by Amanda Quick
She opened the door to her bedchamber and stopped short when she saw that it, too, was in darkness except for a candle on her escritoire.
Harriet knew she had not left a candle burning on the little desk. She started forward with a frown, wondering if her maid had lit the taper.
Then she saw the hunched figure bending over the open drawer. In a flash she realized what was happening. It was the drawer where she kept her fossil tooth.
“Stop, thief!” Harriet yelled.
She rushed forward, brandishing her only weapon, her fan. “Stop this instant. How dare you?”
The shadowy figure jerked upright. He slammed the drawer shut and whirled around in a crouch to face Harriet. The candlelight revealed the scrunched-up features of Mr. Humboldt.
“Damn and blast,” Humboldt hissed. He sprang toward the door, knocking Harriet to one side.
Harriet fell to the carpet and fetched up against the bed. She flung out a hand and encountered the chamber pot. She grasped it and tried to get to her feet.
“What the devil is going on here?” Gideon roared from the doorway. “Damnation, Harriet.”
At that instant the fleeing Mr. Humboldt ran straight into the immovable object that was Gideon. Gideon caught him by the scruff of the neck. He flung the little man aside. Humboldt crumpled to the carpet with a groan.
“See to him, Dobbs.” Gideon took two long strides across the room, bent down, and scooped Harriet up into his arms. “Are you all right?” he demanded harshly.
“Yes, yes, I am fine,” she gasped. “Thank goodness you caught him. Gideon, I believe he was trying to steal my tooth.”
“More likely he was lookin’ for your jewels, Lady St. Justin,” Dobbs said from the doorway. “Sneaky little devil. He even looks like a thief, don’t he? Not that you can always tell by their looks, mind you. But this cove could certainly pass for a member of the criminal class.”
Gideon turned around with Harriet in his arms. Harriet glowered down at Mr. Humboldt, who was sitting up slowly on the carpet.
“Really, Mr. Humboldt. How could you stoop so low?” Harriet demanded. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Humboldt groaned and looked sulky as Dobbs yanked him to his feet. “I was just wandering around and I got lost in here. I certainly was not attempting to steal your ladyship’s jewels. What would I want with jewels?”
“If you were looking for jewels, which I doubt, you probably intended to sell them to finance your fossil collecting habit,” Harriet declared.
Humboldt glared at her. “That is not true. Very well, if you must know, I heard rumors to the effect that you had found something interesting in the caves of Upper Biddleton. I did not believe them, of course. Explored those caves myself years ago quite thoroughly and I know there is nothing of great importance left in them. Nevertheless, I wanted to see if, by the merest chance, you might have stumbled across something.”
“Hah. I knew it.” Harriet shook her head in disgust and looked at Gideon. “I have been telling you all along that fossil collectors are an unscrupulous lot, my lord.”
“So you have.” Gideon looked thoughtful. “Are you quite certain you are unhurt?”
“Quite certain. You can put me down now.” Harriet straightened the skirts of her gown as Gideon slowly lowered her to her feet. Her garter had come completely undone and her stocking had fallen to her ankle. “How did you manage to get here in time?”
“I assigned Mr. Dobbs to keep an eye on the crowd this evening,” Gideon explained. “If you will recall, we invited every suspicious person on my list. I decided not to take any chances.”
Harriet smiled brilliantly. “What an excellent plan.”
“It was, until you took a notion to go dashing upstairs at the wrong moment,” Gideon retorted.
“Well, it only goes to show you should have kept me informed, my lord. I have told you that often enough. One would think you would learn.”
Gideon’s brows rose. “One would think so.”
Harriet’s eyes widened. “I just realized something, my lord. Mr. Humboldt was not on our guest list.”
“No, he was not,” Gideon agreed. “Which only goes to prove that my mother’s observations about guest lists was correct. At a crush such as this, anyone who is suitably dressed can get inside, if he is clever.”
