Lady Trent (28 page)

“What are you doing?” She asked thru her
teeth, faking a smile in the process.

“Who is the man you were speaking with?” He
firmly asked.

“You’ve no right to interrogate me,” She
bitterly returned, watching the people from over his shoulder, and
fighting to keep her expression at ease. Far be it from her to have
these people so soon spreading vulgar rumors about her manners, or
even her relationship with this man.

“Do you know him?”

“You were hired to watch over and protect me,
not to pry into my affairs.”

“It is Jacob’s distant cousin.”

“So, then, you seek answers to questions you
already know the answers to.”

“How do you know him?” He firmly but quietly
demanded.

“I am under no obligation to answer to
you.”

“Is he not an enemy of your husband’s?”

As soon as he asked it, the music stopped,
and she would have stepped away from him. Opposed to letting her,
he kept hold of her arm, and guided her from the room, thru a set
of double doors and out onto the terrace, as if to simply get some
fresh air. Once again, she went along, a forced expression of peace
upon her face so as to not cause a scene. Nicholas was heading in
that direction, but Marcus shook his head at him and nodded toward
Byron, motioning with his free hand for him to join them.

Once outside she yanked her arm free of his
grip and swung around to face him.

“How dare you pull me aside like this! Does
it not enter your mind that these people may question the
association between us?”

“And what of your association with Jacob’s
enemy?”

“I know nothing of the accusations you’ve
made against him. And you have a great deal of nerve, Marcus
Wren.”

“I have obligations.”

“I know exactly where you stand and who you
are and your obligations to Jacob and the nobles and even the
emperor. Apparently you have taken no thought to my position. Are
you forgetting? I am the lady of this Manor…and I am well able to
dismiss whomever I choose…including you.”

His eyes slanted at her. She’d never seen
such a look in them. His voice was very solemn when he said, “call
upon whomever you wish to have me removed, and you shall see once
and for all how truly capable I am of defending myself.”

She parted her lips to speak. He did so in
her stead, his voice louder this time, and his eyes filled with
anger. “The man with whom you were speaking is an enemy of my
friend…your husband. I have every right to question why he is
present.”

“How am I to know?”

“You didn’t invite him?”

She inhaled a deep, uneven breath, keeping
eye contact, staring at him without so much as a blink of the eye.
“No,” she said, with straightened posture. He stared her in the eye
as if to see if she was or was not telling the truth. Her brows
came together. “But you already accuse me…even in your eyes I see
it.”

“What am I to think when I look to see you
mingling with a man who has proven himself an enemy to your
husband? Do not think that Jacob will not hear of it…even
masquerading as a pirate or whatever he intends to be.”

“How am I to know these things? He simply
introduced himself as a native of Westerly.”

“By what name?”

“I have said all I know to say. What good
does it do to explain anything to you?”

“I want to know why he is here.”

“I do not know.” She nearly screamed it, and
the air went terribly silent. Her chest rose and fell while she
peered angrily into his eyes. Considering all he’d thus far claimed
in reference to the man in question, she calmed herself enough to
say, “it is in my power to remove him…to even detain him if need
be. Is there a need? Just speak it, for I know absolutely nothing
about this man or his dealings with my husband, only that he
introduced himself as Edward Gaunt, a native of Westerly and a
captain by trade. If he has deceived me and is at odds with my
husband…”

“What was he saying to you?”

“That he has just come from Westerly, that he
delivered materials for the reconstruction of the community.”

Marcus went silent, considering the
information quietly to himself and trying to figure out the man’s
motives.

“I can have him arrested,” she said.

His entire countenance had changed. Marcus
became calm enough to coolly reply, “no. Leave him be.”

“Well, if these accusations are true…”

“They are.”

“Then he must be arrested at once.”

“You do not understand,” he said, and turned
away from her. “I fully intend to get to the bottom of his being
here, and I will. Meantime, I advise you to stay within sight of
your guards, to never dismiss yourself without supervision, which I
noticed you do late last night and once this evening.”

