Capturing Sir Dunnicliffe (The Star Elite Series) (25 page)

In the hallway, her fury burned, and she wishe
d she had smacked him across the face for betraying her. She hated him – almost as much as she loved him.

“
Harriett?” Simon asked hesitantly from the doorway of his study, wariness stealing over his face as he took in the unfamiliar bad temper on his daughter’s face. He made no attempt to approach her, merely stood partially shielded by the door.

“I am fine. I would be much bette
r if it weren’t for idiotic men but, yes, I am fine,” she snapped, ignoring Hugo, who had appeared behind her.

“Harriett-
” he began, only to stop when Harriett spun on her heel to stare at him, one long finger inches from his nose.

“I’
ve heard enough from you!” she shouted.

All of
her fear, hurt, confusion and dashed hopes blended with disappointment and crippling betrayal to create a wild storm of fury that made her tremble with the force of it. For the first time in her life, she came so close to slapping another human being that she began to wonder how she managed to restrain herself.

“You haven’t heard enough!” Hugo argued, refusing to bow down to her bad temper.
He knew that the next hour would decide both their fates, and was determined that they should be together.

Ignoring him, Harriett swept across the hall and marched up the staircase. From the balcony that ran around the upper hallway, she saw her father duck back into his study and quietly close the door,
clearly glad to be out of the latest battle.

Once in her room
, Harriett slammed the door with equal force, and drew to a halt. What now? She wanted to throw something. She wanted to shout some more, and felt almost cheated that she wasn’t able to vent her fury. Without any of her own belongings, she had nothing to do; she had no books to read or anything else to do. Suddenly wishing she had stormed outside, where she would at least have the freedom to stamp around the gardens,she spun around when Hugo burst into the room, a dark glower on his face.

She refused to be cowed by the bad temper on his rugged
ly handsome face and glared defiantly back at him.

“Get one thing straight
, Harriett,” he demanded, stalking across the room toward her. “I did not have an affair with Romilla, nor have I ever had any interest in her. What you
thought
you saw last night was a set-up. Why? I have no bloody idea. If you ever find out, please let me know because it is as much a mystery to me as it is to you! Did I instigate it? No, I did not!”
e knew
He knew he was shouting at her, but the frustration of the past few days had risen to the surface and he was unable to stop it from bubbling over. “Did I encourage it? No, I would never take part in any flirtation with anyone else, especially someone who hated you so much,” his voice dropped a notch or two, but lost none of its fervency. “Harriett–” he pleaded, reaching out to touch her, only to watch in consternation as she instinctively took several steps backward.

Harriett stared at him for a long moment before turning to face the window. She didn’t know what to think. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe he had been set up by a spiteful Romilla. Indeed, the woman’s malice toward her
ran deep enough that, if she realised Harriett was there, she would indeed stage such a scenario. But as far as Harriett was aware, Romilla had not known that she had arrived; nobody had, and that shot Hugo’s excuses out of the water.

“Please leave,
Hugo,” Harriett ordered, crossing her arms and cupping her elbows in her palms. She sensed rather than heard Hugo approach her from behind, but made no attempt to turn. Now that the initial burst of temper had begun to wane, she felt a sadness encroaching that was almost suffocating, and suddenly she didn’t want him around her.

Hugo hated the distance between them. “I can’t leave you,” he growled. “Not only because I need to keep you safe in case your attacker tries again, but because of what lies between us.”

“Nothing lies between us,” Harriett declared
. “What happened at the cottage was down to us being together in such close confines. If we had met in any other way, I can safely say nothing would have occurred between us. It was a mistake and one that won’t be repeated.”

Hugo thought back to the almost painful moment when he had taken his leave of her at Willowbrook House just after Jemima and Eliza’s wedding. The more he thought about their association, the more he realised that he thought about her every day
. Of late, she seemed to be constantly in his thoughts, and not only because someone was repeatedly making attempts on her life.

“Are you sure?” h
e whispered, wishing he could read her eyes better and learn all of her secrets. The dark shadows he could see swirling in the green depths troubled him deeply, and if it wasn’t for the slight trembling in her voice when she had tried to denounce the importance of what they had shared, he would have believed her lies. That night in the cottage had rocked him, to the point of insanity, and he needed her to realise just what she did to him. How much of a hold she actually had on him.