The conversation at the breakfast table the next morning centered on the capture of Mr. Humboldt.
“It will certainly guarantee that your affair will be the talk of the Town today,” Lady Hardcastle told Harriet with an amused look. “Everyone will be saying that once again Lord and Lady St. Justin have managed to provide their guests an extraordinary bit of entertainment. Just imagine. The two of you captured an infamous thief right at the height of the soiree.”
“It is in all the papers this morning,” Hardcastle announced from the other side of the table. He was midway through a stack of newspapers. “Excellent accounts of the whole thing. They are saying Humboldt is the master thief behind a series of burglaries that have taken place during the past several months.”
“And St. Justin is a hero for having set the trap that caught him,” Harriet said, sending a look full of glowing admiration toward Gideon. “Do the newspapers mention that?”
Gideon glowered at her from the far end of the table. “I trust not.”
“Oh, yes. It’s all here.” Hardcastle put down one paper and picked up another. “They are calling you gallant and clever, my boy. And they describe how you saved your lady from the murderous thief.”
“Wonderful,” Harriet exclaimed. “I am so glad they got the story right.”
Gideon eyed her laconically. “Mr. Humboldt was fleeing for his life when he ran straight into me, my dear. I did not see him attempting to murder anyone. You were the one who looked dangerous. I shall never forget the sight of you with that chamber pot in your hand. Quite alarming.”
“Yes, well, I assumed he was after my tooth,” Harriet explained.
“The conclusion Mr. Dobbs has reached is that Humboldt had long ago run out of funds to support his museum,” Gideon explained. “He apparently resorted to theft in an effort to finance the purchase of more fossils.”
Harriet nodded. “A fossil collector will resort to anything when he gets desperate. Poor Mr. Humboldt. I do hope they will not be too hard on him. In a way I can understand his motives.”
“At the very least your reputation as a hostess is now firmly established,” Lady Hardcastle said with satisfaction. “The ton fears boredom above all things and you have provided them with yet another exciting spectacle.”
Harriet was about to reply to that when Owl walked in with the morning post on a silver salver. The letter on top was addressed to Harriet.
“Good heavens,” Harriet said as she slit the seal. “It is from Mrs. Stone. I wonder if something is wrong.”
“No doubt someone has died a miserable, lingering death or an epidemic has hit Upper Biddleton,” Gideon said. “Those are the only sorts of events that would inspire that old biddy to write a letter.”
Harriet ignored him, scanning the contents of the short note. She shrieked in dismay as she realized just what she was reading. “Bloody hell.”
The earl and his wife looked at her with concern.
“Is something wrong, my dear?” Gideon asked calmly around a mouthful of bacon.
“Everything.” Harriet waved the letter at him. “The most horrible thing has happened. I was afraid of this.”
Gideon swallowed his bacon, still unperturbed. “Perhaps you should tell us the contents of the message.”
Harriet was so stricken, she could barely speak. “Mrs. Stone says that she has reason to believe another fossil collector has begun exploring my caves. She saw a man on the beach the other day and the next time she caught sight of him, he was carrying a large piece of stone.”
Gideon put down his toast. “Let me see that letter.”
Harriet handed him the note. “This is a crisis. S
omeone else may have found the bones that go with my tooth. I must return to Upper Biddleton immediately. And you must send word to someone at Blackthorne Hall, sir. No one else is to be allowed into my caves.”
Gideon scanned the note. “I did not realize Mrs. Stone could read and write.”
“She has been housekeeper to two rectors,” Lady Hardcastle observed. “She has no doubt learned something over the years.”
“Either that or she dictated it to someone in the village,” the earl said. “It is done all the time.”
Gideon put the note down on the table. “I shall send word to Blackthorne Hall, my dear. Anyone who is hanging about the caves will be advised that he is trespassing. Will that satisfy you?”
Harriet shook her head quickly. “That is all well and good, my lord, but I feel I must return at once. I want to assure myself that no one has found the remains of my creature.”
