Bentley, or Big B as he was known in the boxing world, was her one true friend. He had been an African slave with skin the color of midnight, whom she had chanced to rescue on a slave ship bound for Brazil nearly three years ago. He was mute, for the captain of the slaver had ordered his tongue cut out for insubordination. Since he couldn’t read or write, Mara had done her best to teach him his letters. He had caught on quickly and was finally able to spell out his name, Bentley. Big B became his nickname, as he stood well over six feet tall with bulging muscles that made most men wary of stepping into the ring with him.
In reality, he was a lamb.
Able to catch sight of him just now, the crowd shifting enough for her to glimpse the fight, Bentley’s fist suddenly connected to his rival’s jaw in a sickening crunch. Mara couldn’t help but cringe. Well perhaps he wasn’t alamb, but he was certainly a gentle giant where she was concerned. As the other man fell to the ground with a hard thud, a cheer went up around the ring when one of the umpires lifted Big B’s arm into the air in victory. It was amazing to Mara that no matter how many rounds he went, other than a sheen of perspiration on his massive barrel chest and a few bloody knuckles, he never looked the worse for wear.
As for his opponent…Mara winced again as the other man was carried away on a makeshift stretcher. He undoubtedly would have a few broken bones to nurse over the next few weeks.
As the crowd began to disperse, a few onlookers pushed forward to shake Big B’s hand and congratulate him on his win. He glanced up and noticed Mara standing on the sidelines. Ignoring the praise being showered upon him, he reached down and picked up his shirt and his few belongings from the edge of the ring and moved through the throng of people until he reached her side.
He gestured to her with a look in his obsidian eyes, his expression questioning.
Mara felt a new wave of tears blur her vision. “I’m fine.” She took his hand in hers, careful of his scraped knuckles, and gave him a reassuring squeeze. However, her face must have revealed her inner turmoil, for he led her across the grassy knoll toward a waiting hackney.
They climbed in, and Mara gave the driver directions to their lodgings. She leaned her head back against the squabs of the shabby carriage, feeling as if the weight of the world was pushing down on her shoulders. She wondered if Roarke was already laying in wait for her, or if she had time to gather her scattered emotions before he arrived, for she had no doubt that he would track her down. It was only a matter of time, for as a member of the peerage he had far more resources at his disposal than she ever would.
She had considered taking the coward’s way out and fleeing the city, once she found out Roarke had returned to England. But leaving London wasn’t an option.
Bentley pulled a small notepad and pencil from his pocket, concentrating a moment before scribbling a few words. After he handed it to her, she read,has it happened?
She glanced up and gave a heavy sigh. “Yes, I’m afraid so. Mara has been discovered.”
They had been roommates for nearly three years now, although most people accepted their rather unorthodox relationship because they believed Mara employed him as a servant. She had eventually given Bentley a full accounting of her past. He was the only soul on this earth whom she could trust with her secrets, because he never judged or questioned her. He was her best friend, and she had never looked at him as anything but an equal.
Mara sighed. Even so, it wasn’t fair that just because she found her world crumbling around her, that didn’t meanhehad to partake of the nightmare that would soon unravel. “You know you aren’t under any obligation to me, Bentley. You’re a free man.”
He regarded her for a moment before he took the pencil and notepad and scribbled a few more words.Till the end.
With a watery smile, she knew that was his answer. He would never leave her. Her voice caught. “You are a gem among men, B.”
With a swipe at a stray tear, Mara looked out the window at the passing scenery and was drawn back to the last day she’d seen Roarke.
He was getting ready to return to Eton to finish out the semester. The Christmas holiday was over, and their brief, whirlwind affair was almost at an end. He had taken Mara on an early morning ride, just as dawn was beginning to break over the horizon. She wasn’t sure where they were going until he stopped at a grassy knoll on the edge of the property, overlooking the moors. She knew it was one of his favorite places to go, for they had spent many hours here just talking and kissing lightly. But today was raw for both of them, the separation to come causing emotions to fly and before long the passion consumed them both.
It was the first and only time they had made love.
Afterward, he hadn’t pulled away from her, but had gathered her close and whispered into her hair, “I hope you know this means you have to marry me now.”
She’d swiped at her sudden tears. “How can you mock me so? You know it can never be.”
“You love me, don’t you?”
She’d wanted to lie, but his eyes had been so full of love and promises. “Oh, Roarke, of course I do, but…”
“Then that’s all that matters, my love.” He broke off with a gentle kiss. “We are meant to be together, and that is what we will be. Nothing shall stand in our way.”
“But I don’t want to cause trouble for your family…”
“You are my family too, Mara. I can not live without my heart, and it is yours, forevermore.” Those mesmerizing eyes had glowed before he grabbed her about the waist and swung her in a high circle. Amid her squeals of breathless delight, Roarke pulled her against his chest. “I shall be a knight of old, riding up on his grand steed to sweep you off your feet, where we’ll ride off into the sunset to Gretna Green. Once you’re mine, nothing can keep us apart. You believe me, don’t you, Mara?”
The hackney shuddered to a halt outside the rather ramshackle building she’d called home the last several years, and for a moment she stared at that harsh reality before her.
Not for the first time, Mara loathed this terrible hand that she’d been forced to play. If she’d only had herself to worry about she wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to keep up the subterfuge, but she’d had the welfare of others to think of, their safety first and foremost in her mind. She would never forgive herself if something happened to Bentley after all he’d done for her.
And then, of course, there was Lily…
With a deep breath, Mara climbed down from the hackney with Big B behind her. As the rickety carriage rattled away, a deep voice spoke up from the shadows at the same time a handful of men surrounded them.
“And here I thought you might have made it difficult for me.”
Mara gave an inward sigh.So it begins.
