Regency Romance: The Earl’s Unexpected Journey Of Love (The Fairbanks Series - Love & Hearts) (Historical Romance Fiction)

by Jessie Bennett

  “He has lost his wits with terror. Please say he has?” Juliette shook her head. “There is no such beast on earth.”

  Joshua sighed loudly. “My lady, how do we know that? We are not in England or anywhere in Europe, though it sounds far-fetched, I agree.”

  Juliette shook her head. “I refuse to believe there is such a beast.”

  Joshua raised his eyebrows. “We thought the story sounded wild, as well. However, James is scared to death, my lady. He saw something, that much is certain. And I have told you all that we were told. All we can do is believe it.”

  Juliette clenched her jaw and thought about it in silence for a moment . “I can barely bring myself to believe in it, but if there is a beast lurking in these woods, I will stay by your side so that you can protect me from danger.” She stepped closer to him, and looked up into his eyes.

  He wanted to pull her to him and plant a warm kiss on her soft, red lips. Instead, he took a step backwards, indicating they should return to the hut.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CRIES FOR HELP!

  CRIES FOR HELP!

  The light from the rising sun streamed across the water and Joshua squinted and lift one hand to block it. The water rippled up over the sand, covering his feet, tickling his ankles. He had strapped the machete to his side and was ready to defend himself if necessary. It was morning, and they were on the beach. He and his uncle and divided the night watch between them, allowing the officers, who had watched the previous night, some rest. Cain had the first watch, he the second shift.

  When Cain had awoken, he had allowed himself to head off to the shoreline, to bathe. He stood there a few more minutes, enjoying the sunrise. The colors streaked across the sky. He wished Juliette was there to experience it with him. He had half a mind to go wake her up and bring her out to where he was.

  He shook his head, smiling. There would be more opportunities to watch the sunrise with Juliette. He was sure of it. He thought of her fiery temper the night before, how beautiful she had looked, even when she was angry with him. He had thought she was a lovely woman when he had first seen her. Every day that passed, he found himself more attracted to her. She was a remarkable individual, the sort of person he had never thought to meet but always wished to. He felt blessed to have met her now.

  He moved out of the shallow water washing over his feet and walked back up the beach. He would gather as many sticks as he could and make a pile of them, and set it on fire. Perhaps it would attract the attention of passing ships and they would send a rescue boat. He could only hope.

  He thought about Juliette as he gathered the sticks together. He wanted to be with her, even if they didn’t speak to each other. He wanted to sit next to her on a swing, hold her close, talk to her about his adventures, tell her everything. He couldn’t get his mind away from her. He felt lonely when she wasn’t near him.

  He had spent too many of his years so far alone. He had lost his mother young, a mother he loved deeply. The way he treated and loved his mother would be the way he treated and loved the woman he fell in love with and married. He would make a good husband, or at least he would try to.

  He stood up from picking up a stick and stared into space. He was already thinking of marriage? This was a first! He snorted, surprised. He had never considered such a thing. He had to be married within the next six months, but his father's will was not what prompted these thoughts now. He was thinking about marriage because he had found someone he felt would be a good wife.

  He stood stock still, amazed by the fresh realization. A sound from the woods brought him out of his thoughts. He snapped his head around and stared hard, narrowing his eyes to focus better.

  “Who’s there?” he called out. His heart thumped in anticipation. His muscles tensed as he prepared to defend himself against a man-beast. He placed his hand around the machete at his side, ready to release it from its leather cord.

  Something was lurking out there. He could hear the rustling of the leaves. It didn’t sound like the wind. He knew what that sounded like. This was different. It was more purposeful, like steps of human feet.

  “Who is there?” he tried once again, knowing that even if the man-beast heard him, it was not going to respond.

  He took a few steps toward the trees, leaning to the left and the right to see around the tall, soaring trunks and through theleaves and brush that could easily hide someone.

  He froze in place, staring. He was sure he was looking into the eyes of a human being. What surrounded the eyes didn’t look human in the least. It had fur all around it. It looked like a wolf, at least the fur of one.

  He stayed still, watching to see if the creature would make the first move. It didn’t. He waited patiently before taking another step toward it.

  It didn’t look vicious to him. It looked like it was just crouched in the woods, watching him the way he was watching it. Was this the very creature that had attacked Charlie? And if it was, why was it not attacking him?

  He tilted his head to the side. “Hello?” he said. He kept his voice low in case the creature became frightened. Perhaps that was why it had attacked Charlie. Maybe the man had done something that had scared the creature, causing it to attack. “I am not going to hurt you,” he said, knowing the man-beast probably didn’t understand English.

  As he approached it, he heard a cry.

  “Lord Hershey!”

  His eyes darted to the side and then back to where the man-beast was crouched. It had also turned its head and he saw human ears just before the thing turned and sprinted away. Although it ran on four feet, it was the distinguishing lope of a human running on all fours.

  He had made some kind of strange contact. And now he was sure the Thing was human. He hurried down the trail to meet Juliette and Cain, who were heading toward him from the hut.

