by Bold, Diana
Before he had a chance to call his words back or defend himself in any way, she took off, spurring her horse toward home. He wanted to chase after her, but restrained himself. Best to cut his losses and try again some other day.
By the time he reached the stables, she was nowhere to be seen. He waved away the stable lad and groomed the horse himself, enjoying the familiar, soothing rhythm. He’d always ridden whenever he had the opportunity. It was a gentleman’s sport, and he’d never had the luxury when he was young.
As he worked, his tension eased. He let his mind wander over the events of the day. Kate had been touched when he’d asked her about her roses. Her lovely face had lit up when she’d spoken of them. He smiled, thinking perhaps he’d found the key to melting her defenses.
She claimed she’d miss her roses the most, which spurred a plan. If he arranged to have a few of her rose bushes brought aboard ship, it would cheer her and perhaps help him regain some of the ground he’d lost today.
It would give her something to remember him by.
Feeling morose, he handed the curry brush back to the groom and exited the stables. So much for keeping his emotions out of it. He couldn’t shake the thought that after he’d done what he must, she’d never think of him with fondness again. She’d hate him with all the green‐eyed passion she possessed.
Just the same, he resolved to send a footman down to Rosewood Manor this very afternoon. Kate should have at least a few of her roses. It was the only thing he could do for her.
* * * * *
Daniel Sinclair was at his club sharing a bottle of port with Philip Carrington when his father tracked him down. Daniel watched through narrowed eyes as Sutcliffe bore down on them, his face set in grim, foreboding lines.
“Oh, Lord,” Philip groaned, noticing Daniel’s sudden inattention. “What on earth is he doing here?”
Daniel shook his head, willing the tyrant who’d sired him to perdition. “I don’t know. But maybe you should make yourself scarce.”
Philip tossed a lock of blond hair out of his eyes, frowning. “Bugger the old bastard. He has no right to treat you this way.”
Daniel just shook his head, knowing all he stood to lose. Philip wasn’t the only thing his father could take from him with a mere snap of his fingers. “I’ll be all right. Just go.”
Philip stood and bowed as Sutcliffe joined them. “Sir. I was just leaving.”
Sutcliffe gave Philip a look of pure disgust. “Then by all means, do so. I need to talk to Daniel alone.” He took the chair Philip had vacated, dismissing him.
Philip glared at Sutcliffe’s broad back for a moment then shrugged and wandered away toward the gaming tables. Daniel watched his lover go, in no hurry to listen to his father’s complaints.
“You’ll be pleased to know everything is in order.” Sutcliffe helped himself to the port, staring at Daniel as though he was an insect in need of squashing. “I’ll expect you to be on board the ship when it sails.”
Daniel’s anger spiked. “I don’t understand why I have to go anywhere. Why can’t your golden boy seduce Kathryn right here on British soil?”
Sutcliffe quaffed his drink. “There’s already too much talk. No less than half a dozen people have asked me why your wife was riding in the park with my bastard since I entered the club.”
Daniel laughed. He couldn’t help himself. No matter how much he hated his half‐brother, he was glad to see his father in such a state. “Very inconvenient. But I don’t see why we can’t just go to France for a few weeks. We could rent a villa, and I could amuse myself with Philip while the two of them conceive the perfect little heir.”
The thought of being separated from Philip for months on end killed him. Why should he be forced to give up his lover while his wife took one beneath his very nose?
Sutcliffe slammed his heavy crystal glass down on the polished oak table. “You’re getting on that ship. I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
Daniel clenched his fists at his sides, feeling totally impotent. “You can’t force me to claim another man’s child as my own. Just listen to yourself. This entire plan is mad. It will never work.”
“I can do anything I want.” Sutcliffe was eerily calm, considering this was one of the only times Daniel had ever found the courage to stand up to him. “You should know that by now.”
Daniel knew. He knew all too well. Swallowing, he prepared himself for whatever hell his father had in store for him this time.
