Regency High Society Vol 3: Beloved Virago / Lord Trenchard's Choice / The Unruly Chaperon / Colonel Ancroft's Love

Katherine cast the woman beside her a fond smile. Undoubtedly in the normal course of events they would have viewed each other as enemies. Yet Fate had decreed that their paths should cross in exceptional circumstances and, even though their countries were probably in imminent danger of once again being at war, she and Marie had, against all the odds, become friends. How Katherine wished that Marie was in truth her companion, for she doubted she could ever find one to suit her half so well.

‘You have the most fertile imagination, Marie,’ she could not resist telling her. ‘And you are the most convincing liar to boot! I dare swear that Madame Perot believed every word of your ridiculous tale!’

‘But, petite, it was not a complete lie,’ Marie protested. ‘I am taking you to a gentleman who is both brave and charming, and you are about to fly with him far away from Paris.’

This succeeded in wiping the fond smile off Katherine’s face. Foolishly, up until that moment, the fact that it would be impossible to return to the inn simply hadn’t occurred to her. But of course they could not! There was bound to be someone watching the inn, awaiting their return.

‘Will you be accompanying us?’ she asked, clinging to the faint hope that she might rely on Marie’s unfailing support at least until they reached one of the French ports, but deep down knowing what the answer would be even before she detected the slight shake of her trusted companion’s head.

‘No, petite. Major Ross does not need the added burden of taking care of me too.’ She shrugged. ‘Besides, there is no need. I shall be perfectly safe. I know this city well. I have several friends here and can hide myself easily enough until I find some means to travel south.’

They turned off the main thoroughfare into yet another of Paris’s many side roads to discover a one-horse gig waiting halfway down the street, and an unmistakable tall figure standing beside the decidedly battered conveyance.

Katherine felt the touch of fingers on her arm, and turned to see a look of mingled concern and affection in grey eyes. ‘My task is almost complete, petite. But yours has only just begun. Do not allow your dislike of Major Ross to prompt you into foolish actions,’ she advised in an urgent whisper. ‘Do what he tells you and I have every faith that you will come through this unscathed.’

The advice had been kindly meant, and Katherine refrained from dismissing it out of hand. Even so, she was not prepared to commit herself. ‘I have never made a promise which I thought I would be unable to keep, Marie, and I do not intend to begin by doing so now. But be assured that I shall not go out of my way to make difficulties, and shall, as far as possible, attempt to work with Major Ross and not against him.’

Even though Katherine had meant every word, resentment at his behaviour the night before remained and she could not bring herself, when at last they approached him, to acknowledge his presence with more than a cursory nod of the head.

Daniel regarded the frigid set of delicate features for a moment before turning his attention to the older woman. ‘As you are late, Marie, I assume that you also were followed.’

‘Yes, monsieur. It was as you suspected—there were two of them watching the inn. We managed to shake off our shadow, as you evidently did yours.’

‘It might not be so easy next time, should they locate us again,’ Daniel warned. ‘I do not doubt that before too long there will be others scouring the streets of Paris for us. So we must not delay.’ He reached for her fingers, and held them briefly. ‘You are an old hand at this game, Marie, so you need no advice from me, save to say, God speed. If the outcome of this venture should prove successful, I shall ensure that you are apprised of the fact.’

Daniel refused to linger over protracted farewells, and gave Katherine only sufficient time to receive a surprisingly warm embrace from the older woman, and then placed his hand under her elbow, giving her no choice but to take her seat in the gig.

‘You have evidently found favour in the austere Marie’s eyes, Miss O’Malley,’ he remarked, after Katherine, peering round the side of the gig, had watched Marie turn and walk back along the narrow street.

‘For several days she remained aloof,’ she admitted, faintly relieved that he considered it safe enough to converse in their own language. ‘Gradually, though, she became more friendly,’ she went on, wondering if there was the remotest possibility that their relationship might follow a similar course. She did not hold out much hope, but was determined to keep the hostility which lingered towards him under control. ‘I quickly grew very fond of her. She took very good care of me.’

