by Cheryl Holt
Victoria’s cheeks heated, and she nearly backed off, but Amelia was alone in Gibraltar and didn’t have any family members to urge caution. Shouldn’t Victoria assume that role?
She was only two years older than Amelia, but in light of what she’d been through with General Bennett, she felt as if she could be Amelia’s wiser, elderly grandmother.
“It’s very warm at night,” she murmured.
“It certainly is. I brought a heavy quilt with me from London, but I doubt I’ll ever need it.”
“Windows are open. Mine are open. It’s easy for noises to carry. For example, if someone had a male visitor, his voice or footsteps might seem very loud. People might notice.”
“Ah…you for instance.”
“Yes, me. Captain Hastings was very quiet, but I heard him climb in your window, and I heard him leave. I couldn’t hear your conversation in between, but I know how long he was there.”
Amelia’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I’m intimately acquainted with James.” Amelia gasped, and Victoria hurried to say, “I just mean that he’s kissed me a few times.”
“Oh.”
“He’s kissed a lot of women over the years, and I realize how hard it is to resist him.”
“Yes, it is.”
“You’ve always resided with your mother and brother, so you haven’t had much experience dealing with a rogue like him.”
“I’ve had more than you’d think,” Amelia enigmatically stated, but she didn’t expound. “Will you move out? I wish you wouldn’t. I really like having you live with me.”
“No, no, I’m not shocked. I’ve had my own flirtation with him, so I can’t chastise you for the same transgression. I’m…worried, I guess. He’s a bit sophisticated for you.” She paused and considered. “I’m not sure that’s the best word to describe my concerns. Perhaps it’s more fitting to remind you he’s a philanderer. It’s common in the Hastings men.”
“He has an exceptional influence on me that I can’t tamp down. It’s why I left the house he’d rented.”
“I have to admit I’m surprised he chased you down last night. Women throw themselves at him, but he’s never interested. He’s the staunchest bachelor ever. What are your plans with regard to him?”
“I don’t have any.”
“Well, he appears to have some plans for you.” Victoria leaned in and whispered, “Has he…he…ruined you? Have matters progressed that far?”
Amelia blanched with dismay. “No! We’ve merely shared some private moments, but they were very dear moments. It seems as if I’m closer to him than I should be.”
“What now?” Victoria asked.
“I don’t know.”
Amelia looked so miserably conflicted that Victoria laughed and pointed out, “It’s not the worst thing in the world to have a handsome scoundrel dote on you once in your life. It’s actually very thrilling. The trick is to behave yourself and never cross the wrong lines.”
“I can’t break with him completely. I enjoy our encounters too much.”
“And he’s such a lonely, wounded fellow. Every female who meets him wants to save him from himself.”
Amelia winced. “It’s not just me? It’s every female in the kingdom?”
“Yes. It’s why he’s never lacking for feminine companionship.”
“When I’m with him, I feel special and cherished, but now that you and I have talked, I feel stupid and gullible.”
“You’re not the first young lady who debarked in Gibraltar and landed in his sights.”
“Aah! I’m more embarrassed by the second.”
“I’ll cease my harangue, but I intend to ponder this situation. Whatever is occurring, we have to lessen the danger to you. I would hate to have an incident arise where you would be forced to flee Gibraltar to avoid a scandal.”
“If that happened, I’d die of shame. I need some help!”
They chuckled and continued on. Shortly, they passed Captain Hastings’s house, and Amelia said, “Could we stop for a minute? I have to discuss an issue with Miss Hastings.”
“Didn’t we just agree that you’re entirely too involved in their lives?”
“Yes, but I’m worried about Laura. Miss Hastings isn’t the most responsible caretaker, and when Laura found out I was moving, she was very angry.”
“Maybe she’s simply hiding so you’ll miss her.”
“Maybe. Or maybe not. I’ve been certain she’d visit us, that hunger—if naught else—would spur her over to me. I have to check that she’s all right. I’ve been fretting.”
