by Wendy Vella
“I have nothing to add. Now return my pistol, please.”
It was a stalemate, and as they were both stubborn and she could see no other way out of this confrontation, she stomped on his foot as hard as she could. It should have caused him to grab said foot and release her pistol, but instead had him dropping the pistol into his pocket before he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.
“Nice try.”
“Let me go, Mathew.”
“I don’t know what is going on with you and your family, Patience, but I know there is some kind of threat. Will you not let me help you?”
The temptation to do just that had her biting her lip. To have his strength and power to help her through this would be wonderful, but that would also put him in danger, so she simply remained silent and absorbed the delight of being held in his arms yet again.
“God, you are a trying woman,” he said, this time against her lips. “But also a beautiful and extremely tempting one.”
She rose up to meet his lips, fool that she was, arching close as he slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her. His hands started moving, one sweeping her spine to settle just above the swell of her buttocks, the other on her ribs, inches from her breast. Dear Lord, she could almost feel him touching her there. Her bosom ached and swelled with need at the thought. She felt him step backward, taking her with him, and then she was seated on his lap.
“Mathew—”
He kissed her into silence, deepening the contact and making her head feel light. One hand touched the edge of her bodice, tracing the neckline over the rise of her breasts. She had never felt anything so wonderful. She wanted more; her body ached for his touch. As if sensing her need, he dipped his fingers into her bodice and touched her more intimately, the tips of his fingers near her nipples, which were hard and peaked.
“Christ, your scent drives me wild,” he rasped against her skin, his lips having left hers to touch her neck. Patience could do nothing to stop the moan as he kissed her heated flesh.
The sound of laughter stopped him. He lifted his head and placed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips before lifting her back to her feet. She was pleased to hear she was not the only one affected by the passion of their kiss, as his breath came in short rasps.
“We are not finished talking, you and I. I will call upon you again soon to discuss what just happened between us as well as the threat to your family, and this time you will tell me—”
“No. What just happened was a mistake, and as to the other, I will not put you in danger by involving you, and I would ask you to respect that decision.” Patience knew she could no longer fob him off with lies, but she could withhold information.
“You acknowledge that there is a threat, then.” His eyes were heated, the remnants of what they had just shared lingering in their depths.
“You are no fool,” she said. “But I would ask you to honor my wishes in this.”
He started to shake his head. Seizing the moment, she slipped her hand into his pocket and retrieved her pistol, then fled. Picking up her skirts, she ran down the path and back to Lucy, praying that Mathew would keep his distance for the remainder of the evening.
Mathew walked up the path slowly, searching the small alcoves—looking for whom or what, he had no idea, but he needed to look anyway. Patience had said she had been attacked, and the marks on her neck and the fear in her eyes told him something had indeed happened. She had also admitted that her family was under threat from someone. The problem was, Mathew did not know who.
He could not believe that when he’d found her, she was carrying a pistol. Anger that someone would touch her had him wanting to track the man down and pummel him, but he couldn’t do that until she told him who that person was.
“God, you frustrate me,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair.
His body was still alive from their kiss. Her scent seemed to call to him, and her lips… Mathew closed his eyes briefly. They tasted exotic and forbidden. The feel of Patience’s lush curves pressed against him was a sensual torment, and he wanted more. Clenching his fingers into a fist, he held the memory of her silken skin close. He could no longer deny what was happening between them, and realized he did not want to.
As he slowly retraced his steps back to the party, he saw only a handful of people. He swallowed his laughter when he found Patience talking with the Duke and Duchess of Stratton. It seemed their parties had united, as Lucy was standing with Mr. Stanhope and together they were speaking with Simon. Patience would not be happy about that; Mathew was sure she had wanted to avoid him for the remainder of the evening.
“Mathew.” Eva moved to his side as he drew near. “I just conversed the Allender family. What lovely ladies they are, and the eldest, Patience, is such a gently spoken, sweet-natured young woman.”
“No, she is not,” he said, smiling down at the duchess. “We are old family friends. She has the nature of a virago and a tongue to match.”
“Your words may suggest otherwise, Lord Belmont, but your tone says you care for her very much,” Eva said softly.
“To my detriment,” he said honestly. “But we shall keep that to ourselves for now if you don’t mind, Eva.”
“A secret.” She clapped her gloved hands together. “I love knowing something Daniel does not.”
“What don’t I know?” The duke appeared at her side.
“Not a thing, darling. Mathew and I were just discussing Madame Saqui’s performance.”
Mathew and Eva were subjected to a look from the duke, but he said nothing further. Mathew then winked at Eva and went to speak with Simon.
They ate, drank and talked with friends and acquaintances, and Mathew spent a lot of time watching the Allender sisters, but mainly Patience. Her table was close, so he positioned himself to see her.
Her eyes were never still; they were always flitting around. In front, behind, sideways—she was searching for someone, and he wanted to know who. When she touched the marks on her neck he had to make himself stay seated instead of going to her side to ease the worry that lined her face.
