Her blue eyes lifted to him at once.
“Never be afraid in my presence. I would never hurt you.”
“I know that.” She wrinkled her brow as though the thought disturbed her. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me.”
That alleviated some of his worries.
“But why?” she asked. “Why could I not know your true name? Are you married, my lord? Tell me the truth.”
“I’m not.” He crossed the room. “I’m not married.”
“Then why?” She frowned. “I don’t understand it. Why get Belle and Jeremy to lie for you? I don’t know who I can trust.”
His stomach turned. “It was… a complicated matter. For reasons I can’t explain, I could not be myself that night. I was to play the part of someone else.”
She lifted a brow. “Like an actor in a play?”
“No, more like an agent of a military. A spy.”
Her eyes widened. “Military. Yes, Lord Bowland. I read about you in the paper. You’re a general.”
“General Astger. It is what people usually call me.”
She seemed to settle somewhat. “And you’re still in the military?”
He tilted his head left and right. “In a way.” He wouldn’t tell her he worked for Van Dero. Not yet. With everything that was happening to her, they’d need time. “Once a general, always a general. One never relinquishes their rank.”
She nodded in understanding.
“Do you believe me?”
“Yes.” She bit her lip.
He stepped closer and placed his hands on her arms. “So, will you come with me? I can keep you safe.”
She smiled at him. It was the first time. “I know you can, but I wish to go with Lord Venmont.”
Still?
She placed a hand on his chest. “Please, I must.”
“Why?”
She swallowed. “I don’t wish to tell you. You might think me silly.”
“I’d never think you silly, unless of course, you are being silly.”
She laughed and his lungs expanded for his first true breath in minutes.
She closed her eyes and placed her hands on his chest. “I stopped explaining this to people long ago, but it’s something I have to do.” When her eyes found his again, they were serious. “You must swear you won’t think less of me.” She pulled away, already doubting him.
He wrapped his arms around her. “Tell me.”
∫ ∫ ∫
2 2
* * *
Vita tried to be strong, but she was always weak upon the subject of her mother.
Remy pulled her closer and Vita placed her head against his chest. With her ear over his heart, she listened to the powerful beating and sighed.
“You can tell me anything,” he whispered. “Never be afraid to say what’s on your mind.”
She laughed.
“What?”
She shook her head and leaned back to look up at him. “I’ve been told the exact opposite all my life. I must be careful about what I say and how much of it I say. I was taught that it was best for me to remain silent.”
“Speak, don’t speak. It matters not to me. What matters is that you are well and safe.” He bent his head. “And that I can be the one to make that happen and hold you while I do it.”
She swallowed. Though she’d had a strong feeling about him the night they’d met, she’d been unsure about him. There had been desire. That had been evident in his breeches. But anything more had seemed impossible.
He’d been keeping his distance. He’d been a man of mystery. She’d craved his thoughts, his attention.
The mystery was unfolding before her eyes. “You’re different.”
He didn’t bother to pretend he didn’t know what she was talking about. “I know what I want now.”
Was it her?
Those words, while they made her glad, also troubled her.
He seemed certain of his wants at present, but with a single word, she could make him take it all back. How many others had abandoned her once she’d said something ill-mannered or ‘not right’?
She was pretty but would always be at her best when she kept her mouth closed.
His dark gaze settled on her mouth before returning to her eyes. “If you’re wondering what it is I want, I mean you. I wish to court you.”
She smiled. “Oh, that’s so lovely. I thought you wanted something else?”
“Else?”
“Less. I thought you would only want me for a time and then be done.” This was the sort of talking her father had tried to stop.
His eyes went blank. His voice cool. “Have other men made you such offers, Vita?”
She recalled the violence of last night and something warned her against answering that question. “Let’s go back to talking about you and me.”
He took her hand and kissed it. “I would like to get to know you and see if you should like to spend forever together.”
“Forever,” she breathed and then bit her lip. She wanted nothing more.
“Come with me,” he said. “Let us discover if there is more beyond what we shared with each other that fateful night.”
“Are you certain you want to court me?”
He stiffened. “You can say no if you wish. I know you might consider me old, but...”
She smiled. “Old? No. I feel as though I didn’t start living until I met you. I only existed.” She sighed. “I fear you saw me as naive and childish.”
He tilted his head this way and that. “Naive? Perhaps…”
She snatched her hand back and took a step away.
He tracked her every step. “It was unwise to look for me. You could have been hurt by any number of men at the docks or by Lord Dunst himself. That being said, I could never be with a woman I didn’t consider intelligent. She would have to raise our offspring after all.”
As he trapped her against the door once more, Vita’s core tightened. Was he already thinking of her fat with children?
“Am I moving too fast?” he asked, placing his hands on her hips. “I apologize. I just feel like I’ve wasted enough time being apart.”
She kissed him first, throwing herself around him.
He picked her up and Vita felt as though she could fly.
