She looked up, saying earnestly, ‘Tristan, I do not wish the Pridhams to know we posed as man and wife. At least, not yet. I would like to talk to them alone, first.’
‘Very well,’ he said, kissing her nose. ‘But if they raise any objections to my marrying you, then we must tell them everything. I will not allow anything to stand in our way.’ He held her away from him, his brows coming together in a frown. ‘Now what is it? Natalya, tell me.’
He was so good, so kind, she could not allow him false hope. She bowed her head and took a breath.
‘Tristan, I did not want to speak of it until I was quite sure but... I have reason to believe, good reason, that I w-was born out of wedlock. If that is the case, I c-cannot marry you.’
A heartbeat’s silence.
‘And why is that?’ Tristan’s voice, calm, polite. Was he trying to be gallant or did he really not understand?
‘Because of the scandal. We would not be accepted.’
‘You have been accepted in Bath.’
‘There are already rumours. If it were not for Mrs Ancrum’s patronage, people would not be so kind to me, I know that.’
‘The lady is one of the highest sticklers in Bath. If she has befriended you, she must believe your birth is respectable.’
‘No. Quite the opposite,’ she said unhappily. ‘She thinks I might be the natural daughter of someone she used to know. She has been afraid to look into it too closely in case she finds irrefutable proof.’ Natalya raised her tearstained face to look at him. ‘Tristan, until I know who I am I c-cannot agree to marry you. You see that, do you not?’
For a long moment Tristan looked at her, his eyes searching her face, then he nodded.
‘I understand your scruples, Natalya, but it does not matter to me who you are. I will marry you whatever your history.’
His response made her feel more wretched than ever.
‘You deserve a wife with a spotless bloodline. If mine turns out to be tainted, then it would not only reflect badly on you, but on everyone connected with you: Freddie, your sister, your friends—even your mother. I will not be the cause of a rift between you and those you hold most dear.’
‘Natalya—’
When he went to take her back in his arms she jumped away.
‘No.’ She put up a hand, as if warding off a blow. ‘No, Tristan, I cannot marry you until I am sure I will not bring disgrace upon you or your name.’
‘You could never shame me, my love, but I understand your fears. I will take you back to Sydney Place and we will demand the truth from the Pridhams.’
‘No! Not today!’ she begged him. She dragged out her handkerchief to wipe her eyes. ‘I pray you, Tristan, I do not want to discuss it any further today.’
‘Poor love,’ said Tristan, reaching out to touch her cheek. ‘This ordeal has shaken you more than you will admit.’
‘Yes,’ she agreed, clutching at the excuse he offered her. ‘I think I need a little time to recover from...from everything that has happened.’
‘Of course.’ He pulled her into his arms again. ‘But not too long, my dear, I am impatient now to make love to you properly. As my wife.’
She clung to him, closing her eyes and trying to fix in her memory the sound of his voice, the feel of his heart beating against her cheek. The familiar scent of his skin. If her fears were realised, she would never have the chance to do this again.
They arrived back at Sydney Place shortly after noon, Natalya travelling in the hired carriage while Tristan rode alongside as escort. They were shown directly into the drawing room, where Mrs Pridham fell on Natalya’s neck and hugged her in a display of uncharacteristic emotion.
‘My dear child, we have been so anxious for you! Until we received Lord Dalmorren’s message, telling us you were safe, I was in an agony of apprehension, wondering what could have happened! What a shocking ordeal, to be stolen away like that and with only the clothes you stood up in.’ Her eyes fell to the pink shawl around Natalya’s shoulders. ‘I suppose the kind people who took you in found that for you. But let me look at you.’ She held Natalya away from her. ‘You are not hurt. Not at all? You are sure of it?’
Her aunt’s eyes darted to Tristan before coming back to Natalya and searching her face.
‘I am perfectly well, Aunt,’ she replied calmly. ‘I was rendered unconscious by my abductors with some drug, which gave me a slight headache, but Lord Dalmorren rescued me before any real harm befell me.’
‘You have been away from your home for three nights,’ put in Mr Pridham, his tone one of outraged disapproval. ‘It would have been better if His Lordship had brought you back to us immediately.’
Natalya blushed at the implication, but Tristan answered him.
‘Miss Fairchild was extremely shaken when I found her.’ A trace of hauteur had crept into his voice. ‘She was in no state to travel further that night and I considered her welfare to be of greater import than your reassurance.’
‘Quite, quite, but nevertheless—’
‘We found refuge in a gentleman’s house, sir, perfectly respectable,’ Tristan continued, ignoring the interruption. ‘One of the maids accompanied Miss Fairchild here and is even now returning in the hired coach.’
Giving you no opportunity to question her, Natalya added, silently.
Mr Pridham looked reluctant to let the matter drop, but after an inward struggle he said stiffly, ‘We must thank you, my lord, for taking such good care of our niece.’
‘It was an honour, sir. But I should like to know how such an abduction could have taken place. From your garden, I understand. How did these men gain entry?’
There was an awkward pause.
‘They were admitted by a treacherous
