Sari Robins (18 page)

Nodding, she came to a decision. “George wants to marry me so badly because he felt that I am the only woman with whom he might…be able to have relations and bear children.”

Bills leaned back and pursed his lips. “He has difficulty…performing? Is that it?”

Looking away, Tess shrugged. “Apparently so.”

“But why would he believe that even though he couldn’t perform with other women, he would be able to do so with you.”

Tess grimaced. “Because he had.”

“What?” the draperies bellowed, followed by a horrific tearing sound. The far curtains flew open and Heath strode out. “You slept with George Belington?” His hair was mussed, his clothing unkempt, and his face darkened with anger.

Tess jumped up from her seat. “What—?” She blinked. “Why are you—?” Her eyes narrowed. “Why, you lying, eavesdropping—”

“Lying? You’re the liar! You failed to mention your affaire with George Belington!!”

“It wasn’t an affaire! It was only once and when I realized what a mistake—”

Bills stepped toward Heath. “I think you’re missing the point, old chap—”

Stabbing his finger at Tess, Heath charged, “You said that you hadn’t been with a man in years!”

She gritted her teeth. “If you would allow me to explain—”

“Either you lied or you didn’t! Did you sleep with George Belington?”

Loaded silence engulfed the chamber, broken only by Heath’s heavy breathing. It had probably been quite suffocating hiding out in a drapery. Tess blinked hard, suddenly seeing Bills’s loud voice and his wayward eyes as what they’d been: a ruse to ensure that she didn’t discover Heath eavesdropping behind the hangings.
I will not
repeat
what you tell me,
Bills had said. He wouldn’t have to since Heath was listening the whole time!

Shaking her head, she was filled with disgust. She’d congratulated herself for working the loose boulder to extract information when all the while she was the one being worked upon. Some spy she was.

“Well,” Heath demanded. “Answer me!”

At his tone, she stiffened.
Answer me? Like I’m some child to jump at your command?
She glared at Heath a
long moment, hating how handsome he was, how much her body wanted him, even now, after he’d wronged her so terribly.

“I’m a fool,” she muttered, then turned and strode from the room.

“Leave her,” she heard Bills say. “She needs some time to cool off. And so do you.”

Heath didn’t follow her.

Fine. He could have all of blasted eternity to cool off. She never wanted to see that scheming, lying knave again.

H
eath swallowed, anger and some unknown emotion racing through him like a scourge, burning him. He pushed aside the unsettling emotions and forced his intellect to the fore. Nothing was explained. Not her money, her secrecy, what happened with George Belington. She’d slept with the bugger! Jealousy speared his gut so piercingly that his vision blurred.

“No wonder George Belington’s so obsessed with her; he believes that she’s his cure.” Bills released Heath’s arm. “Still, to charge her with a crime goes beyond the pale.”

Forcing the green-eyed monster away, Heath bit out, “We don’t know the full story.”

Bills stepped over and refreshed his glass, then poured another for his friend. “She’s furious. You won’t get anything out of her at this point. Once she calms down, you can speak with her and get the facts.”

Heath gulped down his drink in one swig, then made a face. Too damned sweet. Not enough burn.

Bills shook his head, amazed. “When speaking of the investigation she truly seemed more concerned about her friends than herself. Astonishing faithfulness there.”

“But why doesn’t she worry more over herself?” Heath demanded, angry with her for a thousand things, one of them being that she wasn’t more careful. “Innocent or no, she should have been more blasted concerned.” Unless she had some kind of protection…

Recalling her camaraderie with Warden Pitts and how she’d admitted to sleeping with George Belington, Heath was overcome by the terrible notion that she had a benefactor somewhere, someone rich, someone powerful, someone that she relied upon to protect her. And what did she have to give him in return…The thought made him ill.

“Don’t go down that road, my friend,” Bills warned. “You looked into her business dealings, investigated her household, her servants, and even where she slept. There was no indication of a secret lover. No male visitors, no fancy gifts, no secret trips, no late night excursions. None of the trappings that indicate a male presence making demands on her life in that manner.”

