The Earl of Morrey

by Lauren Smith

  Gillian pressed two gloved fingers against her nose and looked as though she might sneeze.“Heavens, some champagne just went up my nose.”

  “And now I’ve ruined the carpet. Poor Mrs. Hadaway—she’ll have to have it scrubbed.”

  By the time the guests had all departed, only Caroline remained behind with them in the dining room.Even James and Gillian had to return to little Gabriel.

  “Letty, would you like to rest a bit? I’m sure you could use a bit of food and drink too. You scarcely had a moment to breathe, let alone eat,” Caroline observed. “What do you say? I can have Mrs. Oxley send a tray to your room.”

  It sounded heavenly, but Letty sought to catch Adam’s eye, wondering what he might prefer. It was halfpast three in the afternoon, and she remembered he had mentioned he needed to meet with his steward.

  “My lord—Adam,” she corrected herself. “Are you still intending to meet with your steward today?”

  Her husband sighed. “I’m afraid I must. Now that I’m to live at Chilgrave for the foreseeable future, there are some changes that need to be made to the estate.”

  “Should I go with you?” Letty suggested. She wished to be a part of his life, and especially to be involved as Chilgrave’s new mistress. Not all men allowed their wives into the sanctum of estate stewardship, and she hoped Adam wasn’t one of those.

  “You look tired. Rest today, but next time you’ll come with me to meet Walpole.”

  “Promise?” Letty reached out to touch his hand.

  His silver-and-gray eyes softened again. “I promise. We are partners from now on.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that,” Letty admitted. “I wasn’t sure if you were the sort of man who would allow his wife to be involved in estate matters.”

  “If you know nothing else about me, know that I believe a wife is her husband’s equal, no matter what the laws of England say.” There was no hint of deception in his voice, only honesty.

  “Well, you had better go if you plan to be back in time for dinner,” Caroline said.

  “You’re right—I must go. And you must rest.” Adam headed for the front door, still wearing his wedding clothes. Letty followed behind, a sudden sense of concern for her husband forming a pit in her stomach.

  “Adam, you’ll be careful?”

  “Yes, I will. As will you,” he reminded her, and she nodded, wanting desperately to say something or do something more before he left.

  Adam pulled Letty to him and kissed her hard before letting her go. “I will be back as soon as I can.”

  With a whirl of his cloak, he left to mount his horse before the front stepsand then rode away from her on their wedding day.

  6

  Adam dismounted outside the village of Hemsley and took a moment to stretch his legs as he made his way to the office of his steward, Henry Walpole. It gave him a moment to once again reflect upon the new direction his life had taken.

  I’m married.

  He smiled at the memory of Letty standing beside him at the altar. She’d looked so dazed, as dazed as he’d felt on the inside, that he’d felt compelled to flash her a wink to get her to smile. Then he’d lost his control in the coach on the way back to Chilgrave, but knowing she was his, finally, a bride of his own—he’d gone a bit mad to kiss her and hold her. Then he’dseen the way she’d responded to his more commanding side, the way she’d let him give chase to her, and how her pulse had beat and her eyes had been wide and full of an excitement that matched his own.

  I’m a bloody blessed man to have a wife who embraces passion as she does.

  A sudden tightness in his breeches made him wince. The hour-long ride to Hemsley had done little to ease his amorous thoughts. He ought not to be thinking of bedding his wife, not when he still had business to settle. The sooner he was done here, the sooner he could get back to properly bed her.

  Adam passed the reins of his horse off to a waiting groom and approached the small stone building that served as Henry’s office.

  A man of Adam’s age got to his feet, shoving aside a stack of papers he’d been sorting on his desk.“My lord!”

  “Henry, how are you?” Adam asked.

  “Excellent, quite excellent. I wish you congratulations. The village has been abuzz with the news of the new Lady Morrey.”

  “Thank you. I’m sorry you could not come.”

  “As am I. But the urgent missives from London kept me away.”

