The Highwayman's Bride (18 page)

Chapter Fifteen

’Tis the beginning of a new year

The time to start afresh for love is in the air.

Mirabelle’s Musings

New Year’s Eve 1813

The hammering at her chamber door jolted Tess awake.

“Aiden?” Tess clambered from her bed. “Who is it?”

“’Tis Barlow, m’lady.”

She wrenched the door open to find him standing with a candlestick aloft, the thin flame illuminating his worried expression.

Her stomach lurched and goose bumps dotted her arms.
Please. Please. Not Aiden.

“M’lady, I’m sorry, but I do not know what else to do. His Lordship has not returned.”

“He often stays out overnight on his…ah…excursions,” she said trying to stem her rising panic.

“True, but Tom Hardy arrived from the village. He’s often the lookout for his Lordship.”

“He says the excisemen have been spotted only five miles along the coast. They’re heading this way.”

“But Aiden is not breaking any laws. He is simply bringing Nash to justice.”

“Aye, m’lady, but those men of the so-called law are more ruthless than Nash, and likely to shoot first and ask questions later. It’s a dark night; they might not recognize his Lordship.”

A cry wrenched from her lips and she clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle it. “We must get word to him. Send Tom back to warn him.”

“I have, m’lady, but his son who went with him has returned alone.”

Was this the prophecy?

“The boy said Tom was waylaid by the authorities, but so far has said nothing to them. We need to find his Lordship and warn him to keep his distance.”

“Jasper! Rouse him.” Tess edged passed Barlow and stepped toward Jasper’s chamber. About to knock, the loyal servant interrupted her.

“’Tis of no use, m’lady, young Master Jasper went out not long after his Lordship and he too has not returned.”

“Do we know where he’s gone?”

Barlow’s gaze shifted, but not before Tess caught the wary look.

“Barlow,” she prompted.

“I do not want to tell tales, m’lady.”

“Tell all you like, if it will help his Lordship.”

The man’s lips thinned, his disapproval clear. “Master Jasper has been frequenting the ale houses in nearby towns of late. He drinks and gambles, m’lady.”

“So if Jasper is not here…” Her voice trailed off. Who? How?

She had to save Aiden. Warn him.

“Wake the groom and get him to saddle up the fastest horse we have.”

Confusion scoured across Barlow’s worried eyes, adding to the man’s already aged visage. “M’lady?”

“Since there is no one else, I will go.”

“You? M’lady, you cannot.”

“Of course I can.”

“But you are a lady. I’m sure his Lordship would not permit it.”

“He is not here,” Tess countered, “which is exactly why we have this problem.” Although that wasn’t true. It was all because of Nash. Nash and his brutal treatment of Mary. Nash and his thieving ways. It was definitely time to put an end to it all. “Time is of the essence, Barlow. Get my horse ready.”

The man hurried off to awaken the groom and Tess spun back to her room, shutting the door behind her. For two heartbeats she simply stood stock-still.

Aiden! Oh, Aiden.

Move, Tess. Move to save the man you love.

She sprang into action, dropped to her knees beside the bed and reached beneath it, searching for exactly what she needed.

Fingers curling around a leather-braided handle, she hauled out the old canvas bag and quickly tossed the contents onto her bed. Definitely what she needed.

Spread out before her was the man’s garb she had worn on her first—and only—venture into crime. Though uncertain why she had kept it, she was pleased now that she had.

Wasting no time, she dressed and checked her appearance in the mirror.

Perfect.

The trews were far too big and held up with a thick leather belt, the shirt grayed with age, the jacket threadbare in parts. With her cap pulled down low no one would mistake her for a woman, least of all the Countess of Charnley.

Downstairs, grateful the house was quiet and everyone tucked up in their beds, she headed through the kitchen to the door that led to the rear garden.

Barlow stood waiting. “Are you sure, m’lady?”

She nodded. “We have no choice.” Which was true. “Urgency is of the essence.”

He followed her out to the stable where a sleepy-eyed Flynn held the horse’s reins. She mounted easily.

“Dandy will take care of you. She’s young, but has good judgment,” the groom enthused.

“Thank you.” Tess smiled down at him but couldn’t help wondering about her own judgment.

