Ravished

"Well," Harriet said, "St. Justin had set a trap to catch a ring of thieves that were using my caves to hide stolen goods."

"Hardcastle caves," Gideon corrected dryly.

"Thieves?" Lady Hardcastle looked baffled. "What on earth is this about thieves?"

"What's this?" The earl glared at Gideon. "I was not told of any thieves on Hardcastle lands."

Gideon lifted one large shoulder in a massive, utterly negligent shrug. "You have not demonstrated much interest in what happens on your estates for some time now, sir. I saw no need to bother you with the details."

Hardcastle's eyes glittered with anger. "Bloody damned arrogant of you, Gideon."

"Precisely my point." Harriet looked at Hardcastle with approval for his perceptive observation. "He has a strong tendency to be that way, sir. Extremely arrogant."

"Finish the tale of the thieves," Hardcastle thundered, sounding a great deal like his son when he was in a foul mood.

"Now I know where he gets the tendency," Harriet murmured.

Gideon grinned. "Tell him the rest of the story, my dear."

"Well," Harriet said obligingly, "The night of the trap, I got taken as a hostage by one of the ring. I will admit it was my fault. But the problem could have been avoided entirely if St. Justin had discussed his plan of action with me ahead of time as I had instructed."

"Dear me." Lady Hardcastle was clearly dazed. "A hostage?"

"Yes. St. Justin dashed heroically into the caves to rescue me, and by the time he got to me the tide had come in, filling the lower portion of the caverns." Harriet looked down the table at Hardcastle's scowling features. "I expect you know the tides around Upper Biddleton, sir."

"I know them." Hardcastle's bushy brows formed a solid line. "Those caves are dangerous."

"I agree with you, sir," Gideon said quietly. "But so far I have had little success in convincing my wife of that fact."

"Rubbish," Harriet snapped. "They are not dangerous if one pays sufficient attention to the tides and to charting one's path inside the cliffs. But, as I was saying, on this particular evening, St. Justin and I got trapped inside and were obliged to spend the night. So, of course, he felt he had to offer for me the next day."

"I see." Lady Hardcastle reached for her wine with fluttering fingers.

"I did my best to talk him out of it," Harriet said, warming to her subject. "I saw no reason I could not live out my days in Upper Biddleton as a ruined woman. After all, that sort of reputation would hardly get in the way of my fossil collecting. But St. Justin was most insistent."

Lady Hardcastle sputtered and nearly choked on her wine. The butler stepped forward in alarm. She waved him off. "I am fine, Hawkins."

The earl's gaze was still riveted on Harriet. "You collect fossils?"

"Yes, I do," Harriet said. She thought she recognized the spark of interest in Hardcastle's gaze. "Are you interested in geological matters, sir?"

"Was at one time. When I lived in Upper Biddleton, as a matter of fact. Found several interesting specimens."

Harriet was instantly intrigued. "Do you still have them, my lord?"

"Oh, yes. They're stored away somewhere. Haven't looked at 'em in years. I daresay Hawkins or the housekeeper could find them. Would you care to see them?"

Harriet bubbled with enthusiasm. She decided she could trust the earl with the secret of her tooth. After all, he was family now. "I should love that above all things, sir. I, myself, have discovered the most interesting tooth. Do you know anything about teeth, my lord?"

"A bit." The earl's eyes grew thoughtful. "What sort of tooth have you got?"

"My tooth is most unusual and I am still trying to identify it," Harriet explained. "It appears to be that of a large lizard, but it does not adhere to the jawbone itself, as is the case with lizards. It is set in a socket. And it appears to be the tooth of a carnivore. A very large carnivore."

"Sockets, eh? And large?" The earl paused. "Crocodile, perhaps?"

"No, sir, I am quite certain it is not a crocodile tooth. I believe it to be that of a reptile, however. A gigantic reptile."

"Very interesting," the earl murmured. "Very interesting, indeed. We shall have to go through my collection and see if I have anything that appears related. Rather forgotten what's in those boxes now."

"Could we go through them after dinner, my lord?" Harriet suggested immediately.

"Well, don't see any reason why not," Hardcastle allowed.

"Thank you, sir," Harriet breathed. "I just happen to have my tooth with me. I had it in my reticule when I was kidnapped. That is to say, when I was taken for a short ride in the country by my friends."

Gideon gave his mother a mocking glance. "And that is the end of all polite social discourse this evening unless you forcibly intervene, madam. Once my wife is launched on the subject of fossils, she is very difficult to deflect."

Lady Hardcastle took the hint. "I believe the study of fossils can wait until tomorrow," she said firmly.

Harriet tried to conceal her disappointment. "Of course, madam."

"It will take Hawkins and the housekeeper a good while to find the crates in which his lordship's old finds are stored," Lady Hardcastle added consolingly. "One cannot ask them to begin the search at this hour of the night."

"No, I suppose not," Harriet admitted. But privately she really saw no good reason at all why the staff could not be sent off to search for Hardcastle's crates of fossils. After all, it was not that late.

"Now, then, you must tell us all about the Season, Harriet," Lady Hardcastle said coaxingly. "I have not been to London for the Season in years. Not since—" She broke off quickly. "Well, it has been some time."

Harriet attempted to summon up polite conversation. It was difficult because she would have much preferred to have talked to the earl about fossils. "The Season is very exciting, I suppose. If one enjoys that sort of thing. My sister is enjoying herself immensely. She wants to do it all again next year."

"But you do not find it amusing?" Lady Hardcastle asked.

"No." Harriet brightened. "Except for the waltz. I do enjoy dancing the waltz with St. Justin."

Gideon raised his wineglass in a silent salute. He smiled at her across the table. "The feeling is mutual, madam."

Harriet was pleased by his gallantry. "Thank you, sir." She turned back to Lady Hardcastle. "The best part about London, madam, is that I have joined the Fossils and Antiquities Society."

Hardcastle spoke up from the far end of the table. "I used to be a member. Haven't attended a meeting in years, of course."

Harriet turned back to him eagerly. "It is quite a large group now, and there are several very knowledgeable people attending meetings. Unfortunately, I have not made the acquaintance of anyone who knows a great deal about teeth."

"There she goes again," Gideon warned his mother. "You had better stop her quickly unless you want the conversation to revert to fossils."

Harriet blushed. "I beg your pardon, madam. I am frequently told I am too enthusiastic about the subject."

"Do not concern yourself," Lady Hardcastle said graciously. She glanced at her husband. "I recall when his lordship was equally enthusiastic. It has been some time since I have heard him talk about fossils. Nevertheless, it does limit the conversation somewhat. Can you tell us anything else of interest about London?"

Harriet considered that carefully. "Actually, no," she finally admitted. "To be perfectly truthful, I much prefer country life. I cannot wait to get back to Upper Biddleton so that I can go to work in my cave."

Gideon gave her an indulgent look. "As you can see, I have married the perfect wife for a man who prefers to devote himself to his family's lands."

"It will be a great pleasure to travel about with Gideon while he supervises the Hardcastle estates," Harriet said with satisfaction. "I shall be able to explore all sorts of new terrain for fossils."