“I do not think it is necessary for you to return in person to protect your precious fossils,” Gideon began.
“Well, I do.” Harriet leaped to her feet. “I shall go upstairs and pack at once. “How soon can we leave, my lord?”
Gideon gave her a quelling look. “I have just said there is no need to rush back to Upper Biddleton.”
“Oh, but there is. You have now seen for yourself just how unscrupulous these fossil collectors can be. If someone has found my cave it will do absolutely no good to simply warn him off. He will find a way to sneak back. I know he will.”
Hardcastle nodded soberly. “Once a collector has the scent of old bones, it’s bloody difficult to put him off it. One can only hope he has not yet discovered Harriet’s particular cavern.”
Harriet gave her father-in-law a grateful look. “Thank you for understanding, sir. You see, St. Justin? We must go back immediately.”
Lady Hardcastle smiled at her son. “There is no reason the two of you cannot go back to Upper Biddleton for a few days and see to this matter. Your father and I will stay here.”
Gideon held up a hand in surrender. He looked down the table at Harriet, his gaze indulgent. “Very well, my dear. Start packing.”
“Thank you, Gideon.” Harriet rushed toward the door. “I shall be ready within the hour.”
The coach pulled into the forecourt of Blackthorne Hall shortly after nine in the evening. Gideon knew that fact frustrated Harriet. She wanted to head straight down to the cliffs and actually suggested doing so with the aid of lamps. Gideon put his foot down on that outrageous suggestion.
“No, you are not going down to the cliffs in the middle of the night. Your precious caves can wait until morning,” he informed her as the Blackthorne Hall staff hastened to prepare bedchambers and unload the luggage.
Harriet gave him a speculative glance as she went up the stairs beside him. “It would not take long, my lord. I could just pop into the cavern for a moment or two and make certain no one has touched my bones.”
Gideon dropped an arm heavily around her shoulders and guided her firmly toward the master bedchambers. “It is far too late for such running about. We have had a long trip and you should be exhausted.”
“But I am not at all exhausted, my lord,” she assured him quickly.
“Well, I am.” He stopped in front of her bedchamber and trapped her against the wall, his hands planted on either side of her head. “And if you are not, you certainly ought to be. Get into bed, madam. In the morning, if the tide is out, you may see to your caves.”
Harriet gave a disgruntled sigh. “Very well, my lord. I know I ought to be grateful you have been kind enough to bring me back here so quickly. I realize you were not in any great rush to return to Upper Biddleton. Indeed, it was very good of you, my lord. But then, you are always very kind to me.”
Gideon bit back a short oath. “Get into bed. I will join you shortly.”
“I thought you were exhausted, my lord.”
“Not that exhausted.” Gideon reached behind her, opened the door to her bedchamber, and gently urged her inside. He saw her maid waiting for her. He closed the door and went on down the hall to his own bedchamber.
Harriet’s words rang in his head. You are always very kind to me.
Kind? Gideon dismissed his valet with a curt nod and started to unfasten his shirt. He caught sight of himself in the glass on the dressing table. His ravaged face stared back mockingly.
He had not been at all kind to Harriet. He had virtually coerced her into marriage, exhibited her to the ton as if she were an exotic pet, and put her in jeopardy at the hands of Bryce Morland.
In return she had given him her love, helped him restore his reputation, and made it possible for him to mend the breach with his parents.
No, he had not been particularly kind to Harriet. All she had ever really wanted from him was his love, and he had told her he could not give it. Six years ago I forgot everything I knew of love.
What an ass he had been.
Gideon yanked off his boots and stepped out of his breeches. He grabbed his black dressing gown, put it on, and walked over to the connecting door. He waited until he heard Harriet dismissing her maid and then he knocked once.
“Come in, Gideon.”
He opened the door and found her sitting up in bed. She had one of her little muslin caps perched on her head and a book on her lap. A candle burned on the table beside her. She smiled her warm, vibrant smile at him as he walked into her bedchamber.
