by Wendy Vella
Wolf heard the threat; Cam was warning the other men to stay out of the fight.
“Keep your fists up, Wolf!” Max called.
“Feet, man, move them,” the duke coached.
Ignoring them, Wolf jabbed at Bull as he swung wildly, this time connecting with his nose.
“You broke me bleeding nose!”
“Such a large target, I’m sure it is not the first time,” Wolf taunted.
“I’m gutting you!”
“Mother of God, stop them!” Rose cried as Bull staggered to his feet.
Bull swung and connected with Wolf’s shoulder.
“You’re a standing target, move!” James roared.
“Move,” Wolf muttered.
“Right and left.”
The instructions came from his family, and Bull went down again from Wolf’s right hook. When he stood, he was holding a knife.
“Now we step in,” Dev said. “The fight is no longer fair.”
Wolf braced as Bull ran, but before he reached him, a screech filled the street, and Rose sailed through the air, landing on Bull’s back.
The man grunted and swung in a circle, trying to dislodge her. The knife swung inches from her head. Wolf grabbed his hand and wrestled the blade free.
“Get her off!”
James and Dev grabbed her, wrenching her off Bull. Wolf, no longer calm, planted a fist into his face, then again into his gut, dropping him first to his knees, then facedown to the street, and there he stayed.
“The rest of you will stand down,” Dev said. “One move or punch, one swing of a blade, and I will not be responsible for my actions.”
Still seeing through a mist of red, Wolf stepped over the fallen man and made for Rose, who saw him coming and tried to retreat. He caught her.
“You bloody little fool!”
Chapter 9
Rose had known fear and understood anger. Today she’d faced both to a degree she’d rarely felt before. Fear that Captain Sinclair would be harmed, or worse, had made her react as she had, and now she was faced with his anger.
His eyes were unnaturally bright, the pupils dilated, and his large body was rigid. In shirtsleeves and a waistcoat, his chest was rising and falling from the exercise he had just undertaken.
“I am no fool” was all she could get out around the dryness in her throat.
“What the hell did you think you were doing!”
“H-helping you?”
“By getting yourself killed?”
Black brows drew in the middle as he glared at her. He gripped her shoulders, lifting her to her toes as he pulled her close, so close their noses nearly touched.
“He had a knife.”
“Really, I had not noticed that.”
“There is no need for sarcasm.”
“There is every need for it. Christ, I swear my heart nearly stopped when you sailed through the air like bloody Zenobia.”
“Wh-who is Zenobia?”
“I will not be distracted, Rose. You took a risk and could have lost your life. I want your word you will not do so again.”
“No.”
He blinked.
“Pardon?”
“I said no.”
“I know what you said!”
“There is no need to roar at me, I am right here... only inches from you.”
She watched him suck in a large breath. When he spoke, it was through his teeth.
“It was reckless and foolhardy, and you will not take such an action again.”
“In fairness, I am unlikely to as I doubt the situation will arise,” Rose said, trying to placate him. It did not appear to be working, as his brows drew closer together.
“You are a mouthy woman.”
“Thank you.”
“It was not a compliment!”
“And thank you on Kitty’s behalf,” she rushed to add, shaking her arms free and stepping away from the disturbing man. “That man, Bull, has been pestering her for many months. It’s my hope that will now cease.”
“Wolf.”
It was Lord Sinclair who had called his name.
“What?”
“Up, to the right, a window in the building.”
Rose followed the direction Captain Sinclair looked, but saw nothing, so she made her way to Kitty.
“Take cover!”
“What?” Rose turned to see what the captain was talking about, but he was running at her. Seconds later he had her in his arms, taking her with him to the ground.
The ground was hard at her back, and the large man landing on her took the breath right out of her body. He grunted and she gasped.
“Stop struggling,” he whispered as she pushed against him, desperate for air. “There is danger.”
Rose needed air, so she pushed at him again. “C-can’t b-breathe.”
He rolled slightly to the left, and the air whooshed back into her lungs.
“There is a man firing a bow and arrow this way, Rose.”
His large body covered hers completely, and she felt every hard, taut muscle. His chest heaved, as did hers; his arms were braced beside her head.
“A few seconds more.”
“He’s gone.” Rose thought it was Lord Sinclair who spoke, but as she could not see beyond the large man above her, she could not be certain.
His jaw was clenched and she saw the muscles working as he swallowed. His eyes were moving everywhere, looking, seeking, and then they lowered to her, and Rose couldn’t breathe. The color was amazing; so much depth.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry if I was rough with you—”
“You saved me.” She touched his jaw, because she needed to. Just this once, she wanted to feel him. “Again I am in your debt.”
Their eyes caught and held, then his hand gripped hers and held it against his cheek. It was no more than a few seconds, but Rose knew that moment would be something she’d carry with her always.
“They have gone, Wolf,” one of his companions declared, and Captain Sinclair forced his eyes from hers.
He got to his knees, still bent over her, lifting her with him, pressing her body to his. She felt unsteady, off-balance, almost surprised to see the world had not tilted slightly in the last few minutes.
