The Midnight Hour: All-Hallows’ Brides
Page 12
He ran a hand through his hair and frowned. “I don’t know. More damn questions and still no answers.”
She placed a hand on his arm for no reason other than she needed to hold on to him. “If he shot me on purpose, then he couldn’t have been my father’s man. No matter how dangerous Jack Farnsworth is, I’m still his daughter. In his twisted mind, the evil he did to you was to protect me.”
“I’m taking you back to Boscastle with me.”
She rolled her eyes in frustration. Were all barons this irritating? “No! Are you not listening? If I don’t return to Port Isaac, my father will come looking for me.”
“Let him. His distraction will work in our favor. Perhaps in favor of the Crown as well, by drawing him out of his stronghold. It might also keep him from sailing after Exmoor’s ship. This doctor in Trevena, how good is he?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never needed him before, but he has an excellent reputation. And come to think of it, he might know something about your brother. Trevena is close enough to the castle, and he’s often out on the road to see one patient or another. He might have noticed something the day Gideon disappeared. I’ll ask him.”
“No, I’ll do it.”
“If I had a cudgel, I’d beat you about the ears.”
Despite the seriousness of their situation, he chuckled. “Is this any way to speak to a baron?”
She couldn’t help but return his smile. “Yes, if he’s as stubborn and infuriating as you are. No one here will speak to you. But they’ll confide in me.”
“Even this doctor? How well do you know him?”
“Not very,” she admitted. “As I said, I’ve haven’t had need of him before. He’s come to my father’s inn often enough. There’s always trouble in the taproom. Drunken sailors are always brawling. The point is, we’re all familiar with each other in the area. He won’t consider me a stranger. But you? His mouth will be sealed tighter than a clamshell.”
William did not look pleased, nor did he appear swayed by her logic. “Aislin, you’re hurt. I can’t simply leave you in the doctor’s care and trust he’ll get you safely back to Port Isaac. What do you think your father will do when he sees you limp back in this condition? He’ll question everyone until he finds out what happened. Then he’ll tear through these towns in a rage. Let me take you back to Boscastle after the doctor treats your wound. We’ll work out what to do then.”
“And where am I to stay?” She arched an eyebrow. “With you?”
He sighed in obvious frustration. “I’ll inquire about obtaining a separate room.”
“I may not be a fine lady, but I still have my good name to consider. My reputation will be in tatters if word spreads that I stayed with you. My father will be even more enraged.”
“I’d rather he aimed his fury at me alone. And didn’t I just say I’d get you separate lodgings?”
“The Pendragon Inn is a reputable establishment. An unmarried young lady cannot stay there without a chaperone.”
“Then I’ll ask one of the local women to attend you.”
“And then what? Have them put me in a room as far away from you as possible? Where anyone can get at me? You wouldn’t hear my screams, assuming I am even able to scream while this villain chokes me.”
“I can’t believe you are fighting me on this. You ride from Port Isaac to Tintagel Castle on your own, spend hours roaming the countryside without escort every day. You roam as wild and free as the ponies on Bodmin Moor, and you’re squawking about this?” He ran a hand through his hair again and groaned. “I’ll have them put you in a room next door to mine.”
She understood his concern, but his suggestion would never do. “That is as bad as putting me in your room. You know it won’t work.”
“We’ll make it work. You are injured. I’m not leaving your side.”
This man was stubborn and caring but taking her to Boscastle was a mistake. “No matter which room I’m in, you’ll insist on sitting up to watch over me through the night. This is your nature, to control things.”
“I’d rather think of myself as protective.” He laughed bitterly. “Nothing has been in my control for the last three years.”
“Your memory will come back in time, just as my leg will mend given time. It is but a graze.”
“It’s far more serious than that, and the assailant may try again.”
“He won’t dare while I am under my father’s protection. My lord, what you suggest is out of the question. It is folly.”
He caressed her cheek, running his knuckles gently across her cool skin. “Everything I’ve done up to now is folly. I’ve dreamed of you. Searched for you. I’ve kissed you…more than once. Three times now if we are counting from back when we first met.”
She wanted to cry, for those kisses had meant everything to her. “How does a kiss change anything?”
“Three kisses,” he insisted. “Aislin, you’re hurt. I know what you say makes sense, but I cannot leave you. It’s as simple as that. I will not do it. If you’re concerned about the impropriety, then I’ll do the honorable thing. You needn’t worry.”
She laughed. No, he could not possibly be thinking… “And what is this honorable thing you have in mind?”
“To marry you, of course.”
Quite the oddest sensation fell over her. Her body grew warm, and tingles began to shoot throughout her limbs. Her heart soared. She loved this man who had the power to so easily break her heart. “You are mad, my lord. Take me to the doctor. We’ll figure out the rest afterward.”
“Aislin…”
“We must go. You chased the bounder off, but what’s to stop him from returning to finish the job?”
He lifted her into his arms.
Aislin could not stop staring at William as he carried her to the horses. Nor could she keep her heart from aching for him. That he still spoke to her, that he still looked at her without disgust, was incomprehensible to her. She loved him and had admitted it to him, but how could he possibly feel anything other than revulsion for her?
