No Ordinary Groom

by Gayle Callen

  She looked up at Nick, and her words died in her throat. He was a big man, taller and broader than Will, with dark hair and eyes so deep and soulless she wondered if any emotion ever showed. This man had her sister? Every line of him screamed domination. He must be Charlotte’s worst nightmare. How could she have devoted two days to her own gratification, forgetting her sister’s plight?

  Nick gave her a bow that would rival a courtier’s. “Miss Whittington, how good to meet you.”

  He had blood on his face, and his hair was wild, and she was so afraid she wanted to hide.

  “Where’s Charlotte?” she demanded coldly.

  He arched one eyebrow, and in the lantern light his half-shadowed face remained amused.

  Will tucked her close beneath his arm, subduing her even though she struggled. “I promised you’ll see her, Jane. We need to see to the body first.”

  Nick glanced at the group of people gathering in the courtyard, then back at Will, and spoke in a low, gravelly voice. “We should probably go our separate ways for tonight. It’s too dangerous to stay together any longer, especially since one bastard got away to warn Julia.”

  “No!” Jane cried, struggling, then looked up at Will. “You promised!”

  Sam nudged Nick with his elbow. “Didn’t I tell you the sisters were alike?”

  While Nick only nodded, Jane tried to remember a lifetime of control. She took a deep breath. “We’ll be brief. I just need to make sure she’s all right.”

  After Mr. Barlow discreetly went to calm the horses, some unspoken communication passed between the three men. They’d experienced things together that she could only imagine: danger and intrigue and the possibility of death. She was out of her depth in their world, but they’d forced it on her, and now they owed her.

  “Very well,” Nick said. “Sam, you and Barlow go explain to the innkeeper about being attacked by thieves. Bury the corpse as discreetly as you can. I’ll take Will and Miss Whittington to her sister. We won’t be long,” he added, giving her a stern warning with his dangerous eyes.

  Jane only nodded, and pushed away from Will. This time he let her go, then fell into step behind her as she followed Nick.

  There was a sudden impatient bark, quickly silenced, and Nick turned around.

  “And what is that?” His voice sounded displeased.

  “You remember Killer,” Will said, then put his hands on his hips and looked about him into the low, swirling fog. “If I can find him. Ah, there he is.” He bent down to scoop up his dog.

  Jane thought Nick would laugh at the dog, as most other men did.

  “Killer? The Killer?” Nick said with amazement. “He survived the shipwreck?”

  Will grinned and nodded as Nick ruffled the dog’s furry head.

  “Shipwreck?” she asked in amazement.

  “It was nothing,” Will said. “We were almost to Cape Town, so we only floated in the wreckage for two days.”

  “And Killer survived,” Nick repeated, shaking his head. “That dog has the lives of a cat.”

  He turned to look at Jane, who had so many questions she couldn’t think which to ask first.

  “Killer was once run over by a barrel aboard ship as he was rescuing a little boy,” Nick said. “The dog’s broken ribs literally pierced the skin. And still he survived.”

  Will nodded solemnly. “I had to chew his food for him for a week.”

  “Chew his food—” she choked out.

  Nick laughed. “Has Barlow forgiven Killer for saving his life?”

  “You must be joking. That man can hold a grudge.”

  Jane finally stamped her foot. “Can we please just go to Charlotte now?”

  Will handed Killer over to Mr. Barlow, and they followed Nick. They didn’t enter the courtyard of the inn but turned into the foggy darkness beyond the road, opposite the way the attacker had fled. Soon, Jane could see nothing. She stumbled as the invisible weeds thickened and the road fell away behind them. Both men seemed to have no problem in the partial moonlight.

  It seemed to take forever as they tramped through what she thought was an overgrown field. Her skirts parted the mist. She almost turned her ankle, but Will caught her from behind, then took her arm and walked beside her. They reached a small copse of trees, and she heard the soft whinny of a horse. The outline of a large carriage materialized out of the darkness.

