Rumors Among the Heather (6 page)

Julie trembled as the
flood of memories rushed at her, only to be replaced by the
present. Geoffrey’s lips moved, but she could not understand what
he said. Their last meeting kept ringing in her ears and mind.

She could still
remember Geoffrey’s parting words to her. “I have something to tell
you, Julie. I thought it best to do it in person. You and I have
meant a lot to each other in the past. While it’s true we have an
understanding…”

“What are you trying
to say?” Julie had hoped and prayed he planned to ask her to marry
him right away.

“What he’s trying to
say, my dear, is that he’s already married,” supplied Geoffrey’s
mother. “He married Dr. Prevost’s daughter, Angela. It's an
excellent match. He’ll take over the doctor’s practice when the
good doctor retires, and Angela, of course, will inherit quite a
windfall. I’m sure you understand a match between the two of you
would never do. Besides, it was just a childish promise. Not one to
be taken seriously, especially now. Although your breeding is above
reproach, you are now below his station in life,” Mrs. Hamilton
finished.

“Mother, please. I
would like to talk to Julie alone.”

“There’s no point in
dragging this out. I told you, you should just have written to her.
Come along, Geoffrey, Angela is waiting.”

“I’ll be there
shortly, Mother,” he’d said in dismissal. He turned back to Julie.
“Julie, please, I never meant to hurt you, honestly. You don’t know
what it’s like to be alone and without expectations. It’s a once in
a lifetime opportunity for me. I could not turn it down. Please say
you understand.”

Julie was rooted to
the spot where she stood, too paralyzed with shock to move or
speak. Her last hope shattered. The ground crumbled at her feet,
and she could do nothing but stare past Geoffrey to the carriage
where a young girl sat quietly. Her pale skin blended into her
dishwater colored hair. She looked back at Julie with squinting
eyes. Even now, Julie could not be angry with her. For some reason,
she felt sorry for Geoffrey’s bride.

Again, she tore
herself away from the past to hear Geoffrey speak. “I would feel
better if you said something to me. You have every right to be
angry, I know. I feel like the lowest of creatures. Please say
something.”

“Everything has been
said. I wish you continued happiness. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I
must get back,” Julie said with an effort.

He was saying the same
words now he’d said on that fateful day. “I’m truly sorry, Julie.
You’ll always be my first and only love,” he whispered across the
table.

“Geoffrey, I’m sorry
you’re not happy, but what has been done can’t be undone. You’ll
have to make the best of it. Does your wife know you’re unhappy
with the bargain?”

“I’ve tried to keep up
a front, but I’m afraid she suspects. She’s so kind and
understanding. I feel a perfect wretch. The lowest of the low. I
don’t deserve either one of you,” he said with so much pain in his
voice, Julie almost pitied him.

“You should have
brought your wife with you. Perhaps you could have patched up your
differences on your own,” Julie said.

Geoffrey released his
hold, and Julie could withdraw her hand at last. She looked around
to see if anyone watched them.

“Let’s talk about
something else. Have you heard news from Wintersea?” They talked
for a long time about their mutual friends. At last, Julie had to
go.

* * *

In the following
months, Geoffrey seemed always to be around whenever Julie came
ashore. It was almost as if he watched especially for her. They
continued to see each other, but always as friends. Julie enjoyed
their arrangement, and although he had broken her heart, he was a
familiar face and a way to hear the news from Wintersea, but
Geoffrey began to grow impatient. They met as usual at Pearl’s Tea
Room. Their easy conversation rolled along as before until suddenly
Geoffrey began to speak in passionate tones.

“Julie, I’m in love
with you, and I’ll always be. Please don’t turn me away,” he
pleaded as he grabbed her hand.

Julie looked wildly
around the small dining room. Speaking in a low voice she said,
“Hush, Geoffrey, please, this can’t be. Let go of my hand! You’re
making a spectacle of yourself. We can never be anything more than
friends.” Wrenching her hand free, she stood up to leave.

Geoffrey stood up also
and tried to take her hand again.

“Geoffrey, I have to
leave. I can’t see you anymore. It was foolish of me to continue
seeing you when we both knew nothing good could come of it,” Julie
said softly but with anger enunciating every word.

