by Unknown
"I haven't found it, but now I think I know where
it is. I just need a little more time to find out how to get it."
"Wonderful! Charity, what an actress you are. I knew if anyone could get the elusive Noah Morgan to trust it would be you. That innocence you have is exactly the quality to capture a man like him."
Charity was silent, annoyed that what Gregory had just said made her feel guilty and . . . unclean. Noah did trust her, as did his mother and sister, and Elizabeth. She hated the thought of using that trust and betraying it.
"Charity, this will be over soon. Once I've defeated him, all my plans for a brilliant future will come true."
Desperate for some words to banish her guilt, Charity was about to ask more about the future they were to share, when a shadow fell between her and Gregory. Both turned to see Noah.
"Charity, I hope you haven't forgotten that you promised this dance to me."
"No . . . no, of course not." Charity placed her hand in Noah's, quite unaware that he had been watching her from the moment she had left his side, that he had watched her and Gregory dancing together, and that he had seen Gregory draw her into the alcove.
He had started in their direction with murder in his eyes, but Kathy had stepped between him and his goal. "Noah!" she'd hissed. "Don't be a fool. The queen is here, for God's sake. Think of the consequences. Everything you've planned will be for nothing."
Fiercely Noah had struggled for the control he so rarely lost.
"One day," he'd said with grim coldness. "I will have that bastard at the point of my sword or in the sights of my pistol."
"I agree. But not if you ruin yourself tonight."
"You're right." Noah had finally smiled. "Thank you, Kat. That was a mistake."
"Only part of it," she'd replied. Her smile was teasing as she slowly stepped aside. "Good hunting, brother. There is more than one way of skinning the proverbial cat."
Now he was well aware of the fearful look in Gregory's eyes and it pleased him immensely.
But Noah could hardly keep Charity at his side all evening. The dance had barely finished when she was whisked away by another man. Still he kept a close eye on her, making sure there was not another opportunity for Hamilton to get her alone.
Charity thoroughly enjoyed herself, storing up sights, sounds, smells, and tastes to relate to Amiee later. The insidious voice deep inside warned her that this situation, beautiful as it might be, was a fragile one. She was determined to enjoy it as much as she could.
It was only after the queen had retired that Noah told Charity they were leaving. He had enjoyed her enthusiasm and her laughter. He realized he had not seen her laugh often. He meant to remedy that.
Beth and Charity had little time even to talk, for Beth, like her friend, found herself the object of much masculine interest.
But Beth was quite prepared to go when she saw that Charity and Noah were leaving. She didn't be-
lieve Charity would want to be at home alone with Noah too long. It was Kathy who, very deliberately, kept her mother and Beth at the ball quite some time after Charity and Noah had gone. She felt they deserved time alone to talk. She was mischievous enough to want to play Cupid.
Actually, Kathy had prayed that someone like Charity would come along and brighten Noah's life, give him something to consider besides his involvement in furtive and often dangerous affairs. She wished Noah could be freed of his responsibilities, and his penchant for finding danger.
Maybe Charity was the answer. It was the first time she had seen Noah react to a woman this way.
Kathy was also keeping her eye on Gregory Hamilton. But he displayed no sign of leaving. He was dancing now with Anne Ferrier, and she wished in vain that she could overhear their conversation.
"She's quite lovely," Gregory said. "I can see why Noah is so captivated."
"Captivated," Anne repeated angrily. "She's another toy. He'll tire of her pretty-faced innocence soon enough."
"Don't be jealous, Anne. The time will come soon when Noah will be pleading for your favors."
"Not until I've found a way to rid myself of Rodger."
"In time . . . in time. He will go with Brandywine. Who knows, he may share the same fate."
"Then you've made all the plans!"
"Be quiet, and don't look so pleased. Things are moving along."
"Who has found what you lost?"
"I did. And I will have it back long before Noah, or anyone else, can decode it. As far as who found it . . . that's not your concern. You need only keep me informed of Rodger and Lord Brandywine's plans, and if any suspicion has fallen on either."
"No, there is nothing."
"Then things will go on as planned. You, sweet Anne, will make a charming widow and Noah will be much easier to pluck once you are. I . . . I will be Van Buran's right arm and have more power than you can dream of. I will be able to make Noah dance to your tune. Do you want to wed him?"
"Oh, yes. It would be fun to put him in Rodger's place."
"What a wicked thought."
"He has it coming. Gregory, who is that chit anyway? She seems to have come from nowhere."
"I don't really know. But if you like, I'll investigate."
"Yes. I'd like to scratch her eyes out. Find me some answers and I'll take care of her."
Gregory smiled. Anne's jealousy was a tool he meant to make use of . . . once he had what he wanted.
The carriage would have been dark had it not been for a full and bright moon in a totally cloudless sky. Noah could see Charity quite clearly. They rode together for a few moments in silence. Surprisingly, it was Charity who broke the quiet, because she sensed a tension in Noah.
"Noah . . . are you angry about something?"