Lucy too, watched, although it was not quite as noticeable. The sisters often sought each other out, checking with a nod or a flick of their fingers that the other was all right.
“I have invited Charles Allender, through his eldest sister, to attend the velocipede exhibition, but she is uncertain if he will be able to go.”
Mathew pulled his eyes from Patience to look at Simon, who had just taken the seat beside him. “What did she say?”
“That he has been unwell, and she is not sure he will have improved enough to leave the house by then.”
Mathew saw the doubt on his friend’s face. “And you didn’t believe a word she said.”
“I admit I have only met her a few times, but I have to say, Mathew, that she seems overly protective of her siblings. After that business at the cowkeeper’s shop, I can’t help but wonder why.”
“It seems there is a threat hanging over them, but as yet I have no idea what or whom it involves.”
“Good Lord,” Simon said, his eyes going to Patience, who was speaking to Lord Stanhope. The man was smiling, and who wouldn’t? She was beautiful, intelligent, and when he wasn’t grinding his teeth, she certainly made Mathew smile.
“As Patience refuses to tell me any details, I will start inquiries of my own tomorrow.”
“I wouldn’t let her know that, were I you,” Simon said. “She seems a furiously independent type.”
Mathew snorted. “Very true.”
“Do I detect more than friendly concern, brother-in-law?”
“Simon, you are married to my sister. Even if I wanted to confide in someone about this, believe me, you would be the last person I chose. No insult intended.”
“None taken, and yes, you are probably right. Claire seems to know when I am keeping something from her, and anything concerning your affairs of the heart would be ten times worse.”
“I never ment
ioned affairs of the heart,” Mathew said, to which Simon merely snorted and turned to talk with Eva, leaving Mathew with the uncomfortable feeling that he might have given something of his feelings towards Patience away, but he was unsure how.
As their party rose to leave an hour later, he noted that Patience was also standing, so he moved to her side.
“Can I offer you a lift home, so you do not have to torture yourself once again in the boat?”
“Thank you, Lord Belmont, but Mr. Stanhope has his carriage here, so Lucy, Amanda and I shall ride home with him.”
“Then I shall see you soon,” he said as she prepared to move away from him. “And once again we shall talk.”
She had her back to him, but he heard her words. “No, we will not.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“I want to go!”
Patience looked across the breakfast table to where her brother was sitting. His arms were folded tight to his chest, his eyes shooting angry sparks at her.
“It’s not safe, Charlie,” she said with a calm she was far from feeling. She had awakened early after a night of fitful sleep into which both Brantley Winston and Mathew had intruded in various dreams ranging from erotic to terrifying. Her eyes were scratchy, her body weary and her wits dulled, and her brother now wanted to go a few verbal rounds with her, it seemed, if the defiant look on his face was any indication.
“You treat me no better than a prisoner!”
Had Lucy been here, she would have defused the situation, but she had left early to accompany the Stanhope family on a trip to visit an elderly relative.
“If that were indeed true, then you would not be eating crumpets, but gruel.”
“I want friends, I want to go to school and meet other boys my age, and you are stopping me.”
He was just reacting to the restrictions, as any eleven-year-old boy would. But she was tired, and her nerves were stretched like piano wire, so she was not as tolerant as she usually was, and had an urge to slap him for his petulant behavior.
“I will fence with you.”
“I don’t want to fence with you…a girl!” he snapped back at her. “I want to go to the velocipede exhibition with Louis!”
“But you cannot.”
“I hate you!” He threw back his chair and it toppled over, crashing to the floor heavily. “I wish you weren’t my sister!”
Patience braced her forehead in her hand after the door had slammed and wondered when this would end. She had to find a way to stop her cousin so her brother could lead a normal life, or she feared he would do something foolish.
She drank her entire cup of tea, then refilled it and went to her office. Once there, she attempted to lose herself in the myriad of papers on her desk. She would go to Charlie after he had calmed down and attempt to talk to him, to explain what she was trying to do to bring an end to this life he was being forced to lead.
A knock on her door had her looking up at the clock on the wall. Surprised that nearly two hours had passed, she called for whoever was standing outside to enter.
“Lord Allender is not in his room, Miss Allender.”
Mr. Toots’ face was drawn with worry as Patience leapt to her feet. “We fought. Dear Lord, please tell me he has not run away.” She pressed a fist to her chest. “What if Brantley gets him? Even now, my cousin may have him.”
“You must stay calm, Miss Allender. We do not yet know that he has left the grounds. If that is the case, then we will start a search farther afield.”
“He was angry with me, but I did not think he would run away,” she whispered, following her butler from the room.
“He is a boy who is chafing at the restrictions this terrible situation has placed on him…on you all,” Mr. Toots said.
They looked everywhere. Under beds, in cupboards and up in the attic. Lenny and Paul searched the grounds; although they were small, there were still places to hide, but none of them hid Charlie. Patience could feel the hysteria she was battling to hold inside begin to claw at her throat.
