Enticing the Weary Warrior

by Tammy Jo Burns

  Megan watched Liam grab Grayson by the lapels of his coat and pull him up. He reared back and let his fist fly, making contact with Grayson’s jaw. The crunch reached Megan’s ears. She looked up from where she still sat on the ground and saw the color slowly leech from Grayson’s face. She placed a hand over the bloody area of her dress and felt no pain. She saw Liam pulling his arm back once more, and scrambled to her feet. “Liam, stop!” Megan threw herself at his arm, trying to get a grip on him.

  “Let go,” Liam growled, attempting to shake her free.

  “No, you stop! Liam, I’m not hurt, Grayson is.”

  “What?” Liam asked startled, mid-punch.

  “Grayson’s been shot, not me,” Megan yelled, attempting to get through to Liam. He released the man in his clutches and let him drop to the ground. Megan tried to go to Grayson, but found herself in the steely grip of her husband. He prodded the bloody area on her gown and only when his fingers did not meet with a bullet wound did he relax his grip. Megan slipped free of his hold and fell to her knees beside the other man. “Grayson, are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” he tried to wave her away with his good arm.

  “You’re not fine. You’re bleeding.” Megan pulled her skirt up and ripped off a piece of her chemise. “Lie still,” she pushed him backwards as he attempted to sit up.

  “It’s just a flesh wound, I’m sure,” Grayson said, wincing as Megan applied pressure to the area.

  “If it’s a flesh wound, why do I feel a hole and a metal ball in there?”

  “I don’t know. Why do you?”

  “Grayson, stop,” Megan ordered. “We’ve got to get you help.”

  “Just get me to my rented rooms and I’ll be fine.”

  “Move,” Liam said gruffly, nudging Megan out of the way.

  “Be careful,” she cautioned.

  * * *

  Liam shot his wife a look that would have caused other women to cower in fear, but Meagan simply ignored him and continued hovering over this man who had been shot. This man that was a stranger as far as he knew. A stranger she called by his first name. Anger bristled through him.

  “Come, Grayson,” he practically growled, holding out his hand for the man to take. When he stood upright, the man was as tall as he was and as broad.

  “I don’t believe we’ve met,” Grayson said. “Grayson Patterson, Viscount Dervish.”

  “Brookdale.”

  “Ah, Megan’s husband.”

  “That is Lady Brookdale to you.”

  “Liam, stop,” Megan chastised. “I think I saw a side gate over here. We should be able to slip out without anyone seeing us.”

  Liam watched her turn to check on the men and rush to Dervish’s side when he stumbled.

  “Get away from him,” Liam ordered.

  “No,” Megan stubbornly replied. “You can help him or I will help him. It’s your choice, but either way, he’s not going to be able to walk out of here under his own power just because of blood loss. So stop being a stubborn arse and help him.”

  Liam stood there and hesitated, anger vibrated through him. Finally, Liam jerked the man’s good arm around him a little more roughly than what he should have.

  “Easy there, friend,” Dervish said.

  “I am not your friend,” Liam denied. “And I will kill you for putting my wife in harm’s way, but I think I’ll wait until you are fully healed.”

  “I didn’t put your wife in danger. I suspect someone was shooting at her.”

  “And why would you suspect that?”

  “Because I was standing where she had been when I was shot.”

  “What?” Liam’s head snapped around to look at the man leaning on him.

  “There was a shot. Whoever it was missed. I saw something glint off in the trees. I knocked Meg…I mean Lady Brookdale to the ground just as the next shot went off. Now I have a bullet in my shoulder to show for my bravery.”

  “Are you certain that is the way it happened?” Liam acknowledged the little note of desperation that sounded in his voice.

  “Of course.”

  “Because the loss of blood could have—”

  “Done absolutely nothing. We both know that we are currently acting out a role to satisfy the whim of a beautiful woman. I’ve been shot before and I know that I’ll be fine in a few weeks. The one in true danger is the lovely Lady Brookdale. So my question for you, Lord Brookdale, is who wants your wife dead?”