"Angry? No, whatever gave you that idea? I'm
pleased that you seemed to enjoy yourself tonight. You were quite the center of attraction, and I can't blame any of the gentlemen for wanting to dance with you. You put every other woman there in your shadow. You are utterly lovely, Charity."
Charity should have felt a satisfying sense of power. Instead she felt a kind of longing she could not name.
"Actually, Charity," Noah said softly, and as he spoke he turned toward her so that the moonlight fell across his face. "I've been considering how to say what's on my mind for hours."
"I've never known you to be at a loss for words, Noah." She tried to laugh, but her heart had begun to beat rapidly. She was afraid of what he was going to say.
"Maybe it's because I've never felt so strongly about what I want to say."
Charity turned toward him, struggling for the confidence to handle this. Noah took one of her hands between both of his. It surprised him that they seemed chilled, and trembled a bit.
He reached one hand to gently touch her cheek. "Charity, I know you feel something for me. I could tell by the way you returned my kiss. Do you care enough to consider becoming my wife? I will not rush you, but I find it very difficult to think of the future without you. I'm very much in love with you."
"Oh, Noah . . . I . . . this is a surprise."
"Is it really? Can't you tell how you've filled my life? I never realized it was so empty until you came into it."
"But . . . marriage . . . I . . ."
"You needn't say yes or no right now. But I want
you to consider it, and to give me time to convince you that I can make you happy," Noah said, shaken by the thought that she meant to refuse him.
Charity was just as shaken. Shaken by the knowledge that she wanted to move into his strong arms, that she wanted to say yes to him. When had she fallen out of love with Gregory? More important, when had she fallen in love with Noah? Time was what he wanted, and time was what she needed to search her own heart.
"All right, Noah, time is what we both need."
Noah felt a surge of pleasure. She did not mean to refuse him, and given enough time, he meant to convince her that he loved her, and that he could fill her life as she
could his.
"How beautiful you are," he said softly, "and how much a part of me I want you to be. You walked into my life so casually, and now I can't bear the thought that you will ever walk out of it." He drew her close to him, and Charity wanted his kiss. She relaxed in his arms and when his mouth gently tasted hers, she felt a rightness about it.
She swept from her mind all she had been told about him, all the plans she had made. As their lips blended and the kiss deepened, all thought but this deep, burning pleasure left her. She had never felt this way in all her life.
Noah, too, was lost to the moment. He felt her soft mouth open to accept his, and his breath caught. He had never loved before, never wanted any woman to be a part of his life, his world, his very soul. But now there was Charity. Beautiful, sweet, innocent Charity.
Gently he lifted her and pulled her across his lap, enjoying the way her arms came about his neck and the sound of her soft sigh of pleasure.
Every sense he had was coming alive in a wave of exuberance he'd not enjoyed for a number of years. He surrendered to the sheer joy of it, and even the sensation of surrender was novel and exciting. He would have Charity as his wife if he had to move heaven and hell to get her. Nothing, not even her inexperience and resistance, would stop him.
Charity, too, was in a state of ecstasy. She felt as if she were floating at an extreme height and clung to Noah, afraid to fall. She savored the taste of his warm, seeking mouth and the delicious new feelings that uncoiled in the depths of her. She had never felt anything so enchanting in her life.
She was confused, and Noah's heated kisses, growing deeper and warmer by the minute, were no help. She was caught in a cocoon of sensual heat that left her weak, yet wanting more. Nothing had prepared her for this.
Noah was struggling for some semblance of control, but it was growing more elusive by the minute. Even through her encumbering clothes his sensitive hands could feel the soft curve of her breast and the smooth arch of her back and her narrow waist.
His hand roamed lower to push up the voluminous skirt and he gave a ragged sigh of pleasure when his hand caressed a smooth, silken thigh. A small murmur of drugged contentment from Charity was all he needed to spur him on.
Noah cursed softly under his breath when the car-
riage came to a rocking halt, but he knew it was the best thing that could have happened, for God alone knew how far he would have gone. He was well aware that his control was slipping as fast as sand through an hourglass.
He righted a still half-dazed Charity and was pleased at the heavy-lidded sensual look in her eyes and the flush on her face.
"It seems we're home, my love."
Charity was too breathless to answer, and too flustered even to think of anything to say. When she put her hand in Noah's to be helped from the carriage, she was grateful for his strength, for she felt as weak as a newborn kitten. She realized, as the cool night air touched her heated skin, that she had come very close to total surrender.
Inside the house, Charity would have panicked if Noah hadn't been astute enough to see her fear. It almost made him feel good. The fear meant she had come as close to the edge as he and that she did not believe in her will to resist any longer.
They stood together in the semidark foyer, inches apart and silent. The distant sound of servants reminded them they were not alone.
"I . . . I had best go up" Charity began.
"Come in and sit by the fire with me for a while, Charity. We can talk."
"No," she said quickly. Just the thought of it sent a trembling through her body. If Noah was her husband . . . no, she could not think that way. "I'm very tired, Noah. I think it best I go up now."
"Are you afraid of me?" he asked quietly.
"No. I'm not afraid of you." She reached out a tentative hand to touch him. "Perhaps, Noah, I'm a bit afraid of myself. Good night."
