“Oh dear, how?” Meg raked her hands through her hair, pulling down half of the curled clusters.
Even with her hair half-dressed, she looked so refine, so beautiful that for a moment Beth forgot her problems and almost smiled. Her friend deserved to be pampered and loved. But did Grayson love her truly? Was he capable?
Meg paced back and forth across the gravel path. “How did this happen?”
Beth shrugged. “Apparently Grayson and Nate are friends.”
“They are,” Meg confirmed. “I swear I didn’t know until it was too late. I never thought this would happen.”
“It’s done, Meg. We will think of something.”
Concern pulled at Meg’s pretty face. “Nate rarely leaves his estate! He’s more of a recluse than Grayson. I hadn’t expected him to visit. Tell me you’re well. That Nathan has been treating you kindly?”
Beth blushed, images of that morning came to mind. “Nate has treated me quite well.”
She didn’t miss Meg’s frown and curious gaze. Apparently Beth hadn’t been able to keep the telling pitch from her voice. How could she explain her relationship with Nate? They were connected on a level she didn’t even truly understand. Not that it mattered, when he found out the truth he would never trust her again.
“Nate?” Meg said. “You call him by his given name?”
“And the boys,” Beth added quickly, changing the subject. “They’re a handful but they’re starting to appreciate me, I think.”
Meg sighed. “Grayson will be home tonight.”
Beth shook her head, completely bemused. Grayson had been an utter beast. Did Meg truly love him? If Beth found out he was treating her friend ill, she’d soon be wanted for two murders. “We have more important things to discuss I think, than how I’m faring.”
Meg waved her hand through the air. “Yes, I’ve married. But you know that your situation is much worse.” She paced the path again, the gravel crunching underfoot. “Bloody, bleedin’ hell!”
“Who knows me here?” Beth asked, attempting to think calmly and rationally. Meg had always been the emotional one. They were complete opposites, which was why they worked so well together.
“My entire family, although thank God they are all in the city.” She nibbled on her thumbnail. “The staff is new, another blessing. They came with Grayson from London. They won’t recognize you.” She nodded, relief sweeping across her features. “We can do this. No one need see you. You’ll be in seclusion in the nursery. I’ll deal with my husband, and I’ll keep Hanna away from you so she doesn’t make a mistake.”
It was a ridiculous plan, and they both knew it was bound to fail. She would be caught eventually. The question was…would Grayson tell Nate the truth when Meg’s plan failed?
Meg dared to sit next to her and gave her a kind, warm smile. A familiar smile that made Beth feel at ease, until Hanna appeared, skipping down the trail. Beth stiffened. Recognizing her, the child grinned.
“Don’t worry, we’ve been through worse,” Meg said, not spotting the girl quite yet. “Soon this will all merely be a terrible memory.”
“Auntie Beth!” Hanna cried out.
Meg groaned, covering her face with her hands. “We’re doomed.”
Chapter 13
They’d only just arrived from the sea where Hanna had finally changed into the little vampire she was when Grayson had announced that Nate would be visiting. Meg had begged him not to invite the man, to call off. He had refused. She’d even used Hanna as an excuse but it hadn’t worked.
Not that she didn’t worry about the child. It was all Meg could think of most days. Could the little girl handle being around those warm, human bodies and not want to taste them? Meg watched through the upstairs window as Hanna and Nate’s boy’s raced around the garden. Their childish giggles brought a smile to her lips.
They were merely playing, as all children should. But even though their interaction seemed innocent enough, she would have to stay on guard until she knew for sure Hanna could control herself.
Thank God Mary Ellen and Sally were still away shopping in London so she wouldn’t have to worry about them accidentally divulging Beth’s secret. This morning she’d had a talk with Hanna. Hopefully the child understood why they must keep quiet about knowing Beth.
She sighed. She’d meant to tell Beth that Grayson knew all about where she’d been these last two months. That he’d figured it out almost immediately. But her friend had been so distraught that she hadn’t had the heart.
