Heart of Courage (16 page)

“There are only fifteen or so. The house has sixty bedrooms. I don't think we shall be overcrowded.”

Lindsey smiled. “I suppose not.” She picked up the invitations, began to leaf through them. “I see Mr. Langtree is among those invited.”

“Why, yes, he is.”

“He seems a very pleasant man.”

Delilah glanced away, a bit of rose appearing in her cheeks. “The colonel is quite good company.”

Lindsey made no reply. It would be nice if her aunt found someone to replace the husband she had lost ten years ago. Her marriage to the Earl of Ashford, a much older man, had been arranged. She deserved a love match the second time around.

Lindsey shuffled through a few more names. “You've invited the Earl and Countess of Tremaine. I do hope they can come.”

“Grayson is quite an intriguing man. I have met him several times. I look forward to getting to know him better.”

“As do I.” Lindsey flipped to the next card. Stephen Camden, Viscount Merrick. “I hoped you would include Lord Merrick.”

“He won't be an overnight guest, of course, since he lives next door, but it will be nice to see him again.”

Lindsey nodded. And it would give her an opportunity to talk to him, see what might be happening in his life. See if there was any reason his name should be mentioned in a note regarding murder.

She moved on to the next invitation. “I hope Krista and Leif will be able to come. They have the baby to think of and of course the running of their businesses.”

She couldn't help wishing Thor's name was on the guest list, but he didn't like social affairs. She remembered how handsome he had looked dressed in evening clothes at Lord Kittridge's ball. He could certainly play the role of gentleman if he wished—at least on the surface.

Still, it wouldn't be fair to expect him to change himself merely to please her. Thor was his own man and that was one of the things she liked best about him.

There were other things, as well, she realized. She liked his protectiveness, though at times it could be most annoying. She liked his sensitivity and the gentleness that ran beneath the surface of his very formidable exterior. She liked that he was a man—a real man, not some overblown dandy.

Lindsey blew out a breath. “I think I shall go up and unpack, if you don't mind. I find I am a bit tired after my journey.”

“Of course.” Her aunt sat back down at the desk, picked up her plumed pen and dipped it in the inkwell. “Supper is at eight. Your brother will be dining with us. I will see you then.”

Lindsey nodded. Rudy was here, safe, at least for the present. Still, the threat of arrest hung over him. As she climbed the stairs, she thought of the notes she had received and how she might discover if there was the least bit of truth to what had been written inside them.

 

At eight o'clock the next morning, Thor went to the offices of Capital Ventures only to find a CLOSED sign on the door. Furious and even more determined to discover what was happening with the stock he had purchased, he left the office. His business would have to wait until his return from Renhurst. Traveling satchel in hand, he made his way to the nearest coaching station for his trip out of town.

For now, he had more important business than confronting Silas Wilkins, but soon the time would come.

Since the interior of the mail coach was confining for a man of his size, he found a seat on top where he could enjoy the fresh air and the passing landscape. The coach rolled along at a steady pace, arriving in the village fifteen minutes ahead of schedule at four o'clock in the afternoon. Spotting a sign that read Foxgrove Tavern, he went inside and inquired of a serving maid the directions to Renhurst Hall, which, the maid pointed out, he could see atop a distant knoll.

“There it be, luvy. Just a good walk up the hill.”

He handed the woman a coin. “Where will I find Merrick Park? It is also near, is it not?”

“Merrick is farther down the same road. The viscount's land sits side by side with Renhurst.”

“Thank you.” Thor took his satchel and headed up the hill. The road was still muddy from last night's rain. He wove his way in and out of a string of puddles until he came to a well-maintained gravel drive. Two huge stone pillars marked the entrance to Renhurst Hall, though he couldn't see the house from the road. Instead of turning down the lane, he continued to his destination, Merrick Park.

Before he had left London, he had decided to do a bit of investigating on his own. The best approach, he figured, was to go directly to the source. Turning down the gravel lane that led to Merrick Park, he rounded a corner and spotted the red brick mansion and the huge timber-roofed brick building that housed the stable behind the house.

In the checking he had done so far, he had learned that Stephen Camden was a breeder of horses, the owner of a fine string of racing stock. Thor knew horses and hoped he might use his knowledge to find temporary employment. A great deal could be learned about a man from his servants. And he would be close enough to keep an eye on Lindsey, in residence less than a mile away.

