My Lord Deceived (10 page)

She sighed and
wondered how long she would have to live with this arrangement. If
luck was on her side, Jonathan would soon get bored with village
life, as he usually did, and head back to the bright lights of
London. Then life in the village of Bentney on Sea could return to
normal.

A small voice
warned her that it was impossible now. She had gotten too close to
him. This time, although he had only been back a few days, they had
spoken more than ever before. She had seen him more than ever
before and couldn’t understand what had brought about this change
in circumstances. He had never really shown any interest in
anything that had gone on in the village before, so why now? She
wondered if he had heard rumours about the smuggling and was intent
on checking out for himself what was going on. She sincerely hoped
that wasn’t the case, and hoped instead that he had found himself a
bit bored for something to do while on his brief visit home.

“I think that
you have to allow him to take you home and let us bring the stuff
to you. I can store it here overnight and deliver it to you in the
morning,” Harry offered.

“Harrison
always turns up though,” Kat countered. “It is as if he knows when
it is due to arrive, and starts to look for it before we can store
it.”

“I know,”
Norman grumbled. “That man knows something and that’s a fact.”

“Do you think
there is a traitor in the village?”

“I am certain
of it,” Charles joined the conversation for the first time. “You
cannot discount the fact the usually absent lord of this parish has
turned up at the same time that Harrison has started to step up his
searches.”

“They aren’t
working together,” Kat gasped. She refused to believe someone like
Jonathan even spoke to someone like Harrison. “I don’t believe
it.”

“Your young man
is a friend of that magistrate, Harper-Smythe. They had dinner
together recently I heard.”

“Where
do
you get your gossip from?” Norman sighed. He rolled his
eyes and wondered if Charles still visited that cook’s assistant,
Gertie.

“I am not going
to tell you,” Charles snapped, “It is just that Kat’s man –”

“He isn’t my
man,” Kat interjected.

Charles merely
looked back at her obliquely until Kat rolled her eyes.

“He is friends
with the magistrate. He has friends in high places and that’s a
fact. You cannot ignore the fact that he could be working with
Harrison, and they could be friends.”

“Jonathan is
completely opposite to Harrison. They are the least likely men ever
to be friends in the entire county of Cornwall.” Kat ignored their
raised brows at her familiar use of Jonathan’s first name.

“I am not
saying they are,” Charles argued. “But it is damned odd, you have
to admit.”

“Keep him out
of the way,” Harry warned. “We can go about our business. The man
wants to walk you home. What harm can it do? At least when he has
dropped you off at home, he can then go back to Dentham Hall, and
is far away from the village.”

“What does he
want with Kat though?”

“Well, she is
pretty,” Harry remarked dryly. “What man wouldn’t want her?”

“Wait a
minute?” Kat snapped. “I am not going to be offered up as a human
sacrifice to any man.” She stared down at each man in turn and
glared when Harry sniggered.

“You lot are
reprehensible,” she growled with a scowl. “If only your wives could
hear you now, you would all be sleeping out in the back alleys
where you belong.”

“An ale
please.”

Kat gasped and
turned to Jonathan’s now familiar face. She threw one last
contemptuous glare at the older men and turned her back on them,
aware that Harry’s shoulders still shook, and Norman’s smirk was
carefully hidden behind his tankard.

“Are these
reprobates bothering you?” He drawled and smiled at the flashing
fury in Kat’s eyes. Together with the angry blush that stained her
cheeks, she looked as ferocious as a kitten and he couldn’t help
but wonder where this delightfully passionate woman had come from.
She looked as though she was going to lunge across the bar and
scratch his eyes out. He studied her with a wary respect at the
same time that he threw the elder men a studying look. They had
been teasing her mercilessly if he was any judge of character, and
Kat was as annoyed as she was amused by it.

“They are
always bothering me,” Kat drawled. “They breathe, that’s enough.”
She threw a dark scowl and the remark in their direction, and
handed Jonathan his ale.