  “Joshua,” Cain said when they were close enough to see him. “Thank God. I thought something had happened to you.”

  “I told you I was coming out here this morning to assemble a signaling fire,” Joshua responded. Perversely he felt a little irritated that the man-beast had been scared off. He had the urge to go after it, to follow it through the woods until he found it again and talked to it. Or him.

  “Yes, I know, But I expected you back sooner.”

  “What has happened?” Juliette asked. One side of his lips pulled back in a grin to see her again after the previous night. He was amused to see she did the same thing back to him, looking directly into his eyes.

  “I...” He paused, not certain whether or not to divulge his news at this time. “What made you come to find me?” he asked her instead.

  “Charlie is finally awake!” Juliette responded joyfully. “I thought you would like to hear what he has to say.” She looked into his eyes, a co-conspirator in their shared mystery.

  “You are right. I do want to know. Come.” He waved his hand and the three of them turned to go back to the hut. “What has he told you so far?” He asked as they proceeded ahead.

  “He was very hungry.” Juliette answered. “Betts put something together for him, started a fire, heated up some water to make the last of the tea. It should get him started, I would think. Quite quickly, I would say.”

  “Yes, tea is a good way to awaken him,” Joshua agreed. “He should be revived somewhat when we return.”

  “It will only take a few minutes to get there,” Juliette said. Joshua smiled at her.

  “That’s about how long it takes for me when I drink tea.”

  “I don’t drink it often. I prefer chocolate nowadays.”

  Joshua nodded. “So do I.” The strangeness of sharing such precious, mundane information on a deserted island made him smile. He shook his head, bringing his thoughts back to the present moment “I must say that I am surprised you left Betts there with Charlie and James.”

  “James is still asleep,” Cain responded. “And Charlie is in no shape to hurt anyone. Not that he would. I am still wondering about them.”<
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  “I thought you knew the crewmen on the ship. You don’t know Charlie and James?”

  “We have used the ship before for travel, it is true,” Cain replied. “And we have seen Charlie and James before. However, they were not a part of our regular dealings.”

  “Why were they chosen to accompany us?” Juliette asked.

  Cain shook his head. “I do not know.”

  Joshua thought about that for a moment. It was somewhat peculiar. They had known Captain Bramley for some time. He knew the members of his crew that were close to Joshua and Cain. He looked over at his uncle with questioning eyes. “The woman has a good point.”

  Cain nodded. “I agree. But what can be done about it now? We are stuck with these two and there’s nothing we can do about it. They might not be as dangerous as we think.”

  “I don’t like the way they look at the women,” Joshua grumbled.

  “So you have mentioned.” Cain looked past him to Juliette, who did not look frightened. “Lady Juliette and her maid will be protected. They have nothing to worry about.”

  “And we are not worried,” Juliette said, looking up at Joshua as they went around a bend in the trail and the hut appeared. “As long as we are with you. At least I am not.”

  “Your maid seems ready for a fight. I am sure she would set about James, were he to try anything.”

  “This is a brand new experience for her.”

  “As it is for you, as well.”

  Juliette laughed. “I am doubtless safer than she, though I have confidence you will protect both of us.”

  Joshua was glad she had confidence in him. It seemed almost the opposite sometimes.

  As time went on, he found her more and more fascinating. She had a fiery temper at times, one that could be lit by a simple word or two. She was secure in some ways, but insecure in others. He wanted to put her insecurities to rest.

  Betts was standing on the porch of the hut, her arms crossed in front of her ample chest and an anxious look on her face. Juliette was the first to reach her, holding out one hand for the older woman to take. “Is everything all right, Betts?”

  Betts nodded. “He’s talking.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  THE THING

  THE THING

  Joshua was the first one to go into the hut. Betts and Juliette stayed outside, as Betts insisted they did not crowd the recovering man.

  Cain entered directly behind Joshua. Charlie was sitting up, leaning heavily on a bundle of rags Betts must have put next to him. He was holding his head with one hand, in obvious pain.

  “Charlie,” Joshua sat on the other side of the cushion, leaning forward and clasping his hands together. The sight of the man-beast was still in his mind. He wanted to know if it was the same creature Charlie had seen. However, he also didn’t want to terrify Charlie or make the crewman anxious. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I was mauled by a bear, sir,” was the reply.

  “That does not surprise me. Do you remember what happened? Can you tell us how this came to be?”

  “I…I was just…standing there. We, me and James that is, were cutting out a trail for you and the women. We spotted the hut from a distance and tried to make a way to it. Then, just…out of the blue, this…this thing came out of the woods and attacked me.”

  Joshua felt doubt creeping into his mind. The creature had had ample time to do the same to him. Why had it not attacked? It was not intimidated by the machete he had carried, because Charlie had been carrying one as well. “Did you defend yourself?” Joshua asked.

  “I had no time.”

  “Weren’t you carrying a machete?”

  “I dropped it.”

  Joshua frowned. “That is a strange story, Charlie.”

  Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “It took by surprise. I had no time to think. I was terrified, milord. I dropped everything and tried to run. Why do you doubt my word?”

  “I only question it because I saw a creature in the woodland this morning, too.”

  Charlie’s eyes opened wide and Cain stared at his nephew. “You did?” the two men said in unison.

  “Why did you not tell me before?” Cain asked. Joshua raised his eyebrows.

  “I see no need to frighten Juliette if it can be avoided.”

  “You yourself said only yesterday that it was no good to hide things from that woman! She has an instinct like a hawk. If she thinks something is being kept from her, she will know.”

  “Are you saying I should tell her?” Joshua asked, incredulous. “That was not your advice when last we discussed this!”

  “I think it would be wise to warn the women about anything that might harm them,” Cain explained. “They are standing outside alone, as we speak. The creature could easily come out of the woods and attack them.” Cain stood with urgency, already running for the door. Joshua lifted one hand to calm him.

  “Sit down, Uncle. They are safe. The creature is not going to attack them.”

  Cain sat down reluctantly, a confused look on his face. “I do not understand.”

  “It did not attack me.”

  Charlie and Cain stared at Joshua.

  “But it did attack me,” Charlie said. “Why would it not harm you?”

  Joshua frowned. That same question also troubled him. “I do not know. That is why I said your story was strange. The creature did not look like it wanted to attack me. It just stared at me through the woods.”

  “How far away from you was it?” Cain asked. “Maybe it did not have time to reach you. Perhaps it was frightened away.”

  “It did run away when you approached, yes,” Joshua affirmed. “But I do not think it was meaning to attack even before that. Charlie, describe to me what you saw.”

  “I did not have a good chance to see anything,” the man said earnestly. “I only know that I was hit on the head and, before I lost consciousness I felt a terrible pain, as if it were trying to rip open my chest.” He looked down at the bandage there, clearly fearing to ask how bad the wounding was.

  “I do not think that that is what it was intending,” Joshua said firmly. He had a feeling something was wrong in this story. He was going to find out what it was.

  “What do you think then, Joshua?” Cain said. “We would all love to hear it.” He looked marginally frustrated.

  Joshua looked from his uncle back to Charlie and then down at James, who was still half-asleep. “I am unsure exactly what the creature is,” he began, reluctant to share his half-formed notion. “It does seem to be half human, half animal. However, I think a more logical explanation is that it is a human dressed in wolf’s skin.”

  There was a brief pause in the conversation as the others pondered that suggestion.

  Cain was nodding. “I can agree that is the case. But if it is not hostile and stayed in the woods staring at you without confrontation, why did it attack Charlie?”

  Both men turned their eyes to look at the crewman. He stared back at them, blinking. “I don’t know,” he insisted.

  “You were cutting through the bushes to reach this hut. Correct? What if this place belongs to the native?” Cain asked slowly. His eyes met Joshua's, alive with the idea.

  Joshua bit his lip. “Mayhap,” he agreed.

  In the meantime, James had awoken. He rose and walked across to the fire, where Charlie sat.

  “Did you tell them everything?” James asked, lifting up the same cup Charlie had used and refilling it with tea. The steam rose from it in swirls. Joshua suddenly realized how much he wanted a cup of it. He stood.

  “Of course I told them everything,” Charlie answered. “What was there to tell?”

  Joshua did not give either man a reaction. He wanted to hear what they said to each other without giving any indication that he was listening. He moved to pour some of the remaining tea for himself without looking at them.

  “I couldn’t tell if it was frightened or angry,” James was saying. “I didn’t want to get hurt, too. I hope you u
nderstand this, your grace” He addressed Cain.

  “I am sure you did all you could under the circumstances, James,” Cain said.

  Joshua, listening was not so sure. He had the sneaking suspicion that James could have done more, but, that aside, he was almost positive Charlie had somehow provoked the attack. He had to give his uncle's suggestion some consideration. Perhaps it – he – was defending his belongings here.

  “It did not attack you?” Joshua prompted, pitching his voice across the dwelling.

  Charlie almost looked angry. “I was holding my machete. You were unarmed. Maybe that was why it attacked me.”

  Joshua shook his head once again. “I had a machete too. I did not draw it, but it was there on my hip and I made to draw it at least once. The man-beast did nothing but stare at me until Uncle called out to me. Then it turned and ran. Surely you lashed out to defend yourself.”

  “I had no time. It happened too fast.”

  Joshua shook his head. “I still do not understand why it would be so aggressive with you and not with me. It did not look like as if it wanted to attack. It looked curious. Uncle? What think you?”

  Cain was quiet for a moment before answering. “I think it is human, certainly. I do not think it is some kind of half man, half animal creature.”

  “Then why does it look like a wolf?” Charlie asked.

  “Joshua may be right on that as well. It is the skin of a wolf, or some other creature, being used as a disguise or as clothing. You said you did not see it clearly.” Cain turned to James. “But you did. You must have had a good look at it?”