Lies and Misdemeanours (2 page)

With no alternative available, she covered him over with one of Wally’s cloaks, and left him where he was. She glanced at the sitting room door as she left the hallway and shook her head wryly, even though a soft smile curved her lips.

When she eventually returned to the lingering warmth beneath the blankets, she stared at the ceiling in consternation, and tried to make sense of what had just happened.

For the first time in her life, she felt as though something had dramatically changed in her life, only she couldn’t quite make her mind up what it was.

The following morning, when she made her way back downstairs, she was tired and more than a little out of sorts. In spite of her determination not to do so, she took great pains to select one of her better dresses, and accompanied it with a thick woollen shawl before she eagerly made her way downstairs.

She tried to assure herself that the attention she paid to the way she looked had nothing to do with the handsome man who had turned up at the house last night, but underneath knew that she was only fooling herself.

Wally was already in the kitchen tearing chunks of bread off a loaf when she entered the kitchen.

“Another good night, I see,” he grumbled as he nodded to the hallway, and a still slumbering Simon.

“Not the only one either,” Hetty sighed. When Wally looked at her, she nodded to the sitting room. “Guest.”

Wally’s brows shot up. He pierced her with a horrified look. “Male or female?”

Hetty puffed her cheeks out. “Male,” she croaked. “Most definitely male.”

Wally stared at her as he made his way around the table and disappeared into the hallway.

Hetty couldn’t help it; she followed him and peered around him when he pushed open the door to the sitting room.

She rather wished she hadn’t when she took a look at Charlie, who was bathed in early morning sunshine – and absolutely nothing else. She turned away and knew, deep inside, that the image of him would remain indelibly printed on her mind; not least because sometime during the night he had removed his breeches, and hadn’t bothered to cover himself over.

“Good Lord,” Wally muttered.

“Yes,” Hetty sighed. “Heaven indeed.”

“What?”

“Nothing,” she replied as she returned to the rather warm kitchen.

Unfortunately, she had to leave the house before either man woke up. She waited for as long as she dared in the hope that their unexpected guest would make an appearance but, to her disappointment, both men remained fast asleep. When she couldn’t delay her departure a moment longer, she donned her cloak and eyed Simon balefully as she stepped over him on the way out of the front door.

She couldn’t resist slamming it behind her in disgust.

I hope it wakes him up, the oaf
she groused as she stalked down the driveway.

Although she went about her chores as quickly as she could, by the time she returned later that afternoon, both men had gone.

She was still feeling a little deflated about the fact that she hadn’t managed to see Charlie again two days later. She moseyed around the various market stalls in the village, but her mind was miles away. The basket of provisions she carried was heavy but she paid no attention to it as she wandered aimlessly from stall to stall. Her thoughts were very firmly locked on the one person she knew she ought to forget.

The strength of the disappointment she had felt when she had returned to the house the other day, and found Charlie gone, disturbed her. She had never felt this instant attraction toward anyone else before, and wasn’t sure what to do about it. He seemed be everything she thought about. The more she tried not to think about him, the more she thought about him. It was ridiculous, and completely unstoppable.

It didn’t help that the memory of his long, muscular limbs draped so carelessly in front of the fire, was the last thing she thought about before she went to sleep, and the first thing that came into her head when she awoke the next morning. It was driving her to distraction; to the point that she was now tired, grumpy, and decidedly out of sorts.

“Good morning,” a husky voice drawled in her ear.

Hetty spun around in surprise, and gasped when she saw the very man who had consumed her every waking thought over the last few days.

It was as though her thoughts had summoned him up.

“Good morning.” She found herself smiling back at him without even realising she was doing it and, suddenly, all of the discontent that had dogged her over the last few days simply vanished.

“How are you today?”

She blushed prettily. “I am fine, thank you. I take it that you have recovered well from your excesses of the other night?”

He had the good grace to look a little abashed, which made her smile widened teasingly.

“I wanted to speak to you about that.” He coughed, clearly a little uncomfortable at mentioning the embarrassing interlude. “I wanted to apologise if my behaviour offended you in any way. I can’t remember what happened exactly, but I can remember waking up in a disgusting heap in front of the fireplace.”

Hetty smiled, and quickly blanked out the mental image of his masculine stature sprawled out in front of the hearth.

“You and Simon both,” she replied obliquely, and valiantly tried to ignore the tell-tale blush that stole over her cheeks.