“Fine, go.”
Victoria urged her toward the door and followed her over. Amelia knocked, then blustered in without waiting for an answer. They entered the front parlor, and Amelia called, “Miss Hastings? It’s Amelia Boyle. Are you at home?”
Miss Hastings replied from upstairs. “Yes, I’m here, Miss Boyle. What do you want?”
“Is Laura with you?”
“No.” Miss Hastings tromped down, arriving in the room in her nightgown and robe. It was the middle of the afternoon, and she wasn’t dressed.
“Have you any idea where she might be?” Amelia inquired.
“No. I thought she was with you.”
“Why would you think that?”
“I haven’t seen her in a few days.”
Amelia sucked in a sharp breath. “How many days?”
“Since you left?” Miss Hastings shrugged. “It’s why I figured she went too.”
“You couldn’t bother to find out for sure?”
“I’m her sister, Miss Boyle, not her nanny. She’s ten, and she’s not a baby. If she felt like sleeping under your roof instead of mine, I’m not about to beg her not to.”
Amelia collapsed slightly, as if the news had her weak in the knees. “She hasn’t been with you at night?”
“No.”
“She hasn’t been with me either.”
Miss Hasting was totally unconcerned. “You should probably talk to James then.”
“Why would Captain Hastings know where she is?”
“She loafs at the stables all the time.” Amelia looked confused, and Miss Hastings said, “To tend the horses? James lets her fuss with them. She’s likely been camping out in one of the stalls. She used to do that occasionally when we lived with his brother, Robert.”
Amelia glanced at Victoria, and Victoria was silent, not having any comment to offer. She wasn’t acquainted with the Hastings sisters, had no duty toward them, and had no opinion about the debacle.
Apparently, Miss Hastings had provided all the clarification she considered necessary on the topic of her sister. She walked to a desk in the corner, retrieved an envelope, and handed it to Amelia.
“What’s this?” Amelia asked.
“It’s the invitation.” Amelia was confused again, and Miss Hastings said, “To Conte Corpetto’s soiree. You can’t have forgotten.”
“I did forget,” Amelia murmured.
“Don’t claim you won’t escort me. If you don’t accompany me, I might have to miss it.”
Amelia appeared as if she’d rather have a tooth pulled, but she forced out, “I’m happy to escort you.”
“I’ll hire a carriage and pick you up at eight,” Miss Hastings told her. “I’d like to get there plenty early so we can enjoy every moment.”
Victoria was alarmed by the information that Miss Hastings had a social connection to the Italian nobleman. She, herself, had had a brief fling with him, but she’d swiftly abandoned the relationship. He wasn’t exactly a roué, but he was hardly the type of fellow with whom an adolescent girl should be consorting.
She bestirred herself to inquire, “Miss Hastings, you’re friendly with Conte Corpetto?”
“Isn’t everyone who matters?”
Miss Hastings’s tone was so insolent that Victoria yearned to slap her. She ignored Victoria and continue
d speaking to Amelia. “I’ll see you Saturday night. Is there anything else you need?”
“Just news about Laura.”
“I don’t have any, but when you locate her, tell her I’ll take a switch to her for running off. She’s aware that she’s not supposed to.”
“She’s run off before?” Victoria asked.
Miss Hastings had previously met Victoria—when she’d hosted the welcoming party for them—but she gaped at Victoria as if she had no idea who she was or how she’d wandered into the parlor.
Miss Hastings scowled ferociously. “I’m sorry, but who are you?”
“Miss Hastings!” Amelia scolded. “You’re being a brat. Stop it.”
“It’s my home, Miss Boyle,” Miss Hastings snidely retorted. “If you don’t like how I’m acting, don’t visit me.”
“That’s very wise advice,” Amelia tersely concurred, and she turned to Victoria and muttered, “Let’s go.”