She was angrier at
herself than Geoffrey. She knew she should have practiced more
restraint, listened to her head instead of her heart.

Geoffrey followed her
outside and down to the dock. “Julie, please don’t leave me like
this. If I can’t have your love, then I must have your friendship
at least, or I shall surely die. Please don’t leave me without
anyone to turn to,” he pleaded with tears in his eyes.

Against her better
judgment, she relented and turned to look at him. “If I continue to
be your friend, that’s all it can be. You can’t keep having these
outbursts like the one in the tea room, or I’ll end our friendship.
Do I make myself clear?”

Geoffrey eagerly
agreed, and they continued to meet for tea on her free days. The
longer they were together, the more Julie began to realize she
mistook friendship for love. Her former beau seemed interested in
every aspect of her new life. He asked her questions about Lord
Bonnleigh, his staff at the castle, and about Ian. One particular
day, Julie began to feel under siege. There seemed no end to his
questions about Lord Bonnleigh or life at the castle.

“Geoffrey, why are you
always asking questions about Lord Bonnleigh? You probably know as
much or more than I do. I only met the man one time, and he said he
would be back in six months or so. Surely there must be something
more interesting we can talk about?” Julie asked suspiciously.

Geoffrey did not
answer her but changed the subject. Julie noticed he did this when
he did not want to answer a question. This bothered her, but she
could not hazard a guess as to what his purpose could be. He spoke
of his patients and his father-in-law Dr. Prevost. He seemed to be
in awe of the good doctor. She suspected he thought more of the
doctor than his own wife. Julie also noticed with some amusement
the trail of his conversation never once crossed the path leading
to Angela.

“Julie, would you walk
back with me to my surgery? I left my bag, and I have a patient to
look in on this afternoon.”

They walked along
without speaking until they reached their destination. “You may
wait in my office. I’ll only be a minute, and then I’ll walk you
back to your boat.”

Julie sat down to
wait. As she looked around, she saw a small portrait of Angela and
her father, as well as an opened letter lying on the desk in
Geoffrey’s office. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she
began to read it when she saw it was from Angela. The letter was
full of endearments. She wrote lovingly with none of the coolness
Geoffrey said she possessed. In the last paragraph, she told
Geoffrey in glowing terms about her health, and added it would only
be another month before the baby would be born. Julie’s mind spun.
A full range of emotions raged through her, from anger to
guilt.

Geoffrey came out of
the back with his bag. With a smile calculated to dazzle her, he
said, “See, that didn’t take long. Before we leave, I have
something to say to you. This is of a private nature, and I feel I
must speak before my heart bursts.”

Julie put up her hand
to silence him. “Save your breath, Geoffrey. I know I shouldn’t
have, but I read Angela’s letter. There is no coolness in this
letter, only endearments for you, soon to be a father. Something
you neglected to tell me. Why is that, do you suppose? What are you
trying to do? I feel as if I’ve been used. You’ve gone too far for
the last time! Good-bye, Geoffrey. Don’t bother to walk back with
me. I never learn, do I?” she spat out in disgust—at herself and
Geoffrey.

Before Julie reached
the door, Geoffrey grabbed her and pulled her against his chest. He
held her there, imprisoned in his arms.

“Geoffrey, let go of
me this instant, or I’ll scream so loudly the whole town will come
running,” Julie threatened.

“Not before you listen
to me. Yes, she’s pregnant. I had to keep up the appearances of a
marriage. I didn’t want her to go crying to her father. My only
hope is she’ll die in childbirth. She’s not strong, you know. Not
strong like you, Julie.”

Repulsion turned
Julie’s stomach, and panic coated her limbs in the form of an icy
shiver. “You’re hurting me. Let me go, please!” she insisted
loudly.

“Don’t you see, Julie?
I’m doing so well with my practice, and her father has given me an
allowance besides. I could set you up with a house of your own. We
could be together just like we planned. No one would know.”

“You sell me cheap,
Geoffrey. What makes you think I would accept carte blanche from
you or any man—especially one who is married?”

