Miss Lavigne's Little White Lie Read online

  Daniel appeared at Lisette’s side.

  Serafine looked down, smoothing her soiled gloves over her dress. “I met with an accident.”

  “An accident?” With a threatening glare aimed at Monsieur Tucker, Daniel stepped forward. “Did you do this to her?”

  Serafine inserted herself between the men with arms spread. “He saved me from being run down by a carriage. The gentleman deserves gratitude, not threats, Captain.”

  Lisette gripped Daniel’s arm. “Run down by a carriage? But why did you leave the house?”

  Daniel’s muscles tensed beneath her touch. “The blackheart had her meet him. Isn’t it obvious?”

  “You’re wrong, Captain. I took a hack to my brother’s last address. I wished to retrieve his belongings. I crossed paths with Monsieur Tucker on Curzon Street when I fell into the road. He pulled me to safety.” Serafine lifted herself up with dignity and peered down her nose at both Lisette and Daniel. “Now, if you will excuse us, I have granted Monsieur Tucker a private audience in the drawing room. I shall summon you when we are ready to announce our good tidings.”

  She whipped around with a swish of skirts, accepted Monsieur Tucker’s escort, and headed for the drawing room.

  Lisette and Daniel stared at one another.

  “Did Serafine just indicate she has brought Mr. Tucker up to scratch?” he asked.

  Happiness bubbled up inside Lisette and she giggled. “Oh, Daniel, she does still care for him.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. “First you protected us from Reynaud. You are assisting Monsieur Baptiste. And now this.”

  He cradled her bottom and urged her closer, a pleased grin activating his dimple. “I had nothing to do with your cousin’s circumstances.”

  Her finger dipped into the indent in his cheek. “You didn’t maim or kill Monsieur Tucker when you found him on the terrace with Serafine.”

  Daniel turned his head to place a kiss on the tip of her finger. “You are easy to please, my love. Duly noted for the future: no maiming or killing of prospective spouses for our daughters. Unless they deserve it.”

  Her brows rose. “You wish to have daughters? I thought you would want a son.”

  “I’ll be pleased with any issue you bear. Rafe has demonstrated how much joy can be found in fatherhood.”

  A warm tingle started in her chest. “You really are a father to Rafe, aren’t you? You have no idea… You—” Her voice caught. Many generous thoughts rushed to mind, but she couldn’t speak.

  Daniel had become her everything.

  “I know what you’re trying to say, Lis.” His fingers traced her jaw as he tilted her head upward. “I love him, too.” When his lips touched hers, she tried to shove aside her disappointment. She had no cause to be jealous of Daniel’s feelings for her brother. Hadn’t she wished for a husband who could love and accept Rafe?

  “Ahem.”

  Daniel sighed on a near growl and glanced toward the butler, not releasing Lisette. “Can you not see I’m otherwise engaged?”

  “My apologies, sir, but you requested I inform you when Mr. Baptiste arrived.”

  Her husband’s frown didn’t fade. “Show him to my study. I’ll join him in a moment.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  As soon as the butler disappeared, Daniel swept Lisette into another passionate kiss.

  “Daniel.” She laughed and halfheartedly pushed at his chest. “We have guests, not to mention a house teeming with servants. We can’t make love in the corridor.”

  “It’s my blasted house.”

  She kissed him once more. “And I shall await you in my chambers where we shall have privacy. Do not dawdle.”

  Thirty

  Daniel tossed Baptiste’s letter of recommendation on his desk, his mind preoccupied with his accommodating wife waiting for him upstairs. “This should assist you with securing employment.”

  Baptiste picked up the foolscap, unfolded it, and scanned the contents. Refolding the letter, he looked up at Daniel with glimmering eyes. “I cannot thank you enough, Captain Hillary. You and Mrs. Hillary have been most generous. I don’t deserve such kindness.”

  “No need for thanks.” Daniel was already moving toward the exit.

  “Might I request an audience with Mrs. Hillary? Perhaps she and Master Rafe would like to go for an ice later this afternoon while you visit the docks. I could properly thank the lady for her kindness and wish her continued good health.”