‘As I fully intend to do, Miss O’Malley.’

Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel noticed the suspicious glance she cast him, as he turned the gig into a much wider thoroughfare. Yes, she was certainly wary of him, and he was forced silently to own that, after his behaviour last night, perhaps there was good reason for her caution. Undoubtedly she was as innocent now as she had been on the day of her birth, a gently nurtured, chaste young woman. Which made her willingness to involve herself in such a perilous venture all the more mystifying, for he felt sure that she must have been aware from the start that there would be more than just an element of risk involved. From something her aunt had disclosed on the night of the engagement party, he had gained the distinct impression that Miss O’Malley was, if not extremely wealthy, a young woman of comfortable means, so he doubted very much, as Sir Giles himself had intimated, that the prospect of attaining a substantial reward would have played any part in her decision to become involved.

He was intrigued, and was determined to discover precisely what had persuaded her to embark on such an undertaking, but decided not to attempt to satisfy his curiosity at this juncture. Instead, he chose to be brutally frank about their present situation, and could not help but feel a deal of admiration for the calm way she accepted the unpleasant state of affairs.

‘Yes, I had already realised that returning to the inn was out of the question,’ she admitted, before a slight frown marred the perfection of her forehead. ‘I wonder what made them suspect us?’

As Katherine kept her eyes firmly fixed in the direction they were heading, she missed completely the frowning glance he cast the errant curls showing beneath the rim of her fashionable bonnet. ‘A pity really,’ she went on. ‘During my many ventures with Marie about the city during the past couple of weeks, I purchased several items of clothing, one of which was a rather pretty day dress.’ Her faint sigh betrayed slight resentment over the garment’s loss. Then she shrugged. ‘The poor landlord is more out of pocket. We cannot even return to pay him for our food and board.’

‘Save your pity, Kate. If I know anything, the old rogue will sell your belongings to recoup his losses.’

‘Yes, I expect you’re—’ She caught herself up abruptly, when at last she had digested fully his every word. ‘I cannot recall giving you permission to address me by my given name, Major Ross.’ There was no response. If the slight twitch she perceived at the corner of his mouth was any indication, however, it was quite evident that he would take no account at all of her disapproval. She had no wish for them to be at odds at this early stage in the proceedings, and so reluctantly decided to compromise. ‘But if you must resort to making free with my Christian name, you’ll oblige me by calling me Katherine and not Kate. I only ever permit my personal maid to address me in that fashion.’

‘Why, don’t you like it?’

‘I much prefer Katherine.’

He didn’t attempt to hide his surprise. ‘I think Kate’s a pretty name, myself. Besides, it suits you. My name is Daniel, by the way. People will persist in still calling me Major, but it’s a courtesy title only.’

‘I’m aware of that, Major Ross.’ She had not meant to sound quite so frigid, so haughtily formal. Yet it was as well that he should be made aware at the outset that she had no intention of allowing a friendlier relationship to develop between them, she told herself, while at the same time wondering why, perversely, she should feel piqued because he made no attempt whatsoever to persuade her to use his given name.

Katherine’s thoughts were soon turned in a new direction when she became aware, a few minutes later, that the road they were using to leave the capital was not the one by which she had arrived in the city almost three weeks before.

‘We are not making for Calais,’ Daniel responded in answer to her question. ‘I would be very surprised if there were not already people stationed at each of the major Channel ports awaiting our arrival. Just as I suspect that, now we’ve been—er—rumbled, as it were, there will very soon be those posted on every major road leaving the city on the lookout for us.’

This immediately called to mind her earlier thoughts. How on earth had they managed to arouse suspicion? Apart from passing the time of day when venturing out of the inn in order to take a little daily exercise, she and Marie had not fraternised with the other people putting up at that hostelry. Daniel had arrived only yesterday. So when and how had they managed to betray themselves?

