had turned up on her doorstep, bleeding over her floor and asking for her help, then the least he owed her was the truth.
Hugo’s eyes met and held hers. Although the re was only a few feet between them, she felt as though she had been branded. His eyes were searching as they ran over her face slowly while he thought. Whatever he saw there helped him decide and, with a sigh, he glanced down at his weakened hand.
“I was over at a fishing village further around the coast, watching some French spies enter the country.” He ignored her startled gasp and Simon’s grunt of surprise. “Unfortunately, I think the man who gave us information on the site where the spies were going to land is a double agent, because I was waiting in the shadows, hidden. The spies came ashore, and disappeared. When I broke my cover to follow them, someone watching from across the harbour shot me, and then chased me.”
T he man who had appeared in Harriett’s garden was one of the French men who had arrived on English shores before heading inland. The fact that he was looking for Hugo today confirmed that the group knew Hugo had seen them, and had decided to find him. It also meant that the gunman who had shot him from the boathouse was still at large.
Unfortunately, that left him with one significant problem. Who had been trying to kill him? The French arrivals, or an unknown gunman?
“The man from outside chased you?” Harriet couldn’t disguise the horror in her voice, and she glanced warily at the closed shutters.
“ I am not sure,” Hugo replied vaguely, his mind racing with possibilities. “I don’t know whether the gunman is working for the spies, whether he is a spy, or working for someone else. I need to meet with – my associates,” he added carefully, unwilling to tell either of them too much about the Star Elite unless he had to.
“Where are you r – associates?” she asked, curiosity holding her captive.
“In London.”
“You are in no fit state to go all the way there right now,” Harriett snorted, staring at his arm. “Although the poultice seems to be warding off any infection, and the tisane is working by keeping the pain at bay, you are in no condition to spend days on a horse.”
“I know that I need a couple of more days, and if I can prevail upon your good nature until then, I will leave just as quietly and–” he glanced at Simon, “-unnoticed as I came.”
“Of course you must remain here until you are well enough to travel,” she replied, ignoring Simon’s snort.
“I think you should come to the Manor, Harriett,” Simon persisted, unwilling to relent and allow her to share the house with Hugo. The more he watched them, the more he knew they were being too careful with each other . He could see the growing attraction that neither person was, at that moment, prepared to acknowledge. It was an attraction that as her father, he couldn’t sit back and allow to happen. If only he could get a few moments alone with Hugo, he could warn the man off.
“How can I treat him if I am over at the Manor?” Harriett sighed, wishing Simon would understand that she didn’t belong at the Manor. It was his house, not hers. If she did move, she knew she didn’t belong there, even if she could ignore the spiteful presence of her stepsister, Romilla.
“Then Hugo can come to the Manor,” Simon snapped, his patience beginning to wear thin. “The fact is , Harriett, it is not wise for Hugo to remain here.”
“But nobody knows he is here,” Harriett argued. “ If either of us moves to the Manor, we are risking revealing his presence in this house. I don’t want anyone know he is here any more than you do, Simon, but for all of our sakes, it is very important that we carry on as usual.” She glanced pointedly at Simon. “You cannot start to drop by two or three times each day without one of the villagers noticing and asking questions.”
She didn’t add that she was struggling to keep up with the
Hugo’s eyes met and held hers. Although the re was only a few feet between them, she felt as though she had been branded. His eyes were searching as they ran over her face slowly while he thought. Whatever he saw there helped him decide and, with a sigh, he glanced down at his weakened hand.
“I was over at a fishing village further around the coast, watching some French spies enter the country.” He ignored her startled gasp and Simon’s grunt of surprise. “Unfortunately, I think the man who gave us information on the site where the spies were going to land is a double agent, because I was waiting in the shadows, hidden. The spies came ashore, and disappeared. When I broke my cover to follow them, someone watching from across the harbour shot me, and then chased me.”
T he man who had appeared in Harriett’s garden was one of the French men who had arrived on English shores before heading inland. The fact that he was looking for Hugo today confirmed that the group knew Hugo had seen them, and had decided to find him. It also meant that the gunman who had shot him from the boathouse was still at large.
Unfortunately, that left him with one significant problem. Who had been trying to kill him? The French arrivals, or an unknown gunman?
“The man from outside chased you?” Harriet couldn’t disguise the horror in her voice, and she glanced warily at the closed shutters.
“ I am not sure,” Hugo replied vaguely, his mind racing with possibilities. “I don’t know whether the gunman is working for the spies, whether he is a spy, or working for someone else. I need to meet with – my associates,” he added carefully, unwilling to tell either of them too much about the Star Elite unless he had to.
“Where are you r – associates?” she asked, curiosity holding her captive.
“In London.”
“You are in no fit state to go all the way there right now,” Harriett snorted, staring at his arm. “Although the poultice seems to be warding off any infection, and the tisane is working by keeping the pain at bay, you are in no condition to spend days on a horse.”
“I know that I need a couple of more days, and if I can prevail upon your good nature until then, I will leave just as quietly and–” he glanced at Simon, “-unnoticed as I came.”
“Of course you must remain here until you are well enough to travel,” she replied, ignoring Simon’s snort.
“I think you should come to the Manor, Harriett,” Simon persisted, unwilling to relent and allow her to share the house with Hugo. The more he watched them, the more he knew they were being too careful with each other . He could see the growing attraction that neither person was, at that moment, prepared to acknowledge. It was an attraction that as her father, he couldn’t sit back and allow to happen. If only he could get a few moments alone with Hugo, he could warn the man off.
“How can I treat him if I am over at the Manor?” Harriett sighed, wishing Simon would understand that she didn’t belong at the Manor. It was his house, not hers. If she did move, she knew she didn’t belong there, even if she could ignore the spiteful presence of her stepsister, Romilla.
“Then Hugo can come to the Manor,” Simon snapped, his patience beginning to wear thin. “The fact is , Harriett, it is not wise for Hugo to remain here.”
“But nobody knows he is here,” Harriett argued. “ If either of us moves to the Manor, we are risking revealing his presence in this house. I don’t want anyone know he is here any more than you do, Simon, but for all of our sakes, it is very important that we carry on as usual.” She glanced pointedly at Simon. “You cannot start to drop by two or three times each day without one of the villagers noticing and asking questions.”
She didn’t add that she was struggling to keep up with the
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