Rebel Lady, Convenient Wife. June Francis

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СКАЧАТЬ my lady,’ he said, scarcely able to conceal his curiosity.

      She bid him good day and left.

      The sky was streaked with pearly pink-and-cream streamers of cloud. Anna was glad that the day was so fine after yesterday’s thunderstorm and hurried to the stables, hoping Jack and Davy had not yet left. She found them in the stable yard, where Jack was digging out a stone from his horse’s hoof.

      ‘What are you doing up so early?’ asked Davy, gazing at her in surprise.

      ‘I have a couple of questions to ask you,’ she said.

      ‘You’ll have to be quick. We’ll be leaving soon.’

      Both men eyed her saddlebags. ‘Where are you going?’ asked Jack.

      ‘On retreat to a convent where I have stayed before,’ she said, with assumed cheerfulness.

      ‘Does Owain know you’re leaving?’ enquired Jack.

      She thought she detected a note of censure in his voice and stiffened. He looked as if he had not slept well. There were circles beneath his eyes and the scar on his cheek stood out vividly in the cool morning air.

      ‘I am a widow and past twenty-three summers, Jack Milburn,’ she said firmly. ‘I have had the ordering of my own life since my husband died. I do not have to answer for my actions to any man but the king.’

      Jack rubbed his unshaven jaw. ‘That’s as may be, Lady Fenwick, but a woman travelling alone, whatever her standing in the world, is a fool not to consult those who have her well-being at heart.’

      She flushed. ‘You would judge me, Jack? I appreciate what you did for me yesterday, but now I must do what is needful for my peace of mind. If you must know, I’ve left a message with Cook for Owain, informing him of my destination.’

      He hesitated. ‘What about an escort? Who knows what villains might be lurking ahead?’

      ‘I doubt the villains would be abroad at this early hour.’ She gave him a haughty look. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I need to saddle up my horse.’ She added in a low voice to Davy, ‘If you can spare me a few moments?’ With a flurry of black skirts, she vanished inside the nearest stable.

      Davy rolled his eyes at Jack and followed her.

      Jack’s expressionwas grim. He was annoyed because last night Anna had invaded his dreams. Not only had he been plagued by the recurring nightmare of his son being torn from him, but now a terrified Anna being dragged away by a devilish creature had joined that image. He had sensed the devil’s aim was to toss her on to a burning fire and knew he had to prevent it. Yet as he tried to rescue her, something kept dragging him back.

      On waking, he had felt drained of all strength, similar in fashion to the aftermath of the fever he had caught in Arabia. He had reasoned with himself that the nightmare was the result of yesterday’s events, but he could not deny the dream had greatly disturbed him, rousing that protective instinct within him again. He wondered what she wanted with her half-brother and waited impatiently for the two to reappear.

      Inside the stable, Anna was pleased to find that her broken girth strap had been replaced and she saddled up her horse.

      ‘So what is it you want from me?’ asked Davy, impatiently.

      She gazed at him. ‘I do not want you to mention what I am going to say to Owain or Kate. The Comte d’Azay! What do you know of him?’

      ‘Who told you about him?’ asked a startled Davy.

      ‘Hal said that he was my father. Did you ever meet him? What kind of man was he? What did he look like? Where did he come from in France?’

      Davy’s expression was dour. ‘You’d be wiser putting the past behind you, Anna.’

      Her eyes flashed with anger. ‘That’s a bit difficult when I’ve only just discovered this part of the past that relates to me. I cannot possibly forget that my father is not the man I believed him to be. I need to know more about this Comte. I cannot ask Owain or Kate. I cannot bear to distress them further.’

      Davy hesitated. ‘The Comte was a handsome man with foxy red hair. It was the colour of his hair that convinced me that Gwendolyn had played Father false. Also, it was obvious that she was besotted with him.’

      ‘Did you believe she was also a witch?’

      ‘No. Hal did. He was for ever saying that Gwendolyn had bewitched Father into marrying her. Your mother was a lovely creature with hair as black as a raven’s wing. She was reared in our household and treated like the daughter of the house. Father was wrong to marry her and deserved what happened to him. But there was naught supernatural about it.’

      Anna felt a lot better. ‘Do you know how she met the Comte?’

      ‘Through her uncle, but he’s dead. Owain knew both men better than any of us. He met them at Domfront in Normandy, where our eldest brother, Martin, is buried. Does that satisfy your thirst for knowledge?’

      She nodded. ‘My thanks to you.’

      Davy’s face softened. ‘You were brought up an ap Rowan and that’s what you are at heart, Anna.’ He left her standing by her horse.

      Anna’s emotions were in turmoil. What Megan and Davy had told her about her parents was enlightening and it was also a relief. They had given her an impression of them that was altogether different to that of Hal’s. She now believed that the Comte and Gwendolyn had fallen in love and herself conceived in a moment of passion. She definitely had to find out if her father was still alive. He might have left for France before her birth. Something to do with the unrest between their countries, perhaps. But how was she to get to France? Her first step was out of this stable. She attached her belongings to her horse and led the beast outside.

      Davy and Jack were still in the yard. At the sound of the clatter of her horse’s hooves, both men lifted their heads and stared at her. Then Jack came striding across the yard towards her. ‘I’ll help you mount,’ he said tersely.

      She glanced at the mounting block. ‘It really isn’t necessary. I can manage on my own.’

      ‘I’m sure you can. But allow me to help you this one last time.’

      His words startled her. ‘Will we not meet again, Jack? No doubt you will be glad to see the back of me. I cannot deny that our encounters must have proved troublesome to you.’

      ‘Have I complained? Who knows, Anna, what lies in the future? Travel is a risky business.’

      ‘Yet you survived.’

      ‘Aye. But it was not easy.’ He bent and formed a cradle with his hands. For a moment she did not move, but gazed down at his bare head. She was aware of an urge to stretch out her hand and smooth his untidy dark hair. Her thoughts even travelled as far as imagining being held close to him. She sensed that if he made love to her, then her fear and loneliness might vanish. How ridiculous a thought was that in the light of what they knew of each other? He glanced up at her and their eyes met. She felt a dart of sensation in her breast and a rippling in her stomach.

      ‘What are you СКАЧАТЬ