by Rebecca King
Phillip nodded. ‘This house is nice,’ he mused as he looked around the comfortable room.
‘I have already seen one I think Emmeline will love. It is about two miles out from Bladley Weeks, along the coast about an hour’s ride away from here,’ Oliver explained.
The men shared knowing looks. For a while, nobody spoke. When they did it was Jasper and Justin who suggested that maybe they too should join this local branch.
‘We are too old to go running up and down the damned country all the time,’ Jasper grumbled. ‘I think that it would do us all to have a fresh start. I know that Molly wouldn’t object.’
‘I wasn’t telling you because I was hinting that you should join me. I fully understand that your wives might not wish to move,’ Oliver replied but couldn’t suppress his delight that they were contemplating joining him.
‘They have always grumbled that they don’t see enough of each other while we are away,’ Angus reasoned. ‘I know that Charity has her friends from the sewing circle, but she wouldn’t object too much to moving if she was near to the other wives. I think that life by the sea might help us all. Our house is overrun with children. We are struggling for space as it is but there isn’t anywhere in the village for us to move to. Besides, we are not all that far away if we move. Our friends can come and visit us.’
‘You sound as if your mind is made up,’ Phillip mused.
‘I think we should all discuss it with our wives and see what they think before we make any firm arrangements but if Mallory doesn’t object, I should like to settle down here as well,’ Callum offered. ‘I don’t like the idea of her being by herself while I am away. I know she has the locals, but it isn’t the same as other wives who are facing the same problems running the houses we leave behind when we are investigating.’
Phillip was still mulling over joining Oliver’s local branch several hours later when he should have been asleep. The more he contemplated it the more he realised that it was time to leave London behind and his old life and start afresh. Although he had only been at Cliff House for a short while it was already starting to feel like home. His life with Carlotta was already essential to him.
So much so, it now felt natural to turn over and find Carlotta lying beside him. While he had behaved like the perfect gentleman, Phillip couldn’t envisage spending a night in the house without having her beside him. Sharing her bed chamber was something that had quickly become routine, but only because it had swiftly become evident that Carlotta’s nightmares were regular occurrence. Last night had been no different. He had been on watch again and had heard her distress. It had been second nature to join her on the bed and hold her while she went back to sleep. He didn’t need to stop and think about the wisdom of it. Being beside her was natural. It felt right. Being beside her had created a unity that helped solidify his connection with her that was far more permanent than anybody realised.
Carlotta was now an essential part of his life, his happiness. She made him content. Now, whether the nightmares happened or not, Phillip had no intention of breaking his nightly routine of seeking her out. He knew that at some point he was going to join her in the bed, and not just lie on top of it. For now, though, he was happy to just content himself with being as close to her as humanly possible while giving her the time to battle her demons while learning to trust him.
‘Unfortunately, I have to go into the village to see if The Starling is back yet,’ Phillip sighed more to himself than to her.
If the boat and its skipper didn’t return soon, the men were going to go and look for it, just in case it had moved to another fishing port further along the coast. For now, they were happy to sit and wait, partly because everyone expected Carlotta’s father to appear.
‘Maybe it is time I settled down and made a home of my own, then I don’t have to get out of bed unless I bloody want to,’ Phillip grumbled as he crept out of the room and made his way downstairs.
‘I thought I was going to come and have to drag you out of bed,’ Callum teased when he saw Phillip in the doorway.
‘I am here, aren’t I?’ Phillip snorted before helping himself to large pieces of bread and cheese. By the time his colleagues were ready to leave the house, Phillip was right behind them but none of them got out of the door before they were stopped by the sound of someone trying to get into the house.
Oliver pursed his lips. ‘They have a key. Who owns this house?’
‘Carlotta’s friend,’ Phillip replied. ‘Henry Palmer.’
Together, the men made their way to the front door and watched a dapperly dressed gentlemen step into the house. He slammed to a stop when he saw them.
‘Who in the Devil’s name are you?’ he demanded loudly.
