Page 24 of An Affair at Stonecliffe

“Yes. Lisette boarded the coach, as well, and at the first stop she and Gil got off and returned to London.” Noelle straightened suddenly, panic sweeping through her. “Gil—” Her stomach twisted. “He has no one to protect him but Lisette.” She stood up. “We must go. We have to get back to London right now.”

“There’s no need to panic.” Thorne rose, reaching out to take her arms. “Gilbert does have protection. I left Diggs himself watching the millinery store on the off chance that you might come back there. He doesn’t know that Gil is inside, but he or one of his men will be there twenty-four hours a day until I tell him otherwise. They would stop anyone leaving the shop with your son. We shall go to the shop and get him as soon as we reach London. Then I plan to take you, the boy, and the countess to the country. It will be far easier for me to keep an eye on you at Stonecliffe.”

Normally Noelle would have protested the way he was making plans for her and Gil without asking, but right now she was happy to let him take charge. For the first time ever, she didn’t have to plan, didn’t have to be strong. She could let go and place it all in someone else’s hands.

Thorne went on. “I will set Diggs onto investigating these attacks. I’m sorry, but I think we need to talk about them again. Were the earlier assaults done by the same man as yesterday?”

She shook her head. “No. It was a different man each time. I had the impression that they were hired ruffians, not the actual person who wanted Gil.”

“You didn’t recognize any of them?”

“I’d never seen any of them before.” Noelle described the attackers as best she could. “I’m sorry. Each time it happened so suddenly, and all I was thinking of was saving Gil.”

“I’ll have Diggs look for the man from yesterday, but I think our best hope is to approach it from the other end. Who hired these men? And why? You assumed I was behind the attacks, so you believed the target was your son. But it seems more likely that they were after you, not Gilbert.”

“Me?” Noelle gaped at him. The man’s dislike of her was leading him down the wrong path. “There’s no reason for anyone to attack me. No one hates me that much...except you, of course.”

He ignored her words. “Gilbert is only a child. An adult is far likelier to have enemies.”

“That man yesterday was clearly after Gil. He merely pushed me aside.”

“What would be a better way to hurt you than to take your son? What better lure to bring you back.”

“Back to whom? What are you talking about?”

“A jealous man.”

“There are no jealous men in my life. This is nonsense.”

“A woman who looks like you? You expect me to believe there are no former lovers? A protector who didn’t want you to leave? A man upset because you favored someone else?”

Noelle jumped to her feet. “A protector! You’re saying that I have been some man’s mistress? Bought and paid for?”

He rose, too, saying impatiently, “There is no need to pretend with me; I don’t care what you have done or who you’ve been with. I know—”

“You don’t know anything about me or what I’ve done.”

“Blast it, I am trying to find out who has been doing these things, and if you lie to me, you tie my hands. You’re a desirable woman. After Adam died, you had to live. Much as I hate the thought of Adam’s son being brought up in such an environment, I understand.”

“You understand?” Noelle asked bitingly. “But naturally you do, being such a superior being. You understand that a pretty woman is automatically licentious. You understand that if men desire a woman, then she must be a hussy. Unless, of course, that woman is an aristocrat. A common girl, however, is an entirely different matter.”

A flush rose up Thorne’s neck. “It has nothing to do with your class. I don’t care if you were a chimney sweep’s daughter. I assumed it because you lured a naive boy into marrying you.”

“Naive.” Noelle scoffed. “You think Adam was some innocent lamb without knowledge of the world or women? You think at twenty, he was untouched?”

Thorne grimaced. “I know Adam sowed his wild oats.”

“Which is fine, since he is a man,” Noelle interjected.

Thorne ignored her. “But he had no experience of the world, no understanding of the ways an adventuress could lure him in. He was gullible.”

“Adam was far less gullible than you, if that is what you believe. I am not some siren who worked her wicked wiles on young men. I didn’t meet Adam at a tavern or bordello or whatever lurid thing you’ve conjured up. He courted me in my father’s house because he respected me. You see, Adam judged people by how they acted, not by who their ancestors were. Adam loved me, and I loved him. He was the one who persuaded me to marry.”

“I did not—” Thorne began.

“Let me finish.” Noelle’s eyes flashed. “It is none of your business, and you will, I’m sure, believe what you want. But the truth—if you have any care for a minor thing like that—is that I have never been with anyone other than Adam nor have I ever sought the protection of any man. As for how I lived after Adam died—I worked. I worked as hard as I could, wherever I could. I sold the jewelry Adam gave me. I sold my wedding ring.” Tears clogged her voice for a moment, but she plowed ahead. “I am well aware that men like you think everyone else is dirt beneath their feet, but the fact that I’m not highborn doesn’t make me without morals. It’s clear you have no respect for me, but you might have a bit of respect for Adam.” She turned and walked toward the door.

“Noelle—I mean, my lady...” Thorne started after her.