Harriett felt the sting of tears and fought to keep them at bay. She wasn’t usually a crier,
but in the past few days had cried more than she had done in her entire life, and it was all because of the man standing before her and the events he had brought to her door.

Her heart began to pound in her ears at the intent clearly written on his face.

“Don’t,” she protested when he began to dip his head. Immediately the image of him with Romilla the previous evening rose in her mind again, dousing all softness toward him.

He knew
that she had remembered the previous evening. Her face suddenly closed and she began to back away, shaking her head regretfully. “Nothing else can happen between us Hugo. You can’t lose sight of the fact that when the spy smugglers are caught, you will be moving on.” She turned, her eyes meeting his solemnly. “You said yourself that you have nothing to offer anyone, and I cannot and will not compromise myself.” Although she didn’t voice the ‘again’, it hovered between them.

“I don’t expect you to compromise yourself,” Hugo murmured, letting her keep the distance between them for now, even though he had no intention of going anywhere.

Moving over to the edge of the bed, he sat and ran his hand down his face wearily. He was struggling to find a way to convey to her how much she meant to him without laying himself open to her. He had the distinct feeling that if he did reveal his deepest emotions, she was so angry with him that she wouldn’t believe him anyway. But he needed her to soften toward him if he had any chance of keeping her safe. Although he was ignoring it, he was aware of the vast expanse of bed behind him. Should he just seduce her? Given her outburst earlier, he thought she might rebuff him, and that would set them back even further.

He wondered briefly
if he should just give up and walk away. Harriett was, after all, now safely ensconced where Simon wanted her. If he didn’t prove to be involved in anything illegal, she could remain at the Manor for the rest of her days, with everything she could possibly need provided for her.

He immediately dismissed the notion. Women as beautiful as Harriett were destined to get married, have children and live to a ripe old age, juggling grandchildren and social duties. They weren’t meant to be holed away in an ancient country house, sheltered by an over-protective father, and using their reputation as a witch to keep people away.

There was no doubt about it: as far as he was concerned, the woman before him was destined to be his wife. Now all he had to do was convince her of that.

When she swept out of the room in silence moments later, he made no attempt to follow her.

“Are you following me?” Harriett sighed later that day, dropping her book to her lap to glare at Hugo, who was pacing backward and forward in front of the window of the study.

Hugo turned. “Yes, I am your new
bodyguard,” he replied, ignoring her surprised look.

“Why?”

“Someone is trying to kill you. Until we find out who they are, you have to have a bodyguard.” His tone was reason personified.

“You left me alone before, in my cottage.” Harriett wondered if he read the oblique message in her comment. She had never found out why he hadn’t bothered to check on her after her near-miss with the carriage.

Hugo glanced at her. “You were under observation at all times. I had to go to St Issey and try to locate the smugglers, but was getting hourly reports on you.”

“Hourly?”

“Yes, if I could have been here that afternoon Harriet, believe me, I would have been here in a flash. But I couldn’t get out of St Issey without compromising everything the Star Elite are working toward.” He didn’t want to tell her too much, but could hear the underlying hurt in her voice and needed her to understand. He was torn between his need to get at least some of the investigation completed, and his need to protect her. 

“
So now you are the bodyguard.” It wasn’t a question.

“Well I can hardly expect any of the Star Elite to do it,” Hugo snorted.

“Why not?”

Hugo turned to her, his tone calm and matter of fact. “Because they can hardly share your room
, can they?”

“You are not going to share my room,” Harriett snorted, her cheeks flaming under his steady stare.

Hugo merely lifted his brows and turned away.

“You are not,” Harriett warned, not liking the way he turned away,
unwilling to argue with her. “Hugo,” she persisted when he continued to ignore her. She wondered briefly if she should throw the book at his head.

“I think
, my darling, that you object a little too much,” Hugo murmured, watching Simon stride across the lawns in the direction of the village. He didn’t need to see Rupert in the trees to know he was following. The man really did go out at the strangest times. It was now mid afternoon, and way past the time for normal social visits, so where was he going?

“Let us go
for a walk.” He held his hand out to her, waiting patiently as she weighed up the wisdom of going anywhere with him before deciding that a stroll might be pleasant. He was pleased she wasn’t going to argue about that as well, and stood back to allow her out of the door.

