by Rebecca King
“Where are you going?” she gasped when she caught up with him, half-way down the lane at the back of her house.
“Go home,” Angus growled, his voice dark and menacing.
“Don’t you want to know what I saw?” she persisted.
“A man disappearing into the woods,” Angus snapped. He stopped and widened his eyes at her. “You are not the only one around here, you know. We have men on watch, so don’t upset them, or get in their way. They have every right to arrest you if you interfere in their work, Charity, as do I.”
“Arrest me for what? How can I be getting in their way? And if they were watching the streets, why didn’t they follow him like they were supposed to? It is strange, don’t you think, that I watched that man disappear across a field, and he was the only one around, except for me?” Planting herself firmly in his path, Charity folded her arms and lifted her brows superciliously at him.
Angus knew she was right, but without having had the opportunity to talk to his colleagues to find out exactly how the man had snuck past all of them, he couldn’t answer her. That, unfortunately, only fuelled his anger. He hated the fact that Charity appeared to be better at following people in the village than the highly trained men of the Star Elite were.
“The men have a very clear job to do,” Angus retorted coldly.
“So why weren’t they doing it?” she challenged.
“What makes you think they weren’t? You go blundering around, sticking your nose in, running off into the dark all by yourself. What would you have done if that man had been waiting for you in those woods? Eh? Have you stopped to think that maybe you got home safely because of us?” Angus argued.
“I wouldn’t have gone into those woods if I hadn’t seen him walking across that field,” Charity protested. “You, on the other hand, couldn’t even be bothered to leave the warmth of the house.”
“Charity-”
Ignoring him, Charity snorted disparagingly. “It’s nice to know we are all safe in our beds at night.”
She winced when she realised just how spiteful that sounded, but was affronted at his high-handed, bull-headed determination not to listen to her all because she was a female.
“Don’t you even want to know who that was?” She demanded when he didn’t speak or try to defend himself.
“Stay out of our job,” Angus ordered, his voice thunderous. “You don’t have the authority to get involved in our work, are not armed, and have no experience in dealing with the kind of people we deal with daily. If you stick your nose in again, I will put you behind bars myself.”
“For what?” Charity protested loudly.
Angus sighed heavily. “Will you shut up?” he hissed.
Charity opened her mouth to argue some more only to be interrupted by a long, low hoot of an owl that sounded just a little bit raspy. She frowned when Angus froze.
“What?”
“Be quiet,” Angus whispered.
To Charity’s disbelief, she found herself being pushed backward, into the shadows beside an old outbuilding at the end of her neighbour’s garden. She opened her mouth to object, but Angus was so close to her she could feel every breath he took. Rather than speak, she stared in amazement at his chest, mere inches from her nose.
Angus moved his cloak, so it covered the bright material of her skirt, and did his best to keep her protected from sight. He willed her to sense there was danger afoot and willingly remain quiet. Thankfully, she nestled against his heat and sighed deeply. His brows lifted when he felt her small arms slide around his waist.
Suddenly, his job became a Hell of a lot harder. While he should have been protecting her, he found himself nestling her against him even tighter, and pressing a gentle kiss into her hair. To his disgust, his body responded with a predictability that tested his patience to its very limit. It was his professionalism that compelled him to remember the danger afoot and keep her safe, whatever the cost to himself.
Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to protect Charity from himself.
“Damn,” he whispered when the hooded figure raced past the end of the road.
“It’s not Mr Lawrence,” Charity whispered.
“I know,” Angus growled. “It is the neighbour.”
He paused and waited for her to tell him the name. To his surprise, she didn’t.
When he looked down at her, she had her head resting against the soft material of his shirt again. To his bemusement, her eyes were closed and there was a soft smile curving her delicate lips.
Aware that his colleagues could stumble upon them at any moment, Angus tried to extricate himself. He stepped back only to find her hold a little too reluctant to loosen. Sensing movement, he looked at the end of the road, and saw Jasper standing beneath a tree watching them.
“Shit,” Angus whispered.
Charity snapped out of her revere. For a moment, she had completely forgotten where they were and what they were supposed to be doing. When she looked up at Angus, the gentle haze of delight she had just experienced; the brief, flickering moment of absolute serene contentment, was smashed into a thousand tiny pieces. In its place came a blast of icy realisation that Angus hadn’t been as wrapped up in the moment as she had and was instead looked annoyed that she had been so bold.
“I have got work to do,” Angus huffed in disgust.
Yanking her arms off him, he stepped away. He couldn’t bring himself to look back at her as he made his way over to Jasper. Instead, he beckoned to Aaron who appeared at the end of the road.
“See Miss Kemble home, Aaron, and make sure the damned woman doesn’t leave the house again. If she gets involved once more, I am going to put her behind bars and keep her out of the way until we leave this damned Hell hole,” Angus growled as he stomped past his colleagues and promptly disappeared into the woods their quarry had just left.
Charity felt tears sting her eyes. Hurt flooded her until she couldn’t think past his harshness. His words rang in her ears over and over until she suspected it would be a very long time yet before she was able to forget them. It was clear she had angered him, that he hadn’t felt that special moment of connection she had thoroughly enjoyed, and that she had crossed some invisible boundary. In that moment, she felt foolish, gauche, and incredibly stupid.
