Kane, Samantha - Brothers In Arms 06 (13 page)

Palu sighed. “I spent a couple of nights with them, that’s all. They ended it.”

“Why?” Daniel was still calm, but his voice was firm, and Palu knew from experience that Daniel would keep at him until he confessed all, damn his hide.

“I was merely a curiosity to them,” he told them, looking away out over the throng of people to the green beyond. “And a means to an end.”

“What are you talking about?” Simon asked sharply. “What did they tell you?”

Palu laughed bitterly. “Ah, it wasn’t what they told me. It was where they took me.” He glanced over at Daniel and the other man raised a brow in inquiry. “We had tea with Alecia’s parents.”

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It took a moment but Palu could see the moment that Daniel put the facts together to reach a conclusion. He closed his eyes as if pained. “They didn’t,” he said, but it wasn’t a question.

Palu nodded. “Yes, they did.”

“What?” Simon asked in confusion. “Do you two have some sort of secret

language? What happened?”

Palu leaned back against the bench in an inelegant sprawl. He didn’t care about how he looked right now. “They attempted to blackmail her dowry out of her father by threatening to reveal our affair to everyone.”

“Good God,” Simon said in shock. “Those bloody stupid little…” He stopped with a sigh. His hand came down on Palu’s shoulder and Palu looked at him. For once Simon appeared serious. “Don’t judge them too harshly, Anderson. They are at a crossroads.”

Palu frowned. “What do you mean?”

Daniel twirled his walking stick in the dirt in front of him, looking pensively across the park. “Since their reconciliation and the loss of their child, they have no direction.

They live day to day, waiting on grudging handouts from her father, seeking the next man for their bed, hoping he’s the one, and talking fervently of leaving it all behind.”

Palu snorted. “So I am one of a string of many?”

Daniel looked at him sharply. “Is that how it felt?”

Palu couldn’t deceive Daniel, he never could. He shook his head. “No.” He took a deep breath and told him the rest. “But Hardington came to see me. Apparently Nat and Alecia have been talking about our time together, at least to him.”

“Hardington?” Simon exclaimed. “Why on earth would they talk to Hardington?”

Palu shrugged. “Apparently he is also their lover. He told me that my value to them was as a curiosity, a figure of examination for two eager young scholars.”

This time Simon cuffed him in the shoulder, nearly knocking Palu off the bench.

“And you believed him, you idiot?”

Palu blinked at him. “What?”

Simon snorted in disgust. “Hardington has been trying to get into their bed for well over a year. Granted, he was there once,
one time
, and they have refused him since, much to his regret. He seethes every time they take a new lover and it isn’t him.”

That made Palu feel a little better. At least their standards were higher than Hardington.

Daniel didn’t say a word, just continued to pensively tap his stick in the dirt.

“Hardington is up to something,” Simon said with conviction. “I would place a bet on it.”

“Well,” Daniel said with a slight smile, “you’ll not get any takers. That is a fool’s bet. Hardington is always up to something.”

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Samantha Kane

Palu shook his head in disgust, this time at himself. “Yes, he is. And I know that, yet I let him convince me otherwise.”

“Love makes fools of us all,” Daniel said simply.

“Oh, I say, are you in love with them?” Simon asked incredulously. “Damn me, but I am good.”

Palu had stopped paying attention. He had just spotted Nat and Alecia walking along the path. He stood and knew the instant they spotted him.

“We seem to have lost him again,” Simon commented as he and Daniel watched Palu stand and stare down the lane at Nat and Alecia.

Daniel grinned. “So it would seem.” He watched as Nat and Alecia slowly walked toward them as if in a trance. They didn’t even spare a glance for Simon and Daniel, staring intently at Palu.

“Ugh,” Simon commented dryly. “Not love again.”

“Good afternoon,” Alecia said quietly as she stopped in front of Palu, too close for propriety, but none of the three seemed to care. She stared up at him with hungry eyes, and Palu stood there, his head tilted down as his eyes devoured her.

“Good afternoon,” Palu said just as quietly. He turned to look at Nat, who was watching Palu and Alecia like a starving man staring at a banquet.

“Good afternoon,” Nat whispered.

“Good afternoon,” Simon called out convivially, but the three ignored him. Daniel turned and frowned at him. Simon just shrugged with an amused grin.

