"I suppose not." Courtney frowned. "If what you're saying is true—and it certainly makes sense that it is—how are you going to convince Julian to change?"
"That's where my realization of a few minutes ago comes in." Aurora leaned forward, her entire face aglow. "Mr. Scollard provided me with the answer earlier today, only I didn't hear it—truly hear it—until now." A twinkle. "That's because he didn't intend for me to. As always, his answer was painstakingly concealed so I'd be forced to go through this entire thought process to fully understand things before I arrived at my solution."
Courtney nodded, having experienced Mr. Scollard's brilliant guidance firsthand. "What did he say? And where did it lead you?"
"He told me to hold fast to my strength and to my husband. And he told Julian to take care of me—as I would of him." Aurora's lips curved. "After reviewing all I just told you, then hearing Julian declare for the dozenth time that he meant to ensure my well-being, it struck me in a flash. Mr. Scollard was paving my way with his counsel. What I derived from his words is this: if as my husband, Julian is hell-bent on protecting me—which we know he is—then as his wife, I shall be hell-bent on protecting him, too. Not out of guilt or duty, but out of love—which, as you and I both know, is Julian's true underlying reason for wanting to shelter me, even if he is too unnerved to admit it to me or himself. In any case, that's the whole point of my plan. Not only am I going to guard my husband like a lioness, I'm going to prove something to him in the process—that loving someone can make you strong, not weak."
Courtney shook her head in amazement. "I'm duly impressed. That was an extraordinary display of reasoning, even for you. However, you did omit one or two details, such as how you intend to accomplish this. More importantly, what is it Julian needs protection from? You're not alluding only to the search for the black diamond, are you?"
Silence.
"Aurora, answer me. How is it you plan to protect Julian—and from what—or rather, whom?"
"I can't answer those two questions, at least not yet. But Courtney, you were right, twice over, in fact. Julian is falling in love with me, and my love will be there to cushion his fall when he does."
"I never doubted either of those things." Courtney's expression remained troubled. "Aurora, you're not going to do anything dangerous, are you?"
"Only if it's necessary," Aurora replied honestly. Her back straightened and her chin came up. "But no matter what it takes, I'm going to protect my husband—and open his stubborn eyes in the process."
* * *
Chapter 12
« ^ »
"I noticed you never told Slayde and Courtney your suspicions that we were being followed when we left for Morland yesterday," Aurora commented as their carriage sped through the gates of Pembourne, en route to Polperro.
Julian shrugged. "There was no reason to. Nothing actually happened—'twas only an instinct. An accurate one, I'm certain, but an instinct nonetheless. Besides, your brother is already frantic in his worry over Courtney's safety. If I told him this, it would only add to that apprehension. Further, whoever was pursuing us was after me, not the Huntleys."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure." A pause. "Speaking of issues left undiscussed, what was it you were so eager to divulge to Courtney last night? You never did tell me."
Aurora shot him an impish grin. "You never asked. In fact, you said very little when you came to bed. You seemed to have other matters on your mind."
"I did." Julian tugged her closer, rubbing his chin across her satiny tresses. "The same matters that are always on my mind when it comes to you." His hands slid up to cup her breasts. "It's inconceivable what you do to me."
With a tiny shiver, Aurora shifted about to face him, reaching up to unfasten his shirt. "We have hours and hours," she reminded him seductively. "A long, tedious carriage ride with nothing to do." Leaning past her husband, she drew the carriage curtains as he had on their wedding day.
Julian caught her arm, stilled its motion. "Is this because you don't want to answer my question?"
"No." Aurora gazed directly into his eyes, thinking about her plan and the steps she'd taken to ensure it. "This is because I want you as much as you want me. As for your question, I'd be more than happy to answer it. The reason I was so eager to talk to Courtney was because I wanted her to know that I'd followed her advice and told you I love you."
Julian drew a swift breath. "I see."
"Now will you make love to me?" Aurora whispered, pushing open the sides of his shirt, searching his face as her palms swept over the hard hair-roughened planes of his chest.
With a ragged sound of need, Julian dragged her mouth to his. "Until the fire consumes us," he breathed fiercely.
The fire prevailed throughout their journey to Polperro.
So did the carriage that trailed unobtrusively behind them.
* * *
Julian's property was every bit as wonderful as Aurora's cursory inspection had promised. Then again, this was the first time she was able to view her new home in the daylight. The grounds were modest, with but a small garden and several acres of manicured lawn surrounding the stone manor. But the view was spectacular even from the drive: the cliffs towering in the background, the waters of the Channel stretching below as far as the eye could see.
"Can we walk a bit before we go in?" Aurora demanded, her eyes sparkling as the carriage came to a halt.
"Of course."
The words were scarcely out of Julian's mouth when Aurora flung open the carriage door and leapt out, nearly knocking down one stunned footman in the process.
Chuckling, Julian joined her, issuing a few instructions to his driver and footmen before capturing Aurora's arm, guiding her precisely where she wanted to go: down the tiny winding path that led to the water.
