Page 32 of The Lady’s Sweet Revenge (Safely in Scotland #3)

H arlow didn’t know what had happened. One moment she was kissing Reese and playing a fun game of taking control, when she inadvertently stumbled into a table, sending the vase crashing to the floor.

A second later the door to the countess’s room began to open, and in a blur she was inside a dark bed chamber with Reese’s palm coving her mouth.

“Shh,” he ordered with his other hand still grasping her arm.

She nodded to indicate she understood and would remain quiet but he didn’t remove his hand. He could not see her, but surely he could have felt her nod. Eventually, when it seemed he wouldn’t let go, she stepped back and did it for him.

“Don’t make a sound,” he said in a sharp hiss. Gone was the fun-loving earl who was kissing her in the hallway. In his place was a man who seemed quite angry. She couldn’t see his face in the darkness of the room, but she felt how tense he was.

She remained quiet as they heard the countess speaking to a footman she’d retrieved to clean up the mess. They waited long after the corridor had fallen silent again.

Reese stepped to the window and opened it with a shove of the drapes and turned back to her. It took a second or two of seeing his fuming glare before she realized she was correct about him being furious and that it appeared he was mad at her.

“What have you done?” he asked, his voice still low and irate.

“Me? I accidentally knocked over a vase,” she explained though wasn’t certain why she had to. He had been there. He saw what happened. He’d saved them from being caught, but now he was mad.

Eventually the pieces fell into place.

“You think I did it on purpose,” she said; there was no need to ask the question.

“In all the nights you’ve come to my room, you’ve never delayed in the hall because we both knew doing so presented too great a risk with my mother at the other end of the corridor.

But tonight… I knew something was off with her from the conversation at dinner.

She didn’t try to manipulate me into doing what she wanted. I should have known.”

She blinked at him. In complete shock that he would think such a thing of her.

“You think I devised this plan to be caught, so I could trap you into marriage? When I have told you repeatedly I would never marry under such conditions.”

“So you’ve said. But it could have all been part of your plan to catch me off guard.”

A cold laugh burst from her as she threw her hands up. “I can’t believe this. You were kissing me in the hall. Perhaps you are the one who was trying to trap me.”

“Lower your voice, unless you still intend for us to be caught here.”

She was at a loss as to what to do. He’d been hunted by the misses and mamas of the ton and now he thought her to be like them. She couldn’t think of any way to convince him it wasn’t true.

But she lowered her voice because despite what he believed, she didn’t wish for them to be caught.

Reese only had so much control over his mother.

It was one thing for him to demand she tell everyone nothing had happened between them when she had no proof.

But yet another if the countess found them dressed as they were well after everyone had gone to bed.

“Very well,” she whispered. “I will keep my voice down. But you are mad if you think I would devise such a plan.”

“Am I? I want nothing more to believe it was only an accident, but it just seems all too perfect.”

It was her turn to shush him when his voice grew louder. She pulled him away from the door, closer to the corner where they would be less likely to be heard.

“Tell me you and my mother did not plot your conspiracies this afternoon while in the drawing room.”

She paused in her answer, as she recalled what they’d discussed—or not directly discussed—that afternoon. Harlow had, in fact, conspired with the countess so she would stop being an obstacle. But not this…

Her delay in responding sealed her fate. For he pulled away from her, hurt and betrayal in his dark eyes.

“It’s not as you think,” she said quickly in an attempt to defend herself. But it was too late.

Reese shook his head.

“Stay away from me. I can’t believe ye—someone who has been betrayed by someone ye loved—would do the very thing to someone else.”

With that he stole from the room, leaving her there alone in the dark. After checking the hallway and finding it empty, she scurried across the hall to her room. Belle came to her instantly and jumped up on the bed when Harlow flopped gracelessly on the mattress.

“He doesn’t believe me,” she told the dog as tears welled in her eyes. She lay there for a long time, recalling every action and word that transpired that evening. They’d been so happy and now it was all gone.

Some time, hours later as she was drifting off to sleep, she remembered something he’d said before he left. About how she had betrayed someone who loved her.

He loved her.

He’d surely not meant to admit such a thing when he was so angry, but the fact that he did, meant it was true.