“I am sick to death of supervision,” she
narrowly admitted, surprised to even hear herself say it, for she
could not recall having thought it…only feeling disturbed from time
to time having guards constantly watching over and following
her.

“It is a part of it,” he tiredly commented,
casting his eyes toward Byron standing close to the door they’d
came out from. “You knew this,” he quietly told her. “I warned you
early on that you would never truly be alone. I meant well when I
said it, in hopes you would surely adapt or know to.”

“Adapt, adapt, adapt. I am sick to death of
hearing it, and from people who have not a clue how I feel. Is
there some crime in wishing to be alone from time to time in some
other place than ones private chambers? Even then I have guards
listening in on every word, and awaiting lest I do venture out of
my room. I was not even alone earlier when I slipped away. You
followed me. Not that I have not become accustomed to being
followed and observed. I feel your eyes upon me at all times, even
when I know for certain you are not present.”

“Not present,” he quietly repeated. “Have you
seen someone? While I was away…have you seen someone watching you
other than the ordinary guards?”

“No,” she swiftly returned, and then again,
“No. I did not say I had seen anyone, but that I have felt it; when
you are gone, when you are present, especially since you’re return
from the Isles and from Westerly. You are at fault for this
suspicion, that I am being watched by someone other than the
guards. Although the past four days these were more than mere
suspicions. You were, indeed, watching me…and quite openly. Just as
now you openly pull me to the side, giving the people reason to
create rumors.”

“It is known that I am here as your
companion. Jacob has left you in my care. If anything at all
happens to you, if so much as a hair upon your head is harmed, it
will be upon my head.”

“I can see where you would be concerned,
then, with whom I speak with and where I go. Jacob thinks so highly
of you, not appearing to be the slightest bit aware of how
suspicious of a character you are…yet you continually point the
finger at me and even have the nerve to accuse me to my face of
befriending his enemy. But even despite whatever occurred in the
Great Hall he still trusts you. I cannot say the same. Indeed, if
something were to happen to me, he would be furious with you. You
would not want to disappoint him. You may not be so easily able to
pacify him as you obviously did that night with whatever occurred
between those two men who were obviously keeping secrets from him
that you, yourself, were aware of.”

“You should not judge matters you know
nothing about.”

“Perhaps he made me aware of them.”

“In that case you would know better than to
question my motives in reference to them. But my utmost concern at
the moment and until we return, milady, is for your safety
alone—not only for his sake or for mine, but for yours. I would not
wish to see you fall into the hands of any mischief. Enemies can be
cruel, and no man is without rival.”

“Who are these rivals you speak of? This man?
I can have him removed with a simple command.”

“We all have enemies. Some of us many, and
some more malicious than others.”

She cocked a brow. “Even I?”

“You suppose you are in these positions free
of adversary?”

“Then who?” She challenged. “Who are my
enemies? Who are his? He has not made mention of any such rivalry,
no, not one single reference.”

“Such things are not openly discussed.”

“You suggest
I
have enemies. Who would
these be?”

“Perhaps those of the eyes you have felt upon
you.”

“Are you trying to frighten me, Sir
Marcus?”

“I have merely suggested you be
cautious.”

“I have yet to feel unsafe.” She squared her
shoulders to arrogantly reply, “There is little opportunity to feel
anything less than safe with eyes peering upon me from every angle
at every single moment. Just as you suggested in the gardens at
Harp, such is how I feel; that I had never been safer nor would I
be. And then in the gardens at the palace, that I would never be
alone. As for this safety you promised, has something changed
between then and now?”

“Yes,” he flatly agreed, “yes, something has
changed.” There was a great amount of sincerity in his eyes when he
said, “You are no longer simply Rachel the Elder. You are Jacob’s
wife, Lady of the Great City, Lady of Orland Manor.”

