Fenella J Miller (2 page)

Penny knew this was no excuse. He
could have discovered where she resided and sought her out if he had wished.
She had made it her business to find out where
his
family seat was.
The fact that he lived but
ten miles from her and had never bothered to call and see how she did, had
almost broken her spirit.
She raised her eyebrows a fraction before
answering, her words as false as his.

‘I must apologize to you, Lord
Weston, if I inadvertently misled you. I had no inkling that you were serious
in your marked attentions. I believed that we were of the same mind. That you
had as little wish to form a serious attachment last season as I did.’ She
smiled, the wide brim of her bonnet hiding her expression from all but him. She
saw a flash of anger in his eyes before his mouth curled in that well
remembered smile.

‘And are you still of the same
mind, Miss Coombs?’ His tone was teasing, his words a challenge.

She swallowed nervously. He was
almost impossible to resist when he adopted this playful tone. ‘It is my
intention to become a woman of business. My agent in London is arranging for me
to invest in shipping. I have no interest in matrimony. What possible reason
could there be for me to give up my independence and fortune?’

He reached down and took her
hands in his. Without breaking eye contact he slowly raised them to his lips.
She attempted to remove them but his grip was strong. The all too familiar rush
of heat travelled from her toes to her crown. If he kissed her fingers she
would be unable to resist.

‘Lord Weston, are you in
residence at
Headingly
for the summer?’ Aunt Lucy’s
question demanded an answer.

Penny snatched her hands back as
his attention turned to her aunt. Surreptitiously she stepped away, wanting to
put a safe distance between them. She found herself next to a replica of the
man she was trying to escape. Her expression of stupefaction made the young man
laugh.

He bowed. ‘I know, Miss Coombs,
we could be brothers, could we not? Allow me to introduce myself.
James Weston, at your service.’

‘Of course.
You are Lord Weston’s cousin. He spoke of you several times but never thought
to mention that you could be his twin. Are you of an age?’

‘He is two years my senior.
Unfortunately we both inherited this hair from our grandfather. It’s a family
curse.’

Penny relaxed. It had taken only
a few moments for her to realize that although externally the two men were
identical, James Weston lacked the indefinable charisma and sense of authority
that his older relative had in abundance.

‘Are you staying at Headingly, Mr
Weston?’

‘I am, Miss Coombs. It’s some
time since the family gathered together. Ned has been away on business until
recently. We are not a particularly close group, but we do like to re-establish
our connections now and again. So my cousin has arranged a house party.’

Lord Weston had completed his
conversation with her aunt and was moving inexorably towards her once more. She
smiled radiantly at her companion unaware of the impact she was making.

‘Mr Weston, would you be kind
enough to escort me over to my carriage? I am feeling unwell. It has become
unpleasantly warm and I have been standing in the sun too long.’

Immediately the young man offered
his arm to her. ‘It would be my pleasure, Miss Coombs.’

She could feel the animosity
pouring from Lord Weston but he didn’t intervene, and was relieved to reach the
safety of the barouche without further conversation with him.

‘Thank you, Mr Weston. It was
delightful to meet you.’

Her coachman held open the door
and she stepped inside. Mr Weston bowed and with a friendly wave he strolled
off to join his party. She was obliged to sit and wait a further ten minutes
before her aunt was escorted back by Lord Weston.

She leant against the squabs and
closed her eyes. She had no wish to speak to him again. The carriage dipped as
Aunt Lucy climbed in.

‘Good day, Lord Weston. It has
been a pleasure to renew our acquaintance and thank you for your kind
invitation.’

‘I am honoured that you have
accepted it and look forward to seeing you both tomorrow.’

There was a pause and Penny
thought it safe to open her eyes. To her horror he was leaning nonchalantly on
the carriage door his eyes alight with amusement. ‘Good. I am pleased to see
that you are recovered, Miss Coombs.’

She glared at him, but didn’t
lower herself to respond. The hateful man moved away and she broke her silence.
‘Aunt Lucy, what did Lord Weston mean about seeing him tomorrow?’

