by Laura Landon
He cradled her in his arms as the carriage carried them home. Her eyes were closed and she lay her head against his chest.
“I thought the sea was going to take you,” he whispered. “I thought I was going to lose you, too.”
She answered him not with words, but by nestling closer to him and wrapping her arms around him.
“You’re safe now, Anne. I won’t let anything hurt you.”
“I know you won’t, Griff.” She breathed a deep sigh. “I know you won’t.”
His chest still burned from the fear that ran rampant through him. He could never let anything happen to her. He wouldn’t survive if it did.
He closed his eyes and rested his chin on the top of her head. He ignored the hot tears that streamed down his face.
He’d done exactly what he’d sworn he would never do—risked his heart.
Chapter 29
He loved her.
Bloody hell and damnation. He’d done exactly what he’d sworn never to do. He’d risked it all. And yesterday he’d found out how quickly she could have been taken away from him.
Griff paced the floor in his study like a desperate animal. He’d been as surly as a bear with a hurt paw. But it was because he was so damned afraid. Why on earth had she done something so stupid and irresponsible as to sneak away from the house when she knew someone was out there? When she knew someone wanted to hurt her to get at him? Didn’t she know he couldn’t survive if he lost her? He’d never been so terrified in his life. And because he was so afraid, he’d taken it out on her.
He’d yelled and bellowed and threatened her within an inch of her life. Then he’d ignored her. He’d avoided her and tried to make her life a living hell because she’d terrified him so. To her credit, she weathered his tirades with as much bravery as he’d ever seen. He even thought he caught her smiling at him during one of his lectures. How could she be so calm? Didn’t she know how valiantly he was fighting to keep his feelings hidden?
Didn’t she know he couldn’t survive if he lost her, too?
He hadn’t been kind but had stormed about like a dark thundercloud. The more he had lectured, the more she tried to placate him, to involve him in some kind of conversation—idle prattle about Freddie’s antics when they were young, questions about the running of the estate, or a multitude of inquiries concerning his youth. He didn’t want her to be so perfect and understanding. And yet the more he fought to distance himself, the more he wanted her.
He told himself he’d gone to her last night because giving her a child was the only request she’d made of him. But that was a lie. The reason was he couldn’t stay away from her. He wanted her too desperately and needed to hold her close to him. And she welcomed him with open arms, satisfying his most base needs as well as something else he couldn’t explain.
Their lovemaking was all-consuming and frantic, each of them taking and giving with complete abandon. And this morning, when he left her, he knew it would be only a few hours before he’d want her again.
He fisted his hands tight. Damn, he wanted her now—wanted her like he’d never thought he’d want another woman after Julia.
He walked the length of the room, his nerves so on edge he couldn’t stand it. Nights were the worst. Darkness brought to life all the terrors he wanted to forget—the rushing water swirling at their feet, the panicked look on her face, the fear that almost took his breath when he thought she might drown. He paced the length of the room again. Damn! He had lived his worst nightmare. He needed a drink.
He stopped short and almost laughed. No. He needed his wife.
He braced his hands on either side of the curtained window and stared out into the darkness as if he might find the answers he searched for. He’d put her in the middle of one tragedy after another. He needed to figure out why Freddie had gone to such lengths to bequeath that seemingly worthless piece of land to Anne. What was so special that Freddie thought owning it would preserve their good name?
He needed to find Jack Hawkins and have this done.
He was scared—scared something would happen to her if he let her out of his sight. Or that something would happen to him, and he wouldn’t be able to protect her from a threat he wasn’t sure he understood.
He picked up the letter he’d received from London that afternoon and reread it. It was from Fitzhugh, informing him that Jack Hawkins had left London the same time he and Anne had. He’d given the excuse that he needed to settle some family matters.
That had been weeks ago. Griff knew now it was Jack Hawkins who’d been following him and who was out there, watching, waiting.
He looked around the room, praying a bottle would magically appear. All he wanted was one drink. Just one to settle his nerves and figure out answers to all his questions. Like why Hawkins hadn’t killed him already. Griff had given him plenty of opportunity. Why was he playing games with him?
He heard the clock strike midnight. He’d stayed away from her longer than usual, but tonight she’d seemed terribly quiet. Perhaps it would be best if he didn’t go to her at all. Perhaps she wouldn’t want him tonight.
He extinguished the lantern on his desk and walked across the room as if some unseen force controlled his movements. He couldn’t stay away from her. He just wanted to see her and hold her. Perhaps she would already be asleep. That didn’t matter. He would lie down beside her and hold her, because there was no place he’d rather be than at her side.
Griff made his way up the stairs and readied himself for bed. He washed, then slipped his arms through the sleeves in his robe and walked through the sitting room that separated Anne’s room from his. He quietly opened the door, in case she was sleeping.
He stepped inside and stopped short. The bed was empty, the covers pulled back as Martha would have left them, but the bed had not been slept in. Anne was not there.
Griff stepped closer, then saw her standing in the shadows, her head bowed, her arms wrapped around her middle.