‘I could ask you the same question,’ Oliver replied nonchalantly. He raked the man with a scouring look but suspected the dandy wasn’t carrying a weapon. He looked as if a good gust of wind would make him run for cover.
Phillip lifted a brow at the man who had provided Carlotta shelter. He should be grateful to him for his help but something about Henry wasn’t right. Phillip had no idea what it was but his gut, which was never wrong, warned him that Henry couldn’t be trusted. Not only was he visiting the house Carlotta was living in alone, but he had allowed her to live here by herself for several weeks without even checking to see if she was alright. Then, without any warning, he appears unexpectedly by himself.
‘This is my house. I have every right to be here,’ Henry blustered. ‘You, however, don’t.’
‘Let’s go into the study, shall we?’ Oliver suggested.
Henry didn’t move. ‘No. I don’t know who you are, but you can get out of here. This is a private house. Who in the Devil let you in? Where is Carlotta? What have you done with her?’
‘She is fine,’ Phillip replied smoothly. ‘Although, nobody would realise if something had happened to her seeing how remote this house is.’ He watched Henry glare angrily at him. Before Henry could tell him to get out, Phillip continued: ‘It isn’t really the kind of place any gentleman should allow a young, unchaperoned woman to live in alone, is it?’
‘It is the only place I had available. I didn’t have to let her stay,’ Henry growled.
‘But you did, rather than accommodate her at your house,’ Phillip argued.
Oliver threw him a warning look but didn’t interrupt because he didn’t like the new arrival either. There was something about him that just didn’t sit well only Oliver couldn’t put his finger on what it was.
‘It is hardly appropriate for her to stay with me. I did tell her that it would be best if she went home to her father. He is worried sick about her,’ Henry replied only to then straighten his shoulders and glare at them again. ‘I don’t see what this has got to do with any of you. This is my house. If Carlotta has brought you here, she had no right to. It isn’t her house. She can send you on your way again and go with you.’ He pierced Phillip with a scornful look. ‘I didn’t realise that she intended to shack up with her lover, or I wouldn’t have allowed her to stay. They do say that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, though. I am just glad I got here before she ruined the reputation of the house as well as herself.’
‘Mustn’t lose any money, must you, Henry?’ Phillip taunted.
Oliver coughed meaningfully and threw Phillip another warning glare, this time far harder than the last one.
Squaring his shoulders, he glared at Henry. ‘You should know that this property has been seized by the War Office. We are holding a formal investigation into criminal activity in the area and will remain here for the foreseeable future. We will, of course, ensure you are recompensed for it.’
‘What? Who thinks you can do that then? Murder? When? That doesn’t have anything to do with me,’ Henry blustered. ‘And there are at least a dozen houses empty in this area, or have you not taken a good look around? There is no reason why you should be here. You are not going to seize my property.’
‘I beg to diffe
r,’ Oliver argued. ‘There has been a murder on the site.’
‘Carlotta is fine, just in case you were wondering. Thank you for asking,’ Phillip drawled sarcastically.
‘There has been a murder on your property,’ Oliver repeated just in case the man’s outrage had prevented Henry from hearing him the first time.
Henry’s gaze flew to Oliver. ‘It isn’t her who has been murdered, is it? Carlotta?’
‘Would you give a damn if it was?’ Phillip demanded.
‘Well, of course.’
‘Why? Because her death in your house would damage your property’s value?’ Phillip snorted in disgust.
‘What do you mean that the apple never falls too far from the tree?’ Oliver asked of Henry.
Phillip shifted from one foot to the other when Callum and Niall moved to stand on either side of him.
‘Carlotta’s mother tried to leave her father because she was miserably unhappy in her marriage and found someone who cared about her,’ Phillip explained before Henry could speak.
‘She took a lover,’ Henry sneered.
‘From what I hear her husband, Horace, was a bully,’ Phillip growled.
‘I suppose Carlotta told you that, did she?’ Henry shook his head, his thin lips curled in contempt.