Heath nodded, desperate to believe his friend. He reminded himself how she’d felt in his arms; there had been no manipulation when she’d been with him. No quid pro quo, no sense that this was currency for bartering favor. No, she’d been on fire, as if kindled from deep inside, and no woman, no matter how
talented, could fake a response like that. She’d been hot, vibrant, and tight as hell. He swallowed as desire flashed through him, quick and demanding.

But he pushed it away, needing to
think
!

He’d known Tess for years; why was he having so much trouble getting a sense of her? Maybe because she’d changed so much. She wasn’t that sweet, teasing girl who’d stolen pastries from the kitchens for him when he’d been sent off to bed without dinner. She wasn’t that biddable chit any longer. She was a grown woman, strong, demure, yet passionate, making his body thunder with longing.

Sipping from his drink, Bills sniffed. “I don’t care what happened with George Belington; she doesn’t seem the kind to trade her favors to any man.”

“You’re right. She’s not that type of woman.” Heath stared longingly at the empty doorway, wondering if he’d made a mistake in not going after her.

“I confess, I didn’t realize it before, but she’s really quite genuine underneath that reserved exterior.”

“Tess is not one for false pretenses.” As he knew full well. Stepping over to the window, Heath looked out, hoping for a look at her carriage. Blast, it was a side alley view!

“And once she cares for someone, he obviously becomes a priority for her,” Bills added.

Heath nodded. She’d always been loyal, but never had she shown her faithfulness so much as when she’d worried that her friends might be under investigation. Between her friends, her society, her book business, Tess had a very full life. One into which he
didn’t seem to fit.

An uncomfortable sense of insignificance overcame him. Whereas she’d crashed into his life turning everything askew and becoming central, she had no trouble simply walking out that door.

His stomach dipped with disappointment. She didn’t need him. And he was finding it hard to get through a day without her!

Upset and frustrated, Heath ran his hand through his hair. “She has too many damned secrets.”

“But does that paint her a thief? Does that make her a liar? Or is Belington the liar?”

Pushing aside his hurt, Heath considered all he had learned. Could his unbidden passion for Tess and his jealousy have been clouding his judgment?

Bills went on, “And I don’t care what she says about Belington, the man has to have a screw loose to think that he can corner her into marriage with an arrest warrant. I would posit that every claim he’s made is suspect.”

Jealousy pierced his chest; she’d been with George Belington! But he could finally see what he’d been blind to: He’d wronged Tess. Heath covered his eyes. “I should have asked her about the thefts straight away.”

“Dagwood—”

“I shouldn’t have listened to him. A true friend would have worked to clear her name, not hound her like a criminal.” He looked up. “Devil take it, I’ve been a fool!”

A faint smile shadowed Bills’s lips. “Don’t tell me,
tell her.”

Hope ignited in Heath. “It would have taken time for her carriage to be brought around. I can still catch her.” Setting down his glass, Heath sprinted toward the door.

Heath loped down the long carpeted staircase, two stairs at a time. The marigold and purple uniformed butler looked up and then quickly opened the door just as Heath darted through.

Tess’s carriage was just rolling away from the curb.

“Tess, wait!” he cried, sprinting forward.

Not that he’d expected it, but the coach didn’t stop.

Heath raced after it, jumped up, and thrust his arm through the open window. He hung on to the moving coach, his boots scrambling for purchase on the thin lip of the carriage door.

“Stop, Tess!” He bore himself up and stuck his head through the carriage window. “I must speak to you!”

With her eyes narrow and angry and her lips pinched tight, she reached beneath the seat, picked up an umbrella, and smashed it on his head.

“Ow! Stop it!”

“Go away!” She smacked him again, harder this time.

“Not until you listen to me!”

“My lady!” the driver cried as the carriage jerked to a halt, tossing Tess against the cushion.

Heath used the moment to unlatch the door and swing inside the cabin, slamming the exit behind
him.

Tess raised the umbrella but Heath wrenched it out of her hands and thrust it through the door handles, locking them inside the small cabin.

“Lady Golding!” the driver called as he scurried from his post.