Beth had managed to stay the night without being caught. How long would it last? Guests would be arriving at any moment for their weekend gathering; what if one recognized her friend? Below, Beth stood to the side, watching the boys and Hanna play. With her bonnet rim covering her face, it was hard to recognize her.
Meg moved closer to the window. Although worry hung heavy around her slim shoulders, something had changed in Beth’s demeanor. She’d noticed it the moment her friend had stepped from the carriage. She had color to her cheeks when before she’d been pale, almost sickly looking with worry. She’d even gained a little weight, making her narrow frame somewhat lush. She actually looked alive again when she’d looked half-dead before. Had the boys brought the color back, or was it something more?
Meg worried her lower lip between her teeth. She hadn’t missed the way Nate had watched them as they’d left the carriage yesterday. Meg had assumed they’d looked guilty and he’d been suspicious. But perhaps it was more. Blimey, had something developed between Nate and Beth? No, impossible. Sensible and stoic Beth would never fall for such a cad. Still, she couldn’t deny that the exhausted wariness that had stooped her friend’s shoulders for years was gone. There was an actual spring to her step.
The bedroom door squeaked open. Meg felt Grayson’s presence right before he pressed his lips to the back of her neck. She sighed, turning into his warm, muscled body. His familiar scent swirled around her, intoxicating, drugging almost. How she loved him. From his scent, to his touch and his taste.
“I missed you,” she murmured, although he’d only been gone for the day.
But as she tilted her head back to kiss him, she saw his narrowed gaze focused on the windows. Nervous, she glanced over her shoulder. Beth was in their direct line of vision, pruning withered roses from a bush.
“How is your friend?” he asked.
Meg cringed. Of course. Even if he couldn’t see Beth’s face, he could smell her, sense her. He’d noticed her movements most likely, had perhaps heard her familiar voice from afar. Grayson didn’t miss anything.
“You invited him on purpose, didn’t you?” She moved back, needing distance to keep her wits about her. “Have you told Nate yet?”
He continued to look out the window as he loosened his cravat. “No.”
She was relieved. More than relieved. They hadn’t been married long and she didn’t want to fight with him…not anymore. They’d fought too much during their unusual courtship. She reached out, untying his cravat and laying it gently upon the back of the chair flanking the fireplace.
“You realize you’re betraying the very man who helped find Hanna.”
She frowned and turned to face him. “You’re trying to make me feel guilty?”
He grinned, a lopsided grin that made her heart stutter. “A little.”
“It’s not our secret to tell.” She stepped closer to him and pulled the jacket from his broad shoulders, leaving him in his waistcoat and shirtsleeves. “You never did tell me how he found her.”
She brushed the jacket free of dust and lay it upon the back of the chair. The coat held his scent, a wonderful, tempting scent that warmed her insides and made her forget, for a moment, her problems.
He sighed. “Nate’s a…”
Confused by his hesitation, she turned to face him. Really, what could the man say that would shock her at this point? She’d known there was something different about Grayson’s friend when she’d met him, but what? “Is Nate a vampi
re?”
“Not exactly.” Grayson started to unbutton his waistcoat. “He’s a werewolf.”
“A what?” she demanded, sure she’d misheard him. When he didn’t respond, she released a sharp laugh. “You’re jesting!”
“Sorry, my love, but no.” He tossed his waistcoat to the chair. “He is a man who, upon occasion, turns into a wolf. Mostly around full moons.”
Meg sank onto the chair near the hearth. “He can’t be.”
Grayson didn’t respond, merely settled on the edge of the bed and pulled off his boots, continuing to undress. But of course Nate was a werewolf. Vampires. Werewolves. What other mythological beasts were fact? She shivered merely thinking about it. This is the world which she’d chosen to reside. A world she had readily stepped into, eyes open, so that she could be with Grayson. She didn’t regret it. Never would. But Beth, poor, lovely Beth, hadn’t asked for this. Dear lord, she’d sent Beth from one bad situation and placed her into another.
Meg surged to her feet. “I have to tell Beth.” She started toward the door, but didn’t get far. Grayson caught her around the waist, pulling her back against his hard body.