He placed her down somewhere soft. The couch. The shadow of growth on his chin scraped her as his mouth moved over her exposed throat and lower. Thrills, one after another, shot through her.
Vita struggled to breathe over the storm of desire that swallowed her and made black spots cloud her vision. “Dunn.”
“Remy,” he growled. With the way his hands sculpted her body, she felt like clay in his hands.
She gasped.
He lifted his head. “Breathe.”
On his command, she did. The air stopped the burning in her lungs.
He kissed her lips gently and then pulled away.
Her vision returned. The light from the open window made his skin glow. The bronze color was almost too golden to be real. His eyes were so dark, the perfect slate for his emotions. She saw the desire for her in their depths.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Like I’ve drunk too much.”
His brows twitched. His gaze turned pensive. “Hmm. That’s doesn’t sound good.”
She laughed and remembered what she’d done the last time she’d drank too much. “My stomach feels fine, I can assure you.”
“Excellent. Now, tell me what’s troubling you.”
She sat up. “No, I rather not. I like you like this, liking me. I wish to keep you this way.”
“There are only so many things you could say to stop my pursuit of you.”
“Like?” she asked.
He frowned, but his expression softened when she cupped his rough cheek. It was unbelievable to her that this man wanted her.
General Astger. He’d been in the papers because he and some other gentlemen had been awarded titles for their victories against Napoleon.
<
br /> As she let her fingers drift over his strong chin, she thought he looked like a leader. So fierce. He made everything so exciting.
A knock sounded on the door and she got up to open it.
She needed more time. Maybe if he loved her, he’d never leave.
How long would it take for the perfect man to love her?
A young man stood on the other side.
He had Remy’s dark eyes.
“Noel.” Remy moved forward. “Lady Vita Castella, this is my nephew, Noel Trouble.”
Noel bowed. “My lady.”
“I’m not done speaking to Lady Vita,” Remy said. “Give us a few more minutes.”
Vita stopped Remy from closing the door. They’d talked. Then they’d done more than talk. If he closed the door now, she couldn’t foresee conversation being all that would take place.
Remembering what he’d asked of her in the beginning, she said, “I accept your courtship.”
He smiled. “Good.”
“But I am going with Lord Venmont to Venmont Hill.” She had to do it now while she had the chance. She didn’t know if it would come again. She had to find her mother.
Was Lady Holly Castella somewhere close to the marquess’ property? Did the marquess know her? Maybe her mother hadn’t stayed. Perhaps, they’d met, and he could point her in the right direction or someone else could.
Vita had so many questions. The need to know was so great that it ached.
Fifteen years had come to this moment.
As she looked at Remy, she saw her future, but she could not leave the past to rest.
Remy looked ready to protest.
“Can we go as well?” the young boy asked. It was only then that Vita noticed the excitement in his eyes. “Lord Leo has been telling me about the property. He said there are legends about the woods and the people who used to live there and a cave. Then Lord Venmont said he’d teach me how to build my own weapons and hunt. Can we go?”
Vita looked at Remy, and her heart constricted. She both wanted him to come and wanted him to refuse his nephew. This matter with her mother… Vita feared the outcome. She felt more comfortable approaching this matter with a stranger like Lord Venmont than with someone she cared for.
What if Remy learned of her pursuit and told her what she already suspected? Her search was futile and perhaps naïve. What if he second-guessed being with her? She wanted no one else.
Remy read her face, and his gaze narrowed. He didn’t bother to look at his nephew as he answered, “You know, I believe that is a wonderful idea, Noel. Yes, let us go to Venmont Hill.”
∫ ∫ ∫
2 3
* * *
Vita allowed Remy to walk her down the hall in the inn. They were only stopping long enough to have a meal and they would continue on.
She was tired and wanted to sleep in a bed, but she understood the danger of staying anywhere for too long. Venmont had told her they’d not be safe until they made it to his property.
At the door to the private facilities, Remy put a hand on her elbow.
Though noise from the front room carried down the shadowy hall, there was no one but them in sight.
“Perhaps, I should come in with you,” he said. “I was told you slipped through a window the last time you were alone in such a room.”
Vita rolled her eyes. “I know I’m in danger. I don’t need company. I only plan to relieve myself and then I’ll join the rest of you.” She shot daggers at him.
It was all she’d been doing whenever their gazes met all day.
Not only had Remy decided to come on this journey, but he hadn’t left her alone with Venmont for a second. How was she to ask her questions if he was always around? He, Leo, and Noel had ridden their horses north but had managed to fit themselves into the coach’s compartment for the journey.
Being angry with Remy had been hard, especially since he’d sat right next to her.
Every time she’d tried to make it clear that she was angered by his presence, the carriage would dip or jump at some hole in the road and Remy would use the occasion to rub himself against her.
The first time his arm had grazed the side of her breast, she inhaled sharply but was certain it had been an accident.
But then it happened again and again.
