by Janet Woods
Shock rioted through Benedict that anyone would treat a young woman so badly. Anything could have happened to her by now, and he feared the worst.
Jake said, ‘We’ll have to go through to the back garden if we don’t want to be seen. I came out through the kitchen door and left it unlocked in case she was able to escape.’
‘That was quick thinking. We’d better not waste any time then.’ Closing his hand around the lad’s arm Benedict swung him up on the horse and mounted behind him. ‘Hang on tight, lad,’ he said and put the horse to the stretch.
Ten minutes later he left Juniper in the shade of a tree with strict instructions to Jake to stay with him. He surveyed the house, tempted to walk up to the front door and bang on it, but the boards could hide watching eyes and, foolhardy, he wasn’t. If they saw him coming they might shoot him out of hand.
Ducking round to the back placed a cautious eye against the chink between the boards. There was his Aphrodite. A man had her by a leading rein that was looped around her neck. Benedict recognised him. It was Jonas Carlton, a man who came from a well-established family and was heir to his uncle’s title. He wouldn’t have thought Carlton was capable of such barbarism. He was also was acquainted with Stephen Gould, a different proposition altogether. Gould was the son of a lawyer, and a crack shot. He made his money from gambling, for he’d been disinherited.
Just at that moment the girl’s eyes met his. He saw recognition come into them but she didn’t acknowledge him, not even with the flicker of an eyelash as she turned to pick up some plates from the table. Hard to tell if she was blushing, since her blood was up, and her cheeks glowing as a result.
‘Should I take these to the other two in drawing room,’ she said loudly.
‘You don’t have to shout, I’m not deaf, cousin Amber.’
‘I’m not your cousin. Let me go free,’ she said. ‘I’ll run away into the woods.’
‘If I did that Stephen would hunt you down. He’s a bad enemy when he’s riled. He’d probably kill you. Just do what you’re told and say nothing. Everything will be all right.’
‘And if I don’t?’
For her pains Jonas impatiently flicked the leather rein across her fingers. When she jumped the plates slid from her fingers and smashed on the floor. She clawed at her neck when the noose tightened around it.
She’d put herself in danger by creating a diversion. Benedict was about to hurl himself through the door when Stephen appeared. ‘Be careful with my slave, Jonas. I want her to last the day.’ He loosened the leather, took a firm grip on her chin and kissed her on the mouth.
She must have bitten him, for he gave an oath and took a step backwards. Blood seeped from his lip before he staunched it with his handkerchief.’
‘You vicious little vixen!’
‘And here’s something else for you.’ She picked a wicked looking knife from the bench and held the business end towards him. Gould took several steps backwards and tripped over a cat that had chosen that moment to streak into the kitchen. The cat disappeared with a spitting hiss into a basket in the corner, while Stephen Gould sprawled on his back on the flagstones.
Tearing the rein from her neck she lashed Jonas Carlton with it. ‘Get away from me, you cowardly cur.’ Carlton turned and headed out of the room at a run when she waved the knife in his direction. She turned and gazed down at Gould, who was rising to his feet, and she had such hate and intent in her eyes that Benedict began to quake.
He wasn’t about to allow her to kill anyone, however much the victim deserved it. But three men against one girl was rather uneven odds Even though the girl was doing quite nicely, Gould would easily disarm her, and would probably use the knife on her if she got any closer.
Opening the door he thrust through it and positioned himself between the protagonists. What he saw was that Amber Rose Hartford was at the end of her tether. Her hand was trembling, but her eyes smoldered with a barely concealed rage.
‘Give me the knife, Amber Rose. You might think he deserves it now, but believe me, you won’t enjoy the sensation of slicing that knife through human flesh or paying the penalty for murder. The man’s scum, and his death is not worth the price you’ll have to pay for it.’
She shuddered, and he was relieved when good sense penetrated her anger. When she handed the knife over to him he threw it out into the garden, then put an arm around her trembling body and drew her against his side. ‘Miss Hartford ... are you all right?’
