Tall, Dark and Wolfish

by Dare, Lydia

  that

  woman is in love with you."

  "And what am I supposed to do?" Ben said as he stood up to pace.

  "Why did you marry her if you don't love her back?" Will asked.

  Ben shrugged. "It seemed like the right thing to do at the time." He knew he sounded like a complete idiot. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his fists in frustration. "She didn't have anyone. Her grandfather had just died. And I wanted her."

  "You still want her."

  Ben's head shot up. "Of course I do. I'm simply not sure I'm capable of… loving her." His eyes rose to meet Will's. He saw no censure in his gaze, thank heavens. No judgment. "I really fouled things up in Brighton."

  "Yes, you did."

  Will's eyes narrowed, but Ben continued. "I didn't mean to hurt her."

  "No one thinks you did. You mustn't blame yourself for being too much of a Lycan. There's no such thing. You simply chose to go to a whore too close to the full moon." He shrugged, as though he'd just solved the riddle to how the universe was created.

  "I hurt her," Ben said quietly.

  "It wasn't something she didn't recover from. You scraped up her back with your fingernails and got too rough with her. I'm sure she's had worse happen in her line of work. Simon settled a tidy sum on her, by the way, so she's quite happy with the way things turned out."

  "I didn't mean her." Ben let his voice trail off and refused to look up at Will.

  "Then who the bloody hell did you hurt?" The dawning of recognition passed over his face. "You hurt

  Elspeth

  ?" Will gasped.

  Ben nodded as he picked at a fingernail.

  "What. Did. You. Do?" Will bit out, syllable by syllable.

  "I got too rough with her," Ben said as he buried his head in his hands. "If I allow myself to love her, it will mean nothing but trouble for her."

  "Something tells me she's not going to settle for that. You'll work it out. The two of you, together. Talk to her. She'll understand and will probably welcome you with open arms, no matter how

  stupid

  you are."

  Ben picked up a heavy wolf paperweight and threw it at Will's head. It was a shame the man moved so quickly to avoid it.

  "Charming as ever," Will laughed. "May I offer a suggestion?"

  As though he could stop him. Ben shrugged, having a go at another fingernail.

  "Let nature take its course."

  "We can have a good life." Ben nodded his head. "Can't we?" he asked as he looked toward Will. "I can still make her happy. Even though I can't love her."

  "Are you trying to convince me? Or yourself?" Will asked. He squeezed Ben's shoulder once and walked from the room.

  Elspeth wasn't spying. She really wasn't. She just wanted to hear what they were talking about. She would wait one minute longer and then let them know that she stood outside the door to the study.

  But then they began to talk about her. Elspeth's heart soared. She had so much love in her heart that she felt like it would burst. He thought she was brilliant. And beautiful.

  Her heart suddenly plummeted to the floor. It felt like someone had pulled it from her chest and dropped it at her feet, where it went splat.

  He didn't love her. She pressed her hand against her lips to keep from crying aloud. The pain of hearing that was nearly unbearable. Tears formed in her eyes and began to trail down her cheeks.

  She heard every word he said and heard Will's responses. Ben planned to settle for her, even though he didn't love her. She couldn't let him waste his life when he could be out looking for his true love.

  Elspeth's life had never been easy. She didn't know why she'd ever expected to meet a nice man, fall in love, and marry. She was too much like her mother.

  She knew what she had to do. She had to give him his freedom. He'd brought her to London, and she owed him a great deal for his trouble. It would break her heart, but she wouldn't keep him trapped.

  Elspeth turned to walk away from the door and heard the hiss of a whisper. "Tsk, tsk. Listening at doorways is so unladylike," Will said.

  She brushed her hands across her cheeks and squared her stance. "I wasna eavesdroppin'."

  "Sure you were," Will said, pulling her into the front sitting room. "And you probably heard more than you wanted." He handed her a handkerchief and motioned toward a chair. "Sit, please."

  She paced across the room.

  "Or not," he mumbled. "Look, Ben doesn't know what he's saying. Give him a little time."

  She'd never known Ben to say something untruthful. He knew exactly what he had told his brother. He didn't love her. And he never would—not if he didn't now, after all they'd been through together. And she couldn't stand around and watch him, knowing what wasn't in his heart.

  "Elspeth," Will began softly.

  She turned to face him quickly. "Do ye ken Major Forster?"

  Will's eyes narrowed. "Yes, he's an old friend of our father's, and I help him out with the Society."

