by Monica Burns
“I suggest we leave now,” he said quietly. With a quick glance over her shoulder at the gathering crowd, she hopped into the carriage followed by Percy and Ashford. As the vehicle rolled forward, Rhea’s heart sank as her gaze scanned the vehicle’s interior.
”Fanny?”
“Harry could have come with us Miss Rhea, but he said he’d stay and bring Fanny with him when these gents come next week. Peter leaned into Rhea’s side as she wrapped her arm around him and hugged him close.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to keep my word to you Peter,” she said softly.
“It’s okay, Miss Rhea I knew you’d come for me, just like you always said you would if you ever escaped Ruckley,” the child said with a confident smile that made a knot rise in her throat. “When Vincent and Rufus went missing after you and Miss Arianna disappeared, I knew you were trying to get us away from Ruckley, so I just waited real patient like.”
The boy sighed with obvious relief and Rhea looked at the two men seated opposite her.
“Did you have any trouble?”
“No, we had no problems at all.” Ashford’s statement was both an explanation and rebuke. Percy uttered a quiet oath as the carriage hit a rough patch of street, and he was thrown into the sidewall of the carriage. Rhea pulled away from Peter and scooted forward in her seat.
“Let me see how badly Edgar cut you.”
“I’m fine,” Percy bit out in a tight voice.
“Oh for heaven sakes, Percy. Stop being an ass and let me see your arm,” she snapped. Clearly surprised by her chastisement, Percy didn’t protest as she gently pushed his coat off his arm then tore the bloodstained shirt apart to examine his injury.
“You need stitches,” she said with a frown as she looked up to meet his unreadable expression. Unwilling to try and determine what he was thinking, Rhea turned to Ashford.
“Where shall we drop you off Mr. Ashford?”
“I instructed the driver to take you home first.”
“All right,” she said with a nod and looked back at Percy. “I’ll see to your shoulder as soon as soon as I turn Peter over to Arianna.”
“I can—”
“No, you can’t. I’m well skilled in sewing up cuts.” Before Percy could respond the child seated at her side leaned forward.
“You should let Miss Rhea fix you up, sir. She does a right good job. She even gives you a kiss on the cheek if you don’t cry once.”
“Indeed,” Percy murmured as heat suffused Rhea’s face. As her gaze met Percy’s, her heart skipped a beat at the fire she saw burning in his eyes. Rhea quickly retreated from him and sank back into the cushions of her seat. Silence filled the carriage for a moment before Ashford cleared his throat.
“Do you mind explaining why you left the carriage, Miss Bennett when you were specifically instructed not to?” The investigator eyed her carefully. “We made an agreement when I first took on this assignment.”
“I know, and I apologize. But Edgar was troubling a young girl. I couldn’t let him do that. I didn’t even know it was Edgar until he turned around.”
“You took an unnecessary risk, Miss Bennett,” the private investigator said quietly. “If you wish for me to complete our task then you’ll have to remain at home next week.”
“You can’t possibly—”
“I’m afraid I can, and must, Miss Bennett. If something happened to you, I would not be able to forgive myself, and I’ve no doubt your aunt would lay the blame at my feet.”
The harsh, unyielding expression on Ashford’s face assured her that nothing she might say would change the man’s mind. Her gaze flitted to Percy who was clearly pleased with Ashford’s decision. Defeated, Rhea sank deeper into the seat cushions. Silence descended on the interior of the vehicle, and she wrapped her arm around Peter once more.
The ride home seemed interminable, and Rhea avoided looking at either of the men across from her. While she knew she’d taken a risk of leaving the carriage, it had been the right decision. Edgar had been forcing himself on the girl, and the sight had opened up old wounds, which had compelled her to interfere. Accustomed to taking care of herself, she’d never doubted her ability to handle Edgar. It had been unnecessary for Percy to interfere. Although she had to admit his efforts warmed her heart. It made her feel that she was valued for something other than bringing in coin. The carriage halted at the front door of her aunt’s house, and Rhea ushered Peter out of the carriage then looked at Percy. There was a stubborn set to his mouth indicating he intended to argue with her. Rhea narrowed her gaze at him then smiled.
