Читать книгу Reese's Bride - Kat Martin - Страница 9

Several days later

Beginning to feel more her old self again, Elizabeth made her way up to the third floor where Mrs. Garvey and Jared shared adjoining bedrooms. The withdrawal symptoms had faded completely and though she still felt a little tired, she was ready to get out of the house, at least for a while.

She listened at the door a moment, then turned the handle and silently pushed it open. The bedrooms connected to a third room, a lovely little nursery she had admired when she had come to the house with Reese years ago.

At the time, she had imagined seeing their baby lying in the white-ruffled bassinet that still sat empty in the corner. When he had shown her the room, she had smiled up at him and told him what a wonderful father he would make.

The notion twisted her heart. If only her son had been raised by Reese. If only he’d had a loving father instead of one who was distant, even cruel. Jared had yearned for a father’s love, but Edmund had pushed the child away, treating him little better than one of his servants.

If only she had known what her life would be.

But her father had admired the young earl and he had been determined she have a title. Edmund will make you a countess. He won’t exile you to a life in the country while he goes off adventuring with the army.

It was only one of dozens of speeches he had made. In the beginning, she had simply ignored them, certain that in time she could convince her father to accept the man she loved, the man she had chosen to marry.

In the end, she had succumbed to his words, his dire predictions, and finally his unbending edict, and agreed to his demands. By special license, just a little over two months after Reese had left for London, she had married the Earl of Aldridge.

She closed her mind to what came next, looked across the nursery to where Mrs. Garvey read to Jared. He loved listening to stories and was becoming a very good reader himself.

“Mama!” He rose when he saw her and raced toward her.

Elizabeth lifted him into her arms. “Good morning, sweetheart.” She pressed a kiss on his forehead. “You’re getting so big. Soon I won’t be able to lift you.”

He smiled as she set him back down on his feet, always happy when she mentioned how big he was getting. She thought that in time he would grow into a tall, strong man, but at seven, he was small for his age, and withdrawing into himself as he often did made him appear even smaller.

“So what are you two reading?”

Jared looked over at his silver-haired nanny for an answer.

“It’s called Peter Wilson’s Journey,” Mrs. Garvey said with a smile.

“What is the story about?” she asked Jared, forcing him to speak when he would have kept silent.

“It’s about … about a little boy who finds treasure in his garden.”

Elizabeth smiled. “That sounds marvelous.” She glanced out the window. “I know how much you love stories but it’s so nice outside. Wouldn’t you like to come with me for a walk? I’m sure Mrs. Garvey would be willing to finish the story a little later.”

Jared’s solemn brown eyes looked up at her. “You aren’t still sick?”

“I’m feeling better every day. Come on, let’s go.” She reached out a hand and Jared clasped it.

“Have a good time,” Mrs. Garvey called to them, waving as they walked out the door.

They headed along the hall and down the back stairs. For the past few days while she convalesced, Elizabeth had been able to avoid seeing Reese. Every servant in the household knew of the confrontation Reese had had with Mason Holloway. Sooner or later she would have to thank him for his protection.

And his generosity in giving her asylum. Elizabeth wasn’t sure how much longer she could accept his grudging hospitality, but sooner or later, she would have to leave.

The thought sent a chill down her spine. She was stronger now, more able to deal with Mason and Frances, but also she knew that she had been right and that she and her son were still in danger.

Elizabeth pushed through the back door, out into the September sunshine. A soft breeze blew over the barren fields, but they were no longer empty as they had been for years. Men worked hoeing weeds and, in an old abandoned orchard, another group worked pruning trees.

Clearly, Reese meant to ready the place for spring planting. She knew he had been forced to leave the army because of his injury. Still, he had never been interested in farming. She couldn’t help wondering if he would actually stay.

She felt a tug on her hand and realized Jared was urging her toward the stable. Her son so loved horses. She let him lead her in that direction, pulling her into the cooling shade of the barn.

One of the horses nickered softly and Jared hurried toward the sound. A pretty sorrel mare stuck her nose above the door of the stall.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” he said with awe, careful to keep his distance. He’d been forbidden to go near any of the horses at Aldridge Park, but he often went out to watch them running across the fields.