  Perfect. She wouldn't have to see Ben, then. "Can

  ye

  take me ta him?"

  "I think this is something Ben should be discussing with you." Will turned to walk away.

  "Please, Will," she begged, following after him.

  "I can't," he said, holding up his hands. "It's not my place."

  "If ye doona take me, I'll simply go by myself," she threatened, though she didn't know how to go about doing so.

  "I hate it when women do that."

  "Do what?"

  "Manipulate us," Will bit out.

  "Doona consider it ta be manipulation," she argued. "Just a bit of assistance gettin' ye ta where ye should be." She smiled at him.

  He had the nerve to roll his eyes at her. "I can go in two hours. Can you be ready by then?"

  "Of course." She would need to leave a few things for Ben and write a note. She'd leave the aloe and the blueberry tea. And she would instruct his cook to make blueberry pies, tarts, and cobblers. There were a lot of things she had to do. She'd also leave the final potion. The one he'd need if he didn't change with the next moon. According to her mother's notes, she'd used the same and it had worked.

  She had to leave Ben well prepared for the moonful. Because when she left, she wouldn't be coming back.

  Forty-one

  Will pounded on Ben's door. If his idiot brother didn't come to his senses soon, he'd lose his wife. And that was a loss Will doubted Ben would ever recover from. Personal experience had taught him that.

  He'd watched Ben and Elspeth the fortnight they traveled together, and it would be obvious to the simplest of simpletons that the two of them loved each other deeply. But apparently Benjamin was completely inept.

  When there was no answer to his banging, Will pushed the door open and found Ben lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "You obviously can't take a hint. Go away."

  "Stop being obstinate, Benjamin. I need to talk to you about Elspeth."

  Ben winced. "I'm not taking advice from you, so you can save your breath."

  Will heaved a sigh. Why did he even bother? Ben was as stubborn as all the Westfields before him. He'd always had to learn things the hard way and never did listen to reason. "When you've lost her, don't come running to me."

  Ben scoffed. "Nothing can change the fact that she's my wife, William. Melodrama doesn't suit you."

  The hard way it was, then. Will rubbed his brow. This would be painful for all involved. Poor Elspeth. How could she even care for the bloody dolt? "Don't say I didn't warn you."

  Canis House was in the middle of nowhere. Elspeth and Will had taken horses from the Westfield stables and ridden quite a way from Town into a heavily forested area. Only a small path led to a large Tudor mansion that stood proudly in the distance. A great stone wolf guarded the entrance. It was a bit awe-inspiring.

  "That's it?" Elspeth asked, knowing the answer in her heart.

  Will nodded. "You're not supposed to go in. It's a gentleman's club. W
ait just inside the entrance, and I'll go find the major."

  "Are ye sure he's here?"

  "He's always here." Will urged his horse toward the stables around the back, and Elspeth followed.

  Her pulse raced as her anticipation intensified. She'd never been so close to finding her sire. It had never been a possibility until now. And it gave her something to focus on instead of her broken heart. Why were the Campbell women so unlovable? What was it about them that prevented the men they loved from returning the feeling? Perhaps her father could answer that when she found him. Perhaps then she could understand why Ben was unable to love her.

  After dismounting his stallion, Will helped her off her filly. "You should really wait and do this with Ben," he said.

  Elspeth forced away her tears. She wouldn't be doing anything else with Ben, and she needed answers to a lifetime of questions. "Please, Will. We've come this far."

  "And my brother will never forgive me," he mumbled.

  Major Desmond Forster rubbed his brow, looking at the file in front of him. Poor Captain Redding. He was a good soldier and a better man. Matthew Redding had served under Desmond's command all throughout the Peninsular Wars; returned the previous year, after Waterloo; and sold his commission. Within weeks he had married his childhood sweetheart, and last night the lass had gone into labor. Neither the girl nor the babe survived the event.

  Redding was nearly out of his mind and rejected all the assistance the Society had offered. It broke Desmond's heart. But he couldn't help someone who refused to let him. He closed the file and rose from his desk. He started to descend the steps from his office, but stopped midway down the stairs.

  His foot nearly slid out from under him as his knees gave way.

  Rose?

  It couldn't be. He blinked in astonishment. At the foot of the steps, a young, red-haired lass stood quietly, fidgeting with her hands. Dear God, she was the spitting image of Rosewyth Campbell. The same compassionate green eyes, alabaster skin, fiery hair.

