She answered, a moment later. “My Lord, what an unexpected surprise.”
“I thought I might keep you company,” he said. “I have not seen you all day, though I cannot blame you for wanting to avoid my mother.”
“It is not a good time, My Lord.” She dropped her gaze, his chest gripping with anxiety. Her tone was uncharacteristically cold, her manner following suit.
“Is something the matter?”
She shook her head. “No, My Lord. I just… I do not think it appropriate that we continue to meet like this. If anyone were to discover us, I would lose my position and my dignity.”
“Why do you call me ‘My Lord’ again?”
“Because it is the proper thing to do. Now, I must return to my duties, and you ought to return to your family.” She tried to close the door in his face, but he put his foot across the threshold, preventing her.
“Teresa? Has something happened?”
“I was a fool to allow myself to feel affection for you, that is all,” she replied quietly, her tone filled with sadness. “You and I can never be, and I will not risk my employment for an impossibility.”
He held the door open, desperate to keep her in his view. “Who says it is an impossibility? I do not care for the rules and regulations that surround those of the peerage. I do not have to contend with the same struggles as my brother. My mother and father may wish me to marry well, but I wish to marry for love. And… I love you, Teresa.”
Her eyes widened, tears glistening. “You cannot, My Lord. I am not for you. I am no lady. I have no fortune. I have nothing to offer. But I stand to lose everything if I continue on this path.”
“If you love me in return, then you have everything to offer and nothing to lose,” he replied in earnest. Do not shut me out, I beg of you. “Tell me, what has happened? Where has this talk come from? You were happy when I left you this morning—why do you look so sad now?”
She shook her head miserably. “Perhaps I came to understand what I refused to acknowledge this morning. My feelings for you do not matter. Even if I were to love you, I could never have you. You are not for me, just as I am not for you. Your mother and father would cast you out if you tried to disobey them, and even if they did not, they would certainly cast me out. I cannot take advantage of the generosity I have been given.”
“Who has put these thoughts in your mind?” Luke continued to hold the door, his mind racing. In truth, he had a feeling he knew exactly who had put these thoughts in her mind. Edmund might have promised he would not intervene, but he had not promised he would not attempt to manipulate her from afar.
“They are my own thoughts, My Lord.”
“Please, do not call me that,” Luke urged. “Speak to me as you spoke to me last night and in the early hours of this morning. Speak to me as your lover once more, I implore you.”
A sob caught in her throat. “I cannot have my heart broken, My Lord.”
“I would never, Teresa. Your heart is as precious to me as my own. And if you do this, it will be my heart that is broken.”
“You must go,” she murmured.
“Do not send me away.”
“Please…”
Realizing she was slipping through his fingers, through no fault of his own, he forced his way forwards and took her in his arms. His lips found hers, kissing her with all the passion he possessed. At first, she did not respond, her palms pushing against his chest.
“I love you, Teresa. I would never do anything to hurt you,” he urged, kissing her again. This time, he felt her soften, her mouth slowly echoing his kiss. Her body relaxed against him, her tongue dancing with his as she pressed herself closer. He did not know whether to weep with joy or seek out Edmund and demand answers. As she looped her arms about his neck and drew him deeper into their kiss, he felt his anger dissipate, replaced with pure contentment.
Chapter 17
A week passed with no further mention of the captured highwayman in the press. It irked Luke, that someone had leaked the news, for it mean the highwaymen would deign to be more cautious. How could they be lured out, if they knew to go into hiding? Those incessant gossipers. He knew it had to be someone from the ball, who had revealed the news, but there had been too many people there for him to aim his annoyance at any one person.
That did not mean their pursuit of the highwaymen had been forgotten or delayed, however. And yet, he had not been able to get the villainous wretch to talk. Nobody had. His lips were sealed shut and showing no signs of opening. Whomever he worked for, they had a strong hold over him.
Teresa continued to offer encouragement. However, he could not bear the look of worry in her eyes, whenever they were together. Although she claimed she loved him, he knew her mind was plagued with doubts. How could she not be concerned, when her employment is tied to me? The notion troubled his heart and mind, for her love was the only thing he desired, above all else. And Edmund had threatened that, for the sake of his own ends.
But I will prove myself to be faithful, when I retrieve her stolen necklace and offer it as a wedding gift. It was the only chance he had left to secure her favor. All he had to do was get the highwayman to talk, one way or another.
And so, it came as something of a shock that morning when Edmund dragged Luke to the outbuilding the captured highwayman was kept in, and pushed him into the room unceremoniously. It was unseemly to have such a fellow in the household, and Luke could not fathom what had possessed his brother to bring him here. He almost yelped in alarm, seeing the bedraggled, worn face of the fellow they had caught.
