The Trouble With These Gentlemen (The BainBridge - Love & Challenges) (The Regency Romance Story)

by Jessie Bennett

  Shawn and Elizabeth laughed with him as they seated themselves. “We have had a quiet few years, Sam,” the duke replied. “It seems the older we become, the more peaceful our lives are.”

  “I haven’t heard that before, Uncle,” Sam said quizzically. “I have heard that the time goes by faster with every year that passes. But no one else has told me it becomes more peaceful. I think we do not have much peace in London.” He sighed.

  “What kind of crime do you encounter there, Sam?” Elizabeth asked curiously. “Is it so very dangerous? I find it hard to imagine anywhere but Fairfield.”

  “Fairfield?” Sam chuckled gently. “Your grace, the crime here in Fairfield is nearly nonexistent. If you want to see a real den of iniquity, you have to go to a large town, frequently visited and the most populated of all England. London, for example.”

  Elizabeth raised a brow. “It seems obtuse, does it not? To commit crimes in a place so densely populated? Would they not be more successful here in Fairfield, where they would not be caught as easily?”

  Sam raised his eyebrows, tipping his head in her direction. “Caught as easily? I would it was easy to catch them in London, your grace.” The tips of his lips lifted in a smile. His eyes twinkled merrily at her. “And mayhap it would be, were we facing only the odd theft or some crooked dealings. In London, we have not only crooks and thieves. We face so much, and all the time we work around the wayward children, all over the streets of London. It’s as though they’ve never had parents. Many are thieves themselves, but I turn a blind eye to them.”

  Elizabeth nodded, and Shawn frowned. “You should not have to, nephew.”

  Sam tilted his head to the side. “No, I should not. But what else can I do? They are hungry.”

  Shawn and Elizabeth looked at each other sadly. The door to the kitchen swung open, and Beatrice and Emma came through bearing large round trays. Each tray held two covered platters. They set the platters down on the table skillfully and gave the duke a respectful curtsy before leaving the room as quietly as they had entered.

  Sam eyed the roast ham in front of him as the footman removed the cover. “This is going to be the best meal I have had in a long time, Uncle. I can feel it.”

  Shawn beamed at him. “I hope so, Sam! But you must continue to tell us about your work in London. Have you faced any challenging cases?”

  “Indeed I have,” Sam said, sighing as he remembered them. “I have solved several cases that I thought I would never come to understand. But, at times, it is not possible. In fact, there are a handful of cases I have yet to solve.”

  “No.” Elizabeth shook her head. “I find that hard to believe. As intelligent as you are, as charismatic? I cannot believe there is anything that can get past you.”

  Sam stood up from his chair, pushing it back with his knees and gave the duchess a deep bow, placing one hand in front of him and the other behind his back. “Thank you, your grace. You give me far more credit than I deserve.”

  She smiled as he sat down, blue eyes regarding him warmly. “Do you see? How can anyone lie to you? You are simply charming.”

  Sam pulled his chair a little closer to the table, returning her smile. “I appreciate those words, Aunt Elizabeth. However, I must admit my failings. These cases I speak of, they are not ordinary cases. They involve many tangled webs, and I could only untangle them so far. I might find I have to resort to some other means for finding out the truth. People do lie, your grace. Despite my charisma and charm.” He grinned at her, inclining his head.

  “And good looks,” Elizabeth added for good measure. She looked at Shawn. “He is so much like you when you were that age.”

  “I was never a charismatic, handsome detective though, was I?” Shawn grinned at her and raised a brow at Sam. “Be careful. The duchess has set her eyes on you.”

  Elizabeth gasped, covering her smiling lips with one hand. “Shawn! Don’t say such things. What would be said if that got out in society? The ton would laugh, I am certain of it.”

  “Oh, I am certain of it, as well, my love.” Shawn laughed.

  Elizabeth narrowed her pretty eyes at him. “I am not certain whether that is a compliment or an insult.”

  Shawn had stopped laughing and was looking at his wife with great admiration. “I meant only they would think no such thing of you, my dear Liz. I would not insult you.”

  Sam squirmed slightly in his seat, feeling slightly uncomfortable. The intimate love between his aunt and uncle was something that was new to him. He cleared his throat, his eyes down on the plate in front of him. The footman had filled it with a deliciously-scented broth. He desperately wanted to eat but his aunt and uncle had not so much as lifted a spoon to take a bite. Perhaps they were waiting for him? He had been out of society for so long he had almost forgotten his manners. He just knew his stomach would soon be growling loudly enough for both of his relatives to hear it.

  “Shall we eat?” Elizabeth said, much to his relief.

  “Yes,” Shawn replied. “I will say grace.”

  Sam tried not to groan outwardly. He did not want his uncle to think he did not want to say grace. He knew the Worthingtons were an unusually devout family. But he had no idea if Shawn would follow the usual mode or if he would make a sermon of it. He bowed his head, saying a quick prayer of his own that Shawn would say a two-minute prayer.

  “Bless us, Our Father, Thy gifts to our use and us to Thy service; for Christ’s sake. Amen. Thank you also for our nephew Sam, who has come to visit, and we pray You grant him a time of peace from the crime he faces daily.”

  Thankful for the short prayer, Sam immediately lifted his spoon. He was ready to taste the sweet ham on his tongue that the footman had revealed from underneath the covered salver. He had not enjoyed a good meal for some time. He ate wherever he could find an inn in London and he never knew what to expect. His favorite tavern made delicious meals, but it was in the least-salubrious quarter and he did not visit if he did not have to. It was a shame. He had always thought that if he ever needed a cook, he would find out who cooked in that tavern and hire them.

