Three Months Later

“Keep an eye on her Benton,” the strong male voice stated over the sound of two sets of boots tapping along the polished wooden floor, “I may have agreed to let her help me in this investigation, but in no way am I prepared to put her life in danger.”

“Don’t worry yourself overmuch Justin. I will see to Kalinna’s care; you just promise me that you’ll find that bastard she calls father,” a second male voice, equally as strong responded, “And when you do, try to leave a piece of him for me.”

Justin snorted, grinning at his friend’s passionate statement. But that was the way Benton was and always had been; passionate, trustworthy, dependable, honest, and above all, the best friend a man could hope for. And all this, Justin knew.

Though Benton had told his family that he had stayed extra years at school to further his knowledge, the truth was that the younger man had been helping in their cause against the French traitors. Justin had come to count heavily on the man when background information was needed on short notice. And of course, Benton added a sense of level-headedness to his and Anthony’s sometimes thoughtless assumptions and actions.

Now that Benton was back in London, it had been easier, and quite inconspicuous to prying eyes, for the two gentlemen to meet up. The two had, unbeknownst to Kalinna and the Wickham family, gone on a few spying missions throughout the city, turning up a few leads and almost getting themselves caught in the process. That is precisely why Justin was taking no chances where Kalinna was concerned.

He knew very well that Benton was itching to get into the fray of things and lend his resources and abilities, but the younger man was the only person, whom Justin knew he could trust, that was in the position to protect and keep an eye on the young woman. And though Kalinna could handle a sword exceptionally well, she was no match for any man strength-wise, much less a man intent on doing her harm.

“I am sure you were looking for more exciting avenues in which to help our cause,” Justin suddenly stated as their discussion of their next move and plans came to a close, “But alas you are the one in the best position to keep an eye on Kalinna.”

“Bah. Keeping up with Kalinna is excitement enough for now,” Benton responded, grinning, “Why just the other day, I saw her sneaking out for a ride before dawn even broke. In boys breeches.”

Justin cursed, rolling his eyes heavenward knowing full well the dangers Kalinna could be exposing herself to in her lone morning rides. The things that spitfire of a woman did never ceased to amaze him. There were times where she mad him so impossibly angry.

And then there were times where one look from her had his blood racing with desire.

Justin quickly squelched that last thought. No sense in opening up that can of worms at this point in time. His thoughts were consumed with thoughts of his mission, and adding Kalinna and what she made him feel to that mix would just drive him crazy.

“Does that chit not realize how much danger she could be putting herself in?” Justin finally exploded, pacing the wood floor as he ran a hand through his blondish-brown curls. Benton hid a smile as he realized just how deeply his friend was beginning to care for his cousin.

“That is precisely why I shall be watching over her like a hawk,” Benton piped up, a slight grin on his cheeks, “Rest your mind Justin, nothing will happen while I am around.” Justin blew out a large breath of air, knowing the younger man was right.

“So you’re heading to port for the next few days then?” Benton questioned a few moments later, breaking the silence that had descended over them.

“Yes. I need some time away from London’s high society. And there are a few matters I must look into while I am there,” Justin responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

“You’ll let me know if anything comes up?” Benton said as the two of them made their way to the front door of Justin’s London townhouse.

“Certainly,” the elder responded.

“Then I’ll take my leave of you,” Benton concluded, and with a slight bow to his friend, left through the front door and to his waiting carriage.

Justin watched through a large front window as his friend’s carriage rode off into the distance. In a way, Kalinna’s life was in Benton’s hands, and though Justin knew he should feel reassured by that fact, he could not help but feel a sense of impending doom.

The next morning

Kalinna hummed to herself as she sat at her vanity in the early morning, lost in thought. She idly pulled the brush through her long hair as the events of the past three months ran through her head. Instantly, a frown marred her otherwise flawless features.

She and Justin were partners. Oh, she knew that was the last thing he wanted, but there was no doubt in her mind that he needed her. She was the link to the one person whom was the greatest suspect in the plot to invade England.

That night back in December, she had not been expecting the Duke of Schellden to come clean about his pirating ways and the reason behind them. She had deemed the man too arrogant and prideful to tell her the real reason behind his clever disguise. However, she had obviously been quite wrong about him in that aspect.

After the truth had been revealed to her, Kalinna had been all too eager to put previous grievances aside and put a tentative foot forward in the task of protecting her homeland. Of course, at the time, it had been a shock discovering her father was involved, but in the past three months, her heart had hardened and she truly couldn’t care less what happened to him. He wasn’t really a father to her – only her sire in name and nothing else.

However, despite their best efforts, the duo had not made much headway in their quest. Lead after lead led to dead ends and more questions that had no way of being answered. It was truly becoming frustrating for both Kalinna and Justin, which is part of the reason the latter had recently removed himself to port.

