Lyn Stone Read online

  “We’ll pause for a rest when we reach the crossing at the Darent and then again at Wrotham,” Guy told her.

  He was dividing the journey into thirds, Lily noted. Ten miles at a stretch would not exhaust the horses if they paced them properly. Lily knew she would be more than ready to dismount for a while when the time came, unused as she was to riding astride and without the cushion of her petticoats.

  Her worries about her new husband’s sanity had dimmed somewhat on further introspection. She supposed she should be glad he had the experience to deal with such threats instead of bemoaning the fact that he was capable.

  Hadn’t she deliberately hit Brinks on his head more than once to save herself? Would she not have killed him—given the means and strength—if he had rallied too soon and threatened her? In the heat of the moment, in fear of her life, she might have done so, Lily admitted. Who was she to pass judgment on Duquesne?

  If she were wise, Lily knew she should put all thought of the incident behind her and not dwell on it. There were too many problems ahead.

  “You have a good seat,” he commented.

  “So have you,” she replied, then broached a topic they had not yet discussed fully. “Should anyone ask, when did we meet? And where did we marry?”

  “Tell the truth. We met on the green of Edgefield town when you were a lass in short skirts. And recently we became reacquainted.”

  “I warn you, Beau tends to be rather outspoken, even with his elders. He could give everything away.”

  “Ah, I cannot imagine a child of yours being forward, Lily. Who taught him such things? I wonder.”

  She heard the laughter in his voice and it should have reassured her. He is not mad, she told herself firmly. Here he was, teasing her about her son, behaving in a perfectly normal way.

  “I suspect it runs in Beau’s blood. You knew my father.”

  “Not well, save for attending an occasional service of his when I was young, and of course that day when he pressed me to haul you both to Dr. Ephriam’s. But those references do make your point sufficiently. You must miss him terribly.”

  She smiled to herself. “Oh, yes, I do. I only wish he could have known my son. Beau is very like him.”

  “Ah, secure in his opinions and not averse to sharing them?” He chuckled. “Better a bit headstrong than a milksop who cowers in corners, eh? Will he resent your bringing home a husband?”

  Lily sighed. “We shall see. There is no anticipating how Beau will react. You’ll have to win him over.” She realized how demanding that had sounded. “If you wish to bother with it.”

  “Why wouldn’t I bother? He’s your son, Lily. It’s important that we get on well. I look forward to the challenge.”

  If nothing else, he must realize that Beau was her heart, the one person left in this world she would die for if need be. The wise thing for her to do would be to foster Guy’s affection for herself and her son so that he would stand a bulwark between them and any threat to their well-being. God only knew she wanted them both on his good side.

  They rode on, the moon casting shadows across the deserted roadway and finally illuminating the stone bridge that would allow them to cross the river near Derwent.

  Lily reined to the right and trailed Guy to a small clearing beside the river. He slid from his saddle and held up his hands to her. “Come, I’ll help you dismount.”

  When her feet touched the ground, Lily swayed, catching his forearms to remain upright.

  “Steady there, my girl. Is something wrong?” He guided her over to a spot away from the mounts and helped her to sit on the soft grass. How gentle he was now. It was as if no one had ever disturbed his serenity.

  She pressed her hands to her face and rubbed briskly. “I felt a bit faint for a moment.”

  He released a sigh and shook his head. “When did you last eat?”

  “Luncheon yesterday, I believe.”

  He struck his forehead with the heel of his hand. “Damn me, how could I ignore something so basic as food? Rest here. Let me tether the mounts and I’ll find something for you immediately.”

  Lily scoffed at the urgency in his voice. “Wherever would you find food this time of night? Every dwelling we have passed is dark as pitch. People are asleep.”

  “Then I’ll wake someone. You cannot ride another twenty miles in this condition. I’d look over my shoulder and find you lying in the road.”

  She tensed at the reminder of those men sprawled motionless in the street. “Please, no. Water the horses and forget foraging. I’ll survive.”

