Lady Thorn

The crest on the carriage door, the woman’s clothing, her regal bearing, all were evidence of a certain social standing. Yet in spite of all that, he had not been able to let her ride off into the night alone, especially knowing that those two men might be lurking about with that hope in mind. After the way Jed had watched his father mistreat his mother, he could not bear to see anyone abused by someone of greater strength.

His discomfort had nothing to do with the way her dark hair curled softly about her delicate cheeks, nor the expression of interest he saw in her undeniably lovely gray eyes—which he knew was only a trick of the light. Surely his wariness was not connected to the way his body tightened when he remembered the view he’d had of the lady’s sweetly rounded bottom.

And because his discomfort was not caused by any of those things, he would be a fool indeed to pass up this chance to gain some knowledge of Nina and his child. So thinking, Jed looked at her squarely, not allowing his gaze to stray to the distracting curves that were exposed by the tight-fitting bodice of her blue gown. “My name is Jedidiah McBride. I was on my way to London from the port of Westacre, where I left my ship.”

He couldn’t help seeing the way her interest quickened at the mention of his ship. Her words confirmed his thought. “You are a sea captain?”

“Yes, I… have some business in England.”

There was curiosity in her tone as she said, “You are an American, are you not?”

He nodded. Jed continued to face her, not liking to be anything but direct. Still, it was a moment before he could bring himself to say what he wanted to, as she was looking at him with those wide, questioning gray eyes of hers.

Jed forced himself to look away from the hypnotic attentiveness in her gaze. He had to know if she could tell him anything that might help him find Nina. That was all he wanted from her.

He spoke with cool remoteness. “There is a possibility that there is something you could do for me.” He could not quite keep the slight hopefulness from his voice as he went on. “Would you know of a family by the surname of Fairfield?”

She frowned as he glanced at her, and he saw that she seemed somewhat surprised by the question. Slowly she shook her head. “Fairfield? I do not know. Is there any more you can tell me?”

Jed frowned himself. “Squire Fairfield.”

Her expression grew even more pensive. “Squire Fairfield.” After a moment, she looked at him regretfully. “I am very sorry. Are these people some relation of yours?”

He was disappointed, but he tried not to let it show as he shook his dark blond head. “No, no relation of mine.” She was watching him very closely, and Jed had the feeling that she was seeing more than he would have liked.

She held up her hands in a gesture of helplessness, confirming his suspicions when she spoke. “I can see that this is important to you. Is there not some other clue you might give me? I feel quite useless in not even being able to help with this small matter.”

Their gazes met and held, as Jed found himself thinking that she was indeed very lovely with the gentle glow of the lanternlight on her face. The delicate curves of her cheeks and jaw beckoned a man’s lips, as did her sweetly shaped mouth. For one arresting moment, he could have sworn that he saw attraction in those fathomless gray depths. But he knew that could not be. Never would a woman of her world be interested in him, a simple man of the sea.

Yet she seemed genuinely concerned that she had not been able to assist him. She did in that regard appear different from the other women of her kind he had known. For some inexplicable reason, he found himself wondering if he should reveal to this stranger, this English lady, his reason for being here. If she knew more of the story, might then she be able to help him find Nina—and his son?

Yet even as he made the decision, it was almost against his will that Jed found himself reaching into the inner pocket of his coat. He watched her eyes widen as he withdrew the letter and handed it to her.

“What is this?” she asked.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “It is a letter from a woman I knew when I was quite young. I received it about ten weeks ago. If you would be good enough to read it, I think it will explain itself.”

Victoria could only look on the handsome man seated across from her with amazement. Never had she expected this. Realizing that she was staring, Victoria turned her attention to the letter.

Carefully she opened the wrinkled page, which bore the evidence of having been read many times. The message was simple.

Dear Jedidiah,

I hope you will be able to find it in your heart to forgive me for what I am about to tell you. For that is the one hope that has given me the courage to write to you at all.

You see, I am very ill. I am, in truth more painful to admit even to myself, dying. In order to go to my rest with conscience clear, I must then tell you something that I have kept hidden from everyone, including my husband, for twelve years. You, Jedidiah, are the father of my eleven-year-old son. I ask you not to try contacting him or myself. As I said, all I ask of you is your forgiveness. Please try to find it in your heart to give me that much, though I understand you do not owe it to me.

Nina

Victoria looked up at the man, not knowing what to say. “I take it you are the Jedidiah she mentions?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

She hardly knew what to say. “How very dreadful for you! But I did not understand how I can be of assistance. I do not know anyone by that name. And if you do not mind my asking, how do you know that Fairfield is her surname? She did not sign it on either the inside or the outside of the letter.”