Her aunt beamed. ‘My dear, I am
so excited. When I explained how disappointed I was to miss the opportunity for
a balloon ascent, Lord Weston kindly extended an invitation to both of us to
join his house party.’ Aunt Lucy beamed. ‘His lordship has arranged for the
aeronauts to stay on his estate until all his guests, including ourselves, have
been able to experience the delights of a flight.’

Chapter Two

Penny wanted to stamp her feet in
vexation. Instead she took a deep breath and pinned on a cheerful smile. ‘How
obliging of him to include us in his house party; I’ve never visited
Headingly
but I understand that it’s a handsome building. It
will be most interesting to see for myself. I shall ride there. It’s a long
time since Phoenix and I travelled any distance.’

‘Ride, Miss Coombs? It is over
eight miles from
Nettleford
to
Headingly
.’
Lord Weston had stepped closer to the carriage.

Penny smiled sunnily at the man
scowling down at her. ‘Yes, my mind’s quite made up. Which direction do you
recommend I take?’

He was obliged to instruct her in
the shortest cross county route to his home and the barouche finally departed
with both occupants well pleased with the morning’s outing.

Her aunt patted Penny’s clenched
hands. ‘Was that not a delightful encounter, my dear? And such a surprise! It
will be pleasant to spend a few weeks with Lord Weston and his guests. I
declare it is exactly what we both need to lift our spirits.’

‘If you say so,
Aunt Lucy.’

‘Is that all you can say on the
matter, my dear? I thought you would be thrilled to renew your acquaintance with
his lordship. Did you notice how particular his attentions were today? His
cousin, Mr Weston, seemed quite put out. I rather think that young man has
developed a
tendre
for you himself.’

‘I was astonished at how similar
in appearance they are. I was quite taken with Mr Weston. He’s an open and
sincere young man, quite unlike his cousin.’ She smiled at her elderly aunt.
‘Indeed, it’s only because I wish to get to know Mr Weston that I agreed to
this visit.

 
The remainder of the journey was spent
discussing their imminent removal. As Penny was riding her aunt would follow in
the
carriage.They
were expected sometime during the
morning.

The next day dawned fine and by
eight o’clock Penny was ready to depart for her extended stay at
Headingly
. The baggage cart had left at dawn accompanied by
the Mary and a groom. Harvey (Aunt Lucy’s starchy
abigail
)
was to travel with her mistress. It wouldn’t do to arrive before one’s luggage!

‘Penelope, my dear girl, I am
sure that horse is too much for you. He is not a lady’s mount. I hope Lord
Weston rides out to meet you.’

Penny frowned and her huge
chestnut gelding stamped and shook his head, eager to depart. ‘Phoenix is a
gentle giant. I promise you I’ll come to no harm. And I’ll have both Billy and
Fred as company, so even if I take a tumble they will be there to pick me up.’

‘Please, do not jest about such
things. And having two grooms riding with you is no consolation to me. I wish
you would change your mind and ride a different horse. Or even better come with
me in the carriage. Three hours in the saddle might prove too long in this hot
weather.’

‘When I hunt, Aunt Lucy, I am out
all day in the ice and snow and I cannot remember you telling me that was
unsuitable.’

Her aunt admitted defeat and
settled back on the squabs opening her parasol with a decided snap. ‘I shall
stop for refreshments, so do not expect me before noon. ‘

Phoenix sidled sideways
scattering dirt and grooms in all directions. ‘Come along, silly boy, let’s be
on our way.’ Penny gently touched the gelding’s flank with her heel and they
moved off, closely followed by the two grooms mounted on matching bays.

‘I intend to travel across
country as much as possible this morning. The ground’s soft enough after the
rain last night to make our journey safe. A good gallop will settle him down.’

They made excellent time and two
hours later the three riders approached a bend in the lane they had been
travelling along for half a mile. Their passage was blocked by a fallen tree.
Penny reined in, puzzled by the obstruction.

 
‘There was no wind last night so why has this
tree fallen across our path?’ She turned in her saddle to speak to Billy. ‘Do
you think you and Fred can move this? This lane’s the only way unless we
retrace our path and find a gate into the field. The hedges either side are far
too tall to jump.’ Billy dismounted tossing his reins to the other groom. ‘Hold
him, whilst I investigate.’

