“The dance has ended,” he said softly, some moments later.
She glanced around to see they were the only two left standing on the floor. Blushing, she stepped back from him, breaking their contact. Guests openly watched, their heads bent together as they whispered, no doubt wondering if they’d lost their minds.
Perhaps she
had
lost her mind. In the middle of a dance floor, she’d lost her wits and possibly her heart. Weaving around people, Ella scurried toward a corner of the room. Leo was right behind her; she could sense him following. She wanted to be alone, to escape his presence, but his large body trapped her against the wall. She turned away from him. He stepped up behind her, his body hot against her back.
“What is it?” he asked.
His warm hand rested at the small of her spine, his fingers curling around to the side of her waist. Even though no one would notice the intimate touch, she noticed.
How could she explain that she didn’t know if she could stand another day with him? If her feelings already ran this deep, how would she feel in the end? Would they part and never see each other again? She didn’t think she could bear that.
His other hand rested on her arm.
Her stomach jumped. “You need to socialize,” she said in a rush of air.
“What?”
“You…you need to socialize.” She nodded toward the ballroom. “You said you’d come here to mend your reputation, so go fix it.”
He pulled her back and spun her around, so he was in front of her, blocking the guests from view. Ella took a step back, until her shoulder blades hit the wall. Leo followed, his body pressing closer.
He lifted a brow. “That is what has you bothered?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
He grinned and leaned closer, his hand braced on the wall beside her head, trapping her.
“What…what are you doing?” Was that her voice that came out in a high pitched squeak?
He leaned so close, his breath was a warm caress against her ear. “I think that dance made you uncomfortable, and my presence unnerves you.”
She couldn’t look at him for fear he’d read the truth in her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. Why would it?”
“Perhaps touching me reminded you of the folly.”
Her gaze jumped to his. Surely, no gentleman would mention what had happened there. Yet, he was very adamant that he was no gentleman. Her face burned with embarrassment, but she couldn’t seem to look away. There was a connection between them, a connection she couldn’t explain, yet it had been there from the very first moment she looked into his eyes.
“Of course not, why would it?”
“Some say that intimacy between a man and woman is like a dance.” He leaned so close, his lips touched her ear and sent shivers of heat down her spine. “I haven’t stopped thinking of the folly. It haunted me all last night.”
Ella swallowed hard, willing her heart to cease its mad race. Just when she’d decided to treat him as a friend, he went and did this to her…made her body ache with a need only he could satisfy.
She closed her eyes for a brief moment, praying for strength. “Why must you insist on teasing me?”
“Tease? I never tease.” He reached out and took a loose curl between his fingers. “Teasing implies that you flirt without satisfying. And I always satisfy.”
“Look at you two cuddling here in the corner. Really, I’m touched,” Henry snapped, jerking Ella back to reality.
Heat shot to her cheeks, and she glanced furiously around the room. Practically everyone present was watching them.
“We’re supposed to be saving your reputation, dear cousin, not destroying it further,” Henry seethed, and this time he had a right to be angry. Had Lord Roberts noticed how close Leo stood to her? A sinking feeling of dread weighed deep in her gut.
Leo didn’t bother to look at Henry, but kept his eyes on her. “I could care less about my reputation, and you are interrupting a very important conversation.”
Henry’s lips lifted into a snarl. “Dear Lord, man, look at you. Why don’t you just lift her skirts here and get it over with.”
Leo spun around, his hands clenched at his sides. “I have told you before and I will tell you again, but this is the last time. Do not speak that way to her.”
Henry smirked. “Or what? You’ll attack me in a crowded ballroom? Do it and they’ll haul you off to New-gate. I dare you.”
Leo stepped forward, and for a moment Ella feared he’d actually hit his cousin in front of the entire blasted ball. Then Leo’s gaze moved to the steps at the front of the room. He stiffened, his eyes going wide.