"Charity" Noah began, a new hope blossoming, but she was already racing up the stairs. He stood for a while, contemplating going after her. Then he faced the realization that he might be destroying something very new and very fragile if he did. Instead he walked into the library for some brandy to keep his mind from picturing a lush and accessible Charity undressing for bed.
But Charity was not undressing. She had turned the corner at the top of the stairs and paused. The door, the one that was always locked, was slightly ajar.
She inhaled a deep breath. Noah wanted her to marry him, and the door to the room that might contain the packet that held Gregory's freedom was open and beckoning.
Again she fought a battle. But even while her mind was in turmoil she was moving toward the door. Her hand gently rested on the door handle. Then she pushed it open, stepped inside, and closed it behind her.
She stood for a few minutes until her eyes adjusted to the semidark room. Moonlight washed it in a hazy glow. Several portraits graced the walls but they were difficult to view and of little interest to her. She moved toward the huge desk that dominated the room.
It was an immense piece of furniture with many
drawers on one side, and a door on the other that opened to reveal shelves stacked with papers. Charity knelt and checked the contents, but the packet she sought was not there. Then she moved to the drawers. Each drawer boasted a small gold keyhole, and she hoped none of them were locked.
She tried the first one, breathing a sigh of relief. It wasn't locked. It took her only seconds to know the packet wasn't there and to go on to the next drawer, and then the next. Hope was waning that she would find what she wanted. Still, there were a lot of other pieces of furniture in the room and she had the time . . . she hoped . . . to search everything.
She closed the last drawer in defeat. She would have to search the rest of the room. She had started around the desk to the large cabinet when the sound of footsteps in the hall startled her. Noah! Was he coming here? The sound of a key being slid into the lock lent her speed. Panic-stricken, she raced into a small alcove and drew the curtains closed seconds before the door opened. She could see into the room perfectly from her darkened corner, and realized that Noah carried a lighted candle with him.
Charity held her breath, wondering if he could hear the thunder of her heart.
Noah stood just within the room for a minute, as if he were hearing or sensing something. Then he smiled slightly and walked to the desk. He set the candle holder on the desk and proceeded to take some papers from the top drawer. He read for a minute and then laid the papers down and walked to a painting
that hung on the wall. It surprised Charity when he slowly swung the painting open like a hinged door. Behind it was a space that held three small shelves. He removed some things and swung the painting shut again. He carried the material back to the desk and added the papers he had taken from the drawers.
Then he left the room. When the door closed behind him, Charity breathed a ragged sigh of relief. When she had gathered her nerve, she left the alcove and walked to the painting. She swung it open and there before her, on the lowest shelf, lay the packet she had been looking for.
She removed it from the shelf and swung the painting shut again. Charity stood stock still, trying to convince herself she was doing the right thing.
If she refused to take the packet, Gregory, who had done so much for her, who had changed her life, who professed his love, would suffer. But if she took it, Noah, who trusted her, who said he loved her and wanted to marry her, would know she had betrayed him. That thought brought a jolt of pain and overwhelming confusion.
She felt like crying but knew that tears would not help the situation. She needed someone to tell her what was right or wrong. Amiee. Yes, Amiee.
Charity slept very little that night. She heard the family return but didn't answer the timid knock on the door. She knew it was Beth, and at the moment she had no answers for Beth or herself. She had felt lost, lonely, and afraid before, but now the misery she felt went beyond those conditions. She prayed for
morning to com
e soon. She planned to be up and away before anyone else arose. She had to talk to Amiee, level-headed and sensible Amiee. Then she had to make a decision.
Chapter Eleven
The packet lay on the polished table between Amiee and Charity. Amiee had listened in silence, her eyes intent on a tense and shaken Charity.
Words tumbled from Charity in a rush as she explained her dilemma. If Amiee saw beyond the momentary problem to the other more weighty one, she said nothing until Charity finished.
''Oh, Amiee, I owe Gregory this much, don't I?"
"But if you give him this, you will have lost Noah forever. He will feel you betrayed him. But then"Amiee smiled"betrayal is what you had in mind when you went there, wasn't it?"
Amiee's words stung, but Charity could not deny the truth in them . . . the ugly truth.
"Charity, will you consider something without getting angry?"
"Anything."
"Gregory plans on marrying you eventually; he loves you."
"Yes."
"Have you really considered the situation he has put you in?"
"He was desperate," Charity said, but her brow furrowed in annoyance at the subtle doubts that entered her mind.
"Noah has said he loves you, too, and has asked you to be his wife."
"Yes," Charity said softly.
"Has it occurred to you which man must truly love you?"
"Why would I doubt either of them?"
"Such conceit!" Amiee chuckled.
"I didn't mean it that way. I meant to compliment them both."
"Sometimes I truly believe your loving heart causes all your difficulties. You see things through romantic eyes, and that can lead to nothing but trouble."
"You make me sound like a child."
"Sometimes you are." Amiee sighed. "Charity, if you believe both men love you, then you should marry the man you love. If you marry the other, you can only make both your lives miserable. It's time to follow your heart."