A cacophony of shouts erupted instantly, but Tess only had eyes for Aiden.
He’d heard her, his attention jack-knifing from Nash to her and her name sailed on the breeze.
With no time to waste, she yanked on Dandy’s reins. The horse reared up, jumped the bracken and took off.
Again she thought she heard her name but she didn’t stop. Didn’t look back.
Lying low, she tucked her pistol into her coat pocket and held on as they raced through the forest.
Hoofbeats resounded behind her. She kept on going. She had to get home.
More hoofbeats. More voices. Shouts to stop.
Mile after painful mile, her body brutally jolted, Tess never let up, until finally the sound lessened and she realized no one, not even Aiden, followed her. With a relieved sigh, she reined in Dandy to a gentle trot.
Questions charged through her brain.
Had Aiden truly seen her? And if he had, what now? Would he hate her for warning the rabble of the arrival of the excisemen, because as true as the sun would rise tomorrow, she had stolen his chance of capturing Nash, something she wasn’t sure he could forgive.
At last, her body frozen to the core, she arrived home. Barlow and Flynn came charging toward her.
“Did you find his Lordship?” Barlow asked in a rush of concern.
Tess slid down from her horse, tossing the reins at the stable hand. “Yes.”
“He is safe?”
Was he? “I don’t know. The excisemen came from the west, not the south.”
“They must have circled.”
“Most likely, but it gave me no chance to reach his Lordship.”
“Dear God.”
“Let’s hope God is on our side.” She turned to Flynn. “Wipe her down and ensure she is fed and soothed. If his Lordship asks of my whereabouts,” she said to both men, “it is imperative he not realize I have been out this night.”
“But m’lady.”
“No, dear man. It has to be so.” If Aiden found out that it was she who had warned Nash and Luther he would misconstrue her purpose.
“You can rely on us, m’lady,” Barlow agreed.
Tess exhaled a relieved sigh, realizing too that this was the first time the staff had truly considered her the lady of the house.
Fingers frozen in a curl as if the reins remained in her hands, she fingered the pistol in her pocket, then withdrew it and handed it to Barlow. “I believe this is yours. I’m afraid I had to fire off a shot.”
The man’s eyes widened in horror. “M’lady!”
“Oh, nothing so dramatic as shooting someone,” she said with a tight smile, though her hand shook even still. “A warning shot is all.”
With the pistol now back in the hands of its owner, Tess raced into the house and up the stairs, coming suddenly to an abrupt halt.
Where to?
With a leap of faith, she headed down the corridor.
…
“Where the hell is she?” Aiden stormed as he took the stairs two at a time. Fury surged as he barged into the room Tess had moved into a week ago. It was empty.
Instant dread overtook rage and he dragged a hand through his damp hair.
He was sure it had been Tess, but dear God, was she injured out there?
What if?
Aiden fisted his hand and slammed it into the wall. “Where the hell are you, Tess?” At the window he peered into the distance, spying no lone rider. No Tess. Nothing.
He had to find her.
Spinning away from the empty view, he made for his chamber. Clean and dry clothes, a fresh horse, and he’d be out again on the road, searching this time for his wife. Nash could be damned. Clasping a barely flickering candle from a side table outside his chamber door, he entered his room.
“Aiden.”
He spied Tess beneath the covers of his bed and in an instant joy bloomed in his chest, shadowed in quick succession by the flare of distrust. “What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you.”
He placed the candle beside the bed and stared down at his wife. Her glorious auburn hair lay in a ripple across her creamy white shoulders. Sweet, Jesus! His throat thickened, as did his manhood.
“Why?”
Her mouth curved into a tiny smile. “I would have thought that was obvious.”
Distrust spiraled and he hardened his gaze. “Where were you tonight?”
“In your bed,” she answered sweetly.
“Luther was with Nash.”
She shrugged, baring her delectable skin even more. “I should be surprised, but I am not. The man is a rogue.”
“I thought that was my title,” Aiden said, aware of his burgeoning arousal and his weakening ability to resist temptation. “How can I believe you?”
“Believe what?”
“That you did not warn them.”
“Warn them? I don’t understand. Who are you talking about?”
“I had Nash in my sights until a rider came out of nowhere, warning him and his cohorts that the excisemen were approaching.”
“I’m sorry.”
“The bastard got away again.” Even saying the words riled him. It seemed he was forever on a chase, with no end in sight, no release from the damned guilt. “He is your uncle.”
“By marriage only,” Tess countered.
He had to know. Had to.
Without thinking he wrenched the bedcovers down in one sweep and in a heartbeat every ounce of oxygen exploded from his lungs.
Naked. Dear God, she was naked.
“You left for your mission hours ago. I waited for you. I’ve waited for you for days and longer nights. I don’t want to wait any more.”
“As far as I recall, it was you who moved out.”
Tess blinked several times, then lifted her deliciously long lashes and looked up at him.
“I’ve changed my mind. Surely that is allowed?”
Aiden’s gut churned.
Resist her.