  She didn’t know what she’d expected, but certainly she hadn’t thought of Charlotte alone but for horses. Then she saw the coachman, swathed in dark clothing, watching them silently from above.

  Nick put his hand on the door, and she could see the moonlit gleam in his eyes when he turned back to face her. “I just want you to know that for Charlotte’s own protection, I had to bind her.”

  “What!” Jane cried, then bit her lip as she heard the echo of her voice across the field.

  “Shh!” Will said into her ear. “I’m certain there is a good explanation.”

  Nick quickly agreed. “Much as Charlotte understands what we’re doing, I knew she would follow me and make even more trouble in her attempt to help.”

  Shocked and worried for her fragile sister, Jane drew herself up and used her coldest voice. “Let me see her at once.”

  He opened the door and climbed up inside. As Jane followed, she heard muffled, angry cries, and realized that he had actually gagged Charlotte! Will squeezed in behind her and found a seat at her side, opposite her sister.

  “I’ll light the lantern,” Nick said, and he struck a match.

  As light flared up, Jane gaped at her sister, seated in the corner at Nick’s side, bound at her feet and wrists, a gag across her mouth. Her normally proper hairstyle was skewed sideways, and several dark curls had tumbled down her shoulder. Charlotte stared fixedly at Nick, surely so frightened out of her mind that she hadn’t even noticed that Jane was there too.

  Before Jane could soothe her poor, traumatized sister, Nick leaned toward Charlotte and said softly, “I’m going to remove the gag. Let us not have a repeat of past performances.”

  Charlotte seemed frozen with terror as Nick pulled the gag from between her lips. Then with a surprising swiftness, she turned and sank her teeth into his hand.

  “Ow!” Nick said, cursing as he pulled away from her. “I told you not to overreact! You know why—”

  “How dare you!” Charlotte cried. “You will never—ever!—do that to me again.”

  “Charlotte—”

  “Untie me this instant!”

  There was a command to her voice that a flabbergasted Jane had never imagined possible. She remained silent, watching with wide-eyed fascination as Nick untied Charlotte’s ankles and got kicked, then untied her wrists and received a hard point with her finger in the center of his chest. Jane almost didn’t recognize this spirited woman as her sister. Had she ever known her at all?

  “What happened!” Charlotte demanded, then whirled toward Jane and Will. “And who—” Her mouth suddenly sagged open. “Jane?” she whispered.

  With glad cries, the two sisters fell into a tight hug. Jane, who’d never felt close to Charlotte, found herself weeping with relief. Charlotte laughed at her and pulled a handkerchief from her pocket. She handed it over, then said hello to Will as if she were receiving guests in a drawing room instead of being newly unbound by her captor.

  Jane wiped tears from her eyes. “Oh, Charlotte, I cannot tell you how I’ve worried. I had no idea you had been kidnapped!”

  “They only tell you what they think you should know,” Charlotte said and threw a disgusted look at an amused Nick.

  “Are you hurt?” Jane bestowed her own glare at Nick. She could only imagine what such a large, untamed-looking man might do to a helpless woman. “Did he—”

  “No, nothing like that,” Charlotte said, interrupting her fears. “I was frightened at first, but he never harmed me. I understand that I might have jeopardized everything if he’d have allowed me to escape. But now”—She turned back to Nick and lea
ned toward him.—“now I can help! And he won’t let me.”

  Nick crossed his arms over his chest, looking uneasy and worried for just a moment, until his face smoothed out into impassivity. Suddenly Jane saw through his posturing and thought he might actually be fond of her sister.

  But that didn’t matter. She would demand that Will help her take Charlotte away. She wasn’t sure how that would be accomplished, but surely a man of Will’s resourcefulness could think of something. But he continued to watch the unfolding scene with amused consternation, saying nothing.

  “Char, see here,” Nick said in a cajoling voice, “I’ve been trained to deal with such things and you have not.”

  “But I learn quickly!” she said.

  Jane stared in amazement when Charlotte put her hand on the brute’s arm. He called her “Char”? He tried to persuade her instead of ordering her about?

