The Housemaid's Scandalous Secret (16 page)

‘With the amount and force of the water pouring into the lake from above, didn’t you realise the current could have dragged you under?’

‘It didn’t occur to me,’ she confessed, ‘but I’m an excellent swimmer. I was perfectly safe and I don’t think I did anything wrong.’

‘Neither did the keeper’s dog that drowned here some years back!’ he said quietly.

‘I’m so sorry about that,’ she said, aware that Araminta had frozen into stillness, her face a picture of bewilderment and alarm as she stared at her brother. Never had she seen him so affected by anything. ‘I really am sorry if I frightened you. Truly I am.’

In silence, Ross gazed down at her smiling, upturned face. ‘You’re not afraid of anything, are you?’

‘I’m not afraid of the water—or you,’ she announced blithely. She was deeply touched by how alarmed he’d seemed. His voice had been hoarse with concern when he’d appeared in front of her, his face ravaged with worry as he had called her a little fool.

‘I’m glad,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t want you to be.’ He looked down at her dripping skirts, trying to ignore how delectable she looked with damp tendrils of hair clinging to her face. ‘Go and change your clothes.’

Chapter Six

W
hen Ross had finally regained some of his composure, retrieving his jacket from where he’d tossed it, shrugging himself back into it he turned to his horse and swung himself up into the saddle.

Stupefied, Giles stared at him, thoroughly amused. It was unbelievable that Ross, who always had absolute control over his emotions, who treated women with a combination of indifference, amused tolerance and indulgence, could have been driven to such an uncharacteristic outburst of feelings by a mere maid. It was clear that Miss Napier’s behaviour and imminent drowning had both alarmed and terrified him.

In stark contrast, instead of the haughty disdain one would expect to see on Giles’s face, he had regarded Miss Napier from atop his horse with laughing admiration. In his opinion Ross’s reaction had been a bit over the top. The water beneath the cascade wasn’t deep and Giles didn’t believe Miss Napier had been in any danger of drowning. Noting that Ross’s eyes were still fixed on the young maid, rather than wait for an explanation he plunged right in.

‘At the risk of intruding into your thoughts, Cousin, might I ask why you came down so hard on Miss Napier? As you tore yourself away from your horse, your thoughts appeared to be damnably unpleasant—in fact, the look on your face told me you were going for blood, no less.’

‘I was,’ he ground out in an attempt to conceal the terror that had almost consumed him when he feared she was in danger of being swept away. ‘What a damned reckless and irresponsible thing to do—to go wading into the lake like that—after a bonnet!’

Giles gave him a laughing, sidelong look. ‘Come now, Ross. When we were boys, did we not throw ourselves from that very bridge—times too numerous to count—into the cascade? We came to no harm—and I have to say that Miss Napier looked more than capable of taking care of herself.’

Ross threw him a black look. ‘It can be hazardous. Even when the water looks calm there are eddies there. But I didn’t realise you were being so observant, Giles,’ he growled with a hint of mockery.

Giles’s chuckling merriment could not be restrained and he laughed out loud. ‘No more than you, Coz. After all, Araminta tells me that when she mentioned she was seeking a maid of her own, you were the one to recommend Miss Napier. I have to say that she has been blessed with the most incredible looks. With your reputation for the ladies—the dark and dusky maidens of India in particular, Ross—I can see perfectly well why you are attracted to her.’

Ross’s frown was formidable. ‘It depends on one’s taste—which is something we never did agree upon—although,’ he said with a reluctant smile, his mood returning to normal, ‘I do agree that your Lily is quite perfect.’

Giles’s features softened, as they never failed to do when his beloved Lily was mentioned. ‘I agree with you absolutely.’

They rode on in companionable silence, following Araminta and Miss Napier at a steady pace. Ross turned his thoughts to what had just happened. It proved that Miss Napier’s courage, her sense of adventure and of rebellion against the satin chain which bound her set her apart from her contemporaries. How many of the housemaids would have had the nerve to kick off their shoes and wade into the lake to retrieve their bonnet?

In fascination he watched the sway of the thick, shining black pigtail which hung down Miss Napier’s back, and the movement of her hips as she walked over the grass with lithe, liquid movements—like a dancer, he thought.... In some far corner of his thoroughly distracted brain memories stirred and his pulse gave a wild leap of recognition.

And then, in that brief flash of time, like an arrow thudding into his heart, he stilled as troubled memories flooded back. An image drifted into his mind, of a girl in a star-spangled sari, a veil drawn over her hair—a shining black pigtail exposed to the sun.

