Thinking it might be a good idea to leave now that both men were asleep, she threw the covers aside. When her foot touched the cold wooden floor, she shivered. She remembered that these two men thought she was a boy, and she lay back down, trying to decide what would be best to do. If she could stay with these men, she would not have to forage for food and a warm place to sleep at night. Perhaps she could convince them to allow her to stay with them for a while.
Alexandria relaxed and pulled the covers over her. Turning her head, she looked at the tall, golden-haired man who lay beside her. Most of his face was in shadows, but she could see his outline and again thought he was the handsomest man she had ever seen. Somehow, she felt safe with him. Had he not rescued her from the sailor tonight? If she could convince him to let her stay with him, she would also be safe from her stepmother’s pursuit.
Alexandria continued to study the man’s features in the half-light that came from the window. He moved his head slightly, and the moonlight fell on his golden hair. Alexandria was so near him she could feel his warm breath on her face. He moved again, and his face touched hers, causing her to draw in her breath. Suddenly, something akin to pain seemed to touch Alexandria’s heart, and she pulled away from him, frightened by strange emotions she had never before felt. She quickly turned her back and inched as close to the wall as she could get. Placing her hand over her heart, she found it was pounding erratically. What was happening to her? Not trusting the emotions she didn’t understand, Alexandria squeezed her eyes together tightly, trying to find the elusive sleep she needed so badly, but it wouldn’t come. When the first streaks of daylight hit the eastern sky, Alexandria was awake to witness the sunrise that turned the room to a rosy glow.
Slowly, she eased herself off the bed, taking care not to wake the two men. If she was going to convince them to allow her to stay, Alexandria knew she would have to make herself useful to them.
Running a hand through her tousled hair, she tried to straighten it as best she could. Tucking her shirt into her trousers and slipping into the scuffed brown boots, she tiptoed across the room, heading downstairs to the tap room.
Tag awoke and sat up looking about him. He saw Farley sprawled out on the floor and smiled to himself. The old man wasn’t taking too well to civilization. Seeing movement out of the corner of his eyes, Tag swung around and saw the young boy he had befriended last night before going through his leather satchel. With his Indian quickness, he leaped across the room and grabbed the boy by the scruff of the neck, dangling him in the air.
“It’s fine thanks I get for saving your miserable hide if you are going to rob me in my sleep,” he said through clenched teeth. “I would have been better off had I allowed them to ship you out to sea. Perhaps then you would have learned some manners. I have no liking for a thief!”
Alexandria kicked and squirmed. “I’m not a thief! I was going to give your soiled clothing to Molly so she could have them laundered for you.”
Tag plopped her down on her feet and looked at her skeptically. “Why do I not believe you? What made me believe you were going to rob me?”
Alexandria met his gaze squarely. “I was not going to rob you,” she insisted, “and I don’t lie, either. I thought if I was of help to you, you would allow me to stay.”
Tag’s eyes narrowed, and for the first time he noticed that the boy had the most unusual eyes he had ever seen—they were golden with brown flecks in them, and there was such sincerity in the liquid depths that Tag believed him.
“I’ll see that you have a good meal and money in your pocket, but you can’t stay with me.”
Alexandria felt tears sting her eyes, and she could see the hardness in his gaze. “Please allow me to stay with you, Mr. Knight. I am very strong and will work very hard to please you.” She lowered her head. “I haven’t anywhere to go.”
Farley had been listening to the conversation, and he now stood up, scratching his grizzly white head. “I don’t think this little mite will be much trouble to us. Why don’tcha let him stay around a bit.”
“What do you call last night if it wasn’t trouble, Farley?” Tag said heatedly. He knew Farley. If he allowed it, the old man would take in every stray and homeless waif they came upon.
Farley saw no weakening in Tag, and he shoved the boy toward the door. “Get on below and see to our breakfast.”
