My Lord Deceived (24 page)

“I don’t know.
I haven’t seen much of him since Mr Barnaby died.”

“Brian worked
on Mr Barnaby’s boat?”

“Yes, he was
there when Mr Barnaby fell on his fishing knife.”

“What is Brian
doing for a job now?”

“He is still
taking Mr Barnaby’s boat out with the rest of the crew.”

Jonathan’s
brows rose at that and he turned to stare at the boy. A glint of
suspicion lurked in his eyes and he studied the ground beneath his
feet thoughtfully.

“All of the
crew are going out with Brian?”

“Not all of
them. Most of them transferred onto other boats a couple of days
later. I think a couple of them have gone to work on boats further
around the coast, but at least two of the original crew have taken
over the boat.”

“They paid Mrs
Barnaby for it?”

“I don’t know,”
Billy sighed. He liked Brian. Whenever Brian spoke to him he always
offered him an apple and was like the big brother Billy had always
wanted.

“Would you take
a word of advice from me?” He watched Billy nod hesitantly.

“Stay well away
from Brian and his friends. No matter how well you think you know
them, people like that are not to be trusted. They will get you in
trouble just because you are related to Kat. Please, Billy, if you
have any respect for either Kat, or your mother, you must avoid
Billy like the plague.”

Billy stared
suspiciously at Jonathan for a moment. He didn’t want the man to
think he could tell him what to do. Jonathan was rich and handsome
and had no idea what Billy had to do just to be able to eat and
provide food for his sister and mother. The differences between
them were huge, even to Billy’s young eyes. Although Kat had given
him a similar warning, it held a different meaning when it came
from Jonathan.

Billy nodded
but the dark frown on his face made it clear that he wasn’t happy
about the decision. “Alright.” He didn’t spend all that much time
with Brian anyway but, if it helped his mother and Kat, then he
would do it. He thought of Kat’s tears the other night and felt sad
that she was so upset.

“Lesson over
for today,” Jonathan muttered. They both caught sight of Kat as she
stalked down the driveway toward him. “If you take Percy back to
his stable I am sure Jack will show you how to unsaddle him. Then I
think it would be best if you head home.”

He didn’t wait
to see if Billy would follow orders. With his gaze locked on Kat’s
long, angry strides, he skirted around the horse he walked toward
her.

“Good
afternoon,” Jonathan murmured and planted himself firmly in front
of Kat’s view of her brother.

“I thought I
asked you not to encourage him to ride.”

“It is doing
him no harm Kat. He is learning a new skill, that’s all.”

“But we cannot
afford to purchase a riding horse. You really should not encourage
him.” Kat found it incredibly hard to keep her impatience out of
her voice. She was fiercely angry that he would over-ride her
wishes with such high-handedness.

“Let’s go
inside,” Jonathan urged. “I want to talk to you about reading to my
uncle.”

“I am afraid I
won’t be able to do it for a while,” Kat replied. She physically
trembled with a mixture of temper and residual fear from Harrison’s
visit. All the way over here her thoughts had wavered between her
desire to give Jonathan a piece of her mind, to the horror of the
sight of that bolt of cloth as it fell down the chimney. If it had
fallen while the Excise men had been in her house, she would be in
jail by now. They all would. The thought filled her with horror and
a sense of urgency that she couldn’t define.

Once inside his
study, Jonathan showed her to the chaise before the fireplace and
sat beside her.

“Look, I know
that you are annoyed with me for giving Billy another lesson but it
really is a skill that will serve him well for the future. There is
nothing wrong with it. I don’t expect anything in return and Percy
needs the exercise. There is nobody on the estate who is small
enough to ride him, so why not Billy?”

Kat couldn’t
find argument with that and lapsed into silence.

Jonathan knew
she wasn’t convinced. “Call it payment if you like, for the hours
you have spent reading to Bruce. He enjoys that about as much as
Billy enjoys riding Percy. So we can call it quits.”