“If you’re afraid, I’m sure Peter can hold your hand for such a…” She paused for effect. “Major surgery of this nature.”
Without waiting for his answer, she exited the carriage and heard his vicious oath filling the air behind her. She didn’t bother to turn her head to confirm whether he was following her or not. The heat of his gaze burned the back of her neck confirming he was following her despite his reluctance. She bit back a smile of satisfaction. For once he was on the receiving end of his own medicine. The front door opened and at the sight of Arianna, the boy uttered a soft cry of happiness and raced the last few steps into her sister’s arms.
Gently, Rhea pushed Peter deeper into the house as Arianna kept her arm wrapped around him. Percy followed and closed the front door behind them. Arianna raised her eyebrows at the sight of him, but simply nodded her head as she quietly greeted Percy.
“Arianna would you mind looking after Peter while I tend to Percy’s arm.” Her sister’s gaze jerked toward Percy’s arm, and her eyes widened with surprise. When her sister’s gaze jerked back to her, Arianna gasped in horror. Startled, Rhea met her sister’s shocked gaze and arched her eyebrows.
“What?”
“Your jaw.” Arianna stared at her in horror and Rhea reached up to touch her face. She winced then shrugged slightly.
“It’s nothing.” At her careless reply, Percy quickly moved to her side and turned her to look down at her. His eyes narrowed before a look of raw fury hardened his expression.
“Did Edgar do this?” The note of dark fury in his voice told her that her jaw had to be far more bruised than it felt. At Percy’s question, Arianna gasp and Rhea quickly looked at her sister.
“You mean Ruckley’s Edgar?”
“He was troubling a young girl.” Rhea said quietly as she met her sister’s eyes.
Pain darkened Arianna’s gaze as she acknowledged the reason why Rhea had interfered. Deliberately changing the subject, Rhea motioned for her sister to take Peter upstairs. Arianna gently pulled Peter away from Rhea and Percy to guide him upstairs with the promise of a soft bed, a hot meal, and a warm bath.
The child responded positively until the mention of a bath. He protested, but Arianna made it quite clear that a bath would be unavoidable. A quiet chuckle made Rhea glance over her shoulder to see amusement lighting Percy’s face as he watched Peter climbing the stairs. Their eyes met, and Percy’s amusement disappeared as he frowned at her once more. Before he could say a word, she nodded toward the salon.
“Wait for me in the parlor. I need to find needle and thread for that cut.”
She didn’t wait to see if he would comply, but hurried to the kitchen to secure the items she needed to tend to Percy’s injury. When she returned to the salon several minutes later, Rhea halted just inside the salon door at the sight of Percy sitting on the couch bared to the waist. His head tipped to one side, he was examining the wound on his shoulder. He took her breath away.
The pounding of her heart echoed so loudly in her ears, she was surprised he couldn’t hear it. Swallowing hard, she used her hip to close the door behind her. At the sound, Percy looked up and watched her approach. She set down the bandages and lavender cream along with the bowl of hot water. Avoiding his gaze, she turned to examine his shoulder. A sigh of relief broke from her lips as she finished her examination and shook her head slightly.
“It’s not too deep and
once it’s stitched up it will heal nicely,” she murmured. In response he grunted something incoherent.
Unwilling to engage in conversation, Rhea quickly set about tending to the gash. Carefully cleaning the wound, she removed the dried blood then reached for the lavender cream. As gently as she could, she applied the natural analgesic to the skin around the long cut. When she’d threaded the needle that looked like a fishhook, she met his gaze.
“This is going to be uncomfortable. The lavender poultice only numbs the area so much.”
“I’ll survive,” he muttered.
