“I don’t know what to say.”
She smiled at him, determined not to allow her embarrassing confession to come between them. “Don’t say anything. Just continue with what we were doing. I believe I was about to do this…”
She started to unbutton his trousers, but he kept her face tilted toward his. When she reached inside to stroke his hard length, he closed his eyes and lowered his head to kiss her again.
“Never let it be said,” he murmured against her mouth, “that I wouldn’t do everything in my power to satisfy my wife’s curiosity.”
Her world was upended again, and she let out a small shriek of surprise. When everything settled, she was lying on her back on the carriage bench, her husband poised over her. His grin was decidedly wicked and threatened to steal her breath.
“My curiosity knows no bounds,” she said, delighting in this unexpectedly playful side of her husband.
“Well then, perhaps we should get started.”
She could only moan in response as her husband went about divesting her of her clothing. She didn’t even care that he’d left most of his on when he finally pushed inside her.
“Lucien…”
“Yes, Rose,” he replied without slowing his movements.
Somehow she held back her confession of love. It wasn’t time yet, but hopefully she’d soon be able to share her feelings with her husband. If the fates were kind, perhaps he might one day come to return them.
Chapter 18
It was late when they finally arrived at her aunt’s estate in Essex. They’d changed horses at a coaching inn along the way, stopping only for a midday meal and dinner. Brantford had wanted to spend the night at the inn where they’d eaten, concerned for her comfort, but she’d insisted they press on since they were already near their destination.
But Rose did take the time to set her clothing and hair to rights before setting off for the final leg of their journey. The last thing she wanted was to see her mother again while looking disheveled. Even if her mother didn’t guess what she and Brantford had been doing in the carriage—two times, no less!—Mama would worry that the stress of their current situation had caused her so much heartache that Rose had allowed herself to become run-down. The very last thing she wanted to do was to cause her mother any additional grief.
Her aunt’s butler had barely had time to open the door when her mother was rushing into the entrance hall.
“I’m so happy to see you, Rose,” Lady Worthington said, sweeping her into a hug. “I was so worried about your decision to remain in London.”
“I am well, Mama,” Rose said, worried at the dark circles under her mother’s eyes. She followed her to the drawing room. “Where is Aunt Augusta?”
“She wanted to give us a few minutes alone together before welcoming you both. She knows how concerned I’ve been about you.”
“Lord and Lady Overlea watched over me. And as you’ve heard, Lord Brantford has since taken over that role.”
Lady Worthington dabbed at her eyes with a linen handkerchief and gave Brantford a tearful smile. “It is more than I expected, especially after your betrothal ended.”
“I know you didn’t approve of my actions, but I couldn’t marry Lord Kerrick when he was in love with my best friend. And as you see, everything has turned out for the best.” Her mother looked unconvinced, so Rose took hold of her hands and pulled her down to the settee next to her. “I am not just trying to put your mind at ease. I am happy.”
Lady Worthington turned then to Brantford, who had settled into an armchair. “Words cannot express how grateful l am to you, my lord. When everyone abandoned us and when my stubborn daughter ended her betrothal, I felt certain she would never find someone to offer her his protection.”
“You underestimate your daughter if you thought that. Any man would consider himself the most fortunate of men to have her at his side.”
Rose could only stare at her husband, wondering if he was speaking from the heart or only trying to put her mother’s mind at ease. He did seem to enjoy her company, however, and he’d told her he wasn’t planning to deposit her here and leave. Perhaps he did care for her.
More likely she was allowing her imagination to run away with her.
“We’re here, Mama, because Brantford is helping Papa. He confessed because our safety was threatened. Brantford might be able to clear his name if he can discover evidence showing that it wasn’t Papa who was selling secrets to the French.”
Her mother’s eyes widened as Rose spoke, and she turned to Brantford. “Is that true? Can you prove his innocence?”
If she suspected her husband wasn’t being entirely truthful about how he saw her to put her mother’s mind at ease, his next words made it clear that wasn’t the case. Brantford wasn’t making any promises about the outcome of their current task just to soothe their sensibilities.
“I am hoping to discover the truth, nothing more. Your husband confessed to treason, but I have reason to believe he didn’t knowingly pass on information that would harm England. He tells me he has correspondence at your estate that might help to prove it. We’ll be heading there next, but first he told me that you have his journal.”
This was the first Rose was hearing about a journal, and she felt a little pang of betrayal that he hadn’t told her the real reason for wanting to speak to her mother. But she shouldn’t have been surprised to learn he was keeping things from her. Brantford operated under a cloud of secrecy, after all.
“I do,” Lady Worthington said. “I don’t know if it will help, but you’re welcome to it.”
Brantford raised a brow. “You didn’t read it?”