* * * * *
Kate spent the rest of the afternoon in her room, brooding over what had happened in the park. Talon seemed to bring out both the best and worst in her. She couldn’t explain her erratic behavior.
Talon wasn’t a knight in shining armor. He hadn’t come here to rescue her. He was Sutcliffe’s son, and she couldn’t expect him to risk his relationship with his family to have an affair with her.
She’d been upset the other night, and he’d kissed her out of pity more than anything. He’d probably been regretting his generosity ever since. As for the rest of it, his sweet words in the library this morning, his claim that he admired her… well, she mustn’t read too much into it.
He was a man, after all. It was her duty to keep him at arm’s length.
She’d been far too forward in her dealings with him and couldn’t blame him for taking advantage.
Besides, this whole sordid situation was probably her mind’s only defense against what she’d learned about her husband. She’d taken all her schoolgirl dreams and longings, which had been wasted on Daniel, and hung them on Talon instead.
She should be figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life instead of sitting here fantasizing about her brother‐in‐law.
After all, he’d disappear from her life in a matter of weeks, but she’d have to deal with Daniel forever.
A soft rap on her bedroom door came from the sitting room, not the hall. It had to be Talon. She cursed herself for the spike of happiness that surged within her. “Just a minute.” She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, despairing over her bedraggled appearance.
“May I come in?” Talon’s voice sounded muffled and far away.
Despite all her earlier misgivings, Kate found it impossible to turn him away. “Of course.”
He entered her bedroom, and heat rushed to her cheeks when he glanced at the large, satin-draped bed in the corner. His very presence was sheer temptation. If she had any sense, she would have joined him in the sitting room instead.
She cleared her throat. “Do you need something?” Too late, she realized that was not the kind of question she should ask when entertaining a man in her bedroom.
A small smile pulled at the corners of his sensual mouth. Then he shook his head and met her embarrassed gaze. “I just came to apologize. I don’t want you to be angry.”
“I’m not angry,” she hastened to assure him. “Don’t give it another thought.”
He took another step toward her, and she fought the impulse to back away. Lifting his hand, he cupped her face, his tender touch melting the last of her defenses. “Good,” he whispered, leaning forward and brushing her forehead with his lips. “Don’t ever be angry with me, sweetheart. I don’t think I could bear it.”
For a long, loaded moment, they stared at each other. Something inside her shifted and fell away. She wasn’t sure what had changed, but she knew with utter certainty that some sort of inner line had been crossed.
He must have felt something similar, because a look of confusion crossed his handsome face, and he fell back a step. “I’ll see you at dinner?”
She nodded, unable to form a coherent thought. If he’d held out his hand, she would have fallen into his arms and damned the consequences. Luckily, he turned on his heels and exited her room.
For a long time, she stood where he’d left her, staring after him. Then she sank into a chair, coming face to face with a horrible truth.
Even though she knew it was wrong, even though it could only b
ring heartache, she was helpless to resist Talon Montgomery’s hypnotic attraction. She was his for the taking. All he needed to do was ask.
* * * * *
Talon fled Kate’s room as though the hounds of hell were on his heels. He’d only meant to gauge her mood, but the attraction between them had roared to life and he’d been lucky to escape without being burned alive.
He’d wanted to make love to her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life. In fact, he was still trembling with desire, still half‐ tempted to go back there and toss her down on that big, plush bed.
“Do you really think you can get away with making a fool of me?”
Sutcliffe’s booming voice stopped Talon dead in his tracks. He gripped the mahogany banister and schooled his features into an expressionless mask before turning to face his nemesis. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Sutcliffe stood at the top of the stairs, a superior position since Talon was halfway down them. “Get back up here. We need to talk.”
Talon affected an air of complete boredom. “Say whatever you have to say. I’m going out.”
The look on Sutcliffe’s face was priceless. Talon wondered idly if he could solve all his problems by angering the man until he dropped dead of apoplexy.
