Read Online Hint of Desire by Lavinia Kent - Free Book Online Page B

reeling in a trout.
    “The last thing I really remember is being at the top of the cliffs looking down at Worthington. ” She hoped that was the right place to begin her story. How much did he know? How much had he been told? “I could tell he was dead, and all I wanted to do was run.”
    “You ’d been attacked, then? The doctor mentioned your injuries.”
    Lily felt relief flow through her . He knew and did not judge. Feeling the tension ease away, she rested her cheek in his palm.
    “Yes . I didn’t know what to do but run. All I could think about was the baby and the need to get away to safety. I didn’t even know in which direction safety might lie.”
    “It must have been horrible to see your husband killed . How did you manage to get away?”
    Lily jerked in confusion. “Get away?” The tremor returned to her voice as she spoke.
    “From the attackers. ”
    Suddenly his voice was fierce, and Lily had to fight the urge to cower from him.
    “Where were the servants ? Your assailants must have come upon you in the house, after you’d retired for the night. That would explain the state of your dress when I found you.”
    Lily continued to stare . She could feel the knot of tension and stress forming again. She swallowed hard and fought the sudden wave of nausea rising within her.
    Westlake rose abruptly and began to stride back and forth. The gentle man of moments before seemed to vanish, and in his place stood the duke, preparing for battle.
    “You’ll have to speak to the magistrate . We’ll start a search for these men. They can’t be allowed to escape their crimes. Can you identify them? Do you know why they were after Worthington? Was it an attempted kidnapping gone wrong? What had Worthington done? I’d always heard unsavory rumors about the man. We didn’t mingle. I hadn’t returned to Blythemoor for many years. He rarely came to Town. Barely knew he was married.”
    Westlake picked up his pace as he continued his monologue, never giving Lily a chance to answer his questions. He was obviously lost in his own plans, and for the moment seemed to have forgotten her, something for which she was supremely grateful.
    For a moment she’d thought he had realized she had no choice and had understood her actions. A huge weight had been lifted:  Someone – Arthur, her Arthur – knew the truth, and did not condemn her. But he hadn’t known the truth.
    Westlake thought someone else had attacked Worthington and his lady, and driven Worthington over the cliff. Could she let that story live? Who could gainsay it? The temptation was great. Even if the servants suspected the truth, they would not dare speak against her. A glimmer of hope lay balanced against her innate candor. She felt as though she were riding to the hunt, so quick were the ups and downs of her emotions.
    Lily realized that Westlake was still striding back and forth, declaiming. The text was a budget of the punishments that would be meted out against the malefactors. And she knew then, she could never confess the truth. He shone with a fierce need for justice. This was not gentle prince, but a warrior ready to cut into the fray, unmindful of all but his target.
    Then , as if catching sight of her for the first time, he stalked towards the bed. “It’s a miracle that you escaped. I don’t know what they wanted, but clearly you weren’t part of it.” He seemed to hesitate before reaching out to brush one of the many stray curls away from her face.
    She lifted her hand to his and wrapped her small white fingers around his much thicker ones . She held his hand there against her face, breathing in the musk of his soap.
    She closed her eyes a nd remembered her childhood fantasies of this man, how safe they had made her feel. She opened her eyes and lifted them to meet his. Was there still a trace of the young prince she had known?

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
    Dusk settled over the house as Arthur returned from his meanderings. He