Her mother wrung her hands together, twisting her handkerchief. “I was afraid to. This whole situation is so upsetting, but Rose’s father insisted I take it with me when I left London.” She turned to look at Rose. “I know you didn’t approve of my leaving, but you must know that your father insisted. He was worried about the attention we’d receive, yes, but he also didn’t want his journal to fall into the wrong hands.”
“Oh, Mama,” Rose said, her heart breaking all over again at the devastation written on her mother’s face.
Her mother took a shuddering breath before continuing. “I’ll admit, I was afraid it contained evidence about his crimes, which is why I didn’t want to read it. I didn’t want to believe he was capable of betraying England. I…” She hesitated briefly. “I wanted to burn it, but he insisted that I keep it safe. The only reason I didn’t destroy it was the knowledge that your father couldn’t possibly be in a worse position even if the authorities found it. He’s already headed for the gallows,” she finished with a sob.
Rose threw her arms around her mother, struggling not to break down herself.
“I think the opposite must be true. Since Papa has already confessed, he would have nothing to gain by telling Brantford about his journal. It just might contain information that will help to set him free.” Rose wanted to believe that. She had to believe it.
“Your daughter is correct,” Brantford said. “Lord Worthington would have nothing to gain by sending me on a false search for information to clear him. You should know he is very concerned about your safety. Despite his attempt to shield you, the only way to ensure the two of you come to no harm will be to apprehend the person who committed the crime to which he confessed. I’m hoping that his journal, together with the information he’s hidden at your estate, will serve that purpose.”
Lady Worthington cupped her daughter’s face, giving her a watery smile for several seconds before turning to face Brantford. “I will help you in whatever way I can. I’ll fetch the journal now. But first you must promise me that you will keep my daughter safe.”
“You have my word,” Brantford said without a moment’s hesitation.
Rose turned to look at him and was taken aback by the intensity in her husband’s gaze. In that moment, she could almost believe he cared for her.
After being introduced to Ros
e’s aunt and uncle, Brantford took his leave of them and followed Lady Worthington to fetch her husband’s journal. He and Rose had already decided they wouldn’t share the real reason for their visit with the rest of her family. As far as Lord and Lady Hayes knew, they were there for a brief visit before continuing on to Brantford’s estate in Surrey. He’d already extracted Lady Worthington’s promise to say nothing to her sister and brother-in-law about the matter.
He only had to wait outside Lady Worthington’s bedroom a short time before she exited and handed him a small wooden box. She said nothing more, but the expression on her face told him she was afraid to hope the journal it contained could lead to the end of the nightmare for her family.
He thanked her and followed a footman to the room he and Rose would be sharing that night. After closing the door behind him, he took in the room. It wasn’t particularly ornate—no doubt Lady Hayes had reserved the best guest room for her sister. Still, it was more luxurious than the inns they’d be resting at during their trip to the Worthington estate in Norfolk.
He was powerless to keep from staring at the bed, envisioning what would happen later when his wife joined him. They’d been married four days and had made love twice in a carriage and only once in a bed. He planned to take care of that discrepancy later.
Turning away, he forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand. When he lifted the lid of the plain box Lady Worthington had given him, he found a leather-bound journal within. He settled into a chair and began to read.
The journal was slim, and when he turned to the first page, he discovered that Worthington had only begun writing down his thoughts after the situation with Standish was well underway. Worthington wrote about how he’d managed to finance a season for Rose and that he’d been shocked upon arriving in London to discover he had more funds than he knew he possessed in his bank account. He then went on to detail a visit from Lord Standish later that same day, recounting his horror when the man had thanked him for sharing some information about the movements of the British fleet.
Brantford knew that Worthington had been in the navy when he was a youth and that Rose’s father was still good friends with Admiral Heddington. The admiral was known for his strategic mind, but it was no secret that the man thought better when he spoke aloud. He had a few colleagues whom he trusted to keep silent after those strategy sessions, and apparently Worthington was one of them.
When Standish informed him that he had sold the information Worthington had unwittingly passed on while intoxicated, and that he’d deposited funds into Worthington’s account in payment, Rose’s father had been horrified. He’d tried to return the money, but Standish had already made arrangements to block any deposits to his own bank accounts that came from Worthington. And of course the man hadn’t wanted to call in a third party to complete the transaction on his behalf since he hadn’t wanted anyone to know his shame.
As Rose’s father outlined how he’d kept the money separate from his own funds while he tried to decide what to do next, Standish had begun to hound the man for more information. When he couldn’t coerce Worthington with the promise of more money, he began to threaten his wife and daughter.
As the entries continued, it was clear Worthington was becoming more distraught as the weeks passed. He kept outlining all sorts of outlandish ways in which to extricate himself from the mess he’d unwittingly embroiled himself in. The final entry was only a few lines long, stating that he had failed his family and that to keep them safe, he had to sacrifice his own life and their reputations. He took a small measure of comfort from the fact that Rose was now betrothed to Kerrick and hoped that as his countess, she would be safe.
