Chapter Eight
Anne woke up and scrubbed her face with her hands. Her head was pounding and her mouth tasted like bad cheese. She groaned as she threw back the covers. Late morning sun streamed through the one small window. She pulled back her hair with a ribbon, not wanting the added pressure on her head.
No more wine for her. Ever. Dressing quickly, she hurried downstairs to make tea, only to find the task already done. She poured herself a cup and added a bit of sugar.
“You’ve slept the morning away, miss,” Hannah said, coming into the room.
Anne groaned. “Not so loud.”
Hannah chuckled. “Bit too much to drink? That’s not like you.”
“Mrs. Worth was worse than her usual self last night.” Anne sat at the table and nibbled on a piece of cold toast. “It was horrible. Where are Juliet and Sophia?”
“Gone into the village with your brother.”
“Good.” She didn’t want to deal with their whining this morning. Nor did she want to talk about last night.
“Mr. Tony Matthews is out back chopping wood. Thomas tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t hear of it.” Hannah picked up the teacup and refilled it. “Drink.”
“Bless you.” Anne sipped the tea. “Why didn’t he go with Sophia?”
“She’s quite put out with him about his behavior last night, evidently.” Hannah poured her own cup of tea and joined Anne at the table. “What happened last night?”
Anne didn’t know where to start. “Besides Mrs. Worth’s snide remarks and Mr. Worth making a cake of himself, I’m not sure.”
“Did they fight?”
Anne shook her head. “They danced and seemed fine.”
Hannah patted her hand. “Perhaps you should talk to him.”
“You’re right. If she doesn’t marry Tony, we’ll be in deep trouble.” Anne straightened and gulped down the tea.
“A walk will clear the cobwebs and ease your headache,” Hannah said.
“True.” Anne fetched her pelisse and a bonnet. Leaves crunched beneath her boots as she made her way behind the cottage to the woodpile. Tony had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He split another log and paused to pull the axe out.
“Is the edge dull?” Anne said.
Tony looked up and smiled. He set the axe down and wiped his hands on his breeches. “Miss Townsend, I didn’t see you there. The edge is a bit dull, but I’ll manage.”
“Why didn’t you go to the village with Sophia?”
“She’s rather angry with me at the moment.” Tony picked up the axe again. He split another log with force.
“What happened?”
“I’m not really sure.” He tossed aside the split wood and picked up another log.
“I’m sure it will pass. Sophia likes you a great deal.”
“She was making eyes at my brother last night. She had nothing good to say about you either.” He swung the axe with some force. “I don’t know why I didn’t notice this before.”
Anne winced. He was starting to see the real Sophia. “She’s been under a great deal of stress with Sir John here again.”
“If you say so. I just wish she was more like you.”
Her jaw dropped. “I’m sure you don’t mean that, Mr. Matthews.”
“Regardless, I’m happy to help your family. The closeness has meant a great deal to me.”
“Thank you.” Anne wrung her hands. “Please don’t give up on Sophia. She really does care for you.”
“I hope you’re right. I best move this pile of wood closer to the house.”
“Mr. Matthews, we do appreciate your help,” Anne said. “It means a great deal to Sophia, to all of us. If you will excuse me.” She moved to the path through the woods.
“You shouldn’t be walking in the woods alone, Miss Townsend. Let me move this wood and I’ll accompany you.”
“That’s not necessary, sir. I walk in the woods on my own quite often.” She hurried down the path. Mr. Tony Matthews was getting too friendly with her at the expense of his relationship with Sophia. Anne needed them to marry, or else she wasn’t sure how they’d get through the winter.
Anne made her way through the forest toward the Fairy Steps. She would cancel out this wish with another one. If it killed her, she was ending this craziness before it further ruined any possibility of Sophia marrying Mr. Matthews.
Her heart lurched. While she didn’t want the attentions of Mr. Worth, Nathaniel Matthews was different. She liked him a great deal. But she’d rather have things back to normal than have his focus on her.
