Forsaking the Prize Read online

  Blythe set her hands to her hips. “Let me make one thing clear to you, Mr. Randall. Your glib tongue won’t work with me. I think you an utter scoundrel. A man not to be trusted and if you were not so abnormally sized, and I a lady, I would have you thrown head first from the window.”

  “Abnormally sized? Lady Venables, have you been peeking at my rudder?” He gestured to his groin and chuckled. Blythe recoiled and bumped into the wall. His expression turned serious in an instant. He drew so close that Blythe could discern his shadowed eyes were brown, shot through with a bright shade of amber. “I can assure you that the ladies have never complained about my size before. In fact, they quite often beg me to return to port.”

  Blythe amended her earlier description of Tobias Randall. He was a rude, vulgar-tongued pirate with a penchant for grandiose self-flattery. Given the unguarded way he spoke, he would bring disgrace upon Mercy and the Duke of Romsey within a day, if it hadn’t happened already. She glared, determined to make her disgust plain. “Then the ladies were desperate women indeed. Were you the only man to choose from after years without? Now, get out.”

  He blinked slowly. As he opened his eyes again, he shifted his body closer until he stood inches from her chest. He radiated so much heat that her own skin grew warm with embarrassment. It had been a long time since a man had stood this close to her and caused such a reaction. The last to do so had been her late husband. Although the action would suggest she feared him, she slid along the wall.

  He tilted his head to the side and he studied her. “Not mad,” he whispered. “Just very, very, unfriendly. Don’t worry. I’m not drunk enough to bed you without causing myself considerable pain. My rudder would likely suffer injury should I dare to dock at your port. Splinters, you know.”

  Blythe gaped. How dare he say such a thing to a lady!

  Before she could stop him, he brushed his finger beneath her chin. She snapped her mouth shut. Then, to her shock, he vaulted out the window, one large hand locked on the window frame, and dangled there, twenty feet above ground. He poked his head back inside the room momentarily. “Try not to miss me too much, B.”

  The bounder. The cad. How dare he think to shorten her name to just an initial? She wouldn’t stand for it a moment longer. Blythe hurried to lock the window so he couldn’t come back inside. She really didn’t give a fig if he fell to his death.

  Three

  Tobias hung onto the side of Romsey Abbey outside Lady Venables bedchamber, enjoying the wind ruffling his hair. The abbey was as stuffy as the conversation with the lady he’d just left. He much preferred the wildness out here than the frost building in there.

  But he couldn’t hang here forever. There were limits to his strength, and the stone walls were not as generous when it came to handholds as the rigging of a ship. On a whim, he climbed the abbey walls until he reached the rooftop and swung himself over the lip. He set his hands to his hips and spun in a slow circle, surveying the horizon beyond the roofline. Storm clouds were rolling up from the south, obscuring the stars as they came. Wet, mucky old England. He grinned and sat himself down on the battlements to enjoy the approaching inclement weather.

  The cool bite of the air stung his nose, but a sense of contentment flooded him. He’d spent years dreaming of white winters, huddled around the family hearth and he would have his wish this year. After he’d paid penance enough for the distress he’d caused the duchess, he would go home to his parents’ house to live. The old place might need a bit of work to make it livable, but after his years onboard ship his standards were low. He had no illusions that he couldn’t be perfectly happy there, even if it was falling down upon his head. He could finally come and go as he pleased and live his own life. The problem Tobias had now was deciding what to do with that life.

  He had no trade to speak of, besides the bit of carpentry skill required for ship repairs onboard the whaler. He wasn’t a man of letters. Land management held no appeal. He had little money, except for what his brother might give him, if Tobias could bear to accept it. Without purpose or independent wealth, he’d become miserable.

  He scrunched up his nose. That outcome was unpalatable. He was a man of action, most happy when there was mischief afoot, a game to be won. He’d come up with something eventually, or else he’d have no choice but to leave in search of his own fortune.

  Not yet though. Not yet.