“Anne?”
“Did you finish what you had to do?”
“Yes.” He took a step toward her but stopped when he saw her shoulders tense. “Aren’t you tired?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“I see. Is something wrong?”
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. She took in a deep breath that trembled and when she spoke, her voice cracked. “Perhaps it would be best if you slept in your own bed tonight, Griff?”
“Are you feeling all right?”
“Fine. I’d just like to be alone.”
“And if I refuse?”
She stopped as if unable to find the strength to argue with him.
Griff worried even more when he saw her tighten her arms around her middle. He closed the gap that separated them.
He placed his hands on her shoulders to turn her around, but the minute he touched her, she stepped out of his grasp. “Anne? What’s wrong?”
Wetness pooled in her eyes and threatened to spill down her cheeks. He didn’t want to see her like this, couldn’t stand to think he was the cause of her unhappiness. The guilt he felt because he knew he’d been such an ass pelted him in the gut, sickening him. It wasn’t her fault he was too much of a coward to face his own fears.
He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. Her cheek rested against his chest.
“We can’t make love tonight.” Her voice was hoarse.
“We don’t have to make love every night. We can wait until tomorrow night.”
“We can’t then, either. I have my monthly.” She hesitated. “I’m not carrying a child.”
Griff closed his eyes. He knew how desperate she’d been to conceive. He rubbed his hands over her back and arms. “It’s all right.”
“It’s not all right.”
A single tear trickled down her cheek. There was nothing he could do to take away her hurt. “There’s time, Anne. There will be a child eventually.”
She wrapped her arms around him tighter and buried her face i
n his chest. He loved the feel of her there.
Griff held her until the soft tears no longer fell, then tenderly kissed her forehead. “Come on,” he whispered in her ear. “Let me take you to bed.”
“But we can’t—”
“I know. But that doesn’t mean we can’t lie together. That I cannot hold you in my arms. That we cannot wake up together so you are the first sight I see when I open my eyes. But we will wake up in my bed. My bed is better. Your bed is too short for me to sleep comfortably.”
She followed him to his room and lay down in the center of his bed. He lay down beside her and pulled her close. This was the way he always wanted them to be.
“I was so certain we had made a babe,” she said, breathing a shaky sigh.
She shivered in his arms and he held her tight. This was the only way he knew to take away some of her disappointment. “We will. In time there will be a babe.”
“When I was young, I overheard Cook tell our upstairs maid that it only took once. We’ve done it so often, I was sure…”
Griff smiled and kissed the top of her head. “It sometimes only takes once. But mostly, couples have to try more often before a babe is made.”
“But I was so sure. I didn’t want you to go through such torture for so long.”
He tried not to laugh but couldn’t help it. “Don’t worry about me enduring such torture. Worry more about how I will survive not touching you for the next few days.” He brushed a stray lock of hair that fell to her cheek. How had he thought he could keep from loving her? He knew now how impossible that would have been. “Are you in pain?”
She shook her head.
He kissed her gently on the forehead. “Good. Now go to sleep.”
She breathed a contented sigh. He thought she’d smiled and wondered what she was thinking, then suddenly realized something he should have known long before now.
That it would be more possible to live without air to breathe than without her love.
Griff dropped to the ground and handed his reins to one of his stable hands before making his way to the house. He’d left Anne early, kissing her when she awoke, then telling her to go back to sleep. He’d gone out to see if he could find Jack Hawkins but had come up empty-handed, as always. This morning, at least, his shadow did not stay quite so hidden. Once Griff thought he’d even seen Jack’s outline.
“Is your mistress up?” he asked Carter, shrugging out of his coat.
“Yes. She’s waiting breakfast for you.”
Griff walked to the chair where she sat and kissed her on the lips. His body reacted to the way she returned his kiss.
“How was your ride?” she asked when he’d filled a plate and sat down at the head of the table.
“Fine. It’s a beautiful morning.”
“Did you find him?”
Griff’s fork stopped midway to his mouth. “What makes you think I was looking for someone?”
“Because you look for him every time you go out. He’s why I cannot step foot out of the house.”
Griff finished the eggs on his plate and spread warm jam on a piece of toast. He decided it would be futile to try to keep anything from her. “No. I didn’t find him, although today I spotted him. He’s becoming more careless.”
“Or he is tired of playing his cat-and-mouse game with you.”
“Perhaps.” He pushed his empty plate away and lifted a cup of tea to his lips. “This will be over soon.”
“And then what? Will I be a widow?”
“No,” he answered, though not as confidently as he wanted. “I will know what this is all about.”
“I received a note from Lord Brentwood. He’s going to call on us again today. I think he intends to make another offer for the land.”
He leaned back in his chair. “Are you considering selling now?”
“No.”
“Good.”
She smiled. “Would you have let me if I really wanted to?”
“The land is yours. Freddie left it to you.”
“But as my husband, you now control everything I have.”
“The land is yours. You can do whatever you want with it.”