  He patted her hand awkwardly. “I killed a man tonight, Charlotte. It is not a thing I want you to see.”

  Charlotte caught her lip between her teeth. “Were you hurt?” she whispered.

  And in those words, Jane heard a wealth of information. Charlotte would never leave Nick. Silently Jane watched Charlotte discover the shallow slice to the back of Nick’s hand, then rip her own petticoats to bandage him. All along she kept up a steady, angry patter of words about Nick’s inability to take care of himself. When she bent over Nick’s hand, Jane saw in his black eyes a fleeting glimpse of tenderness.

  Though Jane had never thought herself close to Charlotte, they now shared an adventure that made Charlotte’s eyes sparkle with a vibrancy she’d never had before. Was it all Nick’s doing? Could she be in love with him, and could such a hard, cold man ever return her feelings?

  “We should leave,” Will said softly.

  Charlotte looked up, her eyes focusing on them again. “But—I thought we could talk.”

  Jane nodded. “I need to tell her the truth about our family.”

  Nick moved his bandaged hand off Charlotte’s lap. “Make it fast.”

  Jane took her sister’s hand. She felt like she was destroying all her sister’s idyllic memories. “Charlotte, it will be difficult to bear, but you must know that Papa lied to us. He was more than just a soldier in the army.”

  “He was a spy,” she answered matter-of-factly.

  Jane could only gape. “You knew!” She whirled on Will, whose eyes widened. “Did everyone know but me?”

  “Of course not,” he said soothingly. “Your mother still knows nothing.” He shot a glance at Nick. “I think.”

  Charlotte spoke before Nick could, clasping Jane’s hands tighter. “I kept it a secret, Jane. I only found out a few days before you left. I was feeling lost and bored, and I decided to explore the attic. I found a box of journals that I’m certain Papa thought he’d lost. So much of his life was there, Jane, and it was fascinating.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Jane asked, trying not to reveal how hurt she felt. She’d gone off with Will in all innocence, when knowledge of her father might have helped…somehow.

  “Because—because you were focused on this betrothal, and I’ll admit, I thought to keep something to myself for awhile.” She looked down at their joined hands. “It was wrong of me, Jane, and I was going to tell you the moment you returned. His life was so exciting! He did so many dangerous, brave things—”

  “So Charlotte thought she could become a spy like your father,” Nick interrupted dryly.

  “I did not!”

  “Then what do you call hiding in a wardrobe, listening in on conversations that were none of your business, that could have gotten you killed?”

  “I was doing my duty for England,” she said hotly.

  “You’re lucky it was me who discovered you.”

  “Hardly lucky!”

  They glared at each other, and Jane stared wide-eyed between them. She tried to imagine her reserved sister deliberately eavesdropping, then being brave enough to face down a man like Nick Wright when she was caught in the act. Jane prayed that when this was all over, she could take the time to get to know Charlotte. She was ashamed that she’d never bothered before.

  “Would you like Charlotte to travel with us?” Will asked.

  At the same time, Nick and Charlotte said, “No!”

  Will only raised an eyebrow in amusement. Somehow he had read Jane’s mind, and she softened with love for him. Sooner or later he’d make her a weepy female.

  Nick cleared his throat. “For one thing, Charlotte has it in her head that she needs to help me. She’d only cause you concern by trying to escape.”

  Charlotte gave a smug little smile.

  “And the other thing,” he continued, ignoring her, “is that the two of you are in just as much danger as we are. So don’t worry about Charlotte. I have Sam and my driver aiding me. When this is over, I’ll bring her to the colonel, and try to…explain everything.”

  He looked so uncomfortable that Jane couldn’t help smiling.

  “Now back to the matter at hand,” Nick said. “One of the villains escaped, and could be off warning Julia right now. Her estate is not far away. Charlotte and I need to stay ahead of her, and you two need to go off to your wedding.”

  Jane wanted to protest—they weren’t getting married now, simply going to see her father. But her words died unexpressed. She wouldn’t give Charlotte any more reason to worry. Reaching across the carriage, Jane hugged her tightly, whispering, “Will you be all right? What if he ties you up again?”

