Tall, Dark and Wolfish (33 page)

Forty

Ben was quite happy to stand outside of his townhome in Mayfair and direct the servants instead of being swept inside with Elspeth and the household

staff after introductions were made. In truth, his presence wasn't needed. His staff was competent, and he would be much more of a hindrance than a help.

"If I didn't know you better, I would accuse you of avoiding your new bride and her discussion of love," Wil said from behind him. Ben groaned and

turned.

"Can't a man get five minutes to himself to think about things?" Ben bit out. "You're too bloody nosy for your own good."

Ben stepped into the entryway of their home and glanced left and right.

"Playing hide-and-go-seek, now, are we?"

"Go to hel ," Ben snarled as he walked toward the study. He cringed when he heard the clop of Wil 's shoes as he fol owed him. "Now you've taken to

stalking me?"

"I believe you've forgotten that I live here, too," Wil reminded him. He turned and poured two tumblers of whisky and then handed one to Ben. "You've a

perfectly lovely wife, Ben. Congratulations."

Ben harrumphed and downed his liquor in one swal ow.

Wil would not be set off his path, evidently. "She's easy on the eyes."

"She's bloody gorgeous," Ben grunted as he tried to occupy himself with rifling through his correspondence and ignoring his brother.

"She's smart." Wil fil ed Ben's glass again. He tossed it back. The bite of liquor soothed the bile that rose up in his throat like fear.

"Bril iant." Ben nodded absently.

"And head over heels in love. With you."

Ben glanced up quickly. There was no teasing glint in Wil 's eyes. There was no sarcastic twist to his mouth. Just a stare that searched him, reaching al

the way to his gut.

"And you, my brother, are a fool," Ben growled.

"I am a fool about a lot of things." Wil blinked once, obviously thinking about something. "A goddamn bloody fool." There was no doubt in Ben's mind

that he referred to Prisca. Wil placed his glass so hard on the table that it made a knocking noise. "But
that
woman is in love with you."

"And what am I supposed to do?" Ben said as he stood up to pace.

"Why did you marry her if you don't love her back?" Wil asked.

Ben shrugged. "It seemed like the right thing to do at the time." He knew he sounded like a complete idiot. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his fists

in frustration. "She didn't have anyone. Her grandfather had just died. And I wanted her."

"You stil want her."

Ben's head shot up. "Of course I do. I'm simply not sure I'm capable of… loving her." His eyes rose to meet Wil 's. He saw no censure in his gaze, thank

heavens. No judgment. "I real y fouled things up in Brighton."

"Yes, you did."

Wil 's eyes narrowed, but Ben continued. "I didn't mean to hurt her."

"No one thinks you did. You mustn't blame yourself for being too much of a Lycan. There's no such thing. You simply chose to go to a whore too close to

the ful moon." He shrugged, as though he'd just solved the riddle to how the universe was created.

"I hurt her," Ben said quietly.

"It wasn't something she didn't recover from. You scraped up her back with your fingernails and got too rough with her. I'm sure she's had worse happen

in her line of work. Simon settled a tidy sum on her, by the way, so she's quite happy with the way things turned out."

"I didn't mean her." Ben let his voice trail off and refused to look up at Wil .

"Then who the bloody hel did you hurt?" The dawning of recognition passed over his face. "You hurt
Elspeth
?" Wil gasped.

Ben nodded as he picked at a fingernail.

"What. Did. You. Do?" Wil bit out, syl able by syl able.

"I got too rough with her," Ben said as he buried his head in his hands. "If I al ow myself to love her, it wil mean nothing but trouble for her."

"Something tel s me she's not going to settle for that. You'l work it out. The two of you, together. Talk to her. She'l understand and wil probably welcome

you with open arms, no matter how
stupid
you are."

Ben picked up a heavy wolf paperweight and threw it at Wil 's head. It was a shame the man moved so quickly to avoid it.

"Charming as ever," Wil laughed. "May I offer a suggestion?"

As though he could stop him. Ben shrugged, having a go at another fingernail.

"Let nature take its course."

"We can have a good life." Ben nodded his head. "Can't we?" he asked as he looked toward Wil . "I can stil make her happy. Even though I can't love

her."

"Are you trying to convince me? Or yourself?" Wil asked. He squeezed Ben's shoulder once and walked from the room.

Elspeth wasn't spying. She real y wasn't. She just wanted to hear what they were talking about. She would wait one minute longer and then let them know

that she stood outside the door to the study.

But then they began to talk about her. Elspeth's heart soared. She had so much love in her heart that she felt like it would burst. He thought she was

bril iant. And beautiful.

Her heart suddenly plummeted to the floor. It felt like someone had pul ed it from her chest and dropped it at her feet, where it went splat.

He didn't love her. She pressed her hand against her lips to keep from crying aloud. The pain of hearing that was nearly unbearable. Tears formed in her

eyes and began to trail down her cheeks.