  Just as he made up his mind to turn around and go back to his office, the girl's eyes flashed up the staircase. She smiled tentatively, and his feet dragged him the rest of the way down the stairs. "Miss, are you lost?"

  She shook her head. "I've come with Lord William, he asked me ta wait here."

  The girl's Scottish lilt nearly knocked Desmond to the ground. She not only looked like Rose, but she sounded like her, too. Why would Will bring a girl here? He knew the rules. Desmond scratched his head. "The thing is, lass, ladies aren't allowed here. Would you like to wait for Lord William in my office?"

  She bit her lower lip. "I suppose that would be all right. Can ye get word ta his lordship?"

  The lass wasn't Will's usual sort of conquest. Desmond found himself smiling at her. "Of course. My office is at the top of the stairs, first door on the right. What's your name, lass, so I can tell Will?"

  "Elspeth. Lady Elspeth Westfield."

  Desmond's mouth fell open. He'd known the Westfields for more than three decades. There wasn't a Scot in the mix. But

  he

  had sent Benjamin to Edinburgh to find Rose.

  An uneasy feeling washed over him. He knew instantly that this girl was Rose's daughter. There wasn't a doubt in his mind. Rose had obviously gone on with her life while he'd mourned her loss every day.

  "Top of the stairs, first door on the right," he repeated numbly. Then he stepped into the drawing room and caught sight of Will in the far corner.

  Why the devil had the scoundrel brought Rose's

  daughter here? Desmond stalked across the room, ready to tear into the lad, but as he approached, Will seemed to sigh with relief. "Major, I was just looking for you."

  Desmond frowned at the overgrown pup. "Would you care to tell me why you've brought a woman here, William?"

  "You've seen her?" Will frowned. "She's Ben's wife."

  "I figured she belonged to one of you. That doesn't explain why she's

  here

  , William."

  Will gestured to a seat in the corner and collapsed into one himself. "She's here to see you, Major. Ben told her he thought you could help her find her father."

  Her father? The last person he'd want to find was Rose's husband. "How the devil would I know where to find the man?"

  "He's a Lycan. One of us. She bears the mark. Ben thought you could help her figure out who he is."

  The air whooshed out of Desmond, and his mouth went dry. The odds that Rose knew another Lycan were minuscule. He did the math in his head. The girl looked to be about twenty. He stumbled into the seat Will had indicated earlier.

  It wasn't every day a man learned he had a grown daughter.

  "She doesn't know who he is?" Desmond managed to ask. Why had Rose kept the girl in the dark? Why had she kept

  him

  in the dark?

  Will shook his head. "Scoundrel apparently abandoned her mother before she was born."

  He hadn't known Rose was with child. He never would have left if she'd told him. He would have made Rose come with him. Damn Fiona Macleod and her vision to hell. "What does she want with him?"

  "Ben says she wanted to kill him, but I can't imagine that. She's really the sweetest girl. Compassionate. She actually loves Ben, for God's sake, if you can believe it—though that's a whole other matter."

  Desmond's mind was awhirl. His

  daughter

  sat in his office, and he didn't have a clue what to say or do with her. But he had to see her again, to look at her with his eyes. His daughter.

  He was rocked to his core.

  Elspeth fidgeted in her seat. What was taking Will so long? He said the major was always here. Then the door opened and the gentleman she had met earlier walked into the office, a look of confusion marring his brow. "My dear, William says you are here to see me. I am Major Forster."

  "Oh." She rose from her seat. "Major, it's so nice ta meet ye. My hus— Benjamin speaks so fondly of ye. Did Will tell ye why I've come?"

  "I told him, Elspeth," Will replied from the door. "He thinks he can help."

  She smiled at the older gentleman. He raked a hand through his dark hair, sprinkled with bits of grey. His brown eyes seemed so distant, not filled with the warmth she had noted earlier. "Oh, that's such a relief. I'm sorry ta barge in here without any notice."

  The major locked eyes with hers. "It's no trouble, Lady Elspeth."

  Will glanced at Forster. "You'll see her home tonight?"

  The old officer agreed with a curt nod. Elspeth had no intention of returning, but neither of these men needed to know that. Once she had a name and a direction, she'd be off.

  Will bent and kissed her forehead, just as he would a sister. "Good luck. I'll see you later, Elspeth." She avoided meeting his eyes as she nodded. If he looked too closely, he would see her planned subterfuge written all over her face, as she was a terrible liar.

  The major motioned toward a chair and encouraged her to sit again. "May I get you some tea?" he asked politely.