“Don’t even bloody think about it.”
She turned in his arms. “Grayson, you can’t expect—”
“Oh but I do.” He grinned down at her. “It’s not your secret to tell.”
She frowned. How dare he use her words for his own benefit. “This is different.”
“Really?” He slid his knuckles down the side of her face, attempting to placate. It was working. All it took was a touch, a smile, a kiss, and she was completely lost to all but him. “I don’t see it that way.”
She brushed away his hand, needing to think. And she certainly couldn’t think when they touched. “He could kill her!”
He quirked a brow. “And Beth is wanted for murder.”
Meg cupped the sides of his face. “You know she wouldn’t—”
“Neither would Nate.”
She narrowed her eyes, glaring up at him. He knew very well there was a difference. Beth was defenseless against Nathan. But Grayson was so bloody loyal to his friends. She sighed in defeat. One of many things she loved about him.
“He won’t harm her, I promise.”
“You can’t possibly know that.”
“Come now.” He pressed his lips to her forehead, then lower to the bridge of her nose. Her ire faltered with each kiss. “You don’t want to fight, do you? There are so many other pleasant things to do.”
“Oh really?” She smiled up at him. “Such as?”
He scooped her up and carried her toward the bed.
Meg gasped in mock outrage. “It’s the middle of the day!”
“And?”
“A proper lady would never be intimate with a man during the day,” she said. So why then was she wrapping her arms around his neck? “And…and we have guests.”
He lay her upon the bed and followed, pressing his warm body into hers, holding her captive. “They can wait.”
As his lips found her neck, a shiver ran over her skin. Guests be damned. All it took was a kiss, a touch, a heated glance and she was his. Meg couldn’t imagine ever growing numb to this man, ever being indifferent.
“My lovely, lovely Meg.” He took one of her loose curls and wrapped it around his finger, as his knee slid between her thighs, parting her legs. She could feel his hard erection press intimately against her body, a thrilling sensation that sent a shudder through her. “Always trying to please everyone.”
“No.” Her trembling and eager fingers found the buttons of his shirt. Despite the bright light of day, and their duties as hosts, that gnawing ache grew too deep to ignore. She wanted him with a desperation she prayed would never fade. “You. Only trying to please you.”
“Trying?” He pulled her bodice loose. “You please me every moment of the day.”
His words tugged at her heart, at the same time making her chest feel hollow, empty. “I’m not with child.”
He moved toward her chest, pressing kisses to the valley between her breasts. “You think that’s all I care about?”
“Don’t most men?”
She’d brought nothing to the marriage, only a poverty-stricken family to support. The least she could do was give him a child. What if she couldn’t? There were women who, for some reason, couldn’t have babies.
He traveled lower. “My dear Meg, you should know by now that I’m not like most men.”
She smiled, but there was still that lingering doubt there. Her monthly had come and gone last week, much to her disappointment. She wanted so badly to be able to give him a child.
“I only want you, Meg.” His hands roamed down her body, pulling her skirts up her legs. “Only you.”
As he bunched the skirts up around her waist, Meg was lost. Completely and utterly lost. Her worries gone. His warm breath fanned across her thighs. “No drawers?” He tsked. “Really Meg.”
Her grin turned into a gasp as his tongue darted out, sliding between her folds. How? How could he make her feel so desperate? So bloody good? Meg gripped the blankets, crying out. How he knew just where to touch her, she hadn’t a clue. Not only was he a vampire, but he was a bloody magician as well.
A tremor racked her body. She was close, so damn close.
Grayson pulled away, standing. Within minutes he had torn the clothing from his body. His hair was mussed, his breath as ragged as hers. And those eyes…even in the daylight they glowed with want…need…with love.
She wanted him like she’d never wanted anyone. Every time was as beautiful as the first. They would have children eventually…she truly believed that. But for now she would merely adore him and appreciate the gifts a poor vicar’s daughter had been given.