When they reached the sandy strip along the shore, Aurora rushed forward, nearly giddy with excitement. "It's everything you said and more," she declared, strolling to the water's edge where the waves of the Channel broke gracefully, drenching her slippers and the hem of her gown with their foam. "The cliffs above us, the water below—it's a legend-seeker's dream."
"I thought you'd like it." Julian grinned, clearly enjoying her exuberant reception.
"Like it? I love it!" Impatiently Aurora raised her skirts and wrung out the wet muslin.
"I don't think that will help. The gown is ruined."
Aurora laughed, letting the soggy material droop to the sand. "True. Then again, it was ruined hours ago—by you."
"Is that a complaint?" Julian shot her a thoroughly smug look.
"No, you arrogant man, that was a sated assessment." She spun about, shading her eyes so she could study the manor, its ivy-covered walls angling sharply into a second wing that sloped backward toward the shelter of the cliffs. "The house is larger than I originally thought."
"Too large?" Julian wrapped his arms about her from behind.
"No. Perfect."
"Good. Then, would you like to go inside and meet the staff?" He nuzzled her neck. "Or shall I impede this tour as I did the last—by carrying you up to bed?"
"Not this time." Aurora laughed, stepping out of his embrace. "As it is, your servants have doubtless labeled me a wanton. What would they think of a repeat performance of last time—and in broad daylight, no less?"
"I don't care what they'd think. Do you?"
Aurora sobered. "You know I don't. But I would like to finish our tour." Pausing, she rubbed the folds of her damp gown between her fingers, trying to explain something that was as foreign to her as it was to her husband, and hoping that by doing so she wouldn't further unnerve him. Then again, her bloody candor would allow nothing shy of the truth. So she might as well plunge right in and take her chances. "Julian, in many ways this is my first real home. Pembourne was more like a prison for me, at least until Courtney arrived. Even then, my affinity was for her and Slayde, not the house. I know I claimed not to require roots—but perhaps I was mistaken. Perhaps
I just required a different kind of roots, the kind I never knew existed—until now. Is that notion totally unfathomable? Or, if not unfathomable, then untenable?"
Julian's gaze narrowed, tiny flames darting through the topaz depths. "No. That notion is neither unfathomable nor untenable." He threaded his fingers through her hair. "I'd be delighted to acquaint you with your new home—but only if you vow not to become too attached to it. Because what is both unfathomable and untenable is the thought of doing without you for months on end. I can scarcely take my hands off you long enough to show you around. So don't change your mind about traveling abroad with me."
Aurora's throat tightened at what was as close to an admission of need as Julian had allowed himself thus far. "I won't. I couldn't." She lay her palm against her husband's jaw. "I'd be as empty as you would."
He turned his lips into her palm, then caught her fingers in his. "Come, soleil. Meet your staff."
Julian's staff was as unconventional as he—from Daniels, the stout ununiformed butler, to Hadrigin, Julian's bearded and brawny valet, who was not only not uniformed but was addressed by the other servants as 'Gin'—a name Aurora suspected had little to do with the abbreviated form of his surname. Then there were the other two dozen or so informally dressed men and women who greeted her not with customary bows, but with broad grins and unaffected—though no less warm and respectful—hellos.
"Well?" Julian asked, eyes twinkling, when they'd made their way through the rustic house and were alone in his bedchamber. "What do you think of the residents of Merlin Manor?"
Aurora's brows arched. "'Merlin Manor'?"
"Of course." Julian's teeth gleamed. "Aren't all noblemen and their estates known by the same name?"
"Indeed they are." Aurora couldn't control her laughter. "Tell me, is it my imagination, or are all your servants just a bit unconventional? And while we're on the subject, just how did Gin get his name?"
"They're as unconventional as I—well, maybe a bit more so," Julian conceded. "As for Gin, not only can he tie a wicked cravat, he can toss off five measures of his namesake beforehand—and still complete his task with steady fingers."
"That's quite a feat." Aurora wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. "Did his references state as such? Or did you simply ask his previous employer?"
"Neither." Julian's smile vanished, his offhanded tone ringing with a fine underlying tension. "I met him during my travels. His employer was a filthy pirate who was about to run Gin through for releasing a tavern maid rather than dragging her back to the ship for mutual enjoyment. I convinced the murderous bastard he could do without both the girl and Gin."
"Is the tavern maid here as well?"
"She's Emma, the girl I introduced you to in the sitting room. The one who stared at you with those worshipful eyes."
Aurora blanched recalling the slight, fair-haired maid she'd encountered dusting the side table, her blue eyes widening with awe as she'd dropped curtsy after awkward curtsy. "Julian, she can't be more than sixteen years old."
"Fifteen," he corrected. "Thirteen when the incident I just described took place." He caressed Aurora's cheek. "Don't look so horrified. She's fine and thoroughly intact, thanks to Gin's interference. Now I have two outstanding servants and they each have a home." Julian's thumb traced Aurora's lips, then stroked the distressed pucker between her brows. "Think how dreadful it was for me until then," he joked, trying to make her smile. "I not only had to make up my own bed, I had to tie my own cravats."
