‘Oh…’ Something in his look made her heart beat faster. She stared up at him, her lips parting on a sigh. ‘You…are kind, sir.’
‘Kind?’ Justin laughed, the devilment leaping up in his eyes. She was an innocent. How little she knew of men! ‘No, mistress, do not deceive yourself. Had you been other than you are, I might have done my best to lie with you this very day.’
Annelise lowered her gaze, her heart racing. His words ought to make her angry. He had no right to say them to her…but somehow she did not mind.
‘I…I think you mock me, sir.’
‘Oh, no, not you,’ he replied, his lips twisting in a wry smile. ‘Myself, perhaps—but not you.’
She looked up at him, the beginnings of confidence in her eyes. Justin drew in his breath. By God, she could be a charmer if she chose. She had been kept close, indoctrinated with a creed he found abhorrent—but what if she were shown another way to live?
His mind began to draw pictures. He saw her at Court, dressed in a gown more fitting to her beauty and station. He saw her beginning to emerge from her chrysalis, developing into the woman she could become—and he felt the laughter begin to bubble inside him.
How amusing it would be to turn this little Puritan into a lady of the Court. She was innocent, malleable—he could make of her what he wished. He imagined himself as her guardian, watching over her education. She could be anything he desired…the mistress of the King!
That was an idea to play with, Justin decided. It would put Barbara’s nose out, and he had never cared for the shrewish temper of Mistress Palmer—or Lady Castlemaine as she was now known. She might think herself invincible and flaunt the honours her husband had received from His Majesty, but Charles was not a fool; soon he must see how avaricious his mistress was—and then he would surely look about him for a replacement. And why not Mistress Woodward?
Justin found the notion amusing. He would not make up his mind just yet, but if this little beauty managed to catch Charles’s interest, it could bring him favour at Court—and yet she surely deserved more.
It was his duty to see her well married. After that the game was all to play. Only a fool would expect fidelity from his wife—and most would be flattered if she were chosen to grace the King’s bed.
‘I should like to call on Sir Hugh soon,’ Justin said, bowing his head to her. ‘When will it be convenient for me to call?’
Annelise was uncertain. She did not quite like the way he was looking at her.
‘I am not sure, sir. I could send word to Longton Hall if my uncle would like to see you—what name should I give him?’
‘Justin Rochefort,’ he replied. ‘It is important that I speak to your uncle, mistress. Please ask him if he will see me as a matter of some urgency.’
‘As you wish.’
Annelise hesitated. He had let go of her sleeve; she was free to go, but somehow she lingered. Though at times he seemed stern, there was a charm about him—something that made her want to know more of him, something that made her foolish heart leap like lambs in the spring.
‘How long will you be staying here, sir?’
‘Until my business is finished,’ he said. ‘After that, I shall be returning to London.’ He looked at her again, taking her breath away. ‘Have you ever been there, Mistress Woodward?’
‘No…no, I have not. A visit was planned, but cancelled after the Lord Protector died.’
‘Should you like to visit there?’
‘Yes…I think so, but my uncle is too ill to travel and my aunt could not take me without him.’
‘I have a house in London,’ Justin said, surprising her. ‘My mother lives there for the moment. Perhaps she would invite you to stay.’
‘Why should she? She does not know me.’
‘No,’ Justin replied, a puzzling look in his eyes. ‘But she knew your parents well. One day you will meet her. I am sure she would like to meet the daughter of old friends.’
‘Your mother knew my father…my mother?’ Annelise was filled with a sudden longing. ‘Oh, if only I could meet her! I should like so much to hear what she remembers of my father. I was a small child when he was killed.’
‘Then I shall do my best to arrange it,’ Justin said, and his smile was so sweet that it reached out to her, seeming almost to embrace her. ‘I shall walk with you to the grounds of your home, mistress—and then I must say farewell. But do not forget to mention me to your uncle.’
‘No…’ Annelise lifted her eyes to his. ‘No, sir. I shall speak to him as soon as I feel he is well enough to listen…’
Chapter Two
‘I am glad to see you so much better, sir,’ Annelise said as she carried in the tray for her uncle’s breakfast. He was sitting up in bed, looking brighter than he had for several days. ‘My aunt told me you wished to see me. Is there anything I can do for you?’
‘Put that tray down and come here, Niece.’ Sir Hugh beckoned to her. His grey hair had been neatly combed that day and his man had shaved him. ‘I have neglected your affairs, Annelise. I should have arranged a marriage for you long since. It was remiss of me—but I am resolved to put things right. I shall this day have my steward send a letter to a cousin of your aunt’s. Mr Broughton is a good man, not yet forty, sober and clean in his habits. I believe we can trust him to take care of things when I am gone.’
‘You are getting better,’ Annelise said, gripped by a sudden fear she could not explain. ‘There is no need for haste. I should not wish to marry while you are ill.’
‘If it is God’s wish, I shall be spared to see you safely wed,’ he replied, giving her a compelling look. ‘Have I ever treated you ill, Annelise? Have I ever forced you to something that gave you pain?’
She hesitated, then lowered her gaze. There had been many times when her heart had rebelled, but that was because she was a woman and therefore sinful. Her uncle had sometimes been strict with her, disciplining her for the good of her soul. She knew she owed a duty both to him and to God.
‘No, sir, you have not,’ she said, ‘but I would meet with this man first. If…if I am unable to respect him…’
‘Then I would not force you to marry,’ Sir Hugh said, gazing at her with reproach. ‘How can you think I would marry you to an unworthy man? All I ask is that you will behave with modesty and keep an open mind. It is for your own good, Annelise. I shall not always be here to protect you. Besides, you are of an age to marry. You would not want to live alone? It would not be fitting. You need a good man to be your husband—and who better than a kinsman of your aunt?’
Annelise was silent. All that her uncle said made perfect sense. Indeed, she had expected this, even hoped for it. Her life had sometimes seemed dull. A husband and children would fill the hours that were occasionally empty…so why this reluctance to wed the unknown Mr Broughton?
It could not be because she had been unable to rid her mind these past days of the picture of a man’s laughing eyes, could it? She would be foolish indeed to put her faith in his vague promises.
‘I shall try to do my duty, Uncle—but I beg you not to make your decision before I have met Mr Broughton.’
‘You are a sensible young woman,’ he replied. ‘I have no doubt that you will accept your duty, as we all must.’
‘Yes, sir.’ Annelise hesitated. She had not so far mentioned