Текст книги "An Accidental Affair"
Автор книги: Heather Boyd
сообщить о нарушении
Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 18 страниц)
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Merrick could not look upon Arabella without his rage rising. Seeing her barely aware of her surroundings and bound like a dog by this pair was beyond all understanding. “Untie her.”
Farnsworth turned, his eyes widening with shock. At his side, Parker grinned as if they were meeting at their club. “What the devil are you doing here, Rothwell? This is a private matter and does not concern you.”
Farnsworth had the sense to shrink a little. “Yes, a private matter.”
Merrick shook his head and flexed his fingers. “This is my land now, and there is no matter so private where Arabella is concerned that I do not want to know where she is and that she is well. I said untie her.”
Parker placed himself next to Arabella and petted her head like she was his favorite hound. Her head lolled to the side. “She’s mine, Rothwell. Promised, in fact. Can you not see how perfect she will be?”
When Arabella swayed away from his touch so far that she might fall, Parker grabbed her by the hair and then hauled her to her feet. She couldn’t seem to stand on her own, and he took a step forward.
“Pretty, isn’t she?” Parker boasted. “I’ll beat any disobedience out of her and make her perfect.”
Farnsworth shrank back, placing himself behind Parker and Arabella.
Merrick continued forward but stopped as Arabella smiled. “She’s already perfect.”
Parker yanked on her hair harder and she whimpered. He drew her against him. “Go back where you came from, Rothwell.”
Around him, Merrick’s half brothers backed away, disappearing into the fog like ghosts. He quickly determined their intent when a man grunted somewhere in the fog, and then another. He kept his attention on Parker and Farnsworth, although the latter appeared distracted by what his brothers might be doing out of sight.
Grayling stepped forward and held out his hands. “Now, steady on. There’s no need for this. Let Arabella choose for herself.”
Parker spun Arabella around to face him, caught her jaw in the palm of his hand, and pressed his fingers into her cheeks. After a moment, her mouth gaped, lips pursing in an obscene imitation of a kiss. “Experience has taught me that women are too weak to make decisions. She’s not protesting, is she?”
“She’s drugged,” Merrick reminded him. He counted to ten as Parker’s hand caressed her throat.
“Not got sense enough to protect herself, even from a harmless devil like Farnsworth.” Parker’s free hand stroked down her back and rested on her bottom. He squeezed. “Besides, you took what I planned to have for my very own, Grayling, and now I will take what I want. Farnsworth made it so convenient to come to an arrangement.”
Merrick spared a glance for Grayling, but he appeared just as confused. “What the devil are you talking about?”
“Married women are no challenge, but a woman unattached is much easier to persuade when their family wants nothing to do with her and cannot pay their debts.” Parker smiled mockingly over Arabella’s shoulder. “I’ve seen your wife, Grayling. I know what she once was. The whore was to be mine, but you stole her away from her world and married her instead. What will society have to say about that scandalous tidbit?
“Arabella will take her place or I’ll ruin Farnsworth and his precious daughter, and you’ll wish you’d never laid eyes on your talented wife too, because the tales I could tell about her proficiency in the bedroom would turn society against you and all you hold dear.”
“This is between you and me. Leave Arabella out of this,” Grayling argued, face turning a deathly shade that hinted Parker’s accusations might just be based in truth. Merrick didn’t know anything about Rosemary’s past, but if Parker did not stop touching Arabella’s ass soon, he would kill him.
“But I do have someone who cares where I am,” Arabella said suddenly, her voice slurring under the effects of the drug. Her head fell back as she stared at Parker, brow creased in thought. “We will be married soon.”
Merrick’s heart leapt at her words, a ruse that might just to win her freedom from Parker’s clutches without resorting to violence. Unfortunately, he didn’t think Parker believing her was likely. She was not in her right mind.
Parker’s attention flickered to her and back to them quickly. He began to move toward the waiting horses. Yet right at that moment, men whooped and hollered, causing the horses to rear and, once free, to scatter. The carriage lurched forward as the hitched horses took off across the field.