“May I see you home?” Palu asked politely, although his dark, rough tone spoke of things that were not at all polite.

“Oh, yes, please,” Alecia said breathlessly. They turned, Alecia clinging to Nat’s arm, while Palu walked beside them, his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

Daniel watched them walk off with a small pang of jealousy. All around him people were falling in love. Too bad Daniel had done that long ago, and didn’t seem capable of reproducing the feat.

“I’m rather alarmed at this new role of mother hen we seem to have adopted,”

Simon mused as he sat down next to Daniel and adjusted his coat as he smiled at a comely widow walking by. If Daniel remembered correctly Simon had slept with the widow for a month or two after the death of her husband.

“As am I,” Daniel murmured. “I am hardly one to offer advice to the lovelorn.”

Simon snorted. “Nonsense. You’re a great one for giving advice. It’s taking it that you fail at dismally.”

“Says the man who can’t seem to resist climbing into the bed of every grieving widow and wayward soul he can find, none of whom offer a future of any kind,”

Daniel returned sharply.

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Simon looked at him with exaggerated confusion. “What on earth do my sexual escapades have to do with your inability to take advice on your unrequited, doomed love?”

Daniel stood abruptly. “You really can be a bastard, Simon.” He dusted off his pants and began walking. Simon casually fell into step beside him.

“Of course I can,” he agreed good-naturedly. “And I’m bloody good at it when I’m at my best. But don’t ask my mother. She’ll deny it.”

“You are always at your best,” Daniel said with a reluctant grin. Damn Simon, but he could always pull him out of a bad mood.

“You are too kind, my friend,” Simon said with a hearty slap to Daniel’s back. “Too kind.”

* * * * *

Alecia spun around to face Palu as soon as they entered the drawing room. She waited to speak until Nat closed the door. “Are you all right?” He looked wonderful.

Big and dark and strong. And so elegant it was hard to reconcile this urbane gentleman with the wild lover she’d come to adore.

He smiled a little sadly. “As well as can be expected.” His smile fell. “Thank you for the note.”

Nat had been standing silently, but at Palu’s words he turned and slammed his fist against the wall. “Damn it!” His anger dissipated as quickly as it had risen. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to the wall he had just abused. “We should not be here together. It will ruin everything. Everything.”

Alecia placed a shaking hand against her roiling stomach. She wanted to touch Palu so much, to jump into his strong arms and kiss his sweet mouth. “Nat, I can’t. I just can’t. Please, we have to find another way. Surely we can be discreet?”

Palu had paled. “Is it like that, then? You cannot be seen with me?”

Alecia was torn apart at his wounded expression. “No, Palu! Not like that.” She reached out to him. “Please, you must let us explain. We don’t want to ruin
you
.”

“What?” He was so confused, and Alecia ignored the warning shake of Nat’s head.

“It’s Hardington,” she told Palu, straightening her back and glaring at Nat. “He came to see us.”

“Yes, I know.” Palu walked over and sat on the sofa, arms braced on his knees and his head hanging.

He looked so dejected that Alecia rushed over and sat next to him, wrapping her arm around him, hugging him. He felt so good, smelled so good, and Alecia grew lightheaded. She’d never thought to have him next to her again.

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Samantha Kane

“Then you know he could ruin you. He could have you removed as a Fellow at the Royal Society.” Her voice broke. Nat was right. They had to leave Palu alone. They had to stay away from him, or they would destroy his life, his career.

“What are you talking about?” Palu asked incredulously. He pulled out of Alecia’s arms and stared at her aghast.

“Damn it,” Nat swore again. He stalked over and threw himself down on the settee opposite them. “We can’t risk it, Palu. He swore that as long as we stayed away from you he wouldn’t speak to any of the patrons there about our affair.” Nat rubbed his hair so roughly it stood straight up on the top of his head. “We won’t take the Society away from you,” he promised earnestly. “We know how much it means to you.”

“This is why you ended our affair?” Palu asked warily.

Nat nodded. “He came to see us not long after you left a week ago.” He leaned forward and spoke intently. “You must believe us, Palu. We would never have sought you out. If we had known you were in the park we would never have gone there. We’ll explain to Hardington that it was an accident, a coincidence.”

