Regency Romance Collection From Christina Courtenay (10 page)

‘
But of course, my dear, any time.’ The strange individual cast her a furtive glance, then sidled off. ‘What can I do for you?’

‘
Who was that man?’

‘
Oh, just one of the estate workers.’

‘Then why were you whispering?’

‘Were we? I don’t recall us doing so, we were merely discussing a small matter of a boundary.’

Amelia was not convinced.
‘I see. I don’t suppose you know the real reasons for Bootle’s or Captain Marshall’s arrivals here today, do you? I don’t believe a word of those Canterbury tales they told me.’

‘Real reasons? Why, whatever can you mean?’
James’s guileless look didn’t fool Amelia for a moment.

‘
Very well, have it your way. There is something fishy going on, but if you won’t tell me, I shall just have to get it out of Bootle. And to think I thought we were finally beginning to trust each other. You may consider our truce at an end until you are prepared to treat me as an intelligent human being.’

‘But Amelia …’

She stalked off without listening to any of his protests. She knew they would be lies anyway and this put her in a foul mood. What she needed was a good gallop, she decided, to work off her frustrations, and with that in mind, she went straight upstairs and changed into her riding habit. It was not long before she was out on her favourite mare, cantering down the drive all by herself.

‘
But my lady, shouldn’t I come with you?’ the head groom had asked anxiously.

‘There is no need, Hanning.
I intend to ride only on Demarr property.’ Amelia wanted to be alone and having a groom tag along would only slow her down. The groom tried to protest further, but she cut him short and set off.

She rode the horse hard for half an hour, letting the animal have her head for a good gallop on even ground, and she finally
began to feel slightly calmer. The exercise soothed her and she tried to think rationally about her husband’s behaviour. He had definitely been hiding something, but perhaps she had been hasty in thinking that it must be something bad. What if he was organising a surprise for her? This thought made her feel guilty, but she shrugged it off. She would just have to wait and see.

Trotting through a small copse, she suddenly heard the sound of hoof beats behind her and a feeling of foreboding came over her, so strong that on impulse she urged her
horse into a gallop once more. She tried to look over her shoulder but could see nothing, until suddenly a rider came hurtling out of the forest to her right. Amelia’s horse swerved, but she managed to stay in the saddle and was relieved to see that the horseman was only Justin Briggs. They reined in their mounts.

‘
Lady Demarr, are you all right? I thought your horse had bolted, so I was trying to rescue you.’

‘No, no, I was fine. It was just …
I thought I was being followed by someone and I’m afraid I panicked.’

‘That’s understandable.’
Justin peered behind them with a frown. ‘Would you like me to go and investigate?’

‘No, thank you.
If there was anyone there, I’m sure he is probably long gone now that you are here. I would very much appreciate your escort home though, if you wouldn’t mind.’

‘
I’d be only too delighted to be of assistance.’

‘
You won’t tell anyone about this, will you? I don’t want people to think me foolish and fanciful.’

‘Of course not.
You have my word.’

Amelia spent a restless night, tossing and turning. Whenever she fell asleep, she had vivid dreams of being chased through a forest by an unseen Nemesis and woke up with her heart beating a frantic tattoo. In the end, she decided to go for a walk round the gardens just after dawn. She would not get any more sleep this night and the fresh air would calm her nerves.

She slipped out the back door and stood for a moment
, savouring the birdsong and the wonderful smell of newly mown grass. As she began to walk along the well-kept paths, she felt soothed by the beauty all around her. Her steps took her further and further away from the house, but she didn’t notice. She was deep in thought, wondering what to do about the situation between James and herself.

She wanted him to be her husband in every way.

No matter what he had done, no matter how infuriating he could be, she knew now that she loved him. Until this latest setback, they had been getting on famously. There had been several occasions when she had thought he might kiss her, but for some reason he had held back even though she was sure she had seen desire in his eyes. Was he still unsure? Or was he just waiting for her to make the first move?