“Leo?” Ella said softly. “What is it?” She looked to the steps but could see nothing out of the ordinary in the few men and women gathered there.
Without a word, Leo pushed Henry aside and raced toward the stairs.
He recognized the man. Even still, so many years later, Leo hadn’t forgotten that face. People gasped as he pushed through the crowd. He didn’t bother to apologize. He didn’t have time. Blood roared in his ears, and his heart pounded against his chest as he rushed across the room.
How many times had he seen that face in his nightmares? How many times had he seen those brown eyes laughing at him, that malevolent smile in the crowds? Only this time he knew it was real, not some figment of his imagination. The man turned on the steps and started toward the door.
“No,” Leo growled and quickened his pace to a run.
Behind him, he heard Ella’s soft voice call out his name, but he ignored her plea, ignored the gaping guests, ignored the gasps of shock when he shoved people aside. He would not lose that man. Not when he’d waited over a decade to find him…to find any clue. The man slipped outside and merged into the darkness. Leo took the steps three at a time and burst into the cool night. His frantic gaze darted from shadow to shadow.
Footmen and drivers chatted amicably, smoking cigars and sipping from flasks. He grabbed the nearest man by the collar. “Where is he? Short, squat man, brown hair, just left wearing a top hat.”
“I…I…”
“That way, Gov,” a younger footman rushed out, pointing across the street.
Without a backward glance, Leo raced across the road, dashing between carriages. Entering a dark alley, he paused.
No movement. No sound.
“
Merda
,” he snapped.
He spun around and rushed back onto the street. Horse hooves clomped through the night air, his harsh breathing loud in the quiet. Gone. No sign.
“Leo!” Ella’s voice broke into his thoughts.
Leo spun around to see her rushing toward him, his grandfather and Henry steps behind her.
“Leo, what is it? What happened?”
“I saw him. One of the men my father hired to guide us through India. One of the men who attacked my parents. I saw him.”
Ella gasped, her gloved fingers pressing to her lips.
Henry nudged Ella aside and stepped forward. “Leo, do not be ridiculous. Why would the man be here? Think about it.”
How badly he wanted to slam his fist into Henry’s face. “I don’t know, but it was him.”
“Leo,” his grandfather said. “How could you possibly remember? That was so long ago.”
“It was him,” he growled through gritted teeth.
“So what?” Henry said. “Do you want us to search every home? Send out men to sweep the neighborhood?”
“The village is small enough. Yes.”
Henry released a wry laugh. “I can no longer deal with this man. I’ll find the carriage.” Shaking his head, Henry swept away.
“Leo…” His grandfather started. Then, as if he had no idea what to say, he, too, shook his head and shuffled away.
Merda!
He wanted to scream with the injustice of it all. But strangely, he didn’t care what they thought. He only cared about the woman before him. “Ella.” Leo gripped her upper arms, drawing her closer. “It was him. I know it.”
She took her lower lip between her teeth, her brows furrowed in obvious confusion. Finally, she gave him a curt nod, and the confusion clouding her eyes vanished. “I believe you, Leo.”
And for some reason it was all he needed to hear.
Ella lifted the branch of an oak tree and slipped underneath into the small clearing. The roar of water and chirp of birds mingled into a cheerful morning melody. She scanned the moss-covered boulders until she found Leo, sitting with one leg drawn up and staring blankly at the waterfall. He looked so blasted alone that her heart clenched.
“Leo,” she called out and climbed over the rocks.
He didn’t acknowledge her, acting as if he hadn’t heard her call. But she knew he had. With a sigh, she sat next to him and studied his face. Dark shadows marred the area under his eyes, and his hair was loose and wild, so like him. She resisted the urge to wrap her arms around his waist, to rest her head on his shoulder and promise him everything would be well.
“How is it that you always know where to find me?” he asked.