Angrily, she swiped at the tears on her cheeks she couldn’t withhold and turned toward home. She didn’t wait for Aaron to catch up with her and slammed into her house without a backward look. Once inside, she didn’t even bother to lock the back door. Instead, she raced through the house and up the stairs, only stopping once she was safely confined in her bed chamber.
“I hate you,” she whispered into the emptiness of her room.
Of course, she didn’t mean it. She knew she didn’t. She hated herself for being so foolish as to believe, even for a few brief moments, that someone like Angus could be interested in her. It was unsurprising he would consider somewhere like St Magdaline a nowhere sort of place he would be glad to be rid of. He had already told her he hailed from London. St Magdaline must seem like the end of the world in comparison. There was nothing in the village except for a few tiny shops, a tavern, an obligatory church, and a load of gossipy people who tended to talk about each other too much. To her, it was home. To someone like Angus, it was instantly forgettable.
“Just like me,” she whispered tearfully.
Rather than cave in to the need for an hour or two of indulgent misery, Charity forced herself to suck in a deep, fortifying breath. She squared her shoulders in a military stance and stared blankly at the room before her with a determination that startled even her. At some other point in time, most probably in a few months, she would undoubtedly stop and marvel at her confidence. Right now, Charity knew she had to focus on something more positive, like how she was going to prove to Angus that she was able to stand up for herself, knew this village, and the people in it far better than he ever could, and that she was a match for him.
“But not a mate
,” she whispered. “As soon as he realises we are not country yokels, I will walk away and not look back. Point proven. Simple.”
She jerked in alarm when there was a sudden tap on the door she leaned against.
“Miss Kemble? Are you all right?” Aaron asked of the thick, wooden door panel before him.
“Yes, fine,” came the muffled response.
He frowned at the door, carefully ignoring the fact that Angus had been plastered against Miss Kemble in a way that was far too personal. He also knew, however, that Charity should be alone, yet he had most definitely heard her talking. Curious to know if she was alone, he placed a hand on the brass knob. Rather than twist it and try to open the door, he contemplated what to do.
What if Angus was in there? Did he really want to get involved in a lover’s tryst? What if it was someone else Charity was talking to; a man?
That thought unnerved Aaron. He had no idea what he would say to Angus if he found Charity in the presence of another man. Who was he to criticise her for it? This was her home after all. She was at liberty to do whatever she wanted in it, so long as it was legal.
It wasn’t the possibility that Charity might be entertaining a lover in her bed chamber that bothered Aaron. It was the thought of having to tell Angus that Charity already had a suitor. Aaron knew it was completely out of character for Angus to become personally involved in anybody connected to any of the Star Elite investigations. In addition, it was highly unusual for Angus to show any romantic interest in any woman - ever. Occasionally, there would be a sexual interest. He was a man, after all. But even the sexual interest Angus had shown toward the occasional passing flirtation had been brief, and they had been paid well for their services.
“Damned if I know what’s going on,” Aaron muttered, frowning at the thought of just how long Angus had known their hostess. “Best not to know, I think.”
Although Aaron turned around and walked into the front bed chamber to take up watch he made a mental note to discuss it with Oliver the next time he saw the lead investigator. Maybe he would know what to do. The last thing any of the Star Elite needed was to leave a bad reputation behind, especially for romancing the locals while on duty – even ones as beautiful as Charity Kemble.
Angus didn’t even look up when Jasper slid onto the rock beside him and clapped him companionably on the shoulder. Angus shook his head and ran his hands wearily down his face. He was so mired in misery, and confusing thoughts that he couldn’t think beyond the need to go back to the house and apologise for the way he had just behaved.
“She heard me, didn’t she?” he murmured.
“We all heard you,” Jasper replied quietly.
“Did the quarry?”
“No.”
Angus nodded.
At least that was a blessing, he mused.
“Do you want to swap duty? I can take over in the house and you can be out here if you want?” Jasper offered. “If you cannot get on with our hostess, it might be an idea to keep as much distance between you as possible. We cannot afford for her to throw us out of there.”
Angus wanted to nod to acknowledge that he understood the warning but knew that Jasper might also see his agreement as acceptance of his offer. He contemplated the wisdom of it for a moment or two, but the thought of not knowing what was going on in that house, what the ladies were planning, and whether Charity was safe or not would drive him out of his mind, Angus knew.
“I think I might have to become an official member of the tapestry group, just to keep the ladies in one place,” Angus reported ruefully, only half-joking.
Jasper grinned at him. “How are you at needlepoint?”
“Piss off,” Angus snorted. “I could tell them you want to join as well.”
Jasper sniggered. “I can’t sew, sorry.”
“It doesn’t seem to matter to them.”
“At least it will mean you will know if they are up to something,” Jasper murmured after several moments of companionable silence. Eventually, he broached the subject he really wanted to discuss. “Miss Kemble seems a bit of a firebrand.”