She considered his words carefully, her gaze
going from defiant to thoughtful. She said no more, but turned away
from him, making her way near the ledge of the terrace. Marcus’s
voice when he spoke, breaking the silence, was quiet and soft.

“I have given you advice that is well meant,
milady, from the heart…which is not without care.”

“Without care,” she quietly repeated to
herself, unsure as to if he heard her, and not caring if he had or
not. She simply stared out into the darkness, taking in his every
word, the every possible meaning behind them. She understood
exactly what he meant. Had she not felt this before, even from the
beginning, that he had some sort of feelings for her?

“Jacob,” she began, “has not advised me to be
cautious. Were I in any danger he would do so.”

“Jacob is a very wise man, but like any
other, incapable of being fully aware of all things.”

“What are you saying?” She demanded to know,
swinging around to look at him, completely exhausted by every
single conversation the two of them had ever shared. She shook her
head and turned back around. “Never mind it. I know better than to
listen to you. You’ve done nothing but provoke me since day
one.”

“My motives are not indecent. I take my duty
to Jacob very seriously, and so long as it is in my power to do so,
I will see to it neither he is harmed, nor anything he loves. And
he loves you. Dearly he loves you, more than anything this world
has or ever has had to offer him.”

“Please,” she said, lifting her arm toward
his direction. “Just go away. Leave me alone.”

“You cannot be left alone.”

“I said to leave me alone!” she yelled and
swung around to face him, her chest rising and falling, her breath
short. “You are enough to make a person insane.”

“I have told you I mean well, even in
observing you so closely since I returned.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Then I will be honest and give you a reason
as to why I have…although I am certain you already know.”

“I know nothing except you…you approach as if
to…to persuade me of something other than this rivalry you warn me
of.”

“I am a man, and just as you did not intend
to care so much for Jacob, I likewise did not intend to care for
you.”

This silenced her. His gaze dropped a moment.
He appeared to be in very deep thought, and terribly torn or
troubled. He looked back at her with tired, anguished eyes. “I
spoke with Jacob a few mornings after I had returned and…there was
something different about him. I assumed your marriage had been
consummated that night, one reason I had watched you…to see for
myself. Once a woman is taken the first time, she is never the
same.”

She remembered Zaria saying those exact same
words. This she considered for only a moment. The previous
statement became most prevalent. She thought on it, and suddenly
felt as if she may even laugh, but did not. She raised a brow at
him. “So tell me, Sir Marcus, what were your discoveries while you
ogled me from across rooms and tables and yards?”

“Nothing at all,” he simply replied. “You are
the same manner of woman as you ever were.”

“Perhaps I am pretending to be,” she said
with slanted eyes. “In any case, it’s none of your business to
begin with. What makes you so preoccupied with my innocence?”

“Are you still innocent, Rachel?” He called
her by first name for the very first time. This made her feel
peculiar, as if he’d stepped over yet another boundary.

Neither of them batted an eye as she said,
“You speak as if you wish to be the man to take my virtue.” With
that, she did laugh, a quick, short laugh. “You speak as a fool,
and as an enemy, yourself, of a man you claim to love more than any
other in the world. And here you are pointing the finger at
others.”

“I am far from an enemy,” he very seriously
stated. “But I am a mere man.”

“You insinuate that my husband is in danger
or even I…yet without an explanation. Perhaps you, yourself, are
the enemy, just as you claim this man to be. Perhaps he was
speaking to me in like manner as you do.”

“Now
you
speak as a fool.”

“Then explain yourself,” she harshly
demanded.

“Such explanations are often mishandled or
misunderstood.”

“Then you are aware that someone is going to
harm him? Or me?”

“I merely explained that no man is without an
enemy. Can it be put any simpler?”

“And insisted I am in danger.”

“I merely asked you to be cautious—to not
wander about alone, to take heed when it comes to strange men such
as the one you were speaking with.”