Rhea nodded and proceeded to pinch the gash closed with her fingers. The first stitch caused Percy to suck in a sharp breath. She glanced up at him then back down at her task.
“Breathe through your mouth,” she said quietly. “For some reason it makes it easier.”
“I’m fine,” he growled softly.
“Of course you are,” she said with blatant sarcasm and she pushed the needle through his skin again.
“Hell fire and damnation,” he bit out between clenched teeth.
“I’m sorry.” At her contrite apology, a strong hand gently brushed across her cheek. A tremor rippled through her, and she didn’t move for a moment concerned her trembling could cause him unnecessary discomfort.
“You know what this means, don’t you?” he said in a voice that wrapped around her like a sinfully warm blanket.
“Yes,” she choked out as his fingers tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The gentle touch made her feel treasured somehow. “It means you’re going to be sore for a couple of days.”
“No, it means I have to ensure you’re always with me anytime I get cut.” His remark made her stiffen, and she raised her head to look at him. He quirked an eyebrow at her, and the warmth in his gaze made her swallow hard. She quickly ducked her head and continued the task of sewing up his wound.
“Rhea—”
“What exactly did Ruckley do in your vision?” she asked breathlessly, worried that he had been about to broach a subject she didn’t want to discuss. Percy frowned.
“I didn’t say Ruckley did anything,” he said in a tight voice.
“You didn’t have to, Percy,” she said softly as she pulled thread through his flesh and he grunted. “But don’t you think it would help if you told me what you saw?”
“No.” The harsh rejection made her flinch and she looked up at him. His handsome features could have been carved in stone, and his mouth was thin with tension.
“Whatever you saw must have been disturbing or you wouldn’t look so formidable.” She pulled the last suture through his skin, knotted it and snapped off the remaining thread with her teeth. She dropped the needle onto the table and reached for the bandages.
“Leave it be, Rhea.”
“When it comes to Ruckley, I can no more let it be, any more than you can.”
“Why do you have to be so damn obstinate?” Percy tugged her into his side with his good arm. The unexpected movement caused the bandages to fall out of her hand, and before she could speak, he kissed her hard. Instantly she melted into him. Hands pressed against the hard muscles of his chest, she sighed as his mouth left hers to lightly brush across her tender jaw.
“Marry me,” he said gruffly in her ear.
Despite the expectation that he would offer for her, his proposal still caught her by surprise. She immediately tried to retreat, but he kissed her again. This time his mouth lingered and teased hers into an eager submission. The warm male scent of him filled her senses until all she wanted was for him to hold her like this forever.
It was a dangerous thought, and as he lifted his head to look into her eyes, panic spiraled through her. Although she’d anticipated his proposal, Rhea hadn’t been prepared for her reaction. Never had she dreamed it would take every bit of will power she possessed not to fling her arms around his neck and say yes. Her heart beating frantically in her chest, she realized she was on a precipice about to fall into the abyss.
Fear washing over her, she pushed herself away from the edge of the cliff. She couldn’t afford to give way to her emotions. She needed to rely on cold reason to save herself from doing the unthinkable. She’d already given up a piece of her heart to Percy. The prospect of giving up everything to him was terrifying.
Chapter 15
Rhea trembled against him, and he stared into her violet eyes trying to discern what was going on in her beautiful head. With a quick twist of her soft body, Rhea pushed her way out of his arms.
“You’ll need to have Jenkins clean and bandage the wound for a couple of days,” she said in a breathless voice. “You want to avoid infection.”
“Don’t change the subject,” he said with impatience as he watched her hands fumble with the bandages on the table. “I just proposed to you, and I think I deserve a response.”
“I’ll give you my answer if you tell me what you saw in your vision.” The provisional demand reminded him of Patience and the bargain he’d made with his sister. Nothing was going right in his life at the moment, and he gritted his teeth.
“Damn it, Rhea, don’t play games with me.”
“I’m not,” she said as she pulled in a deep breath then released it. “But if you want my answer, then you’ll have to tell me what you saw.”
