Eight Hunting Lyons (The Lyon’s Den Connected World)

Chapter Twenty-Five

S he was a greedy lover, Daniel thought. The best kind.

He was a satisfied lover, and yet he still wanted more. Not just her body, though the sight of her pert breasts and slender thighs had him hard again. He wanted to know why she thought him a tiger and what she would draw for him next. He wanted to know how she had gotten Mrs. Hocking on her side, and whether she could charm the rest of Cornwall as easily as she had captivated him.

It was all the same in his mind, this wild jumble of thoughts in the early morning light. And it all centered on the woman he tucked close to his side while he lost himself in the scent of her body. She stirred against him, but then settled. He decided to surprise her with a treat when she woke.

He slipped quietly out of bed, the plans for his surprise growing more grand by the second. But first he had to find out if Lerwick had died in the night. It would be no loss to the world if he had, but it would be terribly inconvenient to Daniel.

Fortunately, the man was gone and the path back to the inn clearly indicated someone had used it recently. There were several scuff marks where the bastard had likely kicked at stones in his fury.

“Good riddance,” Daniel muttered. He knew angering the man would be a problem. Lerwick had Prinny’s ear and could easily poison Daniel’s already shaky standing with the prince. That was bad enough, but Lerwick also dealt with many of Daniel’s other customers. He could damage Daniel’s position with his other clientele.

But that was a problem for another day. Today’s task was much more pleasant. He meant to heat a bath for Li-Na and then watch her bathe.

She woke before he could finish heating the water. Carrying that had been hot, sweaty work, and he was in no fit state to be seen. But when she rounded the corner to the great room, there was no help for it. He stood half drenched from where the water had sloshed out of the buckets and cursing as he tried to light the fire.

He heard her there when her laugh filled the silence between two curses. He whipped around in surprise only to see her press her hand against her lips to suppress her mirth, though her eyes danced in the light.

It occurred to him then that he had never heard her laugh. Certainly, she smiled, but never had happiness filtered through her restraint in a musical kind of double beat. Hee-hee. Like a tiny accent on a task done very badly.

He loved the sound. Stepping toward her, he pulled her hand down from her mouth. “Don’t silence yourself. Not around me. Not ever.”

“You’ve been busy,” she said gesturing to his wet attire. Indeed, the only part of him that was dry was his parched throat. “Did you want a bath by the fire?”

“I meant to make one for you, but the wood’s too wet, and I need more anyway.”

“I would rather walk with you to the ocean,” she said, and he immediately tossed aside his flint.

“I should like that above all things.”

They walked hand in hand down the long road to the ocean. They talked of unimportant things and admired the sun on the water. Then once in the water, he taught her something new. He brought her to completion as she rode the waves. Then they donned the clothes they had washed—which were only partially dry—and wandered back up to the castle.

But once in the courtyard, the difficulties of life intruded. Peder’s Steward was there waiting for him, pacing back and forth in his fury. Mrs. Hocking had refused to let him in and was likely brewing up vile tea from a stock she keeps for people she despised. She had no love of the man since he’d cheated her out of a fair price for some chickens. Up until today, he’d assumed it was one of her many complaints about her neighbors. Today however, he remembered Li-Na’s words about the accounts, and he wondered.

“Good morning Mr. Treglown. Did we have an appointment?”

“No, my lord.” His gaze hopped uneasily between Daniel and Li-Na. “But I have something of grave concern to discuss with you. Of grave concern.”

“Of course.” He smiled at Li-Na. “Do you work inside today? Or outdoors?”

“Have the accounts report finished. I meant to discuss it with you today. But if you are busy, then I can occupy myself elsewhere. Mrs. Hocking was planning to teach me how to stitch fabric.”

She was? Intriguing. “Why would you want to learn that?” And from the sourest woman in the county.

She shrugged. “Because I don’t know how, and I am lately resolved to learn new things.”

