Enticing the Earl (11 page)

His look softened slightly. “What did you need to think about?”

The only thing she could think of was her conversation with Selina this afternoon. Their discussion had inflamed her with desire for him. If she truly were with child, it wouldn’t matter if she took him to her bed.

“The book I was reading,” she finally said. If only she could remember what book she’d picked up and placed on the table before leaving. She didn’t even look at the title.

He nodded and his lips twitched. “It did look like a thought provoking book. Which part made you need to go outside to think?”

Why didn’t she look at the damned book before putting it down? She’d had no idea that she would be interrogated on it. “I don’t remember now,” she said with a wave of her hand in dismissal. “One sentence just struck me.”

“What was it? Something that made you think about how you fit into this country?”

“How I fit into this country?” What did he mean by that?

“You were reading a book on the history of Britain. Though you were only on page twenty when you put the book down. I assumed you might have found the book dull.”

“Yes, of course,” she said far too quickly. “I found it such a bore that I needed air.”

“I can understand. Many people didn’t find history terribly exciting when I was at Eton. So if you were only on page twenty, how far along had the author gotten?”

Her father had made certain that both his girls had a fine education from him. But history had never stayed with her. “William the Conqueror,” she blurted out.

“Indeed? On page twenty? The author must have completely skipped over Roman rule.”

She smiled. “Yes, barely mentioned it as if it did not matter.”

“Strange. We owe much to the Romans.”

She could not stand another minute of this inane conversation about a book she’d never read. “I suppose we do. I believe I shall retire now.”

She started to walk past him to the library when he caught her arm and brought her close. “Do not lie to me again, Mia.”

She swallowed and nodded. He let her go without another word. When she reached her room, she glanced in the mirror and wiped the streaks of dirt from her face. It wasn’t just the lack of her knowledge of the book that gave her away. She rang for a bath to wash herself clean.

After sitting in the bathtub until the water cooled, she still felt dirty, and she knew it wasn’t the physical dirt. She had never felt so guilty in her life. Simon needed to know she ran into Davies tonight. And in order to tell him that she had to tell him everything. How she’d found the gold last year and that Davies was particularly interested in that.

She was such a fool to have withheld this information from him. What if Mr. Tanner was right and Davies was actually targeting Simon and not her. She could never forgive herself if something happened to Simon because he didn’t have all the facts of the matter.

But she also knew telling him meant she would most likely be banished from the house and probably the estate too. She was a thief and a liar. Her hands shook as she wrapped a towel around her wet body. He might even have her arrested. She blinked back the tears, knowing if he did have her arrested, it was nothing more than she deserved.

With the amount of money she’d seen in his books, he could have used that gold she’d found to help pay his expenses. He would be so furious with her when he found out. She wiped away a tear with a determined hand.

Slowly, she dressed in a clean gown and tied her hair back. No matter the consequences, he had to know. And she had to tell him. She couldn’t lie to him any longer.

It was time to tell Simon the truth.

W
hat the bloody hell was she hiding from him? Simon watched her walk away with her head held high but he knew something was amiss. The dirt on her face was the first giveaway. The fact that she had no idea what the book was on the table in the library another. Tanner’s accusations that she might be involved with Davies tumbled back into his mind.

He didn’t want to think about the fact that Tanner might be right. What other excuse was there for her to be out of the house without an escort when no one knew where Davies was living? If he confronted her, she most likely would lie to him again. He supposed it might be time to have her watched day and night.

More than anything, he hated that she lied to him. It meant she didn’t trust him. And that hurt more than he wanted to admit, even to himself.

“My lord,” Robert rushed into the study. “Mr. Henderson is here and says it is imperative that he speak with you.”

What was this about? “Send him in.”

Mr. Henderson walked in and bowed. “My lord, please excuse my callin’ on you at this hour.”

“What is it?”

“I was headin’ back home after bringin’ some goods into the village and thought to stop by Mrs. Perkins’s house to check in on her. My wife insists I do this every time I go past the old woman’s house.” He took a breath in but seemed to hesitate.

“And?”

“My lord, I saw him.”

“Who?”

“That man yer looking for. Right in her backyard. Digging up the ground as if he had something to bury.”

“Davies was here on my land?” Simon rose to his feet. Fury raced through him.

“When I got near, he ran off. But I also saw a woman runnin’ the other way. I don’t know who it was, but she was runnin’ like the devil himself was after her.”

“Dammit!” he swore and then reached for the brandy. He poured a large glass for both of them. “Thank you for letting me know this, Mr. Henderson.” He handed a snifter to the man.

“Anythin’ for you, my lord. You’re a fine young man and your father would be proud of you.”

His father would be anything but proud of him. “Thank you.” Simon tilted his head back and drained his glass. He’d be damned if he’d let this rest until morning. Mia had to explain her actions. Now.

“Good evenin’, my lord,” Mr. Henderson said and then bowed to him again.

