Sylvie Sommerfield - Noah's Woman (13 page)

Charity cautioned herself not to let her attraction to him be too obvious, but she felt as if she were caught in a strong current and had lost control over her own destiny.

When Noah Morgan set out to charm, he had no peer. He told her anecdotes of Victoria's court, and in a short while he had her laughing. She laughed, but he filed away the information that she had never been to court and knew nothing of the intrigues at work there.

Her laughter was soft and pleasing, and Noah found himself refreshed by her seeming innocence and her straightforward good humor. He found himself relaxing some of the walls of caution he had long ago built for protection.

He teased her with delightful stories of fashions and frivolities at court, and enjoyed the flush on her cheeks and the interest with which she listened and questioned. It had been a long, long time since Noah

had been so unguarded, and he had to caution himself to be careful.

"Oh my," Charity said nervously. She caught her lower lip between her teeth, and Noah followed her gaze to find someone riding toward them.

Someone! The man could have been a small army by himself.

"What is that?"

"That is my . . . my coachman." Charity giggled, and Noah was again caught up in her mischievous yet sweet nature.

"That is not a coachman, its"

"I know. Please don't say anything. Minnow is very sensitive."

"Minnow!" Noah choked on a laugh. "My lady, if that is a minnow, I would hate to see a fish from the same pond."

"They are sharks," Charity said softly, and then she smiled again to keep her careless answer light. "I told him I would be back for the midday meal. I'm afraid I have dallied much too long."

She put out her arms to rest on his shoulders and Noah gripped her waist. But he lowered her so slowly that by the time her feet touched the ground, heady awareness had leapt between them.

Both turned to face Minnow as he rode up to them.

"I'm sorry, Minnow. We were talking and I forgot my promise. I shall ride back with you."

Minnow only nodded, and Noah did not speak at all. He was contemplating Minnow with a puzzled gaze. Minnow was not the kind of person one forgot, and Noah was certain that he had seen the huge man

somewhere before, and in very different circumstances.

Charity was mounted and ready to leave when Noah's attention was drawn back to her.

"Must I wait until next week to see you again, Aphrodite? That is too cruel to contemplate."

"I cannot bear cruelty of any sort," Charity laughed. "We could ride together tomorrow afternoon at two, if you like."

"I shall be delighted."

"Until then," Charity replied. She rode away with Minnow. Minnow was silent on the ride home, despite Charity's efforts to strike up a conversation.

It was late that night when he talked to Tiny about his concern.

"Minnow, is there a problem?" his friend asked.

"I don't know. I think it would be best if I remained out of Noah Morgan's sight for the rest of the time we are here."

"Why?"

"I saw a look in his eyes. He believes he has seen me before. He just doesn't remember where or when. If he sees me again it might jog his memory."

"Where has he seen you?"

When Minnow explained, Tiny agreed. They would make sure that Minnow did not come in contact with Noah Morgan again.

Until Charity and Minnow had disappeared from sight, Noah stood thoughtfully watching. His brow was furrowed with deep concentration, and he ab-

sently slapped his riding crop methodically against the palm of his hand.

He prided himself on many things. One was an excellent memory. More than once, his ability had saved his life.

Ignoring everything around him, he centered his concentration. He flipped through his memory as one riffles through the pages of a book. Then suddenly he stiffened, and a slow smile crossed his face.

"Well," he said quietly, "I'll be damned."

When he arrived home he called for a servant, hastily wrote a note, and sent the servant on his way.

He didn't expect the servant back until long after the next morning's ride. But he had misjudged the man's fervor. He was back before Noah started upstairs to bed.

The message he was given was one he had to read twice, before he destroyed it and sent again for a servant.

"Has my mother arrived?"

"Yes sir"the servant smiled"and your sister accompanies her."

"Oh, Lord." Noah chuckled. "And how long do we have to put up with her?"

"From what she says, indefinitely."

"Then secure the house; we're in for a storm."

"Miss Kathy seems quite calm, sir."

"She always does, stevens, she always does."

