by Jun, Kristi
Her brother would murder her if he heard this conversation now. He would expound that she was a gentlewoman with impeccable breeding and ancestry, and it would be an abomination to think to marry beneath her. This was true in her reality, but in her heart, none of this mattered. Yet she could not ignore the fact that her brother had been her guardian and protector since their parents’ deaths. He had made it his sole duty to make sure she married well—that was the promise he had made to his parents before they passed so many years ago.
“It’s mere fascination, that is all, Kate.”
Kate’s brows rose. “Have you seen your face when he enters the room?”
Emily touched her blushing cheek. “Really, Kate. You know the man doesn’t even know I exist.”
Kate’s brows rose again. “Have you seen his face when you enter the room?”
“Actually, I have,” Emily said. “He seems quite irritated every time he is in my presence.”
“Precisely,” Kate said.
“I don’t understand.”
“Believe me, he would not behave so if he didn’t like you.”
“I doubt that,” Emily said. “Besides, my brother would never approve of this.” Soon, she was to have an introduction to Lord Foley. Kate must have forgotten about this. Why else would she bring this up?
“Because he is an American?”
Oh, God, no. If it were truly up to her, she wouldn’t care in the least if he were a stable hand. But that was not her reality, and she knew this fact. Nearly five years ago, she had thought she loved another man, and she had followed her heart fearlessly and eloped with him to Gretna Green. But that turned out to be a grave mistake when the man she thought she loved discovered he would not get a single penny of her inheritance.
She knew from then on, she could not trust her own emotions. Yet, here she was again, allowing emotions to wreak havoc on her life. In truth, there was a big part of her that wanted to know what it felt like to marry for affection. How would her brother respond to this? She already knew what he’d say.
“I have learned a long time ago that my position comes with certain responsibility.”
“I don’t believe that,” Kate said. “What about Amelia? She isn’t a daughter of a duke or an earl. She was poor and lived in the slums with her mother. Did that matter to Lord Blackthorn?”
“Lord Blackthorn is a rarity, and he is a man. They live by a different rule, I am afraid.” Kate was in love, and with such feelings came this conviction that anything was possible, but that wasn’t realistic for most people. “Besides, weren’t you the one who said Mr. Hawk isn’t very interesting and a brute?”
Kate’s lips pulled up in amusement. “I confess it was because I was angry with him. Very angry actually. After all, he wanted me hanged.”
Harris had framed Kate, and Johnathan thought she was involved in Ethan’s death. “He was grieving and angry. I understand how painful it is to lose family.” She paused, thinking about what she had just said. She surmised it would be terribly painful to lose a wife and an infant child.
“Do you want to know the truth?” Kate asked. “The truth about Johnathan and Anna?”
Johnathan’s wife? Did she want to know? There was a big part of her that wanted to know his pain. “Go on . . .”
“Please do not speak of this to anyone, or he will be very, very angry with me.”
“Of course, it shall remain with me.”
“He married her to defy his father,” Kate started. “His father had planned out his entire life since he’d been born. Not unlike the society you know. He attended elite schools, had the best tutors and the best of everything; his father even picked out a woman for him to marry.”
Sympathy tugged at Emily’s heart. She knew the kind of life Kate was describing. She wasn’t certain if she wanted to know more, but curiosity won over. “Who was she?”
“A daughter of a banker. He refused, and when he was informed he would be taking over the family business and needed a respectable wife, he left home. His father disowned him.”
“If I may ask, how do they make their living?”
“Johnathan’s family owns multiple hotels and made most of their money from real estate investments, among other things.”
“He left home and married Anna to defy his father?”
“There is a lot of history there, but yes, that is what happened.”
“His father would fit in well in London,” Emily added, recalling her upcoming audience with Lord Foley, a prospective husband that matched her breeding. Her heart seemed to go out to Johnathan at discovering this new information. In fact, she was beginning to think maybe getting to know this man wasn’t such a good idea.
“Did he . . . care for her?” Emily asked. As soon as she did, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear the response.
“She was a humble woman, a farmer’s daughter. She loved him deeply.”
Kate watched Emily for a few seconds, as if reading her expression. Emily tried to hide it as much as she could, but it was useless in front of Kate. “I see . . .”
“He didn’t love her,” Kate said, watching her friend closely.
There was rather a sense of guilty pleasure with this knowledge. Of course, she felt horrible for what had happened to them, but this guilty pleasure made her feel uneasy. “Had he ever . . . been in love?”
Kate shook her head. “His life doesn’t give him much time for that, I fear. That is why I had hoped that this . . . union would finally give him hope to find some peace in his life.”
Union? Emily shook her head. “I am the last person for him.”
Again, this information made her heart jump guiltily. Emily wondered how Kate was privy to this information. Perhaps her close relationship with his family allowed such private knowledge?
Every time she learned something about him, her heart seemed to tug a little more at what he had been through.
“My brother has other plans for me, remember?” Emily reminded Kate of Lord Foley. Kate looked as though she might interject, so Emily continued. “I’ve made some mistakes in my life that do not afford me the freedom to simply choose whom I wish to marry. I have made a promise to my brother that I will marry the man he approves of.”