“Is Simon around today?” he asked. He glanced enquiringly around the busy market square.

Hetty nodded toward the blacksmith’s establishment in the far corner of the square. “He has gone to Warders to get some straps mended.”

Charlie nodded his thanks, but didn’t take his eyes off hers. The intimate way he looked deeply into her eyes while he listened to her reply made her quiver. She made no attempt to move when he shifted infinitesimally closer.

“Will I see you at the tavern tonight?” he murmured hopefully.

Hetty smiled. She tried to appear unconcerned, but just couldn’t quite keep the delight from her face. “I should hope to be there, yes.”

She opened her mouth to say something else only for a loud whistle to shatter the moment. Charlie took a step back and looked up, and lifted a hand to acknowledge Simon’s call before he turned back toward her.

“Later then,” he drawled huskily. He hovered close to her for a few moments more before he slowly, reluctantly, moved away.

Hetty watched him walk over to speak with her brother. She wished she could think of something engaging to say that would make him inclined to want to chat to her.

It was a shame that her mind went blank whether Charlie was around. She heaved a sigh of regret and looked over at the two men, who had fallen into what looked like deep conversation. Neither man bothered to give her a second glance.

“Do you want one or two of those cabbages, Hetty?” the stall holder asked from beside her.

Hetty glanced down at the cabbage in her hand, and groaned in disbelief. Not only had she been gaping at him like a stunned codfish, she had the added indignity of being burdened by vegetables. She glared down at it accusingly as she dumped it into the basket she still held.

“I will just take one today, I think,” she sighed in disgust before she turned her attention to finding the right money to pay the man.

As she did so, she quickly blocked out the little voice that warned her she was becoming too attached to a man who was only being polite and friendly because of his friendship with her brother.

Charlie was debonair, handsome, and incredibly charming. Men like him didn’t usually pay the slightest bit of attention to country-mouse like her.

As long as she remembered that then she stood some chance of finding some way of dealing with the roiling emotions that swept through her. In particular, the attraction that seemed to come from nowhere, which she had no idea how to ignore.

Later that night, she wandered into the busy tap room of the local tavern, and sighed in dismay at the volume of people who were there.

She had spent most of the day telling herself that it was best to forget about Charlie because he was, by far, the very last man she should spend her days, and nights, thinking about.

Unfortunately, her mind didn’t appear to be in agreement with her because, as soon as she saw him across the crowded tap room, a wild flurry of excitement swept through her that was impossible to ignore.

Charlie knew the second she walked through the door. Although he was ostensibly deep in conversation with Simon, he had no idea what his friend was talking about. Since his arrival at the tavern an hour ago, all of his thoughts had been focused on her arrival; waiting for that moment when she would walk through the door.

Now that she was here, all of his attention locked firmly upon Hetty, the woman who had haunted his every waking moment over the last couple of days.

As soon as he saw her, everything else within the tavern seemed to fade into insignificance. Nothing was as important as being able to get to her; to speak to her; to look into her eyes again. The chatter of the assembled patrons became a dull hum.

The golden glow from the flickering torches that lined the walls seemed to bath her in a shimmering light that made her look ethereal, and beckoned him to get closer.

The only thought that stood out in the forefront of his mind was that she was even more beautiful than he remembered. The image of her in the market earlier had been stunning but, bathed in firelight as she was now she seemed to have an angelicism about her that gave her an appearance of fragility. However, in addition to that, there was a hint of wildness about her that intrigued him, captivated him, and left him intrigued to know everything about her.

When she stopped to chat to a couple of women beside the door, Charlie couldn’t stand it a moment longer. He didn’t realise that he had abandoned Simon mid-conversation, and left him to stare blankly after him as he wove his way through the assorted patrons to get to her.

“Good to see you again,” he murmured when she turned to look at him.

“Hello,” she replied with a soft smile.

Their eyes met and held and, for a moment, neither of them spoke.

When a loud burst of laughter in the far corner of the room snapped them out of their daze, he took a deep breath as he gave himself a mental shake. He glanced around the busy tap as though trying to figure out why he was there, before he focused once more on her.

He couldn’t stop staring at her, but was aware that they had already drawn the rather interested gazes of several of the patrons who were seated at the tables. Determined not to embarrass her, he nodded toward the bar.