He held her tighter
and tried to kiss her, but Julie fought back with every ounce of
strength she possessed. She stomped hard on his instep with the
heel of her shoe. With one arm free, she delivered a stinging slap
across his face. Geoffrey let her go. Free at last, she ran for the
door. She did not stop running until she reached the dock and her
boat. Quickly, she pushed off and let her sail unfurl. Geoffrey now
stood at the dock, and she rushed her efforts to get away. Only
when the wind filled her sail and carried her out to sea did she
feel safe. His shouts for her to come back were soon swallowed by
the sounds of the waves crashing to shore.

Back on the island,
Julie ran the boat up on the beach. She stepped out and ran all the
way to the castle door. Once inside the castle, she ran up to her
room, threw on her riding habit, and ran down to the stables before
Mrs. Highet could waylay her. She mounted a fine Arabian stallion
called Crusader, and raced him down an old familiar path like the
ghostly hound Old Black Shuck was on their trail. Julie needed to
feel the wind in her hair and have it blow away the repugnance
consuming her. The stallion enjoyed the workout and the chance to
chase the wind. There were more than eight thousand acres to run
through, and Julie had no intention of stopping until she chased
away Geoffrey’s tainted proposition and touch.

* * *

Matthew, who had
returned home before dawn, and his groom, Jarvis, were looking over
a tenant farm when they spied Julie and Crusader flying down the
lane. Julie hovered low over the horse’s neck. From a distance, it
looked as if she were hanging onto the horse’s mane. Possibly a
runaway.

He mounted his horse
and charged across his tenant’s fields hoping to reach Julie before
she fell from her horse. With his heart in his throat, he urged his
horse to go faster. Dodging limbs and jumping ditches, he made it
to Julie’s side.

Matthew snatched her
from Crusader, but instead of being grateful and relieved, she
fought his hold. Her flying fists and writhing sent them both
tumbling to the hard earth.

Matthew pinned her to
the ground and tried to still Julie’s struggling, but she wiggled
like a snake and broke his grip. When the dust cleared, they were
tangled together like lovers. Her blouse gaped open, exposing the
tantalizing sight of her voluptuous breasts. Shocked by the contact
of their two bodies, Julie momentarily stopped her struggling.

Her open-eyed gaze
seemed surprised, as if she had not known who held her. Something
or someone had startled her. Julie began to struggle again. Matthew
tried to gain the upper hand. Blinded by the dust and her flying
hair, he reached out and gripped her bare flesh. His hand closed
over her breast, and instinctively he cupped it. Stung by the shock
of his discovery and aroused by her naked flesh, his blood stirred
in his loins. He struggled to control the fire threatening to rage
out of control.

Matthew looked down at
her glowing skin and what he hoped was the beginning of desire
darkening her eyes. A moan rumbled from deep inside him. His mouth
went dry, making it difficult for him to speak or think.

“Miss Hastings,
please, for God’s sake, keep still. You don’t know what you’re
doing. I’m just a man, made of flesh and blood like any other. I
beg of you, lie still while I untangle myself and catch my
breath.”

“Lie still while you
hold me? I most certainly will not! How dare you hold me down? Let
me go!” she said huskily, her words coming out in whispered
breaths.

He moved off her and
reached down to help her up. She refused his hand and stood up on
her own. Brushing the leaves and dirt from her skirt and hair, she
tried to repair the damage to her blouse.

“How dare you attack
me and pull me off my horse. If I were a man, I’d call you
out!”

“I’m quite sure you
would, my dear. You gave me quite a struggle, but never have I
enjoyed being locked in mortal combat more,” he said, trying to
catch his breath and calm the shock he’d received.

He had never lost
control before this, and the realization that she could bring him
to the brink unnerved him. He took pride in the fact that for most
of his life, he’d practiced control in every way.

“If you didn’t want me
to ride your stallion, you could have just said so. You very nearly
killed me,” she said, daggers shooting from her gaze.

“What are you babbling
about? I just saved your pretty neck. You shouldn’t ride mounts you
can’t control. When I said you could ride, I thought you would pick
a calm lady’s mount. I didn’t know you would pick a horse as
spirited as Crusader,” he said with irritation.