Brantford forced himself to relax his jaw while reading that last bit. He knew Kerrick and Rose had been forced into a compromising position by Standish, who’d had designs on the man’s current betrothed. Still, it bothered him more than a little to think that Rose had come very close to marrying someone else.
He flipped back over the pages but looked up when Rose entered the bedroom. He set the volume aside and watched in silence as she closed the door firmly behind her. When she turned to face him, her brows were drawn together in a frown. He stood and braced himself for the accusations he knew were coming.
“Why didn’t you tell me about my father’s journal?”
While he’d been expecting the question, he hadn’t expected his own reaction to the hurt he could see in her eyes. “I didn’t think you needed to know.”
She flinched as though he’d struck her. “I see,” she said. “Is there anything else you’re keeping from me?”
He didn’t reply. He didn’t need to.
She sighed. “Of course there is.”
“You asked for my assistance, Rose, and I am providing it to the best of my abilities. But there are things I cannot share with you.”
She looked away, and he waited for her anger or for her demands that he allow her to read the journal.
“I apologize for my overreaction.”
He was caught unaware, something that never happened to him. “You’re not angry?”
“No, of course not. I won’t lie and say that I’m not disappointed, but I understand. And I trust you.”
Something shifted in the vicinity of his chest, unsettling him more than a little.
“I’m not even going to ask to read my father’s journal. We’ll just pretend that I don’t already know you’d deny that request.”
He didn’t reply, and this time it wasn’t because he was playing one of his games. He honestly didn’t know what to say. His wife’s trust humbled him. Instead, he opened his arms and she walked into his embrace. They stood like that for almost a full minute, words jamming in his throat as he considered what to say.
“I’m going to assume we won’t need a maid or valet tonight to undress?” she said when she pulled back to look up at him. Her attempt at an innocent expression had him laughing in response.
Chapter 19
They made the trip to Norfolk in a more leisurely manner over two days. Brantford restrained himself from taking his wife again in the carriage, but it was difficult to resist her temptations. It became something of a game between them, with Rose attempting to draw him from his naturally reserved manner throughout the trip. But in the end, he held out until they settled into an inn for the evening. Not because he had anything against the activity, of course. He resisted because he felt the need to keep himself from falling even further under Rose’s spell.
His growing feelings for his wife were something of a mystery to him. He couldn’t deny he’d been attracted to Rose Hardwick from the start, but she was quite a few years younger than him. He’d never imagined he’d find himself married to the young woman who drew men to her like bees to honey.
And yet when it became clear she was in greater danger than he’d originally imagined, he’d had no misgivings about giving her the protection of his name.
He could no longer maintain the pretense that his actions had stemmed solely from a sense of practicality. No, by that point he’d wanted Rose for himself. Even more of a mystery was the fact that he wasn’t bothered by what he would have formerly considered a weakness.
When they finally neared their destination on the second day, he arranged for the carriage to stop at the neighboring small village instead of going on to the estate.
His reasons for doing so instead of proceeding to Rose’s former home were twofold, but he hadn’t mentioned his intention to avoid the Worthington estate to his wife. First, he didn’t know what was waiting for them at her family’s home and he wanted to ensure it was safe before he allowed her to set foot in the house. He had no way of knowing what Standish might have arranged for the arrival of any of the family members.
His second reason for wanting to stay at this particular inn was the fact that it was frequented by the locals. Rose’s father had run into Standish here and then proceeded to drink too much and spill the secrets that had set them all on thi
s path. Brantford needed to speak to the innkeeper to learn what he remembered of that night. He also hoped to make a few discreet inquiries of the locals.
Rose waited until they were shown to their room before asking, “Is there a reason we’re not staying at the house?”
He’d never been one to explain his actions, but at that moment he wanted to do just that. He had to resist the temptation to tell her too much.
“We’ll make our way there tomorrow. I need to speak to the innkeeper while we’re here. He knows your father and might have information I need.”
“You could have returned to the inn to do that after we were settled at home.”
He took her hands in his. “I didn’t want to let you out of my sight.”
Rose’s eyes softened, her mouth lifting in a smile. “I feel the same. But we’ll be apart if you’re going to spend the evening downstairs. No doubt you’ll be lurking in a dark corner, watching all the comings and goings. And before long, someone will tell you everything about what’s been happening in the village and the surrounding area.”
Her observation surprised him. “How is it you know me so well?”
“I probably shouldn’t confess this, but during all those balls and routs, when I was doing my part to appear eager for all the attention I was receiving from others, more often than not I was watching you.”
“It appears we were both doing the same thing then. Although in my case I suppose I was attempting to appear bored with all the attention. Not that I had to try very hard.”
Her smile faltered as a thought occurred to her. “Do you think when you go downstairs that there will be gossip about my family?”
The Unaffected Earl Page 13