Ella flushed. How could she explain that she could sense him at times? “Well, you come here often. I merely guessed.” He didn’t respond to her lie. “I spoke with your grandfather.” Still, he didn’t move, didn’t even blink, but continued to stare at the swirling water. “Based on your description, he narrowed it down to one of six men in the area.”
His amber gaze flashed to hers. “Where do they live?”
Ella swallowed hard, knowing the moment she told him, he’d rush off. “Leo, you need to remain calm about this—”
“Where do they live?” he demanded once more, so determined to bring his parents justice that she feared he’d do anything, even give up his own life.
She sighed. “Leo, what happened in that jungle?”
He looked away.
A slight twinge of disappointment made her shoulders slump. She thought they were friends, that he trusted her. But how could she help him if she didn’t know exactly what had happened?
“Here,” she whispered, slipping a piece of paper into his hand. “It’s the list of men with their locations. I recognized only one name, Convey. We meet his wife at the ball. The rest, I haven’t a clue as to their identity.” She stood and turned to leave, lifting the hem of her skirt and starting down the rocks.
“My mother woke me late that night.”
She hesitated, her heart racing in her chest. Would he share, or turn cold once more?
“She told me the men we hired had turned on us. She wanted me to run to the nearest village. I obeyed, but when I got there, the entire place had burned to the ground. Akshay was the only survivor.”
Ella turned slowly and settled on a boulder, afraid if she moved closer he’d stop talking. “The people who turned on you, they burnt the village?”
“Yes. Women, children, elderly. It didn’t matter to them who died.”
Ella’s stomach churned, and she had to look away for fear he’d see her disgust and stop speaking.
But he kept his focus on the water, his eyes wide and vacant. “I raced back to our campsite. It was quiet. I thought perhaps they’d left. They had, but not before killing my parents. I saw them, lying by the campfire atop a pool of their own blood. My father’s arm was outstretched as if reaching for my mum. Afterward, Akshay and I buried them where the campsite stood.”
The deep heaviness of his sorrow weighted down on her soul. Tears stung Ella’s eyes. “And the man you saw last night?”
Leo snapped a flower from its stem, the pop unnaturally loud. The stoic coldness of his face sent a shiver of unease down her spine. “He was one of the men my father hired. Had been with us for weeks.” He shook his head. “How could he?”
She didn’t know how to answer that question, for she didn’t understand herself. “How many men were there?”
He tossed the daisy into the waterfall and watched the bloom get sucked under with the current. “Five in all. Then two more appeared that night: two men I’d never met before and whose faces I never saw.”
“And you believe Henry and his father were behind the deaths?”
Leo met her gaze. “I
know
. Whoever those men were, my parents recognized them. One they called Will. They were shocked he was involved. I was sure…positive I’d heard the name Will before, as a child. But my grandfather insists we have no relative with that name.”
Ella didn’t want to think about it any longer. Didn’t want to know what happened. Her stomach churned, and she knew she couldn’t take much more. Who could do such a treacherous deed to their own family? Surely, the world wasn’t this evil. She couldn’t believe it.
“I lived like an animal,” Leo continued. “Afraid to find civilization for fear the men would recognize me. So Akshay and I stayed in the jungle.”
“And…and when you weren’t in the jungle?”
He turned slowly to look at her. “I was captured. For two years, I was a slave in the household of a wealthy merchant.”
And with his memories, she flinched, feeling the pain of lashes across her back. Dear God, the scars. She tried to calm her racing heart, afraid she’d faint. He caught her gaze and held it. For some reason, the strength in his eyes helped her remain calm.
“With Akshay’s assistance, I escaped, and we went back to the jungle. I was an animal, Ella. Nothing more than an animal.” He looked away. “Perhaps I still am.”
She leaned forward and cupped the sides of his face, the scruff on his cheeks rough against her palms. “No, Leo. You are wonderful.” Before he could protest, Ella pressed her lips to his. It was a soft caress. She put her heart into the touch and prayed to heal his soul. She felt his shock, and his surprise almost made her smile.