  He’d see how the game played out here before he moved on. He wouldn’t mind getting to know his elder brother again, and he would like to find Oliver and Rose. Hopefully Oliver would have fared as well or better than Tobias, but even as a young boy, he’d known Rosemary was bound for trouble.

  He dug his fingers into the cold stone, imagining the worst that could have happened to his sister, his mind multiplying it tenfold. Rose’s last moments in his line of sight were imprinted on his memory. She’d been tossed onto a horse, over the thighs of one of the old duke’s men, kicking and screaming her lungs out, and threatening to bite the man if he didn’t release her immediately. The duke’s servant had called out to his companions but, maddeningly, Tobias couldn’t recall exactly what he’d said to them before they rode away at a gallop. He didn’t like to think of his parents lying murdered in the carriage. He hadn’t seen them to know for certain they were dead, but they had not made a sound when he’d called out to them. His captors had left them where they’d lain.

  On the trip to the harbor, the duke’s men had assured him that Rosemary would be safe as long as Tobias caused them no further trouble. He’d complied. There were six of them after all, all armed, and one of him, fourteen, scared and alone. He’d gone along with them to the harbor and then …

  No more England. No more family.

  His captors had said Rosemary was to be returned to the old duke and held hostage to make certain Tobias behaved, but he’d later realized they’d lied. They hadn’t known anything about Rose’s fate once they’d parted company.

  A window rattled below him and he looked down between his dangling feet. Lady Venables’ head poked out into the night, looked left and right, and then a softly uttered ‘blasted pirate’ filled the air. He grinned. Even his conversation with Lady Venables hadn’t impinged on his good humor. He enjoyed a good battle of wits with a worthy adversary. The beauty’s outrage and mild insults amused him.

  The window rattled closed.

  He scratched his jaw. Lady Venables was not mad as he had first thought. Not even close to that sorry state. She was angry with him, likely for having the indecency of making her faint. But she was also a very sad person. He’d listened to her muffled sobs as she’d covered her face so no one would hear. She’d been so caught up in her misery that she hadn’t noticed him enter the room and conceal himself in the shadows. He’d been quite ready to make nice and apologize once she’d stopped sniffling.

  But then she’d spoken and all the nice, long discarded gentlemanly things he’d dredged from the corners of his mind had fled. Lady Venables could geld a man with that tongue of hers. Calling her prickly had been the kindest description for the shrew. There was a thick layer of ice around her that he had not detected from a distance, a foil for the beauty to keep gents at bay.

  That suited him fine. She was far too prim for his tastes anyway. It might be amusing to suggest otherwise just to rile her, but when the need arose he’d find someone less inclined to frost to warm his bed at night. In the meantime, he’d verbally spar with Lady Venables when the mood struck, give some thought to his future, and consider who stalked the young Duke of Romsey. If Lady Venables wasn’t the one leaving dead animals about the abbey, then someone else was intent on frightening the duchess away. Someone who had escaped proper scrutiny so far.

  Of course, it wasn’t really any of his business, aside from the fact that finding the culprit would clear both his name and Lady Venables’ once and for all. Leopold would undoubtedly find the truth in the end and ensure his son was safe. Not much stood in his brothers’ way for long once he’d m
ade up his mind. But still, it wouldn’t hurt to keep his eyes open.

  A splat of cold liquid hit his cheek. His nose. His eye. Perfect. Rain, not the snow he’d been hoping for, pattered down on his head. A bolt of lightning pierced the gloom, landing half a mile distant from the abbey grounds. Perhaps he should retreat to somewhere less exposed to the elements. He climbed down the abbey walls, tapped on Lady Venables’ window just to irritate the shrew a little more, and then slipped back into his bedchamber. He left his window open to better hear the rain while he stripped off his damp clothing.

  Her window rattled. “Oh, would you just go away,” she said.

  Tobias leaned out the window. “Until tomorrow, B. Sweet dreams.”

  Another bolt of lightning pierced the gloom.

  Her eyes widened. “Where is your clothing, sir? You’ll catch your death.”

