When she did not move he slipped off the bed and went over to sit beside her.
‘What is it, love?’
She turned to him and he saw the traces of tears on her face.
‘Oh, Ross, I c-can’t marry you.’
An ice-cold hand clutched his heart and squeezed it, hard.
‘May I enquire why not?’ He kept his voice calm, while fear made the blood pound in his ears. ‘Do you find you don’t love me after all?’
She averted her face.
‘I do love you,’ she muttered in a strangled voice. ‘I love you too much to marry you.’ She turned to him again, fresh tears turning her eyes the colour of polished sapphires. ‘Do you not see how wrong it would be for me to marry you? My father—’
He bit back an oath. He should have known Phineas would be behind this!
‘Yesterday you said you no longer feared him.’
‘And it’s true, but he is still my father.’ The tears sparkled on her lashes. ‘I am a traitor’s daughter, Ross—if you marry me then you will be tainted, too. People would talk behind their hands about you. They might even question your loyalty.’
‘Not when it is known that you helped to bring Weston to justice.’
‘And th-that is another reason I c-cannot marry you.’ Her voice trembled pitifully. ‘What would everyone think of a daughter who would send her own father to the gallows?’ She used the edge of the sleeve to wipe her cheeks. ‘I thought I did not care what became of him, but it’s not true, Ross. I was happy to think I need never see him again, that he would disappear from my life and not do any more harm to anyone, but when you were sleeping it came to me that the only way that is going to happen is for him to d-die, and whatever he has done to me I do not want that, Ross. I don’t want to see him hang.’
But I do! thought Ross furiously. Not for the injustice he has done to me, nor his treachery to England, but for the misery he has inflicted upon you, my love.
He clenched his jaw, determined not to utter the words, knowing they would cause her more distress. He reached for her, but she gave a little shake of her head and waved him away. A cloud covered the sun and the sudden chill reminded him that he was naked.
He rose, saying carefully, ‘We will talk about this more after we have dressed and broken our fast.’
When she did not respond he put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before collecting up his clothes and dressing silently.
* * *
Charity sank deeper into her despair. He had not argued with her, had made no attempt to dissuade her, so he must agree, now that he had had time to reflect upon it, that she would not make him a suitable wife. Peeping through her lashes, she saw that Ross had retreated to the far side of the bed. She must be sensible and get away from here with as little hurt as possible, to either of them.
* * *
When Ross asked her if she needed help with her clothes, she said no and he went off to the kitchen to wait for her. She was relieved when she joined him a short while later to find that he was alone.
He was studying a sheet of paper, but when she came in he put it down.
‘Mrs Cummings has shopping to do, so I sent her off with Jed. We will serve ourselves with breakfast.’
He waved an arm towards the table, which was covered with dishes, a raised pie, plates of ham and beef, fresh bread rolls and a dish of butter. Charity sat down and poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot near her elbow. Sensible, controlled. She could do this.
‘I have been thinking what I might do for my father. I wonder if I should use some of my fortune to help him.’
‘Do you want to do that?’
‘No, of course not, but— Oh, Ross, when all is said and done, he is my father.’
‘And a most unnatural one, to cause you so much misery.’ He frowned across the table at her. ‘He would have ruined your life without a second thought.’
‘But I am not like him. I am not vengeful.’
‘So you would be happy to see Hannah and Phineas walk free after all they have done.’
‘Yes—no.’ She shrugged unhappily. ‘I do not want them executed.’ She dropped her head in her hands. ‘I feel like a murderess.’
‘Well, you need not.’
Something in his tone made her look up. There was a smile glinting in his dark eyes. He picked up the paper.
‘This has just arrived from Captain Armstrong. Phineas and Hannah, er, escaped last night.’
Charity jerked upright, one hand knocking her knife and sending it clattering to the floor.
‘What?’
The smile grew, but he kept his eyes on the paper.
‘Yes, it seems they managed to get to the coast and escaped to France.’
His tone was perfectly serious, but she was not fooled and said sharply, ‘Ross—just what is this? Captain Armstrong was taking them to York.’
He looked at her then and she could see the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
‘I know, but I had a word with him before we left Beringham last night and we, er, changed the plans.’
‘But—but how could you? Ross, that is dreadful. Won’t you— Won’t he be in the most terrible trouble?’
‘Well, that’s just it. You see, he had already told me that the man they arrested in Yarmouth has friends in very high places who would be, shall we say, embarrassed if his part in this spy ring came out. The Admiralty were keen to hush up his part in it, so they can hardly complain if Phineas escapes justice, too.’
He saw that she was staring at him and laughed.
‘John took Hannah and Phineas to the coast, where they were put aboard a small sloop along with an armed guard, who would make sure they were put ashore on the French coast. Phineas is so keen on Bonaparte’s rule that he might as well live under it—although as an Englishman he might not find them as tolerant and friendly as he imagines.’ Ross sat back in his chair, grinning at her. ‘No, I think he and Hannah will have a very uncomfortable time of it, but Armstrong has made it very clear to them that if they show their faces in this country again they will regret it.’
‘But what about your prize money? If Hannah is not here to stand trial...’
He shrugged. ‘I will have to live without it.’
She looked at him, her heart swelling with so much love and gratitude that she thought it would burst.
‘You would let it go, let her go free, for my sake?’
‘It is not such a big thing. Better to let her go with her husband and make his life a misery.’ The smile that she had seen on his face almost constantly since yesterday appeared again. ‘After all, I can’t have my father-in-law dragged through a hideous court case.’
‘Oh, Ross....’ Her lip quivered. ‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘Say you will marry me. Armstrong tells me there is a substantial reward on its way, which should help in restoring Wheelston to its former glory, but in truth, my love, the only reward I want is you for my wife.’
He came round the table and dropped to one knee before her.
‘Well, Charity, will you marry me now? There may be rumours, but no one will know for sure what happened to Phineas. Not that I would care if you had a dozen traitors in your family. I would still want you for my wife, now and always.’
Happiness choked her and, mistaking her silence, he added, ‘If you want to continue with your acting, then I will not stand in your way.’
She knew she must speak, and quickly, before he thought she was rejecting him.
‘No, no, well, perhaps occasionally I might perform—but not if it conflicts with your own duties. Captain Armstrong said you would be reinstated in the navy, and I think you would like to go back to sea?’
He took her hands. ‘I would, very much. The
re is work to be done there while this war continues, but not if you would dislike it.’
She looked down at him, hoping he could see the love she felt at this moment shining from her eyes and in the huge smile that was bursting forth.
‘I should like very much to be the wife of a sea captain—’
Hardly were the words from her mouth than he was on his feet and dragging her out of her chair. She was in his arms, her face upturned for his kiss, which she returned with all the love she could convey.
* * * * *
ISBN: 978 1 472 04363 4
AT THE HIGHWAYMAN’S PLEASURE
© 2014 Sarah Mallory
Published in Great Britain 2014
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited
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