Charlie, where are you?
“You and Lenny go out onto the streets now, and hire whomever you need to begin the search out there.” Patience handed Paul a bag of coins. “If you need more, come to me and I shall get it.”
Their faces carved in worry, the Toots brothers quickly left to begin their search.
“Mr. Toots, if you will go to the constabulary and notify them that my brother is missing, I shall have my horse brought ’round and start a search of my own.”
“At once, Miss Allender.”
“You’ll pardon the interruption, Miss Allender, but a gentleman has called to see you.”
“Who is it, Sally?” Patience asked the maid.
“Lord Belmont, Miss.”
She couldn’t see him now, not when she needed to start searching for Charlie.
“Tell him I cannot see him at this time, please, Sally.”
“Too late.”
Patience looked at the man standing in the doorway to her parlor and felt her body begin to shake. She wanted to run across the room and fling herself into his arms and beg him to find her brother, but she could not. This was something she must deal with, therefore she needed to get him out of her house as quickly as she could.
“I have an appointment, Lord Belmont. I am afraid I cannot see you at this time.”
The servants all hastily left the room as Mathew entered.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Two such simple, well-used words, yet they undid her. The sob she had been holding back since she had heard of Charlie’s disappearance fell from her lips. Pressing a hand to her mouth, Patience battled to keep the next one confined.
“Tell me.” He was across the room in seconds, reaching for her shoulders. “Patience, please let me help you, sweetheart.”
The endearment undid her completely.
“It’s Ch-Charlie. He has run away.”
With a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket, he blotted the tears that were now falling down her cheeks.
“He is in danger, I am sure of it, and yet I have no idea where he has gone.”
“When did you last see him?”
She focused on his face as she tried to regain control. Mathew would help her. He was here, so strong and intelligent. He would find Charlie; she had to believe that, now that he knew.
“He wanted to g-go with Louis to the velocipede exhibition, but I would not let him, and he was angry with me. I went to my office, and thought he had gone to his room, but he ran away.”
“He is not sick, then?”
She shook her head.
“Will you stay here while I look for him, in case he returns?” He cupped her face, his thumbs running small circles over the damp skin of her cheeks.
“I-I need to look for him too. He’s so young, and out there a-alone.”
“I think I know where he will be, but before I go, I need to be sure that you will stay here and wait for our return.”
“The exhibition?” Patience suddenly realized that made perfect sense.
Mathew nodded. “But let me go, Patience. Let me talk to him, then bring him home. Can you trust me to do that?”
“I want to come.”
“No, I need you to stay here, in case he is not there and makes his way home. I shall send word to you as soon as I find him.”
He pulled her into his arms, and she did not resist.
“I’m so scared, Mathew.”
“I know.” She felt his lips in her hair. “And when I bring him home, you will tell me why.”
He kissed her, a sweet and tender brush of his lips over hers, and then he left. Patience thought she would give him one hour, then if he had not returned or sent word, she would start her own search.
Mathew left his carriage and walked through the park to where the exhibition was being held.
“Uncle Mathew!”
Louis saw him first, so he made his way to where the boy was standing with Simon. His eyes wer
e alight with excitement as he watched a gentleman striding about on a contraption that had two large wheels and a wooden frame.
“Is it not the grandest thing you have ever seen?”
“The grandest, Nephew. However, I am afraid I cannot stay with you today, as an urgent matter has arisen that needs my immediate attention. Can you forgive me?”
“Of course. Simon and I shall tell you all about it later.” Louis was no longer looking at him, but at the velocipede.
“Such is the fickle nature of youth. You have been replaced by that contraption, Belmont,” Simon said. “Is this urgent matter anything that needs my help?” he added quietly, so Louis could not hear.
“Charlie has run away from home, and Patience is desperate to find him. I came here in the hope that this was where he’d fled to.” Mathew kept his eyes moving over the crowd, searching for the boy.
“You think he is here, because this is where she would not let him come?” Simon quickly came to the same conclusion Mathew had.
“Yes.”
“I shall also keep my eyes open,” Simon said, gripping his shoulder briefly.
Mathew walked through the people watching the new contraption, and was about to retrace his steps when he saw Charlie. He was standing beside a tree, his eyes on the man riding the velocipede. He was standing slightly back from the crowd, and to Mathew seemed desperately lonely.
“Hello, Charlie.”
The boy tore his eyes from the exhibition to look at Mathew. “Good afternoon, Mathew. Have you come to watch the exhibition also?” He was nervous, his eyes wide, his face pale.
“Your sister is very worried about you.”
“You saw her?”
“I just left your house. She is sending servants out to search for you, and your butler is headed for the local constabulary.”
Charlie lowered his head. “I did not mean to cause trouble. It is just that she would not let me come here today, and I so wanted to.”
“If I make you a promise to bring you and Louis back another day, will you let me take you home to your sister now?”