Swinging her legs from the bed, she stood, coming so close he could feel the heat radiating off her. It careened on a path right through to his frozen bones—and his frozen heart.
On tiptoes, though not touching him, she kissed his mouth and Aiden lost himself to the beauty of it. He closed his eyes. Tess. His wife. He wanted to lose himself ever more in her lushness. Forget the anguish of guilt.
His eyes slowly flickered open as she drew away from him, a loss he felt immediately.
“Nash is a scoundrel, Aiden, but is he worth it?”
“What about Mary?”
“Mary is strong. She has a heart that has healed. She is no longer afraid of visitors. Of men. Why, just the other day your friend the Earl of Beswick arrived with his sister Charlotte and the Duke of Harlgrove.” Tess frowned. “My, what a solemn man he is.”
“Not surprising. Charles Winstone has a dubious history,” Aiden said of the Harlgrove peer. “His mother was from the West Indies, a pirate’s daughter, so the story goes.”
“Really?” Her eyes sparkled, reflecting the flicker of candlelight. “How intriguing. The three of them strolled with Mary across to the winter garden.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“That is because you were on the roads seeking revenge. Surely it is Mary who would seek revenge and yet she has not. Does that not teach you something?”
“She is a woman.”
Tess planted her hands on her hips. “Are you insinuating your sister is weak? She is far stronger than you realize, Aiden. She has let go of the past. Perhaps it is time for you also to allow yourself such respite.”
From his guilt?
The thought came instantly, something he realized he craved. If only—
“I am going to bed, Aiden. It has been a long night.”
Tess climbed back into bed and turned from him, her glorious body haloed by the single flame of candlelight. Her skin appeared golden. Tempting.
His groin throbbed. How he’d missed his sweet Tess.
…
He drew her to him the moment he shifted beneath the bedcovers.
Tess sighed. Not from the relief of not being caught out in her lie, but because she was back in his arms.
As she’d charged out from her hiding place, the only thing on her mind had been to save her brave warrior. She loved him and she could have lost him.
That had taught her one thing. That she didn’t want to waste a moment of whatever time they had together, even though his treatment of his son had not been resolved.
But her behavior still niggled. She had lied to her husband. Deceived him.
Then he kissed her breathless, taking her to a world of feelings and emotions in a single heartbeat and she cauterized the hold her conscience had on her.
For now.
“Sweet Tess.” His nakedness warmed her inside and out. “’Tis glorious, your body.”
“So I am not a shameless hussy who parades her nudity?”
“Never! With your body cleansed of clothing and next to mine I could wish for no more.”
“Then your wish has come true.” Tess recognized they both had a need so urgent nothing could stop them, and she wove her hands around Aiden’s neck, pulling him closer.
He positioned himself between her parted thighs and she reached between them, drawing his arousal to her entrance. He thrust into her fully.
At last.
She had expected he would continue, bringing them both that delicious pleasure, but he remained motionless.
“Aiden?”
“I want to enjoy this moment of feeling you around me.”
A smile played along her mouth. She understood such sentiment. “I’ve missed you, Aiden. Missed you holding me, kissing me. Missed waking up beside you.”
Their coupling was fast, and Tess reveled in every moment, wishing it would go on forever, but as they conquered the pinnacle together she had never felt as guilty as that moment.
She loved him. And yet she had lied to him.
…
Those days were the most joyous of her life. Aiden did not leave the house for most of January, and his attention to everyone, even Alexander, warmed her heart.
Their nights, however, were sublime.
As the last day of January dawned, Tess rode alongside Aiden, content with her lot, ideas of escaping her marriage and making a new life—alone—completely vanished.
“Are you sure you want to be out in this weather? The frost is horrendous.”
“Where’s your adventure, sweet Tess?”
“Lost on a byway near Langton Howe,” she said, remembering their first meeting.
Aiden shot her a smile, his eyes glittering with humor. Snowflakes had settled as if a white cape across his shoulders. “Just as well, I would not allow my wife to wander the roads thus.”
Tess bristled, indignation instant. “Allow? I think you misunderstand, sweet Aiden,” she shot right back. “In this marriage, you do not allow me. I am not owned by you.”
“I thought you were my wife.”
“And you are my husband, so does that also make you my property? I will do as I want, Aiden.”
“Such a fiery outburst. Do you know how desirable you are when your eyes flash?”
“Don’t try and change the subject.”
“As if I would. Race you to the barn.”
“What?”
But Aiden had spurred his horse forward, the giant beast already galloping toward the barn in the distance.
Tess chased after him, though no way could she catch up. Breathless, her stomach aching from laughter and inhaling the freezing air, she reined in Dandy alongside Phantom.
“You took your time.”
She slid from her horse. “You cheated, sir. You had a head start.”
“Tess. Tess. Tess,” he chided, shaking his head. “Such a bad sport.”
“And you are a—”
He yanked her to him and she came up hard against his length. “I am your devoted husband.”
Words stilled on her tongue.
“I want to kiss you, Tess.”
“I know.”
“Am I allowed to do that?”