Anne stumbled over a root. Did she truly want things back to normal?
That kiss last night had been glorious.
Nathaniel was tall and strong and handsome. Anne’s heart thumped at the memory of his mouth against hers.
He could break her heart into so many pieces she might not ever put it back together again. She had half a mind to let him.
She was so sick of being alone. She was ready to have someone else to lean on instead of everyone leaning on her.
But it was not to be.
Anne stopped at the foot of the Fairy Steps. This was it. Her one chance to break the spell. To return everyone back to normal. Still, she hesitated.
Traces of frost lingered on the steps, which were shaded from the sun. It would make climbing them difficult. She’d done it once; she could do it again. She placed one booted foot on the first step. Then another.
Her foot slipped on the icy steps. She caught herself on the wall.
“Damn.”
She climbed back down. How had she done it before?
At the time she’d been lost in thought about Sophia’s marriage to Tony Matthews and all that it would do for Juliet. She tried to occupy her thoughts again like before.
It wasn’t very hard to find a worry. Anne had so many of them.
What would they do if the marriage didn’t take place? How would she find suitable husbands for her sisters if they couldn’t get to London? It wasn’t as though eligible men passed through Beetham on a daily basis.
Anne wrapped her arms around her and took one step, then another.
Money was going to be an issue. No marriage meant asking for charity from Lady Danford or the village. Anne hated taking charity, but she wouldn’t let her sisters freeze or go hungry. She’d have to let Hannah and her husband go.
Then there was John to consider. She took another step, cautiously testing the iciness of the stone.
Men had so many more choices than women did. Women could marry well, marry poorly, or starve in the workhouse.
John could work. He could go to the Continent
It was clear he was waiting for Anne to solve his problems as well. She took another step. Then another.
Nathaniel walked quickly to the cottage but found it empty. The housekeeper hanging wash in the yard had directed him to the path leading into the woods. At the edge of the woods he found Tony, working away.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?” Tony tossed a split log on the pile.
“Why?”
“They need the help and I need the work.” He swung the axe with force and split another log. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m looking for Miss Townsend.”
“She’s walking.”
Nathaniel fidgeted under his brother’s gaze, but said nothing. He wasn’t sure what was driving him to find Anne, and he didn’t want to explain it to Tony. “Thanks.” He turned to follow the path in the woods.
“Nathaniel, what are you up to?” Tony called out.
“Nothing.”
“I feel as though I should ask your intentions for Miss Townsend, even though it’s not my place.” Tony set the axe down. “But damn it, I’m going to anyway.”
“It’s none of your concern.”
“I’m making it my concern. Why Miss Townsend? She’s not your usual type.”
Why? Nathaniel wished he knew. “I like her.”
“Are you contemplating marriage?”
“No,” Nathaniel said quickly. He turned back and saw the frown on Tony’s face. “It’s not what you think.”
“Really? How is it then?”
Nathaniel changed tacks. “Are you interested in Anne Townsend? Because you seem to run hot and cold with both of the Townsend girls.”
“I just don’t want to see Anne hurt. She’s a friend,” Tony said grudgingly. “She has no experience with dealing with men like you.”
This was the second time today he’d heard that. “What in the hell are you talking about? Men like me?”
“You’re easily bored. Anne is interesting for the moment. Do you still have that mistress in Town?”
“No.”
Tony just shook his head. “You’re bored.”
“I’m not bored,” Nathaniel growled. “What the hell is wrong with everyone?”
“Just don’t hurt her.”
“I have no intention of hurting her.”
“Don’t get lost!” Tony yelled after Nathaniel as he made his way into the woods.
Nathaniel cursed. He could follow a path like the rest of the population. This constant needling about his sense of direction was on his last nerve. He followed the path deeper into the woods.
“Surely she didn’t walk this far.” He stopped, listening for the sound of another person. Nothing. The woods were eerily silent. He pushed on. The path had to end up at the rock formation where he’d found Anne that first day.
