“I hardly see how she could refuse, since you’ve been so kind,” Agatha verbally prodded when Harmony remained silent and unmoving.
Harmony glanced from Anthony to Agatha. If she only knew, Harmony thought. If she only knew that the “lord” her sister was so eager to have her step out with was a kidnapper and a thief. The irony of it made her smile.
“I shall take that as acquiescence,” Anthony said swiftly, and crooked his arm.
The shock had begun to wear off. Against all odds, he had found a way to come back to her. And the irony was truly delicious, the taste of it ambrosia to her soul. Harmony took Anthony’s arm.
The coach was resplendent. Its black sides glistened as if they were wet. The trim appeared to be gold, as did the metal appointments on the harness. The horses themselves were magnificent: four perfectly matched blood bays with white diamonds on their foreheads and almost perfectly matched white stockings all around. Harmony caught her breath. In the doorway behind her, Agatha oohed and aahed.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a glorious vehicle, Lord Farmington, or such magnificent horses,” she gushed.
“This coach’s greatest asset is its coachman, whose vision is uncannily sharp.”
Harmony glanced at the coachman, who held the door for her. His features, which were pulled downward and resembled melting wax, remained impassive. He was obviously in on Anthony’s little charade. Maybe even a compatriot, a fellow bandit. She winked at him as she climbed into the carriage.
Harmony felt she had fallen down a hole and into another dream world. The coach tilted slightly and the sunlight was momentarily blotted out as Anthony climbed inside and sat down beside her. It tilted to the opposite side when the coachman climbed up to his bench. She heard the crack of the driving whip and felt the crunch of the gravel beneath the carriage wheels. They were on their way. She turned to Anthony.
“How long before we’re arrested for driving a stolen coach?”
Anthony threw back his head and laughed.
“It wasn’t all that funny.”
“Oh, Harmony … Harmony.” He paused to wipe a tear from his eye. “There’s really no one like you. Everything I’ve done is worth it to have found you, gotten to know you, and come back for you.”
“I do hope you mean that, Anthony. I hope it’s worth it to you. How long is the sentence, do you suppose, for stealing a carriage? Not to mention a fine suit of clothes like that.” She glanced pointedly at Anthony’s attire: the beautifully cut dove gray jacket and ruffled shirt; skintight, dust-colored breeches; a diamond pin in his maroon silk cravat.
“Do you like them?” He brushed an imaginary speck of dust from his knee. “I shall pass the compliment on to my tailor.”
Harmony had had enough. “Stop it, Anthony. Stop pretending. It isn’t funny anymore. It’s serious. You’re going to get caught being this brazen! If my sister gets even a whiff of your deception, she’ll … she’ll …”
“She’ll what? Have me skinned?”
“Knowing her, yes. She probably will, as a matter of fact.”
“Does this mean you care what happens to me?”
“Oh, Anthony.” The shock of seeing him when she had never thought to lay eyes on him again, the strain of knowing the risk he was taking to see her, all took its toll. Tears welled in Harmony’s eyes.
“Harmony …”
“No, don’t touch me.” She turned away when Anthony tried to brush away her tears. “Just take me back, Anthony. Please. I’m so frightened for you!”
“Harmony.” This time he didn’t allow her to turn from him. He grasped her shoulders with gentle firmness. “Look at me. Please.”
Slowly, reluctantly, Harmony raised her eyes.
“Nothing’s going to happen to me. I promise. No one’s going to arrest me for theft because these really are my clothes and this really is my coach. I traveled all over England to find four Hackney horses that matched this well and I trained them myself. I really am a lord, Harmony. I really am.”
Harmony shook her head, hardly able to even think straight anymore. “No,” she whispered. “You … you’re the man who kidnapped me. For ransom. I saw the note. You robbed our coach. You took my ring.”
Anthony took Harmony’s hand in his and turned the sapphire ring on her finger. “Now I’ve brought it back. Whoever would have thought such a small gem could bring a man such great good fortune?”
Harmony continued to shake her head, although she was scarcely aware she was doing so. Her thoughts were very far away. Back at an inn with a cut-crystal decanter of first-class brandy. Crystal stemware and fine wine. A bandit with manicured hands. A bandit who knew a great deal about horses. Hackney horses, no less. She’d read about them. They were a popular and quite refined English breed. And Anthony also apparently knew a great deal about cattle.
“Where … where do you live?” Harmony asked at length, a thoughtful furrow on her brow.
“Far to the north of here.”
“On a farm?”
“Well, yes. Sort of.”
“That has cattle?”
Anthony visibly brightened. “Excellent guess, yes. I’m doing experimental breeding with a cross of Highland cattle, as a matter of fact.”
Either he was a very, very good liar. Or he was telling the truth. At last.
Anthony had no warning of the danger to come. One moment he was looking into the loveliest blue eyes on the face of the planet. In the next moment they had narrowed and he saw her hand coming at his face.
“Ow!”
“I hope that did hurt, Anthony Allen … or whatever your name is!”
“Harmony, why—?”
“Don’t you dare ask me any questions!” Harmony flared. “It’s you who should be giving answers. And they’d better be good!”