“Harriet?” He suddenly did not know what to say.
“Yes, my lord?”
“I told you once that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met.”
“Yes, I know you did. It was very kind of you.”
Gideon closed his eyes in brief anguish. “I did not say it out of kindness. I said it because it was true.” He opened his eyes. “Every time I look at you I think of how very fortunate I am.”
“You do?” Harriet looked at him in surprise. She put the book down on the counterpane.
“Yes.” Gideon took a step toward the bed and halted. “You have given me more than you will ever know, Harriet. And all I have done is take your gifts. I know I have very little to offer in return.”
“That is not true, my lord.” Harriet pushed aside the covers and scrambled out of bed. “You have given me a great deal. You have made a commitment to me which I know you will always honor. You treat me with kindness and respect. You make me feel beautiful, even though I know I am not.”
“Harriet—”
“How can you say you have little to offer? I do not know of any man who has more and who gives it as generously.” She came toward him in a soft, barefooted rush, small and sleek in her wispy lawn gown, her cap askew on her thick hair. Her eyes were brilliant and her arms were outstretched.
Gideon reached for her and pulled her tightly against him, inhaling the wonderful, warm, womanly scent of her. “You are everything I have ever wanted.” His tongue felt thick and awkward in his mouth. “God help me, I did not even know how much I needed your love until you gave it to me.”
“My love is yours, Gideon. It will always be yours,” she whispered against his chest.
“You are very kind to me,” he whispered. “More so than I deserve.”
“Gideon—”
He swept her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed. He put her down on the snowy sheets and came down beside her. He took her into his arms like the precious treasure she was, carefully and tenderly and with infinite gratitude.
Harriet opened for him as she always did, just as a flower opens to the sun. Gideon kissed her mouth, drinking deeply of the taste of her as he sought out the sweet curves of her body with his hands.
She was so soft, so welcoming, he thought. And so sensual. Everything about her inflamed his passions. When he felt the edge of her foot sliding down along his calf, he groaned.
“Gideon?”
“I need you,” he muttered. He kissed one of her breasts, tugging gently on her nipple until she arched hungrily against him.
The depth of her response to him never ceased to amaze and delight him. And it stoked the fires within him as nothing else ever could.
When Gideon could abide the sweet torment no longer, he parted her legs and settled himself into the cradle formed by her thighs. He reached down, testing her gently with his fingers, and found her soft, moist heat. She was ready for him. The knowledge sent a rush of passionate delight through Gideon.
“Harriet. My sweet, loving Harriet.” He covered her mouth again, thrusting his tongue between her lips as he guided himself slowly into her body.
He experienced the shattering pleasure he always felt when he entered her, and felt her closing around him, pulling him deeply into her, giving herself to him. And then he was safe inside her, a part of her at last for one timeless moment.
Harriet’s legs circled his waist and her nails bit into his shoulders. She clung to him, lifting herself to meet him with a passion that equaled his own. And she told him of her love as she surrendered to her climax, her body shivering in his arms.
Gideon held her tightly against him until he felt the last of the soft tremors. Then he poured himself into her in a long, long release that seemed to have no beginning and no end.
Gideon awakened shortly after dawn to a world that seemed far more clear and serene than it had in a long while. He lay quietly for a moment, savoring the revelation that had settled itself into his heart during the night.
He loved Harriet. He would love her for the rest of his life.
Gideon turned and reached for her, the words welling up inside him.
She was gone.
Chapter Twenty
HARRIET HELD THE LAMP aloft and surveyed the cavern closely. To her great relief she saw no signs of anyone having been at work with a mallet and chisel. Whatever fossils were trapped in here were still safely locked in the stone.
Jubilantly, she hung the lamp on the peg in the wall and opened her sack of tools. She was in excellent spirits this morning and she knew it was because she and Gideon were getting along famously these days.