“Do you know your way around?”

Harriett shook her head slowly, frowning at the doors lining the large hallway.

“Then I suggest we start outside, then do the bottom floor and finish upstairs. By the time we get around this place
, we will be in time for dinner,” he added ruefully, catching hold of her hand and leading her out of the house under the curious gaze of the assorted house staff.

Luckily
, the staff appeared thrilled that Harriett was now in residence, and were all smiles when she stopped to ask them questions about the history of the house and their jobs. Hugo merely escorted her, and observed. 

The lands surrounding the Manor were
relatively small. The farm attached to the rear of the estate was run by a resident farmer, who rented the land and farm buildings from Simon, who had no direct involvement. It slowly became evident that Simon had no obvious source of income.

“This place must cost a fortu
ne to run,” Hugo began quietly, enjoying the sunshine of the warm afternoon.

“I suppose it must. I didn
’t realise just how large it is,” Harriett glanced at the landscaped gardens surrounding them. “The gardener must work from dawn to dusk to keep the trees so neatly clipped, and the lawn finely mown, much less grow such stunning flowers.”

“So what does your father do to earn his living? Does he have a private income?”

“No, he owns several tin mines and a gold mine in the area. A couple of the mines are over in Bodmin, but the gold mine is near Redruth.”

He was stunned. It was the last thing he expected.

“Have you ever been to them?” His curiosity was roused and he fought the urge to throw constant questions at her.

Harriett shook her head slowly. “It isn’t the place for a woman to go; even the estranged daughter of the owner.”

“Does your father have connections in St Issey?”

Harriett glanced at him and frowned. She had no doubt he was asking the questions
out of more than curiosity. They were almost too precise, too sharp to be general conversation.

“What is this all about?
” she sighed, needing him to be honest with her for once.

“I saw your father in St Issey, talking to someone
, that’s all.” Hugo replied, seeing no reason to lie to her.

“He has business connections
all over the area, Hugo,” Harriett warned with a frown. “Before you ask – no, I don’t know who they are. Unless it has escaped your attention, I haven’t been all that close to my father over the past few years so I don’t know much about him.”

“Let’s go and tour the inside, and then we can have dinner.”

They had just finished touring the downstairs and were about to walk up the main flight of stairs when the butler appeared from the kitchens.

“Ma’am, the master said to tell you that he won’t be back this evening and you are to go ahead and dine without him.”

Harriett looked at the efficient butler. It still felt strange to have staff to impart messages to her, and be in the same house, almost constantly.

Mentally shaking herself, she realised the man was patiently waiting for instruction.

“Thank you. We will dine at the same time, but not in the dining room – erm...” Harriett glanced around them at the doors lining the lower hallway.

“Might I suggest the sitting room
, ma’am? It’s where the master usually eats when he is by himself.”

“Oh yes, the sitting room would be wonderful. Thank you.”

Hugo watched the interplay with interest. The butler’s respect and admiration for Harriett was clear to see, despite her unfamiliarity with dealing with serving staff. He could see the faint hints of lady of the house starting to appear in her, and knew she would be able to manage a busy household with ease.

They toured the upstairs, standing in the doorway of the master bedroom for several long moments. The walls of the huge room were lined with
heavy oak panelling. The ceiling was stunning, with heavily carved biblical scenes embellished with pomegranate and thistles that absorbed rather than overwhelmed. Harriett began to feel dizzy with the amount of time she stood staring at the sheer splendour of it.

“It’s stunning
, isn’t it?” Hugo whispered, glancing at the rolling quilt of green patchwork outside that stretched into the horizon. He wasn’t sure whether he meant the room, the scenery or both.

Harriett merely nodded, lost for words. “There are parts of this house I can sit in all day and simply absorb, and I
still don’t think I would have seen everything.”

Hugo nodded silently, fully understanding. It was so lavishly decorated that it almost overwhelmed the senses
- in very much the same way as she overwhelmed his senses.

Hugo had seen enough of Simon’s room to know that he needed to make a return journey when Harriett and Simon were otherwise occupied. Although there had been nothing incriminating on his desk, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t something in his room somewhere. With oak panelling like that
which lined which his bedroom, there could be secret panels or boxes tucked away practically anywhere.