  * * *

  Liam quietly watched Megan mother Dervish all the way to the man’s temporary abode. Once they had him safely in the hands of his valet, they continued on their way to Brookdale Manor. Liam studied Megan. She worried her hands and looked out into the darkness, refusing to make eye contact with him.

  “Your dress is ruined.”

  Silence.

  “You’re covered in another man’s blood.”

  More silence.

  “You can’t ignore me all night,” Liam said.

  “I’m not ignoring you.”

  “Then look at me.” He watched her reluctantly turn her head and look at him. The carriage lantern swung sickeningly, casting grotesque shadows over her face. “Why were you outside with Dervish?”

  “Getting some fresh air, and avoiding a dance with a certain repugnant lord.”

  “I see. You two seemed rather cozy with one another when you were dancing the waltz, especially for two people who supposedly just met.”

  “What do you mean by that?” she demanded.

  “I shouldn’t have to spell it out for you,” he practically growled.

  “I did just meet him this evening, and he has a wonderful sense of humor.”

  “Which I do not.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn't have to.”

  “Fine. No, Liam, you do not have a wonderful sense of humor. In fact you are quite sullen as of late, and I’m quite tired of it. So, yes, I enjoyed dancing with a man who flattered me and made me laugh. Is that a crime?”

  “It appeared you were doing more than just dancing.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means I do not appreciate my wife flirting with other men in the middle of a ballroom, dammit.”

  “Perhaps if you treated me like a wife, I wouldn’t have to resort to flirting with strangers to remind myself that I am indeed an attractive woman wanted by someone. Even if that someone isn’t you. Isn’t my husband,” she emphasized the words.

  “Meg, you don’t understand.”

  “You’re right, I don’t, because you don’t trust me. You don’t share what you’re thinking with me.”

  “You shouldn’t be put through the nightmares of my past. Most women couldn’t handle it.”

  “Well, I guess we’ll never know if I am one of those women or not, will we? By the way, you disappeared for quite a while this evening yourself. Did you meet up with your mistress?”

  “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t have a bloody mistress.”

  “Then where were you? Why didn’t you stop me from going outside with Grayson?” Silence. “Where were you, Liam?” she asked the question more slowly this time.

  “I thought Bunbury and his cronies were up to something.”

  “You went on a spy mission during a ball for the Jockey Club? You were inside, skulking about while I was outside, with another man, being a shot at. Tell me, Liam, what were they were doing? Well?”

  “Playing cards.”

  “What was that?”

  “Playing cards,” he said, clearer and louder.

  “You spied on a group of men playing cards at a ball,” she laughed and shook her head.

  “You were with another man,” he countered.

  “You’re still choosing to play at being a spy rather than being a husband and father!”

  The coach lurched to a stop and Megan exited before Liam could stop her and before the footman could climb down from the top. He sat there for a few
moments contemplating her words. Was she right? Was he not giving her enough credit? She was a strong woman. Perhaps he should talk to her. Tell her his fear. Tell her about his nightmares and how close they had both come to their lives changing forever.

  “My lord, would you like me to shut the door?” the footman asked awkwardly, unsure what he should do.

  “No,” he left the coach. Liam crossed the threshold of their house and climbed the stairs. He entered their suite and approached Megan’s room. He turned the knob and opened the the door. “We need to talk.”

  “Not now,” Megan said.

  He could hear the exhaustion in her voice. He watched her pull a robe on over her chemise and he clenched his fists tightly. Liam ached to cross the room, take her in his arms, and love her until they were both boneless and sated. He observed her as she unpinned her dark hair and it fell down her back.

  “You’re the one that wanted to talk. I’m giving you your chance.”

  “Liam—”

  “Mama,” Paddy moaned pitifully as he entered the suite.

  “What’s the matter, little man? Where’s Annie?” Liam asked, as he bent over and scooped up the little boy.