She clasped Victoria’s arm and hurried outside. She didn’t bother to shut the door, and Miss Hastings sauntered over and called, “Send Laura to me when you find her. I’ll end her nonsense quickly enough.”
Then she slammed the door, and they were alone. Amelia was visibly enraged and on the verge of stomping back in and quarreling.
“Calm down,” Victoria said.
“Give me a minute. I have to catch my breath or I’ll explode.”
“It’s pointless to bicker with her.”
“I might feel better after it was over though.”
Victoria snorted. “I doubt it.”
They stood quietly, Amelia staring up at the blue sky, her expression tormented.
“What an unlikable shrew,” Victoria said. “I understand why you moved out.”
“She’s never had an authority figure to mold her behavior. She’s troubled.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
“Where do you imagine Laura might be?” Amelia asked. “If Miss Hastings is being truthful, she hasn’t been here in four days.”
“Miss Hastings was probably lying, trying to scare you. I’m sure Laura is fine.”
“I’m not.” Amelia shivered with dread. “I realize we agreed I should stay away from Captain Hastings, but I think I have to talk to him.”
Victoria sighed. “I think so too.”
* * * *
James marched from the stables and out into the bright sun. When he noticed Amelia and Victoria approaching, he blinked over and over, wondering if he was dreaming.
But no. She was really walking toward him, and Victoria was with her. They were now thick as thieves, which was disturbing, and he wished he’d had the clout to keep Victoria away from her, but Amelia had made it clear that she wasn’t any of his business.
His conduct with Victoria hadn’t been particularly risqué, but with his burgeoning infatuation for Amelia, he didn’t like them being together. He could only pray Victoria wouldn’t denigrate him too badly.
“Hello, Captain Hastings,” Amelia said as she strolled up.
“Miss Boyle. Mrs. Bennett.” He nodded to them and would have liked to squeeze Amelia’s hand or sidle over to tarry next to her, but with Victoria watching him like a hawk, he couldn’t. “What brings you by?”
“Are you busy?” Amelia asked.
“Busy enough. I’ve been pitched into an emergency, so I’m about to ride out.”
“I hope it’s nothing too horrid.”
“It’s not horrid yet. I’m still trying to decide what level of crisis it is.”
“Have you seen Laura lately?”
“Yesterday afternoon. Why?”
“She’s been with you?”
“Yes.”
“We just spoke with Brinley. Laura hasn’t been home—not since I departed.”
He frowned. “That can’t be right. They sleep in the same room. They’re…”
He stumbled to a halt. Their bedchamber door was always closed. He’d never opened it to check if Laura was there or not. He’d simply assumed that she was.
“Did they have a fight?” he asked. “Might she be angry and deliberately avoiding her sister?”
“I have no idea. She wasn’t concerned about Laura, and she claimed Laura has run away before.”
His spirits flagged. “Oh, no.”
Amelia laid a hand on his arm. “I’m worried. How about you?”
He peered over at the stables and scoffed with disgust. “I’m not worried, and you shouldn’t be either.”
“Why not?”
“I think I know where she is.”
“Where?”
“Last night, I was…ah…otherwise occupied.” He’d been in Amelia’s bed, and when Victoria swallowed down a guffaw and spun away, he had to hide any reaction. Had she heard him there? “Usually, I’m on duty, or if I can’t be present, someone else is. I snuck out on the spur of the moment, without finding a replacement.”
“And…?”
“One of our horses is missing. We’ve been investigating to figure out what happened.”
“You believe she stole it? Would she dare?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“But…but…she’s a little girl. Would she have the skill to trot off on an army horse?”
“Definitely.”
“Is she…she…in trouble? I mean legally? For stealing from the army?”
“No one’s learned about this but me and a few of my men. I’ve been scolding them and listening to their assertions that they aren’t guilty of malfeasance. It never occurred to me that she might be the culprit.”
“Where would she go?”
“That’s the important question, isn’t it? I’ll track her down.”
“What should I do?” she asked.
