Olivia caught the double meaning in his words and saw the men’s faces change as well. The constable was the only one who didn’t smirk. She grabbed the stick from Harrison’s hand and thrust it into the ground to keep from whacking him with it.
“Shall we depart?” All she wanted was to get home and shut the door and fall onto her bed.
Harrison helped her from the cave. The men began to gather strewn belongings and put the items in bags they’d brought. They all went back to the clearing. Harrison directed them to the most important plane parts. The silence was as thick as last night’s mist. By the time they headed into the woods, she wanted nothing more than never to see any of these men again—including Harrison Bennett.
The stick did little to alleviate the throbbing in her ankle. The constable strode ahead, forcing branches out of the way and tamping down weeds to allow her easier access. Bugs swarmed her damp skin, and every step was a misery. It was going to take hours of this torture to get to civilization.
She blinked against the stinging in her eyes. She would not cry. It would take every ounce of fortitude she possessed to get through the next few days. The physical pain of walking out of here was nothing compared to the emotional anguish that awaited her. Surely there was a way to salvage this.
I could marry him.
The stray thought made her stumble, and only the stick prevented her from tumbling into the bushes. What of her initial suspicion of him? The only clue she had indicating his guilt was her father’s letter telling Eleanor that the Bennetts were dangerous. But Harrison had rescued her from the sea, and he could have disposed of her out here in the wilderness. He’d been so gentlemanly, so concerned for her. He’d withstood a bear for her.
She didn’t believe he was capable of murder, but that didn’t mean she was ready to marry him.
Olivia had never been so glad to see a truck in her life. Harrison assisted her onto the black leather seat next to Mr. Quinn, who would drive them out of here, then went around to climb in the back with the rest of the men.
Mr. Quinn glanced at her from the corner of his eye. The smirk in his eyes made her want to squirm, but she held her chin up and looked straight ahead. The interior of the truck smelled like oil or grease, but getting her dress stained was the least of her worries.
“I’m glad you appear to be unharmed, Miss Stewart,” Mr. Quinn said, his voice smooth.
She started to thank him, then froze when she realized he’d used her real name. When she turned her head to look at him, he glanced back and his smirk widened.
“How do you know my name?” she managed to ask without her voice trembling.
“I know quite a lot about you. But I have to wonder why you are using some title instead of your given name of Olivia Stewart.”
She had to convince him to stay quiet until she had a chance to reveal the truth herself. “It’s very simple. I wanted to find out what happened to my sister.”
One eyebrow rose, and the truck jerked to the right as he glanced at her. “You doubt that she drowned?”
“If I promise to give you the full story when I get to the bottom of the situation, would you promise not to print my name until my investigation is concluded?”
He pursed his lips. “I’d get your full cooperation to run the full story?”
She felt no qualms about promising that. The murderer would be behind bars. “Yes.”
“It’s a deal. So what makes you doubt she drowned?”
“I don’t doubt she drowned. I just don’t believe she willingly went swimming.”
“Suicide?”
“She feared the water. If she were going t-to do away with herself, she wouldn’t choose drowning.”
His eyes gleamed. “So that leaves foul play.”
She clutched the seat as the truck careened around a corner. “I fear so.”
“Do you suspect anyone?”
A few days ago she would have been forced to admit she suspected Harrison. But that was no longer true. She shook her head. “I’m looking into some acquaintances she made while she was here.”
“Like Frederick Fosberg?”
“How do you know about him?”
“She seemed to be making a fool of herself over him at a party I attended.”
“Do you know the man?”
“Not well. I’m planning on doing a piece on him and the new business he’s opening. Say, how about the two of us work together? I’ll help you get to the bottom of this.”
The last thing she wanted was this man poking into her business, but what choice did she have? “Thank you,” she said, resigning herself to the inevitable.
Harrison bounced on the wheel well when the truck hit a pothole. The constable sat beside him on the floorboards.
“How much talk in town?” Harrison asked Brown once they were underway.
“The town is abuzz with it. It’s the only thing discussed at the soda shop and the mercantile. There is much speculation that perhaps the two of you ran off together instead of crashed.”
As he’d suspected. “So the lady’s reputation is ruined, is it not? Even if you tell of the wreckage you saw, people love a juicy rumor instead of truth.”
Brown inclined his head. “I fear so.”
Harrison turned to look at the steeples and rooftops of Mercy Falls in the distance. The lady had a high position to maintain. The only way to salvage her good name was for them to be married. This was his fault. He’d taken her up in the flying machine without a thought for her reputation. At the first opportunity, he would ask for her hand.
His mouth went dry at the thought. It was too much to even hope that she would say yes. He had money but no title. Her family would forbid such a marriage. And she’d been open about her friendship with Eleanor. He’d have to tell her the truth.
The truck rumbled into town. People turned to stare. He saw the women begin to talk at once. Some even turned their backs on the vehicle. All but one rubbernecker frowned. Addie’s bright smile was like sunlight breaking through the trees. He waved and she hurried toward the truck with Edward and the dog Gideon in tow. When the truck stopped, she rushed to greet them.