“Then I will keep it. There is something that is not right about the land. Something we don’t know yet. Why would Freddie go to such lengths to have something so desolate? And why is Brentwood so desperate to possess it? Why has he offered to pay such an extravagant amount for something he claims as worthless? I think there is a secret there that we have to uncover. Something that could even be illegal. There were tracks all over inside some of the caves.”
Griff frowned. “What do you mean, tracks?”
“Footprints and tracks, as if someone had slid something heavy around inside them.”
Griff stamped down another stab of worry. “Stay away from there, Anne. The caves are dangerous. We’ve already discovered that.”
“No more dangerous, I think, than Brentwood. Perhaps they are connected somehow.”
“Don’t meet with him unless I am here, Anne. I don’t trust the man.”
“Neither do I. For some reason, he—”
“Excuse me, sir,” Carter interrupted from the doorway. “But Hodges says he needs to speak to you concerning a matter of importance.”
“Tell him I’ll be right there,” Griff answered, and got up to leave. “I’ll be back before Brentwood comes.” He kissed her lightly on the lips.
“Good,” she said. “I don’t like being alone with him.”
Griff gave her a last smile, then walked out the door. He was going to have to settle the matter with the land once and for all today. Brentwood was undoubtedly someone who refused to give up until he had what he wanted.
Griff walked across the yard, already forming in his mind what he would say when they met with Brentwood later.
Griff pulled his mind back to the problem at hand. “Is something wrong, Hodges?”
“Yes, sir.” The groomsman twisted his hat in his hands. “I found something you need to look at.”
Hodges walked to the carriage house. Griff followed.
Hodges had taken care of every Covington horse, carriage, and wagon for as long as Griff could remember. The post had been his father’s before him, and he had already been an expert when he stepped into the position.
Hodges stopped before the carriage. “I discovered this when I inspected the carriages like I have every day since the accident. It must have happened during the night. There was nothing wrong with this carriage yesterday.” He pointed to the vehicle’s underside.
Griff knelt down to look. Someone had nearly sawed through the main frame that supported the carriage. There was another cut in the crossbar that held the horses in place. From the way the two pieces had been sawed, they would not have snapped immediately but would have held together until enough speed pulled against the wood and weakened it. Even if the carriage was traveling no faster than the regular rate of speed, there would be no way for any driver, no matter how cautious, to control the vehicle. It was guaranteed to overturn.
Griff felt his temper snap. “Saddle me a fresh horse, Hodges.” Griff checked to make sure the pistol in his jacket pocket was loaded. “Send word to Lady Anne that I had to leave for a while but will return as quickly as possible.”
The minute Hodges brought his mount from the stables, Griff swung into the saddle.
“Do you need someone to go with you, sir?” Hodges asked.
“No. I need to handle this on my own.” Griff turned the black stallion away from the stable, then stopped. “If something happens to me, send someone to London to get Lord Covington. He will know what to do.”
Before Hodges could answer, Griff slapped the reins against the horse’s flanks and rode toward the grove of trees where he’d last seen Hawkins. He had no doubt he would find him there. This time, only one of them would ride away.
Chapter 30
Griff slowed his mount when he neared the grove. To the untrained eye, Jack’s movements had be
en so minute that no one who wasn’t looking for him would have realized he was there. But Griff knew, just as he knew Hawkins had watched him every day since he and Anne had come to Covington Manor.
Just as he’d watched him in London.
Griff reined in his horse and stopped in the open meadow. He was out of firing range. If Hawkins wanted him dead, he would have to come closer to kill him.
“Hawkins! I know you’re there. We’ve played this game of yours long enough. Come out and face me. Let’s get it settled once and for all.”
Griff waited. The blood pounded against his ears as he watched for some movement in front of him. His horse pranced nervously beneath him as if he understood the danger. Griff gripped the reins tighter to hold his stallion steady.
The seconds ticked by with agonizing slowness. Griff reached for the pistol in his pocket, then stopped when Hawkins stepped out from the grove of trees.
“How long have you known I was here?” Hawkins asked, taking a few steps closer, but not enough for either of them to get off an accurate shot.
Griff dismounted and stepped around his horse. “You followed us from London.”
Jack Hawkins laughed. “I guess I’m not as good as I thought.”
“You’re good,” Griff said. “You should be. We both learned from the best.”
Hawkins took a few steps closer, then planted his feet wide apart and loosened the buttons on his jacket. Griff saw the pistol Hawkins had in the belt at his waist.
“I didn’t get a chance to express my congratulations on your marriage.” Hawkins’s hands hung loose at his side, his pose calm and relaxed. “You have a lovely bride.”
“I won’t let you hurt her. I’ll kill you first.” Griff watched him make a slow circle to his left, moving so the sun was behind his back and shone in Griff’s eyes.
“Is that what you think? That I want to hurt her?” He took a few steps closer and closed the gap between them. “Because of what happened to my brother?”
Griff didn’t answer him.
“What if I told you I had nothing to do with what’s happened to you so far?”