Page 63 of A Perilous Passion

She wafted past him on a breath of night air, her head held high.

“We weren’t followed,” the youth said stiffly as Rafe motioned him into the study. “I’ve spent the last five weeks evading notice, and can assure you, I’m very good at it. In future, Mr. Seabourne, I’d be much obliged if you’d treat Miss Allston with more respect.”

“Arrogant young pup!” he snapped. “You come wanting my help, then have the gall to lecture me on my manners?”

“Justin!” Charlotte said with a gasp.

Rafe pressed his lips together as his heart did an unsteady somersault.

Justin, eh?

He stared at the man with distaste. So, this was Charlotte’s banished sweetheart, Justin Jessop. He was young, damn him, with the sort of boyish good looks that were bound to set a girl’s heart afire.

But wasn’t he meant to be in the military, up in Scotland? Why was he out of uniform and dressed like a laborer?

Rafe’s gut twisted and his hands clenched at his sides. “I should throw you out on your ear! But maybe I’ll shoot you first, just to teach you a lesson.”

Charlotte immediately stepped between himself and the boy. “Don’t be put off by Mr. Seabourne’s manner, Justin. He can be very abrupt but has a good heart.”

Giving him a warning look, she glided past him and stood in front of his desk.

From his position by the door, Goves asked, “Shall I stay, sir?”

“Yes, please. A witness is always valuable.”

That made Charlotte take a step back. He turned his attention to Jessop and asked, “Have you come to reclaim your lost love?”

The young man scowled and started to speak, but Charlotte laid a restraining hand on his arm. “We’ve come on a delicate matter,” she said. “I’m hoping that, as a man of the world and a former soldier, you can advise us. In fact, it’s a matter of life or death, or I wouldn’t have troubled you.”

Was she planning to elope again, perhaps? Rafe folded his arms across his chest and waited, not trusting his voice.

“You see, Justin has deserted. Oh, please don’t look so stern! He’s no coward, I promise,” she said in a rush. “If I’d had his direction, naturally I would have stopped him, but he just turned up, and there was nothing I could do.”

A piece of the puzzle clicked into place. “That letter you were hiding the other day—”

“Was from Justin, yes. But he didn’t say he actually planned to desert. Had I known, I’d have—”

He waved her into silence. His thoughts—and his feelings—were in utter chaos. The letter over which he’d lost so much sleep was not from some dangerous smuggling crony of her father’s.

Thank God.

But this… This was almost worse. Even if she was proven completely innocent of any wrongdoing, she was now back with the man she loved, and slipping further than ever out of Rafe’s reach.

To hide the despair that washed over him, he busied himself opening a desk drawer and laid the pistol within. He gave Jessop a look to let him know the gun could be deftly retrieved and deployed before the pup had time to blink.

Before he could even think about blinking.

Rafe steeled himself to look at Charlotte. “Why would I assist a deserter? A traitor to his duty?” he asked.

“I’m not asking you to help, necessarily. Just advise,” she said, her glowing hazel eyes giving him a look of earnest entreaty.

Minx. She was trying to manipulate him, knowing he felt guilty about his prying.

She was succeeding.

“Justin needs to disappear for a while,” she went on. “Or even be thought dead, until the army tires of chasing him. He could go abroad. The colonies, perhaps. I thought you might have contacts who could help.”

He frowned. The idea of helping a deserter was preposterous, no matter how good the boy’s reasons. And reuniting with a sweetheart was a selfish, thoughtless reason.