Sweet Summer Kisses

by Erin Knightley

  It would be difficult to convince the duchess that she needed to tell Julian the truth. He suspected she didn’t know her husband was a murderer, but she would be able to tell Julian what he needed to know: where Walter had been the days of his brother and father’s death—and of Julian’s accident—and what men Walter had met with and paid off for assisting with these deaths. The duchess had been courting Walter before he became duke, so she’d know something about her husband’s crooked lifestyle.

  Julian prayed she’d give him the answers he needed soon. He’d never lowered himself to kidnap anyone, and he could tell already that this particular woman would try his patience sorely.

  It took several minutes, but soon she’d eaten her chunk of bread and finished her tea. Slowly, she stood and squared her shoulders.

  “I…thank you for the food,” she said, her eyes downcast.

  Julian arched an eyebrow. She was thanking him? Now what was her game? She took a deep breath and brought her gaze up to meet his.

  “Now, would you please tell me why you had to kidnap me?”

  “Yes, I would very much like to tell you why I brought you here.” He swept his hand toward the front room. “Shall we return to stand by the fire?”

  Nodding, she walked past him and into the other room, and he followed. Thankfully, her body didn’t shake as much as it had earlier when he’d frightened her to death.

  She went to the fireplace and stopped nearby. Once again, her gaze was on him for only a second before she moved her attention to the slow burning embers.

  Irritation ran through him. Why didn’t she want to look at him? How could he carry on a conversation with her if she wouldn’t meet his eyes? It would be nearly impossible to study her reactions otherwise.

  “There are only a few answers that I need from you. If I get the answers I need, then I’ll return you back to your home.”

  Finally, she brought her gaze up to him, her eyes widened. “That’s all?”

  “Indeed, that is all.”

  “Then pray, please ask me these questions so we can be on our way home.”

  He almost chuckled from her response. She seemed to think it would be that easy. She was definitely in for a rude awakening.

  “Fine.” He took another step toward the fireplace since she made no move to sit on the couch. “I want to know…” He paused, carefully placing his words so he made sense. “Where was your husband this past December, on the thirteenth day?”

  Her head tilted slightly. “My husband?”

  “Yes. Walter Hinsdale.”

  A smirk grew on her mouth, and surprisingly, her amber eyes sparkled with humor. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken, Mr. Grey. Walter Hinsdale is not my husband. He married my sister.”

  He waved his hand. “Not Mister Grey, just Grey.” Then it struck him what she’d said after that. “And don’t try lying to me, Duchess. I know Walter married Miss Templeton.”

  “Yes, he did. He married Joanna Templeton. I’m Alexandria, her younger sister.”

  Studying the woman, panic grew inside him. No! He couldn’t have gotten the wrong sister. She was exactly how his friend, Roland, described her. Blonde hair, slender, lovely, but with the tongue of a viper. Well, the lady he’d taken had most of these, although he still questioned the sharp tongue.

  “I don’t believe you.” He shook his head. “If you are the younger sister, then what are you doing living at the estate with your sister and her new husband?”

  The woman shrugged and held up her hands. “I came with the marriage deal. Joanna didn’t want to leave her younger sister behind because I had no other family to live with.”

  Julian shook his head. “Walter would never agree to something like that.”

  Her pleasant expression quickly turned to one of sadness. He liked it better when there was a hint of a smile on her face instead of the frown and misty eyes.

  “That would probably explain why earlier this morning he had told me he was going to find me a husband who would take me off his hands.” Her throat jumped in what appeared to be a hard swallow. “When you found me in the group of trees, I had been crying, correct?”

  “Uh…yes, I believe I did hear you crying.”

  “Because Walter had just given me the startling blow.”

  “Impossible.” Frustrated, Julian ran his fingers through his hair and paced the floor. He wouldn’t accept this possibility. If he had taken the wrong sister, then he wouldn’t get any answers at all…and he wouldn’t believe he’d done all of this for naught. He stopped his pacing in front of the duchess. “Why are you lying to me? You are the woman my friend described to me. You are Walter’s wife.”

  “I do resemble Joanna quite a bit, but if it’s Joanna you’re after, she’s been in her room for the past five days. She’s been extremely ill and hasn’t moved from her bed.”

  “Five days, you say?” His hopes dropped even lower. He’d only been spying on the estate, trying to figure out a way to kidnap the duchess for the last three days now. Perhaps this is the reason he’d only seen this woman.

  “Yes. Five days exactly.”

  Groaning, he scrubbed his hands over his face. If only he had waited for Roland to join him, but no, Julian was too impatient and needed to kidnap the woman now. Now he had a mess on his hands. For once in his life, he didn’t know how to fix this mistake.

  ~*~

  Alexandria wrung her hands as she watched Grey closely. Her captor was on the edge of admitting defeat, she could feel it. Apparently, he’d meant to kidnap Joanna. That could be why he’d referred to Alexandria as Duchess, or Your Grace. Well, now that the truth was out, would he return her? She didn’t dare hope, but she needed to encourage him to do so, nonetheless. If anything, her sister needed her at the estate. Especially since Joanna was so ill.