Farnsworth bellowed. “Go after them, you fools.”
Parker’s men were eager to do Farnsworth’s bidding and quickly disappeared, leaving just Farnsworth and Parker to deal with. From the corner of his eye, he saw his brothers reappear, spread in a loose circle about Parker and Arabella.
He stepped forward. “Release Arabella to me now before blood is spilled.”
Parker began to laugh. “Why do you care? She’s not yours. It’s all arranged with Farnsworth to cover his debts.”
“I am Rothwell’s, actually,” Arabella said loudly. “It’s all arranged. He loves me,” she whispered, although it was likely everyone heard her. Her head turned in his direction, her expression blissfully happy.
“No.” Parker looked to Farnsworth for confirmation, but the other man backed up a few steps instead.
Merrick strolled forward. “Where do you think she’s been the past few days? My arms, my bed. She’s made me the happiest man that ever lived. So you see, she does have someone who is not taking your treatment of her very well at all. Give her back to me.”
Parker looked down at Arabella’s dreamy expression and then glared at Farnsworth. “Farnsworth said she was visiting relatives and couldn’t wait for her new life with me.”
“The only relations Arabella has is Farnsworth and his daughter. The daughter eloped.”
Beside him, Grayling stirred. “That’s surprising.”
“Our first collaboration. I’ll share the details later.” He smiled tightly, then turned his attention to Parker. “Let her go before I break your hands. I haven’t any patience for seeing women mauled by animals.”
Parker flung Arabella at him and stepped back. “I didn’t know how things stood between you.”
Merrick caught Arabella against him, embraced her, and then handed her into Grayling’s care. “Try to keep her awake if you can.”
His brothers formed a protective barrier before Arabella. Merrick stripped off his coat and tossed it to one of them. “Now you do. Oh, and to be clear, since Arabella cannot speak for herself at this moment, she does not like being tied up, gags, or anything to do with riding crops, except perhaps with horses. Not like a mutual acquaintance of ours does.”
“Wait. I was misled.” Parker looked for support and came up empty. “He said she had an open mind and wanted it this way: a little danger at the beginning to heat her blood. I would never have arranged it if I hadn’t been assured of her inclinations.”
“You know, Parker, I find myself uncaring of that fact. You both deserve to be punished for the way you treat women as property and, you know, even just for breathing. Beating one of you to a pulp seems the only choice I have.”
He caught Parker by the cravat and hauled him close. Parker, being taller, was at an advantage, but Merrick was beyond caring about the level of the playing field in a fight. He protected his own.
Out of the corner of his eye, Farnsworth turned tail and ran off into the fog.
Parker’s gaze darted to the men around him. “I’ll pay you handsomely to get this oaf off me.”
Jimmy stepped forward. “How much?”
Merrick rolled his eyes. Damn family. Always willing to get in the middle of a good disagreement.
Parker licked his lips. “Enough to set you up as a wealthy man.”
Jimmy tipped his head to the side as he considered. “Can I live with you?”
“No.” Parker appeared shocked by that idea.
“I’m in charge of Rothwell’s stable in London.” Jimmy folded his arms over his chest. “Can I pick your horses for you?”
“Don’t be absurd.”
Jimmy shook his head, smirked at Merrick, and return to the line behind him. “Another stiff-necked toff who thinks money is all that matters to a man.”
His brothers muttered amongst themselves, some laughed, and no others came forward. Trust Jimmy to find a way to break the tension.
Merrick shook his head and released Parker. He wasn’t worth the effort. A hard shove sent him crashing to the ground. “Don’t come anywhere near Arabella again. Don’t speak to her. Don’t even tip your hat in her direction. Collect your debts from the man who owes you, not defenseless women and dependents. So help me God, I’m tempted to have every member of my family chase you down just to teach you a lesson.”
Parker might be older, but he took the threat to heart. He scrambled to his feet with all the appearance of a fugitive. No one survived with their dignity intact when the Fords united against them. “That won’t be necessary.”