“I have you.” He pressed her closer as he looked at the window.
“They’ve gone,” someone said again, and this time Rose identified it as Lord Sinclair.
“Christ, is that an arrow?”
Taking Rose with him, Captain Sinclair regained his feet and looked to where the duke stood. Her body went from warm to cold as she looked to where he pointed. An arrow was lodged in the window casing above their heads.
“Rose?”
“I’m all right, Kitty.” Rose pressed a hand to the hard chest she was held against, but he did not yield.
“Let me go, Captain Sinclair.”
He said something beneath his breath that she could not discern, then his arms fell away, and she stepped back.
“Why would someone shoot an arrow here on such a busy street?” Kitty said, hugging Rose when she reached her side.
“And who were they aiming at?” Someone else asked.
“My nerves are all over the place too.” Mr. Sinclair spoke from his position crouched beside a building with a pie crust in his hand.
“I can see that,” Captain Sinclair muttered. “Extremely harrowing, but at least you managed to retain your food.”
“Yes, it was a near thing, I can tell you.”
“Where is Max?”
“Gone to see if he can find who fired that arrow,” the duke said. “I’ll see what he’s found, although like Max, I doubt the culprit is still about.”
Rose watched the duke walk away.
“Surely it is not safe for anyone to be out here still? Should you not call the duke back?” she questioned.
“They will find nothing,” Mr. Sinclair said, having risen to his feet and finished off his
pie.
The thought of food made Rose’s stomach queasy.
“I can never thank you enough for what you did, Captain Sinclair. To have taken on Bull, who is known as the strongest in these parts, and beaten him,” Kitty said, now holding Rose’s hand. “It’s my hope he’ll leave us alone now.”
“Us?” Rose heard the question in Captain Sinclair’s word. “Has he bothered Rose also?”
“To get to Kitty only,” Rose rushed to explain.
He was stalking back across the road before she’d finished speaking. His cousins followed.
“Come on, I want to see what’s happening. It’s right exciting now I’m no longer terrified. He’s a real man, your Captain Sinclair. I’ve never had someone fight to protect me before.”
Rose let Kitty tug her to where the men were still gathered.
“He is not my Captain Sinclair.”
“Well the way he was holding you certainly looked more than friendly to me.”
“Be quiet, Kitty.”
Captain Sinclair had Bull by the neck and was shaking him.
“You will not even look at either of these women, is that understood?”
Bull’s eyes were almost popping out of his head as he nodded. He was then shoved into his friends.
“Right then, I think we’ve made enough of a spectacle of ourselves for one day.”
“I’m sorry, Lord Sinclair,” Rose said. Would this situation impact on her employment with the Duke and Duchess of Raven?
“It is not your fault, Miss Abernethy, but the fault of that idiot and whoever fired that arrow.”
“May we escort you ladies home?”
“Oh no, my lord, there is no need for that,” Rose rushed to say. “We are quite used to walking the streets.”
“Yes, I can see how well that is going for you,” Captain Sinclair muttered.
“But now Bull has been dealt with we are safe, and surely that arrow was a random act of stupidity? And likely as not, we were not the targets.”
“One wonders who was the target then?” Captain Sinclair’s eyes were on her.
“I doubt anyone would bother with us, but if that is the case, then surely it is one of you who are in danger?” Kitty said the words, and Rose felt suddenly cold at the thought that someone may be intent on harming any of these men, but especially the disturbing captain.
Chapter 10
They left London thirty minutes later, and only after Wolf had forced down food and drink at his cousins’ insistence.
“Do you believe that arrow was a random act?” Dev asked.
“I fail to see how it could be anything else,” Wolf replied, “as no one knew we were headed to the Speckled Hen.”
“True, and yes, I believe you are right. Max and James found no one in the building, so whoever did it had fled.”
“I hadn’t realized you were quite that handy with your fists,” Cam said.
Wolf grunted. His jaw ached and his body could still feel every one of Rose’s curves pressed to it.
“He was a big brute, but at least now you have ensured he will leave Miss Dodds and my music teacher alone.”
“I live to serve, your Grace,” Wolf said.
“Quite the heroic gesture.”
“What?”
“You, leaping through the air and taking your Miss Abernethy with you to the ground,” James added. “It was something to see. Eden will be devastated to have missed it; you know how she loves excitement.”
Wolf’s only thought when he’d known there was danger was to save Rose, and that was after he’d roared at her when she’d leapt on Bull’s back. That knife could have killed her, and his blood still ran cold at the thought.
“I have not seen such rage in you since your return, Wolf. You certainly let your Miss Abernethy know how you felt after she recklessly leaped on that man’s back to save you,” Cam added.
“Which you should have stopped!” He hadn’t meant to roar at them, but it had come out that way.
“She was too quick,” Dev answered. “She’d rival Warwick for speed. It all happened before I could draw a breath.”
“Plus, we were watching the fight, which, I might add, is the most entertainment I’ve had in days,” Cam said.