Cursing under his breath, Sutcliffe stomped down the stairs until he and Talon stood eye to eye. “Everyone at the club was talking about you and Kathryn. They saw you riding together in the park.”
“What of it?”
“I won’t have it!” Sutcliffe’s voice thundered through the large, vaulted space, causing a maid down the hall to turn her head.
Talon lifted a brow. “Careful. You’ll have the servants talking.”
“Your relationship with Kathryn must remain discreet.” Sutcliffe lowered his voice to a fierce, angry whisper. “There will be no more public displays. No one must doubt this child is Daniel’s.”
“You’re insane,” Talon told him. “No one will ever believe Daniel fathered this child, no matter what I do.”
“People will believe what I want them to believe.”
The maid lifted her head again and then scurried away when Sutcliffe shot her a venomous look. Sutcliffe waited until she was out of sight then turned to glare at Talon again. “I’ve changed your travel plans to insure nothing like this happens again.”
“What are you talking about?” A bad feeling took root in the pit of Talon’s stomach. Christ, could this possibly get any worse?
Sutcliffe smiled; the sudden change in his demeanor was frightening to behold. “I’ve booked the three of you on one of my merchant ships, The Shining Star. I believe you’re already acquainted with that vessel?”
Talon nodded, his pulse roaring in his ears. “I know of it.” The captain of The Shining Star, Joshua Percy, was an old enemy and The Shining Star had been one of the best prizes his crew had ever managed to take. He should have scuttled the damn vessel.
“You’ll be sharing a suite of three rooms, two sleeping berths connected with a sitting room. You’ll have to keep Kate below, since she’ll be the only woman on the ship.” The earl smiled in grim satisfaction. “No one is to know she’s aboard. That way, no harmful gossip will find its way back here.”
Talon’s question had been answered. Things were definitely going to get worse.
Chapter Nine
Talon held his breath as he watched Kate climb The Shining Star’s gangplank. Dressed as a boy in a large shirt and baggy pants, her glorious wealth of chestnut hair was well hidden beneath a battered old hat.
He gave an inward groan. Her face was too pale, her features too delicate. No man with eyes in his head would mistake her for a boy. This wasn’t going to work, and Talon cursed Sutcliffe for having made it so desperately necessary to try.
Kate hurried past a few burly sailors who were loading last-minute supplies. She kept her head down, her eyes on the uneven wood beneath her feet. A half smile curved Talon’s lips despite the danger. He couldn’t fault her for her performance.
When he’d discovered the dirty trick his father had pulled on them, he’d sent a hastily scrawled note to her room, giving her instructions on what to wear and how to act. She was following his suggestions to the letter.
What a trusting little soul she was. It amazed him that she’d paid any attention at all to his desperate plea for cooperation. There was no way he would have donned a dress and pretended to be a woman at the request of a lady he barely knew.
She looked so frail, so tiny and helpless, surrounded by the legion of brutish sailors. He wanted to rush to her side and escort her to her cabin. He would have, if not for the glowering presence of Sutcliffe’s personal footman, Lionel, at her back. The man had been instructed to see her safely boarded, and he seemed to be taking his responsibility seriously.
“Good God,” muttered Joshua Percy, The Shining Star’s captain, from his place at Talon’s elbow. “Is that her?”
Talon gave a grim nod.
“I can’t believe Sutcliffe talked me into this. Hell, Montgomery, you know my men will mutiny if they find out there’s a woman on board. They’re a superstitious lot. And heaven help us if they discover she’s a beauty.”
“You’re doing this because my father paid you damned good money to do so.” Talon glared at the other man, making no effort to hide his loathing. “I don’t like this any more than you do, but Sutcliffe has us both over a barrel. We have to work together, distasteful as the idea may be.”
Percy took an involuntary step back, and Talon knew he was remembering the last time they’d met. They’d gone to blows in a Jamaican tavern, and Percy had taken the worst of it before they’d both been thrown out.