His jaw flexed as he answered her. “I have known the name of her husband for some time.”

Victoria had the impression that he would say no more on that subject, and she didn’t ask. It seemed there were many long-held resentments at work here. Obviously this Nina’s husband was the Squire Fairfield he sought.

She found herself asking. “Do you have any other information that might help?”

He grimaced. “I know that the letter was posted from London.” His wide shoulders drew her gaze as he shrugged. “Other than that, I know nothing. I have no leads, no contacts, not one thing. I only know that to find her I must gain entry into the circle she inhabits. When you asked if you could help me in some way…” He shrugged again.

She looked down at her hands, then glanced back to his face as she wondered why this woman had not told him of the child all those years ago. Had she feared that he would not marry her? Victoria could not even imagine that any woman who could have the man before her as her very own would not do so. Thus, the reluctance had to have been on his part.

Although Victoria felt that Jedidiah McBride was in fact a good and decent man, she also thought there might be a hint of ruthlessness in him. She sensed that he would do nothing against his own indomitable will. And, likewise, that nothing he desired could be denied him.

What would it feel like to be desired by this man? A shiver of awareness raced down her spine and she could only pray that he had not seen it.

She tried to focus on what Jedidiah McBride had said to her. Obviously he was determined to find this woman and his child. Doing so might prove very difficult for him. As he had said he knew no one who might assist him. Though she knew many people socially, Victoria could think of no person she would trust to assist a man like Jedidiah McBride with his problem. She, in her own way, was as isolated from London society as he. The responsibilities of her position made it impossible for her to waste time in the frivolous entertainments the London season had to offer. Truth to tell, Victoria cared more for being at her country manor house, Briarwood. It was where she had spent most of her time as a child, where she had lived with her beloved mother and father.

Previous to this night, she would have believed that nothing would threaten the peace of that existence. This attempt to kidnap her gave evidence to the false nature of her security. It seemed that, without a man to protect her, she was vulnerable indeed.

Her searching gaze ran over the man across from her, taking in the wide set of his shoulders, his strong hands, his confident demeanor. The sea captain would have no need to fear anyone. He wore his strength with an easy grace that made him all the more intimidating.

An idea was beginning to insinuate itself into her mind. It was an idea she could not dismiss, though she did make an attempt. Surreptitiously Victoria studied the man seated across from her. He seemed lost in thought, and the tightness of the hands clenched around his knees gave away the tension inside him, his desperation to find this woman. Was he desperate enough to agree to her plan?

There was only one way to find out.

“Mr. McBride,” she began, feeling his attention come back to her face. “I have a proposition for you to consider.”

She glanced at him and saw that he was looking at her with a puzzled frown. “Yes?” he replied somewhat warfly.

She centered her gaze on the hands she held clasped in her lap. “What has happened this evening has made me realize that there is a matter which I have been putting off for far too long.” She paused and took a deep breath, then went on, determined not to let him see that she was nervous. “The matter of my marriage.” Facing him directly, she wondered what his reaction might be to her blunt statement.

“I see,” he told her. But it was obvious that he truly did not see what connection this could have to him.

Quickly ‘Victoria went on. “I have been quite occupied with running my father’s estates in these past years since my parents were both killed in a boating accident at Bath—” Her voice broke for a moment, as the years between had hardly dulled the pain of being without them. She forced herself to continue in an even tone. “My father was the duke of Carlisle, and…”

He interrupted her, scowling darkly. “Duke—?”

“Yes,” she said, not liking the way he was staring at her now. She continued, wondering what had brought about this reaction. “And as his heir I have been left with a great trust in my keeping. I have realized that I should have married long before this. If I had, none of the events that took place this very night would have happened.”

His expression grew puzzled. “You obviously have a problem,” Jedidiah McBride told her, “but I do not see what it has to do with me.”

A frown marred her own brow. “I am getting to that. It seems clear, Mr. McBride, that I have need of a husband, but it seems equally clear that I have need of a protector until such a man is located. I am asking you, sir, to be my protector.” She hurried on before he could reply. “In return, I am offering to introduce you to London society. There, you would be able to make inquiries about these people, named Fairfield, and your child.”

She raised her head and saw that his face was even more thoughtful than before. He looked up at her, his eyes assessing. “Are you sure that you know what you would be doing here? You do not know me, or anything about me. I have just told you that I fathered an illegitimate child. Doesn’t that concern you in any way?”