by Cheryl Bolen
“You need to dress now, children, so we can make our way back to Bratton House because the others will not want to start decorating our tree until we arrive.”
The lure of the tree was enough to get them moving and in minutes, they were making their way towards the front door.
“You two stay here while I get Simon.”
“May I be of assistance, Miss Appleby?”
Max's butler appeared behind them suddenly.
“We have no further wish to inconvenience Lord Caruthers, sir, so I am going to collect my horse and take the children home.”
“If you will wait here, I will have your horse brought around for you, Miss Appleby.”
She didn't want him to bring Simon round; she wanted to keep moving because the thought of seeing Max again made her feel giddy. She would blush horribly and stutter if she came face to face with him now and he would feel guilt and perhaps offer some silly thing like marriage simply because, contrary to what he believed, he was a gentleman. No. This was the best thing, to leave before he woke and then they need never see each other again.
Ignoring the stab of pain under her ribs, Hero gathered the children together as she heard a noise outside the front door. Opening it, she saw a carriage with Simon tied behind.
“Lord Caruthers would not wish for you to travel home in these conditions on horseback with the children, Miss Appleby. Therefore, I had the carriage brought round.”
“Thank you.” Hero was not about to make a fuss, as time was of the essence. Lifting Charlotte, she urged Owen from the house and soon they were inside the carriage and heading towards Neathern.
The streets were quiet as the hour was still early and Hero felt herself calm as she put distance between herself and Max. Just thinking his name made her heart thump.
“I like him.”
“Who, Owen?” Hero looked out the window to see who the little boy was talking about.
“That Lord Caruthers. He's nice. Do you fink we'll see him again soon?”
Hero hoped not, Well, she tried to tell herself she did not want to see him again soon. She needed time to gather her composure and put her armour back on.
“Lord Caruthers is a busy man, Owen, but I'm sure if he has time, he will call upon you.” Hero felt his eyes on the side of her face as she turned once again to look out the window.
“You should marry him.”
Stay calm, Hero.
“I hardly think Lord Caruthers would wish to marry me, Owen, as I am not the kind of lady who would make the best wife for someone in his position.” Forcing herself to look at him, she smiled in what she hoped was a confident way.
“You're a lady and a genly breeded one. I knows cus Mrs. Bonny told us.”
Hero wanted to pinch the bridge of her nose, yet knew to show such a weakness in front of this sharp-eyed boy would be fatal. Owen could sniff out weakness in anyone. He was relentless when on the scent of a story and she had wondered if getting him a position at a newspaper would not be the best proposition for his future.
“Gently and bred, Owen, and the word is not cus, it's because,” Hero said, hoping to throw him off the scent.
“If you married him, then he'd come and live wiv us.”
“I think Lord Caruthers would have something to say about your choosing his bride for him, Owen. Now enough of this foolish conversation. We are nearly home and the children will be rising and Mrs. Bonny will have breakfast awaiting us.”
“He likes you.”
She did pinch her nose then, hard, and closed her eyes briefly, also.
“Leave it now, if you please, Owen. I have no wish to discuss this further.”
Thankfully, the carriage had stopped and Hero hurried to open the door and help Charlotte down. It was foolish to feel happy when Owen had said Max liked her. After all, Max was a good man and she was sure he liked many people. Walking into the house with Owen and Charlotte seconds later, she put all thoughts of the disturbing Lord Caruthers from her mind as she came face to face with her cousin.
*
Max ate his breakfast slowly as he stared at the pattern on the teapot before him. Hero and the children had been gone by the time he woke and that had not been a good start to the day because he'd wanted to wake up and see her face beside his on the pillow and that had scared him witless. Max didn't wake with women in his bed. In fact, he always left them or they, him, before morning.
“A letter and a child have arrived, my lord.”
“Presumably the first was carried by the second, Freddy?” Max said to his butler, who had just arrived in the doorway.
“Yes, my lord. The lad is the same boy who resided here last night. He appears quite flustered, and indicated the matter is of extreme urgency.”
“Bet he didn't term it in quite those words.”
Freddy unbent enough to smile slightly. “Indeed, he did not.”
“Send him in and bring something a small boy would like to eat and drink, Freddy.”
The butler stared at him for several seconds.
“What?”
“You wish the boy to come in here with you?”
“Have I not just stated as much?” Max said, wondering why Owen was here alone and how he’d got here. Was something wrong with Hero?
“Well?” Max looked at his butler, who was still stationed in his doorway.
“At once, my Lord.”
Freddy left and Max stood, awaiting the boy’s arrival.
“Master Owen, your grace,” Freddy said minutes later.
“My name’s not Master Owen. It’s Owen Nivers.”
Max shook his head at Freddy as he opened his mouth to correct the child. The explanation would take time, which, looking at the boy's face, he did not believe they had.
“Leave us now, please, Freddy.”
Owen was dressed in a thick jumper and scarf with a woollen hat pulled down so low Max couldn’t see his eyebrows—only his eyes, ears and nose, the latter from which came a loud sniffing sound.