He had to hand it to Sutcliffe. When he’d set out to make this trip a living hell, he hadn’t missed any of the finer details. Talon didn’t trust Percy. He wouldn’t put it past the captain to decide the money wasn’t worth it and take this chance at revenge his boss had handed him on a silver platter. He’d be lucky if the bastard didn’t keel haul him and throw Kate to his men.
“Let’s get one thing straight,” Percy told him. “I’m in charge here. This isn’t your cursed pirate ship, and I’ll be damned if I’ll let you walk all over me. I made a deal with Sutcliffe, and I intend to honor it, but you’ve got to do your part. You’ve got to keep that woman in her cabin and your worthless brother under control, or all bets are off.”
“That woman is my wife. I’ll keep her hidden the best I can, but if something goes wrong, you better back me up. If anything happens to her, I’ll rip you limb from limb.”
The lie came far too easily to Talon’s lips. It was the only part of Sutcliffe’s plan he’d agreed to. It was imperative Percy think Kate was his wife, not Daniel’s, since she’d be spending most of the voyage alone in her cabin.
Percy had already seen Daniel, and Talon knew he wouldn’t consider him much of a deterrent if he wanted Kate badly enough. Hell, Daniel couldn’t even take care of himself, let alone his wife.
Daniel had spent the last two days in an alcohol‐induced fog, resisting the forthcoming trip for all he was worth. Sutcliffe had grown tired of his son’s protests and ordered for him to be drugged and carried on board in the dead of the night.
Percy laughed. “Well, at least we understand each other.” He whirled away and began to bark furious orders at his men, sending them scrambling to set sail. Talon glared at his retreating back, knowing the argument was far from over.
Lionel emerged from the hatch that led below decks, and Talon hurried toward him. “Is everything in order?”
Lionel nodded. “No troubles, sir.”
Talon breathed a sigh of relief. At least one thing had gone right. “Thank you.”
“Good luck to you, lad.” Lionel gave him a sudden grin. “You’ll be needin’ a bloody lot of it.”
“Then I’m in a world of hurt,” Talon muttered, making Lionel laugh. “Because my luck ran out the day I was born.”
* * * *
*
Kathryn paced the narrow confines of her cabin, anxiety eating a hole in her stomach. The clothes she wore felt strange and alien against her skin. Why on earth had Talon insisted she wear them?
She’d glimpsed him earlier when she’d boarded the ship. He’d stood at the bow, the feeble sunshine glinting off his jet‐black hair. He’d been watching her, and she’d wanted to speak to him, but his instructions had been very specific. She was supposed to dress like a boy, keep her head down, speak to no one and wait for him in her cabin.
She sank to the edge of the bunk, clenching her fists at her sides. A knock sounded at the door and she froze, then grabbed the ugly hat she’d discarded earlier. She was trying, without much success, to stuff her waist‐length hair beneath it when Talon slipped inside the room.
“Leave it off. It’s just me.”
She let the hat drop to the warped wooden floor and crossed her arms across her chest. The shapeless vest was very concealing and she’d instructed Betsy to bind her breasts, but she still felt naked beneath his heated gaze.
The hint of a smile curved Talon’s lips at her defensive gesture. He leaned against the wall, watching her. “You look very fetching.”
She stared at her feet, embarrassment creeping up her cheeks. “I don’t know why you insisted I dress this way. I can only assume I’ve been a fool to do so.”
“You’re not foolish.” He pushed away from the wall and stepped in front of her, forcing her to look up at him. “Believe it or not, I didn’t ask this of you for my own enjoyment.” The smile returned for half a second and then disappeared. “I’m afraid we’re in a bit of a rough spot, Kate.”
Kate. For a moment, all that registered was the sound of his deep voice caressing the nickname he’d given her, but then her gaze flew to his in alarm. “What’s happened?”
“You’re the only woman on the ship. These men believe women are bad luck. And you’re so damned beautiful. If they see you, they’ll begin to think about you, dream of you, want you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”