Violet leapt backwards, stifling a cry of surprise as a pair of bloodshot, golden-brown eyes sprang open.
‘I thought you were asleep.’ She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm her frantically pounding heartbeat.
‘Sleeping lightly is one of the first things you learn in the army. That, and to know when you’re being watched. Or hunted.’
‘Hunting would imply that I wanted to capture you.’ She tossed her head resentfully. ‘And I’ve already told you that I don’t.’
‘It might also suggest a desire for revenge. There’s a suit of armour around here somewhere. I thought you might have borrowed a weapon.’
‘Unfortunately I didn’t notice. Maybe next time.’
There was a brooding silence while they regarded each other, the wood in the fireplace crackling and spitting as if it were trying to break the tension between them. She tensed one leg, ready to flee if he made a lunge, but he didn’t look as if he had the energy to move, let alone manhandle her again. His posture looked indolent, almost as if he were about to go back to sleep, although she had the unnerving impression that he was of aware of everything she was thinking.
Then he grinned, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth, and she let herself relax slightly. At least his temper seemed to be under control, even if his smile looked even more dangerous somehow...
‘Did you come to thank me for letting you out?’
‘To thank you?’ From the tone of his voice she could tell he was taunting her, though she still couldn’t help spluttering with outrage. ‘You were the one who locked me in!’
‘For your own good.’
‘What part of dragging me upstairs and locking me in a freezing cold tower was for my own good?’
He shrugged. ‘The dragging part and the cold I apologise for. The rest was to stop you acting like a child.’
‘I am not a child!’
‘You ran away across the moors without any thought or long-term plan for the future. I’d call that pretty childish.’
‘I had a plan.’ She hoped he couldn’t tell she was lying. ‘I’ve just no intention of sharing it with you.’
‘If you want me to let you go, then I’d suggest that you do.’
She gritted her teeth, trying to control her own temper this time. She almost wished he were angry again. His smilingly indifferent tone was doubly infuriating. ‘You’ve no right to make any demands. Or do you think that locking me up is some sign of maturity?’
‘No, it’s a sign of too much brandy. Though in my defence, I was acting under intense provocation. I’d had a particularly trying morning.’
‘You did?’
He laughed, tossing his hair back to reveal almost ludicrously sculpted cheekbones. ‘I trust that you prefer your new quarters?’
She glared back at him. ‘I do, though I believe the credit belongs to Mrs Gargrave.’
‘My fearsome housekeeper, yes. Has she warned you to barricade your door tonight?’
‘No.’ She hesitated, then couldn’t resist asking, ‘Why would she?’
‘Why?’ There was a distinctly wicked glint in his eye as he answered. ‘Because I doubt there’s any depravity she thinks I wouldn’t stoop to, molesting virgins in their sleep among them. I’d be quite curious to know what she imagines actually, but I assure you you’re perfectly safe in this house. As I explained earlier, my intentions are entirely honourable.’
She swallowed nervously, trying to hide her shock at his casual tone. How could he talk about molesting virgins so brazenly?
‘Honourable or not, I’ve already given you my answer. And if you think that letting me out of a locked room is enough to persuade me to marry you, then you’re very much mistaken.’
‘I don’t. It only occurred to me that it might prove difficult to marry a block of ice. It’s a strange kind of wooing, I know, but the whole idea of marriage is new to me. How is a man supposed to propose?’
‘I’ve no idea. All I can tell you is that however you do it, my answer will be the same.’
He gave another infuriating laugh. ‘Do you know, I always suspected you had claws, Miss Harper. I just didn’t realise they were quite so sharp.’
She blinked in surprise. What did that mean? Since when had anyone suspected her of being anything other than a timid and obedient daughter? Not that it was relevant now, but still it seemed—felt—like a compliment, as if he’d seen something in her that no one else had.
She pushed the thought away and pulled her shoulders back, trying to look as resolute as possible.
‘I won’t marry you, Captain Amberton, no matter what the cost to my reputation. You might as well let me go.’
‘You’re absolutely right. And since you asked so nicely, you’re free to leave.’
‘Really?’ She gave a small start. ‘Do you mean it?’
‘By all means. You can leave this very moment with no hard feelings.’
‘Just like that?’
‘Just like that. Though, of course, I can’t provide any kind of transport in this weather and it’s five miles to Whitby, but feel free.’ He leaned back in his chair with a sleepy expression. ‘By the by, have you looked outside this evening?’
‘No.’ She walked quickly to one of the windows and wrenched back the curtains, heart sinking as she looked out.
‘It’s a full moon, I believe.’ He gave an exaggerated yawn. ‘That should be enough to see by.’