With his arms still wrapped around her waist, Tess arched back. “Hmm,” she said, resting the tip of a gloved finger on her chin. “I might have to think about that.”
“Not too long, I hope.”
And it was just as well she didn’t because when he kissed her, Tess knew she would never say no to Aiden loving her.
They found their way into the barn and it was sometime later before Tess exited the fog of desire that Aiden always wrapped her in.
With his cloak beneath them covering a pallet of straw and several old blankets he’d found close by, Aiden cradled her close, his warmth overriding the chilled air.
Tess sighed her contentment. She couldn’t have been any happier.
“I’m sorry if I offended you.”
In the fading light, she searched Aiden’s face, brushing his hair back from his forehead. She trailed her fingertips across the tiny wound inflicted so long ago. “Perhaps, as Luther said, I am wrong and a freak of womanhood.” She bent forward and kissed his scar.
“No. Do not say that and certainly do not speak his name and yours in the same breath. You were correct to be so forthright.”
“Stubborn.”
His mouth curved into a crooked grin. “Aye, that too. You are a strong, independent woman, Tess Charnley. How many women would do what you did?”
“Resort to crime, you mean?”
“Not just that. Strike out on your own not knowing where you were going, only that you needed to escape.”
“Some would call it foolhardy. You called it such, if I remember rightly.”
He grinned at her, eyes twinkling. “A challenge yes, but you found your way forward.”
“It has always been about taking control of my life, and,” she said with a sad sigh as memories of those days returned, “about losing that choice when my parents died.”
Aiden tightened his hold on her and she rested her head on his shoulder, reveling in the security she felt in his embrace. It had been a long time since she had felt such comfort and she had no inclination to leave it.
“You do not have to explain.”
“I know,” she said as a wave of determination crept into her tone. Perhaps, by telling him of her past it would appease her lingering sense of shame at how she had blackmailed this man into wedlock.
“Their carriage overturned in a ditch,” she said with a soft hiccupping breath. “They were killed outright.” Tess squeezed her eyes closed, but the vision of their battered bodies being brought home revisited. Tears welled. She went to brush them away, but Aiden beat her to it, wiping them as each fell.
“Sorrow is brutal.”
“It seems like yesterday and yet it is eight years since that day.” She had been devastated. “Aunt Tulip assured me I would be happy with them.” How wrong she had been. “I had no choice and besides, happy did not really exist anymore. I was alone and barely fifteen.”
“So not only did you lose your parents, but your freedom also.”
Tess offered Aiden a half-smile. “My parents were rather different. Free thinkers for our times.”
“Which I assume is where you get your independent streak.”
Her mouth quirked and she nodded. “Unfortunately, I failed to realize how important freedom of choice was until I’d lost it.”
“That can be said for most of us in life. We don’t understand what we have until it’s gone.”
“Luther thought I should be dutiful—and grateful. While he was certainly grateful for my trust fund, he abused it, losing virtually all of it.” Tess shifted so that she could look directly up at Aiden. “I expect that is why he has resorted to working with Nash. He’s desperate for money.”
“Are you excusing his actions?”
“I don’t know. We all do things when we’re desperate,�
� she said, admitting a soupçon of comprehension at her uncle’s behavior. “Perhaps it is similar to Jasper.”
“My brother gambles and needs a dose of responsibility on his shoulders.”
“He is young.”
“Twenty-one is old enough to be on the battlefield. Old enough to make his own choices and decisions, and live with the consequences.” Aiden’s tone changed, flecked now with a despondent weariness. “What about Percy?” he suddenly asked.
The familiar swirl of distaste churned in her stomach and Tess pressed the flat of her palms to her abdomen as if it would settle the seething inside. She lifted her gaze to Aiden. “Luther needed me off his hands. I had no money of any consequence left and therefore was an encumbrance. No one wants a penniless wife and so he found the closest available man.” Bile rose in her throat.
“Percy.”
Her gaze dropped. “Yes.”
“And so you hatched your escape plan only to have me ride into the fray and disrupt everything.”
“You were right, though. I had no plan, just a desire to be free.”
And now everything had changed. Her heart had changed. But would that be enough?
“Freedom, Tess, is a state of mind, not a physical presence.”
Was it?
In the distance a dog barked, alerting another to join in, resulting in a cacophony of howls. Aiden shifted, stretching his arms above his head. “I think it is time we stirred.”
“Must we?” To Tess this last hour had been one of the happiest she could remember. Just the two of them lost in a world of their own making.
“Unless you want to be found in all your glory, my lady, it might be advisable.”
In their secluded haven, Aiden stood. At his back, with the barn door open a fraction, the weak rays of sun filtering through gave Tess an exquisite view of her husband.
Honed from hours in the saddle and on the battlefield, his muscles were sculpted into a perfect physique. He was a man who toiled, a man of the people, of the land, and yet he was also a man of the ton.
A gust of icy wind blasted through and the barn door slammed back and forth. Their solitude had definitely ended and with reluctance Tess dressed and readied to leave their hideaway.
The Highwayman's Bride Page 19