Stephen lumbered to his feet. ‘Well, if it ain’t Benedict Costain, just in time to rescue the fair lady from a fate worse than death.’
‘Seems to me it was the other way round,’ Benedict drawled.
‘It’s been a long time, My Lord. You might recall that you pipped me at the post for the Beddington purse. You were a worthy adversary, as I recall.’
Benedict nodded. ‘Yours was an unlucky shot.’
‘Yes, I thought so too. That damned bird flying up from behind the target distracted me.’
Patrick came in, pistol in hand. ‘What the hell’s going on here? Who the devil are you, Sir?’
‘I’m Viscount Costain, heir to the Earl of Laconbridge. I’m also Miss Hartford’s affianced. Perhaps you’d care to introduce yourself.’ When the girl stiffened against his arm, he thought, So ... she hadn’t known about the arrangement.
‘I’m Lord Hartford. Miss Hartford is my cousin ... and my ward.’
‘A damn fine job you’re making of protecting her,’ Benedict said. ‘I caught your companions mistreating her.’
‘You can release my cousin now,’ Patrick said. ‘It was a bit of fun that went too far, that’s all. Go up to your room, Amber. ’
‘The young woman moved closer against him for protection.’ Normally Benedict would encourage such a move from one so fair, but she was blocking access to his pistol and Patrick’s weapon was still aimed in his direction.
‘I had no idea my grandfather had made a match for her. I don’t think Amber knows of it either. She looks rather surprised.’
‘Of course I know,’ she said with surprising spirit. ‘I was expecting Lord Costain today. We were going to discuss the arrangement in view of my grandfather’s death.’
‘So, the old man’s ambition was to turn you into a countess so the Hartford blood could be bred into future earls,’ Patrick sneered.
‘Your vulgarity in front of a young woman does you no credit,’ Benedict said.
Patrick’s eyes were red-rimmed and he was swaying. Stephen Gould was edging around the side, trying to get behind him, but he and the third man were unarmed.
Amber must have sensed the danger too. She edged away from him, then drew his gun smoothly from his holster and moved back, holding the pistol between them. When his fingers closed around it she stepped back slightly, giving him room to bring the weapon up if need be. ‘I hope you have no intention of using that weapon, Lord Hartford,’ he said to his drunken host.
‘On you, no.’ Patrick turned and aimed it at the basket in the corner. The pistol discharged. Something exploded in a welter of fur. A few seconds later the wild-eyed cat slunk out of the basket with a kitten in its mouth and streaked through the open door.
Patrick went pale and retched before he was able to take control of himself.
Giving a scream of dismay Amber dashed across the room. On her hands and knees, now, she searched through the rags and brought out a couple of tiny kittens, their fur and her hands covered by their unfortunate sibling’s blood. Tears streamed down her face. ‘How could you be so cruel, Patrick. You’ve killed one of them.’
‘It was an accident. I saw something move and thought it was a rat.’ He shrugged, exchanging a glance and a grin with his two companions that seemed more like bravado than anything, for he was as white as chalk. He recovered quickly. ‘It’s only a cat. Put your pistol away, Costain. I suppose you want to talk to your betrothed. You do have proof of this betrothal agreement, I imagine.’
‘Not on me. I ca
me to make arrangements with Miss Hartford for a time to collect her tomorrow, to take her to my parent’s home in Hampshire.’
The girl’s head jerked up.
‘The invitation arrived, did it not?’ he said.
She was quick-witted for she nodded, then stammered, ‘It was kind of the earl.’
‘They didn’t want you to be left alone in an empty house and they wanted to make your acquaintance before the marriage takes place. Perhaps you know where your grandfather kept the copy of the agreement.’
‘Mr. Dunston took all grandfather’s papers away,’ Amber said. ‘There’s nothing left in his strongbox except for a few guineas.’
Interest came into Patrick’s eyes. ‘My cousin is under my protection, and will not be going anywhere at the moment.’
‘I’m old enough to please myself where I go, and with whom,’ she said.