With the early morning sunshine lifting her spirits, Amelia’s positive nature came to the fore and she decided that if she wanted her marriage to be real, she had to take the firs
t step. If James rejected her, then so be it, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. She would ask to speak to him in private, then she would kiss him and see what his reaction was.

It was a bold plan, but if it worked, it would be worth it.

Before she could return to the house to ready herself for the day ahead, a pair of strong arms came out of nowhere to encircle her from behind and a cold voice said, ‘Well, well, it must be my lucky day.’

CHAPTER TWELVE

Amelia froze. She recognised that hateful voice only too well, the voice that had tormented her for months and which she had hoped never to hear again.

‘
Cousin Bernard, to what do I owe this dubious pleasure?’ She tried to sound braver than she felt and hoped that he didn’t hear the slight catch in her voice. She tried to free herself from his grip, but he was much stronger than her, so her struggles were to no avail. A cold feeling of dread settled in the pit of her stomach.

‘
Now, now, my dear, haven’t I told you again and again that you really must strive to be nice to me?’ he chided, a note of triumph in his voice as he knew he had the upper hand at last. ‘That was a nasty little trick you played on me, running away like that. But now I’ve found you again and this time, you won’t be going anywhere.’

‘
Release me, my husband will be here any moment,’ Amelia hissed, continuing to struggle in vain.

‘I don’t think so.
I’ve been reconnoitring and the last time I looked, he was fast asleep.’

‘You were inside the house?’

‘No, he’s in a chair in the library, I saw him from the window. Too much brandy last night I should think. You won’t be seeing him for a while.’ Bernard chuckled and the sound sent another frisson of fear snaking through Amelia.

She opened her mouth to scream for help, but Bernard anticipated this and clamped his hand over
it.

‘
Don’t make me hurt you already. I want to take my time.’ Amelia made the mistake of glancing over her shoulder at him and saw him grinning as if the thought of hurting her gave him infinite pleasure. ‘Besides, I don’t think your husband will miss you. I heard rumours in the village that your marriage isn’t working out quite the way you had hoped.’

‘That’s not true.
James loves me and our marriage is perfect,’ Amelia said, hoping against hope that this was true. Even if it was, however, it wouldn’t help her now. In a last ditch attempt to free herself, she kicked Bernard on the shin, but her thin slippers did hardly any damage at all and he merely laughed.

‘
Oh, I do like spirited women, cousin. It will be a pleasure to tame you, but not here. Come on, let’s go.’

James woke up with a crick in his neck and realised that he had fallen asleep in the library the previous evening. He had been having a drink while he pondered whether he ought to tell Amelia about Bernard or not, and he must have nodded off.

She had
been right, he knew that now. As she was a sensible female and not the kind who had the vapours for every little thing, he was sure she would have coped with the knowledge that her cousin wanted revenge on her. It would also have put her on her guard so that she didn’t go haring off riding without anyone to accompany her. James had never felt so relieved in his life as when he was told she had come back unscathed.

I
love her.

There was no doubt in his m
ind any longer. Amelia was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, to protect and cherish. He couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to her. In fact, he was going to go and tell her this minute, even though it was barely morning.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached her room in record time and opened the door slowly so as
not to wake her too abruptly. He tiptoed over to the big bed, but to his surprise it contained only his two daughters. Mathilde heard him step on a creaking floorboard and raised her head.

‘
Papa?’

‘
Shh, sweetheart, I just came to talk to Mama. Do you know where she is?’

‘
She said she was going to the garden.’

‘Garden?
Oh, no …’ Mathilde frowned, so he hurried to reassure her. ‘You go back to sleep, while I’ll go and find her.’

Icy tentacles gripped his inside
s as he raced down the stairs. He found the French windows to the morning room unlocked and rushed outside, following the paths towards the rose garden. Once out of earshot of the house, he began to call Amelia’s name, but there was no reply. Eventually he realised that he needed help and ran back to the house to organise a search party.