  He ignored that. Lily lay back on the grass, supported by her elbows and watched him. Not more than five minutes later he had the saddles off, the horses bound to saplings that grew by the shallows and had returned to her.

  “Here. Keep this at the ready. If you need it, pull back the hammer, point and pull the trigger.” He handed her his heavy pistol, then struck out for a cottage just visible in the distance.

  His long strides ate up the ground, as if his mission were crucial.

  Lily looked down at the weapon. She had never held one or even looked at one closely. Minding what Guy had told her, she pulled back the hammer until it clicked so that it would be ready should anyone approach. Not that she would shoot it at them if they did. But she could fire above their heads and frighten them off.

  Satisfied she was prepared for anything, Lily sighed and lay down upon the sweet, scented grass. She was so tired, so sleepy. Why was Duquesne determined to go to so much trouble for her? She was mildly amused that he seemed so worried for so little reason. Her stomach rumbled beneath the gun that rested upon it and she wondered idly what he would find for them to eat.

  Above her the moon beamed down and stars twinkled through the few sparse clouds passing overhead. Such welcome silence after leaving the sounds of the city. Such peace after their brush with danger. Her eyes closed as she drank in the stillness of the night.

  Guy juggled the cloth-wrapped bundle of sausages and bread he had purchased from the disgruntled farmer he had awakened. Simple fare but hearty, the victuals should suffice until they reached her home.

  He smiled to himself as he approached and saw that she had fallen asleep. But was she only sleeping? She looked so deathly still. Had she fainted? Damn, she was already weak from hunger. And she had imbibed the brandy at his house on an empty stomach. With all that in mind, he hurried his steps and crouched beside her, laid their meal on the ground and firmly shook her shoulder.

  “Lily? Wake—”

  The boom deafened him and a hot streak of fire grazed the side of his thigh. Before he could recover, her hands were at his face, pounding, clawing, pushing.

  Guy grabbed her wrists, suffered a sharp knee thrust that barely missed his essentials before he pinned her to the ground. “Lily! It’s me! Leave off!”

  Suddenly she went limp beneath him. He felt her chest heaving from her efforts and from fright.

  “Easy now,” he huffed, his own breath uneven. She was a fighter, his Lily. Slowly he released her arms and moved off of her. “Are you all right?”

  She pushed to a sitting position, shaking her head and placing her hands over her ears, rubbing them as if that would restore her hearing. His own were still ringing from the loud report of the gun.

  Then he remembered the sting on his leg and ran his palm down the side of his breeches. A long tear in the fabric felt a bit wet and sticky. “My God, you’ve shot me,” he said with a short bark of a laugh.

  She issued a sound somewhere between a scream and a groan as she scrambled to her knees and began running her hands over his shoulders. “Where?” she demanded. “Where are you hurt?”

  “Settle down, Lily. It’s only a scratch and hardly even bleeding.” But he enjoyed her moans of sympathy and those agile hands exploring his body. If they had the time, he might play the invalid and enjoy it, but they would need to get back on the road if they were to make Sylvana Hall by daybreak.

  He recovered the
pistol and carefully tucked it away. Lesson learned.

  “Sit back now and calm yourself,” he ordered, glancing around them in all directions. “We should leave here shortly. Someone might have heard the shot and come looking for poachers.”

  “Not until I see the wound!” she argued.

  He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. “Go and wet this at the bank while I saddle the horses.”

  “You cannot ride!” she announced as she discovered the patch of blood on his trousers. “We must find a doctor!”

  “Do as I say!” Guy thundered. It was time he took firm charge of her before she went into hysterics.

  She jumped up immediately.

  He stood, swept up the bundle of food and strode off to where he had left the saddles. His thigh stung like blazes, but he dismissed the discomfort. There would be time enough to see to it once they reached their destination.

  Lily was scurrying to the riverbank, his handkerchief waving like a flag as she ran. “Lily, mind the slippery—”

  Splash!