“She’s lovely.”

“Look, Mama, she has a star on her forehead.”

Neither she nor Jared noticed that Reese and another man stood in the shadows until they started forward.

“I see you’re feeling better,” Reese said, stopping a few feet away.

A little knot of tension curled in her stomach. She prayed he wouldn’t make her leave, not until she was fully recovered. “Much better, thank you. I thought we might come out for a breath of fresh air.”

“This is my good friend, Captain Greer,” he said, making the introduction. “We served together for several years.” He was a man of medium height, square-jawed, with sandy brown hair and wearing a pair of gold spectacles.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain Greer.”

“You, as well, my lady. The major mentioned you and your son were guests here.”

“Lord Reese has been extremely kind.”

Reese’s jaw tightened. He turned his attention to Jared, who stood statue-still in front of the little mare’s stall.

“You like horses, Jared?” Reese asked.

The boy merely nodded.

“Her name is Starlight. She’s a Thoroughbred. She’s going to be a mother.”

Jared’s eyes rounded. “She’s going to have a baby?”

“A colt, yes. The stallion, Alexander, is the sire. He’s that big red horse with the black mane and tail. You’ve probably seen him out in the fields.”

The boy nodded. “He can run really fast.”

“Yes, he can. Someday I hope to race the colts he sires.”

Reese returned his attention to Elizabeth. He had already said more to Jared than Edmund had said to him in the entire six months before the accident that killed him.

Reese’s brilliant blue eyes fixed on her face and her nervousness kicked up. “I—I didn’t realize you were out here. I hope we aren’t in the way. Jared loves horses. I didn’t think you would mind.”

He looked at the boy, who still watched the mare. There was such a look of yearning on Jared’s face, Elizabeth’s heart constricted.

Reese must have noticed. “She’s very gentle-natured. Would you like to pet her?”

Jared looked at him as if he were a god. “Could I?”

Reese took the child’s hand and led him closer. Reaching up, Reese rubbed the star on the horse’s forehead and softly stroked her nose. Then he lifted Jared up so that he could do the same.

The little boy very carefully stroked the mare’s head and nose. When Reese set him back on his feet, he smiled in a way Elizabeth had never seen before and a lump rose in her throat.

She hid a secret. A terrible secret she meant to carry to her grave. In that moment, she was no longer certain she could.

Jared raced back to her. “Did you see me, Mama? I petted her and she liked it.”

“I saw you, sweetheart.” She looked up at Reese and couldn’t stop a sudden mist of tears. “Thank you.”

Reese glanced away, his jaw hard once more. “I have work to do. If you will excuse us …”

“Nice to meet you, Lady Aldridge,” the captain said.

“You, as well, Captain Greer.”

She watched the men walk out of the barn, saw her son staring after Reese, and in that moment, she realized what a terrible sin she had committed.

Reese and Travis walked the fields. The first of October, he planned to do some plowing, just to churn up the soil and continue preparations for planting. In the spring he would plow again, then fertilize the soil, get it ready for seeding in April.

He meant to plant barley. His brother, Royal, was making wagonloads of money with Swansdowne Ale, which was rapidly becoming famous. The brewery sat not far from Bransford Castle, his brother’s home, on a piece of property at the edge of the village, and Royal was already making plans to build a second plant closer to London.

His brother needed barley to increase his production. Whatever Reese produced was certain to sell.

The thought did nothing to lift his mood. He had never wanted to be a gentleman farmer. He was only there now because he had promised his dying father he would come back and work the land he had inherited.

It was a promise he meant to keep, even if he hated every bloody minute.

So far, if he was honest with himself, being a member of the landed gentry hadn’t been so bad. In fact, he had begun to enjoy the peace and quiet of the Wiltshire countryside. No waking up to the sound of cannon fire. No riding for endless hours until he fell exhausted into his cot at night.

Watching the leaves turn red and gold and hearing the wind sighing through the trees instead of watching the men in his command dying in pools of their own blood.

