Duchess Beware (Secrets & Scandals Book 2) (4 page)

When the others shook their heads, Duncan turned back to her, his eyes worried.  “I’m sorry, Silver.  We dinna get your letter.”

She smiled and patted his arm.  “Pray, don’t give it another thought.  As you can see, I’ve made it safely here in one piece.”

It wasn’t until Aunt Prudence acknowledged their secure passage that her brothers were finally convinced, and the worry melted from their faces.

After introductions, Duncan turned to the duke.  “We are verra grateful that you assisted our sister here safely, Huntington.  Please tarry a while so tha’ we can give ye a proper thanks.”

“That is most kind, thank you.  And if you have a few minutes, Mr—”

“Duncan.”

“Duncan,” the duke acknowledged with a nod.  “I would speak to you regarding your horse.”

“My horse?”  Her brother raised his brows.

“Yes.  It has taken me the better part of two years to track down the animal.  I would like to buy it from you.”

Duncan folded his arms.  “And how much are ye willin’ tae pay?”

Garrett appeared at the duke’s side carrying a small chest.  He opened the lid, and Silver nearly gasped at the sight of so much gold.  The polished coins refracted the setting sun’s rays, glistening tiny splinters of yellow and orange light against the red velvet lining.

Duncan shook his head.  “If ye want the horse tha’ much, aye, ‘tis yours.  But I dinna understand.  Silver’s horse is much more valuable than mine.”

The duke turned to her, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.  “You never mentioned owning a horse,” he stated slowly.

Silver, recovering quickly, smiled.  “You never asked,” she said and turned toward the house, hoping he would never guess how unnerved his almost kiss made her.  But one glance at her childhood home made her steps falter.  Her heart crashed down to the pit of her stomach and she couldn’t draw a proper breath. 

The house looked exactly the same as the day she left.  She knew the shape of each craggy brown rock, having thought of her home every day she’d been away.  She closed her eyes and pulled in a ragged breath.  It even smelled the same.  Musky earth, heather, and the slight scent of roses.  Her chest pinched as thoughts of her mother flooded her mind.  She couldn’t hold them back.  Her body trembled with the effort to think of something else.

“Miss MacLaren, are you all right?”

The duke’s voice sounded far away, as though she had fallen into some deep well and he were calling down to her.

“Silver?”

She pried her eyes open.  He stood before her, his brows knitted in concern, and his hands on her upper arms.  “What is wrong?”

“Apologies,” she whispered, her throat too closed up to speak properly.  “I’m just tired from the journey.”  Gathering up every ounce of courage she could muster, she pulled out of his hold and headed for the house.

She halted at the old, weather beaten door she had dashed in to a million times as a child.  Uncertainty kept her hand from reaching for the tarnished handle.  She also knew what she would find inside.  Doubtful her brothers had changed any of her mother’s decorations, she would be bombarded with memories of singing and sewing with her mother.  Of laughter and happiness.  Of loving and being loved.  God, how she missed her family!

“Let me get tha’ fer ye, lass.”  Duncan’s eyes were full of sympathy.  He knew how difficult this was for her.

Silver swallowed and nodded for him to continue.  He opened the door, but she couldn’t get her feet to move.  She knew the others waited on her to enter the house, for surely they couldn’t be very comfortable standing outside with the chilled evening breeze picking up.  Even knowing that, she still couldn’t take a single step.

Just when she thought she’d have to stay outside all night, a hand was offered out to her.  She studied the deep lines etched into the palm for several seconds before lifting her head.  The duke stared at her with such kindness, it nearly made her gasp.  “I shall be happy to assist you inside.”

Without thought, she slid her cold hand into his warm one and allowed him to lead her into the house.

****

Late that evening, Daniel could not get the ruddy woman out of his mind.  He lifted his glass to his lips.  Even the wine reminded him of the color of her hair.  The pungent liquid exploded in his mouth, and he closed his eyes.  The kiss they shared on the ship haunted him.  He had thought staying away from her for the remainder of the passage would surely get her out of his mind, but he’d thought wrong.  Whenever he would hear her voice or catch the scent of roses, he’d head straight for his cabin.  And would pace the tiny area while he stewed about his so-called friend up there amusing her.  From the open porthole, he would sometimes catch her laughter after one of Garrett’s terrible jokes and slam the damn thing shut.

Not only was his jealously irrational, it tormented him without end.  Daniel drained his glass and stormed across the room for a refill.  He tried not to look at the painting above the mantle.  The lady had to be Silver’s mother, the resemblance too uncanny.