He shrugged one broad shoulder when she echoed her puzzling thoughts aloud. ‘We don’t know what Sir Giles saw fit to reveal. I suspect he would have disclosed enough information into certain receptive ears to ensure that our trail wouldn’t be hard to follow. Of course, he hadn’t bargained for the surprising turn of events which have overtaken us. By this time he would have expected to have had you safely back in London. The traitor must have viewed Napoleon’s escape from Elba as nothing short of a godsend. It has offered him ample time to instigate a search for you.’

‘True. But why on earth did those two men watching the inn suspect that I might be Louise Baron? Do I resemble her so closely?’

Brown eyes regarded her quite dispassionately for a moment or two. ‘As far as I can remember—yes, there is a certain similarity. And of course you’re about the right age. It’s quite possible that Justine herself might have disclosed certain facts about her sister to the traitor during the time she worked with him. And you do have red hair.’

‘Ah, I see!’ Katherine could now appreciate just why Sir Giles had chosen her for the task. ‘So Louise has red hair?’

‘Yes, and so too did Justine Baron, although, if my memory serves me correctly, theirs was somewhat lighter than yours—more Titian.’

Katherine nodded. ‘Red hair frequently runs in families, although it is not always the case.’ She was silent for a moment, then revealed her disappointment at the unexpected turn of events by releasing her breath in a despondent sigh. ‘Poor Sir Giles. Napoleon’s escape couldn’t possibly have come at a worse time for him.’

‘It couldn’t have come at a worse time for us, come to that,’ Daniel reminded her, smiling to himself.

Their present situation was anything but rosy, and he suspected the young woman seated beside him knew this very well. It was, he mused, much to her credit that she had accepted the loss of her belongings and this impromptu flight from the capital with a quaint and dignified resignation, and he couldn’t help but admire her for this present display of admirable self-control. Whether she would continue to behave in such a commendable manner during the days ahead was another matter entirely. He very much feared that, should the mood take her, she could prove to be a handful, fiery and stubborn. One thing was certain, though, during the next few days he was unlikely to be afflicted by the boredom which, unfortunately, all too frequently plagued him when in the company of most members of her sex for any length of time.

‘Ideally I would have preferred to remain at the inn for a few days,’ he remarked, surprising her somewhat. ‘Those men watching us would in all probability have dropped their guard had we gone about the city displaying a lack of concern. Unfortunately, that was not possible with the Corsican on the loose once more. Last night I learned that Napoleon is not coming up against much resistance as he heads towards the capital. All he needs is to win the support of the army, then I’m afraid …’

‘Do you think that is possible?’ she prompted when his voice trailed away.

‘I very much fear that it is, Miss O’Malley. His soldiers love him.’

‘Oh, that wretched little man!’ Katherine exclaimed, able to express her feelings more fully now than she had when in Marie’s company. ‘After all these years of conflict, has he not had enough of war? God forbid that it begins again!’

‘Amen to that, m’dear,’ he concurred, as they approached the outskirts of the city, and he turned his attention to what was going on about him, watching intently for any suspicious characters loitering by the roadside. He noticed no one, but he refused to be lulled into a false sense of security, for he very much feared that before the end of the day there would be someone, or possibly several, hot on their trail.

Fortunately his companion, continuing to behave with commendable restraint, didn’t plague him with questions that he could not or might prefer not to answer. She didn’t bore him to tears by trying to maintain a flow of small talk either. In fact, apart from generously praising him for his foresight in providing them with a basket of food, tucked away under the seat, she said very little, not even when they were obliged to stop on several occasions throughout the day in order to rest the horse. Only when, early in the evening, he turned off the main highway into a narrow country lane did she betray an interest in precisely where they were bound.

‘Normandy.’ Daniel didn’t hesitate to enlighten her, and Katherine, in turn, didn’t attempt to hide her surprise. ‘I have a good friend living there.’ His lips curled into a secretive little smile. ‘I know I can rely on this person to aid us. Needless to say I do not expect to reach the town where my friend resides tomorrow, or the day after, come to that. So, in the meantime, we must make do as best we can. I’m afraid, though, that you are not going to find this journey particularly comfortable.’

