Ghost of Christmas Past (18 page)

Thea
shook her head with a mixture of disgust and relief. “The problem
is, uncle, however much I wish to live there, you and I both know
that if I go to Weatherby she will appear for a ‘visit’ and will
refuse to leave again.”

“
I will cut her off completely if she goes against me.” In
contrast to his dark warning, John smiled gently at Thea in a mute
appeal for forgiveness. He needed reassurance that she wasn’t angry
with him and didn’t blame him for the horrible mess he had made of
the past, and was relieved when she smiled back at him without
hesitation.

“
Weatherby House is yours, Thea. It has been repaired and is
ready to be lived in should you change your mind.” He held a hand
up when she took a breath to speak. “I know what you are saying
about Frances, but I want to assure you that should she turn up
unannounced, uninvited and intend to stay, you have both Rupert and
myself to ensure that the woman is moved on swiftly.”

“
Quite,” Rupert said with a firm nod. “You should feel free to
live wherever makes you happy, Thea, with whoever makes you
happy.”

She
turned her head to look at him and he gave her hand a gentle
squeeze. “You really must start to accept that you are not alone,
Thea. We are here and more than happy to give you any help and
support you need.” Rupert sensed rather than saw John’s nod of
agreement.

“
Thank you. I had no idea about Weatherby,” she whispered, too
choked with emotion to say much more. She wondered what she had
done in life to deserve two such wonderful men in her life and
could only thank heaven that they were a part of her
life.

“
I want you to consider moving out of the hunting lodge,
Thea,” John sighed and hoped that Rupert would
understand.

“
I like the little hunting lodge in Leicestershire. It may be
a bit remote but it gives me the chance to enjoy walks in the
countryside and has been a home to me. It has been the first home I
have ever had really.”

“
I know that it was your haven at a time when you needed peace
and solitude to aid your recovery, but you cannot remain there
forevermore, you know that.”

“
What do you mean?” Her stomach began to knot with sickening
dread at the thought that he was going to ask her to
leave.

“
I mean that at some point you need to re-join society, if
only to prove to everyone that you are fully recovered and just as
beautiful as ever,” John replied softly.

“
You want me to move to Mayfair?” she asked incredulously
already shaking her head in disbelief. The thought of re-joining
the whirl of balls and routs filled her with horror and she glanced
at Rupert in panic. It was something that she had never thought she
would ever need to think about. Now that her uncle mentioned it
though, Rupert was a Samuels and, at some point, when his work with
the Star Elite was over, he would most probably want to re-join the
social whirl.

“
I would like you to stay here for a while and enjoy the
sights and sounds of London with me when I am up and about,” John
suggested with a wry smile. “I am sure when Rupert’s work is done
he wouldn’t mind accompanying us.”

Rupert smiled. “I should love to show you London, Thea.
However I warn you now that I have no intention of joining
the
Ton
again, so
absolutely refuse here and now to escort you to any balls or
musicals. I am a completely different person to the man I was back
then and am not interested in any of the narcissistic social
endeavours most of high society consider acceptable.”

Thea
almost wept with relief and visibly slumped before she jerked back
to look up at him. “I should like to go to the theatre though, and
I only had a few short hours to pack. I have forgotten a few things
so need to do some shopping at some point.”

Rupert
sighed and rolled his eyes but did so with amused patience. He
loved the familiar way she was behaving and at that moment knew
that he could deny her nothing. “While you draw up your list of
things that you would like to do, I will take my place on watch and
we can leave your uncle to get some sleep. By the sound of it, he
will need as much rest as he can get.”

“
I do need to go shopping though,” Thea persisted. “I know
that you said I should remain indoors for the time being but I was
a little panic stricken when I was packing and didn’t bring
everything I need.”

Now that
she had managed to get her emotions under control the thought of
being able to experience the theatre, and see the River Thames,
made her excitement grow.

Rupert
studied her for several moments, aware that she was plotting all of
the things she would like to do. If he was honest, he wanted to be
the one to show her everything, not John. In that moment he felt
his frustration grow at the slow pace of the investigation into
Fornier. He wanted to hurry it along a little and bring it to a
conclusion so that he could get on with the rest of his life. He
now knew that his future didn’t include the Star Elite, but was
very firmly linked with the woman who was now by his side. He had
lost her once. A cruel twist of fate had driven them apart for four
long years. It was surreal to think that another cruel twist of
fate had brought them back together again.

This
time though nothing, and nobody, was going to drive them
apart.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Later
that morning, Thea sat at the desk in her uncle’s study and began
to write a list of things she needed from the shops. There were
many things on there that in all conscience she couldn’t ask Rupert
to get for her and, as she wrote, she found herself filled with
enthusiasm to go out and venture into the world to find what she
needed.

“
What are you doing?” Rupert asked quietly from the doorway.
He had just completed a tour of the house and was happy that
everything was secure. Lucas was on watch at the rear of the house
and Jacob was out front somewhere, only heaven only knew where. The
rest of the Star Elite were searching the docklands for sign of the
carriage. For now, there was very little for Rupert to
do.

She
turned toward him with a smile. “I am just making a list of things
that I need from the shops.”

Rupert
moved toward the desk and propped his hips against the highly
polished surface while he scanned the sheaf of papers that
contained several other lists.

“
Theatre, the Thames, the Piccadilly Arcade?” He lifted his
brows and grinned at her rather sheepish look.

“
I am just curious,” she defended.

“
You will be off shopping for life,” he replied dryly and
dropped the lists back on the table.

