don’t be perverse! Go, please. I will join you shortly.”

  “In that case, I shall leave you to your adornment, but you’d better be quick, for I shall not leave much on the table.” He bowed and walked into the other room.

  Once he had gone, she scrambled out of bed and rang for Mary who was ready to attend her. A swift wash sufficed, and fully clad in a simple day dress and with her hair coiled in a chignon, she joined Richard at the breakfast table.

  “My, that was prompt, and you are in luck, for I haven’t eaten it all.”

  She surveyed his piled plate with a smirk. “I notice you leave the toast and preserves to me, for which I am truly grateful. We seem to suit each other, after all.”

  She spent a few moments pouring her tea and buttering her toast, and before she took a bite, she said, “You’ve had news from Ashbury. Is all well with them?”

  He was silent for a long moment as he gathered his thoughts, almost tempted to ask how she knew. Then, accepting that the household grapevine—Mary and Edgar—would have informed her, decided to let it go. In any case it was her right to ask after her people and her estate, so although the mail had been addressed to him, if he was to carry out his promise to her that they would be partners as well as man and wife, keeping things from her would be not only disloyal but would conflict with that agreement.

  “All is occurring as usual, Rigby reports. He has sent copies of his accounting which you can read later. There is also a letter from Rowten, and he, too, relates all is quiet and the household carries on as usual. The village has settled with no looming disasters, and the Tasker house is standing empty of people. Well, we know where they are at present. He also sends his best wishes to you and would like to know if you will be returning for the Harvest Festival—”

  “Of course I will,” she burst out, her eyes alight with joy. “Grandmama always devoted her time to that event, and the village made much of it too. So much has been happening here that it almost slipped my mind. Oh, Richard, I know how busy you are, but please let me go. After the awful thing that happened with Grandmama, the estate and everyone in the village will think I have abandoned them too. I won’t tease you to come if you don’t want to. I can slip quietly away with a guard or two—”

  “I think not, Lucie.” His lips tightened and his face turned austere. “You won’t be slipping anywhere without me. Certainly not as far away as Ashbury.”

  “Does that mean I can’t go?” Her chin began to rise in a manner that both the duchess and Rowten would have remembered from when she was young. Her jade eyes flashed along with the glower she had perfected when she was extremely riled.

  Richard almost smiled as he watched the virago emerge and tried to harness his own powers of deception to head her off. “Did I say that?” He wasn’t about to let her off lightly.

  “You implied it.” She was in a huff and was not going to back down.

  “I don’t imply things. I come straight out and say it plainly.”

  She paused, thinking over that remark. It was true, he never prevaricated. “You are not plain now, nor were you. Do I go or are we going to fight?”

  “You can fight if you like. I shall enjoy taming the virago I see before me. However, before the inn enjoys that spectacle too, may I suggest you calm down? Eat your breakfast, and we can discuss the matter in a reasonable fashion.”

  The loud humph that emerged turned into an equally loud crunch of toast. Having finished the slice and sipped half a cup of tea, impatience goaded her. “Well?”

  He lifted his eyes from the morning gazette he was reading and said, “Well what?”

  She sighed with annoyance. “Richard, are you determined to provoke me?”

  “On the contrary, my dear, I was merely allowing you to finish your breakfast.” He glanced at her plate. “Your appetite seems frail this morning…was the toast not to your liking?” Then, eyeing the storm signals, he laid down his paper. “We shall return to Ashbury in time for the festival. Before that, I need to find the whereabouts of Tasker. Having spoken with some of the men who surveyed the woodland where the shot came from and discovered little, I have arranged with one of the men that we will scout further.”

  “Why is there only two of you?” Her eyes were intent as she took in his words.

  “We need caution and quiet. Too many people can make a noise. I can stalk with ease and Aaron is a hunter. We need to discover if Tasker has holed up in any farm hereabouts. It means a quiet reconnoitre at night as well as information that may reach me shortly. I plan to be away tonight to search. Does that answer your question?”

  “What about me? Have I any role to play in this?”

  “I have considered what is best and at this moment in time, no. You go on as before, keeping our plans to ourselves. Even from Mary. She is a chatterbox...”

  She opened her mouth to deny his allegation then shut it as he raised his hand.

