by Rebecca King
“I live with my aunt,” Clara informed him.
“Why isn’t she going to church with you?”
“She is a little infirm, and doesn’t get out much,” Clara replied, seeing no reason to lie to him.
“Well, don’t go out alone again, infirm aunt or not. Your friend, Boyle, might have been sent away for now but he won’t have gone far. As soon as he knows I have gone, he will pester again not least because he doesn’t believe we are engaged either.”
“You don’t think Edith believed me?” Clara asked, horrified at the notion.
“Oh, I think your friend believed every word, but I know you are a liar, Miss Potter, and I know we are not engaged,” Niall snapped. “What in the world possessed you to do such a thing?”
“You are shouting.” Clara slid a look up and down the empty road they were on and prayed that Erasmus wasn’t nearby and could hear him.
Niall tutted and sighed and dug deep for his patience. When he spoke again he did everything possible to ensure his voice was considerably lower but no less fierce.
“I think he will do everything possible to find out if your engagement is real. If nobody knows for certain or can confirm it then he is going to assume that you have lied, and I am your lover. That is going to make a letch like him considerably worse because he is going to question your morals.”
“My morals are sound, thank you very much,” Clara snapped.
“Really. So why are you suddenly telling your friends in the village that I am your fiancé? I am a total stranger. We have never met before. You know nothing about me. How do you know that I am not responsible for kidnapping those young women off the street in Leicestershire?”
Clara went cold. “Are you?” she asked boldly.
“That isn’t the bloody point, is it? You know I am not, or I would have left Boyle to snatch you and then taken you off him,” Niall snapped. “I could accost you right now, or didn’t you think about that?”
Clara wasn’t at all sure she should be so thrilled by the prospect of being accosted by Niall. With Erasmus, she would scream and kick and create a rumpus. With Niall, well, she might complain a little, for a while.
Niall stared at her in abject horror when she seemed to seriously be considering him doing just that and not finding it as repulsive as he had hoped.
“Mary, mother of God,” he growled, openly horrified.
“I am not going to get accosted by you,” Clara shrugged. “It is a moot point really, isn’t it?”
Niall folded his arms to stop himself from trying to shake some common sense into her. Didn’t she have even one ounce of self-preservation in her?
“It was a bloody stupid thing to do to lie to your friend like that,” he snapped. “What are you going to do when you need to present me again but can’t?”
“I shall-” Clara stopped to consider that for a moment. “I shall tell them that you have had to go away on business and won’t be back for a while. Then, while you have gone away, I shall say you have, er, died in a carriage accident or something?”
Niall threw her an askance look. “Oh, so I am to be banished from ever returning to Serpentine, or the surrounding area, am I? All because you have to lie to people.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Well, I didn’t see anybody twisting your arm up your back when you stood on that road just how telling your friend so many lies. You were discussing where we were getting married, for God’s sake,” Niall snarled. “How do you know that I am not worse than Erasmus?”
Thankfully, the street they were on only had three other houses on it, but they were all encased in darkness which indicated that nobody was at home or able to see them standing toe-to-toe in the middle of the street.
“You wouldn’t have ridden to my rescue if you were just like him,” Clara replied with an off-hand shrug. “Thank you for your help by the way.”
“Don’t put yourself in that kind of situation again. It is highly irresponsible and I won’t be around to rescue you next time,” Niall snapped.
“I am not going to put myself in any situation like that willingly but like I have said, this village is usually perfectly safe.”
“Well, it quite clearly isn’t, is it? I mean, firstly you are accosted by Erasmus back there, and now you are here, all alone, with a stranger. Does that seem a sensible thing to do to you?” Niall demanded, struggling to keep his voice at an even volume. “When will your father be back? I think he needs to be informed about your lies before he hears of our fictitious engagement.”
“My father isn’t here.”
“Where is he?”
“London.”
“It’s Atticus Potter, isn’t it?” Niall demanded, making it clear he could put a stop to her lies quite quickly if she didn’t.
“Yes. Do you know him?” Clara asked warily.
Deep in the back of her mind his mention of London rang hollowly. She began to suspect she had been right to think he was one of the Star Elite.
“No. I have heard he lives here, that’s all,” Niall replied sharply.
Clara waved a hand to the house. “Would you like to come in and meet my aunt?”
“What, so you can tell your aunt where we are going to live when we are married?” Niall snapped sarcastically. “No thank you. I have just about had enough of being embroiled in your sordid little shenanigans.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Clara cried.
“Well, you should have thought about what you were doing before you set out all alone. A woman like you should know not to go out without a chaperone. Just what were you thinking? Or do you not think? Do you not stop to consider anybody else?” Niall challenged.
“Of course I do,” Clara cried.
“Really? Well, you haven’t stopped to consider me. I have helped you yet got repaid be being lied about and dragged into a fictitious engagement. Now, because I stupidly helped a foolish female walking about unchaperoned, I am supposed to sacrifice my freedom and never return to Serpentine.”