  “Damp.” Tobias ran his hand over his bare chest. “But how nice that you are so concerned for my health, my lady. Such sweet consideration from your lips is music to my ears.”

  She scowled. “You are impossible. Go to bed.”

  “Was that an invitation to rejoin you, B?”

  Maybe maneuvers with the lady wouldn’t give his rudder frost bite. She had full breasts, a tiny waist, and he’d bet her long hair would feel like silk across his skin once released.

  Her jaw clenched and she disappeared from view. The window slammed down quickly.

  Tobias gripped the window sill tightly and released a deep belly laugh.

  Gods, it was good to be on dry land again. Teasing Lady Venables was the most fun he’d had in years. He couldn’t wait till morning. How would she behave if he patted her rear in the drawing room downstairs while her sister stood three feet away?

  He’d have to try it one day.

  Tobias closed the window and then climbed into the obscenely large bed. He set his hands behind his head as lightning flashed through his window. He could become used to creature comforts such as this. What would be nicer would be sharing the night with a woman’s soft, silken limbs wrapped around him.

  The idea appealed. Someone adventurous in bed, plump of pocket and biddable would make a very palatable arrangement. Marriage seemed a good way to obtain wealth easily. However, he had no intention of fathering children. Being born a Randall hadn’t done him any good and he’d never bring a child into the world to see him suffer. Yes, tomorrow, after he’d made amends to Lady Venables, he’d investigate the possibilities of his new life and what might be done to improve it.

  ~ * ~

  Blythe surveyed her maid’s handiwork in the mirror, wondering what other people saw when they looked at her. To her mind, she appeared exactly as she always did. Not a hair out of place, the perfect model of propriety and decorum—a lady one should show respect to at all times. However, all that had changed overnight. At least the maid’s shaking hands hadn’t made a mess of her hair. “You may go, Dobson,” she said sadly.

  Hillie Dobson, her maid since her marriage, bobbed a quick curtsey and then hurried from the room with unnecessary speed. Blythe turned to stare at the door as those waiting outside locked her in again. A prisoner still. She clenched her jaw. This was impossible. She pressed her hands flat on the table and concentrated on controlling her temper.

  A lady did not display her emotions, elated or otherwise. She would be calm and composed, and not shriek like a fishwife at the injustice she was currently suffering. She stood and crossed to the wardrobe. She’d pack her own things, throw them and herself out the window if required, and leave this place today rather than suffer further slights. She was not above carrying them herself should it become a necessity.

  The key turned in the lock behind her and the door slowly creaked open. “Blythe?” Mercy’s voice whispered across the room, trembling with uncertainty. But then two sets of footsteps crossed the threshold; one heavy, one light.

  Blythe kept her back to her goalers. “I would appreciate it if you would call a carriage for me, Your Grace. As much as I enjoy the new level of attention I’m receiving from first the doctor and then the guards at the door, I am certain I should get out from underfoot so you can plan your wedding. Congratulations. I hope you both will be very happy together.”

  Mercy gasped. “You were awake.”

  “You forgot to tickle me to check.” Blythe smiled tightly and added her hairbrush to the bag, holding back tears by sheer force of will. “There once was a time when we knew everything about each other. But it seems I don’t know you at all, Your Grace.” Blythe turned. “And you appear to know nothing about me if you think you can treat me like this. Kindly get out of my way.”

  Both Mercy and Leopold Randall stood across the room, side by side. A wall. United against her. Blythe gritted her teeth as Mercy glanced at Leopold Randall, looking to him as if for instructions on what to say to her request. If he suggested she remain as their guest, lady or not, she’d clobber him with the nearest vase.

  Randall stepped forward. “Were you awake through everything last night?”

  She nodded. Almost everything. There was a period of time missing from her memory. The exact period of time the pirate would have held her in his arms. She didn’t miss remembering that event at all.

  He frowned. “Then you heard what everyone else has said about your actions and suspected motives.”

