“You’re very kind.” Kay extracted her hand from his fingers, her innards writhing. “I appreciate your concern. But I assure you I don’t need rescuing.” She thrust her foot in the stirrup, then swung up on Storm’s back. Then, fearing he might reach up to stop her, she added hastily, “You’re a very good friend. If I ever do need help, I’ll know where to come.”
She wheeled storm around, before he could answer, then galloped away down the forest path, albeit looking over her shoulder the entire way.
***
Hunter paced before the drawing room window, his features as dark as the sky. “I tell you specifically not to ride in the woods, and you do it anyway. There are miles of shoreline at your disposal, yet you ride where I forbid you to go!”
“I told you why I went.” Kay shifted on the sofa uncomfortably. So this was what she got for confiding in him. She thought to do the right thing—to trust him at last. But nothing had changed. She should have known. “I thought Charlie had left school. His future depends on it. His inheritance depends on it. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. He wasn’t there.” She didn’t bother to tell him about Herrington, for fear a blood vessel might burst in his head.
“Mr. Nash will return in two days time,” Hunter said stiffly. “If you could condescend to be here, I would be grateful.”
“I’m sorry. The appointment with Mr. Nash completely slipped my mind.” Why was he being so unreasonable? Moving back to her own bedchamber had not altered his temper so much. He hadn’t come to complain, not even to say good night. She’d lain awake for hours hoping he would. When he failed to offer the slightest protest, she’d assumed he didn’t care.
Her gaze strayed to the door. It was well past eight. Why hadn’t Thornhill announced dinner? She was starving. Too much fresh air no doubt. She’d been abnormally hungry of late. She’d be getting fat if she wasn’t careful.
Hunter turned from the window, the gold flecks in his eyes glowing like amber. “I suppose the poacher also slipped your mind.”
“No, but it didn’t matter.” She lifted her chin. “Charlie’s my friend. He depends on me.”
He cocked a wry smile. “How touching, you risking your life to save Charlie Galloway.”
“That’s what friends do. You’d do the same for Alex. In fact you risked your entire career for him by turning a blind eye to his escape when he was press ganged aboard your ship.”
“He told you that?”
“Yes, he told me how you stood up for your principals. How you saved him even though he was a complete stranger.” She shook her head. Why was he being so pig-headed? “Yet you cannot understand why I would do the same—do anything to help my friend.”
His lips clamped in a tight line. “Perhaps that’s because I can’t understand how you could be friends with him in the first place!”
“Raising your voice won’t drive your point home sooner. It only serves to draw attention to how irrational your argument is.” If he loved her, would it really matter? “You cannot dictate who my friends will be, nor will I abandon old friends to satisfy your thirst for revenge.”
His back went ram rod straight, his tone as sharp as glass. “I’ll not abandon my principles to accommodate your misplaced loyalties, madam, supported by childish judgments you don’t have the sense to alter.”
Something sank in her belly like a stone. Her eyes pricked with tears. She drew a long breath and blinked them back. After all these months, he didn’t really know her at all. She dropped her gaze to her hands folded demurely in her lap. Would he never trust her?
Alex strode into the room with a broad smile plastered across his face. “My apologies for arriving late. I met up with an old friend.”
Hunter’s raised one brow. “What a coincidence. Kay was delayed at the hunting lodge for the same reason,” he drawled.
Alex looked from one of them to the other. His mouth formed an oh, then he shrugged. “No harm done. She’s home safe and sound. I warrant if the poacher tried to get her, she’d give him a run for his money. Wouldn’t you Kay?”
“I’m happy to hear someone has faith in me.” She avoided Hunter’s gaze though she felt the warmth of it touch her like a hand.
Thornhill arrived to announce dinner.
She accepted Alex’s arm to lead her into the dining room. He was in high spirits, as he was leaving in the morning for London to sail home. He entertained them with tales of Charleston, describing his three brothers with such detailed affection Kay could well understand his eagerness to return.
She felt a sharp stab of homesickness herself.
It remained with her long after, weighing on her mind as she prepared for bed.
A sharp knock on her bedchamber door turned Kay around from the dressing table with a start.
Only one person knocked like that.
Hunter strode into her bedchamber, announcing briskly, “I’ve decided to accompany Alex to London. I have business of my own that can be neither neglected nor ignored for much longer, so I thought I’d see him off.”
Her heart contracted. Her throat closed so painfully she could hardly swallow. It took a moment before she could speak. “How long will you be gone?”
“I don’t know.” He stood with his hand on the door as though he were waiting for her to say something.
But she was weary of arguing. If only things could return to the way they were. If only he’d come to her after Bella departed, things might have stayed the same. They’d have gone back to pretending their marriage was real, and she’d have six more months of happiness to look forward to.
But he hadn’t come. And now, he was leaving. And she didn’t have the courage to beg him to stay.
“Safe journey, Your Grace,” she said in a quiet hollow voice.
The door closed.
And he was gone.
***
“You don’t have to come with me you know.”
“What?” Hunter dragged his gaze from the door of the noisy tavern back to Alex, sitting across from him at the table.
“I said,” Alex shouted over the din. “You don’t have to come with me.”