Alexandria brightened. “I went down earlier and attended to your meal. Shall I go and bring it up now? I also told them to send up a tub of hot water, knowing you would want to bathe,” Alexandria said, with hope in her heart, looking from the old man to Mr. Knight.
Tag shrugged his shoulders. “You can stay for the day, but that’s all. I will not take the responsibility for you.”
Farley winked at the boy and watched the young face brighten. He chuckled to himself when the lad ran to the door. “I’ll be so useful to you, you won’t be able to get along without me—you’ll see!”
When the boy had disappeared out the door, Tag turned his gaze on Farley. “I meant what I said, Farley. I came here because I have my own troubles to work out. The last thing I need is someone else’s troubles.”
Farley stretched to his full height, trying to ease his muscles, which ached from sleeping on the hard floor. “How much trouble can a small boy be? ’Sides, he might be of help to us. He’ll know the lay of the town and some of the locals.”
Tag walked over to the window and looked down on the street below. In the distance he could see the Delaware River and the big ships riding at anchor. “There is more to that boy than he’s saying. He isn’t the street urchin he claims to be. No boy brought up on the streets speaks such educated English, Farley.”
Again Farley chuckled. “We won’t be holding a edjucation agin him. I can tell he’s plenty scairt, and I don’t intend to turn him out in the cold. Hell, it’s snowing out there! He could freeze to death.”
Tag turned back to Farley. “If he stays, he will be your responsibility. Is that clearly understood? I haven’t the slightest intention of getting him out of any more scrapes.”
Farley reached down and picked up the bedclothes he had slept on the night before and tossed them on the bed. “I heard you. What’s your plan?”
“The first thing I must do is try to cut through years of deception. I suppose the first order of business will be to purchase new clothes.”
Farley nodded. “I reckon you can’t just go up to your uncle and demand he turn your house over to you.”
“No, that wouldn’t be wise. I will ask around and determine what the situation is first. I know my uncle well enough to realize that when he finds out I’m here, he will send an army of men to deal with me. He is too much the coward to face me alone.”
“That’s one reason why you ain’t gonna use your real name, ain’t it?”
“Yes, to do so would be foolishness. I don’t want my uncle to know I’m here until I’m ready to reveal myself to him. That’s another reason I don’t want the boy around. Suppose you let my real name slip out and Alex were to pick up on it?”
“I ain’t gonna do that. I wasn’t born yesterday,” Farley replied in an irritated voice. “Hell, ain’t I proved that I can be trusted by now?”
Tag smiled slightly. “Yes, you have proven your worth many times. If you still insist on it, the boy can stay. Just keep him out of my way.”
Farley grinned his toothy grin. “Like as not that young scamp will be underfoot, but he’s not gonna be too much trouble. He’ll be too thankful that you took him in to be any trouble.”
Tag gave him a doubtful look just as the door opened and Molly entered the room, carrying a tray of food, with Alex right behind her. With an authoritative manner that surprised Tag, Alex cleared strewn clothing from the small round table and ordered Molly to place the tray there. While Tag and Farley ate, she proceeded to gather up all their soiled clothing and hand them to Molly to be laundered.
Alex noticed the way Molly was looking at Mr. Knight and felt a prickle of jealous
y that startled her. Pushing the woman toward the door and casting her a heated glance, she ordered her to see to the laundry and have a tub for bathing brought to the room at once.
“Have you et, boy?” the old trapper inquired, shoveling a spoonful of fluffy yellow eggs into his mouth.
“Yes, sir, I ate before you awoke. Is there anything else you would like me to see to?” she asked, wanting to make herself as useful as possible.
Tag raised his eyebrow. “From the looks of you, you could use a bath. After Farley and I have finished, you will bathe yourself. You may not be accustomed to being clean, but if you are to share a room with me, you will take a bath. Is that clear?”
Alex bit back her heated retort and lowered her head so he couldn’t see the anger on her face. She was beginning to be irritated by his high-handed manner. He acted as if he were above all others and as if everyone had been placed on earth to do his bidding.