And the sense of foreboding, felt keenly by Justin, Kalinna, and even members of the Wickham family did nothing to help. Something was on the horizon, there was inevitability in that, but what that something was, none knew.

A knock sounded on Kalinna’s bedroom door, interrupting the quiet solitude she enjoyed in the early morning hours of the day. She was an earlier riser than most as she enjoyed watching the sun rise over the rolling hills and a healthy ride on the horse her uncle had brought here from her father’s house over a year ago. Of course, none knew of these rides besides her, especially since she wore boys breeches on these secret escapades. Thus, a secret is what she wished to keep her improper pre-dawn rides.

Therefore, a knock on her door at such an early hour made her eyebrows rise in surprise. Her uncle was normally the only one about at this point in time, though since Benton’s return from school, he too joined her for tea in the morning after her secret rides. However, neither man had ever sought her out at this time of morning, and especially not in her chambers.

Cautiously, Kalinna opened the door after throwing on her dressing robe over the filmy white nightgown she had slept in. Shock registered on her face when she noticed Benton standing there, fully attired in riding clothing and grinning at her. She stood there mute, her jaw hanging open.

The sound of her cousin’s laughter finally jolted Kalinna out of her stupor, and the young woman quickly gave him a reproving glare.

“What, pray tell, are you doing here at such an hour cousin dearest?” Kalinna pointedly questioned, crossing her arms over her chest as she spoke.

“I was hoping to catch you before you went out for your early morning ride so that I may accompany you. That new beast of yours is itching to race, I can see it in his eyes, and I believe that my own horse, Danger, is up for the challenge,” Benton breezily stated.

For the second time in the past few minutes, Kalinna was speechless, her eyes widened with surprise. How had her cousin known about the early morning rides? Surely she had taken every care not to wake a soul in the house. Not to mention the fact that she looked like a young lad when she went off on her own, not a lady of genteel breeding. After all, she knew that she would receive firm disapproval if any relatives or servants found out about them.

“Whatever are you talking about?” Kalinna finally managed, her voice coming out more like a squeak. Benton couldn’t help the grin that overtook his lips. “Oh all right, I shall meet you in the stable in ten minutes.”

“Don’t forget your boys breeches,” he teased. Kalinna gave him a small shove in exasperation.

“Have you been spying on me then my dear Benton?” she demanded.

“Oh of course not. I merely noticed the few times you were sneaking out dressed like a boy,” the young man responded, much to her horror, “But I’ll take my leave of you so you do not waste out on a moment of your ride.”

With a knowing grin, Benton gave his cousin a little bow before walking back down the corridor and towards the back stairs. They were the same ones she took every morning to avoid being confronted by a servant or relative, so it was obvious her cousin knew the house quite thoroughly. She knew that she should ask about her mother’s room and belongings, but that would have to wait until a later time. For now, she would focus on her ride; hopefully it would help to clear her head as usual.

It was not ten minutes later that Kalinna crept into the stables. She tiptoed towards the stall where her horse, Colby, stood, careful not to wake any of the stable hands, who would be sure to run crying to her uncle if they realized her intent to ride at such an hour.

Benton stood across from her, busily preparing his thoroughbred horse, Danger, for their ride. He briefly glanced up when she entered and sent a lazy grin in her direction, but otherwise, the two remained silent. It wasn’t until they were flying through the silent streets of London did they begin to talk.

“Who taught you to ride so well?” Benton asked as their horses slowed to a gentle trot and he was able to catch his breath from their earlier sprints.

“My mother,” Kalinna stated, a loving smile drifting over her face as she spoke, “Whenever my father was away on business, which was quite often as you may know, my mother would take me on rides out to the English countryside. Once we were out of sight of the ton and anybody else, we would don boys breeches and have races.”

“I recall my father telling me stories of him, your mother, and our aunt, how grandmother had a hard time keeping the three of them away from horseflesh,” Benton added, “And your mother won each and every race they had, so the story goes.”

“My mother was, indeed, quite an extraordinary woman,” Kalinna agreed, “Would you mind terribly if we stopped by my father’s house? There are a few things I would like to have that belonged to her.”

“Certainly,” Benton readily agreed, and they immediately turned their horses in that direction.

Their talks of Kalinna’s mother continued on until the modest, two-story house Kalinna had grown up in came into view. She was just about to say something to Benton, when he quickly grabbed her horse’s reins and jerked the both of them into a thick patch of bushes. He quickly quieted her confused glance with a finger to his lips before pointing in the direction of her home.

Much to her horror, Kalinna watched as a hulking figure, clad in dark breeches, red tunic, black boots and black bandana emerged from the back of Kalinna’s home, a small chest clutched to his chest. A chest that Kalinna knew very well belonged to her mother. It was one of the objects she had come here to retrieve.

