“How was I to know that?” he demanded. “I feared the worst, you know! I thought you might have been kidnapped.”
“But there was no ransom,” she answered.
“Who helped you? Who was behind this!”
“Me. I did it all myself,” she confessed.
Her words were a shock to her father. “But why? Why would you endanger yourself in such a manner?”
“Because I had to go to Amleth Hall,” she told softly. “I had to.”
Harrell made an exasperated sound. “For what purpose? And why could you not have asked me instead going off on some wild escapade?”
Her gaze grew sad. “I did ask you, and you ignored me. You were busy.”
“Lyssa, when have I refused you anything?” he countered.
Her gaze strayed to her stepmother. Ian braced himself, but instead, Lyssa said, “It was something you didn’t want to do. I’ve met the Davidsons. I understand why you would wish to never see them again. And, I think, too, there would be sad memories.”
Her father sat in the chair Parker had arranged, bringing her down to sit in the one beside his. “You could have talked to me. I would have made arrangements and given you protection.”
“I know that now…but at the time—” She released her breath and admitted, “At the time, I was not thinking clearly.”
“Absolutely right. I’ve had Runners out looking for you.”
“I was camping with Gypsies,” she confessed.
“Gypsies!” The word exploded out of her father. The others in the room were as shocked as he.
Lyssa plunged on, saying all, “But they weren’t really Gypsies or else I might have been in terrible trouble. Mr. Campion made me understand my foolishness.”
“If they weren’t Gypsies, who were they—?” Harrell turned horrified eyes to his wife. “She ran off with strange people?”
Mrs. Harrell leaned across her husband to place her hand on Lyssa’s arm. “You were all right, weren’t you?”
Lyssa’s gaze dropped to her stepmother’s gloved hand. Then, for the first time since her father had entered the room, she looked to Ian. In her eyes was a plea for guidance.
He stepped forward. “She was safe and unharmed in any fashion when I found her.”
“Then there is nothing to worry about, Dunmore,” Mrs. Harrell said. “We have Lyssa home safe and that is all that matters, isn’t it, my lord?” She addressed this last to Grossett.”
“Yes, it is,” the bull-nosed viscount agreed. He still stood by the door. His gaze met Ian’s, and narrowed. He moved forward territorially, but his mother reached to hold him back. He ignored her. Putting his hands on the back of Lyssa’s chair, he said, “We’ve very glad to have you back, my dear.”
Ian heard the unspoken challenge. Grossett didn’t really believenothinghad happened to the woman he planned to marry and his narrowed eyes told Ian so.
Harrell didn’t miss a thing. His sharp gaze went from one man to the other before settling shrewdly on his daughter. He stood. “Well, Campion,” he said, “you were true to your word and I am grateful to you for fetching my Lyssa back. I never would have thought she’d head toward Scotland. Fancy that, because it does make sense. Perhaps I should have talked to my daughter more about her past. Then she wouldn’t have romanticized it. Here, Parker, pay the man so he can be on his way.”
Considering Ian dismissed, he turned back to his daughter. “You’ve had quite an adventure, Lyssa, although you don’t look too much the worse for wear.” He ran a critical eye over her person and added, “Well, you could be cleaned up some. And this costume you have on? Where the devil was your maid?”
“Missing,” Ian answered for her. Parker had taken a purse of coins from his jacket and held it out to Ian, but he didn’t take it. Instead, he said, “I found your daughter a day over the Scottish border about ten days ago—”
“Ten days ago?” Harrell asked. “Why did it take you so long to return her?” There was a father’s steel in his voice.
“Because I discovered I’d been trailed by a party of men who attempted to kill your daughter by shooting at her twice, setting the wagon she was in on fire, and chasing us through the woods. Later, one of those same men nearly did us in at Amleth Hall.”
Ian watched Mrs. Harrell’s face as he spoke. She registered shock and then concern. He could have sworn all of this was news to her.
“The man leading the villains was named Fielder,” Lyssa said, finding her voice. She stood. “He knew a great deal about us, Papa. Mr. Campion protected me and we decided it was best we continue on to Amleth Hall with the hopes the Davidsons would help us.”