What was her fascination with a pile of rocks? He knew the fable, but figured it was just a lot of nonsense. Surely Anne didn’t believe in it. She was much too practical for that.
It was one of the things he liked most about her. A practical woman was hard to come by. She’d make a good wife, if he kept her.
Keep Anne? Where had that thought come from? He paused on the path. But now that he thought about it, she would make a good wife. She had all the traits required. He was also wildly attracted to her.
And she needed him. It was more than most marriages started with.
Of course, her brother would be an issue, but that could be dealt with easily enough.
Marriage? I?
The more he chewed on the thought, the more he liked it. It would burn Sir John’s ass to know that Nathaniel was marrying his sister.
Nathaniel came around the corner of the stone wall that formed the Fairy Steps and found the woman who ruled his thoughts climbing the steps. His heart stopped as her foot slipped out from under and she started to tumble backwards.
“Anne!”
He raced up the steps to catch her, praying that he’d be able to stop her from bashing her head against the stones.
Anne landed on her bottom. She bent to rub her ankle, then turned on him. “You scared me to death!”
“Scared you? Christ, woman, you took years off my life. You could have fallen all the way down.” Nathaniel sat down on the step below her. “What are you doing out here alone?”
She colored, not meeting his eyes. “Climbing the steps?”
Nathaniel frowned. She was hiding something. “Why?”
“It’s beneficial exercise.” She pulled her pelisse around her. The breeze teased strands of hair into her face and she brushed them away.
“I don’t want you doing this again. I forbid it,” he snarled. His heart was still pounding in his chest. What would have happened had she been alone and seriously hurt? How long would she have had to lie here waiting for someone to miss her?
Anne laughed. “You forbid it?”
“I know that’s a foreign word in your vocabulary, but, yes, I forbid it. What if you fell and I wasn’t here? You could have been seriously injured.”
She sniffed and stared out at the woods in front of them. “And you would care?”
Nathaniel took his hand and gently turned Anne’s face to his. He waited until she raised her eyes to his. “Yes. I would. I would care a great deal.”
His mouth touched hers. Soft. Gentle. Cautious.
Anne turned her face away. “Stop.”
He chuckled and cupped her face. “I don’t want to.”
“What if someone sees us?”
Nathaniel looked around. “We’re in the middle of nowhere.”
She pushed him gently away and stood. She winced from the pain in her ankle.
“Give me your hand, Anne.”
She shook her head. “I’m fine.”
“You give new meaning to the word stubborn.” He clasped her hands to help her down. “Why are you really climbing the steps? I want the truth now.”
Anne’s face couldn’t get any redder. “For exercise,” she insisted
“Hmm. Why don’t I believe you?”
Anne groaned as she put her weight on her ankle. “There’s nothing wrong with exercise.” She sank to the step and rubbed her ankle again.
“You’re hurt.” He bent down and raised her skirts without asking for permission.
She slapped at his hands. “What are you doing?”
“Checking your ankle.” He tried again.
“No! It’s unseemly.” She pushed his hands away.
Nathaniel sighed. “Anne, I’m going to look at your ankle if we have to sit here all day.”
“I didn’t give you permission to use my first name,” she snarled.
“I assumed I had permission after our kiss last night.” He smiled at her blush. “Now let me look at that ankle.”
“Mr. Matthews, it’s not necessary. I’ll just rest here for a few minutes and head home.”
“Nathaniel.”
“What?”
“My name is Nathaniel. Say it.”
“Nathaniel,” she forced through her teeth.
“Was that so hard?” He reached down and lifted her skirt to look at her ankle. Her half boots were worn, her stockings had been mended repeatedly. He pushed his fingers against her ankle, feeling for the bone.
“Ouch!” she cried.
“It’s not broken.” He released her ankle and Anne lowered her skirt. “Come. I’ll help you home.”