Still, he missed the camaraderie, missed traveling to faraway places, missed his friends. He was glad Travis had stopped for a visit.

It kept his mind off Elizabeth and her son.

“Your Elizabeth … she’s extremely beautiful,” Trav said, pulling his thought back in that direction.

Reese’s stomach instantly knotted. He looked over at his friend. “She is hardly my Elizabeth. We are barely civil to one another. I told you, she is only here because she asked for my protection.”

“But she is beautiful.”

He gave up a sigh. “More beautiful, I think, than she was as a girl.”

They turned away from the fields and headed back toward the house. Reese made it a point to walk every day to exercise the muscles in his stiff leg. One day he meant to climb into a saddle, though he grudgingly admitted he wasn’t up to it yet.

“So what do you plan to do? About the woman, I mean?”

As they reached the top of a rise and looked down on the whitewashed, slate-roofed manor draped with ivy, he blew out a breath.

“I wish I knew. She isn’t completely recovered. Once she is, I imagine she’ll go on to London. She was her father’s only heir. When he died, he intended she would inherit his fortune, including the family mansion, Holiday House. As I recall, it’s quite a place.”

“Will she be safe there?” Travis asked.

It was a question he didn’t want to consider. An unwanted kernel of worry swelled in his chest. “I’ve sent a letter to an investigator named Morgan. Royal has used his services in the past. I’ve asked him to find out what he can about Edmund Holloway and his brother, Mason. Once Elizabeth returns to London, I’ll have him arrange some kind of security for her protection.”

“But still you are worried. I can see it in your face.”

He smoothed his features into blandness, but he and Trav had been friends too long to play games.

“Jared is still just a boy. Elizabeth is frightened for him. After my run-in with Holloway, I don’t blame her.”

“Perhaps they are better off here.”

His stomach tightened. Having Elizabeth there was the last thing he wanted. “For the time being, they are. My aunt is due to arrive any day. At least that will staunch any possible gossip.”

Travis smiled. “I’ve met your aunt. Lady Tavistock is quite something.”

The edge of his mouth curved. “She is definitely a force to be reckoned with. I don’t envy Elizabeth. Aunt Aggie considers her little better than a harlot.”

Travis chuckled. “It’s a definite coil. I’m glad I’ll be leaving before your aunt arrives.”

Reese tossed him a glance. “Coward.”

Travis just laughed.

They walked along in silence, Reese pondering his good friend’s words. Elizabeth and her son were in danger. Of that he had no doubt. He couldn’t stop thinking of the boy. Seeing him there in the stable gazing with reverence at the mare, he could have been Reese’s own son.

The notion had occurred to him, of course. There had been that single night, a fumbling, desperate coupling between two people who hadn’t meant for things to go so far. Looking back on it, he was sorry Elizabeth had suffered his amateurish efforts. She deserved a better initiation, not a bumbling attempt by a novice to the act himself.

He wasn’t that green lad anymore. During his years as a soldier, he’d had dozens of women. He had learned from skilled courtesans how to pleasure a woman and in doing so gain more pleasure for himself.

But that single night with Elizabeth, he hadn’t even spilled his seed inside her. He had known that much, at least. He had been determined to protect her, and his brother had unwittingly told him the way.

Jared wasn’t his, he was sure. His hair wasn’t black but a dark chocolate brown, the same deep color as his eyes. His features were softer, less carved than his own. His manner was different, as well. He was extremely withdrawn.

Reese had been a little shy as a boy, but neither he nor any of the Dewar brothers had been anything like Jared.

The boy belonged to Edmund Holloway and Reese couldn’t help wondering how soon after Reese had left for London, the earl had enjoyed the woman Reese had already made his.

Travis left the following morning, an hour before Aunt Aggie’s carriage pulled up in front of the manor. The weather had turned blustery and cold and his frail aunt leaned against him, the wind whipping her skirts, as Reese led her along the brick walkway toward the front porch.

She sighed as they entered the house out of the weather and Hopkins closed the front door. Shoving the hood of her cloak back from her gleaming silver hair, she smiled, resilient as always.

