Harlequin Historical May 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: Unwed and UnrepentantReturn of the Prodigal GilvryA Traitor's Touch

by Marguerite Kaye

  Chapter Four

  Simon watched Henrietta approach. Ever since he had left her he had tried not to think of her and to concentrate on the arrival of the men he had arranged to liaise with here at Barradine, but now he became consumed with anxiety and was unable to think of anything other than what he was to do with this young woman who had insinuated herself into his life and threatened to disrupt it.

  Last night when she had revealed her true sex he had been taken unawares and his sudden passion for her had been torn asunder by guilt and his conscience. He had lain awake almost the entire night. He could not stop thinking about her. When he shut his eyes she was there and when he opened them she stayed with him. Such sleeplessness was unusual for him. He rather hoped that in daylight she might not be as he remembered.

  He was mildly irritated with himself. He certainly did not need his life complicated by a woman. Perhaps the half light of the moment of her bathing had helped create a fantasy—but it wasn’t so. In daylight her charm seemed all the greater.

  Nothing was more obvious to Henrietta at that moment than those eyes that immediately took in every detail of her appearance. The clothes he had instructed Annie to pick out for her to wear belonged to his mother. The dress was a perfect fit and, as slender as she was, Henrietta was not without womanly curves. She was a sight that caused his heart to lurch in admiration and something else that appealed to his baser instincts.

  He must stop now, before things went too far for him to draw back. Because she was not the kind of sophisticated, worldly woman he usually sought it made her more alluring, more desirable. She was nothing like the glamorous, experienced women who knew how to please him, women who were mercenary and hell-bent on self-gratification, whose beds he sought only to leave the moment his ardour was spent.

  It could not continue. In the past hard logic and cold reason had always conquered his lust—with Henrietta he knew it would be different. He had to purge her out of his mind before he was completely beaten—and if he continued to have her near him he would lose the battle. He was in danger of becoming enamoured of her and he would not permit that. The stakes were too high.

  He tried to concentrate on the next stage of his journey, but in his state of relaxed ease he was more inclined to dwell on the amazing—and perverse—quirk of fate that had caused this girl to be ensconced in his house. It would have been far better if he were alone, but now that she was here he couldn’t just ignore her and pretend she wasn’t there.

  ‘Thank you for the clothes,’ Henrietta said. ‘Who do they belong to?’

  ‘My mother, but don’t concern yourself. I know she would be happy for you to wear them.’ He pulled two chairs close to the hearth. ‘Come and sit down. We need to talk.’ Silently she did as he bade, sitting awkwardly on the edge of her seat. He raised one brow in enquiry. ‘How are you feeling this morning? Better, I hope?’ he said, sitting across from her and lounging with one booted foot resting casually atop the opposite knee.

  ‘Yes—much better.’ He nodded, which left Henrietta wondering why he was adopting this cool, remote attitude to her. Was it possible he was ashamed of the way he had behaved towards her when he had intruded on her bathing, or was his desire for her so great that he couldn’t bear to be close to her? Despite the complications it would bring, she secretly hoped it was the latter, but the way he was looking at her made her discount it. Her eyes met his.

  ‘You said you want to talk, Simon? I think I know what it’s about. I suspect you want me off your hands and deeply regret encumbering yourself with me in the first place.’

  Henrietta expected the words to get a reaction, but except for a hardening of his eyes and a muscle that began to twitch in his jaw, there was none.

  ‘What is done is done and I have to consider what sensible action to take. One thing is certain—you cannot continue on your journey alone and where I am going I cannot take you with me.’

  ‘So you are to dismiss me as though I am an untouchable.’

  Untouchable, Simon thought wretchedly. She was certainly that and must remain that way. While ever they remained in the same house she was too much of a threat to his sanity. Everywhere he turned she would be there to ensnare him and when she was absent his need to see her would make him seek her out. He was furious with himself for feeling like this—for wanting her. He’d never realised that sexual desire for a woman would become a complication. Better that they were apart altogether, before she disrupted his whole life.

  ‘Not at all. Despite not knowing anything about you, I feel a deep sense of responsibility which cannot be easily dismissed. Which is why I think the sensible thing would be for you to remain at Barradine for the time being.’

  Henrietta could hear the determination in his voice that told her he had already decided what to do with her. But she would have none of it. She stared at him for a long, indecisive moment, then she said, ‘I will do no such thing. You may have given me your protection on the journey and I am indeed grateful—in fact, you just might have saved my life. But that does not give you the right to have a say in what I shall do next. I do not wish to be kept by you, or by any other man. I am fairly self-sufficient and I prefer it that way.’

  ‘Good Lord, Henrietta, I’m not asking you to become my mistress. I just feel obligated—’

  ‘You needn’t,’ she interrupted coolly. ‘You owe me nothing, and I will take nothing from you, Simon, and you need not feel any responsibility towards me. I embarked on this journey knowing what I was taking on. What happens next is up to me, not you. I thank you for your protection since we met—and your hospitality,’ she said with the polite cordiality of a guest who was about to depart. ‘I have enjoyed your company and now I must continue on my journey north.’