By the time they’d stopped to change the horses for the first time, Vita was ready to pull her hair out in lustful frustration.
Once back in the carriage, he’d used every occasion to crowd her into her corner. He repeatedly bent his head to ask if she’d said something, even when she hadn’t. And then he’d ask if she were comfortable and all right.
When he’d asked, she’d known he was only doing it so he’d have an excuse to push closer, but she could also sense the genuine nature of his inquiry. He wanted her to feel safe.
She did.
Who couldn’t when there were three deadly men in the carriage who had all proven they could protect her? Noel had asked a hundred questions, which kept Leo and Venmont engaged during her short spats with Remy.
But as she looked into Remy’s eyes, she sensed she would not get the fight she wanted.
“Are you certain you don’t need company?” Remy stepped closer.
Vita’s cheeks burned. “You know I’m angry with you.”
He cupped her head. “Yes, but until you tell me why, I’m going to pretend that you’re not.”
She scoffed. “I honestly don’t know what you say to you right now, which is not normal for me, since I usually know what to say at all times. Or rather, I know what I want to say, even if I don’t say it.”
He narrowed his eyes, and she could see him trying to work out what she said. Then he shrugged.
Shrugged!
“I’ll just continue to ignore you,” she said.
He placed his hands at her hips. “Very well. Then I’ll just continue to touch you.” Placing his mouth by her ear, he said, “Tell me when to stop… Oh, but wait, you’re ignoring me.” She felt his smile.
She balled her fist at her side and pressed her lips together as his fingers started to creep over her body.
She should tell him to stop, but that would mean speaking and she was ignoring him.
But who was she trying to fool? She wanted his touch.
She sighed as he neared a place she wanted his hands most. “Were you this annoying as a child?”
He laughed and pulled away. “Maybe. My mother went through a few spoons before she realized beating me wouldn’t work.”
Vita shook her head. “Your mother disciplined you herself? You had no nurse?”
His features softened. “No. We couldn’t afford such luxuries during my childhood. My family comes from the working class. My father was a farmer.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t known. “And how did you manage to get the commission to join the military?”
“With both my parents dead and my sister married and living elsewhere, I sold everything,” he told her.
“Your parents are gone?” That saddened her. She thought of her father and how much she was looking forward to seeing him again. She also thought about her mother…
“Yes. They’ve been gone for some years now,” he said. “I’m glad Toni was able to marry before they did.”
She knew Toni was his sister. “And so, you sold everything after they went? Everything? Including your house?”
He nodded.
She frowned. “But where would you go when you weren’t on duty?”
“I made friends along the way,” he said. “There were people willing to give me shelter for a few weeks at a time before I was called for again. After a while, I remained on duty.”
She found all that very fascinating, even more so that he didn’t seem ashamed of his past. He didn’t care that he’d been poor and that she’d grown up with a silver spoon between her lips. She had a feeling he’d claim her right then and there if he could.
She swallowed back the heady thought. “Are you still frie
nds with the men you met?”
“Yes,” he confirmed.
“Good.” She wrinkled her nose. “If we marry, you’ll need somewhere to rest your head when I get angry.”
He laughed, and it looked to come from a warm place deep within. “If this is what our fights will be like twenty years down the road, then I confess that I’m looking forward to them.”
She spun away and opened the door to the room she wished to enter. “Go away.” She closed it behind her.
“Did you say something?” he asked. “Did you ask for a kiss?”
She groaned and then smiled.
And then gasped.
There was a window at the top of the room.
A man leaned through, aiming a gun at her.
* * *
Remy returned to the main room and took a seat at the table with Oliver and Leo.
The two men were grinning.
Most people found it hard to believe that the two men were brothers. Oliver’s hair was a striking red while Leo’s was dark brown. Oliver’s face had harsh lines that only grew more defined when he grinned while Leo’s features were sharp but in a classic way.
Leo could have easily been the muse for a sculpture or painting.
But the brother had the same eyes, the blue of calm skies.
Oliver liked to call it the blue of a suffocating man.
Remy didn’t dare challenge him to prove it.
Ale was placed before Remy, and he took a sip before he spoke. “Where is Noel?”
“Tending his horse,” Oliver said. “He wouldn’t let anyone else see to him.”
Remy had noticed his nephew’s attachment to the beast he’d bought him. The black stallion had been costly. He was glad to know the animal was being well cared for.
“Don’t you have something to say to us?” Leo asked. “A thank you, perhaps.”
Remy’s lips pulled to the side. “I could have handled the matter on my own.”
Oliver barked a laugh and slammed his fist on the table. “Oh, is that so? I believe Lady Vita didn’t even want to talk to you before we left you two alone in Mrs. Layton’s drawing-room.”
Vita hadn’t wanted to talk to him, but he’d gotten much more than words from her in the end. He’d keep those details to himself.
A Knight to Dare: (The Valiant Love Regency Romance) (A Historical Romance Book) Page 11