“I’m not here to play wet nurse, if that’s what you’re thinking. Bishop has come down with a bad case of malaria. If I can’t find anyone to replace him, I may have to make the run to Boston myself.”
“Ohhh, that explains why you’re so preoccupied.” Alex sent him a long look. “I thought Kay might be the cause of it.”
Hunter flashed Alex a heated glare. He took another swig of his ale. “Kay can manage without me. At any rate, Fabian will be returning in a few days to watch over her. I have no worries on that score.”
“If you make the run to Boston, who’s going to make sure she keeps her part of the bargain?”
“I don’t give a damn about the bargain. I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. Galloway’s political aspirations are temporarily stalled, and I know the truth about Hartley’s death. Just because I can’t prove it, doesn’t mean I won’t go over Hughes’ head with my suspicions. I could destroy his reputation any time I see fit, and he knows it.”
Alex raised his hand to the barmaid for more ale. “Unless he kills you first.”
“Hughes doesn’t have the bollocks to kill anyone.”
“That bullet whizzing past my head was no accident. Someone’s out for your blood. If it wasn’t Hughes, than who was it?”
“Perhaps Herrington, acting on his behalf.”
The barmaid rubbed her generous hips against Alex’s arm as she set their fresh tankards on the table, smiling down at him.
Alex flashed her a charming grin before dropping the necessary coin into her hand.
As she turned to leave, she sent Hunter a suggestive sensual smile. He ignored the deliberate wink that followed.
Alex let out a roar of laughter. “Well, at least I don’t have to fight you for the wenches anymore.”
Hunter made a sound akin to a growl. “Shut up, Alex.” He didn’t like to be reminded of how
much marriage had changed him. He’d barely looked at another woman since he’d met Kay, except to compare them to her.
It was good he was traveling to London. Perhaps, there he could forget her winsome ways—put the entire business behind him. Yes, that was all he needed—distance and time.
The trouble was, everything reminded him of her—the moon became her glorious mane of hair, every drop of rain turned the color of her aqua eyes. An image of her laughing face flashed each morning in the bottom of his washbasin.
Who was he kidding?
No man could forget a woman like that.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kay threw herself into the renovations of the kitchen, telling herself Hunter’s leave-taking was for the best. Mr. Nash made several visits to work out the plans with Henri, and soon construction was underway.
Fabian returned from France, taking up residence at Butterfield Hall again. Kay took to spending more and more time there, to avoid the dust and the noise at the manor. It was too cold for more than a short ride each morning, so she and Fabian spent many afternoons cozied in front of the fire playing chess. He related tales of his adventures abroad, and filled her in on the latest gossip of the Beau Monde.
One afternoon after Fabian had beaten her badly, he leaned back in his chair with a slight frown. “I wish you wouldn’t do that, Puss.”
“Do what?”
“Let me win like that.” His brow scrunched. “It isn’t much fun when you’re not even trying.”
Kay smiled faintly. “I’m sorry, I’m a little distracted.” He lifted one golden brow, waiting for her to continue. “I’ve received a letter from the Duke. One of his captains has taken ill. It seems he’ll be sailing to Boston in his stead.”
“Hmm, he’ll be gone several months then, a rather long time for you to stay alone at the manor. I think you should move home with me, just until he returns of course.”
“That might be best.”
“Does he know you’re with child?”
Kay gave an imperceptible gasp. Her hands went instinctively to her thickening waist. “How did you know?”
“You needn’t worry. It isn’t obvious.”
She straightened in her chair, then folded her arms protectively in front of her.
He chuckled. “You forget. I’ve shared meals with you since you were ten. While you’ve never suffered from a lack of appetite, I’ve never known you to crave sweets as much as you do now. Then, I remembered your father telling me of your mother’s passion for sweets when she was expecting you. Yesterday you gobbled down an ice and two jam tarts at the pastry-cook’s in the village. ”
“Oh… so I did.” She gave a tug to her earlobe. If Fabian knew, it was only a matter of time before the servants at the manor discovered her secret.
Rot!
What was she to do?
“There’s no need to look so glum. You may have as many tarts as you wish. My lips are sealed.”
She sent him a vague smile. Sweets were the farthest thing from her mind. She had guarded her secret so well and now it was out. Fabian was right. She had to move home to the Hall, immediately, before anyone discovered her secret.
It was foolish to pretend anything had changed. If it had, Hunter would be here now instead of preparing to leave for Boston. She’d waited and hoped these three months in vain. But, it was obvious he had no intention of returning. Seeing Alex off had just been an excuse to speed the inevitable. Not that she blamed him. It was kinder this way. No awkward farewells—just a clean break.
Or so he thought.
And she must allow him to continue to think so.
Having made the decision, a terrible urgency overtook her. She knew she wouldn’t feel safe until she’d removed herself from under the prying eyes of his servants. All she could think of was protecting her child. If anyone found out, she’d lose her precious gift. Women had no rights when it came to their children. When they separated she might never see her child again, and that, she could not bear.