Ross continued to follow her, his mind in turmoil, convinced there must be some mistake. There had to be.

‘Wait,’ he called. Both Miss Napier and Araminta stopped and turned to look back at him. Ross addressed his cousin but without taking his eyes off Lisette. ‘There is something I have to say to Miss Napier, Giles. Take Araminta back to the house. I’ll be along shortly.’

With a puzzled frown and no questions asked, Giles dismounted. Looking at Lisette, Araminta was about to protest when Giles took her arm, but after taking one look at her brother’s formidable features, she allowed Giles to lead her away.

Alone now, Ross rode closer to Lisette, pulling Bengal to a halt just a few feet away. His eyes became fixed on her upturned face. She said nothing, nor did she move. She stood quite still, looking at him with wide, startled eyes.

‘Tell me something. When your parents died I recall you telling me that you were living near Delhi.’

‘Yes, Colonel, that is correct,’ she replied, feeling slightly uncomfortable beneath his penetrating blue gaze. ‘But I cannot see what that has to do with me wading into the lake just now.’

‘Can you not, Miss Napier?’ he said tightly. ‘I can. Tell me, what did you do? How did you travel to Bombay—an English girl alone?’

‘I travelled with others who were going south. Sometimes I walked and sometimes I was offered a lift in a bullock cart.’

‘As an English girl?’

She looked at him, nervous now, clutching her wet bonnet to her chest. He remembered her. Suddenly her whole existence had shrunk, narrowed, until there was nothing but this moment—bright sunshine, the man looking down at her. ‘No. For my own protection and to be less conspicuous I passed myself off as a native girl. In a land of many tongues and races, it was easier than I had feared to conceal my identity—and I speak both Hindi and Urdu.’

‘How fortunate for you, and because of your colouring you resembled a native girl.’

‘Yes.’

He was watching her now, his gaze intense. ‘Did you travel south in a bridal party—in the retinue of the Rajah Jahana Sumana of the state of Rhuna, who had a daughter by the name of Messalina?’

‘Yes,’ she replied quietly.

‘And when you left the bridal party, did you have to cross swollen rivers on your journey to Bombay?’

‘All rivers in India become swollen during the monsoon. You should know that, Colonel.’

‘But did you ever fall into a swollen river?’

With some consternation she looked away. ‘Yes.’

‘And how did you get out?’

‘Someone—someone saved me.’

‘A British officer?’

‘Yes.’

‘How did he save you?’

Lisette felt the net draw tight, felt paralysis set in as his predator’s senses focused on her. It was as if the world stopped spinning, as if some impenetrable shield closed about them, so that there was nothing but her and him—and whatever it was that held them.

‘He—he—’

Ross sprang from his horse and went to her, and taking her upper arms he stared hard into her face. ‘He?’

She nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘And did the two of you by any chance spend the entire night marooned on a sandbank?’

She looked at him and searched his eyes, but couldn’t read his thoughts beyond the fact that he was considering her. ‘Yes,’ she whispered.

‘And in the morning you left your rescuer?’

‘Yes,’ she answered, her voiced strained. ‘Yes, I did. It was unforgivable of me.’

‘Why?’ he demanded. ‘Because you didn’t thank him for saving your life?’

‘Yes.’

He just stared at her. ‘Well, well,’ he said at length. ‘So, it was you. I cannot believe that after all this time... I would not have believed it possible. Did it not occur to you how worried I might be, that I thought you might have been swept away by the river while I slept?’

Lisette’s heart almost broke as she stared at him. It had never occurred to her that what had happened to her would affect him so deeply.

‘Why did you go? Tell me that?’ Taking her chin between his fingers, he forced her to look at him, the expression in his eyes suddenly grave. ‘And do not play games with me. It is not kind, Lisette. Tell me.’

‘I don’t want to go over it. I can’t.’

‘I
need
to know,’ he insisted forcefully. ‘Can’t you understand that? Not knowing what happened to you tortured me. I thought you were dead. It was not until I reached the bank and saw your footprints in the mud that I realised you were alive.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she cried. ‘I didn’t know. I left because I wanted to avoid any awkwardness—any questions—and...and you had made your intentions quite clear what you would demand of me later.’

‘And what was that?’ he asked softly. ‘Remind me.’

‘I recall you telling me you intended “bedding” me. I believe that was the term you used.’

‘And you left me stranded because I said that?’

‘You weren’t exactly stranded. The river had fallen during the night and it was a simple matter to reach the bank.’

‘As an English girl alone, I can understand why you disguised yourself as a native girl—easier that way, fewer questions asked—but did it not occur to you that as a British officer I was in a position to help you reach Bombay safely?’