Penny watched him disappear into
the undergrowth with a strange feeling of apprehension. It was cold and dark
under the overhanging trees and she shivered. Why was Billy taking so long?
Surely testing the weight of the obstruction didn’t take such an age?

She stared back down the tunnel
of trees and froze. ‘Billy. Get back here quickly. I’m certain this is no
accident. It’s an ambush. There are footpads approaching. We’re trapped here.
We cannot go forward and there’s no escape into the field.’

The groom scrambled out of the
bushes and was in his saddle in seconds. ‘We have our cudgels, miss. We’ll
protect you, never fear.’

The two men edged their horses in
front of Phoenix, unstrapping the stout sticks they carried tied to the back of
their saddles. Penny knew t these would be no protection against pistols or
swords. There had to be another way.

‘We must jump out. I know the
hedges are high but we’ve no choice. Quickly, they are getting closer.’

Without waiting to see if they
followed she wrenched Phoenix’s head around and kicked him into a gallop,
thanking God the grassy path widened enough for her to turn her mount towards
the hedge. She had cleared larger obstacles before, but never in such
circumstances. The horse gathered himself and she crouched forward grasping a
handful of mane.

As she soared into the air she
had no time to worry about safe landings. If Phoenix failed to clear the hedge
she would certainly crash to her death.

Ned greeted his cousin with a
friendly slap on the back. ‘James, you’re not dressed for riding. I thought you
were coming with me to meet Miss Coombs.’

‘I have promised Mama that I’ll
walk with her to the lake this morning. She insists it will be too hot by
midday.’ The young man shrugged his elegantly clad shoulders. ‘You know how she
is, Ned.’

‘Indeed I do; it’s easier to
agree than argue once Aunt Elizabeth has made up her mind. I shall see you at
dinner.’ He turned to run down the white marble steps, but paused to call back.
‘James, I’m expecting the aeronauts and their entourage to arrive this morning.
Could you make sure they’re accommodated in the barn behind the stables?’

His cousin raised his hand in
acknowledgement. ‘Consider it done, old fellow. Consider it done. It will give
me an excuse to return to the house in good time.’

Ned vaulted into the saddle of
his waiting bay stallion, ramming his boots into the stirrups.

With a curt nod to the stable boy
he cantered down the drive. However spurious his reasons for inviting Miss
Coombs to visit, he was looking forward to renewing their acquaintance.

When he had singled her out from
the dozens of eager young debutantes to escort to numerous soirees and balls
last season it had not been just for her beauty, but also for her ready wit and
intelligence. His investigations had obliged him to enter certain houses of the
haut ton
and the only way he could
accomplish this without arousing suspicion was to appear to be interested in
setting up his nursery.

He frowned as he recalled her
trusting naiveté; she had expected him to offer for her at the end of the
season. Indeed, society in general held the same opinion. He had achieved his objective
and discovered the traitor masquerading as an
émigré
and he had been highly praised in Whitehall for his work.
However the whole episode had left a bad taste in his mouth. An innocent girl
had been hurt by his pretence and now he had been ordered to repeat the
process.

He cursed as his inattention
allowed Bruno to grab the bit between his teeth and bolt. By the time he had
regained control of his mount he was mud-spattered and flushed. He was also two
miles from
Headingly
in the field that ran parallel to
the lane he was supposed be in. He stood in his stirrups and looked up and down
the massive hedge trying to remember if there was a gate he could use.

*

Phoenix stretched out his neck
and his front legs cleared the hedge by inches and his back arched;
instinctively she leant forward, encouraging her horse. The ground rushed
towards them and she closed her eyes and braced herself, expecting to be
catapulted to the ground.

Her magnificent mount scarcely
checked. He pricked his ears and continued his headlong gallop away from the
narrow lane and possible ambush. Penny transferred her weight to the back of
the saddle and pulled steadily on the reins. Crooning softly to the animal,
gradually regaining control and was in time to turn and watch her grooms soar
over the hedge and land safely. The exhilaration of the jump had temporarily
pushed the reason for it from her mind. Billy reminded her.