Amelia wondered if she had ever been so uncomfortable or so afraid in her life. Lying on top of some rotten straw in an old barn, she knew not where, with her arms tied behind her, she was waiting for Bernard to come back.

‘
I’m going to procure us a conveyance as my horse can’t carry us both much longer,’ he had informed her. ‘I want to be as far away as possible from this place before nightfall, and then we can enjoy the evening together.’

Amelia shivered.
Bernard’s handkerchief was stuffed into her mouth and tied tight with a scarf, so there was no chance of calling for help. She felt as if she couldn’t breathe properly, but tried not to panic. Her hands were bound securely with a thin rope, and although she tried to work the knots loose, they wouldn’t budge so much as an inch.

What w
ill become of me if Bernard succeeds in his evil scheme?
She very much doubted her husband would want her back and she couldn’t blame him. He might revenge himself on Bernard, but it would be too late for Amelia. Then he would surely divorce her. That thought was too awful to contemplate.

Frustration boiled up inside her, quelling the fear for a while, but it soon returned when she hear
d the sound of horses’ hooves. Bernard came sauntering in, looking extremely pleased with himself. ‘I have returned with our means of transport as promised.’ He came over and bent to remove the gag. Amelia coughed and spat on the floor, relieved to be rid of that at least. As she opened her mouth to retort, he put up a hand. ‘No screaming now, unless you wish me to hurt you?’ This was said almost hopefully, and Amelia shuddered again, closing her mouth.

‘Nothing to say? How unusual,’
Bernard drawled. ‘Well, perhaps this will get you talking – I have decided to have my way with you before we go, just in case your dear husband should decide to follow us.’ Amelia stifled a gasp. ‘That way he won’t want you back, even if he does catch up with us.’

Amelia could do nothing except stare at her cousin in
horror as he advanced on her. She closed her eyes and bid a silent farewell to James.

‘My lord, I’ve seen him!’

Bootle had come rushing up the front steps of the house, just as James had been about to leave on yet another search of
the grounds.

‘Sir Bernard? Where?’

‘In the village.’ Bootle was struggling to catch his breath, his face red with exertion. ‘He was talking to a rum fellow, and eventually he went off with him. I followed discreetly, and it turns out he was hiring a horse and carriage.’

‘
And where is he now?’ James was almost jumping up and down with impatience. They had not a moment to lose, but if the stupid fellow was taking the time to hire a carriage, that was good news as it meant he was not as far away as James had feared.

‘
He set off in the opposite direction, out of the village, and I came here as fast as I could.’

‘
Thank you, you’d better have a rest now. We’ll go after him and see if we can pick up a trail. There was no sign of Amelia?’

‘
No, my lord.’

‘
Then he must have hidden her somewhere. Let’s go!’ He bellowed to the men already waiting with horses saddled, and the group set off at high speed. When they reached the village they went in search of the man Grigson, who was the only one who could have rented out a horse and carriage as far as James knew, and the man soon told them all he knew.

‘
Said he’d been staying in an old barn last night, as he’d had an accident with his own carriage. I’m guessing he meant the one over by Farmer Jacobs’.’

‘Of course. Many thanks.’

James knew the place well and cursed himself for not thinking of it earlier. The ride there took no more than a few minutes, but they were the longest minutes in his life.

As Bernard came closer, Amelia tried desperately to think of some way of deterring him.

‘Why would you want me now?’
she asked scornfully. ‘I’ve been married for months and my husband isn’t exactly a monk.’

Bernard frowned, his euphoria evaporating temporarily, but then he smiled.
‘To be sure, I would rather have been your first lover, my dear, but maidens are rather tedious. I’m sure you will make a much more exciting mistress now and I remember that you learn things very fast.’ He put one arm around her and began to paw her with the other. When he bent to kiss her, she twisted her head away.