“Thank God you’re all right!” She peered past him. “But where is Lady Devonworth?”
He leaped to the pavement. “Her ankle was sprained in the crash. She’s in the cab.”
“Oh that poor girl.” She went around the back of the truck and up to the door of the cab where Lady Devonworth sat.
Harrison followed her. When Addie opened the door, he reached past her with his hand extended. “Allow me, Es—I mean, Lady Devonworth.”
She took his hand. When she emerged into the sunlight, he noticed she appeared pale and tired. “My house is just down the block. May I offer you rest there first? I’ll take you home after tea.”
“I’ll come along,” Addie added, glancing at the group of women staring at them.
“I’m so weary,” Lady Devonworth said.
He slipped his fingers under her elbow and turned her toward his house. “A pain powder would help, I’m sure. I’ll have my father summon the doctor.”
She stopped. “Your father is at your house?”
“He’s across the street in his own house, but I’ll call him.”
She smoothed her windblown hair. “I-I think I’d rather go home. We can summon the doctor from there, can we not?”
She was likely uncertain about meeting his parents in her present state. Besides, her departure would give him the opportunity to explain the situation to them without an audience. “As you wish.”
He backtracked to the truck where the men still milled around. “Could I trouble you to take the lady to Stewart Hall, Quinn?”
“I’d be happy to.” He tossed a cigarette to the ground and went to the cab.
Harrison assisted Lady Devonworth inside. “There’s room for you, Addie. I can have Edward and Gideon ride in the back with me.”
She took Edward’s hand. “We’ll just walk. It’s only
a few blocks. I’ll stop along the way and fetch the doctor.”
“Thanks.” He leaped into the back of the bed, and the truck started off with a jerk.
With every bump along the street, his stomach tightened. How could he go about making this right without offending her? Surely she must be sick with worry about what this situation was going to do to her life. At least she could sort out the trouble here. Mercy Falls residents would be quicker to forgive this transgression than her friends in New York.
The truck turned into the tree-lined driveway of the Stewart home. A few gardeners lifted their heads when the truck pulled to a stop, then they went back to their work. A maid beat rugs over a line in the side yard. The running of the house had continued even though Lady Devonworth had gone missing. Did none of the servants realize the danger she’d been in?
As soon as the truck stopped, he leaped out. When he opened the vehicle’s door, he found her drooping with exhaustion. Dark circles bruised the skin under her eyes. Without asking permission, he put his arm around her waist and helped her up the steps. She didn’t even protest.
“Open the door!” He banged the front door with his foot.
Moments later Goldia opened the door. “Mr. Bennett! Oh no, is she hurt?”
He brushed past her with Lady Devonworth stumbling beside him. “The doctor is on his way.” He went down the hall to the parlor and sat her on the sofa, then raised her boots onto the cushions.
“We must get your boot off,” he told her. He glanced back at the maid, who stood behind him wringing her hands. “Would you help me?” He stepped away and allowed her to kneel by her mistress. “Careful of her ankle.”
She unlaced Lady Devonworth’s boots, then wiggled the right one. “It’s not coming off.”
He grabbed the boot heel and gave a tug. Lady Devonworth winced. “I think it’s severely swollen,” he said. “If you’d hold her calf, I’ll try to get it off.” Lady Devonworth gritted her teeth and gripped the cushions.
Goldia nodded and grasped the lady’s leg under the skirt. He began to work the boot off her foot. When it popped free, he stepped back again. “Roll her stocking down.”
Goldia nodded and worked the sock off Lady Devonworth’s foot. She gasped. “Oh, sir, it looks terrible.”
He winced when he saw the purple bulging flesh at the ankle and down the foot. When he glanced back at Lady Devonworth, she lay with her eyes closed. She’d probably fainted from pain. “Fetch some tea. She hasn’t eaten much today either. Some toast perhaps?”
Goldia nodded and rushed from the room. Harrison pulled a chair close to the sofa and sat on it to wait for Addie and the doctor. He took her hand and studied the face of the woman he intended to make his bride. If only there was time to properly woo her, he believed he could actually love her.
TWENTY
OLIVIA GRITTED HER teeth against the pain in her leg. It radiated from her foot all the way to her knee. She groaned and flung out her arm. It hit something soft. She opened her eyes and became aware that she was lying on the sofa. In her house. A pillow cushioned her head, and light slanted through the curtains at the window.
Opening her eyes fully, she realized someone held her hand captive. She turned her head and stared into Harrison’s face. Her heart thumped against her ribs at his intense expression.
“How did I get in here?” she asked. “I don’t remember.”
“I half dragged you.” His smile was gentle. “How do you feel?”
“Like an elephant stepped on my foot.”
He had flecks of mud and debris on his trousers. He continued to stare at her. “It’s badly sprained. Maybe even broken. Addie should be here shortly with the doctor.”
She became aware that he wasn’t just holding her hand, he was rubbing his thumb across her palm in a most distracting way. If it wasn’t so pleasant, she would snatch her hand away. His touch reached a place inside and made her feel warm and cherished in a most delicious way. Which was quite ridiculous, of course.