“Why are you here, Owen? Is something wrong?”
The little boy’s shoulders lowered then and his eyes filled with tears and he was soon running across the floor to Max and wrapping his arms around his legs. He lifted Owen into his arms and felt the familiar warmth as the boy wrapped himself around him.
“Are you still fearful of your father, Owen? Because if you are, I can assure you he is gone and will not be returning to Neathern.”
The boy lifted his head and then shook it. “No it’s not about him, me pa. You told me he’s gone and I believe you cus Hero said you never lie.”
It was ridiculous to feel ten feet tall just because Hero and Owen believed in him, believed he didn’t lie.
“Then why are you upset if it is not over what happened last night?”
“That man has come—her cousin—and he’s not nice cus I heard her once telling Mrs. Bonny he weren't and he's saying nasty things.”
“What things?” Max said, starting towards the door, where he yelled for Freddy to bring his horse around.
“That she’s his and he’ll take her with him by force if he has to. He says he’s head of Hero’s family and she should come back home wiv him to her rightful place. But don't you see, her rightful place is wiv us, my lord, and you gots to do sumthin.”
“Like hell I’ll let him take her,” Max said softly as he hurried up the stairs to his rooms. “Begging your pardon for my language, Owen.”
“You needs to save her from him,” Owen said as Max lowered him to the floor so he could pull on his coat and gloves.
“We’ll save her, Owen. Now tell me how you got here.”
“I took Simon.”
Relived that he hadn’t walked, Max held out his hand when he was ready and Owen didn’t hesitate, placing his small mitten-covered one inside it.
“Come. We shall leave at once.”
His horse was waiting so he lifted Owen up and then mounted behind him.
“Hero likes you, my lord.”
“Does she?”
“You should marry her. Then you could live wiv us.”
Max, who had been looking over Owen’s blue woollen hat, nearly choked on a gulp of cold air.
“I beg your pardon?”
“She’d marry you if you asked her.”
Max's mind whirled as he looked down the main street of Neathern.
“Do you think so?”
The blue cap bobbed several times.
Strangely, the thought of marriage did not fill him with the horror it usually did. In fact, the thought of marrying Hero Appleby warmed something in his chest that he was amazed to think could be his heart.
“She’s always doing fings a man should so you could do them now.”
“Things,” Max corrected absently as he thought about waking with Hero in his arms every morning.
“And best of all, you could take me to see the king.”
“So I get Hero and you,” Max said, pulling the boy into the warmth of his body.
“And Charlotte and the others.”
Max was silent as he wondered if he could marry Hero and live here in Neathern with her and six children. He was done with city life, after all, so it would not be such an imposition and he would have Hero. Could he really have feelings for a woman he barely knew?
“If…if you wants us, that is?”
Owens’s words were sombre, telling Max how important his answer was to the boy.
“If I did marry Hero—and I say if, Owen, because this is not your decision but mine and Hero’s to make—it would be an honor to have you in my life, as well.”
The boy didn’t reply, instead running his nose over the sleeve of Max’s coat as he sniffed loudly.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“You will leave here at once, cousin, as I have nothing further to say to you,” Hero said from behind a chair in her parlor.
When first she'd arrived back at Bratton House to find Lord Appleby, he’d been surrounded by her children. All were talking at him and his face was flushed red, which told her he was angry. She’d managed to keep the children close for as long as she could and then he’d started saying things she had no wish for them to hear so she’d had to order them from the room. Mrs. Bonny had then sat and drunk tea with them until finally her cousin had demanded the housekeeper leave the room. As soon as she’d left, he’d moved to close the door. He had then lunged at her, his fingers grabbing a handful of her skirt as she tried to escape. It had ripped but she had managed to flee behind a sofa. He had then proceeded to stalk her, saying vile, vicious things, lewd descriptions of what he intended to do to her when he got hold of her.
“I will not leave here without you, Hero. I am your only male relative, therefore, I have a right to demand this of you and I will brook no further arguments on this matter. You are mine and I will take you to my bed for as long as I wish it.”
Lord Appleby was of above average height and really not an unappealing man. However, he had full, fleshy lips and a nasty streak inside him that took her breath away.
“You will come home and take your place in my life. I shall treat you well and when I wed, nothing will change. I shall still keep you as my mistress.”
Show no fear, Hero. Stay calm and keep moving…
“As I have already explained in detail, cousin, I will never be in your bed. Nor will I acquiesce to your demands. As you have stated, you are my only surviving male family member. Therefore, it should be your duty to care for me, not abuse me,” Hero said, edging backwards as he moved closer.
“I shall take your innocence here in this bloody room. Then you shall be ruined and no one but me will have you!” He roared the last words as he lunged at her again but Hero was too quick and, grabbing the fireplace poker, she ran to the sofa.
“Bitch! I shall take a whip to you when we return. You shall be subdued by the time I’m finished.”
Hero saw the parlor door open and then Max appeared, looking big and menacing. His eyes looked her over briefly, taking in the weapon she had clasped in both hands, and then they fixed on Lord Appleby.