‘You’ll defer to my authority. ‘I intend to go to London and see Dunstan, to make sure this agreement is above board. We should be back before the week is out. Gentlemen, let us go about this business now. Costain, no doubt you can be trusted with my cousin for a short time. But make sure you leave the premises before nightfall. If any harm befalls her we’ll know whom to look for, and I’d hate to see you swinging from the end of a rope. And I suggest that you think twice before pulling a gun on me in my own home, again.’
Jonas turned his snigger into a cough when Stephen gave him a warning look.
A little while later Benedict watched the three men canter off. A few minutes and one piercing whistle later, Jupiter came trotting up the carriageway, with Jake running after him.’
Amber heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Jake. ‘I was worried about him.’
Benedict turned to her, noting that her mouth was still tense, so he longed to kiss the softness back into it. ‘I’m more worried about you.’
‘But they’ve gone,’ she said.
‘They’ll be back tonight, after dark. They mean you harm, Miss Hartford, and they intend to place the blame on me.’
Her face paled and she began to tremble again. Gently he touched the purpling bruise on her face and anger rose in him. How could they treat such an exquisite creature so badly? ‘Go and pack a bag with all you can carry, then head across to the woods. I’ll meet you at dusk, hopefully with a carriage of some sort.’
She held the wriggling kittens against her cheek, an altogether charming gesture. ‘But we’ve never met before, Lord Costain. Why should you help me to escape? Besides, I’ve got nowhere else to go. I’d better take the kittens back to the kitchen in case Tansy gets over her fright and comes for them.’
He took them from her. ‘I’ll do that. You go and pack. It’ll be dark soon.’
The eyes that came up to his were puzzled. ‘Thank you for your intervention on my behalf, My Lord. I must ask though, what was your business with me? And where do you intend to take me?’
‘The first has already been adequately stated. As for the second, I intend to take you to the home of one of my sisters, who lives in Hampshire. Now, will you go and pack. We haven’t got much time.’ Hearing a faint sound behind them he turned, ‘Everything’s all right, Jake. You can trust me. I want you to get your mistress away over the fields.’
Jake placed the outsized pitchfork he was carrying against the wall and came to stand by Amber, who said, ‘He’s not my servant. Jake is my family. Where I go, he goes.’
‘I didn’t know you had a brother.’
‘I haven’t. Jake and I are best friends, and look after each other.’ Benedict didn’t bother arguing with her since she had the same stubborn expression on her face as his sisters did when they argued with him.
He smiled at her and nodded to Jake, who appeared to be pleased by the young lady’s revelation, and gazed at her with worship in his eyes. But although his rival for Miss Hartford’s affection had got to her first, Benedict didn’t let it bother him. Experience would stand him in good stead.
‘Which way did they go, Jake?’
‘Towards Bridport.’
‘They’ll stop at the nearest inn, the Red Hart, probably. They’ll return to the house when night falls. Why are you still here, Miss Hartford?’
‘I don’t know if I can trust you.’
That was straightforward enough. He chuckled. ‘I don’t know if I can trust me, either. Let me put it thus. It’s either me or them. Take your choice, I know which I’d prefer.’
She shrugged and walked towards the staircase, turning at the bottom only to say, ‘I can’t believe your business with me was marriage, since we’ve never met. Why were you here, really?’
A half-truth was better than a lie, he thought, and he didn’t want to waste time debating the marriage agreement with her. ‘I was looking for a property to buy and thought Hartford House might have been up for sale. I was hoping you’d show me around while I was in the district, but I’ve seen enough of the building to know that I like it.’
Was that disappointment he saw on her face; hard to tell in the dim light. If it was the expression had disappeared when she stated, ‘Good, because my grandfather never mentioned a marriage agreement to me. He knew I wanted to be in love with the man I marry.’
Exactly his sentiments. ‘And if he had made an agreement?’
‘I’d obey his wishes. I loved my grandfather dearly and he always acted in my best interests.’
You’ve just cooked your goose, little lady, he thought and smiled at her.