She glanced at the village of Trevena, so quiet and peaceful in the distance.
He cast her a stubborn look when they reached the field of gorse where the horses were tethered. “You’ll ride with me.”
It wasn’t a question or a request.
He lifted her onto his saddle and then climbed up behind her. She heard the steady beat of his heart, felt the heat of his big body against her back as he wrapped his arms around her and drew her firmly against his chest.
She leaned her head upon his shoulder.
“How do you feel, love?”
Wonderful despite her pain and nausea.
He’d said it again. Love.
She nestled in his arms, surrounded herself with his strength, and absorbed his musk scent and the maleness of him. He was gentle with her. She felt protected. “I’m fine, William.”
He led her mount by the reins, not that he had to, for her sweet mare would have followed her anywhere. “Aislin, how do you really feel?”
She supposed her shivers gave her away.
She felt dizzy. Weak. She must have lost more blood than she realized. “I’m in your arms. There’s no better place to be. I’m fine, really.”
“Why do I not believe you?”
William stood in the examination room of the Trevena doctor’s infirmary, holding Aislin’s hand while the man treated her wound. She’d introduced him as Hamish Jones, a Welshman if he ever saw one, for he had dark hair and dark eyes and a rugged look about him. Not to mention the Welsh accent that stood out even though he obviously tried to hide it.
What was the doctor doing in Cornwall?
He supposed it did not matter. Men had their reasons for leaving home and never returning.
William gazed out the window to stare at the row of trim, whitewashed houses with colorful shutters that stood across the road from the infirmary. His heart was racing, but he tried to will himself to calmness as the doctor patched Aislin�
�s leg.
Someone had shot his Aislin.
Yes, his Aislin.
He was going to marry her, even if they had to run off like desperate young lovers to Gretna Green to do it.
But first, he was going to find the culprit who did this to her and rip him apart with his bare hands.
Aislin was in obvious pain, but he could do nothing about it other than hold her hand and mouth meaningless platitudes.
As the minutes wore on, he could no longer bear to stand by and watch her suffer. Her injury tore at his soul. She was in agony and purposely trying to be strong for him, forcing herself to hold back her tears and smother her cries of pain.
Since his presence was only making things more difficult for her, he muttered an excuse to slip out of the examination room. After taking a quick turn outside the infirmary to make certain no one had followed them, he returned to stand in the waiting room.
But this proved worse for him.
He began to pace like a caged lion.
“My lord, you will wear a hole through the floorboards,” Aislin teased a short while later, struggling to walk toward him.
He’d been so preoccupied, his gut so twisted in knots over her injury, he hadn’t realized the doctor had finished treating her. She was holding on to the man’s arm for assistance. Her face was pale and her features drawn.
She limped toward him, trying her best to hide her discomfort, but she winced with every step, and even the slightest movement made her blanche. However, she held her chin up and did not shirk from his steady gaze.
Ah, yes. This was Aislin, his proud Celtic princess. Ever stubborn and determined to overcome all obstacles.
The look on her face brought relief to his heart, but he could not manage a smile. Her injury was too serious to dismiss. However, she had spirit. She was a fighter and would do all in her power to keep up with him because she wanted so badly to protect him as she had three years ago. “My lord, you must listen to what Dr. Jones has to say.”
He arched an eyebrow and studied the man who now held his Aislin.
His Aislin.
Yes, she is my Aislin.
He could not imagine going through life without her.
The doctor appeared to be about ten years older than William, of average height, and slight in build. However, there was an unmistakable harshness in the curve of his mouth and a resentment in his eyes that William found surprising. Doctors were healers, but this man looked haunted, almost feral. Like a hunted animal.
A wounded, hunted animal.
He sighed.
He’d rarely seen such a look on any man, even in the midst of battle. But who was to say what anyone ought to look like? Aislin was the perfect example, a pirate’s daughter who looked like an angel. Dr. Jones might have had a hard upbringing. He must have had reason to run from his Welsh home. That he’d turned to healing others in order to ease his own torment spoke well of his character.
Still, it was a flawed character.
“You are Gideon Croft’s brother?”
Although William had not taken particular care to hide his identity, he did not expect the man’s first words to be this question. What did he know of Gideon? Or his whereabouts? “I am. Why do you ask?”
Aislin slipped from the doctor’s grasp and came to William’s side, now placing her hand on his arm. It was to comfort him, for she knew the doctor’s words had unsettled him. He wanted to kiss her for it. “Gideon’s been shot, but it wasn’t my father’s doing.”
Perhaps it was the same assailant who’d injured Aislin. He glanced from Aislin to the doctor. “Shot? How do you know? Have you seen him?”
“Not in some time,” the doctor replied, “but I think I know who did it. A rogue agent for the Crown lured your brother into an ambush. I’m an agent as well. Unfortunately, there is a traitor in our midst.”
“Dr. Jones, I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. I know nothing of the espionage going on around here.” How could he be sure it wasn’t the doctor himself who’d shot his brother? Assuming any of what he’d just said was true. Dear heaven, what had Aislin told the man? “Where is Gideon now? Is he alive?”