As he neared the stable, Thor watched with admiration as half a dozen of the viscount's horses raced over the field, prize animals, indeed. They were the same lean breed as the one he had seen in the park. It would serve his own purpose, as well as Lindsey's, should he be able to study the horses he someday hoped to own.

His blood pumped with excitement as he walked up to a stocky, balding man giving orders to the stable boys, the head groom, it would seem.

“You have some fine-looking livestock,” Thor said, his gaze returning once more to the horses racing across the rolling green field.

The bald man looked up, then up some more, till his gaze lit on Thor's face. “What can I do for you, mister?”

“I have worked with horses for a number of years. I was hoping you might have a job for a man who knows how to handle such fine animals.”

The bald man studied him closely. “You're lookin' for a job?”

“Aye, that I am.”

“There's always a place here for a man who knows horses. In fact, we just lost one of our trainers. That's a pretty big job. You think you could handle it?”

“Aye, I could.”

The bald man nodded. “Me name's Horace Nub.”

“Thor Draugr.”

“All right, Draugr, follow me.”

They made their way inside the stable, which was swept so clean there wasn't a loose bit of straw on the floor. Bays, sorrels, and blacks of the highest caliber filled the stalls, nickering as grooms tended their water buckets and carried them bags of oats. Thor followed Horace Nub out the rear stable door to a large pen on the opposite side.

Nub pointed to a big black stallion prancing around inside the ring. “That black devil is the King's Saber. Should have named him Satan. Ain't a man been able to stay in the pen with him more'n ten minutes. Last trainer what tried left here with a broken arm.”

Thor looked at the magnificent creature snorting and stomping on the other side of the fence. The stallion was larger than most of the other horses the viscount owned, but the lines of his body were the same as the others, the long sleek neck, the lean, powerful muscles in the hind-quarters and long sinewy legs. His mane and tail floated like banners of silk as he darted and pranced round the ring.

He was the most beautiful horse Thor had ever seen.

“His lordship bought him to race, but he don't have the temperament for it. Can't even breed the bastard. Damned near kilt the last mare he mounted. Head trainer—that'd be Harley Burke—advised his lordship to put him down afore he kills someone.”

Thor's chest tightened at the thought. “I will take a look at him.”

“Any harm comes to you, that's your problem. But you get him to let you stay in there, you got a job.”

Thor just nodded. The animal captured his full attention. He wanted nothing so much as to touch him, to feel the smooth, inky blackness of the stallion's coat, to harness the power of his long, lean stride as he raced around the pen.

Thor started for the gate, moving slowly but with confidence. They had to see each other as equals from the start.

He opened the gate and just stood there in the opening.

In the middle of the ring, the horse jolted to a halt. His ears shot back and his nostrils flared. For several seconds he pawed the ground, danced and reared and made a low, shrill whinny of warning. An instant later, he charged, teeth bared, ears flattened back against his head.

Thor did not move.

The animal slid to a halt just inches away from him. He went up on his hind legs and pawed the air, a fearsome sight that would drive any sane man away.

Thor did not move. “Saber of the King,” he said so softly only the horse could hear. “
Brandr fra dat Konungr
would be your name where I come from. It is a good name.”

The stallion snorted, reared again, then came down on his front hooves almost on top of Thor.

“You are angry,
Brandr.
I can see this. Someone has hurt you. They did not understand how strong you are, how much you need your freedom.”

The horse turned his head to the side and studied him with a wild, dark eye. He snorted his displeasure and tossed his satiny mane while Thor continued speaking softly. In Norse and in English, he told the stallion that he would not hurt him, that in time he would be granted his freedom.

The animal backed away, went up on his hind legs but did not charge again. Instead, he raced around the ring in a fury, making the entire circle, then sliding to a halt in front of Thor, who had moved a little farther into the ring.

Saber snorted and pawed.

Thor did not move.

The stallion reared and charged, but stopped a little farther away.

Thor did not move.

The animal turned and thundered away, slid to a stop at the back of the ring. He whirled and stood with his long legs braced apart, his dark eyes fixed on Thor, who still did not move.

