Her lips twitched. “Hmmm. Yes. Especially as you already have one pet who is named for munching upon footwear.” She tucked both his handkerchief and her ruined one in the pocket of her riding habit, then extended her hand. “Truce?”

He shook her hand, but after doing so, some inner devil made him raise her hand to his lips. But suddenly touching his lips to her gloved fingers wasn’t enough, so he turned her hand to expose the thin band of bare inner wrist visible between her glove and the sleeve of her riding habit. Keeping his gaze locked on hers, he touched his lips to that soft bit of pale skin. And immediately regretted it.

An elusive whiff of roses teased his senses, instantly filling him with the urge to bury his face against her soft skin so as to breathe her in. But it was her reaction that had him swallowing a groan of pure want. A quick intake of breath, followed by a long, slow, exhalation. Eyes that widened slightly then drooped to half mast. The tip of her tongue moistening lips that remained parted. She looked flushed and aroused and… bloody hell, the effect this woman had on him was absurd. She’d all but brought him to his knees by doing nothing save look at him. God help him should she ever deliberately attempt to entice him.

Damn it all, he should have let her stay angry with him. Should have strove to keep that bit of distance between them. It would have been much easier to resist her if she weren’t speaking to him. Challenging him. Looking at him with those big blue eyes. But no, he had to accept her offer of a truce. Instead, he should have insisted she cover herself with a burlap sack.

And now he was about to embark on an entire afternoon in her company. Where he’d be forced to visit the place where the worst night of his life had taken place.

God help him, he wasn’t sure what frightened him more-the thought of the afternoon beginning or of it ending.

Thirteen

Every Modern Woman deserves to experience one grand passion in her life, but unfortunately not every woman is blessed with finding someone who inspires such desire. If she is lucky enough to meet the man who makes her heart pound and her knees quake and her insides shiver, she should not allow anything to stand in her way of grabbing happiness with both hands.


A Ladies’ Guide to the Pursuit of

Personal Happiness and Intimate Fulfillment

by Charles Brightmore


Nathan slowed Midnight as they neared the curve in the shady, tree-lined path.

“Is this the place?” asked Victoria, riding beside him on Honey.

“Just around this curve.” He pulled in a deep breath and braced himself, but it did nothing to stop the onslaught. The instant he rounded that curve, the memories he’d fought so hard to hold at bay assaulted him, laying siege to the carefully built fortifications he’d constructed to ward off the guilt, remorse, and self-condemnation that had threatened to consume him from the inside out. He’d known he’d have to revisit this spot, but he’d hoped, prayed, that the images would have faded. Instead they impaled him like a knife in his gut.

Reining Midnight to a halt, Nathan’s gaze fell upon the spot where he’d come upon Gordon, then shifted to the hedge from which he’d pulled Colin. He squeezed his eyes shut. Vivid images cut through his mind, slashes of pain, each one stinging like the lash of a whip, deepening the scars of regret that already marked him. His chest and throat tightened, and he opened his eyes, his gaze scanning the ground. Three years worth of rain had washed away all traces of Colin’s and Gordon’s blood. If only he’d been able to wipe his memory as clean.

He felt a touch on his arm and turned his head. Victoria’s gloved hand rested on his sleeve and she was looking at him with unmistakable concern. “Are you all right, Nathan?”

No. I’m not all right. Everything that mattered to me was lost. Right here. And I’ve no one to blame but myself. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

He forced a half grin. “Thank you, although I must warn you that such honeyed words are apt to swell my head.”

No trace of amusement lit her features as her gaze searched his for what seemed like an eternity. Finally she said quietly, “It is painful for you to be here.”

He swallowed the humorless sound that rose in his throat and nodded, not trusting his voice.

“Will you tell me what happened?”

An immediate no rose to his lips, but her voice and eyes were filled with a compassion that beckoned him. And suddenly he couldn’t think of one compelling reason not to tell her.

“Based on information I’d received from an informant, I retrieved the cache of jewels from a ship anchored in Mount’s Bay.”

“How did you retrieve them?”