“I hope not, for your sake.” Merrick smiled. “Remember, there is no port distant enough that my Ford cousins couldn’t find you and ruin your life, too. They like my wife-to-be almost as much as my servants do.”
He signaled to his brothers. “Drive him and his men from the estate. Use whips if need be. Parker should like that.”
Jimmy grinned and slapped his short club across the palm of his hand menacingly. “Don’t have one handy at the moment, my lord, but this and whatever else comes to hand will do in a pinch. It’s our absolute pleasure to serve you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
Arabella blinked as Merrick suddenly appeared before her. She sobbed in relief as he held her tightly against him. His hands cradled her firmly against his body, and he kissed her cheek. He held her as if he’d never let her go, and Arabella was content to stay like this for a very long time. She was so weary.
“I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost you,” he whispered, his voice rough with emotion.
“I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come,” she confessed, swallowing the taste of the dosed wine she’d been forced to consume. “I feared you would look for me on the roads and not the ruins.”
His arms loosened and a battered cup filled with water appeared. She drained it quickly.
“I have a half brother to thank for that. One of them followed you all the way to the ruins and reported back to me that you’d gone off with Farnsworth and his dubious friends. I didn’t believe it likely you’d had a choice in the matter.”
She tipped her head to look up at the sky, noting the fog had lifted and the heavens were filled with a thousand twinkling stars. “What time is it?”
“Late. I’ve delayed returning till now.” His fingers caressed her throat softly until she sighed. “The unfortunate effects appear to have worn off now, so we should be able to return.”
She brought her gaze back to his. “Effects?”
He kissed her cheek lightly, then laughed. “You’ve been telling everyone I love you for the past half hour.”
She covered her face. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember doing that.”
He helped her stand, retaining her hands in his. “Don’t be. I’m not at all embarrassed by the truth. We only remained here because I didn’t want my aunt to see you this way. Who knows what you might have told her?”
Just then, the half brothers returned and Arabella studied them. There were six men, all who bore a degree of similarity to the man holding her. “Which one followed me?”
“Archie. He’s the youngest in my employ.”
She spotted a shy, skinny fellow wearing a ridiculous grin as he stood about with the others. Even though she hadn’t ever been introduced, his face when their eyes met was very familiar to her. She’d spoken with him before. “He was in Green Park the day after my niece ran away. After I spoke to you, I dropped a handkerchief and that young man returned it to me without a word. Thank you,” she said to Archie. “I am forever in your debt.”
He ducked his head in acknowledgement and then the others started teasing him. She smiled at their antics. Merrick had such an interesting family. They turned for Winslette House and led the way home.
Merrick curled his arm about her waist. “He’s a quiet one. I left him behind that day to watch over you. You were preoccupied with worry about Cecily and the loss of your home and I knew it was not far, but I wanted assurance you’d made it home safely.”
Arabella pressed her head to Merrick’s shoulder and closed her eyes. She couldn’t help but be surprised that he’d set his half brothers to watch over her even then. It was a sweet and protective gesture, like every kindness he’d showered her with, but at the time they had been barely acquainted. Arabella wasn’t sure how she felt about his presumption, but she couldn’t help but be grateful for it now.
They walked on in silence until Grayling, returning from the house, found them.
He frowned. “What’s kept you?”
Merrick stroked her back slowly. “Can a gentleman not stroll about his own land with a pretty woman on his arm?”
Grayling’s brow rose at Merrick’s behavior and then he winked at Arabella. “I suppose, but as sweet as it is to see my friends express their affection so openly, it is growing rather late. My wife is growing anxious and I cannot explain the level of anxiety your Holland is unable to hide. Lady Penelope had to order him to sit down. He would have come after you in person if she hadn’t bellowed at him.”
Arabella stopped and held her hand to her chest. “He’s alive. I was so certain he’d…”
“Takes a hard blow to stop one of us,” Merrick whispered for her ears alone. “Sounds as if he’ll be fine in no time at all if he’s fussing already. Not that I’ve ever known him to stop. We should return, though. I left Aunt Pen to watch over him and who can say what ill will come of that.”