Heath slammed the window closed and dropped the shades. “I’m not leaving until you hear me out!”

The door handle shuddered. “Madame!”

Crossing her arms Tess glared at the wall, but at least she wasn’t trying to do him violence anymore.

Heath held up his hands. “I’m sorry about upstairs, but I had to find out the truth and I wasn’t allowed to ask you.”

“A poor excuse,” she scoffed.

“You’re right, I should have just asked you about it, no matter what my superior ordered.”

“Ma’am!” The door quaked and banging rang out.

Heath ran his hand through his hair, praying she’d understand. “You must believe me that I didn’t know the investigation was about you when I accepted the task!”

“Oh, must I?” She unwound her arms, hands fisted in her lap.

A carrot-topped head appeared in the opposite window. “Ma’am!”

Reaching across the small cabin, Heath closed the other shade. “I swear I didn’t! But once I knew that you were a suspect, if you were innocent—”

“I am innocent!”

“I didn’t know that at the time.”

“You should have presumed it!”

“You’re right. I should have known that you wouldn’t steal anything. But I was prepared to see justice done—”

The banging ceased.

“Smash the window!” someone ordered.

“Tess, let’s discuss this like civilized human beings!” Heath pleaded.

“How can we when you’re a snake?”

“One! Two!”

Tess cried, “I’m all right, Carter! There’s no need to break the window!”

“Are you certain, ma’am?” a male voice bellowed.

Looking at Heath, she directed, “Release the latch. They won’t be satisfied until they see me whole. Some people are loyal that way.”

Ignoring the well-deserved dig, Heath removed the umbrella, and the door swung open. A carrot-topped man peered inside, his freckled face flushed red and contorted with anger. “Are you all right, ma’am?”

Tess smiled reassuringly. “I am fine, Carter. Thank you for being so diligent.”

A brown-haired, sallow-skinned man pressed forward. “Are ye quite certain, ma’am?”

“Yes, Paulson, I am.” She held open her hands. “As you can see, I am quite unharmed. But I thank you for your concern for my safety.”

“Your safety is my only concern!” the fellow named Paulson cried.

Tess looked to Heath. “I believe you have something to say to my men.”

Heath inclined his head. “I apologize for frightening you. I had no intention of harming your mistress, and please accept my word that I never will.”

Paulson shook his fist at Heath. “Ye shouldn’t’ve done that!”

Heath nodded. “You’re right. My behavior was completely wrong and I apologize.”

Smiling overly sweetly, Tess motioned to Heath. “As you can see, my good men, Mr. Bartlett appreciates how horribly and totally he is in the wrong. He was a fool to have acted so thoughtlessly and with such utter disregard for basic human respect.”

“Playing it up a bit, aren’t you?” Heath muttered.

Her gaze was sharp blue crystal. “Am I?”

Inclining his head, he grimaced. “I suppose not.” Heath raised his voice for the benefit of the men. “I apologize.” His gaze met Tess’s, and he hoped that she could see how truly repentant he was. “I am so very, very sorry.”

Carter glared at Heath as if not quite satisfied, and although the men seemed relieved that their mistress was well, they quite obviously still did not trust him.

“Are ye certain ye don’t want me to toss him out on his nervy bottom, ma’am?” Paulson asked, clearly still itching to do so.

Pursing her lips, Tess stared at Heath a long moment, those crystal blue eyes considering. “I suppose not today, Paulson.”

Heath bowed, pressing his hand over his heart. “I swear to you good men that not only will I never
harm your mistress, but from this moment forth, I will do my utmost to protect Lady Golding in any way that I can.”

Paulson glared. “I’ll hold ye to that promise.”

“Please do.”

Carter looked to Tess. “We’re in the middle of the street, ma’am…”

“Then I suppose we must move.”

Paulson jerked his thumb toward Heath. “Will ’e be coming with us?”

Silence fell, and Heath tried not to hold his breath. With one word these men would be on him like an army of ants.

Biting her lip as if unsure, Tess nodded. “For the moment, at least.”

Relief washed over Heath. “Thank you.”

