"Winnie"s been hurt. She"s going to the country to recuperate, and I"m going with her. Please don"t worry. I"ll be fine. And I"ll be back in a few days." She"d kissed him on the forehead. "Don"t go while I"m gone."
She"d left instructions for his care with her servants-not that they truly needed any. They"d been taking care of him for longer than a year now.
Now Catherine slipped her finger beneath the coach curtain and peered out. She could see tenement houses. "How certain are you of your plan?"
"As certain as I can be," Claybourne said.
The coach came to an abrupt halt. The door opened. Dr. Graves was standing there. After Claybourne shifted Winnie into his arms, Graves turned away. Then Frannie was in the doorway, holding her hand out to Whit.
Claybourne turned to the boy. "Don"t be afraid. They"re going to take care of you and you"re going to take care of your mother. Do you understand?"
The boy nodded.
"Good lad." Claybourne ushered him to the doorway where Frannie took him in her arms. She looked at Catherine, gave a barely discernible nod, and moved away.
And then the footman was there, holding out his hand to Catherine. She took a deep breath, released it. "I"m going with you."
"Don"t be daft," Claybourne said.
She reached out, grabbed the door handle, and slammed the door closed-almost nipping the footman in the process. She settled back, hands folded primly. "I"m not going to allow you to face him alone."
"Dear G.o.d, Catherine, he"s not going to be in a pleasant mood."
"I don"t care."
"I"m likely to do things to him of which you will not approve."
"Do you honestly think, after seeing what he did to my friend, that there is anything you could do to him of which I wouldn"t approve?"
"Your reputation-"
"The servants here all believe that Winnie is traveling with us. As for the servants at your estate, I a.s.sume they"ll be discreet. As far as I can determine, Avendale is the only one who might cause us any problem, and I a.s.sume you"ll deal with him."
"I should toss you over my shoulder-"
"And kiss my bare bottom? You don"t frighten me, Lord Claybourne. You wouldn"t harm a woman if your life depended on it. Unlike Avendale who would strike his wife simply because he didn"t fancy the color of her gown. I"m not staying behind."
He cursed soundly, signaled his footman, and a few seconds later, the coach sprang forward.
"You"re the most irritating woman I"ve ever had the misfortune to know," he ground out. Then he shifted, took her hands, and pressed his mouth to her bare knuckles. "And the most courageous."
"If I were so courageous, I"d have never involved you."
He moved until he was sitting beside her and had her nestled against his side. "It should have never fallen to you to see to the matter to begin with."
"She"s my dearest friend in all the world."
"We will do what we can to salvage your reputation."
"I care only that Avendale is dealt with. What are your plans for him?"
"I need some answers from him. Depending on what they are, I may try to reason with him."
"And if he"ll not provide the answers or be reasoned with?"
"Heatherwood is a rather large estate. A man can easily get lost and never be found."
17.
The coach came to a stop outside Claybourne"s ancestral residence the following night, long after dark. The footman opened the door "Stay here," Claybourne ordered.
"I"ll not be bullied-"
He sighed with impatience. "Catherine, do you trust me?"
"Do you trust me?"
"With my life," he said.
Oh, dear Lord, she"d not expected him to place that burden on her. What was she doing here? How had she brought them to this moment?
"I think things between us would go much better if you"d simply explain the reason for your orders," she told him. "I don"t mean to be difficult, but I don"t want to be kept in the dark either."
"Very well. I"m going to send most of my servants to the village for two reasons. I want them out of harm"s way and it"ll increase the likelihood of preserving your reputation, so I need you to stay hidden until they"re gone. A butler and a few footmen are all who will stay behind."
Nodding, she settled back. "I shall wait patiently like a good little girl."
He chuckled low. "I have a feeling you"ve never been good a day in your life."
Before she could castigate him for that erroneous a.s.sessment of her, he"d disappeared out the door. He"d not allowed her to be seen at any of the inns where they"d stopped to change horses and purchase food. He always bought an inordinate amount of food as though he had several people to feed. If Avendale stopped where they"d stopped, if he made inquiries, he"d think Winnie was in the coach. Winnie and Whit.
He would be furious when he discovered he"d been duped.
Catherine heard the whinny of horses and the rumble of carriage and wagon wheels. She supposed the servants would use whatever means possible to travel to the nearby village. She"d not meant to put everyone out. But Claybourne was right. They would be safer there.
The minutes dragged slowly by. Finally, she heard movement in the boot and a.s.sumed the footman was gathering Claybourne"s satchel and hers. The door opened, and she released a tiny squeal.
"Are you all right?" Claybourne asked, and she thought she detected humor in his voice.
"Yes, quite."
He held out his hand. "Come on, then."
She put her hand in his, felt his strong fingers close around hers, and all her doubts and worries dissipated. This was Claybourne. He"d survived much worse than a cad like Avendale. Together they would see that Winnie was safe forever.
She stepped out of the coach. Although she could only see the silhouette, she could tell that his residence was grand. She placed her hand on his arm and allowed him to escort her with the footman scurrying ahead with their bags.