She returned to the manor with the utmost of haste. Cora helped her pack everything she’d arrived there with. Nothing she’d acquired since went into the trunks. Since Hunter had insisted on purchasing her new gowns, they belonged to him. She wanted nothing to remind her of her time spent playing the role of his Duchess. For that was all it had been—an act. There was nothing real in what they had done. His abandonment proved that.
Making another bold decision, she instructed Cora to come with her. Though she never spoke of it, Cora must know her secret. She couldn’t have failed to notice she’d missed her monthly flux these past three months. She didn’t dare leave her behind where she might be tempted to reveal her secret.
Thankfully Cora was always eager for an adventure and readily agreed to turn traitor.
As the carriage laden with her trunks rolled down the long tree-lined drive, Kay felt a pain of guilt. Now she was truly a thief. Taking his ring had been an accident—taking his child was a premeditated crime. A shiver rattled through her at the boldness of her actions. Still, her resolve never wavered. She would not give up her child.
Days turned to weeks, and she became increasingly conscious of her thickening waist. Since her belly was the only part of her expanding, and melons weren’t in season, soon it wouldn’t be hard to guess she was breeding.
Kay kept to the Hall. She declined visiting the village on market day, instead taking to long walks on the beach. The worst part of her confinement, besides her fear of being discovered, was not having anyone to confide in. She’d lie in bed each night, wondering if she was doing the right thing. Her fear of Hunter returning conflicted with a yearning for his exquisite touch. Soon she was consumed with a constant restlessness.
“Whatever is the matter, Puss?” Fabian inquired one evening after a game of whist. “You’ve been prowling about all night like a Friday-faced cat.” He laid the cards he’d been shuffling on the table, then leaned back in his chair. “Don’t worry. He’ll be home in time.”
Kay turned from the window, saying dully. “I pray that he isn’t.”
“Why? Do you fear he’ll be angry you’ve kept it from him? Posh!” Fabian shook his head. “Don’t give it another thought. Fathers are often the last to know.”
“You don’t understand.” She began wringing her hands as she paced back and forth in front of the window. “He can’t ever know.”
Fabian’s features wrinkled in perplexity. “I don’t see how you can keep it from him.”
She took at long calming breath then strode back to her chair. “There’s something I need to tell you…”
When the whole story was out—every detail lain out before him, Fabian let out a long whistle of air. “Now, that… is a problem.”
***
“Is that what you think? I did it for you?” Lord Herrington’s laughter bordered on hysteria. He pushed himself away from the mantle, then turned his back on the leaping gold flames to face Phelia. She appeared out of place in the sober gloom of the abbey drawing room, like a pink peony in a desert. What a shame her beauty was only skin deep. “You think I’d risk everything for a manipulative, selfish bitch like you!”
She took a step back. Her back went straight. “Then why did you do it, Henry? Out of loyalty to Peter? Did you think he’d reward you for it, by helping you advance in the military?”
“It suited my purpose to let him believe that.”
Phelia’s gaze widened. “You used him to cover it up!”
“Yes, it worked out very nicely.” His gaze traveled over her with a scathing thoroughness. “He thought he was covering his own ass.”
She smiled thinly. Though she attempted to conceal it, he could see the spark of anger in her eyes. “Very clever. I never thought you the devious sort. It appears I’ve misjudged you. My words of caution are misplaced.”
He regarded her coldly. She was so vain, it hadn’t dawned on her that he’d used her as well. “Now that you know I’m not mad, but as cold and calculat
ing as you, perhaps you’ll leave me in peace.”
She sank down into one of the worn, red velvet chairs by the fire. “If it wasn’t for me, or your career, why did you do it? What did Hartley ever do to you?”
“He brought insult and injury to my family, the kind that can never be repaired.”
“And so you killed him.”
“Yes, I killed him to avenge my sister.”
“Your sister?” She flashed him a startled look. “But I thought—”
“You thought she died of a fever, as everyone else did, because that’s what I chose to let people believe. It wasn’t a fever that killed her. She took her own life, as a result of Hartley’s cruel treatment of her.” Speaking of it made the bile rise in his throat. The rage that would not leave him made his voice shake. “He seduced my sister. He got her with child and then abandoned her—for you. Grief and desperation drove her to her death.”
“I didn’t know. I’m so sorry Henry,” she said quickly, but there wasn’t an ounce of sincerity in her voice. “Then he deserved to die.”
“It wasn’t planned. But when I saw him lying in that tent, I lost control.” An unbidden smile curved his lips. Even now, he couldn’t dredge up any feelings of remorse, only bitterness. “I thought, why not help him along. He wasn’t likely to make it anyway. I put the pillow over his head and held it there. It didn’t take long. His breathing was already labored as he was so weak.”
Phelia’s mouth twisted in distaste. “A nasty bit of business, but as you say, he deserved it. Your family has been avenged and so has mine. It’s over.”
He laughed harshly. “Had Peter done a better job of covering it up it might have been over. Had he paid the doctor to keep his mouth shut as I told him instead of trusting his word, no one would have been the wiser.”
“Wallshire has no proof.”
“No, but he suspects.”
“If you know what’s good for you,” Phelia’s tone darkened in warning, “You’ll stay away from him.”
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