“Where to, ma’am?”

“Home, Carter.”

Carter’s head disappeared, and after some scuffling of feet the carriage began to move once more.

T
ess stared out the window of the moving coach, palpably aware of the tall, attractive man sitting across from her. Heath Bartlett was far too appealing for his own good. Mayhap that was why she was finding it so hard to be angry with him.

Oh, slamming him over the head with the umbrella had been pure instinct; the man brought out the fiercest feelings in her. Whenever he was around she wanted either to do him violence or to make passionate love to him. For a lady who had been without real male intimacy for so long, it was maddeningly delicious. Tess had to withhold a quiver just thinking about it. But she kept her face impassive, allowing him to stew for a few moments longer.

Yes, she’d been angry about being duped, but when she’d had a moment to consider the matter, she’d had to admire Heath for taking advantage of a ripe situation. Obviously he and Bills had suspected a trap, and had turned the tables on her quite admirably. She’d always appreciated a sharp mind,
and Heath had a fine one, in even finer packaging.

He sat across from her now, raking his fingers through his dark ribbons of hair, obviously not knowing how to make things right. In actuality, things weren’t so terribly wrong. She hadn’t exposed anything about her business or her work for the Foreign Office, and now she knew everything she needed to about the investigation.

Tess sighed, still overwhelmed by the relief that it was so inconsequential. Yes, she understood that dealing with an Officer of the Crown was serious business, but compared to the dangers of spying, the legal system seemed straightforward.

“Can you…would you mind telling me what happened with George Belington?” Heath finally broke the silence.

After a long moment, Tess nodded.

Heath ran his hand through his hair, not meeting her eye. “When did…it happen?”

She raised a brow. “The big ‘it’ or all of it?”

Shifting in the seat, he nodded. “All, if you please.”

“About nine months after my husband’s inopportune death, I ran into George at a bookshop. He was nice. And, I confess, it was a relief to speak with someone who didn’t seem obsessed with the whole scandal business.”

His nod was almost imperceptible. “Go on.”

“I began running into him quite frequently. Then, after a few more encounters, he called on me. He began to stop by for tea. Then he asked me for my assistance in selling his library collection. He never asked
me about my dead husband or Lord Berber or about finances or even about what I was going to do with my mess of a life. It was nice having someone to talk to about the trivial things.”

“I understand.”

She looked up. “Do you? Do you have any idea what it’s like to find out that the man you thought you knew better than all others was a lying, cheating scoundrel who didn’t have enough good sense in his thick head to take care of himself?”

“I may not know exactly what you experienced, no. But I do understand being disappointed in someone you love. I know how one person’s transgressions taint his whole family. I understand that disappointment…that terrible sense of betrayal.”

Betrayal. Heath was right; that was exactly how Tess felt it. Like a spear through her heart every time she considered what her husband’s depravity had done to her life. Quentin may have had a weakness for cards, but that didn’t mean that he could toss away her future without so much as an “I’m sorry.” The losses had accumulated over years and there could have been plenty of time for Tess to try to repair the damage before all was lost. If she’d only known. So much lost: her innocence, her safety, her trust. All for being ignorant of the danger.

Feeling as if they had a sort of scarred kinship, she sighed. “I’m just so glad we never had children. The scandal would have tainted their lives.”

He nodded. “You wouldn’t have wanted them to have had to suffer like you did.”

“Or as you did.”

From the look in his eyes she could tell that she’d touched a nerve.

She licked her lips. “The Mr. Bartlett I knew was a wonderful tutor, a charming man who always had a joke on his lips or a sweet in his pocket for the young ones.”

Heath’s handsome face darkened. “My father is a bit too charming for his own good.”

Tess shook her head. “I can’t imagine your father being anything but a complete gentleman.”

“True
gentlemen don’t sleep with another man’s wife.”

The silence grew thick, and Tess wished there was a way she could ease his pain. “We suffer under the sins of our parents, I suppose…Which, again, makes me thankful that I never had children.”

“I find it hard to believe that you feel that way. If I recall correctly, Elizabeth was your favorite name if you had a girl.”

