One Penny Surprise (Saved By Desire 1) (13 page)

“Luke,” he drawled, trying and failing to tear his gaze away from the beauty before him. He had tried to reassure himself that the attraction he felt toward her was nothing more than mere carnal interest he would ordinarily feel toward any other beautiful woman who attracted him. Now that he had seen her again though he knew he was only fooling himself. She drew emotions from deep within him that he had never even realised were there. Protectiveness; curiosity; attraction were all there, along with something else, something more acutely disturbing. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all, especially toward someone who was surrounded by so much mystery.

“Excuse me,” she whispered. “I need go inside.”

Please move before I fall at your feet,
she added silently. She tried desperately not to fidget beneath that steady regard, but the longer she stood there the more her heart began to pound, to the point that she just had to do something to break the frisson of awareness that came out of nowhere and refused to leave. The atmosphere between them gradually became so thick that she was certain it could have been cut with a knife. It bothered her, mostly because it wasn’t dark and sinister like she had expected. It was something softer, more defined, and considerably rawer than anything she had ever felt before. For the first time in her life she wanted to touch him, a man she barely knew, to see if he really was as strong and powerful as he looked beneath the thick layers of clothing he wore. She clenched her fingers against the need and clutched her bag tightly instead while she forced her attention to more mundane and practical matters. Like how on earth she was going to get out on shaking legs without making an utter fool of herself.

“We need to talk,” Luke said firmly, now more determined than ever to find out just how much trouble she was in. He had never met anyone who had such a capacity to attract trouble as her and was determined to get some of his questions answered.

Before she could escape out of the gates she kept looking longingly at he took her elbow in a gentle but firm hold and began to tug her toward the tavern door. He glanced down at the bags she still clutched and wondered if he should just snatch one off her. He was positive she would just follow it. Unfortunately, he was aware that the kiss had drawn the interested gazes of several of the stable hands how. He wouldn’t get away with appearing as though he was trying to seduce her one minute and mug her the next. The last thing he wanted was to wind up in a brawl with several stable hands. 

“Inside,” he murmured without preamble. When she didn’t follow his orders, he began to march her unceremoniously toward the doorway.

Startled at the bolt of awareness that shot up her arm and settled somewhere in the centre of her chest, Poppy stumbled two steps forward and then slammed to a stop, twisting her arm around in an attempt to get him to loosen his hold.

It is alright, you are in the middle of the coaching yard. What harm can he do?
a small voice assured her.
Unnerve you, that’s what
, she added with a sigh.
And he is doing a darned good job of it too.

“I don’t believe we have anything to discuss,” she protested. She wished she had a hand free so she could prise his grip off her elbow. It wasn’t painful, but it was strong.

“Oh, I think we do. There is the small matter of the body you abandoned in the park for one, and the contents of that bag for another.”

“The contents of my bags are nothing to do with you,” she argued with a scowl.

Luke snorted and scowled straight back. “I am afraid they are. Especially since you appear so protective of them, and had them at the park, and someone is prepared to kill you for them.”

“I don’t believe I am obliged to do anything you order me to do,” she retorted while trying, and failing, to remove his hold on her arm. “Let go of me.”

“I think we had better go inside and discuss that because I disagree with you,” Luke countered and looked her square in the eye. “On all counts.”

Working with the Star Elite, he was used to getting what he wanted and right now he wanted Poppy inside, sitting down where she was safe. He hadn’t lost sight of the number of people who were milling about, and was struggling to keep one eye out for the return of the woman in black, while trying to keep his mind on the reason he was in the stable yard in the first place. It was difficult to concentrate when such strong desire was coursing through him. Desire that was the very last thing he wanted to have to deal with right now.  

“I have a carriage to catch,” she replied waspishly, more shaken than she cared to admit by the connection she felt toward him.

“Where to?”

Her stomach dropped to her toes. She considered lying to him but had no idea which coaches were due to depart and which weren’t. She could name a location but then it would soon become apparent that she had lied and then she would never get rid of him. Strangely, she didn’t want him to think she was a liar.

“Pardon?”

“Where are you going?” Luke glanced around them. “You are in a coaching yard. You must be going somewhere.” He eyed the bags in her hand meaningfully, silently daring her to deny it.

“I am going home.”

Luke mentally sighed and wished now he had shaken her in the first place. “Where is home exactly?”