She struggled to sit up, but he shook his head. “Lie still. You need to keep that foot elevated. Besides, I need to talk to you.”
His tone and expression were so grave that her pulse increased to a rapid pounding in her chest. “I-Is it my father? He’s been found?” When he frowned, she realized he knew nothing of her search for her father. Or who she was. Her secret was still safe. “Never mind. What is it you wish to say?”
His eyes grew more somber. “You saw the reaction in town to our return.” When she nodded, he reached to the coffee table with his free hand and grabbed a newspaper. “This is the morning paper.” He turned the front page around to face her.
She read the headline: HARRISON BENNETT AND LADY DEVONWORTH MISSING FOR TWO DAYS. She squinted at the print below it. “What does it say in the article?”
“It suggests we might have had a tryst and faked a plane crash to cover it up.”
Her head swam. Exactly what she’d feared would happen. “We can refute it. Take a photographer to the site of the crash. And Mr. Quinn will print no more stories.”
“Four men saw us there. Sleeping side by side.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks and she flashed back to that moment. Had she ever felt as content as these past two mornings when she’d awakened in his arms? “There’s no way to prove our innocence?” she asked.
He shook his head. “None. And there’s more. Goldia told me she has fielded several calls from the papers. The San Francisco news ran the story in the evening paper.” He pressed her hand harder. “I’m sorry, Essie. This is my fault.”
By the utmost exercise of her will, she managed to keep down the bile that rose in her throat. This couldn’t be happening. Her life and reputation couldn’t be swept away so quickly. Her mother would hear this news and fear the worst. “I must call home,” she murmured. She could only hope the New York papers missed it.
“There’s time for that later,” he said. “We must decide some things before the doctor arrives.”
“What things?” She jerked her hand from his grasp and struggled to a seated position. He gently took her ankles and lifted her feet to the coffee table. Even that gentle motion made her ankle throb.
“Tell me,” she said when he sat back in his chair.
“There is only one way to save your reputation,” he said.
Though she wanted to shake her head at what she knew was coming, she couldn’t move. He was right. Marriage was the only thing that could save her reputation now.
He took her hand again. “If we marry, no one will say anything. I will arrange for a private ceremony at once. We can announce that we were privately wed, and the kinder members of society will allow our prevarication to stand.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what to say.”
“If you prefer a more elaborate ceremony, I can arrange that too. We would suffer a bit more gossip, but it would be forgotten soon enough.” His eyes became veiled and his mouth hardened. “Unless you fear it is more scandalous to marry beneath you.”
Tell him the truth. She opened her mouth to tell him everything, but the doorbell rang and he rose. “There’s the doctor.” He moved his chair back from the sofa. “We’ll discuss this later.”
Addie rushed into the room with Dr. Lambertson on her heels. “How are you feeling, my dear?”
“I shall be fine,” Olivia assured her.
The doctor moved to her side and began to press on her ankle. “It’s quite a bad sprain, Lady Devonworth. It’s going to take some time for you to recover.” He nodded to Goldia, who stood hovering in the doorway with a tray of tea and cookies in her hands. “Fetch me some hot water and soap. I shall wash and wrap it.”
Goldia handed the tray to Addie, then hurried from the room. When her eyes fell on the food, Olivia was suddenly ravenous and thirsty. “I’ll take some tea,” she said.
“Let me help you,” Addie said.
While her friend poured out the tea, Olivia glanced at Harrison and found him st
aring at her. Her nerves fluttered at his expression. Her head began to ache. If only she hadn’t gotten into that plane! This labyrinth was too complicated for her to find the way out.
Society would crucify her.
Once the doctor finished wrapping Lady Devonworth’s ankle and departed, Harrison walked with him to the door. “You don’t believe the bone is broken?” he asked.
Dr. Lambertson shook his head. “She will need to stay off it for at least a week though. It’s badly sprained. She should not have been allowed to walk on it for as long as she did.”
Harrison nodded. “It’s my fault. I crashed the aeroplane and we had no choice but to walk out of the forest.”
“You should have made a litter for her and carried her out once help arrived.”
“She was quite adamant about walking,” Harrison said. “Thank you, doctor.” He followed Dr. Lambertson out to the porch, where he saw a car roll to a stop in the driveway.
“Your father is back in town,” the doctor remarked as he went down the steps.
Harrison watched the two men speak, then his father strode up the driveway. His bowler was perched perfectly on his head, and he swirled his gold-tipped cane as he came. His smile was full of confidence.
Harrison shook his hand. “Father, what are you doing here?”
“I had to see if my son had survived, of course,” he said loudly. He leaned forward and whispered in Harrison’s ear, “I forbid you to marry that woman. I did some checking. No one I spoke to has heard of the Devonworths. She’s certainly not on par with Olivia Stewart.”
“The crash was an accident.”
His father grimaced. “Of course it was. I’d like to meet this scheming woman.”
Harrison took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s indisposed.”
“I’ll only stay a moment. Your mother says the lady has a mind of her own but is quite beautiful. She must be to have you so enthralled.”
Harrison barred the hall. “Please leave for now, Father. This is not the appropriate time.”