Farley laughed and stood up. “I’ll be moving to another room so I won’t offend your sensitive nose, T…Falcon. I don’t never bathe in the middle of the winter. One could catch their death that way.”
“You know I didn’t mean you, Farley,” Tag answered in an irritated voice as he stood up and threw his napkin on the table.
The old man laughed as he walked to the door. “I’m gonna scout out the lay of the land. Don’t look for me back ’til you see me coming.”
When Farley had gone, Alex went to the table and started stacking the dirty dishes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Mr. Knight was pacing back and forth. His actions were making her so nervous that she dropped a plate, and it smashed on the floor. She quickly dropped to her knees and began picking up the fragments.
“Damn it!” he swore. “Do you have to be so clumsy?”
Once again Alex bit back an angry retort. Dropping the broken pieces on the table, she gave him her sweetest smile. “I’m sorry, sir, forgive me. It won’t happen again—you have my word.”
He looked into her golden eyes and saw the mockery mirrored there. “There is more to you than meets the eye, Alex, but I just don’t have the time or the inclination to find out.”
Alex was glad the timely knock came at the door. Rushing across the room, she admitted two men. One carried a galvanized tub, and the other carried two pails of water. Instructing them where to put the tub, she waited until they departed before speaking to Mr. Knight.
“I’ll just make myself scarce while you bathe, sir,” she said, backing toward the door. She caught her breath as she noticed he had already stripped off his shirt.
“No, stay. You can wash my back, and I want to make sure you don’t disappear before you have a bath.”
“I…never…I don’t.”
Tag watched her face turn red and laughed. “A street urchin who is shy! I thought you said you would be willing to serve me in any way I asked.” She could read the laughter in his deep blue eyes. It was the first time she had seen the smile reach his eyes, and her heart seemed to be thundering against her ribs. Knowing she must cover up her embarrassment so he wouldn’t become suspicious, she nodded nervously.
“I’ll wash your back,” she said in a small voice.
He tossed his shirt aside, and before she knew what was happening, he had stripped off his buckskin breeches. Alex knew she should look away, but she couldn’t keep from staring at him. He was clad only in a breechcloth, and his magnificent body was tanned and golden all over. Her eyes fastened on his broad chest, which was covered with curly golden hair that narrowed to a vee before disappearing beneath his breechcloth. She could feel her breath coming out in short pants as she watched his hand move to the only other article of clothing he wore. She looked at his face quickly and was grateful that he was not watching her. She had never before seen a naked man, and she watched, fascinated, as he tossed the discarded breechcloth aside and stepped into the tub.
“You will find soap in my leather bag. Bring it to me,” he ordered.
Alex looked at him in confusion for a moment before doing as he bid. Her hands were shaking so badly she could hardly control them as she reached into the bag and withdrew the soap.
“Well, don’t dawdle—bring it here,” he said in irritation.
Alex walked across the room and placed the soap into his outstretched hand. When her fingers brushed against his, she felt as if a bolt of lightning had hit her, and her skin seemed to tingle.
“Make yourself useful and wash my back,” he told her, handing the soap back to her.
Alexandria quickly dipped the soap into the water and began lathering his back. She could feel the muscles beneath her fingers and began to tremble all over. She was unaware that she was lathering his back in a caressing motion until he spoke.
“I think I’ll keep you around just to wash my back. It would seem you have had some experience.” He laughed when he saw her face redden again. “I don’t think I have ever met a boy as shy as you are. Good lord, haven’t you been around a man before?”
“Yes, of course,” she said in a clipped tone. Splashing water onto his back, she rinsed the suds away, then hurried across the room. She hated the way her heart was racing and the dry taste in her mouth. She began straightening up the beds, not daring to look in his direction. Alexandria could hear the water splashing, and she knew he had stepped out of the tub. Ducking down to the floor with the pretense of straightening his clothing, Alexandria could feel her face burn hot. Perhaps it hadn’t been a good idea to stay here with these two men. After all, what did she know about them? They might be thieves or…something worse, for all she knew. She thought of the old man who called himself Farley. His eyes held a light of kindness, and she couldn’t imagine his doing anything that was dishonest, but Mr. Knight was another matter. She had often seen the coldness in the depths of his startlingly blue eyes. She knew instinctively that he could be a very dangerous man.