She heard every word he said and heard Wil 's responses. Ben planned to settle for her, even though he didn't love her. She couldn't let him waste his

life when he could be out looking for his true love.

Elspeth's life had never been easy. She didn't know why she'd ever expected to meet a nice man, fal in love, and marry. She was too much like her

mother.

She knew what she had to do. She had to give him his freedom. He'd brought her to London, and she owed him a great deal for his trouble. It would

break her heart, but she wouldn't keep him trapped.

Elspeth turned to walk away from the door and heard the hiss of a whisper. "Tsk, tsk. Listening at doorways is so unladylike," Wil said.

She brushed her hands across her cheeks and squared her stance. "I wasna eavesdroppin'."

"Sure you were," Wil said, pul ing her into the front sitting room. "And you probably heard more than you wanted." He handed her a handkerchief and

motioned toward a chair. "Sit, please."

She paced across the room.

"Or not," he mumbled. "Look, Ben doesn't know what he's saying. Give him a little time."

She'd never known Ben to say something untruthful. He knew exactly what he had told his brother. He didn't love her. And he never would—not if he didn't

now, after al they'd been through together. And she couldn't stand around and watch him, knowing what wasn't in his heart.

"Elspeth," Wil began softly.

She turned to face him quickly. "Do ye ken Major Forster?"

Wil 's eyes narrowed. "Yes, he's an old friend of our father's, and I help him out with the Society."

Perfect. She wouldn't have to see Ben, then. "Can
ye
take me ta him?"

"I think this is something Ben should be discussing with you." Wil turned to walk away.

"Please, Wil ," she begged, fol owing after him.

"I can't," he said, holding up his hands. "It's not my place."

"If ye doona take me, I'l simply go by myself," she threatened, though she didn't know how to go about doing so.

"I hate it when women do that."

"Do what?"

"Manipulate us," Wil bit out.

"Doona consider it ta be manipulation," she argued. "Just a bit of assistance gettin' ye ta where ye should be." She smiled at him.

He had the nerve to rol his eyes at her. "I can go in two hours. Can you be ready by then?"

"Of course." She would need to leave a few things for Ben and write a note. She'd leave the aloe and the blueberry tea. And she would instruct his cook

to make blueberry pies, tarts, and cobblers. There were a lot of things she had to do. She'd also leave the final potion. The one he'd need if he didn't

change with the next moon. According to her mother's notes, she'd used the same and it had worked.

She had to leave Ben wel prepared for the moonful. Because when she left, she wouldn't be coming back.

Forty-one

Wil pounded on Ben's door. If his idiot brother didn't come to his senses soon, he'd lose his wife. And that was a loss Wil doubted Ben would ever

recover from. Personal experience had taught him that.

He'd watched Ben and Elspeth the fortnight they traveled together, and it would be obvious to the simplest of simpletons that the two of them loved each

other deeply. But apparently Benjamin was completely inept.

When there was no answer to his banging, Wil pushed the door open and found Ben lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "You obviously can't take a

hint. Go away."

"Stop being obstinate, Benjamin. I need to talk to you about Elspeth."

Ben winced. "I'm not taking advice from you, so you can save your breath."

Wil heaved a sigh. Why did he even bother? Ben was as stubborn as al the Westfields before him. He'd always had to learn things the hard way and

never did listen to reason. "When you've lost her, don't come running to me."

Ben scoffed. "Nothing can change the fact that she's my wife, Wil iam. Melodrama doesn't suit you."

The hard way it was, then. Wil rubbed his brow. This would be painful for al involved. Poor Elspeth. How could she even care for the bloody dolt? "Don't

say I didn't warn you."

Canis House was in the middle of nowhere. Elspeth and Wil had taken horses from the Westfield stables and ridden quite a way from Town into a heavily

forested area. Only a smal path led to a large Tudor mansion that stood proudly in the distance. A great stone wolf guarded the entrance. It was a bit awe-

inspiring.

"That's it?" Elspeth asked, knowing the answer in her heart.

Wil nodded. "You're not supposed to go in. It's a gentleman's club. Wait just inside the entrance, and I'l go find the major."

"Are ye sure he's here?"

"He's always here." Wil urged his horse toward the stables around the back, and Elspeth fol owed.

Her pulse raced as her anticipation intensified. She'd never been so close to finding her sire. It had never been a possibility until now. And it gave her

something to focus on instead of her broken heart. Why were the Campbel women so unlovable? What was it about them that prevented the men they

loved from returning the feeling? Perhaps her father could answer that when she found him. Perhaps then she could understand why Ben was unable to

love her.

After dismounting his stal ion, Wil helped her off her fil y. "You should real y wait and do this with Ben," he said.

Elspeth forced away her tears. She wouldn't be doing anything else with Ben, and she needed answers to a lifetime of questions. "Please, Wil . We've