‘You don’t believe her?’ Phillip folded his arms purely to stop himself reaching for the man’s throat.
‘Horace cares about her and was understandably upset when he realised that Carlotta had disappeared. Naturally, he wants her at home where she is safe,’ Henry replied with a somewhat pompous air of indignance. ‘She is his daughter. Her place is with her father.’
‘So he can shove her into matrimony to one of his friends,’ Phillip retorted.
‘Well, she can hardly stay with her father forever, can she? He only wants her to be happy. She should be married. Why, it is preposterous that at three and twenty she is still looking for a husband,’ Henry snorted disparagingly. ‘Why, its unheard of.’
‘So, you condone forced marriages, do you?’ Phillip challenged. ‘Because I do believe that Carlotta has made it clear to you and her father that she doesn’t wish to marry anybody her father chooses for her.’
‘Why are you here?’ Callum growled before Henry could reply. ‘I mean, if you wanted a word with Carlotta, don’t you think it is more appropriate for you to bring your wife?’
Henry’s mouth opened but his lack of immediate reply prompted Oliver to step closer to him. ‘She doesn’t know you are here, does she?’
‘Why should she? This house is mine, not hers,’ Henry snapped. ‘I don’t have to explain myself to my wife. She does as she is told.’
‘Now you sound like Horace,’ Carlotta murmured from the top of the stairs.
‘She isn’t dead,’ Henry blustered, glaring at Oliver and Phillip in turn before scowling at Carlotta, as if his misunderstanding was all her fault.
‘I am sorry to disappoint you but no, I am not dead,’ she replied before descending the stairs. Deep inside, a small voice was warning her that it wasn’t wise to annoy him because he could throw her out of the house and leave her with nowhere to stay. However, she suspected he intended to do that anyway seeing as he had come to the house today.
‘Why are you here, Henry?’ Phillip demanded.
‘I wanted a word with Carlotta. Her father wants to speak with her. I have said I would take her to him,’ Henry replied, his gaze locked on Carlotta.
‘I am not going anywhere with you,’ Carlotta replied flatly.
‘Well, you cannot stay here,’ Henry announced flatly.
‘You should know that Carlotta is under our protection now,’ Oliver interrupted. ‘I am afraid she is going nowhere and any attempts to force her to leave will be considered kidnap.’
Henry glared at her. ‘Just what have you gotten yourself into?’
Phillip suddenly crossed the hallway and slid an arm around her waist. ‘Carlotta has found herself a husband,’ he announced, aware of Callum and Niall sharing a smirk as if they had been waiting for the announcement. Phillip didn’t even bother to look at the rest of the men. ‘And I should warn you that I work for the War Office. The Star Elite. It was a damned good thing that I did turn up when I did because Carlotta was in this house alone when two thugs with guns turned up, and someone was murdered just outside, in the woods next to your driveway as a matter of fact.’
Henry gulped.
‘So, your precious house is now bloody worthless because the villagers have heard of the murder and won’t come anywhere near the place. I do believe that someone found the corpse hanging from the tree yesterday and ran back to the village to tell everyone about it,’ Oliver lied. Now that Phillip had openly stated his intentions toward Carlotta, he had no qualms about helping them both find the future they deserved. Phillip had, after all, done the same for him with his relationship with his beloved Emmeline. It was only right that Phillip should have the opportunity to enjoy the same matrimonial bliss if that was what he wanted.
And if the possessive look in his colleague’s eye was anything to go by that is indeed what he wants.
‘You said the Star Elite will recompense me for the use of it,’ Henry snarled. ‘I am not going to be robbed by you, the War Office, or anyone else. I want a fair price for this house, or you can get out.’
‘It isn’t theft,’ Oliver growled, stepping closer. ‘I would be very careful about who you insult with your wild accusations. We have the authority of the War Office to seize any property we need during our investigations. On this occasion the house in question was yours. Now, from what I have seen of the property and its state of disrepair and abandonment, I think this house is worth no more than a hundred and fifty pounds. It now has a link to a recent murder, so I doubt anybody nearby would want to purchase it and it is remote enough to be unappealing to most people.’