He loved her.

And she loved him. She didn’t know what could possibly come between them, but she realized she very much wanted to know. Which meant she needed to find a way to fix everything.

*

Instead of going back to his rooms, Reese had fled downstairs to his study where he kept the whisky. One dram led to the next and the next until he was rambling to the empty room like a mad man.

After spending a good bit of time accusing Harlow of duplicity and considering just when she’d begun her ruse.

“Mayhap she was never even aboard Merrick’s ship.

She may have just walked up the beach from another property and staged the whole thing.

The strained ankle so I would have to carry her.

” He made a hmmph at that thought. “How had she known to mention Merrick’s name? Or the Zephyr? Unless she is an agent.”

He stood to pace but sat back down when he realized walking about was beyond him at the moment. Did he really believe everything between them had been false?

The way she liked Stonecliff novels was a bit too perfect as well. Wouldn’t Belle have been able to detect deceit? Unless Belle wasn’t Belle but another dog switched out with his loyal beast.

His thoughts were becoming more and more delusional by the moment. A fake dog?

And then he had to face the other facts he’d been careful not to consider before, for they were the most painful. Could she have been faking everything that had happened between them in bed?

When she’d looked up at him, trusting and open, had it all been part of her tricks to trap him?

He imagined she’d succeeded, for he had ruined her and he was a gentleman. Tomorrow, he would offer marriage, because it was expected of him. And while he would offer up his title, he wouldn’t offer up his heart. Never again.

The next thought he had was why his staff was still working on those bloody stairs. Hadn’t they finished them the day before? But now here they were banging about again when his head was a mess.

After some time, he eventually opened his eyes to find it was late in the morning.

He could only be grateful for the clouds and drizzle that kept the sun from scalding his eyes with its brightness.

He rubbed his neck, twisting it from side to side in an effort to get rid of the ache from falling asleep at his desk.

He then realized the banging wasn’t coming from outside but at the door.

“Enter,” he yelled, much too loud for his aching head.

Finch came in looking sharp and clean as ever. He frowned at Reese’s opposite state.

“A Mr. Calloway has arrived, my lord. I’ve seated him in the library and asked Mrs. Garrison to bring refreshments. I will ask her to see to some coffee for you first, my lord.”

“Good,” Reese said, thought he hadn’t caught up to what he was agreeing to yet. His mind seemed a few steps behind this morning.

Mrs. Garrison bustled in with a tray.

“I’ve brought you coffee and a bit of dry toast to help with your stomach.”

The fact that his staff knew exactly how to handle his hard mornings proved he’d had too many of them. He couldn’t help but think this time it was warranted, however. It wasn’t every day that a man found out the woman he loved had betrayed him.

He stopped with the cup raised halfway to his lips.

Good God. Had he said those words last night? He’d admitted that he loved her without realizing it. She must have been ecstatic with the news she had lured him into her trap.

“If there’s nothing else, I must see to Lady Harlow. The lass is having an ill morning as well. She says her puffy eyes are from the gardens, but I’ve seen the effects of spending the night in tears. I’m guessing she’s missing her family. Poor girl.”

Harlow had been crying? She’d not spent the night rejoicing for having won the game?

Perhaps there was no game at all? Mayhap he was wrong about everything. If the vase had truly been an accident…

“Bloody hell,” he whispered.

“What’s that, m’lord?”

“Nothing, Mrs. Garrison. Thank you.”

She nodded and left the room. Reese rose and when he wobbled and felt his stomach lurch, he reached for the toast and another swig of coffee. It wouldn’t do for him to go to Harlow’s room with green gills to get to the bottom of things.

After he’d finished the meager breakfast, he stood to head for the door only to be met by Finch again.

“Did ye forget about Mr. Calloway?”

Reese blinked, for he had indeed forgotten about the stranger now waiting for him in his library. Very well. He’d see to his visitor, then bathe and dress before going to Harlow to beg an apology.

Reese stepped into the library and stopped, taking in the man seated by the window.

“Hello Mr. Calloway ,” Reese said, knowing the man’s real name was Lord Collins, the Marquess of Evershire, and agent for the Home Office. “What the blazes are you doing here?”