“Your brothers are over there,” he told her, and held out his elbow in a gentlemanly fashion that was at odds with the working man’s tavern. He didn’t ask her to take it, but didn’t move either.

It was clear that he would wait for her for as long as he needed to.

Hetty eyed the pro-offered arm, and smiled at him as she reluctantly took it. Although he seemed completely oblivious to the lull in conversation, or didn’t care, she was painfully aware that his simple, gentlemanly action had drawn the attention of several of the patrons who smiled widely at them as they made their way through the assorted drinkers.

She daren’t look at anyone for fear of being the subject of ribald banter that would make him uncomfortable. At the moment, she wasn’t sure she could find the words to respond to them without making herself look foolish.

“What can I get you?” he asked, and winced when he realised that the choices were really only ale, ale and, well, ale.

“Nothing, thank you,” she replied regretfully. “I can’t stop. I was just on my way out to see my friend, but need to have a word with Wally before I go.”

On Friday nights, she usually had a drink in the tavern with her brothers. However, in light of the concerns that had been raised in the market earlier, she had decided that it was wiser to avoid the man beside her as much as possible. Now though, she rather wished she had decided to have a drink as usual because she would prefer to get to know Charlie a little more. 

Before he could reply, she turned to Wally and had leaned toward him so that he could hear her over the din. When she had finished, she turned away and smiled at Charlie again, aware that Simon was now watching the interplay avidly.

“I will say goodnight.” She pierced Simon with a warning look. “Try not to get yourself too far into your cups tonight. As much as it enlightens me to have to crawl out of bed to drag your carcass through the door, it is cold out tonight, and I might just not let you in. Remember that there are two carts due first thing tomorrow morning, and you have to be up bright and early to help unload them.”

She rolled her eyes when he had the good grace to look a little embarrassed.

“I will be there, I promise,” he assured her weakly.

“You had better,” she warned.

He sighed – deeply. “I will.”

“You had better,” she said again.

She knew that he was going to ignore her, and shook her head in disgust. Unfortunately, she couldn’t quite make her mind up whether she wanted Charlie to make another appearance on her doorstep with Simon or not.

To her surprise, she was prevented from leaving by Charlie, who placed his hand on her arm to stop her when she turned to go.

“Where are you going?” he demanded with a scowl.

Hetty felt her heckles rise at the querulous look on his face but, before she could reply, he glared at Simon.

“She shouldn’t be walking about at night all alone,” he growled accusingly. “Anything could happen to her.”

Simon shrugged unconcernedly. “She does it all the time.”

Charlie stared at him for a moment before he turned his attention to Hetty. “I am sorry for my rudeness. I didn’t mean to pry into your personal affairs. It is just that a beautiful woman like yourself shouldn’t be walking alone after dark.”

He threw a look at Wally, who shifted a little guiltily.

“Are you going somewhere in the village?” Charlie asked casually.

“I was going to my friend’s house, but she only lives down the road,” she replied hesitantly. “I have lived in Hemsley all of my life. I am sure I will be fine,” she added, but didn’t think he heard her because he was already putting his ale onto the bar.

“I will escort you,” he declared firmly.

He gave her brothers a look that dared them to argue, but they were too astonished to speak.

Hetty looked at Wally, who looked at Charlie as though he couldn’t understand what he was doing.

However, Charlie was undeterred, and held his elbow out to Hetty almost officiously. As soon as she placed her hand on his arm, he ushered her out of the tavern without a backward look.

“Which way?” his voice sounded loud in the silence of the night as he looked up and down the quiet country lane. The cacophony within the busy tap was muted to a low din when the door closed behind them with a quiet thud. The quiet of the night immediately encased them in an intimacy that drew them closer.

“Over here,” Hetty replied quietly, vividly aware of Charlie’s protective strength beside her.

She had never felt so cared for in her life, and was secretly thrilled at the way he ushered her carefully across the road as though she might break if she stood on a pebble.

She looked up at him a little suspiciously. Nobody had ever treated her like this before. Her brothers certainly never made any attempt to escort her anywhere she wanted to go whether it was midnight, or the middle of the morning. She wasn’t sure whether she liked it or not.

On the one hand it was nice to be protected by someone so attractive. Unfortunately, on the other, it was a little unnerving, and brought forth a wave of discomfort that made conversation a little stilted as they ambled slowly past the long row of houses to the right of them.