When she pulled away from him, she took his hands in hers. “I want to help, Leo. Any way I can.”
His fingers tightened around hers. “The best you can do is pretend to teach me while I search.”
She nodded. “But if you need anything else…
anything
…I will help.”
His fingers tightened around hers. “I won’t put you in danger, Ella. You are already—”
“I’ll be fine.” She pulled back and dropped her gaze, worried he’d send her away for her safety. “Now, about the men on the list—”
He stood.
“Where are you going?”
“To find the first man.”
She scampered to her feet. “Leo, no. You can’t go alone.”
Fear sliced through her, and she had to resist the urge to cling to him. She worried what would happen to him, but most of all she feared what he may do to himself. “Leo, it doesn’t have to be difficult and dangerous. Let’s wait and contact the constable.”
Leo kissed her, a quick kiss that left her wanting more. But the moment his lips touched hers, her mind clouded, making her forget everything but his presence. He pulled back, and she stood there, her mind buzzing in sensual confusion. What had she been saying? Leo started down the trail.
“Leo, wait!” Picking up her skirts, she rushed after him. “Leo!”
With a loud sigh, he turned and quirked his brow in question.
Ella’s shoulders slumped. “Just…be careful.”
He gave her a nod and disappeared into the trees.
It wasn’t him. Short and portly, the man leaving the modest stone cottage didn’t resemble the murderer he searched for in the least.
More ghost than man, Leo slipped out of the shade of the tree and made his way toward the thin trail that weaved through the woods. Of the six names on the list, only this man had been home. Still, he was a step closer to his discovery. He’d been able to scratch one man from the list. Only five remained.
Not a twig snapped as he followed the dirt path to the tree where his horse was tethered. He’d learned early on to step quietly. He’d learned much in the jungle, and he supposed for that he should be grateful. Most importantly, he learned to trust his instincts.
There was no doubt in his mind he would find the man from the ball. Even if he must find him alone. He mounted his horse and nudged the beast toward the road.
Ella’s face flashed to mind, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
I want to help, Leo. Any way I can
.
And he knew she would. Sweet Ella…so noble, so innocent. He didn’t want her involved in his sordid life. He didn’t want her ensconced with his tainted family, yet what could he do? Why hadn’t he frightened her from the house the moment she’d arrived? Because he realized he could use her to further his goals. And because…damn it all, those wide blue eyes had pulled him under. Now, it was too late. She was too deeply embroiled in his wretched life.
The road split, and he drew back on the reins. If he went left, he’d go home. To the right was the cottage where Ella’s friend lived. The one link to Ella’s past, a woman who may provide answers as to the mystery of Ella Finch. Akshay had taken Charlie to her home while Leo had escorted Ella back to the castle. He’d never met the woman, and should check on Charlie. He had the perfect excuse to go there now.
Clenching his jaw, Leo nudged his mount right.
The horse ambled up to the small cottage that sat on a grassy cliff. A quaint place surrounded by wildflowers. Ella could be happy here. In the distance, he could hear the soft roar of the ocean. Yes, he could picture her here, trimming the wildflowers that ran along the stone fence and up along the cottage. Picture her sitting on that small bench and sipping tea. She would be content here. So why then, did the thought make his heart ache?
Wrapping the reins around the gate handle, he started up the trail to the bright blue door. Hesitating only a moment, he knocked. No one answered. Ella’s friend was sickly and weak, and Charlie was a dangerous animal. What if she’d tried to pet the animal? Hell, Ella acted as if Charlie was a babe; why wouldn’t her friend? Worry overtook manners, and he pushed open the door. The house lay silent.
He ducked underneath the overhang and stepped inside. A small sitting room was neatly furnished with a settee and chair. He moved further into a kitchen. The place smelled like freshly baked bread and warm cookies, tempting and homey. He placed his hand on the teapot in the middle of the table. Still warm. Someone was nearby. He nudged aside the lace curtains and peered into the backyard. He could just barely see Charlie pacing inside his cage.