Reese didn’t care for the man. He’d proven himself a reckless agent. Reese thought him responsible for another agent’s death, but had not been able to prove it.

“There has been a change of plans.”

“I assure you, there can be no change of plans for me as I wasn’t involved in any of the plans in the first place.” Reese flopped down in the seat across from him. “Albert is seeing to Merrick.”

“Albert is reporting to me now. Like I said, there’s been a change. He’s coming here.”

Reese didn’t have time for any of this. He had a woman to puzzle out. It seemed a difficult task indeed, but he needed to know if she’d been manipulating him. And if she hadn’t…

Well, if she proved true, he’d not be a coward any longer. He would tell her how he felt about her and then he hoped she felt the same.

“Albert was already here and interrogated Lady Harlow. He knows everything. So if you’ll excuse—”

“Not Albert. Damn, but your head is as much a mess as your attire this morning, Breckenridge. Merrick. That’s who’s coming here.”

Reese’s eyes went wide as he nearly shrieked at the man. “He can’t come here! Harlow is here!”

“Exactly.”

In that moment, Reese would have loved to pour a stout glass of whisky to handle the situation. But being that he still had the good part of a bottle sloshing about in his brain and gut, he needed to remain lucid so he could fix this mess.

“I don’t understand. We told Albert that Merrick would be in port in Inverness. Why did you not go there and seize the bastard?”

“That was the original plan. But when we arrived in Inverness, we couldn’t find him. The bastard is a ghost for everyone had seen him, but no one knew where he was.”

“Couldn’t find him? For Christ’s sake, Collins, the Zephyr is a fair size ship. How could you miss it? Sails, red as blood, and a bare-chested woman on the bow carrying a rabbit, for what reason I cannot fathom.”

“We know what his bloody ship looks like, but it wasn’t there.”

“Then perhaps he is heading back to London. You can head him off there.”

“We don’t think he’s returning to London. Word got out he is being charged with treason. Merrick was still in Inverness, but the Zephyr is anchored somewhere else. That’s when I decided to lure him to a place of my choosing rather than hunting him down.”

“No. It is too risky. I’ll not have Harlow put in danger.”

“It’s too late. We’ve already spread word through Inverness of a dark-haired woman washing up on shore at Slains Castle.

Alive, but having lost her memories. I even put up a drawing of her on posters looking for her family.

He’ll be coming here, trying to get her and finish out his plan to use her. And then we’ll have him.”

“You’re planning to use an innocent lass as bait to lure a known killer and traitor to the Crown? I know you have stooped to disreputable dealings in the past, but this is too much, Collins. I’ll not have it.”

“As I said, it’s too late. He’s coming. Besides, I knew you’d want to be the one to bring him in after what he did to you. You’ll finally have your revenge.”

Revenge? Yes, he’d wanted it many times.

Envisioned bringing the man to justice so maybe his dreams would no longer be haunted by the whoreson.

He’d wished for the man to be there before him every night Reese had woken choking for breath from a nightmare.

He could have easily strangled the life from the blighter with his bare hands.

But not now. Not when Harlow was here. She’d given him peace and comfort.

He’d not allow her to be put in danger like this.

“No. You’ll find a way to fix this. Go back to Inverness and tell all who will hear that the girl passed away from her injuries. Do it. Go now.”

“Even if I were to do such a thing, Captain Merrick would never hear it for I’m sure he’s already on his way here.”

“How long?” Reese asked, and Collins didn’t need to clarify what he was asking.

“A day, maybe two at the most, and this will all be over. We’ll grab him up before he even has the chance to see Harlow Haverston. I promise she will not be in any harm.”

But he could not make such promises. Men like Merrick didn’t sashay into traps. Reese, himself, had been told he was not in any danger from Merrick that night on the dock, but the bullet searing through his leg had proved otherwise.

If Merrick was coming here, Reese would need to take Harlow away to safety. Maybe Shay’s or Finn’s. His friends would take her in and protect her.

Reese might have yelled or even punched the man who had put her in such danger, except for a knock at the door.

“No refreshments for Mr. Calloway, Mrs. Garrison. The man was just leaving.”

“Sorry, my lord, but you have another guest.”