Why was it so difficult to get her out of his mind?  He mopped a hand down his face.  God, he had to think of something else.  The horse.  He hadn’t even given the prized mare a single thought since his arrival.  He took a generous gulp from his glass and resumed his seat in one of the wingback chairs off to the side of the fireplace.  The red embers sent up a thin flame in the center of the glowing heap, giving off just enough heat to make the area comfortable.  He focused back on his reason for making this cursed trip.  Duncan said earlier their father had willed the mare to his only daughter on his death, but she had insisted the horse remain in Scotland with her brothers.

Just how in the world was he supposed to talk Silver into selling him that ruddy horse when he really wanted to march upstairs and…and what?  Take her into his arms?  Kiss her senseless?  Make her his?

Hell, yes.

He had to admit, this growing attraction was starting to alarm him.  No one filled his thoughts so completely before.  With a gusty sigh, he set aside his empty glass and glanced around, trying hard to think of something else.  Anything other than...

The door opened, and Silver walked into the room.  Her chalky face and scared doe eyes made him frown.  What frightened her so?  She noticed him and jerked to a halt.  “Oh, forgive me. I-I thought you had already retired.”

Daniel shot to his feet.  This was not the bold, sharp-tongued young miss who dared to verbal spar with a duke.  He wanted to know what was going on, what made her so uneasy.

She began to back out of the room when he stopped her.  “Don’t go.”

Startled, she froze, her eyes widening.

He groped for something to say.  Something that would make her stay.  He had no idea what.  His mind worked furiously, and he cursed the three glasses of port he’d just gulped down.  Think, damn it, think!  “Your brothers don’t look anything like you.” 
Oh, that was ruddy brilliant!

She glanced down.  “We had different mothers,” she said so softly, he had to strain to hear her.

Daniel shuffled closer.  He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless.  He wanted to kiss her until this madness within him ceased.  Until he had had his fill and didn’t want anymore.  “Silver?”  He reached out and grazed her cheek.  Warm silk.

She closed her eyes.  “Please, Your Grace—”

“Daniel,” he insisted, lifting her chin with the tips of his fingers.  “You must call me Daniel.”

“What is it you want from me?”

How could he answer that?   He couldn’t tell her he wanted to tear her clothes away and ravish her until dawn.  No, that would not do.  But he wanted that.  God help him.  He did.  And in that instant, he knew if he bent down and kissed her, he wouldn’t stop there.  With supreme effort, he took a step back.  “My apologies, Miss MacLaren.”  He gave a curt nod.  “I shall delay you no longer.”

Her breath caught.  She spun around and fled the room.

Daniel curled his hands into fists and cursed himself for being the King of Fools.  With a sigh, he stormed back to his chair and scooped up his wine glass.  The sooner he returned to England, the better.

Tomorrow, if he could manage it.

Chapter Four

Silver rubbed her sleepy eyes and stifled a yawn as she made her way downstairs.  She found it impossible to sleep in her childhood bedroom.  Everywhere she turned, something would dredge up a painful memory.  The tattered ragdoll with the red gingham dress her mother had made for her, the wooden horse her father had carved, the tiny tea set her brothers had bought for her seventh birthday.  She swallowed, trying to ease the tightness in her throat.  How fortunate she hadn’t taken any of it with her to England.  Her guardians would have burned her toys just as they had all her pretty dresses.

Turning toward the kitchen, her steps slowed.  Would the duke be there?  Did he break his fast this early in the morning?  His odd behavior last night had also kept her awake.  Even now, she still had no answers.  Why had he wanted her to stay one minute, but seem so angry the next?  She wrapped her arms around her middle.  Why had he kissed her on the ship and nearly again in the coach?  Why did he act as though he wanted to pull her close with one hand yet push her away with the other? 

The smell of fried ham and fresh baked bread drifted to her from the kitchen.  Something, or should she say someone, had stolen Silver’s appetite.  Along with everything else on her mind, she wasn’t prepared to face the duke yet.  So she hurried to the back door, not wishing to be seen.  Perhaps a brisk walk would help her sort things out and provide her with some answers.

Stepping outside, Silver closed her eyes against the bright sunshine and breathed in the sweet morning air.  The gentle fragrance from the roses blooming within the garden alongside the house brought memories of her mother.  Pain and remorse slammed into her, trying to snatch the very breath from her body.  She released a shaky sigh. 

“Would you mind if I joined you?”

Grateful for the interruption for where her thoughts were about to take her, Silver opened her eyes and turned to Garrett.  “Not at all.”  She attempted a smile.

He cocked his head to the side.  “Something disturbs you.”

She forced all emotion from her face, having perfected the façade over the years.  Any hurt or pain she felt could not show around Aunt Caroline and her cousin Katrina, else they’d use the weakness against her.  She attempted a smile.  “It’s nothing.”  When Garrett raised an eyebrow, she nodded in the direction of the stables.  “Want to have a look at Fiona?”

His dark eyes sparked with interest.  “Your horse?”