Barlow held out a bag to her. “You may need this, m’lady. There are many rascals about.”

Tess peered inside the bag. Beneath the faint glow of a midnight moon she spied a pistol. Her throat dried. She didn’t want to consider using it, but hopefully, it would ward off any threats without the need to be fired. “Thank you.”

Quietly, Barlow gave her directions.

…

An hour later, soaked from the persistent drizzle, she hunkered down low against Dandy and urged the animal on. Wisps of white air surged from its nostrils and mingled with the arctic night.

She ignored it all, intent on reaching Aiden before the excisemen. Past the tumbledown cottage where the old witch lived, along the meandering track bordering the Thames, her journey seemed to take forever and time lost all meaning. Finally, she spied the village of Peyton and she reined in Dandy.

According to Barlow, the excisemen were coming from Lowton, west of Peyton, and Aiden should be just south of Peyton watching for Nash.

Tess skirted the village using a by-lane that wove through the small copse of oak bordering the village square. She eyed the heavens, grateful that the rain had ceased at last, though the moon remained hidden behind thick clouds.

As she cleared the copse, she reined in Dandy. The horse snorted, stomping against the frozen earth. “Easy girl. We need to be silent.” She leaned forward and rubbed the horse’s neck.

Suddenly she heard voices and her nerves pitched. Drawing aside a swath of oak branches, she spied a group of men lugging several crates from a small boat moored at the river’s edge.

Nash?

Tess strained to identify the voices. Then brash laughter echoed, firing realization. She knew that sound. Recognized it, though God help her, she wished she didn’t.

Luther Gibbs was in the thick of this gang’s escapade. Hearing a sharp retort confirmed her suspicions.

“Shut your mouth, Gibbs. Do you want the world to know what we’re up to?”

Nash, Tess presumed.

A horse whinnied, snatching her attention, and she scanned the terrain to the left of the smugglers. There…slightly back on a small hillock but secluded behind a towering oak, was a lone horseman.

Tess recognized his outline instantly. The problem was to reach him without alerting the smugglers of both their whereabouts.

Deciding it best to backtrack and go farther west so she could come round from behind and thus reach him, Tess pulled on Dandy’s reins and guided the patient animal to retreat along the path.

Intent on keeping Aiden in her sight, she didn’t notice the posse of excisemen until she was almost upon them. She had nowhere to go. Not left. Not right.

They advanced, not toward Nash, but Aiden.

With a brutal yank on the reins she redirected Dandy, digging her boots into the animal’s side. The horse whinnied in protest and shot out from their hiding place. Tess drew out her pistol, pointed it skyward and pulled the trigger at the same time as she screeched into the darkness. “The excisemen are coming. The excisemen.”

A cacophony of shouts erupted instantly, but Tess only had eyes for Aiden.

He’d heard her, his attention jack-knifing from Nash to her and her name sailed on the breeze.

With no time to waste, she yanked on Dandy’s reins. The horse reared up, jumped the bracken and took off.

Again she thought she heard her name but she didn’t stop. Didn’t look back.

Lying low, she tucked her pistol into her coat pocket and held on as they raced through the forest.

Hoofbeats resounded behind her. She kept on going. She had to get home.

More hoofbeats. More voices. Shouts to stop.

Mile after painful mile, her body brutally jolted, Tess never let up, until finally the sound lessened and she realized no one, not even Aiden, followed her. With a relieved sigh, she reined in Dandy to a gentle trot.

Questions charged through her brain.

Had Aiden truly seen her? And if he had, what now? Would he hate her for warning the rabble of the arrival of the excisemen, because as true as the sun would rise tomorrow, she had stolen his chance of capturing Nash, something she wasn’t sure he could forgive.

At last, her body frozen to the core, she arrived home. Barlow and Flynn came charging toward her.

“Did you find his Lordship?” Barlow asked in a rush of concern.

Tess slid down from her horse, tossing the reins at the stable hand. “Yes.”

“He is safe?”

Was he? “I don’t know. The excisemen came from the west, not the south.”

“They must have circled.”

“Most likely, but it gave me no chance to reach his Lordship.”

“Dear God.”

“Let’s hope God is on our side.” She turned to Flynn. “Wipe her down and ensure she is fed and soothed. If his Lordship asks of my whereabouts,” she said to both men, “it is imperative he not realize I have been out this night.”