"You never wear cravats anyway," Aurora replied absently, her thoughts racing ahead, then coming to a screeching halt. "Julian—your servants, all the men and women who work here, they're all like Gin and Emma, aren't they? All victims you rescued from dire circumstances?"
"Don't make it sound like I'm such a hero, soleil. Yes, I helped them escape disagreeable situations, offered them jobs and a place to live. But my servants work damned hard for their wages." A corner of Julian's mouth lifted. "You might not believe this, but I'm not an easy man to live with. I'm also demanding as hell to work for, whether I'm here or abroad. My staff's duties are extensive and varied, including the ability to handle all types of unsavory guests who might drop in uninvited during my absence."
"That doesn't lessen the magnitude of your actions." Pride and respect surged in Aurora's chest. "You, Julian Bencroft, are a wonderful man. You might live by your own rules, but those rules are far more exemplary than all the ton's combined. Your nobility transcends a mere title." Her small jaw set, resentment flashing in her eyes. "This only proves that your father, besides being a scoundrel and a liar, was a stupid, bloody fool. I'd like to thrash him for denouncing you."
Tenderness softened Julian's features and he drew her to him, tilting back her head for a kiss. "You're arousing as hell when you're angry."
Aurora found herself smiling again. "Let's see … when I'm angry, when I'm secretive, when I'm adventurous, when I'm bold, when I'm eager, when I'm…"
"All the time, then." He silenced her with his mouth.
"'Ey, Merlin … that's gonna 'ave to wait." Gin strode in, looking not the least bit perturbed by the heated embrace he'd interrupted.
Neither was Julian, who made no move to release his wife. "Good-bye, Gin. By the way, it's time you learned to knock."
"Next time. Right now, Stone's 'ere to see ye."
This time, Julian did lift his head. "Stone? Now?"
A nod. "'E says 'e's got news."
"Good. I intended to send for him; this saves me the trouble. Tell him I'm on my way."
"No." Aurora gripped his arms. "Tell him we're on our way." She didn't back down, not even when Julian's eyes narrowed, his mouth forming the word "no."
"The matter you want to see Stone about concerns me as well." She stopped without further elaboration, given that Gin was still present—not merely present, but standing practically atop them, gaping. "Besides—" She focused her attention on Julian, tossing him a teasing grin. "—Mr. Stone and I are old friends. Why, he's seen me in the most shocking state of undress…"
"Stop." Julian chuckled, pressing his forefinger to her lips. "You're impossible. Fine. Come with me."
"I'm right beside you." Aurora glanced innocently at Gin as she passed. "Is something wrong?"
"Hmm?" The valet shook his head, his mouth snapping shut. "No, ma'am. Everything's right—and gettin' righter by the minute. In fact, I think this job's about to become so interestin', I might just have to stay sober to enjoy it."
* * *
"What's your news, Stone?" Julian stalked into the sitting room, Aurora by his side, shutting the door in their wake. "You remember my wife," he added, touching Aurora's elbow.
Stone's pupils dilated, but he merely nodded. "Yeah, good to see ye, Lady … Lady…"
"…Aurora," she supplied. Her lips twitched. "Or Mrs. Merlin will do. Whichever you feel more comfortable using."
"Oh…" He swallowed. "I guess I'll think about it and—"
"Stone." Julian recalled his colleague's attention to where it belonged. "Have you seen Macall? Is that why you're here?"
"Yeah, that's why I'm here, and no, I haven't seen him—not firsthand. I can't take the chance he'll recognize me. But I've got my ear to the ground. And from what I'm hearing, he's in a bad way, Merlin—drunk at night, roughin' people up in the streets, yellin' about how he's gonna make you pay. He disappears for hours at a time each day, probably combin' the streets lookin' for ye. And now that yer home…"
"We're going to have to finish this, Macall and I," Julian pronounced in a steely voice. "Unfortunately his timing is rotten. But that can't be helped. If he's determined to come after me now, so be it. I'm ready; I have been since you told me he was in England."
"You haven't spotted him yet, have you?"
"No. But someone's been following me these past few days. My guess is, it's Macall."
"There's somethin' else you should know. Macall's got himself a new sword, a rare bronze one he stole in Malta. I h
ear the sword's hilt is covered with jewels, and its blade is deadly enough to slash a man in two. Word is he's saved it especially for you, brandishes it every day and claims he's gonna drive it straight through your heart, then step over your dead body and make off with the black diamond."
"My, my. The scoundrel is obsessed, isn't he?" Julian leaned against the wall, looking thoroughly unconcerned.
Aurora felt her insides knot.
"Anything else?" Julian inquired.
"Not until Macall stops waitin' and does somethin'. And if he does, I think ye'll know about it before I do."
"I think you're right. Well, enough about Macall. I have another matter to discuss with you. What do you know of an old sailor, one who's retired from the sea and now spends his time reminiscing at a local pub?"