  Suddenly Simon looked at her with unexpected softness. Surprised by the change in his expression, Henrietta opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her and, taking a deep breath, continued speaking. ‘You cannot go alone, Henrietta. You must stop and think of the hazards that may arise. At this time there are government soldiers all over the place. You will never make it on your own.’

  Henrietta’s face was a pale, emotionless mask as she tore her eyes from his face and watched the dancing flames in the hearth. Her heart and mind felt empty and she was chilled to the marrow. Even now, when she was desperate with the thought of leaving him, she had to ask herself why it should hurt so much and to question what was in her heart.

  ‘Yes, I will. I must.’

  ‘You were set upon by ruffians at your first stop, you little fool. Did you not realise what they might do? Look at you.’ He swept a gesture from her feet to her head, scowling crossly. ‘By all intents and purposes you were a lad—on a fine horse, I might add. They could have gutted you like a fish if they’d a mind and stolen your horse. And good God, Henrietta—do you know what would have happened to you had they discovered your true gender? Have I not enough to contend with already without having to protect and coddle a young woman?’

  Henrietta bristled at the insult. ‘I haven’t held you back so far and I’m hardly likely to do so now that you’ve found out I’m a woman. But if you find the influence of my gender and so much beauty and femininity elevating to your moral sense, then accept that we must go our separate ways and I will make my own way from here on.’

  ‘Damn it, Henrietta!’ he said fiercely, springing to his feet with frustration and combing his fingers through his hair. ‘Your change from youth to capricious female is the greatest stumbling block I have ever encountered.’

  ‘You may blame it on my Scottish blood, Simon. ’Tis strong-willed and usually gets the upper hand despite my very best efforts to cool it.’

  He glared down at her. ‘That I can believe, but I feel most deeply the burden of your present distress and accept that it is in the greater part my fault. I brought you with me only with the kindest intent and b
ecause I thought you were well in need of my attention and protection. I am hardly likely to abandon you now. If the rising and ensuing battle become a reality, if things go badly for us and the English come looking, do you think that I value my own miserable hide so much that I’d leave you to be slaughtered like the Holy Lamb?’ His voice softened and hurt darkened his blue eyes. ‘Do you not know me better than that?’

  He looked at her sitting stiff and proud, her fine-boned profile tilted obstinately to betray her mutinous thoughts. Not for the first time he wondered at her life that she had been forced to take to the road. Turning her head, she met his gaze. He saw youthful guile in those beautiful green eyes, like the colour of a tropical sea. He could sit and look into them and drown himself, going ever deeper and deeper. With a jerk he pulled himself back and looked away. He could not help but wonder at the grit of this young woman. He had known no other quite like her and the disturbing fact was that she seemed capable of disrupting his whole life.

  Contritely the young girl hung her head. ‘I know you well enough, Simon, but I thought...perhaps...you’d want rid of me now we’ve reached Scotland.’

  Simon drew up his chair and sat across from her once more. A frisson of excitement was like a plucked lute string in the silence between them. The great hall seemed smaller, the firelight more richly golden as it played over his wary face, sculpting its hard planes and sharp contours.

  ‘I failed to offer you commiserations on the death of your guardians,’ he said suddenly. ‘Forgive my lack of manners.’

  ‘Think nothing of it,’ she said graciously. ‘I’m sure they would be most obliged to you for offering me your protection on my journey north.’

  He sighed, steepling his fingers in front of his face, watching her. ‘I know now that you are a girl dressed as a boy. I know not your reasons, nor do I particularly wish to know. Suffice it to say that it is your business, not mine. But I sense you are in trouble and perceive you need to talk to someone. If I can be of assistance in any way, I would like you to tell me why you’re running away.’

  Henrietta met his gaze, tension in the angle of her shoulders. ‘Why should you care? You have troubles enough of your own with the arrival of the Bonnie Prince to concern yourself with mine.’

  ‘True, but it so happens I have experience with these things.’ He paused. ‘Generally, I’ve found that running away is a very bad idea.’

  She stared at him in surprise. ‘Did you run away from home?’

  He grinned and nodded. ‘When I was a lad—five years old, to be precise—one day I packed a bag with clothes and food and set off for Edinburgh. I’d been told what a big town it was with a grand castle on a rock. I wanted to see it for myself. I didn’t get far before my father caught up with me. By that time I was very cold and very scared—and regretting my foolishness. So trust me. I wouldn’t recommend it.’

  Henrietta glanced at him, uncertain about what to say.

  Simon could sense the suppressed agitation in her, noted her clenched hands. ‘You can speak freely. It will go no further. It may not resolve anything, but it will make you feel a damn sight better.’

  Conscious of his scrutiny, suddenly agitated, Henrietta got to her feet. ‘How can you be so sure of that?’

  ‘I’m not, but it can’t do any harm.’

  Henrietta looked at him long and hard before turning away, wrapping her arms about her waist as if to contain the horrors of what she knew Jeremy to be guilty of. Simon was right. It would be a relief to reduce her overburdened mind, for no matter how she tried to push the memories and the danger Jeremy posed to her away, they returned. Still she hesitated, but she was beginning to realise that it was important to unburden herself to Simon, who would listen and maybe offer a solution to her problem. In the end she turned to confront him, and a flicker of sanity lit the chaos of her thoughts.

