Shattered Dreams (24 page)

“
If he does disappear, don’t try and find him by yourself,”
Harry warned as he studied her. “I will have a word with him too.
Between us, we might just be able to persuade him to listen to
reason.”

Some of
the colour had returned to her cheeks, and seemed to emphasise the
hypnotic colour of her beautiful green eyes. His gaze traced the
gentle curve of her smooth cheeks down to the soft contours of her
lips.

The
atmosphere shifted between them, and seemed to draw them together
where they were bound by the sensual web of desire that neither of
them could ignore. The tips of his fingers swept gently down the
warmth of her cheek; which really was as soft as it looked. He felt
her sigh, and read the curiosity and acceptance in her eyes. It was
all he needed to see, and slowly lowered his head.

The need
to taste those rosebud lips drove him to sample the desire that
blossomed out of nowhere and, with a low moan, settled his lips
upon hers.

The
gentle sweep of his lips captured her soft sigh of surrender. She
made no protest when he shifted his weight and drew her closer. The
feel of his large palms on her waist made her feel tiny in
comparison to his much larger masculine frame, and she sighed in
wonder as she melted against him.

The
world faded as his increased the pressure on her lips, and nudged
her mouth open so he could plunder. She hadn’t realised that she
had needed this but, now that his arms were around her, she knew
just how much she had missed him. The protective feeling of love
she always felt around him was something that was life-changing.
Whatever happened between them, she would never forget this moment;
never forget him, and suddenly wanted to savour every second of
their time together.

Something soft and gentle began to unfurl inside her. It
brought with it a sense of hope, and a feeling of completeness that
startled her. Everything was right with her world now, with this
man by her side. There was nothing she couldn’t cope with, and no
obstacle life could throw at her that she couldn’t overcome with
his advice, support and encouragement.

A soft
gasp escaped her when one large palm cupped the back of her head at
the same time that he began to take sipping kisses from her lips.
She opened her mouth instinctively beneath the pressure of his, and
sighed when his lips immediately captured hers in a far deeper kiss
than before. Although he didn’t draw her any closer, she could feel
the corded muscles of his arms flex beneath her fingers, and the
fine tension that swept through him.

“
God, Tilly,” Harry growled when he buried his head in the
curve of her neck. “We need to stop this,” he declared, and lifted
his head, but made no attempt to draw away.

The
sight of the supplication in her eyes drew him in though, and he
dipped his head for one last kiss.

Tilly
clung to him, helpless to deny him anything he wanted against the
raw need for more of his kisses. She wanted him to hold her forever
and leaned toward him in mute appeal. It was as though he knew, and
understood, because his arms immediately swept around her, and drew
her closer still. Their hearts pounded in unison, and their mutual
desire carried them away on a silken sigh of unspoken promises as
their kiss blazed a trail around them, binding them together
forevermore.

Harry
struggled to remember where they were, but then wished he hadn’t
when he realised that they were in the bedroom. He suddenly grew
painfully aware of the bed only a few feet away, and willed his
wayward body to cool.

“
We need to stop,” he whispered against her lips.

Although
he felt her nod, she made no attempt to move away either. He closed
his eyes against the alluring sight of her moistened lips only a
breath away, and rested his forehead against hers while he fought
for control. “I am sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Tilly
suddenly snapped out of the soft daze she had willingly stepped
into, and felt her world crash around her at the sound of the
bitter regret in his voice. She looked up at him with wide, fearful
eyes, and felt her heart squeeze painfully in her chest as she read
the discomfort on his face.

The
differences between them suddenly seemed to increase tenfold. She
had enjoyed their kisses, and wanted more of them whenever the
possibility arose. Unfortunately, while she had embraced what had
happened between them with an open heart, he had regrets and
clearly regretted their kisses.

She
pushed at his arms until he released her. As soon as she was free,
she hurried out of the room without a backward look.

“
Tilly,” he groaned, desperate to try to put right the
misunderstanding. Did she think he regretted kissing her? He moaned
aloud when he thought over his words. He had to remind himself that
she was innocent, and would have no way of understanding that his
regret was due to the fact that he couldn’t take matters further
right there and then.

She
didn’t stop though. She couldn’t have spoken to him for the world,
because no words would have forced their way past the lump in her
throat.

A sudden wave of humiliation swept through her at the ease in
which she had allowed him to kiss her. She hoped that he didn’t
think that she was trying to offer herself to him, or saw him as
some sort of personal saviour who would offer for her hand. She
didn’t want
that
kind of relationship. No matter how desperate her situation
was, even she wasn’t prepared to become his mistress just to keep a
roof over her head. Unfortunately, from the look of the regret in
his eyes, she knew that was most probably what he considered her
willingness had been about.

It was
going to be difficult to go back downstairs and face him now, but
she knew that at some point she must. She had no idea what she
would do, or say to him because she had never been in this
situation before, and had no idea what she should do. Should she
pretend it hadn’t happened? Should she try to brazen it out, bury
herself in housework, and redouble her efforts to find employment
so she could prove to him that she didn’t need his help?

She sat on the side of her bed, and stared blankly out of the
window while she considered her options more carefully.
Should
she find herself
another job so she could prove to him that she could look after
herself?

She had
made a mess of her life so far, but was older and considerably
wiser now. There were a few coins still in her pocket. If she spent
them wisely, it was still possible that she could find herself a
job, with a room for both her and Zack. It wasn’t
implausible.

