“Why Canterbury, any idea?”
Barraclough shrugged. “Goodrich has a property near there.”
“Why not meet at his house?”
“Perhaps they wish to keep the meeting secret. Interesting.”
“Indeed. I’ll be there.” Flynn wasn’t happy to leave Lady Brookwood unprotected. Such distractions could kill a man. Annoyed at allowing the lady to fill his thoughts when they should be focused elsewhere, he nudged his horse’s flanks and broke into a canter.
Flynn slowed his horse to allow Barraclough to catch up with him. Barraclough raised an inquiring eyebrow.
Flynn winced. “I have a problem.”
“You may confide in me if you wish to.”
Flynn promptly told him about Sir Horace’s treatment of Lady Brookwood.
“Crowthorne is a nasty piece of work by all accounts,” Barraclough said. “And has his nose in this business, too.”
“Why would a wealthy businessman involve himself in such a scheme? Unless it’s to his advantage,” Flynn said. “And this business with Lady Brookwood puzzles me.”
“You think Lady Brookwood has got in his way?”
“She stands against him. But it’s more to do with her husband.”
They trotted along in silence.
“Pity you can’t take Lady Brookwood with you to Canterbury,” Barraclough said finally.
Flynn huffed out a laugh. “She’d never agree. She wouldn’t like it if thetongot wind of it.”
“Don’t see why. What you two get up to would hardly cause a ripple. Not with the latest gossip doing the rounds,” Barraclough said. “The queen has made the king look a fool from Lake Como to Jericho. It is on everyone’s lips.” He lowered his eyebrows. “You appear to be involved with this lady whether you wish it or not. If something happens to her, you might regret it.”
“The lady is stubborn and doesn’t wish for my help.”
“And you are still keen to aid her? Shall we see you fall into the parson’s mousetrap?”
“Good lord, no.”
Flynn didn’t know much about love, but he was sure he wasn’t motivated by that emotion. Lady Brookwood merely stirred his protective instincts. Odd that. He parted company with lovers on the best of terms and never suffered from a desire to protect any of them. Moreover, Lady Brookwood was not his lover, nor ever likely to be, for she had looked at him with intense dislike and ordered him from her drawing room. She was like a beautiful swan. Try to pet her and be pecked for your pains.
An amused gleam lit Barraclough’s eyes. “A dainty blonde to add to your list then.”
Flynn would have laughed at that in the past, but for some reason, he found the suggestion offensive. “She’s tied up in this business somehow, has no husband, and her only brother doesn’t live in London. I dislike seeing any woman threatened by a powerful man like Crowthorne.”
Barraclough smothered a laugh. “A knotty problem. I should be so lucky.” He turned his horse’s head. “I must go. We shall speak further on your return. After whatever you discover in Kent, if it is anything, we’ll decide how next to proceed.”
Once Barraclough rode away, Flynn headed home in sober contemplation. Barraclough was jesting, but Flynn had to admit Lady Brookwood impinged on his thoughts rather a lot of late. He had begun initially to pursue a pretty woman, a pleasure both sexes enjoyed. No one in their right mind could call what went on between them now a seduction. But until this matter was dealt with, it remained unfinished business, for he had glimpsed a reluctant interest in her beautiful eyes.
He preferred to keep control of his emotions whilst carefully mapping out his future. When in Lady Brookwood’s presence, however, he wasn’t entirely confident of either. His mouth set in annoyance. He must never forget that women were not steadfast. His mother had left Ireland with Timothy Keneally without a backward glance. Flynn had no idea where she was, if she ever thought about him, or if indeed she still lived. He understood why she had left his father. But could she not have taken him with her? She condemned him to a miserable childhood. His father was a morose drunkard with an evil temper, and freedom only came when Flynn was sent to be educated at Trinity College, Dublin. Yes, it was safer to treat women lightly.
He delved deeper into his emotions and discovered he suffered from a degree of guilt. As a lad, he had been helpless to defend his delicate mother against his father’s violent wrath. Might that be the reason he wanted to help Lady Brookwood?
With a shake of his head to clear the annoying thoughts, he rode his horse into the mews behind his townhouse. Spot’s welcome bark greeted him in the warm, hay-strewn stables with the familiar smells of hot horseflesh, dry feed, and manure. He handed the horse over to the groom, then bent to greet his dog.
Flynn shrugged the tightness from his shoulders as he crossed the lane to his house, relieved to have come to some understanding of his confusing emotions. Now his thoughts were clear. He understood what plagued him and knew what he must do. Rescue the lady and move on with his life. What remained unclear, was how.
*