He shrugged. “Let us just say I am a strong swimmer and handy with a knife.” Her eyes widened, but before she could question him further, he continued, “I was to deliver the jewels here that night, but just as I arrived, shots rang out. I discovered Gordon lying injured in the path. When I started toward him, I was struck from behind and dropped the jewels. Before I could recover myself, my attacker grabbed them and disappeared into the forest.”

“You didn’t give chase?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Another guilt-filled memory hit him with a visceral punch. “Because seeing if Gordon was alive was more important. Then I realized Colin had also been shot.”

“Who were you supposed to deliver the jewels to?”

He hesitated. He’d never told anyone, in spite of the fact that he was no longer under any obligation to remain silent. Yet even though his instincts warned him to continue to keep the information to himself, they also told him that he could trust this woman. And that she had a right to know.

“I’ll need your word that you won’t repeat what I’m about to tell you.”

“Very well.”

“I was supposed to deliver the jewels to your father.”

Her hand slowly slipped from his sleeve and she frowned. “My father?” she repeated in a confused tone. “I don’t understand. He was here? In Cornwall?”

“Yes. When I heard the shots, my first thought was that your father had been waylaid. I was shocked to learn it was Gordon and Colin who’d been hurt.”

“Why?”

“Because they knew nothing about the mission. The only people who knew were me and your father. To this day neither Gordon nor Colin know it was your father I was to meet, and I want it to stay that way. At least for now.”

“But why were they not included in the mission? And if they weren’t, what were they doing here that night?”

“Your father was in charge of the mission and only wanted one other operative involved. As to why he chose me rather than Colin or Gordon, the reason came down to money. A huge reward was offered for the recovery of the jewels. As heirs, both Colin and Gordon were financially set for life. I, on the other hand, could not say the same thing. By assigning the task to me, your father offered me the chance for financial security.”

“I… see,” she said, although it was clear she still had questions. “What happened to my father that night? Was he injured as well?”

“I was, of course, very concerned about him. I’d just finished treating Colin and Gordon when I received a coded message from your father informing me that he was waylaid shortly after leaving the inn where he’d been staying and asking what had transpired. I wrote back an explanation, to which he replied that he intended to return to London and instructed me to say as little as possible to Colin and Gordon regarding the mission and insisted I not mention his involvement. I’d managed to forestall questions from Colin and Gordon while I treated their injuries, but I knew I couldn’t avoid them much longer. When they did finally demand answers, my vague responses failed to satisfy them. Rumors about the missing jewels and my involvement ran rampant almost immediately-no doubt thanks to tidbits the servants overheard. The next thing I knew, I was being officially questioned. Nothing was ever proven against me, but it was clear that few believed me innocent. Every day fresh bits of gossip surfaced. Whispers and stares followed me around the village. And at home as well.”

“Your family thought you guilty?”

“Neither Colin nor my father ever flat-out accused me, but neither did they proclaim my innocence. A blind man could have read the doubt in their eyes.” The image of Colin that was burned into his brain-staring up at him with doubt and suspicion-flashed in his mind, bringing a sharp jolt of pain. Blinking away the memory, he continued, “As for my best friend, Gordon, he flat-out accused me.”

“What evidence did he have?”

“None. There was none. Only innuendo and speculation, but that can be just as damaging, I’m afraid. Gordon, among others, thought it very convenient that I had been the only one to escape the debacle uninjured.”

“How did you respond to that accusation?”

“I didn’t. It was obvious that nothing I said would sway him.” And damn it, that had hurt. Nearly as much as Colin’s doubting him. He refocused his attention on Victoria, and he could almost see the wheels turning in her mind. How long before she asked him if her father thought he was guilty? How long before she realized the implications that if he and her father were the only two people who knew of the mission, and he wasn’t guilty-

“You say your brother and father didn’t proclaim your innocence. Did you proclaim it?”

Nathan pulled his gaze from hers and looked into the dense forest. “I told them I hadn’t betrayed my country, but it fell on deaf ears. Colin felt deceived by and suspicious of my continued secrecy. My father, who was shocked to discover that his sons had been working for the Crown, accused me of being responsible for Colin’s injury. Colin could have died, he said, as if I didn’t know that. As if that wouldn’t eat at me every day for the rest of my life. A terrible row followed. Angry, hurtful words. They felt duped and betrayed, and I felt…” His voice trailed off.