‘
If you want me to put up a spirited defence, shouldn’t you untie my hands?’ she said, trying not to let the desperation show in her voice.

Bernard stopped what he was doing and smiled again, a wolfish grin that was beginning to make Amelia feel nauseous.
‘Do you know, I believe you’re right. Don’t think you’ll be able to get away though, my strength is vastly superior to yours and I’m wise to your little tricks now.’ He pulled out a small pocket knife and reached around her to cut through the rope. All too soon, however, he began the assault again.

Amelia tried everything she could think of to defend herself, but he had been right in
saying that he was too strong. She managed to escape his clutches once and bolted for the door, but he was too fast and caught her in an instant. He back-handed her viciously so that her head swam. Amelia thought her battle was lost for certain, but just then the door flew open and James burst in, followed by several other men.

‘You bastard!’
James lifted Bernard bodily off Amelia and slammed him into the wall. He stood before the man, fury blazing out of his ice-blue eyes and Amelia noticed with satisfaction that Bernard no longer looked quite so cocky. ‘Well, coward, are you going to stand up and fight me or do you only fight women?’ James taunted.

Bernard flushed a dull red and charged at his opponent, but the fight tha
t followed was very one-sided. Amelia knew that James had trained at the famous Gentleman Jackson’s boxing salon, whereas years of soft living had done nothing for Bernard’s fitness. In the end, he begged for mercy in a pitiful voice and James let go of him.

‘
If you so much as come near my wife again, you’ll be very sorry.’ James turned to the men who had come with him. ‘Tie him up and take him to the nearest magistrate. He’s to be charged with abduction and assault. You’ll all stand witness, won’t you?’

‘Aye, my lord.’ The chorus of eager assent made Bernard slump even more, but Amelia felt no pity for him. It was what he deserved.

‘
Amelia, my love, are you all right? Did he hurt you? I should have killed him, shouldn’t I?’

‘
I’m fine, James,’ Amelia said shakily. ‘Truly, you came in time and I wouldn’t have wanted you to face murder charges for such as he.’

He sat down on the floor next to her and took her in his arms and Amelia lea
ned her head on his shoulders. It felt so good, sitting there like that, safe and happy, and she never wanted to move.

‘
How did you find me?’ she asked.

‘
I had men out searching for you and Bootle saw your cousin trying to hire a conveyance. After that, it was fairly easy.’ He pulled her closer. ‘I thought I would go mad with worry. I love you Amelia. Can you forgive me for my idiotic behaviour yesterday? I was only trying to protect you by not telling you about Sir Bernard’s threats, but I realise now that I shouldn’t have kept you in the dark.’

‘Of course I forgive you. And
I love you too, have done almost from the first moment I think.’ She looked up at him and smiled.

‘
I don’t deserve you, you know,’ he said, cupping her cheek with one hand. ‘You are altogether too good to be true. I’m sorry I ever doubted you.’

He bent his head to kiss her, gently at first as if she was fragile, but when she put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, he seemed to realise that she wanted more. The kiss turned explosive, giving full rein to their long suppressed emotions, and Amelia felt almost dizzy with desire.
He loves me!
She hardly dared to believe it. With heart singing, she tangled her fingers in his hair, loving the feel of it and the taste of him. He reciprocated by running his hands all over her and Amelia sighed with pleasure. This was what she’d been craving for so long. This was where she belonged.

She explored the contours of his powerful shoulders and arms, overjoyed to be able to touch him freely at last. Then she remembered what had happened on their wedding night and hesitated
, doubts clouding her mind.

James looked up, frowning at her in sudden concern. ‘What’s wrong, my love?’

‘I ... I’m being too forward again, aren’t I?’

He
shook his head and drew her closer still into a fierce embrace. ‘No, never. But perhaps this isn’t the right time or place. There are people outside the barn waiting for us.’ He stood up and bent to lift her into his arms. ‘We’d better return home. I want you all to myself.’