"Under normal circ.u.mstances, the guests sleep in the east wing, the family in the west. But these circ.u.mstances are hardly normal. I"ve instructed the footman to put your belongings in the bedchamber next to mine. I want you near, Catherine, so I can a.s.sure your safety. I"ll not take advantage."
The last was said quietly, almost with a measure of regret echoing through it. She couldn"t deny that she felt a bit of disappointment.
"Well, it"s not as though I haven"t spent the night in your bed," she said.
He lost his footing, and suddenly she was reaching for him to help him keep his balance. When he was again standing tall, he said, "You play a very dangerous game, Lady Catherine Mabry."
Too late she"d come to realize that fact. But she"d not retreat now. She"d do whatever necessary to achieve her end.
"Don"t you think I should have a false name while I"m here?"
"Did you have something in mind?"
They"d reached the steps and were climbing toward the door.
"What was your name when you were a lad? Before the Earl of Claybourne discovered you?" she asked.
"Locke. Luke Locke. I was very skilled at picking locks. Most of us were orphans, didn"t know our real names anyway. But even for those who did, Feagan always insisted on changing their names. When they came to him, they started life anew. So what would you like your name to be?"
Now that it was upon her, she couldn"t think of anything. "I have no skills. What would you suggest?"
"Heart. Because it is your generous heart that has brought us this adventure."
He opened the door.
"Is that how you see it?" she asked. "As an adventure?"
"For now."
She walked into the foyer. The wooden floor gleamed. Busts and statuettes decorated tables. Paintings hung on the walls. No butler stood at attention.
"I"ve told the remaining servants to remain scarce unless called for."
"Oh. You might have said so instead of playing along with my desire for a false name."
He smiled warmly. "You never know when you might need a false name."
"I think you"re mocking me."
He grew serious. "I would never mock you, Catherine."
"Aren"t you the least bit concerned about what awaits us with Avendale?"
"We have a while yet. No need to fret until it"s time to fret. Let me show you to your room."
It was exactly as he"d told her-right next to his. She knew because the door separating their rooms was open and she could see the footman putting away Claybourne"s things. She wondered if he had put hers away as well.
"I a.s.sume you left no women servants behind," Catherine said.
"No. The fairer s.e.x is called the fairer s.e.x for a reason." He held up a finger. "I know you"re an exception. If you need a.s.sistance undressing"-he cleared his throat-"I"ll do what I can."
"I should be fine. I was already abed when Winnie"s maid came to fetch me." She held out her arms. "As you can see I dressed as simply as possible in order to dress as quickly as possible."
"If you"d like to bathe, I"ll have the footman bring up warm water."
"I would like that," she said, "before bed. Right now, I must confess that I"m rather famished."
"I"m afraid I sent my cook to the village. Would an omelet suffice?"
She smiled. "Very nicely. Thank you."
Luke knew he should have protested more. He should have insisted Catherine stay behind, but what was done was done. He couldn"t deny that he took some pride-undeservedly, of course-in showing her various rooms as he escorted her to the kitchen. The Claybourne legacy was grand.
Nor could he deny the pleasure it brought him to prepare her an omelet or how much he enjoyed having her watch him from her place at the large table where servants usually enjoyed a quick meal or a bit of gossip. He planned to confront Avendale alone. He just had to convince Catherine to leave. But he was in no hurry to do so.
"When do you think Avendale will arrive?" she asked.
He heard the worry in her voice. He didn"t think she was frightened. Apprehensive perhaps. He poured a gla.s.s of red wine and handed it to her. "Drink that. It"ll help you relax."
She did as he bade without arguing. Oh, yes, she wasn"t nearly as calm as she appeared.
"He won"t be here for a while," Luke a.s.sured her, remembering another time when he"d prepared her an omelet. "I sent word to Jack. He"s going to ply him with liquor. That should set him back a day, and I suspect it"ll take Avendale another day or so to work up the courage to come here."
He placed the omelet on a plate and set it on the table.
"You still haven"t mastered preparing two at a time?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I"m afraid not."
She took a bite of the omelet and studied him. "You"re not at all worried, are you?"
"About facing Avendale? No. I would be more comfortable if you weren"t here."
"You won"t convince me to leave and I"ll not drink enough wine to lose my wits."
"Have you ever drunk that much?"
Nodding, she gave him an impish smile. "The night before Winnie married Avendale, actually. I stayed with her and we took several bottles from her father"s wine cellar. The next day I was so miserable. I thought I might be ill at the church."
He gave her a sardonic smile. "I"ve had many occasions where I have been ill." He sliced off a section of omelet. "Did she love him?"
"I think he fascinated her. He can be quite charming. Quite honestly, he"d given me reason to believe that he had interest in me, before he shifted his attention to Winnie."
Luke"s stomach tightened and his appet.i.te fled. When he thought of Catherine with the likes of Avendale- "Then that night after you came to the ball he stopped calling." She released a little cry of surprise, her eyes wide. "Oh my goodness, you don"t suppose he changed his mind because I didn"t cower when you looked at me?"