  “Mr. Grey…I mean, Grey? What is it you need my sister for? To ask her questions?”

  He dropped his hands as his stare stuck to her. “Yes. I need answers from your sister, unless, of course, you know them.”

  Her mind went back to the question he’d asked her about December thirteenth. Could she possibly remember where Walter had been on that day? Probably not, but she was willing to try. “Do you want me to try and recall Walter’s whereabouts on December thirteenth?”

  Slowly, he nodded, his eyes grew wide and stayed on her. It was uncomfortable to have such close scrutiny from such a handsome man, but if helping him was the only way he would take her back home, she’d do it.

  She turned her head and stared into the fire again. She could think better without looking into his mesmerizing green eyes the whole time.

  “Walter would have probably been gone a sennight,” he said.

  Sometime in the middle of December was when Walter would have been gone. Her sister married the man the last part of October. Walter had stayed at their small country estate until the end of December when he took over as duke…

  Inhaling quickly, she swung her head to Grey. Excitement bubbled in her chest in remembrance. “Walter was gone a sennight. Joanna had told me he was trying to locate them a house to live. That would have been in the middle of December.”

  A whoosh of air escaped Grey’s mouth and a smile stretched across his mouth. “Splendid.”

  “Is that all?” she asked.

  “No, but it’s a good start.”

  She wondered why this man was so interested in her brother-in-law. It was obvious that her captor didn’t like Walter very much, either. Another thing she couldn’t understand was whether or not she should still fear Mr. Grey. Obviously, his issue was with Walter and not her. “Sir? May I ask what crime Walter has committed against you?”

  He was silent for a few awkward moments, and although he said nothing, his expression spoke volumes. Malice pierced his narrowed gaze, and his handsome face was marred with lines of anger. Indeed, her brother-in-law had definitely done something dreadful when he upset Grey.

  “What if I told you,” he began slowly, “that
I believe Walter to be involved with the deaths of two men, and he was the reason a third man nearly died, as well.”

  She gasped loudly. “Walter murdered someone?”

  “Two men for certain, and injured a third with intent to kill.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “I’d stake my life on it. All I need is proof now.”

  “Oh, my…” She placed her hand against her bosom, feeling the erratic rhythm of her heartbeat. Worry whirled through her mind, but so did hope. If her brother-in-law was put in the gaol for his crimes, he wouldn’t be able to marry her off to a man she didn’t love. She and her sister would return to their country home instead of living in such a large house and in charge of so many servants. She and Joanna could get back to the simple life they’d both loved before the duke ruined everything. “What do you think will happen to Walter if he is caught?”

  “I’m quite certain he’ll hang for his crimes.”

  Dare she believe? Dare she hope he was the man Grey thought him to be so that her brother-in-law wouldn’t control her life any longer? But therein lay the problem. Could she trust her captor enough that he would obtain his goal and get Walter out of her life?

  Chapter 3

  Was she the duchess or was she really the younger sister? The duchess would be a few years older—or at least look like she was a few years older. This particular woman appeared young, perhaps in her early twentieth year. Walter’s wife would be in her mid to late twenties.

  Although this woman was very lovely, she wasn’t the flashy beauty he’d heard about from Roland. The earl talked about Walter’s wife as if she were a woman most men lost their head over and stumbled over their feet just to look at, and they’d go out of their way to give her trinkets just to hear one kind word from her. As Julian studied this woman, she didn’t quite measure up to Roland’s description.

  Now, in her hesitation, there was a certain gleam in her eyes as if excitement built inside of her. A few things confused him, and one was wondering if the true duchess would really want her husband hanged? Probably not. But this woman appeared as if she did—and that she couldn’t wait for him to be out of her life.

  “So tell me,” he said in a rush before she could get another word out, “if you are indeed the younger sister, why have you not married? If your sister is the duchess, I’m quite sure many suitors have sought your hand in marriage.”

  Her face flamed a brilliant red, and again, she dropped her gaze to the floor. “I…I haven’t married because…” She paused for a few seconds, breathing deeply. Finally, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and lifted her eyes to his. “Grey, I’m what men like yourself consider to be a wallflower. I have always been shy, and I have difficulty conversing with men. My sister has always been the center of attention, and I was always left out.” She cleared her throat. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t marry at all, but unfortunately, my brother-in-law thinks I need assistance in this matter.”

  He cocked his head. This was the second time she’d mentioned her brother-in-law in this respect. Was Walter truly trying to marry off the younger sister? Then again, if roles were reversed and Julian had a sister-in-law living with him and his new bride, he’d want to get her married off, as well.

  “Is there anything else you wish to know so I can convince you that I’m not the duchess?”

  He tapped his finger on his chin. Should he believe her? A part of him felt he shouldn’t, yet he really didn’t think the duchess would behave this way. This woman was definitely not acting the part. “Fine. So you are Alexandria?”

  She exhaled a loud sigh. “Yes.”

