No Recourse

by Mari Carr

  “I tend to agree with Julia on this. The earl was just here and I don’t think he’ll rest until he’s found her. He already suspects she may be at the Grange. With so many servants in the house, I’m not sure we can keep her presence a secret.”

  Julia struggled to rise. “I c-can’t go b-back. P-please.” With her last plea, she lost consciousness. Simon caught her and gently lowered her to the ground.

  “Thank God for small mercies. She won’t be able to walk to the cabin.” Simon looked up at Hayley, concern etched in the lines of his young face. “I’m still not sure how she made it here on her own. She’s quite a remarkable woman.”

  “Do the two of you know each other?” Hayley asked.

  She noticed Simon blush slightly. “Yes, we have been introduced before.”

  “Well, as you can see, she needs to be cared for. I’m afraid she may be going into shock.” Julia’s face was even paler than before—something Hayley didn’t think was possible.

  “Julia.” Hayley leaned down close to her face. Julia stirred slightly and opened her pain-filled eyes. “Would you mind if Simon helped me carry you to the cabin? I won’t be able to get you there alone.”

  She was concerned Julia would balk at the idea of a man touching her, but Julia’s eyes simply drifted closed again.

  “Let her rest.” Simon reached down gently and lifted her as if she weighed no more than a small baby. Relieved to have help, she watched as Simon headed stealthily to the edge of the woods, careful not to hurt the young woman in his arms.

  “I know where the cabin is,” he said over his shoulder to her. “I’ll get her there. Why don’t you dig up some bandages and food and then follow?”

  Without waiting for a response, Simon continued with his precious cargo. His unexpected appearance was the answer to a prayer as Hayley had worried how she would get Julia to the cabin unseen. Now she hoped to convince Simon to help her. Between the two of them, the task of caring for the injured woman secretly would be easier, and from the look in Simon’s eyes, she doubted he would leave Julia’s side until she was completely well. Julia seemed to draw champions to her side as honey drew flies.

  Hayley paused at the back door, wondering where Jack had gone, about his past and about the hatred that pulsated between him and his uncle. She recalled that brief look in Jack’s eyes when she’d first entered the library. He was scared. She wouldn’t push him, as Alex feared she would, but she wouldn’t let it rest. Jack intrigued her as no man had ever done. She was interested in everything about him and determined to uncover the mystery surrounding him.

  Hayley looked down the path where Simon and Julia had disappeared into the thick of the woods. Relieved they had escaped unseen, she entered the house with a mission. She had an abused woman to protect and perhaps—as she considered Jack—an injured man as well.

  Hayley spent the remainder of the afternoon with Simon and Julia in the cabin, tending the woman’s wounds, which once cleaned up did not seem as serious as she’d previously feared. The ribs were bruised, not broken, and after washing off the dirt and dried blood, Hayley discovered most of her injuries would heal completely with time and bed rest.

  Most of the pain Julia experienced centered on the bruised ribs, blackened eye and the fact she had traveled several days in nasty weather to reach Fernwood Grange. She was exhausted, half-starved and frightened to death. A good night’s sleep and full stomach would go a long way to returning her strength and health.

  Hayley had originally insisted on staying the night with her, but Simon convinced her that her absence at dinner would be missed more than his. He’d returned briefly to the Grange to leave a note for Alex, explaining that he needed to go to London immediately at his mother, Sarah’s request and would return in a few days.

  Content that Simon would watch over Julia, Hayley promised to return early the next morning with more supplies and food. She wondered briefly whether it was permissible for two unmarried people to spend the night together and what Jack and Alex would say about it. Her conscience was soothed by the fact that, for now, there really wasn’t any other option. Julia was extremely fatigued and Simon was a trustworthy man who wouldn’t hurt a flea.

  Julia remained adamant about not asking Jack for help and having seen Wilshire’s determination to find his ward firsthand, she understood the importance of Julia remaining hidden. Julia didn’t confide in Hayley about how she had sustained her injuries, although Hayley had formed her own opinion.