Arabella buried her face in Merrick’s shoulder as tears filled her eyes. She hadn’t thought of much of anything once he’d had pulled her into his arms, and the shock of what had passed before finally caught up with her.
“Everything will be all right, love,” he whispered as he held her close while she cried. “Have faith in that.”
She curled her arms about his shoulders and held on. “If not for you… I’d be lost.”
He kissed her brow. “I was thinking the same thing. Let’s get you back home and into bed.”
When Merrick slipped his arm around her back again, she snuggled closer to him as they walked back to find every window in her home filled with faces. The servants who’d remained behind were waiting on her safe return.
She waved to them, but in going back, she had to face the immediate future. Merrick loved her and wanted her to marry him. Lady Penelope insisted she must consider her reputation and leave Winslette with her, putting her affair with Merrick behind.
She couldn’t do either.
Merrick shifted to take her elbow as they ascended the short flight of stairs and then released her. When she glanced at him, his face was a perfect mask of patience and understanding. She didn’t know if she love him, not yet, but he was dear to her.
When Grayling swept inside, she held Merrick back. “What do I tell your aunt?”
“About your abduction? I’d recommend the truth. She will find out of her own accord either way, and she’ll know what to do to spare your reputation any harm.”
“Do you think she will still want me to stay with her now?”
His hand fell away. “You don’t want to stay at Winslette?”
“No. Not alone. I do not feel comfortable here anymore. I doubt when you are gone back to London I would sleep a wink.”
Merrick shook his head. “I would stay with you, but my presence would not be in your best interests. My aunt has said very plainly that she likes you, and she is not one to change her mind so quickly. She won’t hold you accountable for recent events, so I believe her offer will stand. She is also in the best position to help you regain your possessions from Farnsworth’s town house and quash any rumors he started.”
A small portrait of her parents, her few jewels, and many letters were all important to her. She had forgotten them. “I would indeed like some possessions returned.”
Merrick smiled. “Then I will wish you luck now and hope you have an enjoyable season. My aunt is a busy woman, so you should have no end of entertainments to occupy your time.”
“Will you call on me at your aunt’s house?”
He shook his head. “Arabella, you know how I feel about my aunt.”
“Yes, but will you still see me?”
He drew close, took her hand in his, and raised it to his lips. His breath beat across her skin, warm and soft, setting her senses on fire. “Every chance I get. I have grown used to seeing you every day, and I won’t deny myself that luxury.”
He peered at her a long time before he kissed her knuckles, her palm, and the inside of her wrist where she’d been bound. Her pulse leapt with joy and arousal, but he released her, a regretful smile on his lips. “I will miss you.”
“I will miss you too.”
He smiled suddenly. “You’d best go in and see to your guests. Grayling has a tendency to grumble when bored. I’d like to take a stroll around the house to cool my temper and see that all is well.”
“Do you suspect Farnsworth or Parker will come back?”
“No. But I won’t take any chances where you are concerned anymore.” He turned away and started his trek to the darker side of the house.
Arabella’s stomach lurched, and her palms grew sweaty. She had hoped to have more time with Merrick before necessity separated them. Her throat tightened as doubts plagued her. She didn’t want her decision not to marry him to be the end of them. “Merrick,” she called and ran after him.
He turned back immediately, and when she reached him, she threw her arms about him and kissed him urgently. This couldn’t be all there was to their affair. She twisted her fingers in his hair, holding his lips to hers as she drew upon every limited skill she possessed to enthrall him. He groaned as her tongue swept into his mouth and teased him.
A door rattled and he broke away, shoving her behind him protectively. In the shadow of the house, two figures moved, disappearing behind trees and a sheltered corner not easily observed from where they stood. Arabella held on to Merrick’s arm as he set off in pursuit of the pair. Whoever they were, they were leaving the house rather than creeping closer to it. “Who is that?”