  Guy closed his eyes and clicked his tongue. Now she would be soaked to the skin. Lily was just too…too active for a damsel in distress. He liked self-sufficiency in a woman, but this was ridiculous.

  She sputtered an epithet and splashed, making her way back up the bank.

  “Need help?” he called, choking back his laughter.

  “No! I’m fine!” He could hear the shiver in her voice. Though the night was fairly warm, she must be chilled after the dunking.

  “Come here and let’s see the damage,” he ordered, dropping his saddle on the ground.

  “I’m only wet to the waist,” she muttered as he reached her and began running his hands over her shoulders.

  She turned her face up to his and the moonlight illuminated her features a ghostly blue. Her gaze fastened on his. Her slightly parted lips beckoned. Without a thought to resist, Guy leaned toward her and brushed his mouth across hers. The sigh she issued drew him deeper into the kiss, tasting her fully for the first time ever.

  Sweet urgency, an innocence hardly touched, honeyed depths waiting…just for him. Guy surrounded her with his arms and held her fast, melding her body to his, his palms cupping and caressing her hips…her curvaceous, very wet hips.

  His good sense intruded and he released her. “Best save this for a more propitious time,” he whispered.

  She gulped and nodded, crossing her arms over her chest.

  Guy turned away abruptly, shook his head to clear it and picked up one of the small padded blankets used for cushioning the saddle. Then he returned and began to mop the excess water off of her.

  She jumped back, her boots squishing. “Stop! I’ll smell like horse sweat,” she protested.

  He laughed and tossed her the blanket. “Better that than to drip all the way home. I’d offer to exchange but I’m afraid Brinks’s breeches won’t fit me.” Especially now that he had nearly burst out of his own. Damn, he could use a quick dunk in the river himself. “Will you be all right?”

  “Yes, will you?” she countered, handing him the wet handkerchief.

  He pushed aside the thought brought on by the wet curves of her beneath his hands and the mind-rending effect of that kiss.

  Later he would pursue it, he told himself again, just as he had after the strange ceremony that united them legally. Now was still not the time, unfortunately.

  Stripping her of those wet garments and making love on the grassy bank of the Derwent was not an option he could consider. “Come, we need to ride out before the sound of that shot brings half the populace down on us. We haven’t the time for explanations.”

  She hurried over to the mare and began the chore of saddling up while he finished his own task with the gelding.

  In short order they crossed the Derwent and were once more on the road to Maidstone. Guy reached into his makeshift sack, withdrew a link of sausage and handed it to her. “Here, eat this before you starve to death. No use being wet and hungry.”

  “What about your wound? We really should see to it. Is it bleeding still?”

  “Not anymore. As I said, it barely broke the skin.” He sighed. “We make pair in our deshabille, eh? But you’re no complainer, are you, Lily?”

  “Depends,” she said, the word barely discernable through a mouthful of sausage. “Any bread?”

  Guy handed her a portion torn off the loaf and then joined her. How strange it was to feel so easy in the company of a woman, he thought as he chewed. Despite the way she had aroused him with her response and the fact that he had left both of them wanting, Guy somehow knew Lily expected no apology for it.

  She was a strong lady, his wife, and canny, too. Guy still could hardly believe how well she had weathered that attack in the street and the way she’d calmly accepted his need to eliminate those two. Smarky had warned him last week that they were dogging his heels and determined to make an end to him. Lily had accepted what had to be done without question. A truly welcome measure of trust.

  With her there seemed no need for entertaining banter or observing false niceties. He was good at both when he put his mind to it, but this camaraderie with her was infinitely more comfortable. “I think I’ll like being married,” he commented, apropos of nothing.

  She issued a small hum, a wordless expression signifying her doubt. “Well, so far it has been rather…interesting,” she added with a rather broad hint of sarcasm.

  But Guy suspected that despite her disgruntled remark, her current discomfort and the dire event that brought them to this pass, Lily was enjoying her adventure. There was something to be said for a woman with a mettlesome spirit.