Fury ignited him. He’d be damned if he let that little liar manipulate him or his emotions any longer. He rose from his seat ready to confront her tonight. He didn’t care if it was eleven at night. He didn’t care if he woke her from a deep sleep. Tonight, he would get the answers he needed.

Before he reached the door, Mia raced into the room. The minute she saw him, she threw herself into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. Simon’s muscles stiffened.

“I’m so sorry, Simon,” she cried into his shoulder. “I should have told you before but I was so frightened of what you might do. But I can’t live with this guilt any longer and after seeing him tonight, I know you have to hear what I say. Even if you have me hanged, I don’t care.”

Simon’s fists clenched. She was in this affair with Davies. Simon wondered if she loved the monster or maybe the beating she endured was only for show. So she could wiggle her way into his house.

He pushed her away from him and stared at her wet brown eyes. A part of him didn’t want to believe she’d had a role in Davies’s plan. But the truth was staring back at him.

“Simon, please let me explain,” she implored.

“Explain what? The fact that you were with Davies tonight?”

Her mouth gaped. “You knew about that?”

“Isn’t that why you are here? Mr. Henderson just left.”

Confusion lined her face and furrowed her brow. “Mr. Henderson? I don’t understand what he has to do with this.”

“He drove by Mrs. Perkins’s house to check on her tonight. When he arrived, a man matching Davies’s description was digging out in her back garden. He also saw you running toward my house.”

She sank into the closest chair and shook her head. “Simon, I never saw Mr. Henderson. I only came down because the guilt of this was driving me mad. And I knew I had to tell you about seeing Davies tonight.”

He was a fool to want to believe her. But then again, he’d never been anything but a fool for her. “Start at the beginning.” He walked to the corner table and poured two glasses of brandy. He handed her one. “Now,” he demanded. “Before I change my mind.”

Mia pressed her lips together and nodded. Before speaking, she sipped her brandy. “About a year ago, I was assisting Mrs. Perkins with her potato harvest. As I dug up the potatoes, I found what appeared to be a very old gold hilt.”

Simon felt his patience growing short. “What does this have to do with Davies?”

She held up her hand. “Please, let me tell this story. It is a long story.”

“Very well, I shall try to hold my tongue.”

“I didn’t tell Mrs. Perkins what I’d found. I put it in my pocket and then brought it to a pawnbroker and sold it.” She stopped for a minute to sip her brandy. “I gave the money to the tenants who needed it the most. With Mr. Burton raising the rents, many of your tenants were troubled attempting to find the extra money.”

“They could have come to me,” he said harshly.

“You didn’t even know Burton had raised the rents!”

He inhaled deeply and breathed out. “Go on.”

“As I was saying, some of the tenants needed the money so I gave them what I could. And then I started digging around in Mrs. Perkins’s garden and found a few more pieces.”

Simon took a long sip of brandy to calm his nerves. “Why didn’t you tell me about this? After all, you had no idea I was in financial straits so why hide it?”

Her eyes widened. “Simon, I stole from you. Everything on this property is yours. Why would I tell you that I had found gold pieces and sold them to give money to the tenants?”

Simon stared down at the amber liquid in his glass. Why could he always see her point? He wanted to stay furious with her. Even now, he felt swayed by her story. He steeled himself against any piteous feelings toward her. He waved a hand at her to continue.

“After finding those few pieces, I didn’t discover any more.”

“What does this have to do with seeing Davies?”

“When Allan and I were together, he somehow found out that I had given money to the tenants.” She looked up at him helplessly. “I have no idea how he found out. I never told him until after he confronted me. That day in the cottage, he became furious because I wouldn’t tell him where I had found the gold pieces. He was certain there was more to be had, even though I’d told him I’d dug up no more.”

Simon closed his eyes and shook his head imagining the scene that day. “Is that why he beat you?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I refused to tell him. I had no idea he was out there tonight.”

“But why were you out there tonight if you haven’t found any more pieces?”

“I... I did find an emerald out there two days ago.”

“Two days ago? You were out there alone not once but twice?” Simon’s anger returned with a vengeance. “What possessed you to go back out there and dig?”

She shrunk back into her seat. “When I discovered what Burton had done with your finances, I felt dreadful. I thought it was my fault for not telling you about the gold last year. If you’d had the money from the gold, maybe your finances would be better off.”

“More likely Burton would be better off,” he said bitterly.

“I hadn’t thought of that, but you are probably correct.”

“What happened to the emerald you found?” She couldn’t have sold it yet.

Mia glanced down. “I asked Selina to pawn it for me.”

Anger slipped through his veins again. “Why?”

“To give you the money. I felt dreadful when I saw your books. If I had given you the gold I found in the first place, you might be in a better position.”

