Hiding Rose (Saved By Desire 5)

“I realised that Chadwick had seen you, but other women in that ball were wearing dresses made of light material like yours. If I had altered your appearance slightly, which was entirely possible, and sat you with your relatives, you could have left that ball, gone home, and told the magistrate about what you witnessed in the morning. However, as soon as I saw you I knew that you weren’t likely to do that. Your curiosity got you into a difficult situation, Rose. If you had left that ball you would have been looking for Chadwick all the time.”

She tried to deny it but knew she would have done exactly that. Given what she witnessed, it was human nature for her to be wary about stepping outside again just in case the killer was still around. She would have been constantly checking if he was there, she didn’t doubt it.

“A man like Chadwick would not make mistakes. He would look for you. If you had been scared or worried and continually looking around you nervously when you left the ball he would have followed you home. I could have monitored your safe return home from a di

stance if I wanted to.”

“But you didn’t,” she finished for him.

Barnaby slowly shook his head. “Now, please understand me when I tell you that I am not in the habit of carrying home any stray female I come across, especially one who makes life difficult the way you do.”

“I think I was perfectly reasonable given what you expected me to do,” she protested.

Barnaby grinned. “I don’t think Chadwick knew what had hit him. He certainly has called in far more reinforcements than he usually would to try to get his hands on you.”

Rose stared at him unsure whether she should be offended or not. While it was immensely reassuring to know that he wasn’t angry with her she was at a loss to know what to do now.

“But you dragged me into the night without a care for my reputation,” she murmured.

Barnaby nodded. “I did. I think that I acknowledged then, deep down inside, that you were different to other women I have ever met. Most women would have stood on that balcony and screamed hysterically when they watched those two men being cut down like that, but you didn’t. You controlled yourself and dealt with the situation as logically as I would. Even when I appeared beside you, you were resilient and strong, and so damned beautiful that I spent more of my time focused on you than what was going on in the yard.” He shrugged and looked a little bashful. “It is why you had to come with me. Partly because I just can’t concentrate if I don’t know where you are and what you are doing at every given moment, but also because you were the only true witness to what went on in that yard. I can’t remember everything that happened because I was too busy watching you. Unfortunately, once I had you I realised that you were a very credible threat to my very existence. Everything that I have lived to do, everything that I have always been, was suddenly under threat. I became wary and tried to warn you against making me accept those changes but it was no use. It was too late. I was already in love with you, I just didn’t know it.”

“It is why you left the hut,” she whispered in complete understanding. “You didn’t want to acknowledge how you felt.”

“Feel,” he corrected her with a nod. “I began to suspect that I had fallen deeply in love with you even then. It stunned me because I had only just met you. I wanted to give you time to realise what you were letting yourself in for, but I also needed to give myself time to make sure that the way I was starting to feel wasn’t a figment of my imagination or something. It quickly became obvious that the feelings I have for you are real, and so I decided to make it clear that I am my work. I am not the easiest man to be around sometimes. My work can be harsh because we often deal with men like Chadwick. It is difficult to walk away and close it out when I do get the chance to go home.”

“Where is home?” she whispered.

“London.” Barnaby looked rueful. “It is why I want you to go there to see if you like it.”

Rose stared at him. Of all the explanations she had expected him to give she hadn’t anticipated this at all.

“You want to know where I am all of the time?” She frowned. She wasn’t sure she liked the idea of that.

“I need you with me, Rose. All of the time. Here. Now, but also forever, and it has nothing to do with Chadwick.” Barnaby sighed and nodded to his colleagues who motioned to him that the guests wanted to get back into the carriage and be on their way. “I have to confess that I want you to feel as intensely about us as I do. I don’t want you to consider me as just someone who will protect you. I will, obviously, but I want you to see me as a man.” His eyes met hers. “I want you to see me as the man you can spend the rest of your life with and maybe one day, hopefully, love back just as much as I adore you.”

Rose blinked but couldn’t see much beyond the tears which overflowed and slowly began to trickle down her cheeks. She couldn’t speak because words failed her. It was all she could do not to sob like a baby. He had just handed her the world – a new world – her world and she was stunned. All she could manage was laughing sob as she launched herself across the carriage at him.

“I love you too,” she whispered as she peppered his face with kisses. She knew she was being terribly wanton but was helpless against the tide of emotion that flooded her to her very core. “I love you too,” she repeated over and over.

Humbled, and hugely relieved that she wasn’t furious with him for everything he had put her through, Barnaby hugged her tightly and returned the kiss.

He was busy assuring her of his need for her when a less than discrete series of coughs filtered through the carriage walls.

Barnaby looked tenderly at the woman in his arms. “We need to leave. I think the coachman is eager to keep to his schedule,” he murmured, suddenly eager to be on his way was well.

Before she could speak, Rose was swept out of the carriage and settled high atop a huge bay mare. To her surprise, Barnaby settled behind her.

“Am I not to ride my own horse?” she asked.

Barnaby grinned and looked down at her dress. “While wearing a dress like that you will have to settle to sharing with me.”

“I think I can manage that,” she murmured as she nuzzled closer. “Where are we going now?” she asked aware that Edinburgh was behind them somewhere, and Barnaby appeared to be heading in the opposite direction.

“London,” he whispered. “I want to go home. Not only so you can speak with Sir Hugo about what you saw Chadwick do, but so you can see where I live and decide whether you like it or not. If you don’t then we shall decide together where we want to live. First, though, we have a slight detour to make.”

Rose groaned. “Don’t tell me – another safe house.”

“You don’t like them?” He asked with his brows lifted.