  After Julia had a good night’s sleep, Hayley would talk to her about her attack and try to determine exactly what the earl had done. She felt fairly certain the young woman hadn’t been raped, but she wanted to make sure. Tomorrow, she would get to the bottom of things.

  Jack didn’t return for dinner that evening. No one had seen him since he’d stormed out of the house after his uncle’s departure. Dinner was a somber affair, despite Erin’s attempts to keep the conversation light. Alex was as concerned about Jack as Hayley. After dinner, she joined Erin and Alex in the library. Alex worked at his desk quietly, while Erin tinkered with a new song she was writing. She played softly on the piano, humming and stopping often to write the notes down.

  Hayley sat before the fire with a book on her lap. She’d grabbed it off the shelf without glimpsing at the cover. As soon as she sat down, she had realized it was written in French, so she’d simply closed the book and watched the fire.

  Her mind was frantic wondering where Jack had gone. Had he returned to his home? She had never seen him so angry and she wasn’t sure who had infuriated him more—her or his uncle. She hadn’t anticipated her meeting with Wilshire would unnerve him so, but she had little doubt that her untimely appearance in the library had shaken him to the core.

  He didn’t want her to meet his uncle. No—it wasn’t that. It was more like he hadn’t wanted his uncle to meet her. The fear. It was the fear she’d seen in his eyes that haunted her. She recognized the look too well. It was the same one she’d seen in the eyes of the children who’d come to her shelter with their mothers. They were afraid, abused, uncertain. Was that why he’d run out? Because she had seen something he’d wanted to remain hidden. What had his uncle done to him? Every time she ran through the scene in the library, she ended up with more questions, but no answers.

  Alex warned her not to push Jack, but Hayley didn’t think she would be able to rest until she knew. Something about Jack tugged at her heart. Setting the book aside, Hayley excused herself, claiming to be jet-lagged with a small laugh. She left the McCormicks to their blissful married existence and sensed they secretly welcomed the time alone together, even though she knew they would never complain about her presence.

  Sleep would be a long time coming. She paused outside her bedroom door and then continued past it. To hell with Alex’s mysterious warning to give Jack time. He owed her some answers. After all, she’d taken Julia into her protection, even though Jack didn’t know about that and she had endured his uncle’s threats. She needed to know exactly what was going on in the Campbell family if she was going to be able to help Julia and Jack.

  She also wanted to know what the nature of their relationship was. Jack obviously cared a great deal for Julia, yet the young woman seemed reluctant to see him. Was Julia merely trying to protect him from his uncle’s wrath or was the romantic interest only on Jack’s end? There was a noticeable age difference between the two. Hayley thought Simon and Julia were actually better suited.

  She couldn’t quite explain why she couldn’t see Jack and Julia living happily ever after together—yet the entire idea seemed wrong to her. Maybe it was because she could only see Jack with her.

  Groaning, Hayley stopped that silly thought from taking root. She would never be happy with a man like Jack. She would never be happy with any man. She had long ago accepted that a romantic relationship was something she would never have. Too much baggage from her childhood. Although that knowledge left her feeling empty and alone most of the time. Watchin
g Alex and Erin together uncovered some long buried desire in her heart and she found herself wishing for their kind of love for herself.

  Problem was, Jack lived in the past and Hayley had every intention of returning to the future as soon as that damned tree would let her. That was a pretty big damn hurdle to any budding love affair she might be imagining between them.

  Walking down the hall, Hayley knocked softly on Jack’s door, confident he wasn’t home. She wasn’t sure where Templeton was. Did he wait in Jack’s room for his master to return or had he retired for the night?

  When there was no answer, she quietly turned the knob and pushed it open. Jack’s room was similar to hers. Alex and Erin had taken great care to ensure their guests’ comfort. One candle was burning by the bed and another was lit on the small writing desk by the window, while a fire blazed in the fireplace. The room was overly warm after being closed for several hours, so Hayley opened a window, allowing the cool summer breeze to blow in before crossing to the desk. She settled in to wait, but before long the soft lighting and gentle breeze made her drowsy. Putting her head down on the desk, Hayley tried to fight sleep, but the quiet night sounds outside lulled her into slumber.