“You’re looking well, nephew, if perhaps a little strained.”

More than a little, he thought, with Elizabeth under his roof. “It’s good to see you, Aunt Agatha.”

She cast him a glance. He usually called her Aunt Aggie—much to her distress. “That desperate, are you? It’s a good thing I have come.”

He smiled as he settled her on the sofa in the drawing room, thinking how good it was to have her there, though he wished she couldn’t read him quite so well. “Thank you for coming, Auntie. As I said in my letter, Lady Aldridge has a son. It’s important her reputation be protected.”

His aunt merely grunted. “She didn’t seem to mind the scandal when she tossed you over for that no-good Aldridge.”

He tried not to smile. His aunt had always been prejudiced in her nephews’ favor and far too outspoken, even if he did agree.

“She and the boy are in danger. She asked for my protection and I couldn’t turn her away.”

She harrumphed this time, but didn’t argue. Though she might disapprove of the woman in his house, she would have expected no less of him.

“You must be tired from your journey,” he said. “Why don’t you go up and have a rest? Hopkins has already seen to your baggage. The housekeeper put you in one of the rooms overlooking the garden, though the grounds are a bit ragged yet.”

She released a tired breath. “I’m sure you will see to it soon, and yes, I believe a rest would suit me very well.”

Afraid he might not be able to see her safely upstairs, hampered as he was by his damnable leg, he glanced round for Timothy and spotted him hovering in the hall.

“See her ladyship up to her room, will you, Tim? The housekeeper knows which one it is.”

“Aye, Major.”

“What did you just call him?” Aunt Aggie lifted a silver eyebrow and Tim began to stutter.

“I—I meant to say, aye, your lordship.”

“That is far better.”

Reese just smiled. Things would be different while his aunt was around. As much as he liked her and looked forward to her visit, he would be glad when both women were gone.

“I’ll see you at supper,” he called up to her as she made her way toward the top of the stairs, leaning on Tim’s solid arm. Reese wasn’t worried about her. Tim would risk life and limb before he would let the old woman fall.

He smiled again. It felt good. He hadn’t smiled much since he had awakened in an army hospital bed, his leg hurting like blazes—unable to remember his name.

Then he spotted Elizabeth coming down the hall and his smile slid away.

Elizabeth jerked to a stop in the middle of the hallway. Traveling the opposite direction, Reese walked toward her, his blue eyes icy cold and fixed on her face.

“Good … good morning, my lord.”

“It’s closer to noon, but I’m sure that’s still early for you.”

She had been up for hours, but she didn’t say so. It didn’t matter what he thought as long as he let her stay. To that end, she had worked every day to stay out of his way.

“I was … I was wondering … I noticed your piano, the one sitting in the music room at the far end of the house. Would you mind terribly if I played it? I feel rather useless just sitting round here doing nothing. At Aldridge Park, I had begun giving Jared piano lessons. I thought perhaps I could continue.”

He just scowled. “Do what you wish.” Brushing past her, he headed down the hall to his study, where he usually squirreled himself away.

Unconsciously, Elizabeth’s hand came up to her heart. It was racing, she realized. Ridiculous. The man despised her. She had no reason to feel any sort of attraction to him.

Unfortunately, he had every reason to dislike her while she had no reason at all to dislike him. In fact, the more she was around him, the more she realized the terrible mistake she had made.

She had loved him so much.

If only she had been stronger. If only she hadn’t been so young.

But the past could not be changed. And her time here at Briarwood was limited. Soon she would have to leave for London.

At least in that regard, she had decided on a course of action. She would send Mason Holloway a letter, telling him she knew that he and Frances had been drugging her with laudanum in an effort to gain control of Jared and his fortune. She would tell him he was not welcome at Holiday House, her home outside London. Then she would hire guards to keep watch, to make certain Mason did not bully his way inside.

Once she had taken those actions, there was little more she could do. She thought that perhaps she would document the events that had occurred and what she had done to protect her son—just in case something happened to her.

Perhaps then, Mason and Frances would not be granted custody.

A shiver went through her. It was a worry that had no end.