‘They’re close behind and they’ve
got rifles, miss.
There’s
three of them and they don’t
look like any footpads I’ve ever seen.’

‘Rifles?
Are you sure? Only soldiers carry rifles.’ Without waiting to hear his reply
she wrenched the big chestnut’s head around and kicked hard with her heel.
Phoenix sprung forward and raced away from the lane. She crouched low, hoping
she made too small a target for the marksmen.

The field sloped towards the
horizon and they thundered over the brow of the hill sending clods of mud
flying out behind. A rider was approaching and for a horrified second believed
her would- be assassins had a fourth
member .
Then she
recognized the man and hauled on the reins bringing her mount to a rearing halt
beside him.

‘Three men, in
the lane with rifles, my lord.
They almost had us trapped in the lane
beyond the hedge.’ Her words were forced out between gasps.

He reacted immediately. He swung
his horse and shouted. ‘Follow me. We won’t be out of range until we’re out of
this dammed field.’

He led them at a gallop downhill
and headed straight for the five-barred gate. Bruno cleared it with feet to
spare as did the other three. Only then did he slow the pace.

‘Tell me what happened back
there, Miss Coombs. You’re safe here. This track isn’t overlooked by the lane
and even the finest rifleman could not reach you.’ This was said as he cantered
beside her, guiding her to the safety of his home.

‘We were in the lane and
discovered a tree blocking the path. At first I was unconcerned but glimpsed
the approach of what I took to be a band of vagrants. We had no alternative but
to jump over the hedge.’

‘God’s teeth!
You could have been killed. That hedge is over six feet high.’ Lord Weston
stared at her and her cheeks coloured.

‘As you can see, my lord, I was
not. But if I had remained in the lane I might not have been so lucky.’

She watched him digest this
information. She could almost hear his formidable intelligence spring into
action. On reflection she was surprised he had accepted her garbled explanation
without question.

 
It was almost as if he had been expecting an
attack to take place. Should she ask him if this was the case? He forestalled
her question.

‘Miss Coombs, how did you know
the men were carrying rifles? Did you see the guns?’

She shook her head, gesturing
towards Billy, who was riding with Fred, a polite distance behind them. ‘No,
but my groom did. He warned me.’

Lord Weston dropped back to
question the groom leaving her to ride alone. There was something odd about the
whole incident. Why would three heavily armed men wish to harm her? As far as
she knew she had no enemies. It must be a case of mistaken identity. The men
had been expecting someone else.

She glanced over her shoulder.
Surely it couldn’t be Lord Weston? He was autocratic and renowned for his
cutting set-downs, but this was no reason to kill him. So if it was not him,
then who? Perhaps there was someone else expected to arrive today and the
ambushers had hoped to catch him.

The pad of
hoofbeats
on the path heralded the return of her host. ‘My lord, I cannot believe that
anyone would wish to harm either of us. Are you expecting more prestigious
visitors this morning?’

‘Do the aeronauts count?
For they spend a goodly part of their lives above us.’

‘You’re being ridiculous, sir.
This isn’t a matter for levity.’ Penny pressed her lips firmly together
determined she would not laugh out loud.

His rich, dark chuckle sent an
unexpected shiver around her already overheated body. ‘You must not disturb
yourself over the incident, my dear. There have been reports that a group of
ex-soldiers have been congregating in the area. Since Bonaparte is now safely
tucked away on Elba regiments are already cutting their numbers.’

‘There has been talk in the
village about men rioting. It’s the parlous situation these poor men have come
back to. It’s a great shame that our brave soldiers should come to such a
pass.’ Penny pushed back a strand of hair that had escaped from under her
military style cap. ‘But, I fail to see why these men should select that lane
today. I would imagine it’s hardly used. Why did they expect to find rich
pickings in such a remote spot?’

‘I have no idea, Miss Coombs.
Coincidence, no more.
No doubt they were en route for the
toll road, and all thieves are opportunists.’