  Adam took a seat opposite Henry as the man pulled a stack of letters out of a pile and handed them to him. Underneath the letters from Adam’s bankers and solicitors in London were other messages of a more serious nature.

  Henry was not only his steward for the Chilgrave estate, but was also his contact with Avery Russell whenever he was here. Henry had proved trustworthy, and Adam had brought him in to work with the Home Office two years ago.

  Adam reviewed the documents and cursed. There had been another attempt upon Lady Edwards’s life. The reins of the horses on her private coach had been cut, and she and Lord Edwards had nearly perished in a carriage crash. The letter relayed that Avery had sent the pair of them to take refuge in Ireland in order to hide them on an Irish estate until it was safe to bring them home. French spies rarely visited Ireland. The distrust toward foreigners there extended not only to the British but also to the French, and the French were far easier to notice.

  “I’m beginning to believe Lady Edwards, like Avery Russell, has nine lives,” he told Henry. It was something Caroline had always said of Avery, and now he was quite certain it applied to the daring lady spy as well. He could only imagine the shock on Lord Edwards’s face when he’d learned of his wife’s activities in France.

  “I quite agree. Thankfully, Lady Edwards has the devil’s own luck.” Henry settled into his desk chair and folded his hands over his stomach while he waited for Adam to finish reviewing his estate correspondence, as well as the missives from London from both the Home Office and Whitehall.

  “I need you to send a message to Avery. Tell him I’m increasing security at Chilgrave. If he plans any unexpected visits, have him come to you first.”

  “Of course. And what are these new security arrangements?”

  “I wish for you to find some local able-bodied and sound-minded men who will be loyal to the House of Morrey. Men who won’t drink themselves into a stupor or fall asleep while on duty. I want regular patrols in the forest around the edge of the estate, and double them at night and just before dawn.”

  “Anything else?” Henry inquired.

  “I also want more grooms in the Chilgrave stables and increased pay for the staff. Anyone who believes they aren’t making enough may be willing to sell information, perhaps even access to my wife.”

  “You truly think she’s in danger?”

  Adam nodded.

  Henry sighed. “Bloody French. Can’t even have a proper honeymoon without worrying some French fellow will stab you in the back.”

  “Yes, you’d think a country of romantics would have more respect for such matters. However, we have enough to worry about.” Adam tapped the letter from Whitehall on his knee. “Thistlewood is back in play.”

  Arthur Thistlewood was a man determined to overthrow Parliament. He was an anarchist who believed the government and the Crown were only out to oppress. If he could not overthrow Parliament, he would attack it with everything he possessed.

  “Christ, will we never be rid of that fellow? What has the Home Office to say?”

  “Well, Edward Shengoe has infiltrated the group. Apparently, the conspirators have formed a group called the British Patriotic Benevolent Association.”

  “Charming of them to throw the word benevolent in there.”

  Adam smirked. “I thought the same. Mr. Shengoe sent the Home Office a copy of the group’s rules and their statements and sentiments. They are meeting mainly in various pubs in Spitalfields, Bermondsey, and West Smithfield.”

  “That’s rather provident of them. Th
ey’re being more cautious this time,” Henry mused.

  “Yes, well, most of them have spent a great deal of time in a jail cell. No one wants to end up on the gallows like Jeremiah Brandreth and his men for their revolutionary antics.”

  Adam had not been employed by the Home Office in 1817, but he remembered that awful day at FriarGate jail in Derby when the hanging of Jeremiah Brandreth and his comrades had occurred. Several thousand people had packed the streets outside the jail. Adam had struggled to get his horse through the crowds and had finally given up. He’d caught sight of the scaffolds, and as if drawn by some hand of fate, he had moved closer, not knowing that the men who were to die that day would change his fate.

  A group of sheriff’s officials sat on horseback, armed with javelins, protecting the back of the scaffold to prevent any last-minute rescue attempt. Jeremiah Brandreth, the so-called Nottingham Captain, was the first to climb the steps to stand beneath the trio of nooses. His cool stare upon the crowd unnerved Adam.