  Jack entered his dark room well after midnight. Alex must have instructed the servants not to lock up the house in case he returned. The fire in his room had burned down to glowing embers and the candles had gutted. Wearily, he walked to the bed, sitting on the edge to pull off his boots and stockings. Standing again, he stripped off his waistcoat and started to drape it over the desk chair.

  A slight figure caught his eye, startling him briefly. The moonlight streaming through the open window shone on the desk. For a moment, Jack simply stared at the top of Hayley’s head, her curly red hair spread all around her face like vibrant rays shooting from the sun. Without thinking about why she was there, Jack gently lifted her from the chair. She didn’t awaken until he placed her on the soft bed.

  Chapter 13

  Opening her eyes slowly, Hayley saw Jack leaning over her. His features were no longer hard and angry, but soft and tender.

  “Jack?” she whispered.

  “Sshh,” he said softly. “It’s late. Go back to sleep.”

  Waking slowly, Hayley glanced around the room, confused. Then she remembered where she was and why. Hayley sat up suddenly aware she was lying in his bed. “Jack,” she repeated.

  “I think we’ve established that it’s me.” His voice was deep.

  Remembering all the day’s events and that she had been seriously worried about him, Hayley took exception to his calm, cool tone. “Where the hell have you been?”

  All trace of kindness left his face at her words. “Out.”

  Hayley waited for him to elaborate, but instead he pushed off the side of the bed. It was clear he didn’t intend to say more.

  “Out?” Hayley repeated sharply. “I’m afraid you will have to do better than that. I’ve been—”

  “Do better than that?” Jack stalked back to the bed, his face transformed to its previous angry state, the one that had frightened her so when he’d stormed out of the house that afternoon.

  He leaned toward her. “Mademoiselle, you are in my room in the middle of the night and you have the nerve to question my whereabouts. You’re the one in the wrong place, as usual.”

  “What does that mean, as usual?” she asked angrily, continuing to speak without allowing him to answer. “You’re the one who stormed out after that scene with your uncle. Do you mind explaining what the hell I did that was so wrong?”

  “I’ll tell you exactly what you did wrong. You came into the library when you weren’t welcome. You deliberately placed yourself in my uncle’s presence after I expressly forbid you to go anywhere near him and you provoked him into a rage causing him to threaten your well-being when you should have kept your mouth closed.”

  By the end of his speech, Jack’s voice had gotten menacingly softer, instead of louder, clueing her into just how furious he really was. His face was mere inches from hers. She could feel the heat radiating from his furious body and she wondered if she could actually be burned by someone else’s wrath.

  Retreat seemed the only way out. “I’m sorry.” Her voice shook slightly, but Jack’s face remained the same. He was still as a stone, leaning over her in the bed. “You’re right. I was wrong and I’m sorry.”

  When he didn’t respond, she attempted to back away from him on the bed. He loomed over her, larger than life. Her only thought was to put distance between them, but he stopped her by placing his large hands on her upper arms. He half sat, half dropped to the bed beside her and she had only a moment to gasp before his lips crashed into hers. His kiss was hard and brutal as he pushed her lips roughly against her teeth. She tasted her own blood and, in fear, raised her hands in an attempt to shove him away. She may as well have tried to move a jumbo jet.

  Apparently, Jack sensed her fear as the tenor of his lips on hers changed. Slowly, the kiss became softer, gentler. His hands left her arms and moved to grasp the sides of her face. He ran his fingers through her hair, stroking it as his lips roamed over her face and neck.

  Hayley stopped pushing against his chest and moved her hands to the back of his head, her fingers playing with his thick hair. His tongue brushed against her lower lip, coaxing her to open her mouth. When she did, his tongue caressed her mouth, soothing it, taking away the pain of his earlier aggression.

  He pulled back briefly to look in her eyes. “You shouldn’t be here,” he whispered before returning to kiss her.