With a cry, and before Benton could stop her, she had grabbed his sword and came charging out of the bushes, heading straight for the intruder. Fire was in her eyes as she approached the man, who looked shocked to see her. But he quickly reacted, dropped the chest to the ground and brandished his own sword.

Knowing she had the advantage, at least for the moment, Kalinna struck out against him. The man parried, successfully blocking as the young woman fought to stay on her frightened horse. But it was no use.

Kalinna soon found herself on the ground in front of the man, the sword a few feet away and definitely out of her reach. Her heart thudded dangerously in her chest as the man advanced on her, leering in triumph. The chest, however, was still forgotten, the one thing she was grateful for.

“So you must be Kalinna,” the man spoke, his voice colored with an accent she recognized as French, “Your father did mention that you had quite a bit of spirit.”

“You’ve seen my father?” she questioned, her eyes widening in shock.

“Why of course I have. He is my boss after all,” the man revealed, grinning as he advanced and stood directly in front of the young woman, who had not moved from her position on the ground, “And it’s about time that you visit him, isn’t it? I believe he is sorely missing you right about now.”

The man began to close in on Kalinna, who kept back up on the ground, a frightened look on her face. The man was going to kidnap her! What the hell was Benton doing waiting in the bushes?!?

“The lady will not be going anywhere,” Benton suddenly piped up as he lazily made his way over to the pair and picked up the sword his cousin had lost in her fall from the horse.

“You going to stop me boy?” the older man taunted, despite the fact that he was shorter than Benton.

“Certainly,” the young man calmly replied.

Unexpectedly, the stranger lashed out in Benton’s direction. But the younger man had already seen it coming and quickly blocked before lashing out with his own strikes. Kalinna quickly scrambled out of the way as the two men went at it. She picked up the forgotten chest, placing it in her saddlebags before turning back to the ensuing fight.

A few moments later, the tide of the battle began to turn in the stranger’s direction as Benton began to tire. The result, much to Kalinna’s horror, was a gash to Benton’s left arm. With a curse, he struggled just to keep the other man at bay. At that, Kalinna rushed forward, took the sword from her cousin and began to fight.

“Come now Kalinna, you know very well your father would skin me alive if I so much harmed a hair on your head,” the man stated as he began to back off.

“Do not use such familiarity with me, sir,” Kalinna ground out, eyes flashing in annoyance.

“Fulton is the name,” the man revealed, as he lazily batted away her sword swipes in his direction, “Now, do not make me hurt you. I am not one to hurt a lady, but I cannot ignore my orders.”

With a cry of rage, Kalinna angrily began to attack the man named Fulton, years of pent-up emotion making her sword a deadly combatant. This Fulton seemed to realize immediately. The grin was wiped from his lips and replaced with a grim smirk as he had to use all his skill to keep the young woman at bay.

Minutes seemed to pass like hours until the young woman finally began to make some headway. With a lunge, Kalinna gave the man a good-sized gash on his stomach. Howling in pain, Fulton doubled over, a look of shock and anger in his eyes.

“You’re going to regret that,” he growled.

Kalinna made to give him a killing blow, her anger billowing, when the man’s horse suddenly appeared out of nowhere. With a last curse in her direction, Fulton leapt upon it and was soon riding off, horse’s hooves thundering. The young woman had no time whatsoever to react.

“Kalinna, are you okay?” Benton suddenly spoke up, jolting Kalinna out of her daze. With a worried frown, she turned her eyes to her cousin, who was holding his arm.

“I am fine, but we must get you home. I have no idea how we shall explain this to your mother and father without raising their suspicions,” Kalinna responded as she and Benton got back on their horses and turned back in the direction of the Duke’s home.

“You let me worry about that,” Benton assured her, grimacing, “I’m just glad Justin has me looking out for you. There is no telling what could have happened had I not accompanied you on your ride.”

“What?” Kalinna cried, eyes wide, “You mean to tell me that the duke does not believe I am capable of looking after myself? I thought I was supposed to be helping him, but instead, he sends you to babysit me like I am some child.”

“Kalinna…” Benton began.

“Unbelievable!”

With that last statement, Kalinna kicked up her horse into a run and left Benton behind, not sure whether it was anger or disappointment that caused the tears to form in her eyes. Shrugging them away, she quickly took care of her horse and slipped back into the house and up to her room, her mother’s chest clutched in her arms.

With a sigh, the young woman, after washing the dust from her face in the wash basin, donned her nightclothes again. Climbing back into bed, she silently opened her mother’s chest, an object she had never placed hands on before. What she saw there made her eyes widen in shock.