“
I have drawn up a list of things I need but I am not sure
where I should go for them.”

“
Regent Street,” he replied. “There are lots of shops there
which should be able to provide you with anything you
need.”

She
moved in her seat and winced as her legs protested.

“
Are you alright?”

“
I am used to taking a daily walk in the country.”

“
To get out and enjoy the fresh air,” he added
gently.

“
Being able to walk around by myself was a major achievement,
so I took to walking short distances to begin with but then
gradually built it up. I am just a little stiff because I haven’t
been able to take my daily walk.”

Rupert
nodded his understanding. There was no accusation or regret in her
voice, really just mild acceptance and he could only wonder at her
strength and good nature that would not allow even a little
bitterness over her injuries.

He
quickly came to a decision and rapped his knuckles on her lists.
“Get your cloak. I think we could both do with a bit of fresh
air.”

“
Now?” Hope filled her face with such speed that he felt a
wave of tenderness sweep through him. She looked like a little girl
who had just been given a new toy. “Can we? I mean, is it
safe?”

“
Thea, there are men out front and back keeping watch. We
won’t go far. There is a small park directly opposite that we can
walk around. As long as you don’t do anything stupid and wander off
by yourself there should be very little risk.” He didn’t add that
the park was accessed only by the owners of the houses that
surrounded it. It was usually kept under lock and key and protected
by high walls and thick bushes that prevented anyone looking in
from the road. It wasn’t all that big, and was by no means able to
match a long walk in the country, but at least it was somewhere she
could walk without the threat of danger.

While
Thea went to fetch her cloak, Rupert took the opportunity to tell
the startled butler where they were going and reported to Marcus,
who merely nodded and told him to enjoy himself. By the time Thea
made her way carefully down stairs he was beside the front door
waiting for her.

In spite
of the relaxed nature of their outing, she went tense as soon as
the door opened, but she couldn’t see outside at first because
Rupert was in the way. She realised that he was just doing his job
and ensuring that they were safe, but a small part of her wanted to
nudge him out of the way so she could close the door. Still, she
remained quiet and allowed him to do his job, and only followed him
out of the house when he gave her a nod to say that it was
safe.

It felt
strange to walk the short distance to the park arm in arm with him.
They passed a tall gentleman whose cane tap-tapped on the pavement
as he walked toward them but neither of them paid him much
attention, they were too busy enjoying the rare treat. As she
walked, her legs trembled a little at the lack of exercise but
nothing in the world was going to stop her from enjoying this time
with Rupert. He shortened his gait to accommodate her shorter legs
and, if his deep sigh of contentment was any indication, seemed to
be enjoying the outing as much as she was.

Once in
the park he closed the gate behind them but, rather than holding
his elbow out, he took her hand in his and ambled along beside
her.

“
Have you found the owner of the carriage last night?” She
kept her voice low in case anyone overheard them but there was
nobody else in the small rectangle of parkland. The edges of the
area were festooned with laurel bushes, roses and trees and blocked
them from view of anyone who may be walking the paths on the other
sides. As they circuited the grass she began to relax and sighed as
the sunlight basked her face. In spite of the cool air that bit her
cheeks, she began to grow warm.

He
smiled down at her and drew her closer to his side. “The men are
trying to find it as we speak. It is confirmed that the driver is
the same man who shot your uncle and we firmly believe that it is
the French spy we are trying to find. Just let us deal with it,
Thea. We have spent a long time on this and have never failed in
catching our man yet.”

“
I know, I wasn’t prying, I just wondered if my fear the other
night was just me being a silly goose that’s all.”

Rupert
drew her to a stop and turned to study her. “No it wasn’t you,
Thea. Your instincts were accurate and you were right to call for
help. I just didn’t realise that he was still in the area. The men
on watch outside did see him and followed, but lost in him around
Regent’s park. The carriage was black, without markings, and at
some point he must have changed his top hat with something else
because he just vanished into the main flow of traffic. We know
which area of London he calls home though. It is just a case of now
of finding him and getting the men into place.”

“
What will you do then? I mean, what comes after that? Do you
go on to another mission or are there more murderous Frenchmen out
there?”

Rupert
knew that she wanted to know if they had a future together and
resolved to do whatever it took to make sure she knew just how
precious she was to him.

“
The war is coming to an end, you know that. The broadsheets
are all full of it. I am pleased to say that the Star Elite have
rounded up all but one of the French spies, and someone who is
their financier. We know who they are and where to find them, it is
just a matter of making sure that we find out whom all of their
contacts are so nothing like this ever happens again. However, once
the country is rid of French spies, the Star Elite will move on to
work in other areas. There are already men working on several
projects involving criminal gangs of pickpockets and thieves, and
someone else who is up to other crimes. Our work will continue for
many years yet, but as for me,” he sighed and studied the carriage
that rumbled past. The huge gold crest that adorned the door
assured him that Lord Falconer posed no risk, and he turned his
attention back to Thea. “I think it is about time that I made a
long awaited journey home to Bainbridge. My father has sent many
requests for me to pay a visit, and I must say that I am curious to
see him again. I also have a few questions about what happened four
years ago, and I am sure you do too.”

Thea
frowned at that, not entirely sure that she did. After all, she had
no idea how much pressure had been exerted on him to get him to
agree to the wedding in the first place. “I don’t know really, I
think that you should make your father a happy man and go home.
Whatever plans he and Uncle John made between them, they did it
with the best of intentions.”