“I cannot tell from this distance,” he whispered. “Return to the house and I’ll find out.”
She grabbed his hand and held him tightly. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”
Although he didn’t look happy about it, Merrick didn’t insist she go. He nodded and together they crept quietly across the lawn. The pair stopped a short distance from the house in a spill of bright moonlight that revealed Lady Penelope speaking with a man. The hand holding Arabella’s tightened.
Ahead, the pair laughed and then Lady Penelope leaned forward to press a kiss to the man’s forehead. After another few words were spoken, Lady Penelope retreated to the house alone and disappeared inside. The man she’d met turned, revealing his identity as Mr. Holland, Merrick’s half brother.
Merrick cursed and strode forward, dragging Arabella with him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Holland jumped clear out of his skin, and then he glanced around the clearing, guilt writ large in his every movement. “Just taking some air.”
“Bollocks. What were you doing with my aunt?”
“I wasn’t with Lady Penelope.”
“I saw you talking to her in this very spot just now.” Merrick stepped closer to hiss, “She kissed you.”
“She did no such thing.”
Although Holland tried to appear shocked, Arabella could see it was an act.
Merrick drew in a several deep breaths, his body tensing with anger. “Does she bribe you to spy on me? What price did you name?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Really, then what exactly is it like?” Merrick faced his brother, fury evident in every move he made. “How did she know Arabella was under my roof? You must have told her. Did you send a note to arrange an urgent assignation one night?”
“I would never.” Holland pulled a face as if disgusted. “It’s nothing at all like that.”
“Then what the hell is she to you?” Merrick’s free hand rose and he stabbed Holland in the chest with his fingers. “What did you talk about just now?”
Holland licked his lips, glancing left and right as if looking for rescue. “Many things. The season. The weather.”
Merrick drew in a shaky breath and his fingers curled into a fist. “You and our half brothers are the only family I have, and I trusted you completely. What a fool I’ve been to confide in you, the very person feeding the Fords information about my life. No wonder grandfather sent a special license. I thought it less calculated than the delivery actually was.”
“I do not tell her about you or Lady Farnsworth.”
“You are dismissed, Holland.”
Merrick turned and Arabella caught his expression at last. He was devastated by Holland’s betrayal. Unshed tears filled his eyes, turning them glassy. He set his arm about Arabella’s back to urge her away, and the tremble that shook him broke her heart.
They had gone barely three steps before Holland ran around them to halt their progress. “Will you just stop and listen to me a moment? I can explain, but only if you keep an open mind and promise no harm to Lady Penelope’s reputation.”
“Why should I do anything you ask now? Why?”
Holland clutched his hands together before his waist, looking every bit a guilty fiend. “Of course I speak to her,” he whispered. “She’s my mother.”
Merrick froze, clenching Arabella against him so tightly his fingertips hurt where they dug into her waist. “Never. My aunt is a spinster. She’s never even considered marriage.”
“It’s true. I’ve always known.”
Arabella turned in Merrick’s arms, loosening his grip in the process, and held her hand to his chest to comfort him. Beneath her palm, Merrick’s chest heaved. His eyes widened.
“Lies,” he whispered.
“I couldn’t tell you. No one knows about our connection.”
“She never married, and I’ve never heard mention of suitors. There is nothing in her manner to suggest she’d ever been disappointed in love. How could you be her son?”
Arabella glanced over her shoulder in time to see Holland bowed his head. “She will not speak of that time, but from what she has said, I can only conclude that the experience was not pleasant. A trick perhaps to gain her dowry and Rutherford’s favor?” Holland wrung his hands, eyes averted at his confession, and Arabella believed he was telling the truth.
Unfortunately, Merrick required more information to be convinced. “Go on.”
“She has expressed strong views on the evils of gentlemen who engage in affairs before they marry and the natural consequences of such. That is likely why she has been so hard on you. What I do know for a certainty is that my mother left Newberry Park for several years around the time of my birth, and when she returned her sister had married Father. They never got along, as you may recall.”