Oliver disappeared into the study and left a deathly silence in his wake. He took a seat at the desk and opened the drawer before pulling out a piece of paper, a quill and an ink pot. Quickly scribbling a promissory note, he returned to the hallway and handed it to Henry.
‘Sir Hugo at the War Office will be in touch. Meantime, send the deeds to him in London. Any objections and I shall place you under arrest for obstructing a formal investigation on behalf of His Majesty’s Government.’
Henry stared down at the note in his hand in stunned disbelief. When he lifted his gaze, he pierced Carlotta with a glare that was cold and hard. ‘I should have left you out in the gutter with your mother.’
‘You know what happened to her then,’ Phillip demanded. ‘Where is Horace now by the way? I should like a word with him.’
Carlotta jerked and turned to stare at him with wide, horrified eyes. She hated to think that he would betray her, but she could see no other reason why he might want a word with her sire. It was then that she realised something.
‘Where is Henrietta?’ she asked quietly.
‘She is no business of yours anymore,’ Henry growled, raking Carlotta with an insulting look. ‘Stay away from her. I don’t want her having any kind of connection to the likes of you.’
‘I am sure Carlotta feels the same seeing as you are the kind of man who consorts with a murderer,’ Phillip drawled. He stepped closer until he was almost nose-to-nose with Henry and stared malevolently at him while he said: ‘If I find out that you have helped Horace in any way I shall have you behind bars for helping a murderer avoid facing justice for his crimes. Wife or not, he has no right to murder anybody much less force anyone into matrimony. Do you understand me?’
Henry blinked. ‘It wasn’t murder,’ he stammered, flicking a worried look at Carlotta.
‘Were you there? Did you see what happened?’ Phillip challenged.
‘Well, no,’ Henry replied with a nervous look around the hallway.
‘You have only the word of her father; the killer,’ Phillip growled.
‘Horace is a fine, upstanding gentleman,’ Henry rep
orted, carefully ignoring Carlotta’s disgusted snort.
‘Really? You think it is fine to send two heavily armed thugs out to the wilds of the Kent coast to come and fetch her? He isn’t so concerned about her that he is prepared to come and fetch her himself, is he? And why is that? Why has he sent you to do his dirty work for him, eh? Why are you here, Henry? Unless you also think it appropriate to force yourself on a young woman who is living alone?’
Henry stared at him for a moment. While he didn’t move or speak, a dull red flush swept over his face and was accompanied by a brow that was swiftly beaded with sweat.
‘I thought as much. Is your wife not keeping you happy enough in the bed chamber? I wonder what she would think if she found out about your little visit here today, and your lascivious intentions toward her friend?’ Phillip snarled.
‘I have no lascivious intentions,’ Henry replied, but in a voice barely above a whisper.
‘But you did intend to force her to return to her father,’ Phillip persisted.
‘I had no idea that Horace had murdered his wife,’ Henry announced.
‘Really? But you didn’t think it odd that he was so concerned for his daughter he sent you to fetch her when his thugs failed to snatch her off the streets?’ Phillip raked the man with a dour look. ‘You must think I am as stupid as you look.’ Promptly turning his back, he returned to Carlotta’s side.
‘I have to ask you to come into the study,’ Oliver began. ‘If you don’t, and refuse to answer our questions, I shall have you arrested for failing to provide information relevant to our investigation. It will earn you a good couple of years behind bars.’
Henry gulped and followed Oliver meekly into the study. Everyone followed them into the large room. Phillip slid open a couple of shutters overlooking the driveway and took up position before the fireplace. Henry was waved into one of the high-backed chairs beside him. The rest of the men positioned themselves either beside the windows or the doors. Henry knew he was going nowhere until he had told them what they wanted to know.