“Hero, leave the room.” His words sounded low and fierce.
“No,” she said, staying right where she was, although she did lower the poker now Max was here. She was safe; he would make sure of it. Her breathing slowly eased and then the tension began to leave her body.
“What the hell are you doing here, Caruthers?”
Max didn’t reply. Instead, he crossed the room and pulled back his fist, letting it go straight into her cousin’s face. Lord Appleby then stumbled backwards as blood poured from his nose. “You’ll leave now, Appleby, and you will never return because your cousin is now under my care.”
“She’s mine!”
Hero winced as Max grabbed him by the collar and shook him, then threw him backwards until he hit the door with his back. He then stalked over and grabbed the lapels of her cousin’s coat. “No she’s mine,” Max then snarled, his words dripping with menace.
Hero shouldn’t enjoy the rush of pleasure those deep words made her feel, as she belonged to no man. Yet, seeing Max looking like an avenging angel on her behalf was doing funny things to her stomach.
“Owen, make sure Lord Appleby’s driver has the carriage ready for his departure, as he is leaving now,” Max called through the door.
“All right,” came Owen’s reply.
Max then grabbed Lord Appleby’s arm and twisted it up behind his back, which made her cousin moan in pain. “Now, Appleby, are we clear that you will not return here again in your lifetime?”
The man didn’t answer fast enough for Max so he shook him again. “Answer me, Appleby.”
“Yes damn you.” Her cousin’s words were slurred, as his mouth was swollen, as well as his nose.
“Don’t mistake me, Appleby. If you return, I shall ruin you and don’t doubt I have the means to do so. Drop the poker and open the door, Hero.” Max didn’t look at her as he spoke. All his attention was focused on her cousin and marching him across the room with his hand up his back.
Hero did as he said and rushed to open the door. She was more than happy to let him deal with her cousin, as now she was safe, her hands had begun to shake.
“Is Lord Caruthers wanting to dance with that man, Hero?”
“No, Emmaline, he's escorting him outside,” Hero told the little girl as Max walked the man towards the stairs. The children had been lined up outside the door eager for news on what was taking place inside.
“Well, he has his hand behind his back and do you remember that time we danced and you did that?”
Following closely, Hero started down the stairs with the children following at her heels. Questions were inevitable, she knew, especially as not much excitement happened around here in the normal course of the day. Although they had more than made up for that in the last two.
“No more questions at the moment, please, Emmaline.”
“He's got blood drippin’ off his snout, Hero!”
“Dripping and nose, Colin,” Hero corrected, wondering why it was taking so long to reach the front door.
“Who clobbered him?”
“It's bleedin’ obvious, ain't it? It was Lord Caruthers,” Owen said, looking at Max as if he was a hero. “Got him flush on the snout,” he added proudly.
Hero gave up then because she suddenly wanted to laugh, which she very much feared would turn to hysteria, and if that happened, then there would be more questions, which she had no idea how to answer so she remained silent while the children debated who had clocked whom and why.
“I insist you release me at once!”
Her cousin seemed to have found his voice again as they reached the ground floor.
“Hero is my cousin and therefore under my care and my intentions were to return her into the family fold and nothing more.”
Lord Appleby had a rather unattractive lisp now that his mouth and nose were swollen and suddenly he wasn’t quite so frightening. In fact, he looked
pathetic. “As I have already explained whilst holding a poker aloft, cousin,” Hero said, “I have no need of either your or your family's care.”
“Door, Hero.” Max's words were still clipped.
“But I wish only the best for you, my dear, sweet cousin.”
Rushing around Max, Hero opened the door and held it wide. Max marched her cousin through and she followed, shutting it firmly behind her, to the dismay of the children, who would now be searching hastily for a window from which to watch what was happening on their doorstep.
“You're a disgrace, Appleby.” Max shoved him down the steps towards the waiting carriage. “To push your attentions on your cousin when she had no one to turn to is beneath contempt and were she and the children not watching, I would set about teaching you a lesson in manners.”
“I assure you I was never anything but kind to Hero.”
Hero made a scoffing sound as Max let her cousin go and he scurried towards his carriage.
“You are a lying, miserable excuse for a man, cousin, and always have been,” Hero said, feeling her anger rise at his lies. “Your intentions towards me have always been nefarious and I dare you to state otherwise.” Starting down the steps, Hero moved towards him, only to stop as Max's arm shot out to grab her. She was then hauled to his side, his arm around her waist.
“So that's the way of it, Caruthers. You've already poached my peach.”
Lord Appleby sneered at her and Hero pinched the fingers at her waist to be released. She wanted to smack that expression off her cousin's face, even if his vulgar words were true.
“Be very careful what you say about my future wife, Appleby, or I shall be forced to blacken your other eye and your name along with it,” Max said.
Future wife?
Hero was momentarily stunned into silence. Why had he lied like that? Surely her cousin would talk and then the rumours would start and soon it would be both Max's and her names that would be blackened, and what would happen when people realized it was not true?