‘No—no, it didn’t.’ Tears filled her eyes. It was the one reaction Ross was not prepared for and it not only disconcerted him but left him feeling helpless. ‘I was alone. I did not wish to draw attention to myself. When I left Delhi I was desperate. My parents were dead. I thought I would die of grief and loneliness. Messalina—she was my friend and was to journey to Bhopal to marry a prince. She suggested I travel with her part of the way. Her father was always kind to me and he agreed.’ Gazing up at him a sorrowful look entered her eyes. ‘On the dock—in London—you didn’t know me.’ A tear trailed down her cheek. Ross was ashamed because he hadn’t recognised her, but he had never forgotten the Indian girl whose life he had saved—and thank goodness he had. ‘I didn’t expect you to.’

‘No, I didn’t, but I knew as soon as I laid eyes on you that there was something familiar about you—I just couldn’t remember. How could I? The night we spent in the middle of the river was pitch-black, and when I’d seen you previous to that, I truly thought you were a native girl. My abiding picture of you was from the first time I saw you with the bridal party. I thought you were the Princess Messalina’s sister.’

‘She doesn’t have a sister.’

‘I didn’t know that. Only seeing you from a distance I never saw your face. You talked to those in your own party and I did not have reason to address you. I just looked at you, sitting with the princess, wearing costly silks over your dark hair, the lower half of your face veiled. And then I moved on. I did not see you again until the river.’

‘Then—just now when you called me back? How did you know?’

‘You have a way of walking that is distinctive—like a dancer. It suddenly came to me who you were. Why in heaven’s name didn’t you tell me who you were, Lisette?’

‘When we met in London I almost did, but something held me back. Later, when you suggested that I work for your sister, I considered it prudent not to remind you. I wanted the work rather badly, you see. Knowing who I was could only complicate matters between us.’

Ross was suddenly aware of a disturbing mixture of emotions that he did not wish to analyse just then. ‘Go and change, Lisette. We’ll talk about this later.’

Backing away from him she gave him one last look. ‘Yes. If you will excuse me, Colonel, I have duties to attend to. You sister will be wondering what has happened to me.’

‘As I did on the night you left me.’ His eyes darkened with memory. Lisette saw the warm glow within their depths and was suddenly afraid that because of that night his attempts to seduce her might become more intense.

‘Nothing happened between us, Colonel. Let us just say we became caught up in the moment. You saved my life. I am grateful to you and that is all,’ she said, pressing home her point with calm reason. ‘It was nothing.’

‘Obviously.’

‘We both survived, didn’t we?’

‘Yes.’

‘Well, then, there is no reason why we have to mention it again, is there?’ she demanded with a soft, beguiling smile.

She had neatly managed to put him in a position of either agreeing with her or else, by disagreeing, admitting that she had been more to him than a flirtation in the middle of a raging river.

Ross let her go, trying to come to terms with what he now knew—that she was the woman he had risked his life for. Coincidence or fate, the knowledge put a whole new slant on his relationship with Lisette Napier.

* * *

The following morning Lisette rose to the sound of howling wind. Heavy rain clouds raced across the sky and a yellowish light seemed to shroud the land. She begged and pleaded with Araminta to cancel her assignation with Lord Bennington, but the girl remained deaf to her entreaties.

And so Lisette watched her go and waited in a state of acute apprehension for her to return. The day wore on and the rain played havoc with her nerves. Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the entire room, and thunder boomed until the windows shook. Lisette closed her eyes and prayed Araminta would come back soon.

When the gong sounded for dinner she jumped. Araminta still hadn’t come home. That was the moment she was no longer able to sit and wait passively. Worried for her safety—fearing she might have been thrown from her horse in the storm and be lying in a ditch somewhere, Lisette did the only thing she could. She made her way to Colonel Montague’s room feeling as if she were going to her execution.

Ross was about to go down to dinner when there was a small tap on the door.

‘Who is it, Blackstock?’

‘It’s me,’ Lisette murmured, moving towards him, a worried look on her face.

Lisette was the last person he’d expected to see and he sensed quite rightly that she had come on behalf of his sister and that it had nothing to do with what had transpired between them the day before.

Looking from one to the other, Will hesitated. When Ross gestured with his head that he should make himself scarce, he nodded and went out with a knowing smile. Will had sharp eyes. Nothing much escaped him, and he knew the colonel had taken a bit of a shine to Miss Napier. Not that there was anything wrong with that, and not that anything could come of it mind—with their difference in status—but there was no harm in a little dalliance to pass the time, if the lady was willing like.