  “My dear, we don’t need to quarrel over her. All I am trying to say is that I will tell you what I plan, but it is for your ears only. As far as Ashbury is concerned, that too must remain a secret. If I don’t find Tasker, then our journey back will be fraught with worry. I am trying to put in place everything for our security.”

  She was quiet for a long moment as she digested his wor
ds then said, “You will be careful?”

  “I always am. Fortunately, I know who I am up against and will take the strictest of precautions. As, indeed, you must be careful wherever you go. I would suggest you spend the day at the house, making sure you have someone with you at all times but taking pleasure in the planning to make it a beautiful home. Then, this evening, we will dine early, and you will retire to bed, hopefully tired from your endeavours. You will scarcely miss me, for I will be back with you before long. Early tomorrow morning, if all goes well. Are you happy with those arrangements?”

  “And if things don’t go well?"

  “Lucie, don’t you trust what I say? I am more than seven years old. I have explored the world, seen amazing places, and learned to take care of myself in strange places. I am familiar with the area around here. All I intend is to get a sniff of where this rogue is. No more, no less."

  His evenly voiced statement had her blinking, had her incipient panic subsiding like a melting snow in sunlight. She must follow his plan or be counted a coward. She swallowed, nodded, and felt calmer. “I suppose I’ll have to be. At least you are trying to do something about that hateful man. We shall never be free of worry until he is gone.”

  * * * *

  It was dinner time before they met again, and Richard had bathed and changed his clothing. This time, it was into dark brown homespun tweed. Even his shirt was a sombre flannel that had seen better days.

  “A good thing I never got rid of the scouting clothes I used in America,” he said with a grin. “They will do nicely tonight, especially as it is the dark of the moon. Swift and silent I shall be, and back here before you know it.”

  “Hmm. you certainly don’t look elegant.” Lucie put her hand to her mouth to contain her giggles. “Your suit has a strange and rather comic cut to it…where did you get it?”

  “At a small town in Carolina. The local store had a great line in suits for prosperous farmers. Not my activity, of course. I was simply there for the hunting and had to be dressed accordingly. It was autumn, and the backwoods were a riot of colour as the leaves changed. I probably looked like a tree. Anyway, I was with three companions, one of them an Iroquois Indian we had hired as a tracker to teach us how to stalk our prey.”

  “You killed animals?” The laughter disappeared.

  “We had to eat, my dear. Grocery shops do not abound in the wilderness, and after a day’s march through inhospitable country, hunger makes a bad bedfellow.”

  “Please don’t think I disapprove. I love to hear your tales. Did you get trained?”

  “Oh, to be sure, very well trained in a lot of disciplines.”

  “Yes, so I noticed,” she replied tartly, a glint in her eyes. “You know exactly what I mean—training to track humans as well as animals. I gather that is what you do tonight.”

  He forbore to tease and answered candidly. “Aaron Buckler thought it advisable to find out if any one of three local families were being forced to hide our villains. I heard today that two families are in the clear. One lot was a bit delayed in coming to town as the farmer was attending to a birthing of a calf, and it was confirmed by the doctor that he had to visit another family due to the sickness of one of the children. He verified that no one else was on the farm other than the family. That leaves only one farm, and we shall simply scout about the property but do nothing to put the family in danger.”

  “What if you find Tasker has moved in on them and they are in danger?”

  “One cannot plan for everything. As always, one keeps the ultimate objective in mind but deals with any situation that arises. We must be prepared for problems but not anticipate them beforehand. That gives us the freedom to jump whichever way is necessary. I’m sorry, my dear, I cannot predict the outcome. It depends what we find, if indeed we find anything as it is all supposition at the moment.”

  With that last statement she had to be content, so fearing she was being too inquisitive, she changed the subject and began to talk of her day as they ate dinner. Richard viewed the change with relief. It helped to calm his mind which had become tense; not only with the previous explanation which he felt he owed her, but with the wait he had to endure before true darkness fell.

  Once dinner was over, he glanced out of the window, looked at his watch, and said, “I must leave you now. Go to bed and don’t worry, I shall be back soon. Edgar is remaining here overnight, so you won’t be on your own. He will stay in this room. Once he has escorted Mary back to her room, he will come back here to be with you and keep you safe.”

  * * * *

  Following the message he’d received earlier, Richard met Aaron Buckler on the road out of the village. The hunter was in a thoughtful mood as he sat his horse, waiting for the earl.