“Alex, bring me something to dry on and hurry. I don’t have all day.”
She bit her lip to keep from telling him to get it himself. Walking toward him with her head downcast, she held out the drying cloth to him. When she heard his amused laughter, her head snapped up, and she stared into dancing blue eyes.
“Alex, you are the damnedest boy I have ever seen. If I had the time, I could teach you not to be so timid. You will never get anywhere in life if you are afraid of your own shadow.”
Alex set her chin stubbornly. “I am not afraid of anything, least of all you.”
Tag raised a doubtful eyebrow. “Be that as it may, I want you to take those filthy rags off and scrub yourself until you are clean.”
Alex took a step backwards. “I will not! You can’t make me!” She realized the moment the words had left her mouth that she had made a fatal mistake. She watched as his eyes blazed, and he reached out, grabbing her by the arm.
“You will find, young man, that if you are to stay with me you will do exactly as I say, or I’ll toss you out on the street. Do you undress, or shall I do it for you?”
The drying cloth he had wrapped about his waist had slipped off, and Alex looked quickly away from his nakedness. “If you will leave the room, I will do it myself,” she cried in a panic-laced voice. She didn’t know what he would do if he were to discover she was a female. She was startled when his amused laughter rang out.
“Do as you will. I have no time to coddle a baby, anyway.” He released her and strolled across the room where he quickly dressed. Alex plucked at a thread that hung from her shirt, wishing he would hurry up and leave. He disturbed her peace of mind too greatly, and she wanted to be alone to examine her feelings.
His footsteps were so light she didn’t realize he had left until she heard the door slam. Breathing in a sigh of relief, she leaned over and gripped the side of the tub. Never had she had these feelings where a man was concerned. With her stepbrother she had felt only revulsion and dislike. What was happening to her?
Fearing Mr. Knight or the old man might return at any moment, Alexandria qu
ickly removed her cameo necklace and placed it on the table. She then stripped her clothing off and climbed into the tub. The water was so soothing she wished she could just lean back and take a long, leisurely bath, but she knew she didn’t have that luxury. Mr. Knight might return at any moment. She quickly lathered her hair, knowing she must hurry.
Alexandria had many strange new emotions and feelings to reflect on. It didn’t matter to her that she was deceiving the two men. She would do what she must to keep her stepmother from finding her. For now, she knew her best protection would be to stay with Falcon Knight. He had come to her rescue before; she hoped he would do it again if the need should arise. There was something about him that made her trust him.
After she climbed out of the tub, Alexandria quickly dried herself. She hated to put her dirty clothing back on, but she didn’t dare wash it, fearing it wouldn’t be dry before Mr. Knight and Farley returned.
Alexandria buttoned up the shirt and stuffed the tail down into the trousers. She didn’t know what would happen from one moment to the next, but for now she had a roof over her head and food to eat. She could do no more than take one day at a time. She realized she would have to watch her temper. It wouldn’t do at all to antagonize Mr. Knight. She knew he wouldn’t hesitate to make good his threat and toss her out into the street if she displeased him.
Chapter Eleven
Tag made his way to the livery stable in back of the Fox and Hound Inn to hire a horse, since he wanted to give Navaron a rest after the long journey. He couldn’t help but notice how much Philadelphia had grown since he had lived there as a boy. The town had changed so much, he had to ask directions to reach his destination.
As he rode up the hill high above the city into the better part of town, the scenery became more familiar to him. The magnificent old houses with their iron gates stirred memories he thought had died long ago. He had to curb his urge to ride to his own home and confront his Uncle Howard. Tag knew he would have to be patient if he were to win against his uncle and Claudia.
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