  Blythe nodded again and picked up her bag. “I seem to be in need of a new maid. Would you be so good as to assist Dobson find a new position? I don’t believe she will wish to remain in my employment any longer thanks to the wild stories circulating about me. She could scarce carry out her duties today.”

  The door swung fully open. “You can’t leave until your name is cleared,” Tobias Randall added cheerfully as he stepped into her bedchamber without knocking.

  Blythe glanced at him and then looked away, fighting to keep a blush from her cheeks. The younger Randall had come to add his tuppence worth to the discussion, but was only dressed in a sheet. How typical of his type of man. Of course he was free to come and go at will and that increased Blythe’s annoyance beyond an acceptable level. She backed away from them, holding onto her bag with all her might.

  “For God’s sake get out of here,” Leopold shouted at his brother. “You’re indecent.”

  “If you do not like my current attire, then perhaps you’d be good enough to return my clothing.” Tobias bowed to her. “Good morning, Lady Venables. Did you have a pleasant rest?”

  She wasn’t going to confess to Mercy or his brother that he’d kept her awake half the night with his antics. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of proving just how big a nuisance he had been. “Fine, thank you.”

  He winked. “Wonderful. My brother has plans to show me around. Care to join us for a stroll about the abbey?”

  Blythe stared at him. He didn’t even have a pair of boots on his feet at the moment and he thought she would be interested in remaining in his company a moment longer than she had to. He was the mad one. “Are you going like that?”

  “For the moment, it seems very likely.” He wiggled his toes.

  Blythe quickly looked up at his face. “No, thank you. I’ll be leaving today. Why, this very minute if a bunch of rude and foolish Randall’s will get out of my way.”

  Mercy gasped but Blythe was so angry she did not care if she insulted her own family. The situation was intolerable and she would leave.

  Tobias merely laughed at her situation and she scowled at him. What it would take to make him as uncomfortable as he made her?

  “My God, that’s a look to skewer your innards. Leopold, I think you should apologize this very minute for unjustly locking the lady’s door. You do want your future wife’s sister to be happy, don’t you? Lady Venables appears the type to hold a grudge.”

  Leopold raised his hands. “Peace, my lady. You are not our prisoner but we still do not wish for you to leave, and for the same reasons I mentioned two days ago. You are alone at Walden Hall and the distance, and is
olation, does worry me. Edwin and Mercy are still at risk, and you could be, too.”

  “But you believed me to be the culprit. To have done those evil things to frighten my own sister. A monster. They’re all whispering that I tried to drive Mercy away so I could have the young duke for myself. I’ll not stay here another moment and suffer further suspicion. You can be sure I will never come here again.”

  Leopold Randall glanced at his brother, a scowl twisting his face. “I was led to believe that your behavior lately has been somewhat troubling. That you often go into the woods and lure rabbits to you with carrots and the like. The bulk of the so-called-gifts left for the duchess have been slaughtered rabbits. We determined Tobias was behind the letters, but that still means someone else is involved. You can see where a man might wonder if there was a connection between your behavior and recent unpleasant events.”

  Blythe shook her head. “My son had a rabbit when he lived. I set it free, but I still see it, and its offspring, about sometimes.”

  Leopold Randall frowned. “Near the woods?”

  Blythe crossed her arms over her chest. “Near my son’s favorite place. We made up silly stories. I go there often to remember them.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. She went there to pretend Adam was still alive, if only for a little while.

  “Oh, Blythe,” Mercy whispered softly. “I thought you’d stopped.”

  She stared at her sister. “You thought I’d stopped thinking of my son and the little time I had with him? How could you imagine, even for a moment, that I don’t wish for him every day?”

  Blythe blinked back tears as the silence stretched. Everything had changed, grown dim, when Adam had passed away. Time hadn’t softened the loss.

  Tobias Randall smacked his hands together loudly, and then made a show of rearranging his falling sheet. “Now that’s cleared up, can something be done about my clothing situation? This sheet is damn drafty and my feet are cold.”