With a frown, he pushed the back door wide and moved across the garden. The cat gave a low rumble of greeting.
Leo slipped his fingers through the bars. “How are you, Charlie?”
The cat rubbed his head against Leo’s hand.
“He’s well taken care of, my lord,” a soft, feminine voice said.
Leo turned. He barely noticed Ella’s friend, sitting there under a blanket. Her red hair peeked above the wrap, but she didn’t move. He’d think her dead if she hadn’t spoken. Miss Francine Cass pulled the blanket down and peeked over the edge. Her large, brown eyes wide and watchful.
She started to stand. “Tea and biscuits?”
“No, stay seated.” Leo settled in the iron chair across from her. Her gaze swept over him with curiosity and wariness. Had she heard the rumors, even here?
“What brings you ’ere, my lord?” Her features were narrow and pale, the complete opposite of Ella’s round, rosy face. Yet there was something fragile about Ella’s friend that tugged at his heartstrings. No wonder Ella would sacrifice her own reputation for the woman.
“To make sure”—Hell, what was he doing here?—“you and Charlie are well taken care of.”
She smiled, and her face lit up. “Aye, never been more taken care of in my life. Feel downright lazy, I do.”
Leo smiled, her honesty only adding to her appeal. She leaned forward and lifted her teacup from the small table.
“Do you like it here, then? The cottage is to your satisfaction?”
She wrapped her small hands around the cup and grinned. “Rightly perfect, it is. Feel like I’m dreaming.”
“You aren’t dreaming. This place is yours, for as long as you like.”
She frowned, her gaze growing leery once more. Obviously, she knew about the six-month agreement. Did she know anything else? How much had Ella told her friend?
“No, I promise, it’s yours.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes. “I know Ella thinks she’s doing this for me, but God’s truth, she needs this too. She deserves to be ’appy.”
Leo nodded. “She does, and she will.”
“Will she?” she said softly, her gaze boring into his.
“I will give her all I can, but I suppose her happiness is up to her, isn’t it?” He shifted, suddenly uncomfortable under the scrutiny of a woman who looked no more than five and ten.
“Sometimes we can’t help who we fall in love with.”
Leo stiffened in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is if Ella falls in love with you, will she end up ’appy in the end, my lord?”
He forced a laugh from his lips. “I highly doubt you need worry about that. I hardly constitute the ideal husband.”
Miss Cass slipped her hand beneath her cover and pulled out a letter. “I received this only today.” Clearing her throat, she read, “‘Leo is not at all what I expected. The man is loyal, almost to a fault. He is arrogant, rude and many times only thinks of ’imself.’”
The words were true, yet stung all the same. “Well then, there you have it.”
“‘Still,’” she continued to read, “‘there is something about him. Perhaps it is his unwavering loyalty to those he cares for. Recently, he came to my defense. Dare I think he cares? Part of me wants ’im to, Fran, and that frightens me for I know in the end I will only be ’urt.’” She slipped the paper back under her covers and stared directly at him.
He didn’t know what to say.
Merda
, if his body didn’t warm to those words. But most of him was sick. Literally sick to think she cared…sick to think she might fall for him. It wasn’t how it was supposed to be. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“Like I said, sometimes we can’t ’elp who we fall in love with.”
His fear turned to irritation. “She didn’t say she was in love.”
“If she isn’t, she will be soon.”
Leo stood and raked his hands through his hair. “And what do you suggest I do to prevent that?”
“Stop dallying with ’er, for one.”
Shock made Leo stiffen. “She told you that?”
Fran chuckled. “No. She’d never speak of it. But you just answered for me. You get ’er with child, I’ll ’ave your ’ead on a platter, I will.”
“That will not happen.”
She lifted her teacup and took a sip. “See that it doesn’t, my lord.”