  “God be with you all, and Lord Castlereagh too!” Jeremiah called out, standing resolute. The executioner removed a black silk handkerchief around his neck and replaced it with a noose.

  The next man, William Turner, was less accepting of his fate. He cried out, “This is all Oliver and the government. The Lord have mercy on my soul!” The prison chaplain, in an attempt to disrupt this, placed himself between the two prisoners and the crowd.

  The last man, Isaac Ludlam, climbed the steps, his lips moving over and over in fervent prayer, but the chaplain prayed louder, drowning out the doomed man’s voice. The Lord’s Prayer was recited, and then the executioner placed a cap over each man’s head.

  At halfpast, the lever was pulled, and the three traitors dropped. Brandreth and Turner died quickly, but Ludlam kicked and struggled for several minutes. Adam’s stomach knotted, and he covered his mouth at the horrific sight.

  “It is a dark day when a man’s voice is silenced simply because he disagrees with those in power,” a man standing beside Adam said.

  “I agree,” Adam replied. “They were traitors, no question, but when a country loses its ability to have discourse, it drives men to commit treasonous acts. Who then is at fault? The man or the country who silenced him?”

  “Indeed, that’s the difficulty we face,” the man replied solemnly, then held out a hand and introduced himself. “John Wilhelm.”

  Adam shook his hand. “Adam Beaumont.”

  Adam had had no way of knowing then that this first meeting with John would change his life. The easy friendship between them had only deepened over the next few years as John had fallen in love with Adam’s sister, Caroline. John had been murdered just a few months before they were to be married.

  So often, Adam replayed that first meeting in Derby. Had John known then that his work at the Home Office would cause his death and compel Adam to follow in that same line of work? Would it have made a difference if Adam could step back through time and warn his friend of what lay waiting for him on that lonely bridge at midnight?

  Adam gave a shake of his head, clearing his mind. The past needed to stay in the past.

  “Henry, keep me informed as to your progress in finding men to patrol Chilgrave and let me know if Avery Russell intends to visit.”

  “Yes, my lord.” Henry collected the papers of a dangerous nature, now that Adam had reviewed them, and tossed them into the nearby lit fireplace. The flames soon consumed the documents completely. If anyone were to break into this room now, it would simply appear to belong to an estate steward.

  “Congratulations again, my lord. Do try to enjoy your honeymoon.” Henry’s tone was once again teasing.

  Collecting his hat, Adam stood and headed for the door. “I will endeavor to do just that.”

  “Do you remember that childhood game girls used to play with cherry stones or flower petals?” Letty asked. She and Caroline had just finished dining. The dinner table had felt empty with only the two of them there, so they’dchosen to sit close together by the tall fireplace.

  Caroline grinned. “It’s been ages since I thought of that. My nanny taught it to me. How does it go again?”

  “Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief,” Letty recited. How often had she tossed cherry stones and counted them with these words? Little girls used to predict their future husbands this way. It was a silly child’s game, but for some reason it came back to her today.

  Caroline rested her chin in her hand, a bemused smile on her lips.“Whatever made you think of that?”

  “Well, it seems that I want to keep changing the lyrics to Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy . . .”

  Caroline winced at Letty’s replacement word. “He didn’t choose this life, you know,” she said quietly. She had dismissed the footman a short while ago. There was no chance of their hushed conversation being overheard.

  “How did it happen?” Letty asked. “I need to know. I need to understand.”

  Caroline played with her wineglass. “I suppose I can tell you. It’s almost as much my story as it is Adam’s.”

  Letty took a gulp of wine and waited.

  “In 1817, Adam was passing through Derby, and he witnessed three traitors being hung. It was there that he met Viscount Wilhelm . . . John.” She paused as she used the man’s given name.