“You’re speaking of your elopement five years ago?”
She nodded. “If I am wholeheartedly honest, I was humiliated. Utterly disappointed. Not only because I thought I loved him, but because I could no longer trust my own emotions to see clearly. And after all that is said, it is my duty to do what is right for the family.”
“Doing the right thing and what your heart wants are entirely two different things. I know you want to do what is right, but you should consider all your options.”
“Kate, I thank you for your help, but I am not in love with Mr. Hawk. It’s merely a fascination. Really, that is all.”
Kate gave her a faint smile.
“Now enough about me. When is Mr. Roberts coming home?”
Kate’s mouth pulled into a wide smile. “I suspect he won’t be back for a while.”
Mr. Roberts had remained in Southampton to assist the marshal. “I can’t believe Mr. Harris shot his own son.” When she discovered Mr. Harris had attempted to shoot Johnathan but had shot his own son instead by accident, she hadn’t believed it. How could a father shoot his own son and run off?
“I suspect he wanted to do more than just shoot Johnathan. The man is ruthless,” Kate concluded.
“I do hope he will be all right.”
Kate reached out and touched her friend’s hand to reassure her. “I hope so too.”
“I feel awful for you, dear friend,” Emily said to Kate. “If it wasn’t for this, you and Mr. Roberts would be celebrating your engagement.”
“We are not officially engaged,” Kate said.
“But you will be and
we will have to celebrate.”
Kate smiled widely again.
“I am so happy for you. I know how difficult it has been for you the last several weeks.” Why was it every time she uttered the word happy, Mr. Hawk suddenly appeared in her mind?
“And I wish the same for you . . . to be happy.”
Emily could not embrace that thought, at least not until she had a chance to meet Lord Foley. She told herself to keep her mind open, but how could she be happy marrying a man who had been rumored to have killed his wife? A sudden melancholy tugged at her heart at this knowledge. For heaven’s sake, she chided. Lord Foley may turn out to be a fine man. Why hadn’t she thought that?
The sudden pitch of familiar voices in the foyer alerted them, but one in particular caught her attention and she froze. She felt her lips part, taking air into her lungs. Her head jerked to the door, realizing who was behind it. Her body reacted before she could think straight. What on earth was she doing?
Both women stood, looking in the direction of the door. Walking out to the foyer where the men were handing off their coats to the footman, Kate immediately went to Mr. Roberts’s side. Amelia walked down the stairs to embrace her husband.
In the awkwardness of it all, Emily stood there looking at Mr. Hawk and gave him a faint smile. He didn’t return the greeting. Instead, his sharp blue eyes glared back at her. Goodness, the man looked utterly handsome.
And clearly annoyed.
Heavens, he looked savage. His dirty blond hair was swept back as if it had been blowing in the wind for hours, framing his chiseled face. His white cravat was loose against his crimson vest that was outlined by his dark waistcoat. There was a splash of dirt on his cravat and a visible cut that was beginning to heal right above it where the stubble began.
Her fingers itched to touch the stubble on his face. Honestly, the man looked as though he hadn’t a bath or changed in days. Her stomach lurched at the thought of him bathing . . . in warm, soothing water with her.
Lady Emily Wentworth was the last person he wanted to see.
Not because he didn’t want to see her, but because she was far too tempting. And that meant trouble for both parties. The beauty stood perfectly still, watching him. The air between them seemed to perfume, and it stirred something in him. God, she was stunning. Of course, a woman like her who had the attention of the opposite sex and the world in her hand knew what she possessed.
My God, she looked like a fresh spring flower with her pale pink dress that flowed down like a waterfall and that dainty, silk-like neck that he wanted to bury himself in and smell that fragrance of hers. He wondered foolishly what she would she smell like . . . taste like.
Lady Wentworth had looked at him with such intensity when she walked out of the parlor that it threw him off guard. She was like a breath of fresh air. Her brown eyes were full of hope and . . . maybe innocence?
But something else too. Something he didn’t want to find out. But it was too late, and it was impossible to look away as he caught the glimmer of sadness behind those deep brown eyes full of spring light.
He looked away. She’s not for you. Besides, he wouldn’t know what to do with a delicate, well-bred daughter of a duke even if he had the opportunity. They were from two entirely different worlds.
Damn, why was she here? No matter, he didn’t plan to remain here long. In fact, he intended to return to Boston as soon as Harris was apprehended. Hopefully, Daniel would be well enough to journey back to Boston.
He’d been away far too long. He wanted to pay his respects to his late wife and child on the two-year anniversary of their deaths.
“How is Daniel?” Amelia asked, approaching and breaking his thoughts.
“He’ll live,” Johnathan said.
“Where is he now?” Kate asked.
“Roberts’s residence for now,” Blackthorn said.
“Why not bring him here?” Amelia asked.
“Because, my love, Daniel’s father is still out there, and I don’t want to risk him coming here to try and see him,” Blackthorn said to his wife as he kissed her forehead.
“I see,” Amelia said.
“There are men searching for him now in Southampton,” Roberts added.