  Her sister only hugged her tighter and whispered back, “It will be fine. He doesn’t know it yet, but I have everything in hand.”

  And with that, Jane knew her sister’s miserable first marriage had brought out a new strength in her.

  Nick spoke to Will. “I’m not sure what Julia is doing at her brother’s estate, but I’m certain she’ll leave in the morning, headed for Leeds. It will be over soon.”

  “Take care,” Will said, and the two men shook hands. “Send Sam to tell me when it’s done.”

  “If you need me,” Nick added, “send a message to the only inn in Misterton. I’m registered as Mr. Black.”

  Jane allowed herself to be led from the carriage, looking over her shoulder for one last glimpse of Charlotte’s reassuring smile. Jane blinked back tears when the door closed. The coachman cracked his whip and guided the dark vehicle away by moonlight. When they were alone in the windy, dark field, Will put his arm around her and led her back the way they’d come.

  As they rode back to Epworth, Jane studied Will, whose eyes were closed as he pretended to sleep.

  Oh, she knew he was pretending. But what she couldn’t understand was why. There was a solemnity about him that was very uncharacteristic. When they’d first gotten into the carriage, he’d seemed distracted, distant. Sleep had been his final excuse not to talk to her.

  She let him have his silence, hoping he would work out whatever he needed to. But she wasn’t going to ignore his problem. At the inn, he gave quiet instructions to Mr. Barlow, then escorted Jane to her door. He tried to say a simple good night, but she followed him to his room and stood silently by while he put Killer on the bed. The dog rested his head on his paws and watched them.

  Will turned to look at her. “Did you want something?” he asked, as if they had not spent almost twenty-four hours in bed together, sharing intimacies that entitled her to more than his puzzling silence.

  “I want you to talk,” she said simply, dragging him outside by the arm, abandoning the room to his dog. Once she had Will inside her room, she locked the door and looked at him, her hands on her hips. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  Chapter 24

  Will smiled so naturally that Jane couldn’t trust it a bit.

  “Nothing is wrong,” he said. “I thought perhaps I had exhausted you with my eagerness. After everything that’s happened with your sister, you might want time alone.”

  “Alone?” she scoffed. “You have spent days
making sure we are rarely apart. Now that you’ve gotten beneath my skirts, you think I’ll believe that foolish story?”

  “It’s not a—”

  “Will!” she said sternly. At his confusion, she softened. “You want to marry me. Surely that means you can trust me.”

  His face suddenly darkened, and he turned away to rest his hand on the mantel over the fireplace. “There are ugly things you don’t know, Jane.”

  “Are they about what’s between us?”

  “No.”

  Relief flooded through her. “Your past can’t hurt us, Will.” She was saying “us,” as if they were already married.

  “I’ve put my past so far behind me that tonight, I almost caused your sister harm—caused you harm.”

  She didn’t believe him, but she waited patiently.

  “Don’t you see—I hesitated!” he cried, whirling around to face her. In his eyes was a despondency she’d never imagined seeing.

  “When did you hesitate?”

  “When we opened the carriage door and saw those men attacking Nick and Sam, I shouldn’t have thought before jumping into the fray and helping them.”

  She was genuinely puzzled now. “You were out of that carriage so quickly, I wanted to scream at your foolishness.”

  “No, no, there was a moment where I tried to overthink the situation.”

  “When you allowed your concern for me to show?”

  It was as if he wasn’t listening. “In that heartbeat, lives could have been lost. The entire outlook could have changed. Charlotte—and you—could have been killed because I’d lost my edge. I’ve let the past affect me.”

  She took a small step toward him, afraid to disturb the pain he was finally showing her. “What happened to you, Will?”

  “I’ve become too cautious for the life of an agent—because the one time I wasn’t, I came as close as I’ve ever come to dying.”

  She reached his side, treating him like a wild animal that might flee. Gently, she slid her hand into his, felt the tension that stiffened him.