  The man grated on Daniel’s every nerve. His nasal voice offended his ears to be certain, but his simpering nature made Daniel want to toss his breakfast. Nonetheless, his wife was fond of the gentleman, which was the only reason he extended any kindness to Baptiste.

  “Mrs. Hillary is not available this afternoon.” Daniel wished to spend his last day in London with her doing all kinds of wicked things she would not soon forget.

  The Cecily would depart on the morrow. The Certificate of Clearance had been obtained a week ago, and his crew was prepared for their departure, but he had yet to inform Lisette. He didn’t look forward to revealing his plans, not after their last discussion on the topic, although it had ended pleasantly with her underneath him. Surely, he would not be as fortunate this time since she had sought to change his mind.

  He halted at the threshold. “Mr. Baptiste, may I request a favor?”

  “Please, ask anything of me. I’m your humble servant.”

  “You can’t mention anything to my wife until I’ve had a chance to speak with her, but I set sail for New Orleans on the morrow, without her and Rafe.”

  Baptiste sat up straighter. “And you haven’t spoken with madame about your departure? I fear she’ll not be pleased.”

  “I’m aware of the fact.” Did the man think him daft? “It’s for her protection. There are too many dangers associated with sea travel. I intend to deal with Reynaud and settle the matter of Rafe’s guardianship then I shall give up sailing forever.”

  “Indeed.” Baptiste tugged on his ear, appearing to mull over this information. “Perhaps you are wise to handle Reynaud before he manipulates the situation to suit himself. How is it I may be of service?”

  “I have made arrangements for my family to stay in the country while I’m gone, but Lisette will require a distraction until my brother collects her at the end of the week. This is all I ask of you. Keep my wife entertained until the end of the week.” Daniel’s fingers curled into fists at his sides. “And keep the scoundrels at bay.”

  “She’ll not be pleased in the least, but I will endeavor to help her accept your edict.”

  “You have my gratitude. Ned will show you out.”

  Daniel crossed the foyer and dashed up the stairs two at a time. He couldn’t avoid the conversation any longer. Better to have everything out in the open with Lisette so they could enjoy their last moments together.

  When he reached his wife’s bedchamber, he opened the door without knocking. Lisette lounged on the bed on her side with her hand cradling her head. Her gleaming black hair fell behind her bare shoulders.

  Daniel halted; his blood pounded in his veins. “How did you manage to lose your clothing?”

  She offered a smug smile. “I called for assistance, of course. This is the reason you employ a lady’s maid, is it not?”

  He sauntered to the bed. “Good to know the girl is worth her wages.”

  “Come.” Lisette rolled to her back and extended her arms. “I have grown tired of waiting for you.”

  His body ached for her. Unable to resist, he reached out to touch her. She stretched on the bed with a beguiling sigh as he glided his hands over her thighs. Her luxurious bronzed skin was akin to a light sea breeze, and her curves beckoned to him like the ocean waves. A pang wrenched his stomach. Would she grow tired of waiting for him to return home? He would be gone for almost three months if everything went as planned, longer if he encountered complications.

  The need to hold on to her surged through him, and he climbed on the
bed, rolling her into his embrace. She fit against him with perfect precision. Never had anyone felt as if she’d always belonged with him, not like Lisette. He buried his face into her fragrant hair. The scent of jasmine filled his nose.

  As he kissed her neck, his hands followed the rounded contours of her perfect arse. “I’ll miss you, darling,” he whispered.

  “Pardon?” Lisette pulled back into his view, her brows arched together and her green eyes clouded with wariness. “Did you just say you will miss me?”

  Had he spoken his thoughts? Daniel released her from his hold; he licked his lips. “There’s something I must tell you.”

  A tiny gasp reached his ears. “You’re planning to leave on the Cecily.”

  “Lis, this is the only time, I swear it.”

  She shoved away from him and sat up cross-legged on the bed. “You will not leave me here. When are you traveling? I’ll begin preparations to accompany you.”