“Yes.”  She stepped down from the rear steps.  “And on the way, you can explain to me why you call the duke by his given name at times.”  She kept her features serious.  “I thought improper address was a serious crime against the nobles, punishable by death.”

Garrett nodded his agreement.  “Oh, indeed it is.  They use the guillotine for those heinous offenses,” he said with a hint of laughter in his voice, “but Daniel cannot find a better horse trainer.”  He winked.  “The old fellow has tried to manage without me and found it impossible.”

Grateful she had successfully maneuvered the conversation away from her past, Silver laughed.  “Surely, you jest.”

Placing his right hand over his heart, he gave a bow.  “Guilty,” he admitted, straightening.

She turned to the stables.  “So how did the two of you become such good friends?” A knot of uncertainty filled her stomach after asking that question.  Why discuss the duke?  Did she really want to know so much about him?  Of course, she did have an insatiable appetite for knowledge.  Yes, that had to be it.  There couldn’t possibly be more to it than that.

He fell into step beside her.  “For the last five generations, my family has trained the Huntington horses.  Daniel and I are the same age and have been good friends for as long as I can remember, and he never liked me addressing him by his title.”

“In fact,” Garrett continued with a chuckle, “when we were eleven years old, he gave me a black eye when I refused to call him anything other than ‘my lord’ the entire day.  Daniel was a marquess back then since his father was still alive.”

Silver shook her head, smothering a laugh.  “A black eye?  How horrid of him.”

“Yes, though he paid for it the very next day.”  Garrett’s grin hinted at mischief. 

“What happened?” she asked, eager to know more.  Learning these tiny details of the duke’s life made her giddy.  Like a child stealing forbidden sweets.

“Well, Lord and Lady Crandall, whose estate neighbors Huntington, came for a visit.  They happened to have a daughter two years older than us, Arabella.  Anyhow, I managed to slip a harmless old snake into her reticule without getting caught.”

Silver stopped and turned to Garrett.  “You didn’t!”

He nodded, his lips twitching.  “Of course, Arabella didn’t actually find the snake until a couple of hours later.  And since I had been hiding in the hayloft the entire time, she was convinced Daniel had done the deed.”  He paused, his smile breaking free.  “She gave him two black eyes because of it.”

Unable to resist, Silver threw her head back and laughed.

Her laughter woke him.  The husky-sweet sound poured over his senses like honey.  Daniel opened his eyes, noticing the fair-size room he’d been assigned awash with sunshine.  He turned his head toward the open window, seeing the dust motes flutter in the golden light like snowflakes, and frowned.  The window had been closed before he retired.  It was likely that scrawny old housemaid who must constantly suck on lemons to keep such a pinched face all the time.

When he heard Silver laugh again, he slid from the bed, shivering slightly from the cool morning air, and glanced out the window.  Garrett spouted something Silver found amusing as they sauntered toward the stables.  They were alone, he noted darkly, and walking much too close to his liking.  Where the deuce where those monstrous brothers of hers?  Or her aunt?  And, recalling her strange behavior the prior evening, just how in the hell had his friend managed to lift her spirits?

Spinning away from the window, Daniel threw on his clothes.  Curse the woman for stirring feelings within him he had no right to feel.  He certainly shouldn’t be jealous of Garrett.  The man had been through hell these last few years with losing Marie and now deserved some happiness. 

But, damn it, not with Silver! 

He pushed his feet into his boots and headed downstairs.  The sooner he purchased that horse and left, the better, he thought and opened the back door.  Stepping outside, he tried tying his ruddy cravat. 
Damn nuisance
.  He sighed and knotted it, knowing his valet Mills would have a seizure, then glanced around, squinting against the sun’s blinding glare.  He cursed all the port he’d guzzled last night as a sudden ache pounded in his temples. 

A full minute passed before his eyes adjusted to the brightness.  From the stables, he found Silver and Garrett leading an Arabian mare out.  He jerked to a halt.  The horse’s silvery-white coat glistened in the sunlight as it pranced about, obviously delighted about being freed from her stall.  The mare descended from Eclipse, the only horse with a flawless win record.  And, by all that was holy, he would have her.  His gaze shifted over to Silver as he finished the thought, taking notice of how the morning light glimmered over her hair.  How her cheeks were rosy with excitement and how laughter lit her eyes.  Gone was the somber girl of yesterday, replaced by the stunning spitfire who took his breath away.  He fisted his hands, wondering if his jovial friend had anything to do with improving her mood?  That thought sure as hell didn’t improve his.

Daniel cleared his throat and looked away.  What in God’s name was happening to him?  Garrett was like a brother to him.  He had no right to—

An agitated whinny drew his attention.  There, it came from the fenced enclosure beside the stables.  The enormous black stallion snorted then pawed the ground before it paced back and forth along the wooden barrier.  It halted to sniff the air, then grew enraged.