“Head home and wait.”
“It’s the worst advice you could give me. I’m too anxious to sit around, twiddling my thumbs. Could I come with you?”
“Aren’t you the woman who’s afraid of horses?”
“Yes.”
“The afternoon is waning, so I have to travel fast. You can’t accompany me.”
“I suppose not.”
“As soon as there’s news, I’ll contact you.”
* * * *
It took James several hours to locate her. She’d stopped on a dusty, deserted road and was seated in the shade under a tree. There was a stream behind her, and her horse—the mare she liked—was having a drink of water.
He was glad he’d found her before night fell, but as it was, the search had expanded into a huge morass.
She’d departed the enclave in the dark, during the period when he’d been misbehaving with Amelia, when the garrison had been locked down for the evening and the guards not very alert. The sentries hadn’t confronted her. She’d simply been a barefoot waif, riding by with a pack strapped to her back. There had been no saddle or other signs that the animal didn’t belong to her.
She’d looked like a local child going out to fish at dawn, and she’d been waved through without being challenged. At least that was their account of the incident. James suspected they’d been napping or intoxicated, which would have resulted in a flogging, so they’d invented a story and were sticking to it.
Since he was a British soldier, he couldn’t blithely leave Gibraltar and gallop into Spain. He’d had to explain himself to his superiors, had had to be granted permission for the trip—both from the British and Spanish sides of the border—and of course, he’d been ordered to not go by himself, to take a team of men with him.
All of it had shined a light on the fact that he had family in Gibraltar and one of them had caused an enormous dilemma. The army didn’t tolerate mischief, and offenders were sent home immediately. The soldier involved was typically punished, then sent home too.
He’d had to vociferously insist that Brinley and Laura were sailing shortly, that the military didn’t need to intervene, but it didn’t solve the issue of Lau
ra running away on stolen property.
He wanted to be furious, but he was actually quite impressed by her feat. How long had she been planning her escape?
She often came to the stables, but he rarely realized she was there. She’d lurk in the shadows, watching and concealing her presence. Clearly, her ten-year-old mind had been racing with schemes, so maybe she was more like Brinley than he’d recognized, and the prospect was very depressing indeed.
Brinley had told Amelia that Laura had run away before. He wondered how frequently it had transpired, what had precipitated the various events, and how Brinley had dealt with them. Obviously, she hadn’t fixed whatever was stirring the problem.
He had his cadre of men rein in, and he went over to speak to her without them eavesdropping. She was very stoic about being caught. If she was astonished to see him, he couldn’t tell. If she was afraid of penalties being imposed or perhaps even relieved that he’d saved her from folly, he couldn’t tell that either.
He dismounted and stared down at her, struggling over what attitude he should display. He would never shout at her. He was simply curious as to why she’d left, but he was positive she’d never reveal the reason. And he had to ensure she grasped that she couldn’t pilfer from him again, that she couldn’t traipse off, but he doubted she’d heed him.
As she’d proved, she was a bit stubborn—just like her sister.
He squatted down in front of her and said, “You stole my horse.”
She didn’t respond, but gazed up at him with those big, sad eyes of hers. They killed him, those eyes.
“I have to take it back, and I have to take you back too.”
She sighed, then peered down the road, as if she could picture herself vanishing into the distance to a happier place.
“When Miss Boyle discovered you were gone, you scared her to death. She’s been very worried. Your sister too.”
At his citing Brinley, she scoffed, indicating she didn’t believe him.
“Why did you leave?” he asked. “Were you and Brinley quarreling? You can confide in me if you were. I won’t be surprised to hear it. It can’t be easy living with her.”
She shook her head, signifying it wasn’t.
“Are you angry with her? Was she picking on you or hurting you somehow? Is that why?” She shook her head again, and he remembered Amelia mentioning Laura had been enraged when she’d moved out. “Were you upset with Miss Boyle for abandoning us? Is that it?”