William thought it was safer to play along for now, pretend to believe him.
His pistol was loaded and in easy reach. His knife was also close at hand.
“I hope he is alive. I believe he is. I found him lying injured by Tintagel Castle and brought him here to treat his wounds. He was rambling and mostly incoherent. He ran a high fever for several days. Then one night, he disappeared from my infirmary. There was no sign of foul play, so I suspect he ran off on his own. Or rather, stumbled off. He wasn’t well. I searched for him. He couldn’t have gotten far, but I haven’t seen him since.”
William said nothing, trying to absorb the news and decide whether to trust this man or not. It all sounded like nonsense to him.
“I thought perhaps he’d contacted you, my lord. That you’d come here at his urging.”
“No, he hasn’t. I came here only to find Miss Farnsworth. Until my arrival a few days ago, I had no idea my brother was alive. It eases my heart greatly to know he is, but if he’s on assignment for the Crown, then it is not my place to interfere. My only intention right now is to return home and bring Miss Farnsworth back with me…as my wife.”
Aislin pursed her lips, those beautiful lips he ached to kiss. “Ignore him, Dr. Jones. He is not thinking clearly.”
The doctor arched an eyebrow and grinned. “He appears to be a man on a mission, and I cannot find fault with his plan.”
“There is no plan. I have no intention of returning with him to London.” She scowled at William. “If there is a traitor in our midst, it is possible my father will know his identity.”
“Do you think this man would be in touch with your father?” William asked.
“It doesn’t matter whether he is or not. Gentleman Jack Farnsworth knows everyone. He pays to know everything going on around him. Do you think he would ever allow another Cornwall pirate to harm me? When he learns of what happened to me, he will destroy this villain and anyone harboring him. So you see, my lord, I must return to Port Isaac. I’ll tell my father what has happened and then cajole as much information as I can out of him. I’ll relay it to Dr. Jones when he comes to tend me. In turn, he will relay it to you.”
Her expression softened, and although she was trying to appear strong, he saw that she was trembling. “Aislin–”
“Dr. Jones found Gideon in one of the caves below Tintagel Castle. Gideon had been shot on the beach but managed to crawl into the cave. Not that it would have done him much good, for the tide fills the caves. Another half hour, and it would have become his watery grave. As the tide ebbed, his body would have been swept out to sea.”
“It is true, my lord.” The doctor ran a hand through his mane of dark hair. “I carried him to my infirmary, hid him here, and then started the rumor he’d drowned. No doubt the traitor assumed this is precisely what had happened, his body swallowed up in the vast expanse. I did not tell the other agents that it was a ruse. I allowed them to believe Gideon was dead. I’m the only one who knows he is alive…well, hopefully still alive.”
William tried to steady the rampant beat of his heart before it pounded a hole through his chest. He had been walking in the ruins above where Gideon had lain injured only a few weeks ago. Where was his brother now?
The doctor cleared his throat. “I’m telling you this because…it is possible he will return to the cave tonight.”
William arched an eyebrow. “Why would he do this?”
“His injuries haven’t healed properly. We used to arrange meetings there on the night of the full moon. He might return, even if only to allow me to treat him. You are his brother. Only you can persuade him to leave Cornwall. Get him away from here. His work is done.”
“And what of you, Dr. Jones? Did he reveal the identity of the traitor to you? Surely, he would have said something during his delusional rambling.”
“No, he didn’t.” The doctor shrugged. “So, we must go on as we have before. Waiting for this traitor to make a mistake. I don’t know. I may be next on this man’s list. He may believe I know his identity and am merely playing coy. It is a risk I am willing to take.”
“For the good of the Crown?”
He cast William a wry smile. “Do you not trust that a Welshman can be loyal? We are not all rebels.”
“Forgive me, Doctor. I did not wish to sound ungrateful for all you’ve done for my brother and Aislin.” Although he could not rule him out as the villain who’d tried to kill them.
“I would not call you ungrateful, my lord. Perhaps cynical as to my motives. Let me assure you, they are honorable. We have pirates in Wales as well. They are a scourge and must be wiped out. We know who most of the Cornish pirates are now. We’ve known for quite some time, for they’ve grown bold and no longer fear the authorities.”
“Most of those in authority are in the pocket of these scoundrels,” Aislin added, making a moue of disgust. “Looking the other way as they plunder despite knowing the harm they do.”
“We’ll round them up soon,” the doctor assured. “But not before we root out those who are more dangerous to the Crown. We have enough proof to bring charges against these lower level magistrates and local militia officers who turn a blind eye to their actions. But the Crown is most concerned with this traitor. All we know is that he’s high up in our ranks and giving away valuable information on all our operations in Cornwall. This one rogue agent puts all of us at risk by selling his knowledge to the highest bidder. We must discover his identity before we close in on the others.”
In truth, this made little sense to William. Whoever was in charge of this operation had it backward. If the choice were his to make, he’d round up all the low-level magistrates and officers, and at the same time, bring the militia down on the pirates to round them up. Once all were in custody, what could this rogue agent do but run? It wouldn’t take long to question those detained and get the truth out of them.