  “Tomorrow.” He captured her arm as she tried to climb from the bed. “There are matters in New Orleans I must see to in person.”

  “Very well. You haven’t given me much time, but I can pack quickly.”

  He pulled her close, demanding her attention. “You’re staying. A ship is no place for a lady.”

  She yanked free. “I had no troubles on the voyage to England. I’ll have no troubles returning to New Orleans.”

  Daniel pushed up to his elbows as she scrambled off the bed and hurried to her wardrobe. “I can’t believe you did not give me fair warning.” She flung the doors wide, jerked a gown from inside, and draped it over her arm, followed by two more. “What demands your attention in New Orleans?”

  “I intend to petition the court for guardianship of Rafe.”

  Lisette stopped snatching garments and gaped at him. “Without first discussing the matter with me?”

  He moved to sit on the side of the bed. “What is there to discuss? He requires a protector, seeing as how your irresponsible cousin has either run off or gotten himself killed.”

  She marched to the bed, tossed the gowns on the counterpane, and faced him with arms akimbo. “If I didn’t know your worth, I might think you are as crooked as Reynaud.”

  Daniel caught her around the waist. “I’m nothing like that blackguard, and you know it. I would never hurt you or Rafe. You are my life.”

  The sharp sound of her gasp hung between them in the quiet room.

  “My wife,” he corrected, then regretted he had spoken again when she winced.

  “Your wife.” Lisette’s spark dimmed and she looked away. “Oui. I am your wife only.”

  “Not only.” He released her and rubbed his forehead. What a complete arse he was. “That wasn’t my meaning. You must know I care for you, Lisette. Why else would I go to such pains to keep you safe? Leaving you behind brings me no pleasure.”

  “I see.” She returned to the wardrobe, all fire gone from her step, and retrieved a wrapper. She didn’t turn back toward him as she slipped her arms into the sleeves. “If you harbored the same feelings I have for you, you couldn’t stand parting from me.”

  This was going badly. They were supposed to talk things out. She was supposed to understand he wanted the best for her. Seeking guardianship of Rafe was meant to ease her worries, but maybe the thought of his absence increased her anxiety. “I won’t be gone forever, Lis.” He tried to inject lightness into his tone. “But long enough to suffer greatly if you don’t allow me the pleasure of your touch. Now, come back to bed.”

  She made a disgusted sound and peered at him over her shoulder. “You are a pig, Daniel Hillary.”

  “A pig?”

  “Oui.” She ran into the dressing room and turned the lock. Her sobs penetrated the crack between the solid wood doors.

  “Devil take it.” He walked to the dressing room entrance and knocked. “Lisette, open the door.” Her sobs continued and that horrible guilt he had felt for so many years following Cecily’s death crashed onto his shoulders.

  “Damnation, open this door at once.”

  He listened for evidence that she intended to obey, but he heard nothing aside from her crying.

  He banged his fist against the surface. “Lisette, open this door. I won’t allow you to make me feel guilty. I’m doing this for you, for Rafe. I expect some understanding and gratitude.”

  She didn’t respond. A memory of Cecily’s tear-soaked face and her pouting stoked his temper. She had toyed with him, manipulated him like a marionette with her emotions. “To hell with you,” he mumbled to her blurry image in his mind.

  Turning on his heel, he stalked from his wife’s chambers. Perhaps Lisette would see reason by evening. Until she came to her senses, he would oversee preparations on the Cecily. He wouldn’t sit around listening to her cry and feeling like a failure.

  ***

  Reynaud hovered in the darkened street, keeping watch on number 17 Curzon, as stealthily as the king of beasts hunting in the night. The almighty lion possessed brawn, agility, speed, and a nice head of hair. Reynaud swept a hand over his own slicked-back locks and smiled.

  Very nice, indeed.

  The lion’s prey stood little chance of survival once he set his sights on them. His domination was unavoidable.

  The flickering lights from the upstairs windows extinguished. Tonight Lisette and Serafine burrowed under their covers, believing themselves to be safe. On the morrow, they would lose their protector. Captain Hillary hadn’t planned to take the women with him as Reynaud had feared when he’d learned the Cecily was preparing to set sail.