Wolf bit the inside of his mouth so he would say nothing further. His thoughts were all over the bloody place, emotion was still rampaging through him, and it was her fault… again.
“Let it out.”
“What?” He glared at Max.
“The anger, fear, all of it, let it out. It’ll fester otherwise and that’s no good for a body.”
“You’ve been listening to your wife again,” Wolf snapped.
Max smiled that special smile of someone in love. It made Wolf want to throw up.
“She’s a very sensible woman, my wife.”
“A fool in love,” Wolf muttered. “And that goes for all of you.”
“Love,” Dev mused. “It changes us, and makes us feel things we’d normally not feel.”
“You’re making me nauseous.” Wolf faked a yawn. “Is there any chance someone will enlighten me as to where I am going and why?”
“You shall see soon enough,” Cam said.
As he’d already asked this question several times since leaving London, he gave up. Looking skyward, he thought rain was in their future, but kept that inside his head too.
“How’s the jaw?”
“Sore.”
“Worth it though, just to see that man fall,” Cam added. “My only regret is there was no betting taking place.”
Wolf snorted, and it turned into a laugh, which was soon out of control.
“Should someone slap him out of it?”
“No, just leave him, it will run its course.”
“S-sorry.”
“Never apologize for laughing, cousin. It is not a sound we hear enough from you of late,” Dev said.
They rode the next few miles in silence, and his thoughts returned to Rose Abernethy.
He’d dreamed about her last night. Hot and heated, he’d woken aroused, unlike other nights where he woke drenched in fear. The change had been welcome, if uncomfortable. And now, well now, he actually knew what she felt like pressed to his body.
“She’s feisty, your Miss Abernethy, I’ll give her that. Nothing like the controlled person who teaches my sister piano,” James said. “Quite something to witness, and it put me in mind of our women upon occasion.”
Feisty, yes, that was a good term for Rose Abernethy. Feisty, argumentative, cheeky, and so sweet, Wolf thought. He really needed to keep his distance from that woman.
“Funny how she keeps turning up like that.”
“Isn’t it, though?”
He ignored the conversation that he knew he was meant to overhear. Rose could be nothing to him, and if he reminded himself of that enough times, surely he’d believe it.
“There.”
He followed Cam’s finger an hour later and was pleased to be dragged from his disturbing thoughts. Thoughts that still held Rose. In the distance he saw a long single-story building. To the left, and some distance away, was a house. There were also a few outbuildings.
“It’s a house and barn. Had you simply wanted my confirmation on that matter, I could have drawn you several sketches.”
“No need to be testy, but then after what I witnessed, I’m unlikely to challenge you on it,” Dev drawled. “Quite the right hook you have there, cousin.”
Inspecting his bruised knuckles, Wolf decided he’d be seeking out Essie when he got back to London for some balm.
“I think we can dispense with what happened now. It is done, and I have no wish to rehash it constantly. And that goes for the rest of the family who were not there. They have no need to hear about it.”
“Oh, now where would the fun be in that?”
He exhaled again.
“If you will remember I was ridiculed constantly over my behavior around Em,” Cam said.
“For the re
cord, and once again, loudly, I will state that I have no interest in Miss Abernethy. I was simply coming to her aid, as I was Miss Dodds’s.”
“My hero.”
Wolf shot Cam a foul look.
“Ladies, please,” Max said.
“Why am I looking at that house?” Wolf growled. His body hurt, his jaw ached, and he had a terrible feeling he’d exposed himself in some way to these men, and they in turn would tell their women, and the interrogation would be far worse.
“But not just any house and barn.” Max ignored his sarcasm. “It has the makings of an excellent cotton mill.”
Wolf dragged his eyes from the building to look at him.
“And this should interest me because?”
“You love machinery, plus there is something else I think will interest you. Let’s take a tour.”
“I need no more business interests, Max. I have plenty.”
“But none of them tax you overly, they simply make you money.”
“The very best kind, one would assume,” Wolf said, looking back at the buildings.
“Come.”
He followed as his cousins took the lead and had to acknowledge the flicker of interest at the thought of the machinery that would be needed to run such an operation. He had always enjoyed taking things apart and rebuilding them.
Wolf had chosen not to look at business opportunities in this field for one reason only: the noise. He hadn’t told his family that noise sometimes affected him, but it did. He was making strides, but loud noises still sent him back to hell when he was not prepared for them.
He heard the water as they reached the building, and circling around it found a river, wide and deep, flowing fast. Dismounting, Wolf bent to scoop some up in his hands and doused his face, the cool easing the ache in his jaw. Apollo joined him, drinking deep.
“Better?”
“Marginally.”
“There has been plenty of advancement in machinery over the last few years,” Max said, dismounting. “Steam power is the way forward, Wolf.”
“I know that. I have read several articles,” he said, regaining his feet.
He tried to temper his excitement as they toured every inch of the building and discussed what needed to be done to turn it into a profitable business.
“I think now is the time, as this industry is evolving like never before,” James said. “Max has been keeping me abreast of developments, and I am interested.”