Tess swallowed, surprised by the fact that he remembered her dreams and by how deeply it moved her. “Not having children left me with more choices.”

“What kind?”

Pursing her lips closed, she forced herself to remember that she needed to be more careful with Heath. He was a skilled inquirer and she tended to let her guard down when he spoke of their childhood. She made mental note not to allow that to happen again. No one could know about Wheaton and her work for the For
eign Office.

Pasting a smile on her face, she met his gaze. “My book business, of course. I am independent. If I’d had children, I would have had to do as my father told me.”

“Could you have done that? You’d always sworn you would only marry for love.”

“And my parents castigated me for being so naive. ‘People marry for convenience,’ they told me. I suppose that I would have done what I needed to do.”

“And now?”

“Now I wouldn’t take anyone. Marriage, being locked with someone for eternity…” She shook her head.

“Eternity?”

“Even though my husband is three years gone, his family members are still mine. They spend so much time trying to paint me the devil that they almost make it a sport.”

“They’re only doing it to curry favor with Lord Berber’s family.”

Her mouth dropped open; she was shocked that he could be so astute. “I’d always thought so, but how…?”

His burly shoulder lifted in a shrug. “If they side with you, then it’s almost the equivalent of saying that Lord Berber was a bloody idiot for attempting to sail a dangerous channel drunk. It’s much more politically advantageous to vilify you.”

Tess exhaled, feeling an amazing sense of relief that
someone
understood. “Well…ah, what was I
saying?”

“You were speaking of marriage being for eternity.”

“Oh yes.” Considering her own mistakes and Bills’s opinion of Miss Whilom, Tess felt that she had a duty to warn Heath. She didn’t want to dwell on the fact that every time she thought about Heath and the golden-haired chit she wanted to kick something. “Marriage is a serious commitment. It should never be entered into lightly.”

“Why did you marry your husband, Tess?”

Frowning, Tess looked away. “I was so giddy with the idea of being in love that I was blind to Quentin’s true nature.”

“So you don’t blame your parents who guided you?”

“I shouldn’t have followed along so blindly.”

“What about his parents? His family purposely hid his gambling addiction.”

She blinked. “How did you know about that?”

“I’ve asked around. His father was quite fastidious about keeping the problem hidden, but he was one of the men pulling his son out of the holes that he dug for himself. No matter how much they might try to deny it, they knew.”

Tess exhaled, feeling an odd sense of wonder. Heath Bartlett was the first man of her acquaintance who actually sifted through the lies and unearthed the truth of it all. Lightness expanded in her chest, and she felt liberated by his understanding. Amazed, she shook her head. “I wish I’d have known sooner.”

Heath felt his fist curl in impotent anger for all Tess had been through. And she took too much responsibility upon her small shoulders. “And done what? You were married; everything you owned belonged to him.”

Her lovely face was determined. “I would have found a way.”

“I believe that you would.” A smile teased his lips as he realized that Tess was a lioness when it came to protecting those she loved. It made perfect sense that she would try to stop her husband from joining his friend on a dangerous sailing excursion that was more akin to suicide than a race. Heath couldn’t fathom how anyone could fault her for that. If it were Heath, he would treasure such concern.

What must it be like to be loved by such a woman?

“Never again will I trust my future to any man,” she murmured.

Heath straightened, surprised by how upset her pronouncement made him. “So because of your deceitful husband you can’t trust any man?”

“I couldn’t trust you, could I? While pretending to have a wager to join my society, instead you were investigating me for a crime.”

“I had honorable intentions.”

“Yes, like putting me in prison. Tell me, when we were at Marks-Cross Street Prison, did you imagine it was me begging behind the bars?”

Heath shifted uncomfortably, reminded that he’d had that very thought. “I was actually upset by the notion that you might someday be in such a position
if the theft charges were true.”

“Why did you take this case? Especially if at the time you didn’t know that it pertained to me?”

“Belington is Lady Bright’s cousin.”

“Ah. I see. You saw this as a mean of gaining an advantage with your new mother.”