“She is stubborn, pig-headed, obstinate, strong-willed, and the most annoying creature I have ever met in my life. I want to slap her behind bars just to teach her a bloody lesson about getting involved with our investigation. The stupidity of her naivety is going to get her killed. Why can’t she understand that?”
“Have you told her about us yet? How is she to know how bad our job gets sometimes? Does she know what we really do? How ruthless we can be? I mean, she has nothing to fear of the magistrate’s men. They are just like her and live in or around the same village. Why should she see you as anything more?” Jasper reasoned.
“Do you really think it is a good idea to tell them all who we are?” Angus challenged.
“I don’t mean to tell them all. Just tell Miss Kemble,” Jasper replied.
“If I tell her something she will tell the others,” Angus growled.
“Really? Will she tell her friends that you kissed her?” Jasper asked in such a conversational tone that it took Angus a moment or two to realise what his friend had just said.
“How in the Hell do you know that?” Angus demanded.
Jasper snorted. “We are in the area to keep watch, don’t forget. We cannot help it if we see things. Besides, the next time you decide to kiss her, it might be a good idea to stay away from the windows.”
“Damn it,” Angus spat. “It isn’t going to happen again.”
Angus scowled when Jasper coughed but he didn’t even bother to look at his friend or reproach him for his disbelief. They both knew Charity was gorgeous, and strong enough to cope with life with a man like Angus if a relationship did blossom to life between them. It wasn’t all that surprising that Angus was attracted to her. He was, after everything, a man in the presence of a beautiful young, and very single woman. It stood to reason that Angus and Charity would gravitate toward each other, especially in a darkened house where they were unlikely to be interrupted.
“I have only known her for less than a day,” Angus protested.
“Doesn’t matter,” Jasper replied. “Just remember that we have to leave here when our quarry does. Best not to leave a broken heart behind, eh?”
“I don’t intend to,” Angus sighed.
“I don’t mean hers,” Jasper replied quietly.
When Angus continued to stare thoughtfully down at his boots, Jasper stood and silently melted back into the shadows, leaving his good friend to contemplate his warning.
Angus suspected it was already too late; he was already seriously attracted to Miss Charity Kemble, and not purely on a sexual level. It was ridiculous because they had only just met. Was love at first sight possible? Was he imagining this instant connection he felt with her?
“I don’t understand why it has to be her?” Angus whispered aloud. “Why Charity?”
Angus tipped his head back and looked up at the stars. While common sense warned him that he had to keep his distance now, he also knew he couldn’t.
“I cannot allow her to get to me,” he added in a voice that was far from convincing.
But she has got to me, he realised almost instantly. I cannot ignore her.
What now? He had absolutely no idea. He suspected that already, even having only known her for a day, it would be impossible to leave the village, not look back, and forget all about Charity Kemble. He suspected that when he did have to leave, he would either end up leaving a very large part of himself behind or would happily take Charity with him.
Unfortunately, he had no idea what he was going to do if Charity did leave the village with him. His job didn’t afford any luxuries and wasn’t suitable for a woman, or a happy relationship. It wouldn’t be fair on her to expect her to leave her family and friends and set up home in a new location only to then abandon her to her own devices while he sailed off to fight in the shadows, especially when fighting in the shadows might mean he might not ever be able to retu
rn to her.
“This isn’t the place for me,” he whispered. “I can’t stop here. I can’t live in a place like this.”
It was too quiet, too rural, with far too many people looking out of windows while watching others. While the women in the tapestry group were engaging, they were still busy-bodies; people who, if he had to live with them or around them, would drive him completely nuts within a month. He suspected he would never have any privacy, peace of mind, or masculinity left by the time they had finished hen-pecking him at every quarter.
“They are already trying my patience, and I have only met them once,” he bit out.
With a disgusted sigh, Angus pushed to his feet and began to make his way toward the house. Once it was in sight, though, he detoured to the back of Mr Lawrence’s neighbour’s property. It was only when he was studying the back of the darkened structure that he realised he had to go and see Charity, if only to find out what their new quarry’s name was.
With nothing more than a casual glare at the property, he slowly made his way toward Charity’s house. It didn’t occur to him to stop and think about just how familiar it was starting to become to step inside the cosy kitchen as though he lived there, or how naturally he removed his cloak and draped it over a high-backed chair next to the kitchen table, or how instinctively he made his way through the darkened house, without bumping into any of the furniture.
It didn’t occur to him just how right it felt to creep into Charity’s room to make sure she was safely tucked up in bed, before he quietly snuck back out again, reassured by the knowledge she was safe and protected.
It wasn’t until Aaron had left, and he had taken up position by the window once more, that Angus realised Charity’s house was already starting to feel like home, and that was even more dangerous than any risk the men across the street might pose.
Charity lay perfectly still. Her heart raced. She daren’t breathe for fear of alerting whoever had crept into her room that she was still awake. Thankfully, she didn’t need to hold her breath for too long. Whoever was checking on her made sure she was asleep before they quietly left again, that’s all. Were they making sure she was in bed, so she was away from their investigation, or because they wanted to make sure she was all right?