  “They formed a fast friendship, but unbeknownst to Adam, it was John who had exposed the three traitors and had them arrested. He worked for the Home Office, you see. John continued in his secret labors, but he and Adam continued to be the best of friends. Adam has always been reserved, even before working for the Crown. He does not easily let people into his circle. But once you win Adam’s trust, he is loyal to you beyond measure.”

  “Lord Wilhelm . . . The name sounds familiar.” Letty couldn’t quite place it, but she knew she’d seen or heard it somewhere before.

  “Two years ago, John and Adam were to meet for dinner, but John never arrived. Adam went in search of him and found John fighting for his life on a bridge with another man.” Caroline’s voice grew tremulous, and her grip on her wineglass made her knuckles turn white.

  “What happened?” Letty whispered.

  “Adam witnessed John’s murder. John fell into the river and never resurfaced. Adam dove in after him, but the effort nearly killed him. John’s body was never found.” Pain flashed in Caroline’s eyes.

  Letty put a hand on her sister-in-law’s arm. “Oh, Caroline. Was Lord Wilhelm the man you had an understanding with?”

  “Yes. I loved him more than anything.” She touched her abdomen and turned anguished eyes upon Letty. “I was carrying his child when Adam told me he was gone. My grief was so great that I became ill and lost the baby, a girl. She was so small, but I held her in my arms. She was the only thing I had left of him, and then she was gone too.”

  “And Adam?”

  “Adam was never the same. He was broken. When the Home Office came to interview him about that night, something happened. I’m not sure whether they recruited him or he volunteered, but the next I knew he was working for them.”

  Letty gave Caroline’s arm another squeeze. “I’m so sorry about the baby. If I had known, I would never have asked.”

  “It’s all right,” Caroline assured her. “You’re family now, and I do want you to know us better, even sad matters of the past.” She looked away toward the fire.

  “This is a crusade for him, isn’t it? To find John’s killer? That’s why he continues to do this work.”

  Caroline nodded. “I know James probably told you that Adam has a more lethal position with the Home Office, but that doesn’t mean he’s a ruthless killer. He’s more of a guardian than an assassin, but unfortunately that means claiming the life of an enemy sometimes. It weighs upon him greatly.”

  Letty couldn’t begin to imagine the gravity of such a burden.

  “He takes much upon himself, so you must give him time to open up,” Caroline advised. “But he will. I know
he cares about you.”

  “He said he does, but I wonder how that can be when we’ve known each other so short a time.” Letty leaned in, a new excitement replacing her sorrow at the story of John Wilhelm, at least partly.

  “Yes, he told me himself that he liked you the first moment he laid eyes upon you.”

  “And I was there trying to discredit Gillian. How could he have possibly liked me then?”

  “You weren’t there to discredit Gillian. You simply wanted answers. You did not know who she was, and so you sought to protect your brother. Trust me, I know the sentiment well.”

  They both fell into silence. Letty finished her wine and blushed. “Caroline, I’m still anxious about tonight . . .”

  “You need not be. Why don’t you go on upstairs and have the servants prepare a bath?”

  “That isn’t a terrible idea,” Letty conceded and bid Caroline good night.

  Half an hour later, she was sinking into a large copper tub, the hot water enveloping her. She giggled a little, then hiccupped. She’d had far too much wine at dinner tonight. It was not at all what she had intended.

  No, that wasn’t true. She had intended to be a little freer with her libations in preparation for her wedding night. The prospect of pain terrified her, and she wasn’t sure she would be up to her wifely duties after all.

  She reached up to touch her hair and giggled again as she realized she was still wearing the extravagant coronet from her wedding. In all of her troubles today, she’d gotten quite used to the weight of the jeweled headpiece and had forgotten it was still on her head.

  Letty sat up in the bathtub and started to remove it, but a deep voice stopped her.

  “Good evening, lady wife.”

  She glanced over her shoulder and went rigid as she realized her husband was standing in her bedchamber, and she was not a dozen feet from him, completely naked.She could feel his eyes upon her in such an exposed and vulnerable state, and it sent her pulse racing.