  “Alexandria, do you think you know your brother-in-law well enough to help me?”

  One of her slender shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I can try, but whatever you do, promise me you will not kidnap my sister and bother her about this matter. As I’d mentioned before, she is very ill and I don’t want you making it worse on her. If you don’t believe me, then return me to the estate and I’ll try to sneak you inside to her bedchamber and you can see for yourself.”

  Brave woman. She’d really risk having her brother-in-law catch her? Of course, Julian would find another way, because he couldn’t risk being noticed at the estate yet. It was too soon to let Walter know the real duke was still alive.

  “Perhaps later,” he said with a nod. He moved to the couch and sat, crossing one leg over the other. “So Alexandria, what can you tell me about Walter that I might not like?”

  Her amber eyes widened and she blinked. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly, resembling a smile. “That you might not like? How will I know that, sir?”

  “Point taken.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “Instead, why don’t you tell me what things you don’t like about him.”

  Her attention moved to the other end of the couch. Uncertainty flitted through her gaze as she switched her focus from Julian to the other side. He motioned with his hand for her to sit. She fidgeted a few moments more before moving to the other end and perching on the edge of the cushion. The couch might be dusty and worn, but it wasn’t going to bite her, for Heaven’s sake!

  She folded her hands in her lap. Her gaze darted around the room, but only landed on him a few times before moving on. He wondered why she didn’t like looking at him for very long. Strange woman.

  “To be honest, I don’t know Walter that well at all,” she began. “He courted my sister a month before asking for her hand in marriage. During that courtship, I’d only met him three times when he came to our house for supper. Like all men, he only had eyes for Joanna, and so I wasn’t able to converse with him very much.”

  “What about after your sister married him and you moved into the estate?”

  “The one thing I noticed during those first few weeks was that he rarely stayed home. It struck me odd that he didn’t want to spend more time with my sister, especially since they were barely married.”

  “Did he have an excuse for being away so much?” Julian creased his forehead.

  “All Joanna said was that he had to get his affairs in order because of his newly appointed status as duke. She assured me their life would get back to normal soon.”

  Julian rolled his eyes. He would bet that some of Walter’s affairs had to do with women instead of business. “Can you remember if anyone dropped by to see him? And if so, did he appear as if he was embarrassed about them being there?”

  She frowned and shook her head. “I’m not certain what you mean.”

  He licked his dry lips. “I’m thinking about ruffians, or similar. Men who were lower class who Walter might have been embarrassed talking to in public.”

  “No, not really. Most of the people who came to visit were associates of Walter, and he didn’t appear to be embarrassed by them at all. He introduced his wife to them without hesitation.”

  “But not you?”

  She shook her head. “I was either in my room writing, or I was on my horse, Buttercup, getting to know the land.”

  “Hmm…I see.” He tapped his chin again. “Perhaps Walter met with those particular people in secret, as not to draw attention to his misdeeds.”

  “Perhaps.”

  Her gaze shifted to the wall as her expression took a different turn. Strange, but he could actually tell the wheels in her mind were turning, and she was on the verge of remembering something.

  “You know, I do recall a time when I had gone to the stable to ride Buttercup, and I saw Walter with two men behind the barn. The way they stood chatting, made them appear as if they were trying to be secretive. I remember thinking how different these two men were immediately. He gave them money, as well. I’d assumed they were new servants, but then I never saw those men again after that.”

  Excitement shot through Julian. This could be something important. He dropped his leg to the floor and scooted on the couch closer to her, leaning toward her. “Do you think you would recognize these men if you saw them again?”

 
Her cheeks flushed with a deep red color. “Most definitely. You see, although I had just seen them that one time, I used their descriptions in the story I was writing at the time.”

  Surprise washed over him and he arched an eyebrow. “You were writing a story?”

  “Yes,” she muttered and glanced down at her folded hands.

  He wished she’d stop removing her gaze from his. Reaching over, he touched her chin and immediately, her eyes jumped up to his face. “Alexandria, there is no reason to be embarrassed. Writing stories is a wonderful talent to have.” He winked.

  Her mouth stretched into a shaky smile. “Thank you.”

  “Have you had any of your work published?”

  She shook her head. “Of course not. Nobody would take a woman seriously, anyway.”

  “Maybe…maybe not. You would have to know someone with connections.” He grinned. “Anyway, back to these men. What did they look like?”

  “They appeared to be in their early thirties, and both of them had slender frames. The clothes they wore were of the lower class. The taller one out of the two had bright auburn hair—almost like a burnt orange. He had a scar on his cheek that was an inch long. It didn’t appear to be fresh, though.” She paused, but just for a moment. “And the second man was very blond, as if the sun had colored his hair. That man walked with a limp—worse than yours.”

  She noticed my limp? He hadn’t realized how astute she was until now. Alexandria was also descriptive, and he could picture these men from just her words. “This information is very helpful.” Julian knew for certain he and Roland would find the evidence they needed to catch these buggers now.

  “I hope you will be able to locate them. As I’d mentioned earlier, I only saw them that one day.”