He didn’t want Mia, or anyone else, pitying him. His trust of Burton had caused this problem and a few small pieces of gold wouldn’t have helped much. Had she come to him a year ago, he would have told her to keep it and do whatever she wanted with the money. All he’d ever wanted was for her to be happy. And yet, sitting across from him, she looked anything but happy.

“Is there more you need to tell me, Mia?”

She frowned as she stared at her empty snifter. “Davies let me go tonight without a fight. He knew I was staying here. I just don’t understand why he did that. Surely, he must have known I would tell you.”

“Perhaps he thought you wouldn’t because of what you’d just told me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did he know that you hadn’t told me about the gold?”

Realization dawned slowly on her face. “Of course. He thought you would be so consumed with anger directed at me, you wouldn’t think of going out there tonight.”

“Exactly.” He rose and held out his hand. “Do you feel like a ride tonight?”

Her mouth gaped. “You would let me go with you?”

“As long as you have a pistol and knife.” Simon savored the warmth of her hand in his as she rose out of her chair. “You are the only one who can identify the man.”

She kissed him softly. “Thank you.”

“And be careful,” he said with a pointed look at her stomach.

“I am not so far along that riding would be an issue.”

“I will have the horses saddled.” He walked away from her and wondered if taking her with him was the best option. He assumed Davies was alone... but what if he wasn’t? Perhaps he had several accomplices with him that Mia hadn’t seen. Taking her with him might be dangerous but she could recognize the man. And Simon wanted her to see Davies brought to justice. She deserved that.

Just to be safe, he asked a few of the footmen to follow at a distance. He’d be damned if he let anything happen to her now. Returning to the study, he told her about the footmen.

“That is a very good idea. I never thought there might be more people than Davies involved.”

“One last thing,” he said slowly. “If I tell you to return to the house, you will do it without question.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

“Thank you.”

 

As they rode toward Mrs. Perkins’s house, Mia’s body quaked with fear. She hated feeling this way. Simon was with her and so were four footmen. There was no logical reason for her to feel frightened, except her rib ached from the ride, reminding her what Davies could do when provoked. She couldn’t let anything happen to Simon.

With her guard up, she scanned the darkness for any sign of movement. Simon held up his hand as they drew closer to Mrs. Perkins’s cottage.

“We will leave the horses here and proceed on foot.”

She nodded and then climbed down. One of the stable boys took all the horses to a small copse of trees far enough away that Davies wouldn’t hear them. They walked slowly toward the house with only a sliver of moonlight guiding them tonight. Simon didn’t want to take torches so he could surprise Davies.

But as they drew closer, Mia realized that there was no light from the back garden. Davies would need some torch or even a candle to dig by at this hour. Disappointment sagged her shoulders. “He’s not here,” she whispered.

“I know.”

They walked to the garden where several holes had been dug and not even covered up again. Simon seemed to take everything in before saying, “Mia, I want you to return with Johnny. I will follow you presently. I want to take the boys a little farther into the woods and it’s not safe.”

“But I—” Mia stopped abruptly as Simon pulled her up against his chest.

“You said you would do exactly as I’d said. Now go.”

She yanked away from him, sensing the rage in his body. She didn’t want him to be angry with her. After all he’d done for her, the least she could do was listen to him. “Very well.”

“Thank you.”

Mia rode back to Hartsfield Park with Johnny as a silent companion. He wasn’t much of a conversationalist the few times she had seen him in the house. Tonight, she didn’t mind since it gave her time to think.

She had seen Simon angry before, but tonight she had seen a dangerous side to him. She believed that if he had found Davies in the garden, Simon would have beaten him in retaliation for what he’d done to her. While Davies probably deserved such a beating, she had no desire to watch it.

The irritation Simon had felt toward her seemed to dissipate as she told him the entire truth. He hadn’t done any of the things she thought he might. Instead of evicting her, he listened as she talked and then had asked her to ride with him. While he raised his voice a few times, she’d never felt as if he would hurt her. In fact, he’d done the opposite. He’d done everything to protect her, from bringing the footmen, to forcing her to leave for her own safety.

If she wasn’t careful, she might just fall for the man.

And now that she knew she was most likely carrying Davies’s child, she couldn’t fall in love with him. But she did want him. And did it matter if she and Simon had intercourse? He already knew she suspected she was with child so she couldn’t try to pass Davies’s child as Simon’s. Not that she would ever do such a thing.

Once she arrived back at the stables, she walked up to Cupid’s fountain and sat on the edge. The gurgling water should have eased her frustration but it only seemed to make her feel more anxious. Being with Simon would not solve anything. She couldn’t marry him. He didn’t seem to want her as a mistress.

So the only reason to be with him was pure selfish pleasure.

She looked across the field as the sound of horses galloping brought her out of her musing. Her heart started to pound in her chest as she saw Simon ride his black gelding. The man was magnificent in form. The horses slowed to a stop. Simon jumped down and instead of giving the reins to a stable boy, he walked Mars into the stable.