Whirlwind Affair

The haughty words were cut off when Michael picked up the man by his perfectly pressed lapels, then stalked into the foyer with him. Kicking the door shut with his boot, he brought the wide-eyed man nose to nose with him.

'I don't have a bloody card,' he said in a deadly soft voice. 'My name's Michael Evers. He is expecting me, and let me assure you, it will be your head that he'll have if you don't get him for me now. Do you understand?'

The man jerked his head in a nod. As Michael lowered him to his feet, he asked, 'Where is Mrs. Brown? Is she safe?'

The man swallowed, his eyes filled with a combination of fear and confusion. 'Safe? Yes. Mrs. Brown is upstairs with the duchess, in the nursery.'

'You're positive?'

The servant took several hasty steps backward the instant his feet hit the polished marble floor. 'Yes. I directed her there myself.'

A breath of relief escaped him. 'Excellent. Now go get-'

'Michael?'

He turned toward Robert's questioning voice coming from the corridor. Before he could say a word, the butler blurted out, 'Lord Robert, this… person who claims to know you burst in the doorway, and-'

'It's all right, Fenton,' Robert said, waving aside the words. 'I've been expecting him.' His gaze locked on Michael's. 'You have news?'

'I do. We need to talk. Now. Privately.'

'Follow me,' Robert said, and started swiftly down the corridor.

Michael pinned a glare on the butler, and said in a low voice, 'Make certain Mrs. Brown remains in the house. The others as well. Don't allow anyone out. Or anyone else in. Do you understand?'

The man nodded.

Satisfied, Michael strode down the hall after Robert.

Fenton watched the stranger's broad back disappear around the corner. Removing his handkerchief, he mopped his brow, while indignation filled him. Uncouth, unkempt ruffian! Fenton looked down at his clothing and gasped. Good heavens, his jacket was wrinkled, his shirt askew… why, he was completely undone. He did not know who this Michael Evers was, but he was clearly not proper company to be entertained at Bradford Hall. Who on earth did that brute think he was, pushing his way into the foyer, manhandling him, then giving him orders?

An elegant sniff escaped Fenton. He would not take orders from that man. Certainly not. He took his orders from the duke! Due to this Evers person, Fenton now needed to retire to his room to repair his appearance. He could not oversee the staff in his present disheveled state, nor allow the duke to see him as such.

He summoned a footman to man the foyer, and managed to ignore the young man's stunned expression at his appearance. Heavens, he must look worse than he'd suspected. After explaining the proper procedure for opening the door, Fenton headed for his rooms. This was most irregular. The moment he'd put himself back to rights, he would certainly locate His Grace and inform him about that abominable Evers person.

*********

Robert closed the library door behind Michael, who was clearly in a very agitated state. 'What did you learn? Was your mother able to translate the note?'

Michael plunged his hands through his already untidy hair. 'Aye. You're bloody not going to believe it. I barely do myself.' He looked at Robert with an expression that appeared bewildered and bitter at the same time. 'I’ve raced like the devil himself pursued me to get here, and now I’m not even certain where to begin.'

'Tell me about the note. Did it have something to do with Allie's husband?'

'Only indirectly.' His dark eyes bored into Robert's. 'When I showed the letter to my mum, she got pale as a sheet and damn near swooned.'

Confusion washed over Robert. 'Why?'

A humorless laugh escaped him. 'The bloody thing was written to her.'

'What? By whom?'

'By the priest who married her to my father.' Michael began pacing in front of the hearth, and Robert forced himself not to fire a barrage of questions at him, to let him gather himself.

'When Mum saw the note, she went all to pieces, crying and asking me to forgive her. I had no bloody idea what she was talking about. When she finally calmed down, she told me this story… this story that was documented in the note.' He paused in his pacing and briefly squeezed his eyes shut. 'Christ, I still can't believe it.'

Alarmed by his normally unflappable friend's distress, Robert crossed to him and laid a supporting hand on his shoulder. 'Michael. Tell me.'

Michael looked at him through tired eyes. 'I've no memory of my father,' he said, his voice gruff. 'He died when I was a baby… or so I'd always thought. Until this visit with my mum. She confessed that the man she'd married wasn't named Evers. It was just a random name she chose.'

A frown pulled down Robert's brows. 'Then who the hell did she marry?'

Michael's dark eyes met his. 'That's the part you're not going to believe.'

********

Allie breathed in the rose-scented air, and tipped her face up to the sun in order to capture more of the bright, warming rays.

'You're going to freckle,' Caroline warned with a smile.

'I don't care. It just feels so wonderful to be outdoors.'

'I agree. Four solid days in the house was about to drive me mad.'

They strolled along for several minutes, the silence broken only by the chirping birds. Allie savored every second, committing to memory the beautiful gardens, the pastoral setting, and Caroline-a woman she genuinely liked and would miss. As she would miss so many things about this lovely place.

They paused at a fork in the pathway, and Caroline pointed to the right, toward the woods. 'This path leads to the ruins of a centuries-old stone fortress. It was a favorite childhood place for all of us. Would you like to see it? The walk through the forest is lovely.'

Allie glanced over her shoulder and noted that they were well within sight of the house. 'Is it far?'

'No. Just a few minutes ahead.'

'All right.'

The instant they entered the forest, the temperature dropped, cooled by the shade from the soaring elms and oaks. Allie continued along the path in silence, waiting for Caroline to broach the subject she sensed uppermost in the woman's mind.

Several more minutes passed before Caroline finally said softly, 'Allie, a blind person could see that you and Robert care for each other deeply. And that you're both miserable. I do not want to pry-' A tiny laugh broke off her words. 'Actually I want nothing more than to pry, but I promised Miles I would not. So I shall simply ask you… Is there anything I can do to help? I thought… perhaps if I arranged a picnic for the two of you for tomorrow, you could talk to each other privately and solve whatever has come between you?'

A wave of desolation washed over Allie. By this time tomorrow, Bradford Hall and all its occupants would be no more than a memory. It was time to inform Caroline of her decision to leave. And to disabuse her of any notions that she and Robert could resolve their differences. 'I'm afraid I won't be-'

Her words chopped off as she and Caroline rounded a sharp turn in the path. Both women halted as if they'd walked into a wall.

Less than ten feet in front of them, a man lay prostrate on the ground, another man crouching over him. A brown gelding stood to the side of the path, nervously pawing the dirt. Someone gasped-Allie wasn't certain if it was herself or Caroline-perhaps both of them. The crouching man jumped to his feet and swiveled to face