  “It is a good thing that you face challenges in your work,” Elizabeth said, lifting her spoon to her lips and sipping the hot soup. “I imagine it makes it much more interesting.”

  Sam nodded. “It is, yes.”

  “Do you have plans for Christmas? It is only a few short months away.”

  “I do not, as a matter of fact. I have no wife and no children and so Christmas seems somewhat immaterial. My parents…” He smiled at Shawn. “...as you know, are in the Americas. So I will be alone this Christmas.”

  “You must try to come back and celebrate with us!” Elizabeth sounded excited. “And you cannot say now that you will be alone,” she added archly. “Perhaps we will find a woman for you before then.”

  Sam laughed. “Thank you, Aunt. But I do not think I have the time to invest in marriage. I am run off my feet by my employment. I am one of only twenty inspectors in Charing Cross. And the other inspectors almost all have families. Someone will need to take care of crime while they are held down at their homes.”

  “If you are able, please come. If you cannot, we do understand.” Shawn gave Elizabeth a gentle warning look not to pursue the line of questioning.

  “London is a beautiful place,” Sam said in between bites, finding that he was getting full quickly. They had finished the soup and moved on to the ham, and his stomach seemed unused to such rich food. “But especially in the East End, there are people who must be protected. For every criminal, there is a victim. And they are the ones for whom I work. To see that each victim gets justice.”

  “You mentioned you do not see only thefts or crookery. So what sort of crimes do you encounter then?” Elizabeth gave him a fascinated look as she cut into a slice of ham.

  “I would say that above all else, we deal with drunkenness, assaults, and theft. There are assaults even against our newly-trained policemen, but I must say that sometimes I have my
sympathy with the assaulters.” He chuckled mirthlessly. “Some of our force are poorly-trained and I have caught several myself who were drunk on their beat. Why should a victim of crime approach such a man? There is little trust so far. For myself, though, I must say I have been met with respect. I am proud of my work and I like the challenges.”

  “And – pardon me, my love – you have been combating prostitution?”

  Sam shook his head sadly. “No, Uncle. I cannot in all conscience arrest those women. Those who are selling their bodies have a reason for doing so. They need to eat. They need to have clothes to wear and shoes on their feet: not that they all have shoes.” He looked down at his plate, distressed. “I am led in that, as all things, by my conscience.”

  “I know you are, Sam.” Shawn nodded. “I have heard good things about you.”

  “Thank you, Uncle Shawn. I appreciate your words.”

  “I was speaking to the—“

  Shawn did not finish his sentence. All three of them turned to the door as it burst open. A woman came through, followed closely by the butler, Joshua.

  “Your grace, your grace!” The woman ran directly to Shawn and fell to her knees next to his chair, lowering her head and sobbing into her hands.

  Shawn leaned over to place his hands on her shoulders. He glanced over to see that Elizabeth had jumped up from her chair and was reaching to help the woman to her feet.

  “Annette!” she said.

  “Annette… what has happened?” the duke asked.

  The woman continued to sob for a few more minutes. She finally lifted her head and looked at both of them. “My husband… Joseph. Joseph has died!”

  “What?” Shawn looked taken aback. “Has he been ill?”

  Annette shook her head jerkily. “No, no. He has not been ill. He has been in excellent health. We… we have been very hap… happy. We have plans for… Christmas and… his family is… coming. Oh, your grace, I don’t know what to do.”

  “I don’t understand. How did he die?”

  To be continued….

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  ALSO BY JESSIE BENNETT

  Faces of Love Series

  1. LINK: Book 1 - Thawing A Duke’s Heart

  2. LINK: Book 2 - The Lady’s Torn Heart

  3. LINK: Book 3 - A Brazen Lady And The Shunned Duke

  The Chronicles of Loyalty Series

  1. LINK: Revealing A Marchioness’s Heart

  The Inheritance Saga Series

  1. LINK: To Capture The Duke’s Heart

  LINK: To Love A Viscount

  The Fairbank Series

  Prequel LINK: The Marquess’ Temptation

  1. LINK: The Marquess’ Curse (Love & Hearts)

  2. LINK: More For A Duke (The Familial Adventures)

  3. LINK: Loving The Reluctant Viscount (Love & Hearts)

  4. LINK: Duke’s Forbidden Love (Love & Hearts)

  5. LINK: The Earl’s Unexpected Journey of Love (Love & Hearts)

  6. LINK: Winning The Indecisive Duke

  7. LINK: The Gentleman’s Impossible Task

  LINK : The Duke’s Dark Secret (Truth & Lies)

  The BainBridge Series

  1. LINK: The Trouble With These Gentlemen (Love & Challenges)

  Acknowledgement

  Thank you for taking your time and energy to read “The Trouble With These Gentlemen”. Without your continuous support, I would not have written this book.

  Wherever you are, I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart. I also want to thank my wonderful Facebook fans, my advance copy reviewers and beta readers in advance for making this series a success

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  Publisher’s Notes

  This book is copyright © 2016 & 2017 by JESSIE BENNETT & CARLTON HOUSE PUBLISHING CO.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to real or dead people, places, or events are not intentional and are the result of coincidence. The characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. All rights reserved.

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