“You don’t have to sacrifice anything,” Clara snapped, deeply upset that he should find marriage to her so objectionable.
Niall huffed. “As long as I don’t ever return to Serpentine or the surrounding area just in case the locals see me and discover you have lied about my death? Great, so I have been a saviour, married, settled with children, and have now died all within the space of an hour.”
He shook his head, more than a little stunned that she could create a fictitious story with such ease. He could only be grateful that he wasn’t engaged to her or God only knew what lies she would tell him.
“Take a word of advice from me, if you can ever manage to persuade someone to take you on, try not to forge a relationship with the poor bastard based on a pack of lies.”
“I wasn’t aware that I was trying to forge a relationship with you,” Clara retorted, carefully ignoring the hurt that coursed through her.
Niall sucked in a deep breath to steady himself. In all his life he had never met anybody who had the ability to irritate him and knock him out of his usual calm, unflappable self with such ease. Clara Potter had the uncanny ability to make him want to tear at his hair within minutes of meeting her.
“I shall fix it,” Clara assured him, although had no idea how because her friends would be discussing her engagement for several weeks to come.
It was horrible. Niall was horrible.
No, he isn’t. He just objects to you lying about him.
“I am sorry,” she whispered contritely. “I don’t know why I did that. It isn’t something I usually do.”
But Niall wasn’t prepared to allow her off the hook so easily. “You cannot just conscript a man into being your sodding fiancé like he is joining the Army. It isn’t fair on any man to create such a web of fabricated nonsense. I know a village like this might be short on eligible suitors, but I thought I was doing a good deed riding to your rescue. I should have damned well left you to Erasmus.”
Clara was, by now, struggling to contain her tears. She stared at Niall who, in just a few short minutes, had covered her with an icy scorn that seared her soul. Now, she felt incredibly foolish, and so miserable that she struggled to stop her chin from wobbling.
Niall knew he was being far too harsh on her, and regretted every word he had just said, but it was too late to take them back. From the look on her face, Clara Potter was deeply upset, but he hoped she was if only to stop her from doing something so foolish as to walk about at night alone. The thought of any man taking advantage of her was enough to send him out of his mind and make him want to start punching.
I am here to do a job. Keeping her safe is part of that job, and if that means warning her off being so bloody reckless with her own safety then that is what I am here to do. Whether she is upset or not does not concern me.
“Let’s get you home. Overnight, I suggest you give some serious thought to what you are going to tell your friends. I do expect you to tell the truth because I am not going to stay away from Serpentine just to support your lies,” he growled. “I have every intention of coming back to this area whenever I see fit. Do you understand?”
Thankfully, they didn’t need to walk any further than through the gate and up the narrow garden path that led to Clara’s front door, but that distance was covered in a stony silence that was fraught with tension. At the door, Clara turned to look at him with sad eyes.
“I am sorry for all of the trouble I put you through. In the morning, I shall do everything in my power to set the record straight with Edith, preferably before she does something rash like tell the village.”
Niall almost wept with relief at the thought of being able to shove her through the door beside them and leave her far behind. The urge to reach out and sweep that single curl that had escaped from the band of her bonnet away from her lip was strong. He couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for how harsh he had been on her, even though he knew it had been done with the best of intentions.
“Well?” he muttered, clenching his fist and diverting his gaze to the door.
Clara looked blankly at him. “Well, what?”
“Are you going inside, or do you expect me to leave you here for Erasmus to find?” Niall snapped impatiently.
“Who are you?” Clara asked, well aware that he had failed to answer her the last time she had asked.
“I told you.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I am not here to tell you everything about myself. I have helped you enough tonight. Now go inside and stay there,” Niall growled.
“Is Niall your real name?” For some reason, Clara refused to allow the matter to drop. If he was from the Star Elite, something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Or else he wouldn’t be in a small, out of the way place like Serpentine.
“Yes.” Niall could see no reason to lie to her.
“Do you work for the Star Elite?” Clara tipped her chin up and waited.
Niall blinked at her mention of the Star Elite and went still. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask who had told her about the Star Elite, but he knew that would reveal far too much about who he was and why he was in Serpentine. He knew instantly what she was asking him, and that if he confirmed anything she would demand to know all the details.
“What?”
“You are one of them, aren’t you, the Star Elite? Has my father sent you?”
“I can assure you that I am just passing through. I have no idea what you are talking about,” Niall protested. This time, he waved toward the house. “Are you going in?”
Clara nodded but still didn’t move.
Niall placed his hands on his hips and waited. His gaze turned challenging.
Clara stared at him. “You are from the Star Elite.” It wasn’t a question.
Niall lifted his brows. “You had better hope that I am, or you have just put yourself in a stupidly dangerous situation that you have no hope of ever getting out of alive.”
“You won’t hurt me,” Clara assured him with a certainty that came straight from the heart.