‘Do not concern yourself over me, Major Ross,’ Katherine responded, feeling unaccountably resentful because he no doubt considered her some pampered ninnyhammer who couldn’t do without her creature comforts for a few days. ‘I cannot deny that I had not planned to leave Paris in such a fashion, but I do not hold you in any way responsible for that. Be assured that I shall do my utmost not to be a burden, and have no intention of causing you the least concern.’

She turned her head in time to catch a second rather secretive little smile playing about his mouth before he astounded her by admitting, ‘You have been causing me no little concern for quite some time, Miss Katherine O’Malley.’

Before she could enquire precisely what he had meant, he changed the subject by informing her that he dared not risk putting up at an inn that night.

‘I do not doubt that there are those already hot on our trail,’ he continued. ‘I strongly suspect that they will begin by searching for us in the inns along the main road we have just left. Which will buy us a little time, but not very much, I’m afraid. It will be dark in an hour, so we must find some form of shelter soon, for I have no intention of travelling at night and running the risk of getting us lost.’

It was then that he caught sight of billowing smoke in the distance, and turned off the road on to a deeply rutted track. ‘There is some form of dwelling just up ahead, possibly a farm. With any luck there might be a village nearby. I’ll have a scout around and see what I can find.’

Just for a second she thought she glimpsed a flicker of unease in his expression, before he handed her the reins and then jumped to the ground. ‘Can you by any chance handle firearms, Miss O’Malley?’

‘Yes, Major, I can,’ she assured him. ‘My father taught me, though not since I lived with my grandfather have I used one.’

Even in the rapidly fading light she could easily detect the glint of amusement in his eyes, and what might have been a hint of respect too. ‘In that case I shall leave this in your care,’ he announced, delving into the pocket of his cloak and drawing out a pistol. ‘Do not hesitate to use it if you feel at all threatened.’ There was a flash of white teeth. ‘But I would be grateful if you do not mistake me for one of our pursuers. I shall give a low whistle to announce my return, just to be on the safe side.’

It was as much as Katherine could do to suppress an angry retort, and yet the instant he disappeared from view she experienced fear for the very first time since setting out on what she was now beginning to view as a madcap venture. Given the choice, she might not have wished Major Daniel Ross to have been designated her protector. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he would continue to irk her unbearably during the days ahead. Yet she was forced to own that she experienced a most comfortable feeling of security when he was near, which was singularly lacking now.

She shivered and drew the rug that the Major had had the forethought to supply more closely about her legs. She was already feeling the loss of warmth which that large, muscular frame so close to her own had provided throughout what had been a mercifully dry day. She could only place her faith in the Major to find them some form of shelter, for she certainly didn’t relish the prospect of spending a night under the stars.

A rustling sound emanating from the small clump of trees off to her left caught her attention, and she instinctively felt for the pistol which she had placed on the seat beside her. She derived a modicum of comfort from having the lethally formed piece of metal clasped firmly in her hand, but she couldn’t deny that it was no substitute for a certain someone’s presence.

A further noise reached her ears, then another and another, each sounding much closer and more menacing than the last. She had never been afraid of the dark, not since she was a child, but as dusk arrived, she came perilously close to crying out in relief when at last she detected that low whistle.

No one would have supposed for a moment that she was overjoyed to see him, least of all Daniel himself, when he finally clambered up beside her again, and she demanded to know where he had been and why it had taken him so long to return.

Strong teeth flashed more brilliantly in the dark when he turned his head to bestow a wicked grin upon her. ‘Did you miss me, sweetheart?’

‘I certainly did not enjoy being on my—’ Stopping mid-sentence for the second time that day, Katherine favoured him with an angry look, her eyes flashing no less brilliantly than his smile. ‘And don’t call me sweetheart, you impudent rogue!’

She could feel that comforting frame shaking with suppressed laughter as he reached for the reins. ‘It’s a relief to know your spirit hasn’t deserted you completely, Miss O’Malley. And I apologise for taking so long, but at least I was successful in my endeavours. There is a village a couple of miles up the road. So you’ll no doubt be relieved to know you shall attain at least a modicum of comfort this night.’