“But m’lady.”

“No, dear man. It has to be so.” If Aiden found out that it was she who had warned Nash and Luther he would misconstrue her purpose.

“You can rely on us, m’lady,” Barlow agreed.

Tess exhaled a relieved sigh, realizing too that this was the first time the staff had truly considered her the lady of the house.

Fingers frozen in a curl as if the reins remained in her hands, she fingered the pistol in her pocket, then withdrew it and handed it to Barlow. “I believe this is yours. I’m afraid I had to fire off a shot.”

The man’s eyes widened in horror. “M’lady!”

“Oh, nothing so dramatic as shooting someone,” she said with a tight smile, though her hand shook even still. “A warning shot is all.”

With the pistol now back in the hands of its owner, Tess raced into the house and up the stairs, coming suddenly to an abrupt halt.

Where to?

With a leap of faith, she headed down the corridor.

…

“Where the hell is she?” Aiden stormed as he took the stairs two at a time. Fury surged as he barged into the room Tess had moved into a week ago. It was empty.

Instant dread overtook rage and he dragged a hand through his damp hair.

He was sure it had been Tess, but dear God, was she injured out there?

What if?

Aiden fisted his hand and slammed it into the wall. “Where the hell are you, Tess?” At the window he peered into the distance, spying no lone rider. No Tess. Nothing.

He had to find her.

Spinning away from the empty view, he made for his chamber. Clean and dry clothes, a fresh horse, and he’d be out again on the road, searching this time for his wife. Nash could be damned. Clasping a barely flickering candle from a side table outside his chamber door, he entered his room.

“Aiden.”

He spied Tess beneath the covers of his bed and in an instant joy bloomed in his chest, shadowed in quick succession by the flare of distrust. “What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you.”

He placed the candle beside the bed and stared down at his wife. Her glorious auburn hair lay in a ripple across her creamy white shoulders.
Sweet, Jesus!
His throat thickened, as did his manhood.

“Why?”

Her mouth curved into a tiny smile. “I would have thought that was obvious.”

Distrust spiraled and he hardened his gaze. “Where were you tonight?”

“In your bed,” she answered sweetly.

“Luther was with Nash.”

She shrugged, baring her delectable skin even more. “I should be surprised, but I am not. The man is a rogue.”

“I thought that was my title,” Aiden said, aware of his burgeoning arousal and his weakening ability to resist temptation. “How can I believe you?”

“Believe what?”

“That you did not warn them.”

“Warn them? I don’t understand. Who are you talking about?”

“I had Nash in my sights until a rider came out of nowhere, warning him and his cohorts that the excisemen were approaching.”

“I’m sorry.”

“The bastard got away again.” Even saying the words riled him. It seemed he was forever on a chase, with no end in sight, no release from the damned guilt. “He is your uncle.”

“By marriage only,” Tess countered.

He had to know. Had to.

Without thinking he wrenched the bedcovers down in one sweep and in a heartbeat every ounce of oxygen exploded from his lungs.

Naked. Dear God, she was naked.

“You left for your mission hours ago. I waited for you. I’ve waited for you for days and longer nights. I don’t want to wait any more.”

“As far as I recall, it was you who moved out.”

Tess blinked several times, then lifted her deliciously long lashes and looked up at him.

“I’ve changed my mind. Surely that is allowed?”

Aiden’s gut churned.

Resist her.

Swinging her legs from the bed, she stood, coming so close he could feel the heat radiating off her. It careened on a path right through to his frozen bones—and his frozen heart.

On tiptoes, though not touching him, she kissed his mouth and Aiden lost himself to the beauty of it. He closed his eyes. Tess. His wife. He wanted to lose himself ever more in her lushness. Forget the anguish of guilt.

His eyes slowly flickered open as she drew away from him, a loss he felt immediately.

“Nash is a scoundrel, Aiden, but is he worth it?”

“What about Mary?”

“Mary is strong. She has a heart that has healed. She is no longer afraid of visitors. Of men. Why, just the other day your friend the Earl of Beswick arrived with his sister Charlotte and the Duke of Harlgrove.” Tess frowned. “My, what a solemn man he is.”