Page 41 of Beatrix

Had their aunt continued to live in Cliff House because no man could deal with her bluntness?

Was that to be her fate too?

Frowning, Bea plumped up the pillow behind her head, before snuggling back down into the blankets.

After a few seconds, she shook her head in the dark. No. Charlotte was not simply living at Cliff House because nobody would have her. Yes, her reputation for eating vinegar with a fork preceded her, but she’d never, ever given two hoots what people thought of her.

There were eight reasons their Aunt Charlotte had come to Paignton and never left, and Beatrix was one of them.

If she was like her aunt, so be it. Now was really not the time for such introspection.

Her mind went back to Rob Noon. No other man aside from him had caused her to question herself in the early hours of the morning. She pictured his irrepressible grin. His handsome face and easy-going nature, both hiding a fierce intelligence. She had no doubt that to be loved by such a man would be the dream of most of the female population, and her mind was suddenly filled with shocking images of what the physical aspect of being loved by him would be…

Damnation… Swearing under her breath, she pushed back the covers and slid out of bed. There was no hope of her going back to sleep if her mind continued going six ways from Sunday. Perhaps some milk might help.

Shivering, she felt around for her robe, finally locating it on the floor near her side of the bed. Slipping her arms in the sleeves, she glanced back at her still-snoring sister, and tiptoed to the door.

It took nigh on ten minutes to negotiate the narrow, indistinct staircase. The oil lamp on the landing was the only light, causing shadows to dance and writhe on the walls, making the stairs even more difficult to negotiate. The stygian darkness of the passageway at the bottom made matters worse, and halfway down, Beatrix was beginning to regret her impulse. To her overactive imagination, it almost felt as if she was descending into hell.

With only half a dozen steps to go, she finally halted. This was madness. She could break her leg or worse. Gritting her teeth at her foolishness, she awkwardly began to turn, intending to retrace her steps.

‘Can I assist you?’ She nearly screamed at the masculine voice suddenly coming from the hall below. Gripping the banister, she lifted her robe, preparing to dash back up the stairs, when the voice added, ‘Beatrix?’

She stopped, heart thumping, and looked back over her shoulder down towards the indistinct shape at the bottom of the stairs as the voice continued, ‘It’s Rob. What the devil are you doing wandering around the inn at this hour?’

‘I was getting a glass of milk,’ she answered after a few seconds, her voice defensive. ‘In truth, I could ask you the same question.’

‘I couldn’t sleep,’ he replied, ‘the same as you, it appears.’ Beatrix knew she should bid him a good night and retreat to her bedchamber, but instead she carefully turned fully round and stared down into the gloom.

‘I’ll accompany you to fetch some milk,’ he offered just as the silence became more than a little awkward.

To her internal disbelief, Bea heard herself saying, ‘That would be most kind, thank you.’

‘Wait there,’ he returned, ‘I’ve left the lamp in the kitchen.’ For a second, the blackness swallowed the place he’d been standing, then a small pool of light shone through an open door. Seconds later, he was back, holding the oil lamp high to illuminate the remaining stairs.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered, reaching the bottom step. His answering smile set her heart slamming against her ribs, and she didn’t resist when he took her hand.

The kitchen was warmer than the passageway with the residual heat from a huge range against one wall. Placing the lamp on the table, he bade her sit and went to fetch a large pitcher from the pantry. After pouring two glasses of milk, he handed one to her and sat down.

‘What kept you awake?’ he asked softly.

Knowing that telling him the truth was out of the question, Bea merely shrugged, saying, ‘I did go to sleep but woke suddenly – I’m not sure why. Then my mind began thinking about the next few days, and…’ She shrugged, taking another sip of milk. It wasn’t entirely untrue.

‘I think perhaps it was me who woke you,’ he commented ruefully. ‘I wasn’t exactly sylph-like on the stairs. I don’t know how old this building is, but it’s far older than anything we have in Australia, and the stairs would challenge even the most sure-footed – especially in the dark.’

Beatrix chuckled. ‘This inn must be over four hundred years old. I think the staircases were built that way to discourage sword fights in the stairwell. This area was a well-known haunt of smugglers coming up the Bristol Channel until not so long ago.’

‘I have found England so much more than I’d ever imagined,’ Rob murmured. ‘I wish my visit had been under rather more pleasant circumstances.’

‘As do I,’ Beatrix responded, her tone wistful. Rob looked over at her, his gaze intent, eyes almost glittering in the lamplight. Bea felt her heart slam against her ribs as he took hold of her hand again. His thumb and forefinger rubbed gently on the palm, sending her pulse racing. She knew she should slide her hand from his. That she should withdraw immediately, back to the safety of her bedchamber. Instead, she did nothing, simply stared back at him wordlessly.

‘I have to return to Australia, once we’ve rescued the children,’ he whispered into the silence.

‘You must be missing your family,’ Bea murmured back, forcing back the disappointment that abruptly swamped her. What did she expect? That he would profess undying love and promptly abandon his entire life? She swallowed a sudden lump in her throat, realising that he was speaking again, his hand now gripping hers tightly.

‘I will never give up on Tom, but whether he’s in the Grange or not, the children that we free will need somewhere to go. Somewhere safe from Jacob White and the whole predatory organisation that has them in its grip.’

‘Rhys converted his ancestral home into an orphanage,’ Bea told him. ‘I assume we’ll take them there.’