“I can make it fine on my own.” She stood and held on to the wall as she slowly made her way down the remaining steps. He couldn’t see her face because of her bonnet, but she flinched each time she put weight on her ankle.
“No wonder you and my grandmother get along.” He took her arm, letting let her lean against him to make it the rest of the way down the uneven steps.
When she was on level ground again, Anne turned back to him. “Thank you for your assistance,” she said crisply. “Good day.”
“Anne, you can hardly walk.”
“I’ll be fine.” She hobbled down the path.
“Enough.” Nathaniel came up behind her and lifted her into his arms.
Anne squealed and grabbed at his shoulders. “What are you doing? Put me down!”
“No.” He started walking down the path. Her face was a delightful pink.
“I’m too heavy.”
“No.”
“If someone sees us—”
“I’ll explain that you are injured.”
Anne tucked her head down, but held herself stiffly in his arms. “I’m sorry to be such an inconvenience.”
“You are that,” Nathaniel agreed.
She squirmed, trying to get him to release her. Nathaniel jiggled her in his arms until she clung to him.
“Be still.”
“You’re going the wrong way.” Anne pointed to the other path. “The cottage is that way.”
“Don’t say another word,” he growled.
“You have the worst sense of direction. How do you get anywhere?”
Nathaniel tightened his jaw but said nothing.
Anne snorted. “Seriously, how do you find your way? I’m curious.”
He glared at her. “I’m not discussing this with you.”
Anne laughed. He loosened his arms as if to drop her. “Stop!”
Nathaniel tightened his arms around her. “Stop laughing or I’ll toss you over my shoulder for the rest of the way home.”
Anne looped her arms around his neck, blessedly silent for a moment. Her hair fell in his face and she lifted a hand to push it out of his eyes. Finally, she rested her head on his shoulder and relaxed in his arms.
Anne had given up trying to fight being in Nathaniel’s arms and decided to just savor it. She enjoyed his touch.
Every time she loosened her hold on his neck, he did something to cause her to tighten her hold again.
“You’re doing that on purpose,” she griped.
“What?”
“Threatening to drop me.”
“You mean like this?” He moved as if to drop her and she squealed loudly. He laughed.
Anne laughed as well. “You’re impossible.”
Nathaniel was staring at her mouth, his dark eyes heating like they had the night before, just before he kissed her.
Anne licked her lips nervously. She wanted to kiss him again. This time really kiss him.
But she couldn’t allow it. With each kiss, she felt as if he pulled a piece of her heart from her chest.
Nathaniel stopped walking, his eyes holding hers captive.
Anne’s heart thumped so hard she was afraid he would hear it. She put her hands on his shoulders as if to stop him. But she knew she wouldn’t. She couldn’t stop something she wanted so desperately.
A sense of quiet waiting filled the woods, wrapping the two of them in a blanket of desire. Anne closed her eyes and felt Nathaniel’s mouth touch hers.
His lips were firm, softly brushing hers, once, twice, a third time, leaving her hungry for a deeper taste. He pulled away.
Anne slowly opened her eyes. Nathaniel stared down at her with eyes so hot, so dark, she felt singed.
He released her, letting her slide down his hard body, his eyes never leaving hers. She was pushed against the tree behind her as he moved closer, pressing into her.
“What are you doing to me?” she whispered.
Nathaniel tossed her bonnet to the ground. He tucked her hair behind her ear as his knuckles brushed her cheek. “You have me bewitched.”
His hands framed her face, gently brushing his thumb against her mouth, parting her lips and kissing her again.
Anne gripped the lapels of his coat, just holding on as her knees melted. His tongue touched hers, tasted hers. Never had she dreamed of a kiss like this.
Logic and propriety fled as a whole different fire coursed through her. Her blood thickened and she wrapped her arms around his neck and curled her fingers in his hair.
She gasped as his mouth trailed down her neck, causing her to shiver.
Nathaniel’s hand reached down to cup her breast. He rubbed his thumb against her nipple.