Noah continued up the steps to his mother's room. He knocked, and when he heard her gentle voiced response, he opened the door and went inside.

It never ceased to amaze him that a woman as del-

icate and refined could have given birth to two such as him and his sister.

His mother sat in a high-backed chair near the window, and Kathy had obviously been kneeling before her. She rose when Noah came in. He heard the brilliance of her laughter as she ran to him and threw herself into his arms.

He caught her up and spun her around. When he stood her back on her feet, they exchanged a smile of understanding.

"Who's chasing you this time, Kat?"

"Can't I come home for a while without you jumping to conclusions?" she laughingly asked in response.

"When you come home I always expect a bevy of those court fops to be right on your heels. Tell me I'm wrong."

Sofia Morgan smiled at her children. This same argument, or discussion, had been going on since Kathy had come of age.

Noah crossed the room and bent to kiss his mother's cheek. When the two were together there could be no denying the kinship between them. Sofia had the same blue eyes she had given both her children, but her nature was echoed more in Noah than in Kathy.

"Mother, I've come to ask a favor," Noah said as he moved away to sit on the edge of her bed.

"A favor? What?" Sofia asked in lightly accented tones.

"I want you to have a dinner party. In fact"he grinned"I've already invited a guest."

"You invite a guest and then inform me I must have a dinner party. Don't you have a few things backwards?"

"It was important at the time."

"Let me guess," Kathy said. "The 'guest' happens to be a very beautiful woman. Don't tell me," she said, pretending amazement; ''a new face, one that hasn't succumbed to the famed Noah Morgan charm."

"All right, a dinner party," Sofia agreed. "Do you have special guests in mind?"

"Yes, I'll have a list ready for you tomorrow. But our first guest will be our new neighbor at Stafford Hall . . . a Miss Charity Gilbert." He started for the door. "I'll be back later," he said, and then he looked at Kathy. "Kat, come walk with me to the stable."

As they walked slowly through the garden Kathy was the first to speak.

"I've brought some letters for you, and a piece of advice from Lord Spencer."

"The old bugger is always full of advice."

"He worries about you, Noah. He thinks of you as a son."

"I know . . . I know. Kat, when you were at court, did any of these four menSir Ralph Waite, Lord Jemmison, Giles St. John, or Gregory Hamiltonseem to be sponsoring any special guests, any newcomers?"

"No, not that I've seen."

"I want all four invited to dinner. It's important."

"I wish I knew what you were involved in, Noah. You haven't been the same person for the past few months."

"I've got a few problems to solve."

"Can I help?"

"I'm counting on you."

"If you're counting on me," she chuckled wickedly, "then tell me about this new woman . . . and how pretty she is."

"I don't know anything about her, but yes, she's very pretty."

"How interesting."

"Yes . . . interesting."

"Why, brother dear"Kathy stopped and looked at Noah in surprise"you really are interested. My, I'll have to meet her. What does dear Anne think about this?"

"Don't listen to gossip."

"Noah, really. I'd be careful if I were you. Anne Ferrier is not to play with. What did you say was our new neighbor's name?"

"Charity Gilbert."

"Charity Gilbert . . . I've never heard of her."

"And neither have I," Noah said quietly.

"How mysterious."

"Yes."

"Leave it to you to find a lady of mystery. I'd be willing to stake my inheritance that you'll solve the mystery before too long."

"Don't doubt it for a minute, Kat," he said grinning.

"And I'd like to meet her. She has no idea how rare it is to see you . . . excited about something or someone."

Noah smiled and changed the subject. This intrigued her even more. She would never doubt Noah's

ability to deal with just about anything, but she had an instinctive feeling that this time he was involved in something he did not want to share completely with his family.

The following day Charity was waiting in her riding habit when Noah arrived. She introduced Beth to him as her cousin and invented a background which he did not believe for a minute.

But the ride was sheer pleasure. It was obvious that Charity was at ease and prepared to enjoy the day, and they did.