Violet tightened her knuckles over the edge of the windowsill. The storm had passed, but the moon was bright enough for her to see the good four feet of snow heaped up on the terrace outside, all but obscuring her view of the garden. She couldn’t have been imprisoned any more effectively if she’d still been locked in the tower.
‘I hope you packed some sturdier boots than the ones you were wearing this morning.’ His voice was a languid drawl. ‘If you still want to leave, that is?’
‘More than ever!’ She swung around furiously. ‘Just as soon as it’s light.’
‘As you wish. In which case...’ he reached down and scooped the empty decanter up off the floor ‘...why don’t we get to know each other in the meantime? There’s a bottle of whisky on the sideboard. Care to join me?’
‘No, thank you.’
‘Ah...’ He heaved his foot off the stool with a sigh. ‘I forgot that you disapprove.’
‘I do.’ She put out a hand to stall him. ‘But since it’s impossible for me to disapprove of you any more, I’ll fetch you a drink.’
‘Taking pity on an injured man?’
She didn’t answer as she stalked across to the sideboard and poured some dark amber liquid into a fresh glass, holding it out at arm’s length so that he had to lean forward to reach it.
‘Thank you, Miss Harper.’ His fingers brushed lightly against hers for a second before she snatched them away. ‘I suppose it’s best that you keep a clear head. You’ve a long walk ahead of you in the morning.’
She narrowed her eyes resentfully. ‘Don’t think that I won’t.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of naysaying you, but why don’t you sit down for a while first? I won’t bite, no matter what Mrs Gargrave says. I feel like I’m being interrogated with you standing there.’
‘I prefer to stand.’
He let out a long sigh. ‘Forgive my manners, Miss Harper, but would you please be so kind as to sit down?’
She hesitated for another moment and then perched warily on the edge of the velvet sofa opposite. It felt wonderfully soft and inviting, not to mention so cosy in front of the fire that she was almost tempted to relax her guard and curl her legs up beneath her. Almost. But he seemed to be watching her, eyes aglow with a look of such strange and sudden intensity that she felt her temperature start to rise.
‘That’s better.’ He dropped his gaze after a few seconds and nodded. ‘I’m glad we understand each other at last, Miss Harper.’
‘Do we?’
‘A little, I think. This morning I acted on the presumption that there was a certain...aspect about me that you found objectionable. Immodest as it sounds, the thought of it being my character never occurred to me.’
‘I don’t understand. What did you think my objection was?’
‘Honestly? I assumed that some women might resent shackling themselves to a man with only one working leg.’
‘But that’s horrible!’ She shot to her feet again in outrage. ‘I would never think such a thing!’
‘You called me a beast.’
‘I meant you, not your leg!’
There was a momentary silence before he threw back his head and roared with laughter.
‘What is it?’ She stared at him in bewilderment. She’d never been so deliberately, unpardonably rude to anyone in her whole life and he was laughing? ‘What’s so funny?’
‘Just that you find my character so objectionable. I applaud your good judgement.’ He rubbed a hand across his face as if he were trying to control his own mirth. ‘Although it might reassure you to know that we’ve something in common. I wouldn’t want to marry me either.’
‘So you don’t mind what I said?’
‘Not at all. I perfectly agree with your estimation, though I’m curious to know what exactly you’ve heard about me? It must have been perfectly scandalous.’
She folded her hands primly. ‘I told you before.’
‘Gambling and women again?’
‘They aren’t things I care to repeat.’
‘Then I’ll take that as a yes. Although, with all due respect, that gossip refers to the past. A man can change, can’t he?’
‘He can, though I find it hard to believe from a beast who locked me up in a tower.’
‘Good point.’ He took a mouthful of whisky and then peered dolefully into the cup. ‘I had hoped for a full measure.’
‘I’ll get you another if you answer a question.’
‘Just one?’ His eyes glittered with amusement. ‘I suppose that’s fair. What would you like to know? Ask anything you like.’
She hesitated thoughtfully. What did she want to know? She had so many questions that she hardly knew where to start, but if she was going to find another way to escape, then she supposed she ought to find out what had gone wrong the first time...
‘I’d like to know how you found me this morning.’
‘How did I know you hadn’t taken the train, you mean? Let’s just say that next time you choose an accomplice you ought to find one the same height. The stationmaster remembered a woman in a black veil, but he also recalled her being reasonably tall. Whereas you, Miss Harper, are quite...’ his gaze roamed leisurely over her body, down to her ankles and back up again ‘...distinctive.’
Distinctive. She dropped back on to the sofa with a thud. That was better than small, she supposed, though in essence it meant the same thing. Strange, unusual, odd-looking, the same words she’d been hearing her whole life. Except that no one else had ever looked at her in the way Captain Amberton just had, without criticism or disapproval, but with... She hardly knew what with, only that whatever it was made her feel too hot suddenly, with a quivering sensation deep in her chest. No, lower than that, in her stomach, something between a tingle and an ache. It was the same way he’d looked at her five years before, the way that had made her feel, albeit briefly, like a woman and not just an object of curiosity. Before she’d realised he’d only been laughing at her.