****
Beth loved the evenings. She liked the cool weather, the soft breeze, the chirp of birds settling down for slumber and the song of insects coming to life. She liked that she could be alone with her thoughts while others were inside eating. The very world seemed to still in the evening.
It didn’t hurt that it was also the time when the nursemaid would take the boys for dinner, leaving her with a few moments of blessed peace. A peace she so desperately needed. Especially now that she had returned home.
Through the trees…across the field…her estate sat, still waiting for her return. She brushed her hand across a branch, needing to feel the roughness of the bark, needing to feel anything. Part of her actually missed the estate, or at least what it had once represented. She’d thought she’d have children there, grow old, become friends with her neighbors and have dinners and balls. A wave of sadness and longing surged through her.
She weaved her way through the tall oaks, marveling over Grayson’s stately home that had transformed itself in the weeks since she’d been gone. While months ago it had been near to a crumbling ruin, now it was a place worthy of the queen. She could barely believe Meg had married. Grayson was quiet, stoic, terrifying. She prayed the man would keep her friend safe, and more importantly, happy.
She’d spotted him earlier near the stables but he hadn’t looked her way. How long before he told Nate? Would he keep her secret? Most likely not. He and Nate were friends, after all. She certainly wouldn’t keep such a secret from Meg.
Nate.
She hadn’t seen him since arriving the other day. Ridiculous, really, but she missed him. She missed the way he’d smile when caught off guard. That line he’d get between his brows when lost in thought. The tic of the side of his jaw when his boys misbehaved and he was trying so hard not to yell. She missed the way she’d catch him looking at her, as if she were the greatest mystery he’d ever known. She missed him completely and utterly.
Disconcerted, she plucked a brown leaf from an elm and headed along the perimeter of the forest. This evening she’d caught a glimpse of him sitting at dinner laughing at something Grayson had said and she couldn’t help but smile in kind. Until she’d caught site of the stunning blonde woman seat
ed beside Nate. Not only had they seemed friendly, but perfectly matched in their beauty and station. Deflated, she’d moved as quietly as a cat, attempting to escape notice, but somehow Meg had spotted her.
Beth had quickened her steps toward the servant’s stairs but Meg had followed.
“Tell him!” she’d whispered. “It’s utter silliness that you should hide away in the nursery. You belong in that gilded dining room more than I do! Besides, I’ve missed you. I want you with us.”
Beth had given her a tight smile. “When he hears the truth, I doubt he’ll welcome me with open arms. He’ll either leave with his boys, or escort me to the constable.”
“Surely not.”
But she’d seen the way he’d treated Allen. Nate was not to be crossed. A cold wind rustled through the trees bringing her back into the present. Beth shivered, crossing her arms protectively in front of her. The sky was growing dark, a storm building. She started to turn, intending to return to the estate when Nate’s soft chuckle caught her off guard. She paused, frowning. Had she imagined it? No, there it was again. She’d know the sound anywhere. Would be able to pick him out amongst a sea of men by the sound of his voice, the scent of his body.
Curious and slightly desperate to see him, she moved down the path and rounded the corner. Beth’s excitement faded. Her blood went cold. There he sat on a bench with the beautiful blonde from the dining room.
“I haven’t seen you in ages. Can’t believe you’re truly here. Lord Recluse, they call you, you know.” She rested her gloved hand on his bicep and batted her lashes. “Quite the mystery.”
Nate grinned, leaning back against the bench, all ease. He was seated close to her, much too close. As she’d guessed, they were well acquainted. “Well, they do say mystery adds to the appeal of men.”
The woman laughed, pressing her lips to his cheek in a quick kiss that made Beth see red. “No, it only makes you seem like an oddity.”
The breeze shifted, tugging at her hair and flapping her skirts around her. Beth’s ire grew with the breeze. Heated humiliation rushed through her. While she’d been pining for the man, he’d been flirting with others. Nate didn’t care for her. No, he was the typical rake she’d first assumed. Not that she could blame him, the blonde was stunning. What man would be able to resist her? She started to turn. Let him have his women, but he wouldn’t have her.