Palu smiled wryly and Alecia’s heart leapt because there was both humor and a growing lightness in his face, dispelling the dejection of a few moments ago.

“Really?” he drawled. “A coincidence? And how are you going to explain my coming home with you again? We were simply going in the same direction? I’d left my glove in your parlor?”

Alecia bit her lip, not sure whether to laugh at the absurdity of his observation or to cry at the futility of it all. He was right. Hardington would never believe them.

Palu tilted his head in that way of his, the one that said he was trying to understand something. “Why? Why does Hardington want to keep us apart?”

“Revenge,” Alecia said softly. Palu turned a surprised look to her. She nodded.

“Apparently he has not forgiven you for stealing a lover from him during the war. And when we chose you instead of him at Wilchester’s, he set out to punish us all.”

Palu laughed in genuine amusement. “Stole a lover during the war? Did he mean William?”

Alecia nodded. “Why didn’t you tell us about him?”

Again Palu looked surprised. “It simply never occurred to me,” he answered, and it was obvious that he spoke the truth. “William was my lover for several months. We were very close.” He looked away and smiled at whatever memory the other man’s name had resurrected. “He was my best friend before he was my lover.” He shook his head. “He had no interest in Hardington whatsoever.” He snorted in disgust.

“Hardington was fooling himself if he believed otherwise.” Palu rubbed his jaw. “But to give the devil his due, Hardington’s pursuit of William is what drove us into each other’s arms.”

“What happened to him?” Alecia asked, although she thought she knew.

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“He died,” Palu answered in his straightforward way, “at Albuera.” He smiled sadly. “If only he had held out until the rain arrived. The French muskets didn’t work when they got wet.” He shrugged fatalistically. “Although the French bayonets did.”

Alecia placed her hand on his arm tentatively. “I’m sorry.”

Palu patted her hand as if offering her comfort. “It happens. We were at war, after all. It was not unexpected.”

“Did you love him?” Nat’s question was sharp, and when Alecia looked at him he was blushing and frowning. Palu was regarding him intently, his head tilted again.

Palu sighed before answering. “Yes. But…not as you mean, I don’t think.” Nat just continued to stare at him ferociously and Palu gave him a small smile. “I loved him deeply, as a friend and confidante. But it was always understood that our affair would end when the war did.”

Nat visibly relaxed and Alecia realized that he was jealous. She liked to see him that way. It meant his feelings were true.

“That’s not all,” Nat told him seriously. “Hardington’s real motivation is money.

He feels that you cost him a great deal of money when you refused to let him invest in your voyages.”

Palu surprised them both by laughing. “He’s correct,” he said with a satisfied grin.

“Hardington cannot hurt me,” Palu said firmly. “Whatever nonsense he has told you is wrong.” He stood and walked over to stand in front of Nat. “The Fellows of the Royal Society do not care what I do in my personal time, Nat,” he said quietly. “The patrons only care about the science and the discoveries, and what money can be made from them.” He looked over his shoulder at Alecia and then back to Nat. “Are you not a patron?”

Nat shook his head, his face turning even redder than before. He looked over Palu’s shoulder, avoiding his eyes. “We do not have the funds to support anyone’s research.”

“I’m sorry. Of course. But you have been to lectures, and met other patrons?”

Nat nodded hesitantly. “Wilchester is a patron.”

“Then you know what I say is correct.” Palu sounded so sure.

“But Hardington said that there were several Fellows and patrons who were not happy with your election.”

“Yes, but that’s true of any Fellow. There are petty jealousies and disputes among us all.” He paused and his look became wary. “I am very good at what I do.”

“Good?” Nat burst out. “You are the best, and you know it. You are the most celebrated naturalist working with the Society today, not just for your parentage but for your own travels and discoveries.”

It was Palu’s turn to blush. “Thank you.”

Nat threw his hands up in the air. “That means that everyone will be watching you, Palu! There will be talk and all those petty jealousies and disputes will magnify as your detractors try to destroy you.”

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Samantha Kane

Palu laughed and Nat glowered. “Nat,” Palu said with laughter in his voice, “you think me more important than I am, truly. There are some who will turn away or disparage me and my research because of our relationship, but there are many who do so now simply because of who my mother was.”