“Look, who are you? I don’t know you so why should I tell you any of my business? Now please get out of my way and go and pester someone else.” She tried to side-step him again but then noticed him signal to another gentleman she hadn’t seen before. He was equally dark and just as tall as Luke himself. She didn’t need to know who they were to be aware that neither of them were people she should challenge in any way. That put her in a dire predicament indeed because she needed to get out of the coaching yard, and the sooner the better. However this man, Luke, and his associate, had just made it clear she wasn’t likely to be going anywhere without talking to them first. She sighed and realised that she had to concede defeat if she hoped to go anywhere today. This time, when Luke tried to drag her into the warmth of the busy tap room, she didn’t object and chose a seat in the far corner.

“Just talk to me for a few moments. There are a few questions I need to ask you about the body you found the other day, and why you decided to leave when I told you to stay.”

“I don’t want to think about it,” Poppy countered, eager to put the entire ordeal behind her. In reality she had spent the last several days thinking of nothing else. Her problems with Clarence had faded into insignificance compared to what had happened in the park, and the problems the man before her brought with him. She had found herself waking up in the middle of many a night with him on her mind. Strangely, he was the last thing she thought about before she fell asleep as well. Now that he was beside her, the rest of the world paled into insignificance.

“I am afraid that you have no choice in the matter. A body has appeared, you see, of a rather estimable gentleman. You were the one who found him. Unfortunately for you, you have no witnesses to corroborate your story that you have no prior knowledge of who he is. You were the one who allegedly found the body in the park. The man had only recently been murdered. You were the one who then vanished when you were told to remain with the corpse until I returned. I think you had better explain yourself.” Luke’s voice dropped to a menacing whisper, and he leaned forward threateningly just in case she decided to bolt for the exit she kept looking at. However, the closer he drew to her the more he became aware of the delicate scent of roses and quickly had to lean back to put some distance between them again when his body responded with predictable eagerness.

“Just stay with me. Once we have talked, as long as you are honest with me and answer my questions, you can go wherever you want to go. However, lie to me and I shall hound you wherever you go.”

Poppy stared at him and shivered at the ruthlessness in his gaze. She didn’t want to touch him anymore because she rather suspected he would bite her. He was nothing short of dangerous, and had such a strong, somewhat imposing aura about him that he made Clarence look like a limp cravat. Luke was vibrant, strong, and downright sinister when he wanted to be, but there was also something else, something softer, more reassuring that she never expected to see there as well. Confused she stared at him and tried to decide what to do. She glanced at the exit. It was too far away. Besides, his friend was right next to it. She could try to leave, but suspected it would be a futile endeavour. If one didn’t stop her the other one would.

Given what had just happened with the woman in black, she couldn’t take the risk that the woman wasn’t lurking outside somewhere. She certainly seemed fixated on her bag, but for a mugger she had looked incredibly odd. No, her chances were better if she told him what he wanted to know, and got on the next carriage to Cumbria. Then she could put this entire farce behind her – somehow and get on with what was left of her life.

“All right, just a few minutes then,” she replied reluctantly. “But I warn you that I have a carriage to catch so you had better ask your questions quickly. As soon as the carriage is announced, I am going and nobody is going to stop me.”

She shook her head when the maid offered her food or a drink and waited while Luke took a seat beside her. She should object to him sitting so close, and ask him to put some more decorous between them, but nobody within the busy tap had given them even a cursory glance so to do so would just waste time she didn’t have.

Luke decided to just cut to the chase. Aware that he was sitting far too close to her than was polite for a lady he didn’t know, he made a point of leaning closer still and smiled when he saw a flicker of awareness in her eyes when she looked at him. It pleased him to note that she wasn’t as averse to him as she pretended to be and for the first time since he had met her, he started to feel fairly confident that he could get the truth from her.

“Firstly -” he began softly, “- why didn’t you wait with the body like I told you to?” He didn’t take his eyes off her as he waited for her to reply and watched the shadows flicker in her eyes a moment before her gaze dropped to the table top. He knew immediately from that look that she was hiding something and glanced down at the bags tucked carefully behind her legs, protected from view by her skirts.

“I needed to leave,” she replied evasively. “Why should I stay?”

Luke snorted. “Because you knew the man had been murdered. You saw the marks on his neck. The magistrate has questions for you about what you saw that morning.”

“I didn’t see anything,” she protested quickly, then closed her mouth with a snap when she realised she was going to make herself sound guilty if she continued to be so defensive. It wasn’t like her at all to be so brisk with anyone; especially someone who had been nothing but polite and helpful. She glanced around the tap and winced when she realised several people had paused their conversation to look at her. She glared at them and waited until they resumed their conversations before she took a moment to calm down. Once the lull in chatter had eased, she turned her attention back to the man who seemed to occupy her every waking moment.

“I didn’t do it,” she whispered.

“I didn’t say you did,” he countered.