They resumed their tour of the upper hallway, finding the empty pink bedroom that had once been Romilla’s, and his own room at the far end of the corridor
, before returning and finding Harriett’s room.

“You know what is in here,” Harriett muttered, following Hugo into her room. She paused just inside the door, and gasped at the speed he turned on his heel and towered over her. Immediately she took a step backward, only for Hugo to take a step forward, closing the distance between them until Harriett felt the door at her back.

Hugo took the opportunity to place one large palm on the door on either side of her head and tower over her.

Harriett stared up at
Hugo, her senses reeling at his nearness and the intent that swirled in the depths of his eyes.

“Don’t,” she whispered, her voice quivering with emotion. Although a part of her meant it, and wanted him to back away, another defiant part of her wanted to see what he was going to do.

“You should know something about me, Harriett,” Hugo whispered against her lips. One hand dropped down and locked the door before moving to her hip. “I never do what I am told.” With that his lips, landed on hers with ruthless intent.

At first she tried to withstand the sensual onslaught, and was managing perfectly well. Until Hugo swept his arms around her and tugged her against th
e solid wall of his chest while he deepened the kiss, his tongue probing deep into her mouth.

She knew she should stop him, but had never encountered anything quite like it. She could feel the fine tremors running through him as his hands swept down to her hips, drawing her tight against his burgeoning desire for her.
She clung to his warmth, gasping as cold air swept over her bare thighs. A low moan escaped her when Hugo’s hands cupped the rounded flesh of her buttocks, lifting her high into his arms.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he growled, kissing the hollow of her neck
ardently before nibbling her ear.

She wrapped her legs
around his hips, unsure if that was what he was asking for. Her eyes flew wide as he walked across the bedroom and knelt on the bed, his downward motion dropping her onto the soft mattress briefly before he followed her down, pushing her into the thick mound of covers.

Something snapped inside
Hugo and, although a small voice reminded him to slow down, take his time and make her first time special, the warrior within him scented victory and wanted to plunder while the opportunity was there. For the life of him he couldn’t have pulled away now. He positively ached with the need to take her.

Harriett’s senses r
eeled. His hands seemed to scour over her, leaving a molten trail of desire behind, pushing her higher toward something that was so temptingly delightful that she felt driven to demand more. She knew that if she didn’t want what was about to happen, she had to tell him now, before it was too late. The words hovered on the tip of her tongue, but remained unspoken. Despite the hurt that still hovered at his lack of concern over her near-fatal accident, and then seeing him in a compromising position with Romilla, she couldn’t push him away.

She loved him and wanted this one opportunity to
know what it was like to lie with him. He had made no bones about leaving and had promised her nothing, nor had she asked for anything. This could be the one and only chance they had to be together, and she couldn’t ignore it. She couldn’t turn her back and refuse him – them. She wanted to know what it was like to make love with the man who held her heart.

With a sigh, her
decision made, she captured his head in her hands and returned his kiss with all the love, longing and desire that had built within her since their first meeting in Padstow all those months ago.

His cries of release still echoed in her ears as she lay panting beneath him. She was stunned, not only by the actual act of making love, but by the sheer unadulterated pleasure he had skilfully roused within her. She knew she would never be the same again, physically, or emotionally. She had thought she knew what it was like to love someone - until she had made love with Hugo. Now, she knew what true love was.

It was the opening of souls, the merging of mates and the combining of hearts to make one whole entity that was so closely entwined that neither could escape.

She felt an almost physical wrench when he left the warmth of her body and moved to lie beside her.

Easing her into his arms, Hugo kissed the top of her head.
‘Stunned’, didn’t even begin to describe his feelings at that moment. Stunned, and even more in love with her than he had been before.

“Are you al
l right?” he murmured, tipping her chin upward with one blunt finger.

Harriett’s eyes shimmered as she looked up at him.

He could see the emotion in her beautiful green eyes and was humbled by it. For the life of him, he couldn’t find the words to describe the way he was feeling right then. He knew that he would move heaven and hell to combine his life with hers, and would protect her with his life. It was shocking to realise that knowing he had spent himself inside her didn’t fill him with fear and dread at the possibility of children. He just felt a calm acceptance, tempered with a shiver of excitement. He was astounded at the impact making love to her had had on him and his attitudes toward life and its possibilities.