Catherine Archer - Lady Thorn

He leaned forward, drawing her gaze back to his eyes, which were watching her with concern. “Are you all right Miss…?”

“Victoria Thorn, and of course I’m all right,” she answered hurriedly as she willed herself to stop the blush that was stealing up from her own throat. It did no good. She could only hope her bonnet would conceal it.

Surreptitiously she ran her gaze over the considerable length of him. As she did so, she realized that his long legs, encased in snug black breeches, were mere inches from her own. He shifted, and she could not help noticing the flexing of the hard muscles in his thighs.

Victoria forced her gaze away from the amazingly stirring sight. What was the matter with her? she asked herself in exasperation. Carrying out her duties as mistress of all her deceased father’s lands and finances had given her a maturity far beyond her twenty-three years. Why was she now acting like a schoolgirl?

Obviously concerned at her renewed silence, he asked again, “Are you sure you’re all right?”

She nodded slowly as she met that green gaze. Her breath caught in her throat as something powerful yet indefinable passed between them. She felt protected and cared for beneath that steady regard, as she had not since her parent’s deaths, three years gone by. Victoria felt a sudden and inexplicable wish for him to hold out his arms and take her into them, as her father would have done. But, she reminded herself as she dropped her gaze to her clasped hands, this man was not her father. Her own reactions to his maleness were reminder enough of that.

Silently she berated herself for her own mad thinking. She had known many handsome men. Victoria had in fact been courted by some of the most attractive bachelors in England on her coming out. Her own unmarried state was due more to a desire to put the matter off than to lack of. opportunity. But as she risked a quick glance at him from the corner of her eye, she realized that that did not change what was happening to her now. None of those men had been as devastating to her senses as this one.

In a manner quite unlike her usual direct one, she continued to look at her hands as she answered him. “I am fine, sir. I must thank you now for having come to my aid, though I should certainly have done so sooner.”

“There is no need to thank me. Anyone would have done the same.”

The modesty of his tone made her look at him. As she answered, her voice was filled with sincerity. “No, I do not believe that anyone would have. You must certainly be a man of good character and a brave heart, else you would not have done so.” He appeared decidedly uncomfortable with her gratitude, which drew her to say, “You must allow me to reward you in some way.”

He shrugged offhandedly. “I will accept your thanks as reward enough.”

She watched him with growing approval. What a rare man he seemed! Strong, chivalrous, modest, and apparently without greed. Again she tried, feeling compelled to do something for him in return. “Is there nothing I can do for you? You have no idea how much good you have done me. I fear I would have had the dubious distinction of being Mrs. Reginald Cox by morning if you had not happened along.”

He laughed ruefully, his teeth flashing white, his eyes sparkling in the lanternlight. “Maybe a reward is in order. The crown jewels just might equal a debt of that magnitude.”

Ah, a sense of humor as well, Victoria thought as she watched him. The husky sound of his laughter sent a tingle of awareness down her spine. “Truly,” she found herself asking, “is there no small thing I can do for you in return for your kindness? I do not even know your name.”

Jed sobered as he studied her. His expression was thoughtful, assessing. For into his mind had come the realization that this might just be his opportunity to try to learn something of Nina, or at least to get some idea of where to begin to find her. Yet he hesitated.

As he watched Victoria, saw her gray eyes earnest on his, he felt a strange reluctance to tell her anything about himself or his problems. Some part of him said to get on his horse and never look back. Another part, the one that was bent on locating Nina and his son, told him his resistance had solely to do with the fact that Victoria Thorn was just the type of woman he so wished to avoid.

The crest on the carriage door, the woman’s clothing, her regal bearing, all were evidence of a certain social standing. Yet in spite of all that, he had not been able to let her ride off into the night alone, especially knowing that those two men might be lurking about with that hope in mind. After the way Jed had watched his father mistreat his mother, he could not bear to see anyone abused by someone of greater strength.

His discomfort had nothing to do with the way her dark hair curled softly about her delicate cheeks, nor the expression of interest he saw in her undeniably lovely gray eyes—which he knew was only a trick of the light. Surely his wariness was not connected to the way his body tightened when he remembered the view he’d had of the lady’s sweetly rounded bottom.

And because his discomfort was not caused by any of those things, he would be a fool indeed to pass up this chance to gain some knowledge of Nina and his child. So thinking, Jed looked at her squarely, not allowing his gaze to stray to the distracting curves that were exposed by the tight-fitting bodice of her blue gown. “My name is Jedidiah McBride. I was on my way to London from the port of Westacre, where I left my ship.”

He couldn’t help seeing the way her interest quickened at the mention of his ship. Her words confirmed his thought. “You are a sea captain?”

“Yes, I… have some business in England.”

There was curiosity in her tone as she said, “You are an American, are you not?”

He nodded. Jed continued to face her, not liking to be anything but direct. Still, it was a moment before he could bring himself to say what he wanted to, as she was looking at him with those wide, questioning gray eyes of hers.

Jed forced himself to look away from the hypnotic attentiveness in her gaze. He had to know if she could tell him anything that might help him find Nina. That was all he wanted from her.

He spoke with cool remoteness. “There is a possibility that there is something you could do for me.” He could not quite keep the slight hopefulness from his voice as he went on. “Would you know of a family by the surname of Fairfield?”

She frowned as he glanced at her, and he saw that she seemed somewhat surprised by the question. Slowly she shook her head. “Fairfield? I do not know. Is there any more you can tell me?”

Jed frowned himself. “Squire Fairfield.”

Her expression grew even more pensive. “Squire Fairfield.” After a moment, she looked at him regretfully. “I am very sorry. Are these people some relation of yours?”

He was disappointed, but he tried not to let it show as he shook his dark blond head. “No, no relation of mine.” She was watching him very closely, and Jed had the feeling that she was seeing more than he would have liked.

She held up her hands in a gesture of helplessness, confirming his suspicions when she spoke. “I can see that this is important to you. Is there not some other clue you might give me? I feel quite useless in not even being able to help with this small matter.”

Their gazes met and held, as Jed found himself thinking that she was indeed very lovely with the gentle glow of the lanternlight on her face. The delicate curves of her cheeks and jaw beckoned a man’s lips, as did her sweetly shaped mouth. For one arresting moment, he could have sworn that he saw attraction in those fathomless gray depths. But he knew that could not be. Never would a woman of her world be interested in him, a simple man of the sea.