A Terrible Misunderstanding (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 6)

Niall lifted his brows at the young woman. Something within him instantly objected to the possibility that someone as pretty as this young woman could be marrying a letch like Erasmus.

He looked questioningly at the young woman, his eyes silently pleading with her to deny it. “Is that true?”

Clara shook her head. “He is a liar. I have no interest in him and have made my lack of interest perfectly clear. We are not engaged, courting, or anything. I don’t like the man and have made no attempt to hide it.”

Clara struggled to take her eyes off the handsome stranger. It was getting dark but was still light enough for her to see that against Erasmus’s much smaller frame the stranger was a veritable God. He was tall, broad shouldered, with dark curly hair and a dangerous glint in his eyes. She suspected they were dark brown, but it was too dark to be certain. What she could see was the ease in which he rendered Erasmus unable to move or talk unless the pressure was released off his head. Erasmus was going nowhere and knew it, and this stranger was responsible.

“Who are you?” she whispered.

It wasn’t until he threw her a sharp look that she realised she had just whispered that aloud. She blinked when he didn’t answer her and wondered if she should press for details.

There is no reason why I should know everything there is to know about him.

But Clara wanted to. Even in the darkness, he had a sinister air about him that she knew she should be worried about. After what she had just witnessed him do, though, she felt safe with the stranger. Safer than she had ever felt around Erasmus. In fact, she felt so safe in the presence of the handsome stranger that she temporarily forgot about Erasmus who was still pressed humiliatingly against the wall.

“What of it? Eh? The young lady says you are a liar as well. So, am I to take it that you are the kidnapper who accosts you woman off the street?” Niall pressed.

“No. No. It wasn’t me. That wasn’t me. I don’t have anything to do with that,” Erasmus protested, his voice becoming more rushed as his panic grew. “It wasn’t me. It isn’t me. I don’t kidnap young women.”

“Why should I believe you when that is what I have just watched you try to do? We have now established that you, sir, are a liar,” Niall protested. He could feel Boyle quivering beneath his fist but didn’t release the man. “I think that unless you want to draw the suspicion of the authorities you stop harassing young ladies, and trying to kidnap them, Boyle. Do it again and I shall point the Lord Chief Justice’s men in your direction, understand?”

Niall had every intention of keeping a wary eye on the snake while he was in the village not least because he wasn’t at all sure that he wasn’t looking at the culprit, or one of them. It was a little odd that his cousin was a magistrate who was inclined to ignore his relative’s criminal behaviour.

Suddenly, a shiver of alarm snuck down Niall’s spine. He squinted at the wall briefly before he slowly turned a hard glare on the young woman.

“What’s your name?” he whispered.

“Pardon?” Clara blinked at him. She ignored the wild thrill of pleasure that swirled through her at his apparent interest.

“What’s your name?”

“Miss Clara Potter,” she whispered, wondering why he wanted to know.

Niall sighed. Outwardly, no sign of emotion was evident on his chiselled features. Inwardly, Niall cringed and mentally cursed. He looked at Boyle with renewed curiosity, and a wariness that made him start to wonder. Without looking at Miss Potter again, Niall leaned toward his quarry until his lips touched the man’s ear.

“Stay away from her, or I will have you behind bars.”

“Says who?” Boyle twisted his head around until he could glare at Niall out of one eye.

“Says me, and it is no idle threat.”

“You aren’t local. Why should I pay any attention to what you say?”

“Because he is my fiancé, not you, Boyle,” Clara snapped suddenly.

She slammed her mouth closed when she realised what she had just said. She blinked at stared at the stranger in astonishment as her cheeks flooded with colour. The stranger turned slowly to stare at her and tipped his head as if to silently ask her what she thought she was doing.

Stunned, Niall couldn’t think of a single thing to say by way of protest. Words failed him. He was galled that she should even attempt to say such a thing much less expect him to go along with it. She didn’t know him. He was, until now at least, a random stranger who had appeared out of nowhere.

Just what does she think she is doing?

Everything within Niall immediately began to protest at even starting to go along with her ruse. As far as he was concerned, whatever Miss Potter thought she could achieve by creating such a ruse would have to be done without involving him. Somehow, though, he just couldn’t force himself to utter the words that would put a stop to her lies.

Boyle huffed a sarcastic laugh. “Of course he is, and my cousin is going to be the next King of England.”

Disbelief was rife in his voice and echoed Niall’s sentiments. Rather than help her, Niall turned an askance look on the young woman in question and waited to see what she would do next. Before she could speak, Boyle snorted again.

“You are not engaged. I would have heard of it if you were,” Boyle continued before she could speak.