“In-law, you mean.”

“Yes, of course, although, to her credit, my mother-in-law always treated me as one of her own, and had me call her ‘Mother’ like her other children. Until after the accident, that is.”

No matter how welcoming, Heath couldn’t quite imagine Lady Bright treating him as one of her own, but rather as a superior servant. But he would win her over, eventually.

The notion snaked into his mind that the end result suddenly didn’t seem quite worth the effort. Heath pushed it aside; of course he wanted to be accepted by Lady Bright and all her kin.

Tess bit her lip. “I never knew what happened to your mother.”

Heath blinked as, unbidden, images of his mother surfaced from his memory. Long raven tresses tied back in a bun so big he could barely grasp it in two little hands. Sympathetic eyes, golden brown like honey. Slender fingers that had lovingly caressed his cheeks when he’d fallen to sleep at night. Her palms had been rough from her labors, but her hugs had been wonderfully soft and she’d smelled endearingly of leather and parchment. “She was a librarian. Second generation, actually. Her parents had run a lend
ing library in Bath.”

He chuckled, the memories wrapping around him like a blanket warmed by a fire. “She used to call me her ‘little solicitor’ since I negotiated for everything. Reading another page in a book before dinner, when I would go to bed, whether I could go out and play…”

“So she planted the idea in your head of entering the legal profession?”

“Yes.”

“What happened to her?”

That warm imaginary blanket slipped away as the darker memories crept in. She’d been so resourceful, so resilient, that everyone had been surprised when she hadn’t stood back up. “Struck by a carriage.”

“I’m so sorry.” Tess’s eyes were tinged with sadness and her brow was furrowed with concern for him. He was touched. “How old were you?”

“Ten.”

“So young…”

“It was a long time ago…” He shrugged, looking away. “I don’t talk of it much.”

Heath realized that his family had broken then, irreparably. His father had accepted the first post he could find away from Bath, removing Heath from the only home he’d ever known.

Heath stared out the window, finding it hard to imagine that living with the Whilom clan was going to feel like being “home.” Still, he wouldn’t feel the interloper the way he’d had when he’d been going from family to family with his father. Or would he?
Would he always be the son-in-law whose presence had to be explained? “Picked himself up from humble beginnings…” “Has promise…” “Works with the solicitor-general, you know…”

But what if his potential came to naught? What if the political winds changed and he was left out in the cold? Would his new family stand by him then? He hoped…but it was a hollow feeling tinged with doubt.

He didn’t want to think about the future, and instead shifted back to what he could control. He straightened. “The investigation, yes. Lady Bright drafted Solicitor-General Dagwood to her cause. Or else we probably never would have gotten involved.”

Tess nodded, accepting his change in topic. “And you took the assignment without knowing it was about me.”

“Yes.” His hands fisted, but he forced them to relax. “Would you please tell me what happened with Belington?”

Looking out the carriage window, Tess exhaled as if upset. Heath wondered with whom. “I was lonely, he was an ardent pursuer…it was a stupid mistake. I knew it even before…” She looked down at her fingers knitted in her lap. “It was a stupid mistake I never should’ve made.”

“A
mistake?”

A rueful smile played on her lips. “Yes, only once. I ended it immediately.”

“You said earlier that you didn’t believe he was in
love with you. How can you be so sure?” Heath could easily see how it might happen. Tess was exactly the kind of woman a man could fall head over heels in love with.

Heath gulped, shock and some unknown emotion surging through him that was tinged with fear. Head over heels in love? With Tess?

“So…” His voice cracked, and he coughed into his fist, clearing his throat. “So…what were we talking about?”

Her gaze was speculative. “George Belington.”

“Yes. Belington. So he lied in his affidavit,” Heath stated, feeling stupid.

“I’m surprised that when you interviewed him the truth didn’t come out. He’s not very sly.”

“I didn’t interview him. If I had…” Then Heath would never have pursued the investigation and wouldn’t have followed Tess. He wouldn’t be with her right now, feeling these chaotic, scorching emotions that made his head spin. Or the thundering desire that made him burn to be with her.