“So why are you asking me? The only people I saw in that park were the pick-pockets and you. It wasn’t me who killed him. I doubt the pick-pockets were big enough.”

“I only have your word that it wasn’t you,” he said silkily.

Poppy’s gaze flew to his. “I have only your word that it wasn’t you either!”

Luke nodded. He saw nothing but pure honestly flashing back at him and was inwardly relieved that she may not be connected to the murder after all.

Aware that people were seated only a few feet away, Poppy kept her voice low. “How could I strangle someone of that size? Why would I?”

“Do you know who he is?”

“Why should I?” she countered in a voice that was nothing short of a hushed, slightly panicked whisper.

“He is a member of aristocracy; the
ton
and has several connections in high places. He has been identified. You must have read it in the broadsheets.” He watched her frown and immediately wondered if she could read because she looked decidedly evasive.

“I haven’t read the broadsheets of late.” She had, and had scoured every page for mention of Luke, or the body in the park, but so far had seen nothing but a brief article to say that a body had been found by persons unknown. The article had gone on to describe the life and work of a notable gentleman but she couldn’t remember much in the way of details. It was all connected to a world in which she didn’t belong.

“Well, the dead man was rich and had several friends in high places. He was strangled by someone who then dumped his body in the river.”  

“What’s that got to do with me?”

“Why were you in that park?”

“Why were
you
in the park?” she challenged with a frown. She didn’t like the way he kept exchanging eye contact with the man at the bar. Her stomach was tied up in knots with the tension that thrummed through her. So much so that she knew that if she stayed there for too much longer she was going to be sick right in front of him.

“Look, who are you? Why are you asking me these questions? I told you that I didn’t kill him. I am sorry if you didn’t like the fact that I left the park and didn’t follow your orders but I don’t know you. I am under no obligation to explain my conduct to you, now or ever. I am sorry, but you are barking up the wrong tree if you think I had anything to do with that man’s death, or can tell you anything that might be of any use. I saw nobody you didn’t see. I didn’t even see the man in the woods you claim you chased.”

She swallowed as a tendril of suspicion began to formulate in the back of her mind. Was the man beside her the murderer? Was he pestering her to try to find out whether she witnessed him kill the dead man? Was that why his friend was standing beside the door, effectively blocking the exit? She had to walk right past him if she wanted to leave. She glanced down at her bags and moved her feet to reassure herself that they were still there. It was then that she realised that Mr Brindley had no bags with him. Nearly everyone else in the tap had bags of some kind with them, predominantly because they were travelling to and from places.

Had Luke, Mr Brindley, been waiting around the coaching inn for her to try to leave town?

Panic began to set in the more she contemplated what she knew. He had been just as evasive as her about whom he was and why he was so involved. His relentless pursuit of questions warned her that this was no ordinary run-of-the-mill gentleman with too much time on his hands. Nobody, no member of the public who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, would actively pursue someone across London like this. So who was he if he wasn’t the killer? Why wasn’t
he
being honest with her?

“Who are you?” she persisted with a frown.

“I am just someone who got stuck with a body in the park the other day because you left when I asked you to stay.”

“I didn’t realise it was that important. You left me alone in the park with a dead man. What would I have done if someone other than you had stumbled upon me? It looked suspicious even to me, and I didn’t do anything.”

“Why were you in the park then?” Luke challenged. “Who was that woman in the yard just now whom you claim tried to push you under the carriage?”

“I don’t know,” Poppy whispered. “I have never seen her before either.”

“Are you sure?”

Poppy nodded. “Yes, I am sure.”

“Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt you?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to say ‘no’, but then she thought about what had happened in the kitchen with Clarence. As she remembered those fateful moments that had changed her outlook on life completely, she touched her cheek with tentative fingers.

Luke watched the shadows appear in her eyes and knew she was remembering a painful moment in time. He wanted to touch her, to reassure her everything would be all right, but had no idea what she had just remembered. He remained quiet and waited patiently until she remembered where she was.

“She wasn’t familiar to me,” she replied.

She tried desperately to block out the shiver of attraction she felt toward the man beside her, but couldn’t. It seemed to make the decision to return to Cumbria more important than ever. Life in Cumbria, although dull and boring at times, was a lot less complicated than here in London. She yearned for those peace-filled, tranquil days in some ways, but dreaded going back in others. At least here she had different opportunities. In Cumbria, she was very aware that life in the country restricted her ability to find suitable employment somewhat – whatever that ‘suitable employment’ might be. 

So that’s a yes then,
Luke thought but chose not to push for details right now.

“Last call for Northern, route 112,” the portly yard manager yelled through the door.

When Poppy picked up her bag, Luke frowned. “I thought you were from the south?”

