Reeling, he reached for her again, but she stepped back.
“Thank you,” she said before running away from him, the man on her heels.
He had the urge to go after them, to ensure she got home safely. The urge to demand she tell him her name and where he could find her.
“Who are you?” he said, heading back to his horse and skirting the still groaning men. “And why do I feel the need to know that?”
Chapter Eleven
“Good morning, dear.”
“Mother?” Beth struggled into a sitting position, flopping back against the headboard as the curtains were flung open. Last night’s events had kept her awake for hours upon her return to the house.
Why was Nathan there?
“A note has arrived.”
“That’s nice,” Beth said, remembering that kiss. Why had she done that? It had been foolish and could easily have turned to disaster had he removed her mask. Yet her entire life was a disaster; a last kiss with Nathan could not make it worse.
“It’s a lovely day for a ride,” her mother said.
Beth hummed her agreement. His lips pressed to hers had been everything it once was but so much more. Nathan had always been so gentle with her, but not last night. Their kiss had stirred sensations inside her she’d never felt before.
“My daughter will wear her new lilac jacket and black skirt,” her mother said to the maid who was tidying her room. “The matching black frogging and hat will look wonderful.”
Had she really let that woman called Bess cut her dress, then put a mask on her? Had she really stolen those papers from Lord Lithgow while he painted that woman?
Why had that man at the meeting wanted the names of the noblemen who were secretly protecting the king? Surely they were not dangerous, ruthless noblemen as he’d said? Did the king know this?
“They will be here to collect you at 4:00 p.m. So, you best get moving.”
“I beg your pardon, Mother, what did you say?”
“You are to go riding this afternoon with the Blake sisters. You must get up now, as there is much to do.”
“I have no wish to go riding with them, and it’s morning. Even if I was going, which I am not, I would not need seven hours to prepare myself.”
“You are going. It is best you keep busy. This is a nasty business, but I have decided you need to do what you always did. Besides, you will enjoy spending time with Mary.”
“But this is not what it always was, Mother. We cannot simply carry on as before, because so much has changed.”
Both she and her father were now traitors.
Her mother’s hands clenched around the dress she’d been about to lay out on the bed.
“I know what is at stake. I received a letter from Hilda this morning. The doctor called to check your father. He said there is a possibility he may not make a full recovery. He may have limited movement in his right arm and leg.”
“Oh, Mother.” Beth held out her arms, and soon the Carlow women were hugging. “I will ensure he stays safe. He cannot be subjected to a trial or imprisonment in his condition.”
“This should not be your burden alone, Beth. You should be happily wed to the man you love, not saving your father because he made a foolish mistake in his youth.”
“It was more than a mistake, Mother. He stole important information on troop movements and government secrets and sold them to the Russians to punish his father. Men may have died because of his actions.”
“I know,” her mother whispered. “The late Lord Carlow was a terrible nipfarthing who controlled your father’s every action. That is no excuse, but he was young and foolish and wanted to strike at him.”
“There is no excuse for becoming a traitor to your country,” Beth said feeling the desperate anger she always did when she thought of her father’s misdeeds. “When Justin Logan approached him with those papers in his handwriting, proof of his perfidy, he refused to be blackmailed or manipulated, so you were kidnapped.”
Beth remembered that day clearly when her father told her the truth. Told her that because of him her mother had been taken. He’d immediately sent word that he would do as Logan asked, and her mother had been returned. The next day, they’d left London, after Beth had written that letter to Nathan.
