He cocked his head at her. “What are you trying to do, Elizabeth?”
“I’m trying to keep you from living in a world of self-pity. Brian is dead and even if you fall in bed drunk every night for the rest of your life, you won’t be able to bring him back. Now go get those lazy knights of yours and put them to work.”
There was just a hint of a smile in his eyes. “Perhaps I do need some exercise,” he said before leaving the room.
Six weeks later, Elizabeth was delivered of a very large, healthy baby boy whom she named Nicholas Roger. The child showed right away that he had inherited Gavin Montgomery’s high cheekbones. Roger took to the child as if he were his own.
When she was up from her childbed, she began to work on making a home for little Nicholas. The first thing she did was order a guard near the baby at all times because Alice seemed to think the child was Judith and Gavin’s and Elizabeth didn’t trust the crazy woman’s actions.
Nicholas was barely a month old when the first letter arrived from Judith Montgomery. It was a reserved letter inquiring after the child, saying Judith regretted not meeting Elizabeth but Bronwyn sang her praises. There was no mention of Miles.
Instantly, Elizabeth wrote back, raving about little Nick, saying he looked lik
e Gavin and did Judith have any advice for a new mother?
Judith responded with a trunkful of exquisite baby clothes that her son, now ten months old, had outgrown.
Elizabeth, with a bit of defiance, showed the clothes to Roger and told him she’d started a correspondence with Judith Montgomery. Roger, sweat-drenched from the training field, said nothing—but Alice had a great deal to say, all of which was ignored by everyone.
It wasn’t until Judith’s fifth letter that she mentioned Miles and then seemingly only in passing. She said Miles was living with Raine, both men were without their wives and both men were miserable. That news made Elizabeth’s whole week seem wonderful. She laughed at Nick and told him all about his father and his stepbrother Kit.
In September, Elizabeth sent Judith bulbs for her garden, and tucked away inside was a doublet, very adult-looking, that Elizabeth had made for Kit. Judith wrote back that Kit loved the doublet but both he and Miles were under the impression Judith had made it, which made Gavin laugh because Judith was always too busy to have the patience to sew.
Just after Christmas, Judith sent a long, serious letter. Raine and his wife had reunited and Miles had come to visit them before returning to his own estates. Judith was appalled at the change in Miles. He’d always been a loner but now he rarely spoke at all. And worst of all, his love of women seemed to have disappeared. The women were still drawn to him but he looked at them suspiciously and without the least concern. Judith had tried to talk to him but all he’d said was, “I’m a married man, remember? Husbands and wives should remain faithful to each other.” With that, he laughed and walked away. Judith pleaded with Elizabeth to forgive Miles and she also warned Elizabeth that all the Montgomery men were insanely jealous.
Elizabeth replied with a long, long letter of anger. Miles was the only man who’d ever touched her; she’d begged him to take her with him when they were married but he refused. She told how she’d gone with Roger only to save Miles’s life. She ranted for pages about what a fool she’d been to believe in her brother so blindly, but it was Miles who was keeping them apart, not her.
As soon as Elizabeth sent the letter off with the messenger, she wanted it back. In truth, she’d never met Judith Montgomery. If just a small portion of what Alice thought was wrong with the woman was right, Judith was a monster. She could hurt Elizabeth’s chances with Miles.
The month before an answer came nearly drove Elizabeth mad. Roger kept asking her what was wrong. Alice did more than that—she sneaked into Elizabeth’s room, found Judith’s letters and read them, giving a detailed account to Roger afterward. When Roger merely turned away, Alice threw herself into a fit of rage which lasted nearly a whole day.
Judith’s answer to Elizabeth was short: Miles would be camping twenty miles from the Chatworth estate on 16 February, just outside the village of Westermore. Sir Guy was willing to help Elizabeth in any way he could.
This letter Elizabeth slept with, carried about with her and finally hid behind a stone in the fireplace. She walked about on a cloud for a few days, then came down. Why should she think Miles would want her again? What could she do to make him want her?
“You are mine, Elizabeth,” he’d said. “You were given to me.”
A plan began to form in her mind. No, she couldn’t, she thought. A giggle escaped her. She just really wouldn’t have the nerve. What if she “gave” herself to Miles again?
As Elizabeth was in the solar conjuring delightful, naughty visions, Alice was in Elizabeth’s room, slipping about and searching. When she found Judith’s latest letter, she took it to Roger, but this time he didn’t turn away. For the next few days there were three people in the Chatworth house who were making plans—all in direct opposition to each other’s.
Chapter 15
“I MOST CERTAINLY WILL NOT!” SIR GUY SAID AS HE looked down at Elizabeth. His voice was low but it seemed louder than a shout.
“But Judith said you were willing to help me.”
Sir Guy drew himself up to every inch of his extraordinary height. The scar across his face was a brilliant purplish red. “Lady Judith”—he emphasized the word—“had no idea you’d ask something so preposterous of me. How can you think of such a thing?” he said in a shaming voice.
Elizabeth turned away from him, gave a swift kick to the carpet on the ground. It had seemed such a good idea at the time: She’d get Sir Guy to deliver her to Miles, nude, rolled in a carpet. Perhaps the repeat of the scene would make him laugh and he’d forgive her. But Sir Guy refused to cooperate.
“Then what am I going to do?” she asked heavily. “I know he won’t see me if I ask him straightforward.”
“Lady Alyx sent her daughter to Lord Raine and the child acted as an emissary.”
“Oh no! I’ll not let Miles get his hands on Nick. Miles would hire another nurse and add the boy to his collection. I’d never see Miles or Nick again.” She leaned against a tree and tried to think. If she did arrange a meeting with Miles she doubted if he’d listen to her. Her only real chance was to make his eyes darken with passion and then he wouldn’t be able to help himself. Perhaps she could talk to him, after they’d made love.
As she was thinking, she toyed with her long black cloak, a lovely thing of velvet lined with black mink. It covered her from neck to feet. A new light came into her eyes as she looked back up at Sir Guy. “Can you arrange to give me some time alone with Miles? Not in his tent but in the woods? And I mean really alone! No doubt he’ll call for his guard, but I want no one to come.”