They had something in common he could work towards. It would be preferable if the girl was in love with him before she learned of the marriage agreement, and Benedict would aim his efforts towards that goal. He’d never had trouble attracting women, and enjoyed the game of courtship, especially when the women concerned knew what the likely outcome would be. He’d hazard a guess that this one didn’t.
Either way, Amber Rose Hartford would give him no trouble.
Chapter Five
Amber and Jake waited by a milestone. By Amber’s side a large wicker basket contained as many garments as it could hold. In a bag she had her hairbrush and toiletries, and a small amount of jewellery, trinkets her grandfather had given her on various birthdays, which had once belonged to her grandmother.
On her other side a picnic basket contained the cat, who’d returned shortly after the three men had gone and seemed not to have noticed the loss of one of her kittens or the change of bed as she set about cleaning them.
It had been a struggle to carry the luggage across the fields and through the copse between them.
Still, the night held magic. A purple dusk began to fill with ghostly white moths and black swooping bats. A bright, three-quarter moon sent light spilling across a field of wheat that swayed and whispered in the breeze, turning it into liquid gold. The first star appeared. She wondered where the viscount would take her and felt regret at the thought leaving the place that had always been her home.
‘What a pretty night it is,’ she said quietly to Jake.
‘What will we do if Lord Costain doesn’t come?’ he said.
‘He struck me as being a reliable man.’
‘But what if they laid in wait for him ... and killed him?’
She refused to give in to the flare of fear that came with Jake’s words, and being careful not to trigger the safety mechanism she fingered the viscount’s small gun, which was now in her pocket ‘Don’t say such things, Jake. Lord Costain has the intelligence to out-think those men, and the strength to overcome any danger they may represent.’ If the ruffians could be called men! ‘He’s brave, but not foolhardy.’
She was hungry, and she imagined Jake was too. There was some bread and a small hunk of cheese in the basket he carried. Also a bottle of wine. But it would have to be shared between the three of them.
The carriage arrived a few minutes later, following the viscount on his horse. Both arrived with hardly a noise on the little used and overgrown track. His smile mirrored his relief when he saw them by t
he side of the road. ‘I could have sworn I said a travelling bag. If we’d been compelled to travel by horseback that basket would have had to be left behind.’
She smiled at the laughter in his voice. ‘Then it was lucky you had the foresight to hire a carriage. As it is I had to leave most of my wardrobe behind.’
She’d stolen a couple of guineas from her grandfather’s strongbox and had thrown the key into the stream on the way across the fields, mostly out of mischief. A pity she’d mentioned it to Patrick in the first place. But now he’d have the devil of a job opening it, unless he found the spare key, which was well hidden inside a hollowed-out book.
‘Miss Hartford?’
Amber came out of her reverie to realise that Jake and the luggage was already in the carriage, a rather shabby vehicle drawn by two dark horses. The driver was a silent shadow, now lighting the lanterns on his vehicle.
Lord Costain’s hand was warm and strong around hers. ‘I was lucky, the carriage was on its way back to Poole and the driver has agreed to take us. The driver’s name is Matt. We can stay the night there and go on in the morning. Are you recovered from your fright?’
‘Yes, thank you, Sir. You’re welcome to ride with us in the carriage if you wish. We have some bread, cheese and wine for our supper.’
‘It would be better if I used my horse, in case your cousin realises they’ve been tricked and he and his companions try to follow us along the coast. If you’d pass some bread and cheese through the window it will suffice. And I’ll have my little pistol back, unless you feel safer with it.’
‘Indeed I do, but I’d prefer not to have to carry a weapon since I’ve never been taught to use one, except for your brief instruction.’ When she handed the pistol over it disappeared back into his boot.
Hand closing around hers he helped her up the step and into the carriage then gently kissed her palm. ‘Never fear, little lady, I promised to get you away to safety, and I will. Try to enjoy the adventure of it.’
‘Adventure?’ A nervous laugh left her mouth. ‘To be quite honest I’m so frightened that I keep trembling. I must be insane to pack my bags and run away with a complete stranger.’