“How do you find the village?” Hetty asked for want of something to say.

“It’s lovely,” Charlie sighed.

“How long are you here for?”

He puffed out his cheeks and peered down the lane. “A couple of weeks more probably,” he replied obliquely.

He couldn’t tell her his exact reason for being in the village. Not only did he not want her involved in his investigation, but he hated the thought of having to lie to her. He couldn’t lie to Hetty; he just couldn’t do it. He wanted everything to be pure and honest between them, mainly because he rather suspected that she was going to become an important part of his life, and he didn’t want to start their relationship on falsehoods.

Hetty went to look up at him only for her gaze to be captured by something further down the lane.

“Oh, no,” she whispered in horror.

She groaned, and watched a small group of men emerge from one of the houses at the end of the road.

“What? What is it?” He had no choice to stop too because he couldn’t continue without her. A frown creased his brow when he read the fear in her eyes. He immediately sidled closer, and placed a comforting hand on her waist as he looked for the source of her worry.

Hetty’s stomach dropped to her toes. The last thing she wanted was a confrontation with Meldrew. Not now: not tonight.

She glanced around them frantically in an attempt to find somewhere to hide.

“Who is it?” Charlie demanded. He eyed the group of men who appeared to be nothing more than thugs of some sort. It was evident, even from several feet away, that they were all big, burly and, more worryingly, armed.

“Meldrew,” Hetty replied quietly, but made no attempt to explain just yet. “We need to go back to the tavern.”

“Why? What is it? Who is he?” Charlie persisted.

He knew exactly who the man was who had just left the house at the end of the road. However, he wanted Hetty to confirm how she had come to know Cedric Meldrew, the county’s somewhat sinister magistrate.

“Meldrew is the magistrate for Derby. He is, by far, the very last person who should be in any position of authority,” Hetty warned. “Let’s go back. Please, Charlie. I don’t want a confrontation with him.”

“It that a house of a criminal?” he asked as he nodded to the two-storey brick terrace. He stubbornly remained where he was, in spite of Hetty desperately trying to tug him back toward the tavern.

Hetty shook her head. “No. He owns the bakery.”

“It is a bit late for making house calls, isn’t it?” Charlie asked conversationally.

“Meldrew doesn’t need an excuse to demand anything from anyone,” Hetty whispered.

She turned her gaze away from the rather sinister sight of the group of men further ahead. All of them were dressed from head to foot in black, and looked more than a little forbidding.

Right then, she was very glad that she had Charlie beside her. If only she could persuade him to return to the tavern then they may just avoid the confrontation she dreaded.

“Please Charlie, let’s just go. I don’t want to have to talk to him,” she pleaded.

“You won’t have to,” he assured her.

In spite of his assurances, he could see from the way that she kept glancing at the tavern door that she wasn’t convinced. Indeed, from the worry that was evident on her face, she was clearly terrified of the local thugs. He suspected he knew why.

He glanced down the road, and mentally cursed when he saw that one of the men had spotted them.

“He is the one who has been pestering your brother to pay him money to supposedly ‘protect’ the mill, isn’t he?”

Hetty was surprised that Charlie knew about that, and nodded miserably. “He keeps pestering Simon, mainly because Wally is always at work in the mill.”

Charlie rubbed her back when he saw tears on her lashes. It annoyed the hell out of him to see her so upset because she was only going about her business in a way that every resident in the country should be able to.

He hated to think that anyone, not least Cedric Meldrew, had the power to worry anyone so much, especially Hetty.

He glared down the road at Meldrew and his men, and sidled closer to Hetty.

“They are coming this way,” Hetty gasped in horror when movement drew her attention back toward them. “Please, let’s go. Please, Charlie.”

Charlie glanced around them. Unless they were going to run back to the tavern and make it obvious that they were trying to avoid Meldrew, there was nothing they could do except wait to hear what the man had to say. Determined not to allow the man to upset Hetty any more than he already had, Charlie did the only thing he could think of.

Hetty gasped when Charlie hauled her into his arms, and slammed his lips down upon hers with a fierce hunger that left her unable to do anything except cling to him. Her senses swam as she fought to think of anything other than the way his lips slid so shockingly against hers.

She had never been kissed by a man before. A peck on the cheek from her brothers was all she had ever had, and that had certainly not been anything like this masterful possession that rendered her practically useless.