Thor had no idea how much time passed, how many times the horse charged threateningly, then turned and raced away. It did not matter. If the gods were willing, he would find a way into the heart of this magnificent creature, a way to get him to accept whatever fate lay in store for him.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the head groom, Mr. Nub, watching him through the fence. Two other grooms stood watching, pitchforks unmoving in their hands.

“If I hadn't seen it with me own two eyes, I wouldna' believed it.”

At the sound of the other man's voice, the horse charged the fence like a madman, shrieking wildly, sliding to a halt in front of where the three men stood. Thor used the moment to leave the ring.

Horace Nub backed away, rubbing a hand over his shiny bald head. “Bloody horse is a killer.”

“He is angry. Someone has hurt him. Do you not see the scars on his neck and flanks?”

“Burke took a whip to him. Tried to break him but it didn't work. Stallion ought to be put down.”

“Give me a chance to work with him. In time he will give you what you want.”

The head groom eyed him with speculation. Again he rubbed his head. “Worth a try, I guess. Just remember what I said—you get hurt, it's your problem.”

Thor just nodded. He couldn't wait to get started. Saber of the King was a name the stallion well deserved. Such a fierce beast must carry the blood of champions. It would take a good deal of time, but such a magnificent animal was worth it. In the end, Thor had no doubt he would succeed.

And once he gained a bit of trust from the men in the stable, he would begin to ask questions. He would find out if there was any reason to believe the viscount had some role in the Covent Garden murders.

And each day he would check on Lindsey, make certain that she was safe.

L
indsey sat next to Aunt Dee in the Renhurst carriage. They were on their way to visit Stephen Camden at Merrick Park.

“It was kind of Stephen to ask us to luncheon,” Aunt Dee said.

“Why, yes, it was,” said Lindsey, feeling a thread of excitement at the prospect of speaking to Merrick, anxious to begin some sort of dialogue that might tell her why the viscount's name had been mentioned in connection to the murders. She wasn't yet certain how she would approach the problem, but sooner or later, the chance would come.

The carriage pulled up in front of the huge brick mansion and a footman rushed up to help them down.

“Lady Ashford…Miss Graham,” the young man said. “His lordship is expecting you. A matter came up at the stables. He'll join you in the drawing room in just a few minutes. If you would please come with me—”

“Why don't we go down and see what's happening?”

Lindsey suggested, always appreciative of Merrick's blooded stock.

Aunt Dee glanced in that direction. It was a lovely day with no hint of rain and better enjoyed out of doors. “All right.” Lifting their skirts out of the way, they wandered along the brick path leading down to the barns and pens where Stephen kept his prize racing horses.

“His lordship is out in the back,” one of the grooms said, showing them the way through the barn to the pen behind the building.

“Over there.” Lindsey pointed toward a tall, blond man she recognized as Lord Merrick, handsome, in an elegant, refined manner that made him seem older than his years. Next to him, a man of his same height, bulkier through the chest and shoulders, stood with his legs braced apart and a frown on his ruddy face.

It was the third man, the one who worked a magnificent black horse in the ring, who brought her feet to an utter standstill.

“My heavens,” said Aunt Dee, her gaze following Lindsey's. “Isn't that your friend, Thor?”

Knowing the man as she was beginning to, she shouldn't have been surprised to see him. “Clearly, it is,” she admitted since Thor wasn't a man her aunt would likely forget.

“What do you suppose he is doing here?”

There was no choice but to tell the truth and perhaps she should have done so before. Lindsey glanced round to be certain no one could hear. “He is here because of a note I received last week. It was similar to an earlier note, accusing one of Rudy's friends of being the Covent Garden Murderer. This note specifically named Stephen Camden.”

“Why, that is preposterous. Surely you gave the note no credence.”

“None whatsoever, which is the reason I didn't mention it to you or to Rudy. But Thor is extremely protective. He was sure I would not rest until I knew for certain Stephen was innocent of any wrongdoing. He was afraid my questions might put me in danger. I suppose that is why he is here.”

The women stood on the path, watching man and horse in the arena. “They are both quite magnificent,” Aunt Dee said. “I don't believe I have ever seen a finer specimen of man or beast.”

It was true. Lindsey stood transfixed, her gaze locked on the huge man and massive horse facing each other in the pen. It was as if neither saw aught but the other, just a man and a horse, locked in some inner battle of wills.