  “Just one place to visit it seems,” he said. “Matthew Ketley has a wife and two children. The babe was born a month ago, so it would be unlikely that either parent would forego a visit to shop. He has various animals, but his wife has a lot of hens and she has regular sales of eggs. She didn’t come as normal this week to bring in her eggs. I presume the hens lay as usual.” He said no more, but the inference was apparent.

  “That seems a positive place to search. Lead on, you know where to go.”

  No more words were exchanged, and it wasn’t long before the riders stopped in the lee of a wood and Aaron dismounted. “We’ll leave our mounts and go on foot from here,” he said quietly, leading his horse further into the trees before securing the reins to a branch. “The farm is not far, just over that hill,” he continued in a whisper as Richard followed suit and tied up his own horse. “There could be a guard,” he added warningly.

  Richard acknowledged the warning with a held-up thumb, then the two men moved silently towards the farm. They reached the house without sighting anyone. A guard would have given himself away by the time they had moved close, so if there was anyone suspicious around they would be inside the cottage. They circled around until they came to the lamplit window of the kitchen and watched as Matthew’s wife took a strip of lint from a pan and laid it across her husband’s face. He flinched but sat quiet as she laid another over a second cut.

  It did not seem as though they had company, so after waiting and listening for a while, Aaron whispered, “I’m going in. Wait here till I give the all clear.”

  Richard nodded. “I’ll watch, go ahead.”

  Aaron went to the back door and knocked quietly. Immediately, the two inside jumped in fright as they heard the knock. Richard watched as they looked at each other, then the wife went hesitantly to the door.

  “Who is it?” Her quavering voice spoke volumes.

  “It’s Aaron Buckley. Let me in, please.”

  The door opened, and Mrs Ketley glanced hurriedly at Aaron. “Are you on your own?”

  “No, I have the earl with me. Are you on your own?”

  “Yes, come in quick, both of you.”

  Richard moved in a flash and was inside and the door shut as Matthew tried to struggle to his feet. “Stay where you are, man. You are hurt, and we have only come to see why.”

  Matthew Ketley sank back in his chair with a deep groan. He was obviously in pain.

  “How did you know?” Near to tears, Mrs Ketley waved them to a seat. “I’ll make tea.”

  “No, see to your husband first, ma’am, he looks as though he has been in a fight.”

  “Taking it, more like. I thought they’d kill him.”

  “Who are they?” Richard asked.

  “We don’t know. Never set eyes on them before. Three of them, it was, suddenly turning up, wanting shelter. Matt said they could use the barn, but the chief one said that wasn’t good enough, they’d use the house. Matt lost his temper, and they set about him and tied him to a chair. My little Betsy was screaming, and then the baby started crying. They threatened to...” She gulped and tears began to trickle down her face.

  “Take it gently, ma’am, no rush. I’ll have a look at Matt while you get your breath,” Aaron said
with a quick nod to Richard who went over and put a comforting arm around her.

  “Was the leader tall, dark-haired, darkish skin, well-spoken?” he asked, then as she nodded, he said, “His name is Tasker. We are hunting him as he is a villain and wanted by the police. He followed me here and has tried to harm both my wife and myself. Aaron offered to help seek him out, but more than that, we knew he had found shelter somewhere and have been trying to trace likely places. He has two men with him as well.”

  Recovering again, Mrs Ketley nodded. “The others were rough looking, nasty brutes.

  One of them hit Matt every time he didn’t answer the questions the chief man was asking.”

  “What did they want to know?”

  She stared up at Richard as he spoke as though frightened to answer.

  “Tell him, Gwen. He has to know, and it’s my fault for letting on,” Matthew mumbled.

  “It’s where you go, milord.”

  “Where I go? I don’t understand you,” Richard said, puzzled at the looks that floated between Mathew, his wife, and even Aaron.

  “I think I understand, milord.” Aaron stood back from examining Matthew. “When you were a lad and lived at home, you’d take off at times into the hills. Up to Clee Grot.”

  “You knew the place?” Richard stared back in bemusement.

  “Yes. When we were young ourselves, there wasn’t much we didn’t know about the hills around here. Or our dads, come to that. So we were forbidden because of the rock falls, but your pa probably never knew where you went, so you had the run of the place. We all knew why you escaped there. Not too many secrets about your family ever stayed hidden for long.”