to be leaving this place myself.”
He contemplated her for a long moment, all his instincts alert. “Who wants you?”
“Obviously, not you.” She favored him with a dismissive glance. “If you let me go, I’ll return what remains of your clothes and money. You can leave tonight.”
“But you asked me to come here.”
“As I said, I was mistaken. I thought—” She briefly closed her eyes. “It doesn’t matter anymore. If I have to go, I can’t leave you here alone, can I?”
“You’re currently tied to my bed. You aren’t going anywhere without my cooperation. What are you afraid of?”
“Nothing!”
“Don’t lie to me.” He caught her chin in his hand and made her look at him. “You’ve been at Alford for quite a while.”
“Yes. No one else seemed to need it. I told the villagers I had your permission to open the house again.”
“And you have made it a profitable enterprise, according to Doris and Jim. Is Doris truly your sister?”
“She’s my half sister. My mother married again.” She hesitated. “I don’t care what happens to me, but I have to protect her and Gwen. Can you at least promise me that no harm will come to anyone here because of what I’ve done to you?”
No harm . . . There was much he wanted to say about that, but this wasn’t the time or the place. Ruthlessly he concentrated on the matter at hand.
“Malinda, if you felt the need to contact me, a man whom I’m fairly certain you hate, loathe, and despise, things must be pretty dire, indeed.”
She didn’t reply, her lips set in a thin, stubborn line that he was all too familiar with.
“If I promise to help the occupants of this place, I need to know whom I am dealing with.”
“I thought it was you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was told the threat came from you—that you wanted me dead.”
“Why on earth would you think that?”
“Because I am a part of your past that you probably regret and wish to have removed. A man in your position can easily get rid of such a person.”
“You’re my bloody wife. ”
“That’s not correct.” She glared back at him. “Your father arranged an annulment.”
“My father . . .” He shook his head. “You’ll have to come back to London with me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I’ll let you go; we’ll leave within a few days. You can tell your father that I swear never to break my promise and return to England again.”
Every time she spoke, she led him further into a version of the past he didn’t understand. He hated that. His whole life was spent understanding the schemes and plots of others. He couldn’t bear the thought that his own past was a lie. All he knew was that if he let her escape, he’d never be at peace with himself.
“I still don’t understand why you want to kill me. What did I do to you? You are the one who left me .”
Her expression turned mulish. “There are good reasons why I left.”
“But what do they have to do with the present? Damn it, Malinda, you didn’t even give me a chance!”
“I wanted to get your attention. I knew the best way to do so would be to slightly inconvenience you, and—”
“ Slightly? Devil take it, woman, you could’ve murdered me!”
“As I’m an excellent shot, sir, that is extremely unlikely. I simply needed your complete attention and cooperation.”
“You wanted to see me bleeding and in pain?”
“No.” She sighed. “Why did you send that man to threaten me if you came in peace?”
“What man?”
“The thug who threatened to throw us out of the house on the orders of the Keyes family.”
“I didn’t send anyone. I prefer to deal with such matters myself.”
“But you arrived brandishing a pistol!”
“I inhabit a dangerous world. I came armed because I wanted to make certain the information I’d received was truly from you and not a trap.” He fixed her with his most penetrating stare. “And this is irrelevant, Malinda. You had already decided to shoot me on
He contemplated her for a long moment, all his instincts alert. “Who wants you?”
“Obviously, not you.” She favored him with a dismissive glance. “If you let me go, I’ll return what remains of your clothes and money. You can leave tonight.”
“But you asked me to come here.”
“As I said, I was mistaken. I thought—” She briefly closed her eyes. “It doesn’t matter anymore. If I have to go, I can’t leave you here alone, can I?”
“You’re currently tied to my bed. You aren’t going anywhere without my cooperation. What are you afraid of?”
“Nothing!”
“Don’t lie to me.” He caught her chin in his hand and made her look at him. “You’ve been at Alford for quite a while.”
“Yes. No one else seemed to need it. I told the villagers I had your permission to open the house again.”
“And you have made it a profitable enterprise, according to Doris and Jim. Is Doris truly your sister?”
“She’s my half sister. My mother married again.” She hesitated. “I don’t care what happens to me, but I have to protect her and Gwen. Can you at least promise me that no harm will come to anyone here because of what I’ve done to you?”
No harm . . . There was much he wanted to say about that, but this wasn’t the time or the place. Ruthlessly he concentrated on the matter at hand.
“Malinda, if you felt the need to contact me, a man whom I’m fairly certain you hate, loathe, and despise, things must be pretty dire, indeed.”
She didn’t reply, her lips set in a thin, stubborn line that he was all too familiar with.
“If I promise to help the occupants of this place, I need to know whom I am dealing with.”
“I thought it was you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was told the threat came from you—that you wanted me dead.”
“Why on earth would you think that?”
“Because I am a part of your past that you probably regret and wish to have removed. A man in your position can easily get rid of such a person.”
“You’re my bloody wife. ”
“That’s not correct.” She glared back at him. “Your father arranged an annulment.”
“My father . . .” He shook his head. “You’ll have to come back to London with me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I’ll let you go; we’ll leave within a few days. You can tell your father that I swear never to break my promise and return to England again.”
Every time she spoke, she led him further into a version of the past he didn’t understand. He hated that. His whole life was spent understanding the schemes and plots of others. He couldn’t bear the thought that his own past was a lie. All he knew was that if he let her escape, he’d never be at peace with himself.
“I still don’t understand why you want to kill me. What did I do to you? You are the one who left me .”
Her expression turned mulish. “There are good reasons why I left.”
“But what do they have to do with the present? Damn it, Malinda, you didn’t even give me a chance!”
“I wanted to get your attention. I knew the best way to do so would be to slightly inconvenience you, and—”
“ Slightly? Devil take it, woman, you could’ve murdered me!”
“As I’m an excellent shot, sir, that is extremely unlikely. I simply needed your complete attention and cooperation.”
“You wanted to see me bleeding and in pain?”
“No.” She sighed. “Why did you send that man to threaten me if you came in peace?”
“What man?”
“The thug who threatened to throw us out of the house on the orders of the Keyes family.”
“I didn’t send anyone. I prefer to deal with such matters myself.”
“But you arrived brandishing a pistol!”
“I inhabit a dangerous world. I came armed because I wanted to make certain the information I’d received was truly from you and not a trap.” He fixed her with his most penetrating stare. “And this is irrelevant, Malinda. You had already decided to shoot me on
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