“What I saw made no sense.” Unwilling to share the graphic nature of his vision for fear of frightening her, he tried to catch her hand in his, but she easily evaded him.
“Perhaps not, but it had to trouble you deeply, otherwise you wouldn’t be so stubborn about telling me what you saw.” There was a confidence in her voice that declared she knew the an dara sealladh had shown him something more than he was revealing. He shook his head.
“As I said, it didn’t make sense. There was no rhyme or reason to what the an dara sealladh showed me.”
“Then why not tell me? My experience as to how dangerous Ruckley truly is greatly exceeds your experience tenfold.” She eyed him with skepticism. “If you’re trying to protect me, don’t, and until you tell me what you saw, I’ll not answer your question.”
“Bloody hell,” he growled at the mutinous tilt of her lips. Her expression made him realize she wasn’t going to give way. Exhaling a loud whoosh of air, he glared at her. “I saw you entering a room with Ruckley, alone. There was a gunshot and blood—a great deal of blood.”
Percy didn’t try to soften the description. If she was so hell bent on knowing what he’d seen, then he’d make damn sure she understood why he believed she was in danger. Rhea paled at his harsh words, and he immediately regretted the manner in which he’d chosen to depict the images he’d seen. As she met his gaze, a sense of foreboding swept over him. It only increased the unease he’d been experiencing since they’d left Ashford’s office earlier this evening. Rhea shook her head and bit down on her lip.
“How many of your visions actually come to pass?” Her question made him hesitate before he grimaced and steadily met her gaze.
“Most of them, but not necessarily in the way I see it. But what I saw concerns me because it makes me believe you’re in danger.” At his harsh response, she reached for the bandages once more. Percy saw her hands tremble as she did so.
“Will it make you feel better if I promise not to take any unnecessary risks until Ruckley has been dealt with?” She lifted her head to meet his gaze steadily.
“Yes, that will make me feel better,” he said quietly. Percy caught her chin in his fingers and forced her to look at him. “I agreed to your terms, now it’s time to honor mine. Will you marry me?”
“What happened last night was my choice, Percy. I had no expectations,” she said in a quiet voice.
“That’s not an answer.” The terseness of his reply made her wince.
“Then let me be more concise. I won’t marry you.”
“That’s the wrong answer,” he bit out as he forced himself not to reach for her.
“Nevertheless, it’s the one I’m giving you.”
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She’d refused him. Frustration ricocheted through him. He didn’t know why the fact surprised him. He’d known it would be difficult to convince her to accept his marriage proposal. He grunted with exasperation.
“You’re as stubborn as a mule,” he said as he reached for his shirt. It cracked in the air as he shook it out angrily before pulling it on. Percy saw her flinch, but at the moment he was too irritated to care.
“I know you’re trying to do the honorable thing—”
“Honor be damned,” he snarled as he hastily buttoned his shirt. “This is about wanting to wake up with you in my arms every morning.”
Eyes wide in her face, Rhea grew pale as she met his gaze, while something undefinable flickered in the violet depths of her eyes. Her expression softened as she stepped forward to touch his arm. It was an electric shock that sent a jolt through him.
“I think that’s something I would like very much,” she whispered. “If you made me your mistress it would solve our mutual dilemma.”
Stunned by her proposition, Percy stared at her with a sense of impending doom. Did she really think he cared so little for her that he would agree to such an arrangement? With unexpected clarity, he realized she did. Ruckley had convinced her she was undeserving of any man’s respect or the chance for lasting happiness. The bastard had done his work well, and it would be an uphill battle convincing her that Ruckley was wrong.
“I don’t want a mistress,” he said quietly. “I want a wife, and I want that wife to be you.”
Rhea quickly stepped back from him as if he’d hit her. A haunted look flashed across her pale features as her eyes grew wide in her face. Suddenly her expression became as unreadable as a marble statue.