Merrick shook his head and released Arabella. When he paced away a few steps, Arabella held her breath. Such a situation made every difference to the revelation. If Lady Penelope had been forced and didn’t want to marry the fiend, then Arabella could understand Holland’s reluctance to mention the connection. Merrick’s father had been truly evil.
“Aunt Pen might have nursed an older relation through the last years of her life,” Merrick said at last. “But she never had a child. Rutherford would have disowned her.”
“It does seem unlikely that she managed to hide my birth from him, but she was his favorite out of all his children. I cannot explain that. What I remember most were many moments when she laughed and played with me. I must have been very young for that to have happened.
“When she left to return to Newberry Park, she placed me in the care of her maid and new husband. I was already known as the servant’s son to all who knew us and no one suspected subterfuge. But I remembered the truth and I cried for my real mother. Eventually, my new parents brought me to Essex and took up work in the tavern where we first met. I saw my mother but once a week when she came to the village. I was forbidden to call her mama except when no one could hear.”
“You should have been the earl,” Rothwell said suddenly, his posture stiffening at the idea.
Holland shook his head. “If that were so, then you would have been me; the bastard son of a man with absolutely no morals. Nothing would have changed his character even if he’d married my mother. He’d have taken his pleasure regardless with the same careless disregard as he has done. You may not be a saint where it comes to women, but you have been careful and kind to your lovers as he never was. She is proud of the man you’ve become, and will be even more so as soon as she realizes how deeply you care for Lady Farnsworth. I am proud of you, brother.”
Merrick stared into the shadows instead of looking at Holland. “You should have told me.”
Holland winced. “I could not. From the start you have suffered the weight of Father’s misdeeds very badly. When they told you I was likely his child and should be sent away to prevent any scandal, you cut all ties with the Fords. I couldn’t add another, worse, indiscretion to the burden. I kept the secret to protect you and my mother.”
Merrick growled suddenly and stalked off, leaving Arabella and Holland alone. Arabella wasn’t sure what to do or say, but when it became clear that Merrick might not return immediately, she smiled kindly at Holland. What a burden to bear in silence—caught between a brother and a mother, both of whom you love but who were at odds with one another, with no way to make it right again.
Holland sighed loudly and gestured to the house. “If you would be so good as to return to the house, my lady. I have a lot to do before I depart in the morning.”
Arabella approached and saw silvery tears slide unchecked down Holland’s cheeks. She patted his sleeve. “Shouldn’t you wait to see if he will change his mind?”
He smiled sadly. “I betrayed him. He has every right to be angry.”
“Did you confide in Lady Penelope about me?”
“No. Not intentionally.” He shook his head. “I have been thinking on my previous conversations with my mother. When she came to call on Merrick shortly after your arrival, she remarked that she hoped he hurried up and married, preferably to someone pure of heart.”
“Pure of heart?” Arabella stared in astonishment. She’d never label herself that way. “Why ever would she think that meant I was there?”
“You must know my mother thinks very well of you. She never wastes her breath on someone she finds fault with. Merrick is not wrong about my mother’s meddling tendencies.” He pressed his lips together briefly, as if choosing his next words carefully. “She is an extremely observant woman and possesses a keen eye for inconsistencies in behavior. I must have glanced up at the ceiling and not known I’d done so. I would advise you never to play cards against her.”
“Thank you for the warning.”
“Please believe me, Lady Farnsworth, I never intentionally said anything about your presence. I should have been even more guarded than I usually am around her, a mistake I do regret very much. He turned his back on his family because of me. Since then I have tried my best to look out for him.”
Arabella squeezed his arm to offer what comfort she could. Surely Merrick would change his mind. If he didn’t, Arabella would talk to him about it herself and force him to at least reconsider. “Where will you go?”
“I’ve no idea, but I will think of something eventually.” Holland gestured to the house. “Please, he would not like you left alone out of doors tonight after all that has happened. As I am sure you’ve discovered, he’s very protective of those he loves.”