  “Want Mama.” He squirmed in Liam’s arms.

  “Megan, he’s hot.”

  “My tummy hurts.”

  “Let me see.”

  Liam met her halfway and kept a firm grip on their son. Megan felt Paddy’s flushed face.

  “My poor baby,” Megan cooed to the little boy. “I’ll take him.” She pulled him from Liam’s arms, effectively using him as a barrier.

  “Megan, I—”

  “Not now, Liam.”

  He watched as she settled Paddy into her bed and tucked him under the covers. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to get me.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be fine,” she said shortly. “We wouldn’t want to cause you to feel like you were part of a family or anything silly like that. Goodnight, Liam.”

  Liam backed out the door as Megan crossed and firmly shut it. Now he felt like a stranger, blocked from being part of this family and he had no one to blame but himself. He looked up to see a frantic Annie come rushing down the hall.

  “He’s with his mother,” Liam said.

  “Thank goodness. He was sick, and I was cleaning up after him and then he just disappeared.”

  “He’s in good hands. Go back to bed, Annie.”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  Chapter 22

  Two mornings later, Paddy felt much better and Megan impatiently waited for Liam to leave for London. He had postponed his latest trip until he was certain that their son was on the mend. She stood, dressed in her riding habit, watching out the window as Liam rode his horse down the drive. Unsure as to what she would do if she found him in the arms of another woman, she knew that she still had to know, one way or the other. Her stomach was a mass of nerves and she had been unable to eat anything substantial. She had only picked at her food the night before, and had mostly just pushed it around on her plate as she listened to Liam and Paddy chat animatedly.

  When he disappeared around the bend Megan went up to Paddy’s room to tell him goodbye.

  “Where’re you going?” he asked suspiciously.

  “I have to go to London and see your Grandmama,” she lied glibly.

  “I want to go.”

  “Next time, I promise,” she cajoled. She saw the giant tears well in the little boy’s eyes, and her heart broke. “I’ll bring you a trinket back,” she promised.

  “I still want to go,” he stubbornly argued.

  “I know you do. But I promise I’ll be back before you even realize I’m gone. Now you be good for Annie. All right, love?” She watched him nod, but his bottom lip stuck out mutinously. Megan dropped a kiss on his nose and left the nursery after quickly speaking to Annie. She raced out of the house and down to the stable. “Is my horse ready?”

  “Yes, m’lady,” a groom answered.

  “Where you be goin’, lass?”

  “I have to go to London. I’ll be back tomorrow.” She turned to mount one of the new horses that Liam had purchased on one of his London trips, when she felt a firm hand on her upper arm halting her progress. Megan twisted her head and saw Hamrick standing at her side.

  “Let’s take a walk, lass.”

  “I have to go,” she said, the slight hint of desperation in her voice reached her own ears and made her angry.

  Hamrick’s reply was to pull her away from the horse and give orders for the groom to standby. He tugged a reluctant Megan out of the stable and away from listening ears. When they were far enough away, he released her arm and faced her. “Now, what are you really doin’, lass?”

  “I told you, I’m going to London. I need new clothes.”

  “And before you go spoutin’ anymore lies, you best remember that I know you better than anyone here, possibly even better than that husband of yours. I also know that your parents brought trunks of your clothes with them when they last came.”

  “I do need a ballgown, for a ball that we must attend in London,” she argued. She felt Hamrick scrutinizing her, and forced herself to look him in the eye.

  “You’re going to spy on him, aren’t ye, lass?”

  He stood in place as he watched her walk to the fence and rest her arms on the top rail. Lady Belle trotted over to her, and nuzzled her hands until she relinquished and patted the horse. Still she remained silent as a storm rolled through her.

  “’Tis is a foolish thing you’re doin’. That man loves you and nothing good can come of you skulking after him,” the old man said softly.

  “I have to know, Hamrick. I have to know what he’s been doing, who he’s been seeing.”