Kat felt petty
and churlish for having raised an objection in the first place. “I
cannot read for your uncle for a while.” Kat stared into the fire.
She hated to say the words. She enjoyed coming to the big house and
loved reading to Jonathan’s uncle even more. It was going to be a
wrench not to make her thrice weekly visits, but she had to keep
some distance between herself and the man beside her, at least
while he was in residence. Once he had gone then she wasn’t sure
she wanted to come near the place because of the memories. At some
point he would return with a wife in tow, then what? She would have
to stop her visits at some point, especially if they did purchase a
farm and moved away from the area.

She blanked out
a small voice that reminded her that Jonathan had been the first
person she had run to after the horrid near-miss with the bolt of
cloth.

“What’s wrong,
Kat?”

“Nothing. It is
just that I have to help mother with the stall a bit more. Harrison
called again this morning. Each time they call they destroy the
house and it takes us half a day to put everything back. With that
and running the stall it is taking its toll on mother. There simply
isn’t the time to keep trailing over here. Not while Harrison is at
large.”

“He is doing
his job, Kat, that’s all.”

“I know but he
never used to rip the house apart like he does now, or so
frequently.”

“He is looking
for the smuggled goods. It is his job to bring smugglers to justice
and ensure their illegal cargo is confiscated, you should know
that.” Jonathan studied her face closely but could detected nothing
but disgust for Harrison in her gaze.

“I know,” Kat
sighed. “We cannot stop it, I know that but while it is happening I
cannot continue to read for your uncle.”

Jonathan
wondered if she wanted to distance herself from him because she was
involved with the smugglers he himself had said that he was going
to help capture. Was she trying to hide her guilt? He wasn’t sure
but he was damned well positive he would find out.

“What do you
know about the smuggling, Kat? You and I both know it is
happening,” he sighed and met her gaze. He didn’t tell her that he
had seen it with his own eyes, but the confidence in his voice gave
her pause to turn to stare at him.

It was on the
tip of Kat’s tongue to tell him everything, but she eventually
sighed and pushed to her feet. “I don’t know anything about
smuggling,” she sighed.

“No, nobody
does.” Jonathan grumbled. “But I am damned well going to find out
who is involved and stop them.”

“Why? I mean,
you are due to be moving on any day now. Why concern yourself with
it? Surely you cannot be that bored?”

Jonathan’s
brows lifted at the insult. “I am not doing this because I need
something to while away the hours. I am doing this because I have a
duty; a responsibility to ensure that everyone in the village is as
safe as possible. Going out onto a wind-swept beach to battle the
raging sea to smuggle illegal goods ashore is not keeping everyone
safe. God in heaven, it is going to put everyone behind bars.”

“You have a
reputation to uphold,” Kat snapped with a shake of her head. She
knew that was what was behind his persistence. It wasn’t any
concern for the villagers, but his need to distance himself from
any illegal activity.

In part it was
the truth. He did have a reputation to uphold, but it had nothing
to do with the Earldom. It was his good character within the Star
Elite he needed to protect.

“I need to
ensure that everyone I hold dear is kept safe from harm. It has
been known for the smuggled cargo to include smuggled people,
especially French spies. You would do well to remember that, Kat,
while you are keeping your secrets and protecting your
friends.”

Kat turned to
stare at him. Deep in her stomach she knew that he was aware of
exactly what the village was up to. Did he know she was involved?
Was he trying to warn her? Or was it some oblique reference in the
hope that she would be fooled and tell him what he needed to
know.

“I am keeping
nobody’s secrets. If you know so much why do you continue to pester
me and Billy? Why are you not out there doing something about
it?”

“I am just
trying to find out what I need to know before I decide the best
course of action to take, Kat. I cannot stop Harrison from going
about his duties, but I can and will stop the smuggling going
on.”

“How?”

Jonathan merely
smiled at her. He studied her carefully and knew that she was fully
aware of the activities on the beach.