She shifted away from the fire, willing the feeling to subside. ‘What about Rosedale? How did you know I was going there?’
‘I didn’t, but Mr Rowlinson happened to mention your friendship with Ianthe Felstone. I guessed that you might have used one of her husband’s connections.’
‘It’s still only a minor supply route. How did you find out about it?’
‘I asked her husband. He thought it might be the likeliest possibility.’
‘Robert told you?’ She couldn’t hide her dismay.
‘Robert?’ His gaze darkened slightly. ‘Yes, I’m afraid Robert did, though in his defence, he was trying to help you. Apparently he didn’t think running away was in your best interests either. But then, I presume you already knew that or you would have included him in your plans, too?’
She lifted her chin, annoyed that he’d guessed correctly. ‘It wasn’t something I could explain to a man. I knew Ianthe would understand.’
‘But to encourage a wife to keep secrets from her husband? Tsk, tsk, Miss Harper. You know he was quite offended by the suggestion of his wife’s involvement at first, though once I explained the circumstances, he seemed to agree it was likely. It should be an entertaining evening in the Felstone household tonight.’
‘It’s not funny!’ She felt a stab of guilt. Robert would forgive Ianthe anything, she knew, but any rift between them would still be her fault. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked for help after all, but she’d needed to talk to someone.
‘I wouldn’t worry.’ He sounded nonchalant. ‘Every marriage needs a bit of drama now and again, or so I’ve heard.’
‘I forgot how much you enjoy arguing.’ She shot him an irate look and then shook her head despondently. ‘All that planning...’
‘I take it that running away wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision, then?’
‘No. I made up my mind as soon as I heard the terms of the will.’
‘Ah.’ His expression sobered. ‘So your father didn’t tell you about the arrangement before? I wondered about that.’
‘You mean you already knew?’ She sat bolt upright again in surprise. ‘Since when?’
He held out his empty glass. ‘I believe that you said one question. If you want me to answer another, then you’ll need to alleviate my thirst.’
‘All right.’
She took the glass and refilled it quickly, feeling his gaze on her back the whole time. The awareness unnerved her, making her hands tremble slightly as she poured. What on earth was the matter with her? More precisely, what was the matter with her body? It seemed to be acting independently of her mind. She didn’t want to be so aware of him and yet every part of her seemed to be on the alert. Another thing she resented him for!
‘Here you are.’
‘Thank you, Miss Harper.’
He raised the glass, though his eyes remained fixed on hers. They were an intense shade of amber, she noticed, the same colour as the liquid in his glass, as if each was reflecting the other. Quickly, she retreated back to the sofa.
‘To answer your question, then—’ he peered at her over the rim ‘—I knew that our fathers had come to an agreement about you marrying Arthur, though I never knew the exact details of the will. I certainly never imagined it would apply to me, too. I believe we discovered the truth about that on the same day. I took the news marginally better, of course, but it was still quite a shock, I assure you.’
‘So you knew a while ago?’
‘Yes.’
‘At the ball?’
‘That was the night I found out.’
‘And your brother?’ She sat very still, forcing the question past dry lips. ‘Did he know about it then, too?’
‘Yes.’ He paused briefly before continuing. ‘He was the one who told me.’
‘Oh.’ She closed her eyes, head spinning with all the implications of his words. If Arthur had known about the marriage agreement at the ball, then surely it explained his strange behaviour towards her. In which case, his despair must have had something to do with marrying her, too... As if the idea of it had been so truly appalling. As if she were as strange and unattractive as she’d always been told.
‘So he knew all along...’ She forced her eyelids open again, struck with a deep sense of despondency. ‘Why did you have to come after me? Why can’t you just let me go?’
‘Isn’t it obvious?’
Yes. Her stomach plummeted. Of course it was obvious. It was just as her father had said, the only reason any man would want to marry her...
‘Because of the money?’
‘Because of the money.’ He repeated the words softly. ‘My father agreed to this bizarre arrangement because the estate needed money. It still does.’
‘So you’re just as mercenary as he was?’ She didn’t bother to hide her contempt, but he only shrugged.
‘I prefer to think of myself as pragmatic. As I’m sure you’ve heard, my career as a soldier recently came to an abrupt and unfortunately irreversible end. I returned home without any means to support myself and to find my inheritance close to ruin. Your fortune presented itself at a most opportune juncture.’
‘So that’s all I am, then, an opportunity?’