“It’s quiet
tonight, Kat, why don’t you head home?”

Kat stared
blankly at the wall for a moment and slowly turned to Harry, who
still battled to keep his smirk under control.

“Oh, I take it
that I am still going to get paid despite being let off early?” She
smirked back when Harry hesitated and stared at her nonplussed for
a moment.

“Erm.”

“Well, thank
you, that is very generous of you, boss,” Kat snapped. She left the
bar and snatched up her shawl. “I will see you
tomorrow
,”
she nodded to Jonathan who tossed a coin on the bar. He hadn’t
touched his brew but didn’t mind one bit. Being able to witness the
interplay between them was a privilege. It gave him an insight into
who Kat really was, and how much respect she had from the locals.
It warmed him to know that the almost paternal teasing was a result
of a deep rooted respect and admiration of the young woman and
that, coming from the older generation, was not an easy fete in
such a small, close-knit community.

He held the
door and waved Kat out before him. They were immediately swept up
in the strong winds that buffeted the harbour. Kat shivered and
glanced at the boats as they bobbed about on the storm tossed
sea.

“I hope it dies
down by morning, or the fishermen are going to have a rough
ride.”

“They are used
to it,” Jonathan replied and lengthened his stride to keep up with
her. The first smattering of rain drops began to fall around them
as they made their way up the narrow, cobbled streets toward the
small house in which Kat lived. It really was a quaint little
village that was full to bursting with families, both young and old
alike.

Unlike some of
the villages he had been to over the past few years, this one had
an age-old air of mystery around it that he had grown familiar with
but never questioned before. It was something that had drawn him
back again and again. Other villages had the same atmosphere about
them, as though if you looked into a dimly lit window you would see
a familiar face looking back at you. However, unlike other villages
this one felt safe, as though you could walk around with a pocket
full of gold coins and still reach home safely. He had kept in
regular contact with Harper Hamilton-Smythe to know that there was
very little illegal activity in the village. There had been no
reported crime for at least two years which, given the current
financial climate, was extremely rare. Most people struggled
financially, and it was habitual for the odd sheep or two to
disappear one dark and lonely night, however in Bentney on Sea,
there didn’t even appear to be even sheep stealing going on. He
couldn’t help but wonder why.

Once again, he
wondered whether he was looking for ghosts where there were none.
He glanced down at the lady at his side and held out an elbow
almost hopefully, and was pleasantly surprised when she took it. He
used the contact to draw her infinitesimally closer while they
hurried up the hill toward home.

“You know in
all of my years of living here, I have never been able to get used
to these steep streets,” he growled when a particularly strong gust
of wind snuck up his back and made him shiver.

Kat threw him
an amused glance. “Well, you don’t come here very often. Maybe you
are not as fit as you think you are.”

His brows rose
and he grinned openly at her. “I can out-run you any day,” he
challenged, his voice dipping low.

“Ha! You are an
urban gentleman. I bet the last time you ran anywhere, you were
chasing your newspaper,” she snorted and cast him a disparaging
glance.

“The last time
I ran, I was the one being chased.” His low drawl made her stop
and, despite the inclement weather, she turned to stare at him,
seemingly oblivious to the driving wind and persistent rain.

Jonathan had
never seen anyone so beautiful. Tiny curls had started to spring
free from their tight confinement and now lay teasingly against her
high cheekbones and delicate curve of her jaw. He ached to sweep
them away along with the rainwater that trickled slowly down her
smooth, alabaster cheeks.

“
You
were being chased?” Personally she couldn’t believe that anyone
would be so stupid as to chase after Jonathan, unless it was an
angry husband or a particularly persistent female.

“I was.”
Jonathan dipped his head in rueful acknowledgement. “I was also
being shot at, if I recall.” He frowned into the distance for a
moment, seemingly lost in thought. Her nervous shuffle drew him
back to the present and he realised that while he was reminiscing,
she was getting soaked.

