“Heather, do not start—”
“No! Do not cut me off. This is too important. Her sister was with her. I think she hit Bella over the head and left her there to drown. Do we know what happened to the sister? Maybe this is why Bella haunts the Singing Caves, because no one realizes she was there with Bella and got away with murder. I think she stole her necklace, too.”
“Stop talking, will you?”
“Why? Does it not all start to make sense?” She gasped as they neared the house. “What made you turn back? Weren’t you on your way to the church to read the birth and death registers?”
“I had a bad feeling about you, so I rode home. Good thing I did.”
“Did you see Bella? She was in the cave with us.”
Lord, this girl was shooting shivers up his spine. “No, just you.”
“Perhaps you scared her off.”
He set Heather down and took her by the shoulders. “Do you think that apparition is afraid of me? I can assure you, it is not. Do not be fooled by the fact it appears in the form of a pretty girl. It is no longer a corporeal being. It could be anything, a creature merely using poor Bella’s form to lure innocents like you into the Singing Caves. I am worried you do not seem to be nearly as afraid of it as you ought to be.”
“Not afraid? Did I not just describe her shockingly onyx eyes to you?” She made a sound somewhere between a cough and a huff. “I was always afraid. But I ached to know about my mother, whether she and Bella were related. This was more important to me than my fear. There is such an emptiness in my soul, as deep and dark as an abyss. Why would my father not tell me about my mother?”
Ruarke understood the reason. Was there any doubt now? Her father was afraid this ghost would try to claim Heather, as it had tried years ago and almost succeeded in doing a few minutes ago. It was the only thing that made sense. He wanted to protect the daughter he loved.
The girl Ruarke now loved.
Blessed saints.
Was this what he was feeling? Mad, wild, fierce love?
“Your Grace, I am in imminent danger of being seen with you and having my reputation put in tatters.”
“You run no risk of that.” He ignored her little cry of outrage as he hauled her over his shoulder once again to carry her into the house. “I’ll make certain it is put right, should your good name suffer. I’ve told you I will protect you.”
“How? By ruining me and giving me no choice but to become your mistress?”
Chapter Seven
Heather’s heart achedso badly, she could hardly breathe. “Your Grace, you said you would not kiss me, but you did. You said you would never make me your mistress, but… And now you think you can because I let you kiss me, and then kissed you back.”
Bella’s ghostly laughter began to ring in her ears again, and she could not make it stop. This was tragic, not funny. She did not want to be any man’s paramour, not even this one whose skin held the scent of bay spices and whose muscled arms felt like heaven.
She moaned. “I can hear Bella. She is laughing at me.”
“Bloody blazes.” He strode into the house through the kitchen, putting the scullery maids in a dither as he marched in with Heather tossed over his shoulder, both of them soaking wet. The hour was still early, and there could not have been very many people stirring. “Anyone utters a word about seeing me with Miss Alwyn, and you willallbe sacked. Understood?”
Heather tried to kick him. What a cruel thing to say to those poor ladies! Was their life of drudgery not misery enough?
He carried her into his study and practically dumped her onto one of the tufted leather chairs before striding to the door to bolt it.
Her eyes widened as, having securely closed them in, he now approached her with a menacing stride. “Your Grace, what are you doing?”
His shirt was pasted to his body, revealing every exquisitely detailed bulge of muscle and sinew. His hair was slicked back and his expression was as granite-hard as his incredible muscles.
He planted his hands on either side of her chair and leaned in close, his dark eyes blazing. “I am trying to save your life. What do you think I am doing? Must I lock you away to keep you safe?”
“No! That is outrageous. And now everyone will know I am in here with you and believe all manner of sordid activities are going on because you’ve bolted the door.”
“Are you berating me?”
She pursed her lips. Why was he being so stubborn? “I am merely pointing out the obvious. Will you allow me to return to my quarters and change out of my wet gown? You ought to do the same, because the water was cold and you will catch a chill if you are not careful. Besides, I am sure I am ruining the leather on your beautiful chair. Not to mention your big, wet boots tromping on the carpet.”