  ‘I know you are right, Simon. I should tell you. I owe you that, at least.’ Henrietta held his eyes a moment, then her gaze slid away. Drawing a deep breath, she let it out harshly. ‘It’s difficult to know where to begin.’

  Simon settled himself in his chair, crossing his legs, watching her calmly, his heart going out to her. ‘When your guardians died would be as good a place as any,’ he suggested quietly.

  She paused, and, although Simon appeared calm, he waited in a state of nervous tension for her to go on, relieved when she did, but she wasn’t looking at him, she was looking into the flames, as if the images of the past were marching with each dancing flame. She recounted everything that had occurred on the night Jeremy had come to the house—the misunderstanding about the wills, his bullying and the threats he had made.

  Wringing her hands in front of her, she turned away and hugged herself again. Watching her, Simon listened with avid interest, clenching his hands into fists, having to struggle to stop himself going to her and cradling her in his arms. When she told him of the tragedy which had robbed her of her guardians, that it had not been an accident as everyone surmised and that Jeremy was responsible, her voice tore through him. Her face was ravaged, but he couldn’t make it easier for her. He had to let her go on. But how alone she must have felt, how terrified when faced with the daunting journey ahead of her.

  As the full implication of what she was telling him began to sink in, he saw the truth at last, along with all the fear and horror locked away inside her since that night.

  ‘At that time neither Jeremy nor Mr Braithwaite were cognizant of the fact that his uncle had drafted a new will. Mr Braithwaite was abroad at the time and had only recently returned to London when the tragedy occurred. I discovered the truth about what happened when I overheard Jeremy discussing with his wife how he had killed his aunt and uncle. Fearing for my own life, I knew I had to get away. It was a matter of personal survival. By now Jeremy will have discovered the truth and he will plan to kill me as soon as it’s convenient.’

  ‘You say you took the copy of the newly drafted will.’

  ‘Yes. I have it with me.’

  ‘Have you read it?’

  She nodded, looking down at her hands. ‘I looked at it before I left. I truly believed Baron Lucas had left everything to Jeremy. He was the sole heir, you see. That was the case in the first will the baron drafted before I became his ward, but when he changed his solicitor it was altered in the second. Apart from a few paintings and things, he left everything to me. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want it. Fearing reprisals from Jeremy, I was quite desperate. That was when I thought of my uncle. I know he will provide me with sage advice about the best course of action to take.’

  ‘It’s a long way to come for that. Couldn’t Mr Goodwin have advised you? After all, that is what Baron Lucas paid him for.’

  ‘I thought of that, but I know Jeremy. He’s clever and has the cunning of a fox. He was relying on the money from his uncle’s estate to keep him out of debtors’ prison and he would find some way of getting rid of me to get his hands on the money as soon as it became convenient. I have no doubt he would assume legal guardianship over me, render me feeble and incapable of communication with strong potions and force me to sign a will which would leave him everything in the event of my death.’

  ‘Does he know you have come to Scotland?’

  ‘No. I imagine he’ll make enquiries among his aunt and uncle’s friends. When he fails to locate me he’ll begin ferreting out any connections I might have. Given time, he’ll discover I have an uncle in Scotland. He’ll also realise I’ve taken my horse. I can only hope he will think I haven’t the courage to travel all that way on my own.’

  ‘Do you believe he would follow you?’

  ‘I think he might. He’s going to have to find me to resolve the matter of the will. I expect he’s feeling pretty desperate by now. I really did consider the full depth of my predicament before I fled. Jeremy has gained enough stature in society to be danger
ous to me and I know him to be most persistent when it comes to something he wants. He will not leave me be. He will bide his time until the moment is ripe and then I will find myself in dire straits.’

  ‘In the event that he does journey to Scotland we must keep you safe. You have need of some convincing protection.’

  ‘What do you suggest?’ she asked with growing alarm.

  ‘That you remain here. It is the only thing I can offer towards your safety. Since no one knows of our connection, he’s hardly likely to come here. You will be safe, Henrietta. I can promise you that.’

  ‘Safe, but restrained like a prisoner.’ Her alarm turned to anger and she shot him a mutinous look. ‘And what am I supposed to do?’

  ‘Be sensible, Henrietta,’ he said sternly. ‘I’ve talked it over with Annie and she’s more than happy to have you stay at Barradine.’

  Henrietta had become so angry it almost choked her. It could not be true. How dared he think of leaving her here in this desolate place for what could turn out to be weeks? ‘I will not stay here. You have no authority over me, Simon. I do as I please. I have to go on.’

  ‘Forget it. I will not permit it,’ he said arrogantly.

  ‘I do not remember asking for your permission,’ Henrietta retorted defiantly, stiffening her spine.

  Caught off guard, Simon stared hard at her. Grown men rarely dared to challenge him, yet here was this slip of a girl doing exactly that. If his annoyance hadn’t matched his surprise, he would have chucked her under the chin and grinned at her courage. ‘You’re right. You didn’t,’ he snapped.