  Afraid he would stop, Hayley moved her hands to his face. She craved his kisses like she desired Moose Tracks ice cream. She rubbed her hands over his rough, day-old beard.

  Spurred by her touch, Jack’s hands trailed down her throat and arms, moving to her breasts. She still wore Katie’s plain blue day dress, having never returned to her room after dinner. With knowing fingers, Jack lifted her lightly and began to undo the buttons at the back, sliding the dress off her shoulders.

  Breaking the kiss, he glanced at her bra. Hayley blushed, remembering the last time he had seen her in this state. It was after their swim earlier that day. Had it really only been this morning? It felt like ten years since then.

  Grinning, he returned to kissing her, while his hands stroked her breasts through the thin material. He continued to rub them tenderly while his lips traveled from her cheeks to behind her ear, and then trailed along her neck.

  She shivered when they moved down to caress her nipples through the material of her bra. “Jack,” she whispered, holding him to her before stiffening, the feelings his touch evoked unfamiliar and frightening to her.

  Jack pulled back first, obviously sensing her sudden fear. Hayley was amazed by how in tune to her emotions he was. He shook himself as if he were in a daze. “Dammit, Hayley.” Stopping seemed to hurt him physically as he stepped away from the bed. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  She pulled her dress up. “You’re right.” Thinking him still angry, she added, “Jack, I’m sorry about earlier. That’s why I’m here. I wanted to apologize. I didn’t mean to interfere in your business with your uncle.”

  “I don’t give a damn about that,” Jack said. “You need to go back to your room. If Alex finds you in here, we’ll be standing before a minister tomorrow morning saying wedding vows.”

  “What?” Hayley said with a small laugh. “Just for making out?”

  Jack looked at her, puzzled. “Making out? Is that what you call this? You mean you’ve done this before?” Alex had warned Jack about some strange pact Hayley and her friends had made about remaining virgins until they were married the first night he and Hayley had arrived at the Grange. Jack couldn’t imagine it actually being necessary to make such a strange pledge with friends. In this time, innocence was expected and generally found on the wedding night. The idea that women in the future would not save themselves for their husbands was a foreign concept to him. Of course, if he was being honest with h
imself, most things about Hayley were foreign to him.

  Alex had been warning Jack away from her with the information and he knew it, but his friend’s explanation of the carefree nature of sexual relations in the future had shocked him just the same. He couldn’t conceive of a place where men and women could engage in sex so freely, unless, of course, it was in a brothel.

  “Well, yeah,” she said, blushing. “It’s not unusual in my time for men and women to kiss and touch and stuff.” He couldn’t believe he was having this conversation with a woman. She seemed so afraid of being touched that he was surprised by her words. There was an innate innocence about her tangled with that damn fear that never seemed to abate.

  “You’ve been with a man before?” Jack wanted to clarify his question so there was no misunderstanding between them. “I thought—Alex said—I understood him to mean that you were an innocent.” Jack stumbled as he spoke. He was never uneasy with females, but Hayley was proving to be the exception to all his rules. She had a knack for bringing the worst out in him and she continually left him stuttering and tongue-tied.

  “Oh, I am,” Hayley added quickly. “I mean, I guess, in the way you mean. We are talking about sex, right?”

  Jack nodded.

  “Actually, what you and I just did, well, that’s a bit further than I’ve ever gone, although I have been kissed and—” Hayley blushed and he wondered how they could end this uncomfortable discussion. “There was a guy in college that I kinda liked, but we never—” She stopped talking, clearly too mortified to continue.

  “I see,” Jack said.

  Hayley rubbed her brow, trying to push back the memory of her single attempt to get close to a man. That night had ended in a major panic attack with her running from the boy’s dorm room like she was being chased by a serial killer. Needless to say, he’d never called again.

  Jack shook his head and closed his eyes. Hayley tried to decide if he was disgusted or intrigued.

  “I think it’s a good idea if we stop then. I—well—I really think—damnation, woman, regardless of what happens in your time, in this day and age, it is extremely inappropriate for you to be in a man’s room.” Then he took note of where she was. “And in a man’s bed.”