He was a towering figure of a man, even sitting, at well over six-feet, with broad shoulders and a wide chest that made his filthy shirt strain. His dark hair was close-cropped, and dirty-looking stubble bordered his thin, cracked lips. Every feature of his face was broad and prominent, his chin protruding proudly as he folded his arms over that barrel chest. A brute, for certain.
“It would appear that our friend wishes to talk, Brother,” Edmund announced, as he closed the door behind him.
Luke frowned. “What?”
“He has declared that he only wishes to speak with you, but I will not be leaving. I will stay, to hear what he has to say for himself.” Edmund glowered at the stern-faced fellow, anger bristling from him in palpable waves.
“He will speak?” Luke could not fathom it.
“He has asked to see you, so I presume so. Though goodness knows why he has only agreed to talk with you. I am the eldest son of this household, after all,” Edmund muttered, clearly sour about the peculiar favoritism being shown. It confused Luke, too.
He paused, a shiver of dread running through him. “Then… I suppose you may begin.”
“Not with him in the room,” the highwayman spat.
“What is your quarrel with my brother?” Luke arched a curious eyebrow.
“He is as good as a duke. I don’t speak with highborn sorts.” The highwayman deliberately turned away.
“But I am of high birth, too,” Luke replied, though he did not want to squander this unusual opportunity.
The man shrugged. “Not as high as him over there.”
Luke cast a weighted look at his brother. “Edmund, perhaps you should leave us to it? You may remain outside the door, in case anything should happen.”
“You cannot be serious?” Edmund gasped. “I am not about to leave you alone with a known criminal.”
“Please,” Luke urged. “You brought him in here, so let me contend with him.” He was aware that every moment he wasted, this chance slipped further and further through his fingers. He needed this, not only for himself and his family’s welfare, but for Teresa’s honor, too.
Edmund shook his head. “Absolutely not.”
“Please.” The urgency throbbed in Luke’s voice.
“But what if—” Edmund began, but Luke cut him off.
“As I have said, if you wait outside the door, I can call for you if anything occurs. Please, Edmund, you must leave.�
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Edmund unleashed an irritated sigh. “Very well, but if he kills you where you stand, you will only have yourself to blame.” Without another word, he stalked out of the room, leaving Luke and this strange, grim fellow to their conversation.
“What is your name?” Luke began. The wretch had not even given that away, content to crouch in sullen silence in the makeshift cell they had created in the stables.
“Stuart Bollands,” the man replied. “Though I don’t see what that’s got to do with aught.” He spoke with an odd accent that Luke did not recognize.
“Well then, Bollands, to what do I owe this unexpected encounter?” Luke’s tone came out cold.
“I think you know, otherwise ye wouldn’t have bothered draggin’ me about,” Stuart replied bluntly.
“Enlighten me.”
A coarse laugh rasped from Stuart’s throat. “I’m one of them men you’ve been chasin’ after like nobody’s business. And yer probably wantin’ answers, right? One of the other lads said he’d met ye before, in the woods. Shot ye in the arm. That right?”
“No, I got a trifling cut from a riding accident,” Luke replied, without missing a beat.
Stuart snorted. “Aye, an I’m the King of England. Look, if ye want to get aught out o’ me, we’ve got te be honest with each other. If ye aren’t that fella, the one who got shot, then I can’t tell ye aught.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Then, yes, that is correct.” He needed answers more than his pride.
“Right, so yer stake in this is personal, ain’t it? So, that’s why I’m talkin’ with ye, and not te that stuffed up peacock outside. Seems te me like ye’ve got a lot more te lose than yer brother, which means ye might be willin’ te make a few deals te get what ye want.”
Luke’s eyes narrowed. “I do not follow, I am afraid.”
“I want somethin’ and ye want somethin’. ‘Tis simple. Don’t complicate it,” Stuart replied. “I’ll tell ye a tidbit, if ye turn me loose. If ye can’t do that, at least see te it that me sentence is lenient. A couple months hard labor or somethin’, no more.”
“I will have to hear what you have to say first. If it satisfies my curiosity, then… perhaps something can be arranged.” It pained him to have to say that, but what choice did he have? He needed this man to speak.
“That ain’t good enough. I need yer word, or ye can kiss any information I’ve got goodbye. I got no loyalty te the fellas I work for. All I’m doing is payin’ off a debt. So, I’m willin’ te speak, fer the right price.”
An idea came to Luke. “Then, how about this—I will pay off the remainder of your debt, and you will face the proper sentence for your crimes? That way, neither of us lose.”
Stuart paused for a moment. “Aye… aye, that might be good. Offer us a sum te pay off the debt and keep me family above water, an’ I’ll tell ye what ye want te know.”
Luke nodded. “I can do that, providing your information is useful.”
“Ye want te know who’s got that lady’s necklace, right? And ye want te clear these fellas like me away from yer roads, aye?”
“That is correct.”