However,
she couldn’t lose sight of what Harry had told her. She was
ostensibly in the middle of the government’s investigation into
strange goings on at the poor house, and servants who were stealing
from their employers. It would be incredibly foolish of her to go
against his advice and put herself, and probably everyone else, at
risk by going to interviews alone.

With no
answers on the horizon, she turned her attention to what had just
happened in the bedroom. However, acute embarrassment forced her
thoughts in another direction.

Unsure
what to think, she gazed blankly out over the garden. She stared at
the hole in the roof of the outbuilding, and understood now why the
house wasn’t maintained very well. Given that Harry was here for
work; the décor, and condition of the garden, was of little
consequence.

As her
eyes wandered over the garden, she noticed something move in the
woods at the end of the lawn. She studied it for a moment, only
couldn’t decide what it was. Had it just moved? It couldn’t
possibly be a fox or wildlife of some kind because the movement she
had seen was a third of the way up the large oak tree and hidden in
the shadows.

It
looked as though someone was hiding there, watching the
house.

When it
suddenly shifted, Tilly went cold, then hot, then began to
panic.

Was that
Dandridge?

Her
heart began to pound in her ears, but she didn’t wait to see it
again. She lifted her skirts and practically raced down the stairs,
straight into the group of men who were deep in conversation in the
hallway.

Harry
caught her. “What is it? What’s wrong?” He demanded with a
frown.

In spite
of what they had shared in the bedroom, the sight of him in the
hallway, standing so tall, vibrant, and strong, was wonderfully
reassuring. She would have slumped with relief if she hadn’t been
so worried.

“
Darling, what’s wrong?” Harry repeated gently when she
continued to stare at him.

The
horror in her eyes unnerved him. He glanced up the stairs and
wondered what the hell was up there that had worried her so
much.

“
There is someone in the woods at the end of the garden,
watching the house. They are standing in the shadows beneath the
huge oak tree.” She spoke so quickly that she wasn’t sure if she
made any sense whatsoever. It was only when she lapsed into silence
that Barnaby suddenly lurched into action.

“
I’ll go out the front and circle round,” he said. Once at the
front door, he pierced Tilly with a dark look. “What did he look
like?”

“
I don’t know. It was definitely a man, but he was hidden in
shadows. He is just standing there – watching.”

“
Did he see you in the window?” Harry asked quietly, and began
to rub his hands up and down the chilled flesh of her arms in an
attempt to soothe her. When that didn’t seem to work, he drew her
into his arms and stroked her back.

Tilly
settled against him with a sigh. Her fear and tension suddenly
vanished and she began to relax against him now that she had his
quiet strength beside her.

“
I didn’t go near the window,” she shivered. “I was sitting on
the end of the bed, but don’t know if he can see into the bedroom
windows from where he was. At first, I didn’t think it was a man,
but then he shifted and I saw a bit of an outline of him. It’s not
wildlife. It’s not.”

“
It’s alright,” Harry soothed. “Barnaby and Marcus are going
to check it out. Whoever he is, we will deal with it. You did
right, my love. You did,” he assured her when he felt her continue
to shake.

“
I am sorry, Harry. I don’t know what’s come over me. I mean,
it wasn’t as though he was knocking on the door or anything,” she
whispered.

“
Try not to worry, you are perfectly safe as long as you stay
close to the house,” he assured her.

She
leaned back so she could look him in the eye. She didn’t think that
he would lie to her, but she didn’t want him to protect her from
the truth. Harry was so very protective, which in some ways made
him absolutely wonderful. “Do you think it is
Dandridge?”

“
We don’t know,” Harry replied honestly.

“
If it is him, why would he return to watch the house? What is
he looking for?” Tilly frowned as she thought about the torn up
floorboards in the housekeeper’s quarters.

Harry
shared a look with Joseph. Neither of them said ‘you’, but it was
what they were thinking.

“
We will get to the bottom of everything, Tilly,” Harry
sighed. “Unfortunately, it just takes time, patience and a lot of
effort.”

Suzanna,
completely oblivious to what was going on, poked her head around
the kitchen door. “Tilly, I need a hand folding these
sheets.”

“
Go on,” Harry urged. “Leave it to us. I’ll see you later,”
Harry promised with a nod, and watched her reluctantly disappear
into the kitchen.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Minutes
later, Harry crept up to within a few feet of Dandridge, who was
completely oblivious to the fact that both he and Joseph were
behind him. From his vantage point, he could see the back of the
house, the garden, and the buildings to the side of the house where
the horses were kept.

Had
Dandridge left something hidden in the house; or someone? He hated
to think that the man was after Tilly, or even Suzanna or Zack, for
that matter.

They
waited and watched Dandridge watch the house for a good hour. It
was only when Tilly and Suzanna left the house and began to gather
the remainder of the freshly laundered sheets off the washing line
that Dandridge stood up, suddenly alert.

Even
from several feet away, the tension in the man’s body was visible
as he started intently at them.

It was
clear to both Harry and Joseph then that Dandridge wasn’t there for
anything he had stolen from the house but had yet to retrieve. He
wanted the women.

When the
washing was finally in the basket, the ladies carried it into the
house together, and closed the kitchen door behind them. Only then
did Dandridge begin to pick his way through the forest, and head
toward town.

Although
he didn’t know it; the Star Elite were in hot pursuit.

About
half an hour later, Harry and his colleagues stood in the shadows
at the rear of the old barn, and studied the huge house Charles
Dandridge had disappeared into. He hadn’t used a key, but then the
door hadn’t been locked either.