  “Why don’t you believe him?”

  “It’s not that I don’t believe him, it’s…”

  “What?”

  “He has shared the past, but now he isn’t sharing the present. I don’t know why. It’s complicated,” she hedged, refusing even now to share Liam’s physical insecurities with anyone else. “I have to do this.”

  “Then I’ll go with you.”

  “No, you have to stay and work with Legend. We are so very close to reaching our first goal. We have one more race before the 2000 Guineas. I promise, I’ll be back in time.”

  The old man nodded and followed her.

  Megan mounted the horse and looked down at Hamrick. “Will you watch out for Paddy?”

  “You know I will, lass.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “I don’t like this.”

  “I know.”

  “Be careful.”

  Megan nodded before spurring her horse on. Liam had a large head start on her now. She needed to make up some ground. She coaxed the horse into a slow lope. Fifteen minutes later, she was bringing the horse to a halt. Megan saw Draco tied up outside a small group of buildings, one appeared to be a church and another the vicarage. The rest looked to be sheds for different uses. She led her horse deep into a thicket and tied it to a low branch.

  Slipping from the saddle, she crept through the trees and crouched low, to maintain her secrecy and stay hidden. Ten minutes later, she moved to her bottom, when her knees began to protest. Another half hour slowly passed before Liam emerged from the vicarage. He shook a man’s hand before exiting. He then mounted his horse, and rode towards London.

  As tempted as Megan was to march across the road, pound on the door, and demand to know why her husband had been there, she knew it would be useless. The cleric would simply tell her to talk to her husband, but that was the problem, they didn’t talk to her anymore. Megan stood slowly, her stiff muscles and joints protesting the movement. What in bloody hell are you doing? she demanded of herself.

  “I’m getting answers the only way I know how,” she answered before getting on her horse and continuing her mission.

  * * *

  Liam passed through the gates of London. His mind had been on his conversation wit
h the vicar most of the trip. On several occasions he felt as if he were being watched. He would stop and study the terrain behind him, but would see no one. Draco soothingly clip-clopped through the London streets as he guided him through the traffic of carriages and dray wagons. Tomorrow he had a Parliamentary meeting he had to attend, so he decided to go see Mingzhu and Chang today. Afterwards he would visit with Cassie about her thoughts in regard to a law he wanted to see put into place for wounded soldiers and the orphans and widows of deceased soldiers.

  He missed Megan and wished he could have brought her, but things were still too unsettled between them. When he thought about the other night and the way she had proudly stood before him in her natural beauty and nothing else, he broke out in a cold sweat. It had taken everything in him to ask her to leave. He knew he had hurt her, but he had to fix what was wrong with him before he could move on. Liam continually chastised himself on a daily basis for touching her in the first place. It only made it that much harder on the both of them when he turned her away.

  He led Draco around to the mews when he came to Mack’s familiar townhouse. He chuckled as he marveled at how familiar he had become with Director McKenzie and his household. Liam found that he enjoyed the camaraderie of visiting with Mack, and even his wife, Cassie. Perhaps it was because they did not know how he was before, so there was no comparison and no expectations. There was an acceptance from them that Justin, and most especially Megan, still failed to give him.

  * * *

  Megan watched from the other side of the square as Liam disappeared into the corner townhouse. She made her way to a park bench and prepared to wait. Time passed slowly as the minutes gave way to hours. Finally, she saw what she had most feared and dreaded. Liam was walking out of the house into a side garden with a beautiful blonde woman. A woman that looked to be heavily pregnant. A woman that had her arm entwined with Liam’s and was watching him intently as they walked to a table and chairs.

  He was very solicitous as he helped the woman sit down before following suit. Soon a maid brought out tea before returning inside. They talked for over an hour, while Megan’s heart crumbled, and tears she didn’t even realize she shed slipped silently down her cheeks. How many times had the woman reached over and gently patted Liam’s hand or gave his muscular bicep a gentle squeeze.