“All right.” Anthony held up his hands in surrender. “I apologize. I do. You’re absolutely right. What do you want to know?”
“You can start with why you robbed our coach and stole my ring. I think I’ll find it extremely fascinating to learn why Lord Farmington was reduced to holding up two women alone in a coach.”
“All right … all right.” Anthony tentatively lowered his hands. “I’m sorry. I really am, Harmony.”
“Just start talking.”
“I will, I … I know it was ridiculous. But it was the only thing I could think of at the time. I had to stop the coach. I had to see if you were real.”
“So, in order to see if I was real, you shot off your gun and robbed the coach.”
“Yes, well … let me start at the beginning.”
“Please, be my guest.”
Anthony took a deep breath. “I had business down on the docks and saw you get off the ship. I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on. Despite how forward it would have been, I wanted to introduce myself to you immediately. But you were carried away in the disembarking crowd. I lost sight of you.” Anthony’s dark eyes seemed to lose focus as his thoughts went back in time.
“I finally spotted you and your sister leaving in a coach and followed it to your hotel.”
“Why didn’t you come and introduce yourself then?”
“You’ll recall the way I was dressed.”
“Yes. Which is another good question. Why would a lord dress like that at all?”
“I enjoy the ride when I have to come to London. I like to ride alone and I don’t like to look conspicuous.”
“So you dress like a … ‘man of the people.'”
“Exactly.”
“And you stay in cozy little inns along the way where they call you Tony and have no idea who you really are.”
Anthony had the good grace to flush. “Right again. It’s just easier that way. I pay them well to supply the things I like. They’re friendly and I like that, too. It
wouldn’t be the same if they knew who I really was.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you robbed our coach.”
�
�Well, I didn’t. Not actually. You see, I … I couldn’t go into your hotel, so I decided I’d come back the next morning, early, and wait for you to come out. But I didn’t get there early enough, I guess. You’d already left.”
“So you rode after us.”
“Yes. And rode hard, too. I had the devil of a time catching up to you. When I finally saw your coach, I … well, I got this wild idea.”
“To rob us.”
“Foolishness, I admit. But then I am often foolish, I’m afraid, and inclined to believe I can get away with things that aren’t actually possible. I decided to play a little game. I never intended to steal anything, you understand. I only hoped to make a rather impressive introduction. But you … you didn’t react at all as I had expected.”
“You mean I spoiled your little game.”
“Just the opposite. You enhanced it, rather. Made it more intriguing.”
“To the point that you decided to kidnap me?”
Anthony sighed heavily. He looked out the window for a moment, thoughtful, then returned his attention to Harmony. “The first time I saw you I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. As I said, I had to see you again, see if you were real. Posing as a bandit was a game, a lark. I never intended to be … bowled over by you. I didn’t think you’d turn out to be not only the loveliest woman in the world, but the most fascinating. I knew then I’d have to see you again. But after what I’d done, I thought you would never want to see me. I feared I’d never get the chance to know you better. Or to have you get to know me better, and know I wasn’t such a bad sort after all. I knew you’d never willingly agree to see me again, and that’s when I came up with the idea to see you, well … unwillingly.”
“Kidnap.”
“Yes. It wasn’t such a stretch since I’d already masqueraded as a bandit.”
“What about the note? Why didn’t you simply take me?”
“What would your sister have thought if you disappeared for the night?”
“Exactly the same thing she thought even though you left the note.”
“You don’t mean …?” Anthony’s expression grew more sober still. His black, finely drawn brows knit together. “She accused you of—?”
“Running off with the bandit who robbed us,” Harmony finished for him. “Leaving the note not for ransom, but extortion. She said we planned to use the money to finance our elopement.”
Anthony shook his head. “That … that’s almost unbelievable.”
“True, nonetheless.”
“I … I’m sorry, Harmony. I didn’t mean to cause trouble for you.”
“What about the trouble you could have caused for yourself? What if she had alerted the authorities?”
“I didn’t worry, to tell you the truth. Because I … well, I am who I am.”
“So the only person who was worried throughout all of this was me.” Harmony felt her emotions begin to swing. She had been so glad to see Anthony, so relieved. Now her temper was taking over. “The only person who was genuinely frightened was me.”
“Harmony—”
“Once you had me, why didn’t you tell me who you were?” she demanded, voice rising. “Why did you have to keep playing your stupid little game?”
Anthony hung his head. He stared at his hands, then looked up again at Harmony. “You’re a remarkable woman. When I realized how remarkable, I knew you were far better than I, no matter what my lineage. I realized I should simply enjoy the time I had with you and let you go. I’d never be good enough for you. There was no point in telling you the truth because I never thought I’d see you again.”
“But if you had just been honest with me …” It was all too much suddenly. Furious with herself for doing so, Harmony started to cry.
“I’m being honest now,” Anthony replied quietly.
“Well, it’s too late!” Harmony had already twisted the door handle before she realized the coach was moving at a brisk clip. Sobbing with frustration and anger, she pounded on the door. “Stop the coach … stop!”
“No, you stop, Harmony.”