Discerning the reason behind the stallion’s behavior, he snapped his gaze back to Silver and Garrett.  They were around the corner of the stables unable to see the stallion.  He opened his mouth to yell a warning, but heard a terrible crash.  His heart nearly quit when the crazed animal smashed through the wooden fence and surged in Silver’s direction. 

Daniel ran straight to the stallion as it started to turn the corner, his heart in his throat.

Thank God the beast wore a halter.  He grabbed the side strap just as it lifted its front legs to crush Silver, who stood paralyzed in fear.  He pulled with all his might until the brute lowered back to the ground.

The muscles in his arms ached like the devil.  He didn’t have much time, watching the beast flatten its ears and roll its dark eyes as it snorted through flared nostrils.  Without taking his attention from the livid stallion, Daniel spoke calmly to Garrett.  “The mare is in season.  Return her to the stables at once.”  He gritted his teeth, his arms trembling from exertion.

As Garrett moved away, the stallion grew more enraged.  It bucked and kicked, and Daniel swore.  He would not be able to restrain the brute much longer.  Just as he started to command Silver to return to the house, the leather strap tore from his grip.  The horse reared, stretching above him like Satan’s own steed and surged back down.  In the quarter-second before the sharp pain exploded within his skull, Daniel prayed Silver would not get hurt.

Then the world went black.

Silver’s heart twisted as she watched the large beast knock the duke to the ground and stomp on him.  “No!” she screamed and looked around, but couldn’t think of anything that would drive the mad horse away.  “Get away from him,” she screeched, waving her arms.  But that only enraged him more.  Daniel would die unless she did something. 

The horse paused and reared up to pounce again.

Seeing her opportunity, Silver threw herself over the duke to shield him from the deadly attack.  Stabbing pain tore the breath from her lungs.  Her left shoulder seared as if on fire.  Nausea toiled in her stomach.  She couldn’t breathe and tried gasping for air.  Voices sounded, but the hissing in her ears prevented her from understanding them.  Someone lifted her away, and the shooting pain made the world spin.  She tried to speak, to tell them to save the duke, but her mouth refused the commands of her brain.

Then her lungs opened.  Silver sucked in several deep breaths and recovered her wits.  Her vision cleared.  She hardly noticed the terrible ache pounding her left shoulder and right ankle as her brothers lifted Daniel from the ground.  Her eyes misted over when she saw his swollen face covered in blood and dirt.  Realizing Garrett still held her, Silver buried her face against his shoulder.  She couldn’t watch anymore.  But the tears stinging her eyes would not fall.

They never did.

****

Silver drew in a shaky breath and retrieved a clean square of linen from the supply the housekeeper, Mrs. Burns, had brought in earlier.  A chair and small table had been placed by the bed to make it easier to administer to Daniel’s wounds.  The doctor’s prognosis rang in her ears, making her hands shake. 
If the duke didn’t wake soon, he’d not wake at all.
  Her heart lurched as she dipped the cloth into the bowl of cool water.  Never had she been so terrified.

“All right, Your Grace, three days is long enough.  You really must wake now.” She rubbed the damp cloth over Daniel’s flushed skin.  She continued to bathe his face, careful not to dislodge the bandage around his forehead.  The swelling had gone down, and the blue-black bruises now had a greenish halo.  “I do hope you wake today,” her voice shook as she forced her emotions under control, “so I can tease you about how dreadful you look.”

Silver leaned forward and closed her eyes.  “Please, Daniel, please wake up,” she whispered into his ear.  Breathing in his spicy male scent, she grazed his warm stubbly cheek with her lips.  “I can’t bear to lose you.”

A ragged groan escaped his lips, sounding a lot like her name.

With a gasp, she sprang back.  “Daniel?”  When his eyelids fluttered open, she pressed a hand to her chest, hoping to calm her racing heart.  “Your Grace, can you hear me?”

His eyes slid shut. 

“Your Grace?” she whispered and held her breath.

She thought he had slipped back into unconsciousness when he asked, “What happened?”

“Do you not remember?” she asked, leaning forward.

He cracked opened his eyes.  “The stallion.”

Silver held her breath when his eyes closed again.  “Your Grace?”

No response.

She stared at the small cut on the center of his bottom lip, hoping he would come back around.  “Daniel?”  She reached out and pressed a hand to his cheek.  “Can you hear me?”

The door opened, making her jump.  Silver rose from the chair just as her brothers and Garrett entered the room.

“Is he dead, then?” Morgan asked and received an elbow in the ribs from Cameron. 

“Keep your voice down, ye big oaf,” Cameron said in a loud whisper.

Duncan shook his head.  “Nay, he isna dead.”

Garrett chuckled as his eyes settled on Daniel.  “I daresay, His Grace would never allow a horse to do him in.”