Niall’s brows lifted. He stepped closer, hoping that his size and strength would make her step away. He saw her eyes flash with temper, and mentally cursed when she stood her ground. The second he drew near, the tension between them became palpable. It was unlike anything he had experienced before. It was worrying, but not because of any sinister threat. It was sensual; a hint of promise of a mutual attraction and a need neither of them dared acknowledge. It was enough to make him squint suspiciously at her. Whatever caused it, Niall had no intention of being tempted into doing anything rash like kiss her.
Despite his determination not to give in to temptation, Niall’s gaze fell to Clara’s lips where they lingered for several moments. He instinctively stepped closer when he heard her faint gasp. It drew his gaze up to hers but he didn’t see any worry hidden in the steady stare she was giving him. Instead, he saw a need that matched his own.
“Go home,” he growled. “Go. It is dark, cold, and you should not be out on the street like me with this. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is? You don’t know me.”
“I know you are one of them.”
“Who?”
“The Star Elite,” she murmured for his ears only. “How many of you are there, and why are you here?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Niall repeated. When she still didn’t budge, he stepped closer a little more until they were almost touching.
Before he could decide what to do, the sound of horses’ hooves broke the sensual silence. Niall blinked and mentally cursed because he suspected he already knew who the latest arrival was. Sure enough, when he looked over his shoulder it was to see Erasmus Boyle trotting steadily toward them on his curricle.
“Your boyfriend has arrived,” Niall murmured sarcastically.
“He is not my boyfriend,” Clara bit out.
“Are you sure?”
“I am positive. He is a pest,” Clara hissed. “If you are from the Star Elite, you should know what to do about him.”
Niall’s lips twitched. “Just what do you expect me to do with an overly persistent suitor? I can hardly arrest him – assuming I am with the Star Elite, of course. Being attracted to someone is not a crime.”
“I know that, but accosting young women in the street is,” Clara said.
“Not if that young woman is foolish enough to be out on the street alone.”
“Do you really think that now is the time to lecture me?” Clara squinted at him and heaved a sigh of disgust when Erasmus appeared over Niall’s shoulder.
When Clara looked over his shoulder there was such a worried look of vulnerability on her face that made Niall realise that he had to do something to help her. Without thinking about what he was doing he captured her chin and turned her face up to his. He didn’t even look at Erasmus when he drew alongside them. Niall was too busy capturing Clara’s soft gasp with his lips.
The kiss was nothing more than a brief brush of his lips against hers and was over the moment that Erasmus had passed by but left both Clara and Niall shaken and even more on edge. The only good thing to come from it was that Erasmus Boyle had seen enough to know that he had a fight on his hands if he wished to continue to pester Clara.
Without saying a word, Niall stepped back and captured Clara’s hand in his. Thankfully, she went willingly when he tugged her toward her front door. He stepped back while she unlocked it and nudged the door open. The interior of the house was still and quiet, and a little cold, but he didn’t venture inside. Instead, Niall nudged her through the door and stared at her through the darkness. When he glanced at Erasmus, it was to find the man had turned in his seat to watch Niall and Clara – until he had to turn out of the end of the street.
“He will be back, so close your shutters without putting a candle on. That way, he won’t know which room you are in. Then light all the candles and keep them on as long as you can. Let them burn down
if you can, so he doesn’t know where you are if he is watching the house.”
Clara nodded. She was now more convinced than ever that Niall was indeed one of the Star Elite. Only one of the Star Elite would ever think of such things as needing to hide and people watching houses. It was a large part of their work.
“Besides Erasmus, am I in any danger?” Clara asked quietly. “If my father has sent you, don’t you think I should know?”
Niall contemplated what to tell her. “Remember what happened to those women who were snatched in Leicestershire and Derbyshire. They were young women just like you. Don’t forget that. No woman is safe. Ever. Don’t go out without a chaperone, not least because he won’t stop just yet.”
Niall pointed a finger after Erasmus.
“Is that why you are here? Has someone threatened to snatch me like they did them?” she whispered, feeling slightly sick at the prospect.
“I have no idea what you keep going on about,” Niall snapped. “Wherever your father is, he should know how incredibly dangerous your situation is. If your relation isn’t agile enough to escort you anywhere then you are no better off living with her than you would be living alone. Don’t go out after dark again, and make sure that you lock all your doors and windows. Whatever happens, don’t answer your door without checking who is on your doorstep. It won’t do for you to give Erasmus the opportunity to get a foot over the threshold. A man like him will take every advantage of your weakness, especially if you are alone together in your house.”
With that, Niall stepped back and turned to leave. He only got half-way to the gate when he realised that Clara hadn’t closed the door. Rather than leave, he turned to glare at her.
“If I see you out again at this time of night, I shall have no hesitation in scaring you into going home,” he warned.
Clara, with a shiver, could do nothing more than stare after him. She was a little annoyed that he had the arrogance to try to tell her what to do. A part of her had to remind herself that he was doing so to prevent a repeat of the ugly scene with Erasmus earlier, but she was still galled that a man like Niall didn’t think she was capable of looking after herself.