Lady Blackthorn excused herself after explaining Frances was ill. Then Kate and Roberts excused themselves too, perhaps to celebrate their recent engagement, and Emily and Johnathan suddenly found themselves alone in the foyer.
Oh, hell.
Bloody, bloody, hell.
“Lady Wentworth,” Johnathan said. “If you’ll—"
“Will you be staying at Blackthorn Hall very long, Mr. Hawk?” she said before he could finish his sentence.
This caught him off guard. Not what she said, but her tone. There was desperation there. “For a day or so. I plan to return to Southampton to find Harris.”
“I see.”
She seemed hesitant to speak again, as if she had something else to add. Why the hell was he still standing here? “I must see to my business,” he said. What business?
The business of putting as much distance between him and Lady Wentworth, that’s what. Then he quickly turned and walked away like an ass.
Chapter 3
Johnathan Hawk dropped to his knees in front of the two freshly placed gravestones.
One for Anna, his wife.
And one for his son—barely a week old.
Why them? It would be better off if he was dead, better for everyone. The two guiltless souls buried before him didn’t deserve this. Hot tears burned behind his eyes and trickled down his warm cheeks.
A lump of guilt lodged in his throat and his heart ached. This wretched life he’d been given had proved to be nothing but regrets and bane and brought torment to those around him. Anna would be alive if not for him. So would his child . . .
Johnathan opened his eyes and gripped the hilt of his pistol with his hand, his finger on the trigger. He’d been dreaming again. Same damn scene in the Granary Burying Ground in Boston where his family were buried.
He stood from the chair he was sitting on, pulled the curtains aside, and looked out. The streets were still busy even at this time of night, and it would be a perfect time to hide among the crowd and watch the house.
At this point in his life, he didn’t give a damn if he lived or died, as long as Harris was behind bars. He looked around Roberts’s guest bedchamber and saw Daniel watching him.
“When did you wake up?”
“Just now,” Daniel said, sitting up on his bed.
“What is the matter? Do you want me to call the doctor?”
“I am well,” he said. “I’m just concerned that Father might try to see me. I don’t wish to put anyone in harm’s way.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Hawk said. “Just focus on getting well for when we return to Boston.” Roberts had asked one of the runners from Bow Street to remain here with him starting tomorrow. It should be safe enough. Kate was to remain at Blackthorn Hall, so everyone was safe for now.
Daniel’s face morphed, the concern in his eyes clear.
“What is it exactly you’re worried about? That he will try to hurt you or take you with him?” Johnathan asked.
“I am not concerned for me,” he said. “I am concerned for those that may get in his way.”
“You’re speaking of me?”
He nodded. “I believe you are on the top of his list,” he admitted. “When he had his men go after Ethan, I didn’t want to believe my father could do such a thing . . . If only I could have done something, maybe . . . just maybe he didn’t have to die.”
Johnathan ran his hand down his face. He’d kept himself busy because it was a necessity, but now the thought of Ethan, his innocent brother, dead because of that perpetrator made him want to wrap his fingers around his scrawny neck and slowly drain the life out
of him.
“You are innocent in this and you have nothing to feel guilty about,” Hawk said. “Do you know where he might be headed?”
Daniel gave it a thought for a minute. “Other than Boston?” he started. “I don’t know of a place he may try to escape to.”
“If you think of anything, call on me.” He walked to the desk and scribbled down the address and the name of the hotel on a piece of paper and handed it to Daniel. “Anything.”
Johnathan needed to get back to his hotel and check for any updates from the men in Southampton and Dover. “There will be someone here tomorrow to keep you safe.”
Chapter 4
The Kemp Manor
Emily Wentworth nearly choked on tears.
It was not supposed to happen this way.
She had briefly discussed marriage with her brother and agreed to meet Lord Foley. That was the extent of the conversion. And now Lord Foley was here in the parlor, gazing at her as if she were a prized horse.
At her first glance at him, she felt a chill run over her spine. His eyes looked empty, almost black, as if a ghost gazed back at her. The sprinkle of gray at his receding hairline indicated he was in his mid to late sixties. And he walked with an ornate cane in his right hand, yet he had no limp in his gait, but these things weren’t what left her feeling unsettled. It was the rumor that her prospective husband had attempted to murder his late wife. How could this be happening?
The first words out of his mouth weren’t “lovely to meet you” or anything that resembled breeding. Instead, Lord Foley walked around her as if she were livestock to be inspected. “Indeed, she will do just fine,” he said to her brother, smiling.
Her brother gave him a bothersome look, and she hoped desperately that he would toss Lord Foley out that instant, but he didn’t.
“You will assure me that Lady Wentworth will be treated with due respect,” the Duke of Kemp said.
Lord Foley cleared his throat and said, “Of course, Your Grace. After all, she will be my wife soon.”
If he was benevolent enough and genuinely wished to make a life with her, she’d do her duty and marry the man her brother chose for her. But that wasn’t the case, because as Lord Foley stood next to her, he glared at her arse and proceeded to touch her behind with his appalling hand. Her initial instinct was to slap his hand away, but instead she stood there in disbelief.