“If there is
anything you think I should know, you know where to find me.” He
replied instead. He refused to provide her with the information she
needed, especially when she wouldn’t confide in him.

“What will you
do if you find out there are smugglers in the village?” She paused
by the door and turned back to look at him. Her gaze was soft and
almost sad as she looked at him. It made him frown in concern.
Although she hadn’t said as much, he knew with certainty that she
was aware of the smuggling but just wasn’t prepared to discuss it
with him. Was it because she didn’t trust him? Or did she feel that
she had to protect someone?

“They have to
go to jail like every other smuggler up and down the coastline.
Bentney on Sea is no different. A smuggler is a smuggler, Kat. They
all have to be treated the same.”

Kat felt sick
to her stomach and had to turn away from his careful scrutiny. She
knew that if he pushed her, really pushed her, then she was likely
to tell him everything, and she couldn’t bear him to know of her
guilt.

It was bad
enough that he might learn of her fall from grace, but to have him
be the one who put her behind bars was unconscionable.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Kat,” he
waited until she turned back toward him. He moved to stand before
her and stared down into her face. “There is nothing I won’t do to
protect those I care about. I can help you, if only you trust me.”
He kept his voice soft and his stance relaxed, even though every
inch of him wanted to shake her until she started to talk.

She studied him
and made no attempt to move away from the hand that cupped her
cheek. It was folly to allow any further kisses, but she wanted to
feel what it was like to be held by him just once more. Gentle
warmth stole through her as she watched his head lower toward hers.
The soft whisper of his breath stole over her lips a second before
she was captured by him. No sooner had his lips landed on hers than
his arms swept around her waist and drew her flush against his
masculine length.

Her senses
swam. She could feel every muscle and sinew beneath the clothing he
wore. She felt consumed, enraptured and she couldn’t break free.
With a sigh, she sank closer to his warmth instead and savoured the
few precious moments she had with him.

Jonathan cupped
her head in one large palm and angled his head to deepen the kiss
the way he wanted to. He swallowed her soft gasp and eased her
closer. His heart hammered in his throat. He wanted to plunder; to
control, command and demand her complete surrender. She stood
compliant in his arms, but a small part of him couldn’t help but
wonder for how long. She was strong, determined and almost feisty.
He had to capture her and make her his.

Slowly, as the
minutes ticked past, she began to return his kisses. He knew that
she was untried and was learning from his masterful command by the
way in which she copied his movements. The sweep of her tongue
against his almost undid him and he groaned softly at the white hot
sensation that poured through him. His hand tightened in her hair
as wave after wave of passion built.

Kat was lost to
everything but he feel of his lips and his warm embrace. She
couldn’t have stopped him even if she had wanted to, which she
didn’t. Instead, she leaned into his embrace and tipped her head
back.

“God, Kat,”
Jonathan groaned as he peppered kisses down her neck. His body
responded to her nearness with a swiftness that shocked him. He
shifted uncomfortably in an attempt to ease the ache in his loins,
and groaned at the feel of her as she moved against him. With any
other woman he would have backed her toward the chaise and made use
of the soft cushions. With Kat, he had no intention of rushing her
into anything she wasn’t ready for. For some reason, he wanted to
be noble and chivalrous with her, and wait until they were married
before they gave in to the demands of their bodies – if he could
last that long.

Rather than
push him away as she knew she ought to, Kat ran her fingers through
his soft hair. It tickled her fingers. She felt decidedly wanton
for her behaviour but couldn’t think of regrets or anything other
than the feel of his wonderfully soft lips as they rubbed so
tantalisingly against hers. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest.
She was certain he could feel it.

One large palm
slid slowly down her side, over the indentation of her waist to
settle on the sharp protrusion of her hip. She made no protest when
his hand slid around her back, and continued downward to cup her
rounded bottom. She didn’t think there was any space between them
as it was, but he managed to pull her tighter against him until
every breath he took felt like her own. She wasn’t sure where this
was headed but couldn’t stop him. She wanted this as much as he
did.