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. ‘I’ll do you the courtesy of not sugar-coating the truth, Miss Harper. My father threw me out of this house, if you recall, without so much as a penny. He told me to make my own way in the world and I was glad, even eager, to do so. Unfortunately, as it transpired, my way was the wrong way. I made a mess of everything and now there’s no way for me to put it right. There’s no way for me to reconcile with my family either, but I still feel the need to make amends to my father, to save the estate if I can.’
‘I don’t care about your estate.’
‘But your father did. He was just as mercenary as mine, only in his case he was appropriating the land and title. He might have intended for you to marry Arthur, but I’m the one that you’ve got.’
‘That was a mistake. He would never have wanted me to marry you. He detested you.’
‘Then I’m curious to know why he didn’t alter his will?’
‘I’m sure he would have if he’d known.’
His face paled visibly. ‘He didn’t know about Arthur?’
‘No. He was sick when it happened so I never told him. If I had...’
‘If you had, then neither of us would be in this situation.’ A muscle jumped in his jaw. ‘But it still doesn’t change anything. We’re both of us bound by the terms of the will. You can either marry me or be destitute. I admit that the bargain works in my favour, but for the sake of my conscience, as well as my bank balance, I’d prefer that you choose the former.’
‘If you had a conscience, then you’d let me go.’ She wasn’t going to sugar-coat the truth either. ‘How many times do I have to say that I don’t want to marry you? You’re a drunk!’
‘Oh, come now, Miss Harper, is that really the best you can do? You called me a libertine earlier. I quite liked that. Besides...’ he lifted the glass to his lips again ‘...the alcohol’s largely medicinal. It dulls the pain.’
‘In your leg?’
‘In my past.’ He smiled sardonically. ‘You might not like me sober.’
‘I don’t like you now.’
‘Then you’ll be pleased to hear that once I’ve fulfilled my side of the bargain, I wholly intend to drink myself into oblivion.’
She frowned, taken aback by the note of conviction in his voice. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Just that, like you, I’ve no particular fondness for my company either. Only alcohol makes it bearable. Once I’ve fulfilled my father’s wishes, I fully intend to spend as little time sober as possible.’
‘But that’s abominable!’
‘Is it? I rather thought you might be heartened by the idea. In all likelihood you’ll be rid of me in a few years.’
‘And that’s supposed to make me want to marry you?’
‘I thought that it might. Then you’d have everything without the inconvenience of a husband you dislike.’
‘Detest, not dislike!’
‘I believe we’ve established that, and believe me, Miss Harper, of all the women in the world, you were the last I ever wanted to marry.’
She flinched. No matter how much she despised him, the insult still hurt as much as it had at the ball. She stood up, trying to hold on to some scrap of dignity.
‘There’s no need to tell me that. You made your opinion perfectly obvious five years ago.’
‘Did I? I remember being quite taken with you at the time.’
‘What?’ Her legs trembled as if he’d just knocked her feet out from under her.
‘I found you quite intriguing, if I recall correctly.’
‘You made fun of me!’
‘In your opinion, although I assure you, I wasn’t.’
She stared into his eyes uncertainly. He looked sincere, for once, as if he truly meant what he was saying, but surely he didn’t. He couldn’t...
‘So when you said I might have suitors, you meant it?’
‘Of course. I never did understand why you were so sensitive.’
‘I thought... That is, my father...’
She let the words trail away. If he was telling the truth, then it cast her own behaviour at the ball into a very different light. If she’d simply overreacted, then everything that had followed had been her fault.
‘But that means...’
‘That my being denounced as a reprobate and banished by my father was based on a misunderstanding?’ Amber eyes flickered with golden sparks in the firelight. ‘Yes. Ironically I was actually behaving myself that night, though I find it hard to see the funny side.’
She opened her mouth and then closed it again. What could she say? If his banishment had been her fault, then how could she ever apologise enough?
‘I never intended for any of that to happen.’
‘And yet it did.’ His gaze narrowed perceptibly. ‘Ungentlemanly as it sounds, as much as I was intrigued by you to begin with, I had a very different opinion by the end of the evening. I believe I came as close to hating you as I ever have anyone. You see, my brother tried to tell me something important that night and I didn’t listen. I didn’t go to his aid when he confronted my father either. I danced with you instead. If I hadn’t, then I might have been able to help him. I might have prevented him from drowning himself.’
She felt a roiling sensation in her stomach as if she were about to be sick. No one else had ever uttered the suspicion out loud, that Arthur Amberton’s death had been anything other than an accident. Clearly his brother thought otherwise.
‘So you think it was my fault, what happened?’
‘At the ball, yes. To Arthur, not entirely. There’s plenty of blame to go around, but you weren’t quite the innocent bystander either.’ He raised his glass in the air as if he were making a toast. ‘But I do believe that you owe me a debt, Miss Harper. The very least you can do to repay it is marry me.’