Katherine was beginning to feel so weary after the many hours they had spent travelling that she would have been quite happy to sleep on a dirt floor. Daniel swiftly proved he was able to offer her something more comfortable than that, however, when they reached the outskirts of the village and he drew the gig to a halt outside a blacksmith’s premises.

After a swift glance up and down the deserted street to ensure that no one was about, he jumped nimbly down from the gig. Katherine saw him extract something from his pocket, and was rather surprised to see the large wooden door swing wide a few moments later. She succeeded in curbing her curiosity until they were safely inside and Daniel had provided further evidence of his resourcefulness by finding a lamp and lighting it.

‘How on earth did you manage to remove that padlock, Major Ross?’ she demanded to know, making herself useful by releasing the horse from its harness and leading the gelding into a stall.

After draping a piece of sacking over the one and only grimy window, Daniel satisfied her curiosity by extracting a cunningly fashioned thin piece of metal from the pocket of his jacket which, even in the dim light, she had little difficulty in recognising, for she clearly recalled being shown such an article several years before by a casual labourer who had worked for her father for a very short time.

Although she arched one fine brow, Katherine refrained from comment, and merely turned her attention once again to the gelding who was happily champing away on a substantial pile of hay. ‘You are certainly no fiery steed, and definitely not in the first flush of youth, but you did us proud this day, old fellow.’

Daniel noted the affectionate way she both stroked and spoke to the animal. Evidently fear of horses was not one of her weaknesses, even if a dislike of the dark was. ‘I’m afraid he and the gig were all I could manage to find in so short a time. I couldn’t afford to be choosy.’

‘You did very well in the circumstances,’ she responded, surprising him somewhat by the mild praise. ‘He’s certainly strong and healthy, and has been well cared for.’

‘Evidently you know something of horseflesh, Miss O’Malley,’ he remarked, collecting the basket of food and rug from the gig, before lowering himself on the mound of hay piled in one corner of the stone building. ‘We’ll finish off the food and then get some sleep. We must be away from here at first light.’

Hunger swiftly overcame her understandable wariness, and Katherine joined him on the pile of hay, reflecting as she did so that this was the first time in her life that she had ever sought refuge in a smithy. She had no cause to complain though, she reminded herself, gazing absently at the fire, the ashes of which still retained sufficient heat to take the chill off the air. The bread and cheese might be simple fare, but it was wholesome, and her surroundings, though hardly palatial, certainly provided sufficient comfort and warmth.

The instant she had consumed the last mouthful of bread, Daniel rose to his knees and began to spread the rug over the hay. ‘Come, let us settle ourselves for sleep. As I mentioned earlier, we must be away at first light, before the owner of this establishment turns up for work,’ he remarked, before he noticed her staring down at the cover as though it were a hot bed of coals, and best avoided.

His lips twitched. ‘What is the matter, sweetheart? Don’t you trust me?’

Katherine transferred her gaze to those dark eyes glinting with sheer devilment. ‘Let me assure you, Major Ross, that I consider it immensely difficult to trust a man who carries a picklock about his person.’

‘Vixen!’ he exclaimed, laughing in spite of the fact that he experienced a twinge of resentment because she obviously continued to mistrust him.

But perhaps he had given her reason enough to continue to remain a little aloof, he reminded himself, wrapping his cloak about him and settling himself on the hay at a discreet distance away from the rug. His behaviour towards her the previous night could hardly be described as that of a gentleman, though it had to be said in his defence that she had sorely tried his patience, and badly needed someone to take her in hand. Undoubtedly she had been allowed far too much licence to do and say exactly as she pleased. She wasn’t spoilt, precisely, but was certainly accustomed to having her own way. Yet today he had glimpsed certain facets to her character that he couldn’t help but admire. Blessedly her tongue did not run on wheels and she betrayed no signs of succumbing to a fit of the vapours if subjected to hardship. All in all, he was beginning to feel that Sir Giles Os-borne, the cunning old rogue, had chosen well when he had selected Miss Katherine O’Malley for this venture. She might be an infuriating little madam on occasions, but by heaven she had certainly proved equal to the task thus far!