“By who?” The
words were out before she could stop them. She made no objection
when he began to walk again, this time more slowly.

“There is more
to my life than you realise, Kat. I am not some dandy who spends
his days living in London, with nothing to do but while away the
hours frittering money away.” He wanted to say more, but his
attention was captured a furtive movement further up the hill to
their right. He knew immediately who it was, and felt his hackles
rise.

“Just do one
thing for me?”

Kat turned to
look at him, aware of the shift in his voice. She wondered if he
had revealed more than he had wanted to and now regretted his
transgression because his face seemed implacable.

“If anything
happens when we are walking you home, I want you to run for home,
or the inn, whichever is closer, and stay there until I come to
fetch you.” He had more than enough years’ experience to be
confident in being able to deal effectively with four amateurish
young country bumpkins, especially when Kat’s safety is at
risk.

“What have you
seen?”

She knew from
the careful way he looked at her that he wasn’t going to deny he
had seen anything, and for that she was grateful.

“Up to the
right, I think your friend, and most probably his cohorts, are
watching us,” he murmured. He gave in to temptation and touched one
of the curls bobbing around her face. When she tried to turn around
to look behind her, he placed a finger beneath her chin. His
movement effectively kept her gaze locked on him. He took advantage
of their close proximity and dipped his head low until his lips
drew close to her ear. His voice dropped to a husky rumble. “If I
tell you to run, that’s exactly what I want you to do.”

Her eyes closed
as a shiver of awareness swept through her. She couldn’t remember
anyone’s presence having this much of an effect on her. He didn’t
even need to touch her, yet she found it difficult to breathe, much
less think about anything other than his wonderfully reassuring
presence before her. She made no objection when he placed his hands
on her waist and drew her physically closer.

The mixture of
cold air and his warm breath made her shiver with awareness, and
she closed her eyes in a desperate attempt to battle with the white
hot sensations that coursed through her. She began to tremble and
hoped that he couldn’t feel it. Everything within her froze; locked
in that moment in time when she stood so close to the man who had
haunted her dreams for as long as she could remember.

“Kat,”
Jonathan’s voice dropped even further, to a deep growl, but did
little to penetrate the haze of desire that muddled her thoughts.
“God help me,” he whispered. His warm breath fanned her cheek as he
eased back enough to capture her lips with his. It wasn’t a deep
kiss, or a particularly long one. It was more of a ritual branding.
A warm pressure of his mouth seared her right down to her very
soul. She could do little to break away, or find voice for any
objection. Instead she stood perfectly still and allowed him to
press his lips to hers. He didn’t draw her any closer and, after a
few moments, slowly eased away.

Their eyes met
and held for several moments. He made no attempt to apologise. He
took a few moments to try to control the raging need that surged
through him. The urge to sweep her into his arms for a deeper and
much longer kiss was so strong that he had to step away to stop
himself reaching for her for a second time.

The soft scuff
of footfall snapped them both out of the haze of desire that hung
over them and they slowly eased apart. There was nobody around, so
Jonathan could only assume that the movement had come from
Brian.

He hoped that
the boy had gotten a good look and understood that Kat wasn’t a
single, helpless female. By the time he had paid the boy a quick
visit, the threat to Kat and her family would have moved far away.
If not, then Jonathan would make a swift return and ensure that all
of the boys knew he would protect what he considered to be his.

“Let’s get you
home before we both drown,” he whispered. He drew her closer to his
side and he escorted her up the hill. He hated the fact that she
was so quiet. Did she not want to talk to him? To ask him what his
intentions were? Was she so angry that she couldn’t find words to
tell him off for the liberty he had taken? He took a quick glance
at her face but could detect nothing on her face that was alarming.
Instead, she seemed to be busy scouring the area around them as
they walked, clearly on the lookout for Brian and his friends. It
irked him a little that she was so unfazed by their kiss. He was
shaken to the core. She had seemingly forgotten it had ever
happened.