The stallion was spectacular, as black as a moonless night, powerfully sleek and majestic. The man was equally impressive, thick dark hair curling softly over his collar, eyes as blue as the sea. In a pair of breeches that clung to his long, muscular legs, his broad shoulders and powerful back stretching his full-sleeved white shirt to the limit, he was the most beautiful man Lindsey had ever seen.

“If that man is here for you,” Aunt Dee said, “you are in very serious trouble, my girl.”

Lindsey moistened her lips, which suddenly felt as dry as an autumn leaf. “We are merely friends. I told you that before.”

“Impossible,” said her aunt.

Lindsey didn't argue. Even now as she watched him, memories arose of the last time he had made love to her, the feel of him inside her, his big hard body moving above her. Her lips burned at the memory of his kiss and her body wept in anticipation of the next time they would be together.

She swallowed. “Even if…if you were right, there can't ever be more. You know that, Aunt Dee.”

Her aunt stared at her from beneath winged black eyebrows. “I hope you remember that when the time comes.”

Lindsey said no more. She prayed when the moment came, she would have the courage to leave him, but each time she was with him, the notion grew more painful. Pasting on a smile, she made her way down the path toward the place where Stephen and the ruddy-skinned man watched the goings-on in the ring.

“I hope your friend will be wise enough not to mention your acquaintance,” Aunt Dee said before they reached the two men.

“I'm sure he will be.” Whatever he was, Thor was no fool. He was there to help her find the truth about the viscount and he would do whatever it took to make that happen.

Stephen spotted the women approaching and returned the smile of greeting on Aunt Dee's face.

“My dear Lady Ashford, it is so good to see you.” He turned that same smile on Lindsey. “And you, Miss Graham, as well. You both look lovely, as always. I apologize for not being at the house when you arrived. I heard there was something of interest going on down here. I seem to have let the time escape me.”

“That's quite all right, Stephen,” said Aunt Dee. “We were enjoying the show.”

He turned, frowned at the man and horse in the ring. “That stallion is quite beautiful, but also completely unmanageable. My trainer, Mr. Burke, has advised me to have him put down before he hurts someone badly—or worse.”

There were horses that simply could not be broken. Perhaps something had happened when they were colts, someone had abused or mistreated them, or their minds were not right from birth.

“Draugr is a fool,” said the trainer to Stephen. “He just stands there talking—as if that killer actually understands what he is saying. It's only a matter of time until we're carrying the lackwit off to the surgeon's.”

Lindsey looked at Thor. Though he was speaking so softly she couldn't hear what he said, she could see his lips moving. A little tremor went through her as she remembered the night the men had attacked her outside the Blue Moon, the whispered words Thor had spoken that calmed her as nothing else could have.

She remembered the way he had soothed her with his tender words and gentle touches before he made love to her that first time. Perhaps he was a fool to believe a horse would respond to that same gentle treatment, but Lindsey didn't think so.

As she watched him working the stallion, reaching out slowly to run a hand along the animal's glistening black neck, she thought that Thor was the most amazing man she had ever known. She thought that she would never meet another man like him and suddenly her heart throbbed with longing.

Lindsey bit her lip, forcing the unwanted emotion away.

Stephen's voice caught her attention. “Well, ladies, I invited you for luncheon. I understand Cook has prepared quite a feast.” He offered his arm to her aunt. “Why don't we leave the stallion to the men and enjoy Cook's delicious fare?” Offering his other arm to Lindsey, he led the women back up the path to the house.

Only the prospect of discovering some clue about the murders kept Lindsey from peeking over her shoulder for a last glance at Thor.

 

Thor worked with the stallion until late in the evening. Before dawn, he was up and working with the animal again, making a good deal of headway, he believed.

Still, the business he had come for was Lindsey, and after seeing her yesterday with Merrick, he wanted to be sure she was safe.

Several of the horses needed exercising. He saddled a white-faced gelding and rode off toward the Renhurst lands to the west. He had just topped a knoll when he spotted a horse and rider in the early morning light, moving at breakneck speed across the landscape. Thor pulled the gelding to a halt, watching as the pair approached a tall hedge and cleared it with ease. There was something familiar about the rider, something that stirred a memory of the lad who had ridden with such skill and grace in the park.