  The ladies would be at the lion’s mercy.

  A bolt of exhilaration flew through his limbs and left him trembling with agitated anticipation. Another known fact about the lion: he boasted superior sexual prowess, sometimes copulating as many as one hundred times in twenty-four hours. The dominant male got his fill of the females in his pride.

  But first, he must seize his letters. After all, the threat of swinging from the gallows tended to interfere with one’s lustful urges.

  Thirty-one

  After a fitful night, half of which Lisette spent staring up into the darkness and listening for sounds from Daniel’s room, she couldn’t stay abed any longer. She flung the covers aside and rang for her lady’s maid. The bright morning sun slashed through the opening between her silk curtains and illuminated a swath of the Turkish carpet under her bare feet.

  She couldn’t submit to Daniel’s wishes without one more attempt to change his mind. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he loved her. She refused to believe otherwise. His soft expressions and gentle touch spoke of his regard. And once she convinced him of the truth, he wouldn’t leave her.

  Her maid bustled into her chambers. “Good morning, madame.”

  “I need to change.”

  “I have the perfect outfit.” Henrietta, young, energetic, and always eager to please, hurried to the wardrobe and selected a gown. The girl made the same pronouncement each day, and she never disappointed. But this morning, Lisette didn’t care what she wore as long as the task was completed with efficiency.

  “I need you to hurry.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Lisette strained to hear if Daniel was readying himself to depart for the docks, but his adjoining chambers remained silent. The tension in her shoulders dropped away. Perhaps she shouldn’t have worried about dressing first since he remained in bed, but if he retreated to the breakfast room, she wanted the option of following him.

  Henrietta rushed through Lisette’s toilette then bit her lip as she studied Lisette’s image in the looking glass. “Are you satisfied, ma’am?”

  Lisette offered a reassuring smile. “Indeed. Merci.”

  She hopped up from the cushioned bench and approached Daniel’s door. Tossing formality aside, she let herself inside his rooms and froze at the threshold.

  Sunlight flooded the room, and his counterpane lay smooth, not a single wrinkle or indentation to suggest he had slept in h
is bed. Her gaze darted around the empty room for any hints he’d come home last night. There was nothing. Everything remained in its place.

  A light mist of perspiration dampened her skin as panic welled up inside her. Papa hadn’t come home from the mill all those months ago either. At dawn, two of his workmen had discovered Papa lying behind the Lavigne warehouses. A shiver shook her from head to toe and nausea swirled in her belly.

  Daniel isn’t Papa.

  Her husband was strong and wise to the dangers of the world. He would not fall victim to a cutthroat waiting to pounce from the darkness. Her hand covered her chest, and she felt the hammering of her heart beneath her palm.

  Taking a deep breath, she tried to push her fatalistic imaginings aside. She had no cause for worry. Daniel had likely left early for the docks, even though she hadn’t heard him.

  She moved to the bellpull and yanked. Daniel’s valet presented himself for duty moments later but came up short when he spotted her.

  “Good morning, ma’am.” The servant looked around the space. “Is Captain Hillary in need of my services?”

  “It appears he may have returned to the docks already. Did he not request your assistance?”

  The valet blinked several times. “No, ma’am. It has been customary for Captain Hillary to sleep onboard ship the night before a voyage, but I expected he would spend his last night at home.”

  Goddard glanced down at his shiny, black boots, red coloring his cheeks. Obviously, the valet had expected Daniel to share her bed as he had every night since their occupation of the town house.

  “I see.” Although this knowledge of his habits eased her worries for his safety, she was not comforted. Daniel had already dismissed her, not even bothering to say farewell. “Thank you. I have no further inquiries.”

  The servant left as unobtrusively as he had entered.

  Perhaps she should travel to the docks to speak with her husband before the Cecily set sail. Or perhaps she could be an obedient wife and accept his edicts. Daniel had saved her life by marrying her. He provided shelter, food, and safety for her and her family. He desired her. Perhaps that should be enough.