He had a vested interest in her learning new things, though he wasn’t sure he appreciated being equated to learning how to stitch. He was just forming a response when Mr. Treglown huffed in disgust.

“I’m pleased to see you learning womanly tasks, Miss Li-Na. It’s where your attention should be and not on a man’s activities.”

Daniel turned, his thoughts burning dark with startling speed. “Did you become a vicar while I was in London, Mr. Treglown? Or perhaps you joined the government or gained a title?”

The man blinked and stepped back. “I don’t understand, my lord. I am as I have always been,” he said with a slight bow. “Your humble servant.”

“Then you need to look up the word ‘humble.’ What right do you have to tell anyone—least of all my guest—what she should do with her time?”

He straightened, his back tightening with an audible creek. “I have the right of all men, my lord. A woman must keep to her tasks while the men keep to theirs. It is as God ordained.”

“It is how English men ordained—”

“This is England!”

“—And it is not anywhere in the Bible .”

The man gaped at him, his color turning purple with rage. “That’s blasphemy!”

“No. It’s scholarship.” Then Daniel folded his arms and wondered how he had ever thought the man decent. Given the way the idiot was turning up his nose at Li-Na set his teeth on edge. But, of course, the real reason for such ugliness was because she had likely uncovered the truth about him. “Mr. Treglown, have you been skimming the accounts? Did you trick Mrs. Hocking regarding her chickens, charge me for labor that came free, and take what was not lawfully yours?” He spoke in a conversational tone, but his gaze was hard on the man’s face.

“Blasphemy!” the man sputtered. Then he stabbed his finger at Li-Na. “Witchcraft! She has bewitched you!”

Well, that last part was certainly true, but not in the way this cheat intended. “Shall I show you the accounts?” he asked, his tone level.

“She has magicked them into lies!”

He sighed. “I cannot believe a solid Cornwall man like yourself believes in such nonsense.”

“She summoned the witch woman when you were ill, didn’t she? I heard she sent the doctor away!”

Had she? He barely remembered. It was a summer infection, nothing else. He doubted the doctor or the local herb woman, as he preferred to call her, did anything but help him wait out the time while his body recovered. But whatever happened made no difference.

“Answer me clearly, Mr. Treglown. I have your ledgers written in your own hand and the statements of your neighbors. Did you charge me for labors they donated for free? In the raising of the Dungey barn or the cleaning of Widow Greeves’ pigsty? Did you have me pay double for wood, half again that for foodstuffs?”

“Nestle-bird!” he bellowed. “You are bewitched!”

“And you, Mr. Treglown, are sacked. I suggest you rush home and gather your things. I shall be there within an hour, and I think I will find a great deal of wealth there that does not belong to you.”

“You can’t do that! You’re not the earl and not his guardian. You’re not worth the mud on my boots!” Then he turned and spit straight at Li-Na.

It was a horrible thing, filled with hate and venom, and Daniel was frankly startled to see it from someone he had known all his life. Li-Na, however, wasn’t surprised. She avoided the phlegm easily with a quick sidestep. And Daniel—after seeing that she was safe—expressed himself neatly with a blow to Treglown’s jaw.

The man went down like a rock.

Damn.

Either he’d gotten better at fisticuffs or the men who crossed him had glass heads.

“You are remarkably good at that,” Li-Na stated, her voice filled with awe. “What does nestle-bird mean?”

“The smallest or weakest of the litter. I have always been shorter than my brother.” He shrugged, feeling mildly surprised. “It used to bother me as a boy, but it means nothing to me now.”

She nodded and pressed a kiss to his hand. “What will you do with him now? Do we leave him there?”

He groaned. “I will have to go to his home and clear his things out. God only knows what he’s hidden there.”

“I will help—”

He cut her off with a quick shake of his head. This was a task for large men of authority. And he needed to think about how quickly an accusation of witchcraft could turn ugly. “You said you were going to learn stitching from Mrs. Hocking?”

She nodded.

“Get her from the kitchen. Tell her I will pay her handsomely for protecting you.”