She looked at him, painfully aware that he had just caught her out with a lie. She prayed she would find a way to get out of the yard without Luke following her now. Rather than answer, she pushed to her feet and glared at him.

“I am sorry, you are out of time. I don’t have any information to give you and really, you should be asking yourself what you saw that morning because you are more likely to have seen something suspicious than me,” she replied calmly but matter-of-factly.

“Oh? How so?”

She wanted to say, ‘because your behaviour is far more suspicious than mine’, but didn’t. Instead she looked at him, then toward the door. “You chase pick-pockets, and you were the only person who saw someone apparently lurking in the woods and gave chase after who was, probably, a murderer. I didn’t.”

Before he could think of a response, she turned around, swept past the man at the bar and hurried out into the coaching yard only to stop at the sight of the confusing number of carriages, people, and horses practically everywhere.

Worried, she turned toward the portly yard manager.

“Please, sir, which is the coach to Cumbria?” Her eyes grew wide with dismay when the manager pointed to the back of a coach that was already rumbling out of the yard. She opened her mouth to call it back but was halted by another hand on her elbow.

“’ere, watch out. You need to stay out of the path of ‘em. They won’t stop for the likes of you.” Whatever else the yard manager said was obliterated by the loud toot of the horn that numbed her ears.

Poppy turned to ask the yard manager when the next carriage to Cumbria was due to depart, but movement within the darkened entrance of the tavern reminded her that Luke and his associate were likely to appear at any moment. Without thinking about what she was going to do now, she hurriedly left the yard.

Luke swore and watched her scurry into the main street. He suspected she had just missed her carriage and had decided to look for somewhere to stay until the next one left. Desperate not to lose her in the grimy streets of London again, he left Marcus to find out when the next one was due to depart and took off after her.

Curious to know where she intended to go now, he tugged the collar of his jacket up to ward off the morning chill, and followed her. He had to stay closer than he usually would when he followed someone because of the thick smog that threatened to swallow her completely, but that didn’t bother him. Right now he didn’t care whether she saw him or not. As far as he was concerned, Fate had just handed him an ace, and he wasn’t prepared to squander it.

“Well, well, well, look who we have here.”

Poppy’s step faltered, and she turned to stare at the owner of the voice that filled her with so much dread. Trying desperately to ignore the fear that made her tremble she tipped her chin up defiantly and glared at the one man in London she least wanted to meet.

“Clarence.”

“Leaving so soon?” Clarence drawled with a nod toward the coaching inn.

“I didn’t realise you were following me,” Poppy snapped. She forced herself to tip her chin up and meet his gaze with as much disinterest as she could muster. She refused to be cowed by him and glared at him with all the venom she felt while she waited for his inevitable demands.

“Did you really think I would let you get away?”

Luke melted into the shadows, mere inches from where Poppy stood and thanked the good Lord for the smog that protected him from prying eyes. Because of the density of it the normal sounds of the street were deadened which helped him to listen to the conversation between Poppy and the stranger without hindrance.

“I am going back to Cumbria to see what can be done about the house,” Poppy retorted.

“It is sold, so has nothing to do with you. You are wasting your time going back there.”

“My belongings are there,” Poppy countered.

“Not any more. They have been sold too. You are wasting your time, and money.” Clarence’s hard gaze slid downward to rest on the bag in Poppy’s hand. “Money that isn’t yours by the way. I want it back.”

“It’s not yours either,” Poppy replied. “I am giving you nothing.”

Clarence took a threatening step forward. His face flooded with anger. Rather than threaten her as she suspected he wanted to do he sucked in a deep breath to calm himself and levelled an evil stare on her instead.

“Give me the money, Poppy. I demand you hand it over. Did you really think you could steal from me and I wouldn’t know about it?”

Poppy didn’t deny lying to him, but she had no intention of being accused of stealing when she hadn’t.

“I am not a thief.”

His lip curled derisively. “You took money that wasn’t yours.”

“It isn’t yours either.” Poppy shook her head but wondered if he could see her through the gloom.

“That money is mine,” Clarence snarled. “You took it from me. Now I want it back.”

“Go to hell. You will not get anything from me,” she ground out, more determined than ever to return the money to Peter now and be done with it herself. “If you want money, sort it out yourself.”

“Damn you, you little witch,” Clarence snapped. He stepped forward with his hands outstretched.

Luke had seen, and heard, enough. Filled with disappointment that she had lied to him, he lunged toward the older man but was too late. He grabbed at thin air and turned around just in time to note which direction he disappeared in before the smog swallowed him. With nothing more than the clip of Poppy’s boots on the cobbles to guide him, Luke gave chase.