She jumped. “Nathaniel—”
“Make me stop, Anne.” He touched his forehead against hers. “Tell me to stop.” He brushed his mouth against hers.
She cupped his face in her hands. “It’s too cold.”
He chuckled. “It’s not too cold for what I want.”
Anne wiggled until she was nestled in his arms.
He caught her hips. “Anne, stay still for a moment.”
She breathed in his scent, memorizing it. When the wish was finally cancelled, she wouldn’t get this chance again.
“We can’t keep doing this,” Anne whispered. “I can’t risk—”
“Your reputation.” Nathaniel retrieved her bonnet and placed it on her head. She put it on, tying the ribbons under her chin.
Anne squeaked as he picked her up again as if she weighed nothing. “I can make it home from here,” she said.
“Not on that ankle.” He continued down the path to the cottage.
“I don’t want my sisters to see you carrying me,” she said into his neck. She couldn’t get enough of the way he smelled or the rough feel of his jaw.
“They might as well find out now.”
Her head popped up. “What do you mean?”
“Anne, don’t play dumb. It doesn’t suit you.”
“Put me down. Now.” She pushed herself out of his arms until he had no choice but to release her. She put some space between them. “Explain.”
“Anne . . .”
“Does this mean that we’re courting?” She teetered on her one foot with her hands on her hips.
Nathaniel had the grace to blush. “I don’t know.”
He was playing fast and loose with her reputation. “Think about it and let me know. Until then, stay away from me.”
“Anne, you can’t walk on that ankle.” Nathaniel tried to grab her arm. She jerked out of his grasp.
“I’d rather walk, thank you.”
“Quit acting like a child.”
She ground her teeth. “I’m not acting like a child.”
Nathaniel just raised one eyebrow.
They walked the rest of the way to the cottage in silence. She refused to speak and he didn’t, which was fine with her.
“Thank you for your assistance,” she muttered.
Nathaniel looked at her as she fumbled with the door. “Good day.” He bowed and turned to leave.
“Mr. Matthews,” Anne called to him. “I have to ask that you—uh—that we no longer—”
“Message received, Miss Townsend.”
A scream startled Anne as she opened the door. Nathaniel came running past her to the side of the cottage, and Anne followed slowly, cursing her ankle.
When Anne reached him, Juliet stood crying next to Nathaniel. John lay prone at their feet.
“Juliet! What is it?”
“It’s John,” Juliet cried. “I think he’s dead.” She threw herself into Anne’s arms.
“He’s not dead.” Nathaniel turned John over. John groaned and curled further into a ball. “But he’s been beaten pretty well, I’d say.”
“Juliet, go to the house and have Hannah fetch the doctor.” Anne pushed Juliet toward the cottage. She waited until her sister was out of hearing distance. “Who would do this?”
“I have no idea,” Nathaniel said. “We need to get him into the house.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Get off that ankle.” His voice was sharp. “I’ll get him inside.”
“Thomas can help you.” Anne limped toward the cottage as quickly as her sore ankle would let her. She reached the door only to have it flung open by Sophia. “Sophia, where’s Thomas?”
“Juliet told me about John.” Sophia was wringing her hands. “What can I do?”
“Fetch Thomas. Nathaniel needs his help.” Anne limped past Sophia.
“What happened to you?”
“I slipped and fell. Nathaniel brought me home.”
“Nathaniel? When did you start addressing him by his first name?”
“Not now, Sophia. Please fetch Thomas. We need to get John inside.”
Anne limped past Sophia and found her way up the stairs and to her room. She looked in the mirror, expecting to find something different about her. Her heart was racing, but her blood felt thick in her veins with a strange sort of excitement. She had never expected to be kissed like this. She touched her gloved hand to her mouth. Was this love? Lust?
“Anne!” Sophia shouted from downstairs.
“Coming.” She removed her bonnet, gloves, and pelisse and put on her apron. She gathered rags and limped to the guest room to prepare for John.