Li-Na’s eyes grew troubled. “You fear for my safety.” She looked down at her hands. “I am too different.”

“Different is good. Different shakes things up. Different exposes problems that need to be fixed like a steward who has been embezzling for years.”

She nodded, but he could see the fear in her eyes.

“We’ll talk about it this evening. Stay with Mrs. Hocking now.”

“Should I go back to London?”

Panic cut dark and hot through his chest. She couldn’t leave. He’d just found her! “Absolutely not. I can handle this.”

She nodded, but her head had already dipped low, her hands were folded in front of her belly, and he knew what she was thinking. She was planning on running.

“I cannot keep you here, Li-Na. Not against your will. And not if you run at the first sign of trouble.”

She lifted her eyes and met his. “You are a titled lord. You have the strength and power to stand and fight—”

“And I will! I will fight for you.”

“Then who will fight for Stefan or Mrs. Hocking? Who will help the countess with Joseph? And who will care for the people around you?”

He grabbed her arms and pulled her around until they faced one another fully. “Why do you think I can’t fight for all of you?”

“Have you heard how they talk about the witch woman? I am not even your wife,” she whispered. “You cannot protect me.”

He pulled her chin up until she met his gaze. “Wife or not, I can and I will.”

She held his gaze. She bit her lip in worry. And then, in the end, she whispered one word. “Yes.”

“Yes, you will stay? Yes, you have faith in me? Yes, you will wait?”

She nodded. “Yes,” she repeated.

He kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around him. And when they pulled apart to breathe, he held her tight. One night together. One night and one morning of laughter. That’s all they’d had together. He would not lose it now because of one thieving steward.

He would not!

“Oh my!” came Mrs. Hocking’s sing-song voice as she stepped out into the sunlight. “Did the man have a fit? Couldn’t happen to a more deserving bastard. Want me to call the vicar to pray over him?”

Daniel tucked Li-Na tight against his side. One last press of her body before he had to entrust her to Mrs. Hocking.

“I’ll handle him,” he said grimly. “Please take Li-Na with you to safety.”

The woman pursed her lips and spat. “Seems like you already handled him. But he’s got friends, here. People who benefited from the way he treated the rest of us.”

Damnation. How had he not seen this before? “I’ll handle it,” he said. “Can you—”

“Yes, yes. Come on, Miss. I’ve been wanting to check on my middle youngest anyway.” She took Li-Na’s hand and started leading her away. Then she stopped to look back at Daniel. “And mind you throw out the pot of tea. It won’t set well in yer stomach.”

Daniel groaned. Good lord, had she meant to poison the man? He pushed away the thought and spent one last moment watching Li-Na. Her expression was locked down, her hands clenched together, but her gaze met his.

“I’ll keep you safe.”

She nodded. “I believe you.”

Twelve hours later, he broke that promise. And the pain of that ended any hope for the future together.

He received a message that Lord Gordon had pressed the church court to convene Stefan’s guardianship hearing on that very day. He had no choice but to rush immediately to the hearing only to discover he had been outmaneuvered by the man. Nessie had warned him that her father had spies in the village. It wasn’t until now that he realized how thoroughly Lord Gordon had prepared.

He watched as Bob Mellin testified that he was unfit to be Stefan’s guardian because he lusted after Anne.

He listened in horror as the vicar supported that statement by saying Daniel had pressed the vicar to immorally annul the union.

He sat in fury as the doctor claimed that he harbored a foreign witch in his home. One that had bespelled him with her lies. As proof he offered the summer cold that he’d suffered and then recovered from due to unnatural means.

Mr. Treglown came last, his jaw swollen purple as he bellowed accusations of witchcraft and ensorcellment.

All while Lord Gordon sat like a fat pig at the trough. The bastard didn’t even try to hide his glee. He was about to have complete control of Stefan and all the boy’s wealth. Because—as everyone said—Daniel was no fit guardian to anyone, much less an earl.