Horse and rider cleared a high stone wall and landed smartly on the opposite side. Thor smiled at the young man's ability, at the bold way he approached the next obstacle in his path, a wide stream that required the horse to stretch out in front of it in order to clear a small hedge on the near side of the water.

Horse and rider cleared the stream, the animal's hooves spraying drops of water into the air. They were almost out of sight when the rider's hat blew off, exposing a long thick braid of tawny hair. For an instant, Thor couldn't believe what he was seeing. Not a lad, but a woman in men's riding breeches—a woman who belonged to him!

Clenching his jaw, he set his heels into the gelding's ribs, urging the horse to give chase. What before he had seen as skill he now saw as wild, reckless behavior and he was determined to stop it before Lindsey got hurt.

He had nearly caught up with her by the time she spotted him. When she did, instead of drawing rein, she grinned and bent over the sorrel's neck, urging the animal to a faster pace. She took a hedge, clipping it neatly, and Thor's fury increased. She was no man, even if she rode like one. Sooner or later she was going to get hurt!

She took a stream, clearing it completely, and landed neatly on the opposite side. Thor cleared the stream right behind her, his anger driving him on.

Lindsey slowed as he neared, but Thor did not stop. Instead, at the last minute his arm shot out, hauling her out of her saddle onto his, landing her neatly upside down across his lap. His palm came down hard, once, twice. Lindsey shrieked in outrage and began to struggle against his hold. If he hadn't been afraid she would fall, he would have landed a couple more blows.

Instead, he stilled the gelding and lowered her to her feet, then swung down from his saddle beside her.

“How dare you!” she spit at him like the angry little she-cat he had called her before. “I have been riding since I was three years old! I can manage a horse just as well as you, Thorolf Draugr! You've no right to treat me as if I am a misbehaving child!”

“You are a woman, not a man! You could get killed!”

“So could you! So could anyone!” She stomped away, her cheeks burning as hotly as he imagined was her bottom. “I did not deserve that! I am a very good rider.” She turned a venomous glare in his direction. “Perhaps you are jealous. Perhaps you don't like it that a woman can ride as well as you.”

“You are my woman, Lindsey. I will not see you hurt.”

“I am
not
your woman! We are lovers—that is all! I demand an apology! You were wrong in this. The only question is, are you man enough to admit it.”

Thor stared down at her. Strands of honey hair teased her cheeks and her lips were plump and pink. She was beautiful—and one of the finest riders he had ever seen. It was his duty to protect her, and yet, like the stallion, she deserved her freedom.

He blew out a breath, knowing she was right. “Your riding is equal to that of any man.” He shook his head, amending the words. “In truth, you are as good a rider as any I have ever seen. I was afraid for you. I let my fear turn to anger. I am sorry.”

She was still angry. The color remained high in her cheeks. Stiffly she nodded. “I accept your apology. I suppose I can forgive you—this once.”

He moved toward her, reached out and ran a finger along her cheek. “I know no woman like you. It is hard for a man like me to accept a woman who is his equal.”

Surprise flared in her eyes. And something else he could not read. She stepped toward him, went into his arms. “I've missed you.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Aye, as I have missed you.”

She held onto him for several long moments and when she stepped away, he didn't want to let her go.

“The black stallion is beautiful,” she said. “Merrick says Burke wants to put him down.”

“Burke is a fool.”

“Can you tame him?”

He ran a hand along Lindsey's jaw. “You, little fox, are the only creature I cannot seem to tame.” He tipped her head back and kissed her, tasting the sweetness of her lips, taking her deeply with his tongue. He was hard in an instant, aching to be inside her.

He felt her slender hand on his chest, unbuttoning the front of his shirt, parting the fabric and reaching inside, her palms smoothing over the muscles across his chest. His groin tightened and he deepened the kiss, inhaling the scent of her, unable to get enough. His sex throbbed, pressed painfully against the front of his breeches. He felt her hand there, tentatively touching, testing the hardness. Thor hissed in a breath.

Lindsey broke the kiss and looked up at him, turned toward an ancient cluster of stones, the remains of an old stone abbey.

“There…let's go over there so no one will see us.”