Anthony’s arms were muscular and his hands strong. He held her as gently as he could while she struggled against him. Finally he managed to turn her back to face him.
“Listen to me. Please. The greatest mistake of all was in coming back today to reveal my true identity. I know that now. I should have left it as I did, with you thinking of me as a criminal. At least you liked that man. It’s quite evident that you loathe this one.”
Harmony couldn’t seem to stop crying. It was no use even trying. Surrendering to the flood of emotion that threatened to drown her, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed brokenly.
“Oh, my God,” Anthony groaned. “I’m so sorry … so sorry.”
She was unresisting when he took her in his arms again. He held her and rocked her while she wept, and hated himself. He would have given anything to undo what he had done, to have made different choices, different decisions. But it was too late.
“Harmony,” Anthony whispered when her wild weeping had subsided. “I have to tell you one more thing.” When she didn’t respond, he continued. “I shouldn’t have come back, I know that. But I had to because I … I’ve fallen in love with you, Harmony. I love you. I had to see you again and tell you.”
She had thought all emotion had drained from her with her tears. But it had not. She sat up, rigidly erect, and looked Anthony directly in the eye.
“How can you possibly expect me to believe you?”
If she had stabbed him in the heart with a dagger, it would not have been nearly as painful.
“I guess you can’t,” Anthony replied at length.
“There is something you can do for me, though.”
“Anything, Harmony. Anything. Just tell me what you want.”
“Take me home, Anthony. Please just take me home.”
Chapter Twelve
Harmony pulled the lamp closer to the sheet of paper on which she wrote. It was a gray day and only the dimmest light filtered through the ivy-covered window. It was difficult to see the letter, the words she scribed on the page. But at least it kept her busy. It was something to do to fill her long, dull, colorless days. It also kept her in touch with her few friends in America. When her time with Agatha was up, she fully intended to take her inheritance, leave this cursed country, return to her beloved ranch, and stay as far away as possible from her dreadful sister.
Harmony bent to her task, only to be interrupted by a loud and angry rumble. Was that thunder she heard? A storm could hardly make this depressing place worse. It might even be a welcome distraction. She rose and crossed to the window.
Sure enough, purplish clouds roiled in the sky against a backdrop of gray. Another boom of thunder rolled across the woodlands. Harmony didn’t hear her door open.
“Busy as usual, I see,” came the sound of her sister’s voice behind her. Harmony turned on her heel.
It had actually been better when Agatha had locked her in her room. The turn of the key had been a warning. Now, since Harmony rarely left her room and there was no reason to lock her in, Agatha simply walked in unannounced. It was not pleasant.
“As a matter of fact, I was writing a letter,” Harmony replied evenly. “I got up to look at the weather.”
“It is quickly turning foul,” Agatha agreed. “Which makes Lord Farmington’s visit here again today even more impressive.”
“Please, don’t start.” Harmony turned her back on her sister and gripped the windowsill to keep her hands steady.
“Three days in a row, Harmony,” Agatha persisted, voice rising. “Three days that young man … a lord, no less … has come to call on you, and you won’t even give him the time of day. What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing’s wrong with me.” Harmony’s temper rose along with the timber of her sister’s voice. She faced her. “He found my ring, and I’m grateful. He earned the right to my appreciation, which he received. He’s entit
led to nothing else. Besides, I don’t know anything about him.”
“And you never will unless you march yourself down those stairs and take the time to get to know him.”
“If you’re so eager to get to know him better, why don’t you go talk to him?”
Agatha’s nostrils flared with indignation. “I’ve a mind to do just that!”
“Well, please … do it, then.”
With a huff, Agatha spun and left the room. Harmony stared after her for a long moment. She had to fight to control her emotions.
Every day, for three long days, Anthony had come to see her, although she had made it very clear she never wanted to see him again. The fabric of the lies he had woven was too dense to penetrate. How could she ever possibly trust him again?
Furthermore, his games had been childish, not to mention dangerous. What kind of a man would practice such trickery? Certainly not someone she would like to spend more time with.
At least he had been right about one thing, Harmony mused bitterly. She had preferred the bandit to the lord.
None of her unhappy musings, however, could erase the feel of his lips on hers, or the memory of the heat that had seared through her veins.
And whatever in the world would he and Agatha find to talk about?
Overwhelmed at last by her curiosity, Harmony cautiously opened the door. When she saw the corridor was deserted, she ran for the stairs.
“I’m so sorry to hear your sister is … under the weather … again.” Anthony smiled to cover the sting of disappointment. He was not fooled in the least by the excuse. “Please tell her I hope she recovers soon.”
“Oh, I will. I certainly will, Lord Allen. But won’t you sit down and have a cup of tea with me before you leave?”
Anthony eyed the uncomfortable-looking parlor furniture. “I haven’t the time for tea, thank you. I’m leaving on the morrow and have to ride to London to finish up some business before I go. But I’ll stay for a few minutes,” he finished politely.
Harmony, concealed behind the door in Mrs. Rutledge’s usual listening post, pressed a hand to her mouth. Anthony was leaving tomorrow? Something unpleasant stirred in the pit of her stomach.
Lady Blue Page 8