  He smiled to himself as he looked down the road at their future. “I can promise you it will get better.”

  “I’ll definitely hold you to that,” she said as she popped the last bite of sausage into her mouth and daintily licked her fingers as he watched.

  By the time they neared Wrotham, Guy was on fire for her. He had replayed that scorching kiss and the feel of her body in his memory so many times during the silence of their ride, it proved a painful seduction of the senses.

  In his mind he touched her, tasted her, heard that enticing little moan of hers repeatedly. He could hardly close his eyes to blink without seeing her lips parted, waiting, inviting, inciting… But he knew he must wait.

  Damn, he would be a randy wreck by the time he did get the proper opportunity to seduce her.

  How could a woman appear so erotic in those clothes? Her hair curled every which way, the style of it nearly the equal of a poorly built bird’s nest, a golden halo made silver by the light of the moon. He thanked God when the moon waned, though that left them wandering the road in the dark. At least then he couldn’t glance sidewise at her and concoct visions of Lady Godiva with formerly concealing locks trimmed to just below her ears.

  He chuckled to himself as he reined up near a small brook just off the roadway.

  “What is it?” she asked, her voice betraying her weariness.

  “Wrotham’s just ahead,” he told her, regretting the necessity of halting yet again. Ten more miles, perhaps less, and they would reach their destination. Neither the horses nor Lily were likely to get that far without wearing themselves out completely.

  He led the way off the road before they reached any dwellings. Lily could not afford to be seen by any locals who happened to be awake. Not in her present array. Someone this close to her home might recognize her and she did look rather scandalous.

  In the darkness just before dawn, Guy could barely make out the shapes of Lily and the mare, but the lack of rustling leather told him she was not busy unsaddling. Poor dear must be completely done in. He’d let her ride with him on his gelding so she could rest. “We will be going to Edgefield first. It is closer. There, you can change. Some of my mother’s things are stored in the attics. They’re out of style, but at least you’ll have skirts.”

  She sighed loud and long. “Yes, I suppose t
hat would be best. But only long enough to change. I must get to Beau as soon as possible.”

  “Let’s not unsaddle then. Just walk about for a few minutes to stretch out the kinks and then we’ll go on.”

  “All right,” she said, but Guy could tell from the direction of her voice that she had sunk to the ground beside the mare.

  He led the horses down to the brook. While they drank, he brushed his hand over the gelding’s flank and felt only a light film of sweat. “Good old fellow,” he muttered. “I hope you are up to hauling the two of us.”

  In the distance he could hear the sound of a coach, hoofbeats and the jingle of traces. Perhaps the mail, he thought, for it ran at all hours. But as he listened, he heard it continue on through the small village just ahead without stopping.

  A chill skittered up his spine. Was it Bradshaw? Had he come from London in search of Lily? By this time she might have been discovered missing from the hospital.

  “Lily? We should go,” he said, rather more sharply than he intended. “If we cut cross-country, we can make Edgefield in less than an hour and be at Sylvana Hall before sunup. A coach just passed that might be headed there.”

  “Clive?” she asked, scrambling to her feet.

  “If it is, the winding road will delay his carriage at least an hour. Also, he’ll probably stop at the Goings Cross station to water up and rest the horses.”

  “Let’s go,” she ordered.

  He lifted her to the gelding’s back and swung up behind her, holding the mare’s reins to lead her along. They would follow the line of the hedgerows to Edgefield property and the trespass would go unnoticed at this time of night.

  With a bit of luck they could make themselves presentable there and still reach Sylvana Hall before that coach did if that was where it was headed.

  His every instinct warned him it was necessary to make haste.

  Chapter Five

  Lily nestled against Guy even as she cursed her weakness. Though she had endured more in the past two days than ever before in her life, she wished she could have borne up better and finished their trip with a bit more dignity. Instead here she was being coddled like a child, seeking the warmth and comfort of a protector.