“Then ye need te go right te the root of the problem, M’Lord.” Stuart flashed a toothless grin. “Ye want te be goin’ te the Sphinx of Salford. That’s the fella yer after. Offer him a trade, or a deal, or somethin’, and he’ll stop terrorizin’ ye. He might even give that trinket back, though I cannae make any promises. Might have sold it already. It’s all about the money with him, ye see.”
“The Sphinx of Salford?”
Stuart nodded. “Aye.”
“And where will I find this man?”
Stuart snorted. “In Salford, o’ course.”
“Of course… and that is all you have to tell me?”
“That’s all ye need te know, M’Lord. Find him and yer troubles’ll be over. Arrange somethin’ and ye won’t have te worry about us no more.”
“But you will surely move elsewhere, and proceed in the same manner?”
Stuart shrugged. “Ye care about that? What’s it te ye? Won’t be yer problem no more.”
“I will have to contemplate it some more. In the meantime, you will stay here in the stables.”
Stuart’s expression darkened. “And what about me family? What about me debt?”
Luke sighed. “I will take care of your family. Leave their information with my brother, and I will ensure that they do not suffer because of your decisions in life.”
“And me debts?”
“We can discuss that when I have come to a suitable conclusion. For now, at least, you need not worry about your family.”
“Right, well, ‘spose that’ll have te do... fer now.” Stuart did not sound convinced, but Luke was not about to offer him any more than he had already done.
Luke crossed the room. At the door, he turned. Stuart stood with an eerie smile. “I’d be careful if I were you. The Sphinx ain’t someone to be messed with. But he’s the only way yer gettin’ rid of us fellas.”
Luke felt a shudder of fear bristle through him as he left the foul man. Who is this Sphinx? It did not sit at all well with Luke, but he had little else to go on.
Knowing he ought to act as soon as possible, despite his fears, he went back to the Manor so he could begin to forge a plan from the solitude of his study. Edmund, oddly, was nowhere in sight. However, Luke jolted in fright a few moments later, as a figure hurtled across the entrance hall towards him. Teresa rushed up to him with a worried expression on her face, tears brimming in her eyes.
“My Lord, I heard everything,” she gasped, her tone hushed. “I was near the stables, and I could not help but listen to what was being said.”
“All will be well,” Luke replied, finding his voice again. “We must remain staunch in our resolve to seek justice. There is nothing to fear. I will not act until I am suitably prepared.”
Teresa shook her head. “Oh, but there is, My Lord. He gave you a warning. This Sphinx is not a person to be trifled with. You should not follow this path, My Lord. You must not.”
“I must put a stop to this.” Luke sighed. “And this is our only way, as it stands.”
“And what if this man is telling lies? What if he is trying to put you in harm’s way?” she urged.
Luke frowned. “Whatever do you mean?”
“What if he intended to be caught, so that he could say this to you? What if he means to lead you to this Sphinx, so that further suffering can be brought upon you?” Teresa replied. “I do not like this, My Lord. I do not like this at all.”
Luke shook his head. “I will not run from this, Miss Dowels, but I assure you I will be cautious. Besides, why would he tell me such a falsehood, after I promised to aid his family? It would not be in his favor to see me brought to harm.”
An odd spark flashed across Teresa’s eyes. A flicker of fearful worry—for him? He was not sure. “And if there is no family? What if that is a lie, too? You like to believe the best in people, My Lord, but not everyone has good intentions. The risk is too great. I beg of you, find another way. Do not do this.”
He smiled at her. “I have to, Miss Dowels. If I must endure some danger to achieve it, then so be it.”
Chapter 18
Despairing of the situation, Teresa wondered what she might do to help Luke. Stubborn in his resolve, she knew she would not be able to change his mind, nor did she think it her place to insist on him refraining. Still, she could not forget that wretch’s warning. All throughout her afternoon of teaching the three children, she fought against her mind’s distraction, letting them cheer her glib spirits.
She adored the children dearly, and there was a great deal of comfort to be found in educating them. They were sweet and earnest and gave her a sense of purpose that had otherwise been lacking. It was the same feeling she had experienced in her village, though the memories of that place were bittersweet now. However, she knew she was in the process of building new, entirely wonderful memories with these childre
n. And though her mind wandered, they helped to keep her from dwelling too much on the darkness that loomed around her.
As the daylight turned to evening, and she no longer had the children to distract her, Luke’s predicament was all she could think about.
He is doing this to prove himself to me, but he does not need to. She loved him dearly, and no necklace would increase or diminish that.
She thought over what the highwayman had said, with a few words throbbing in her head like a beacon—The Sphinx of Salford. It had slipped out of Stuart’s mouth with little emphasis, but it had stuck with her. She did not know who this Sphinx might be, but it brought her a sense of panic. Anyone who hid behind a nickname could only be unscrupulous. And Luke seemed intent on pursuing this fellow.
An Untamed Governess For The Rogue (Steamy Historical Regency) Page 14