She found Noah to be witty, well educated, and well traveled. All of which opened doors of imagination in Charity's mind. Noah, however, was finding Charity an enigma. She was naive and avidly interested; he could see the excitement dance in her eyes. She was so uniquely different from the ladies at court or, for that matter, any other woman he had known, that he found himself responding to her in a totally new way. What developed wasn't just desire; he had tasted all kinds of desire. What transpired was the rebirth of untainted and open response, an unguarded pleasure, and he reached for it carefully . . . unsure of himself as never before.

He recognized at once that she was cautious about talking of her past. Still, the lovely body, the beautiful young face, and innocent eyes of Charity Gilbert could not hide anything sordid. He recognized another surprising fact: He wanted her. This was not his usual cautious way at all. The women he'd always had to deal with were experienced and usually had

ulterior motives the same as he. But Charity . . . Charity was . . . different.

When he left her that afternoon, Charity was quite pleased with herself and the day. There had been no . . . aggression; instead she had felt warmed by his interest and attention.

She'd found herself inviting him for lunch the next day. As far as she was concerned, the plan was back on track. She had been invited into his home, and she was in control of herself once more. Surely she would eventually find the way to the secret that held Gregory prisoner.

Noah had come nearly every afternoon, and Beth was acutely aware of the sparkle in Charity's eyes and the aura of happiness about her.

Now, Beth lay across Charity's bed on her stomach while she watched Charity put the finishing touches on her toilette in preparation for the dinner party.

"That gown is absolutely beautiful, Charity," Beth said with enthusiasm.

"Gregory has marvelous taste, doesn't he?" Charity agreed.

"He hasn't contacted you since you came. Has he told you exactly what you're looking for?"

"Yes. It's a brown leather packet with a royal seal on it. Inside are a half dozen or so letters. Perhaps I may be lucky enough tonight to find where it's kept. Then"her voice slowed as if a new and not quite welcome thought had come to her"there will be no need for this to go on any longer."

"And you and Gregory can marry," Beth said, watching her friend closely.

"Yes." Charity spun away from the mirror to look directly at her. "Beth, why do I get the idea that you think what I am doing is somehow wrong? A terrible injustice has been done to Gregory."

"I have never said such a thing. I'm here, aren't I?"

Charity inhaled a deep, ragged breath. Because of her own uncertainties she was striking out at the person who cared for her the most. She didn't understand herself anymore. Fervently she wished Gregory were here.

"I'm sorry. I . . . I guess I'm just nervous."

"Of course you are. You're not used to all this underhanded maneuvering. Why not spend one evening just enjoying yourself and try to forget the reason you're here? One night of fun won't spoil the whole thing."

Before Charity could answer, there was a knock on the door. Beth rose quickly to her feet.

"That's Tiny. I told him to let us know as soon as the carriage comes up the drive."

Charity turned back to her mirror, but her gaze held Beth's reflection. For a moment they simply looked at each other, then Beth turned away. Charity stood very still, her gaze turning to herself. She had thought for a moment that Beth's eyes held . . . what? Pity? sympathy? No, she must be wrong . . . she must be.

Noah stood waiting before the fireplace and he turned as Charity entered. She stood for a moment

in the doorway, and Noah stored away the memory of how beautiful and how young she looked.

"Charity." He said her name softly. Then he crossed the room to stand close to her. "How lovely you look."

"Thank you. Noah, you really didn't have to come all this way to accompany me. I could have come myself."

"No," he said, smiling, "there will be too many people around all evening. This might be my only opportunity to see you alone." He took one of her hands in his and raised it to his lips. Their gazes held and she shivered at the current that flowed through her at the touch of his warm mouth. The memory of his kiss, of the feel of his lips on hers, was so intense she found herself holding her breath for fear she would display an emotion she didn't want and couldn't afford.

"It is quite a trip, perhaps we should go." His voice was the same velvet as always and it stroked her nerves.

"Yes." She withdrew her hand before she followed the urge to move into his arms. This man was capable of eliciting feelings that were dangerous. She knew his reputation. Hadn't Gregory warned her?