Sinful Kiss (Sinful Ladies of London Book 2)

by Kristi Jun

  “We all have our part to play in this, don’t we?”

  There was a long length of silence, then he added, “I know about the secret between you and Ethan.”

  “What secret?”

  He was hesitant at first. “About Ethan’s choice of lovers.”

  “You know?”

  He nodded. “It became clear when he was always surrounded by men, men that seemed a little too interested in my brother. You kept him safe from gossip, letting everyone believe he was in love with you. For that, I am grateful. I will do what I can for you in Boston. Mr. Harris is well connected, but so am I.”

  “Thank you.”

  For the duration of the ride, she didn’t say another word. Johnathan placed his head on the seat and closed his eyes. She suspected it was difficult for a man like him to admit he was wrong.

  Looking out the window, she realized this may be the last time she’d see London, her friends, and the girls, even that darn three-legged rat of a dog. Taking in a deep breath, she held back the tears.

  CHAPTER 26

  Lord Blackthorn was in his study writing a letter to his attorney regarding the situation with Kate. And another one to his cousin in Boston. His cousin had once spied for the Crown before he met his wife in New York and married. He asked him to find the best attorney that worked in felony charges and to investigate Mr. Harris’s past and dealings.

  But he knew even with all these resources, they could not beat the witness account of Hr. Harris and his footman, including the jewel that was in Kate’s possession. It would take a miracle for her.

  There was a knock at the door. He said, “Come in.”

  “My lord, there is Mr. Harris here to see you.”

  “What does he want now?”

  “My apologies, my lord. He is Mr. Harris’s son, Mr. Daniel Harris.”

  Mr. Harris’s son? “Bring him in.”

  Daniel stood before him at the threshold, looking like a rather nervous young man. This Harris was an exact copy of his elder, except three decades younger and with a head full of black hair.

  “Your grace,” he said timidly, making an error in addressing the earl. “I am not accustomed to conversing with royalty.”

  “I am not royalty. Please, sit.” The young man took his seat across from his desk and waited. When the young man couldn’t find his speech, Lord Blackthorn added, “What can I do for you?”

  “I understand you spoke to my father.”

  Interesting. How did he know this? “We did. The US marshal was here as well.”

  “I heard Mr. Hawk was on his way here.” He gave a faint smile.

  Interesting, but Blackthorn was confused as to why he wanted this audience with him. “What did you want to discuss?”

  “There is a matter of grave concern that I must share with you.”

  “Go on…” Blackthorn waited. The man was starting to sweat with anxiety. “Do you want a drink?”

  “No, thank you,” Daniel replied. “I know who killed Ethan.”

  Lord Blackthorn went completely still for a moment. Finally. “Who?”

  The young man looked away. “I am ashamed. I’ve been tormented with this knowledge and unable to do anything about it. For two years, I kept this secret and I can no longer do so. If I had the courage, I might have saved Kate the trouble.”

  “You’re here and that’s what is important.”

  “My father is, and I am ashamed to say this, a cruel man.”

  “Go on…”

  “My father did it,” he said quickly. “Or rather his men.”

  “Are you certain it was your father’s men?”

  “It am. I was there the night Ethan was murdered.”

  Blackthorn attentively listened.

  “Ethan escorted Ms. McBride home the evening he died. I was supposed to meet him that night. I was waiting for him in a rented carriage near Ms. McBride’s residence when these three men appeared out of nowhere and spooked the horses. The driver told them to stop, but the three burley men proceeded to drag Ethan out of the carriage and beat him. I recognized one man. He works for my father.”

  “You are certain of this man?”

  “Yes. His name is Bill and I’ve seen him with my father on numerous occasions. My father is always ordering him about.”

  “I appreciate you coming here, but I don’t see why he wanted to hurt Ethan. I thought your father was after the stolen jewel.”

  The young man shook his head. “Ethan was…he was…my lover.”

  Lover? Blackthorn stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. “And?”

  “I am the only son and child. My father discovered us together two months before Ethan was murdered. To put it mildly, he was irate. Threatened to end the relationship if I didn’t stop seeing him or I’d regret it. We refused. My father knew Kate kept our secret and was helping us see each other, too. I suppose that didn’t make my father happy, and he wanted to use her for his own agenda.”

  “So, he knew Kate and what she had done in the past, that she had been a jewel thief?”

  He nodded.

  “How?”

  “Regretfully, I was forced to tell him.”

  “To frame her,” Blackthorn said. The picture was beginning to get clearer.

  “Ethan’s death was a perfect opportunity for his own agenda when he discovered what Kate had been doing for us. Except he didn’t anticipate that the three men would beat Ethan to death, then shot him for good measure.”

  “You are brave for coming all this way to help Ms. McBride.”

  He shook his head. “I am a coward.” He paused. “You see, I was hiding in my carriage when it all happened. A damn coward. I was so afraid. I am ashamed of my father, but I can’t live with knowing that Ms. McBride will suffer the punishment of a crime that she didn’t commit.”

  “What matters is that you are here now.”

  Daniel shook his head. “I owe much to Ms. McBride. She even allowed everyone to believe Ethan was in love with her so that we could avoid the gossip.”

  “Will you speak the truth and tell your father what you saw?”

  He shook his head. “My father does not know I am here.”

  “Then, why are you here?”

  “I thought perhaps I could write an anonymous letter of what I saw and what my father intended to do. My father cannot know I’ve done this. I know he can be a monster at times, but he is still my father. This would be the end of him.”

  “And yet you would allow him to kill the one person you care about and get away with it?”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “Life isn’t simple, young man, but sometimes you have to grow up and do what is just. If you really want to help Ms. McBride, you will need to face your father.”

  He sook his head. “I… I just can’t. I’m sorry.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Roberts didn’t know what to think anymore. And with the new development with his mother’s case, he needed to be by her side.

  By now, Kate should on her way to Southampton.

  The young maid who was in hiding resurfaced and was ready to speak with him regarding the murder. She agreed to meet him at the tavern in Covent Garden, but clearly, she still hesitated.

  His assistant told him the young woman had been hiding at her sister’s house in Hempstead. It took multiple visits and convincing by her older sister that had helped change her mind.

  In the corner seat of the darkened tavern called the Piglet, two women sat close together. Clearly, they didn’t belong here.

  Roberts approached them and sat down. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.” He felt the anticipation pulsating through his veins. But he told himself to not rush the young lady. “You are preventing an innocent woman from being hanged.”

  “Go on…tell him what you told me,” her sister said. “She hasn’t spoken about that night until yesterday. When I found out, I insisted she needed to speak with you.”

  “No harm will come to you. I swe
ar it.”

  The young woman looked up and met his eyes. “I’m ready.”

  “It’s very important you tell me exactly what you remember.”

  “Mrs. Roberts asked me to bring up some tea for her husband that night before I went home. I did as she asked.” She paused, as if looking for the right words.

  “Take your time.”

  “Mr. Roberts reeked of gin… I think it’s gin. I am sorry if I don’t know what he’d been drinking, sir.”

  “It’s all right.”

  “I just did what I was told, and I made the tea.”

  She went silent, as if recalling a horrible memory.

  “What happened next?”

  “I brought up the tea…then I saw him.” She stopped and wept. “He was so angry that night, and I was so frightened he’d hurt Mrs. Roberts again.”

  The maid knew about the beating, he thought with anger in the pit of his stomach. He should have taken his mother home with him years ago.

  “He dragged Mrs. Roberts down the hall. He had a small knife in his hand. He was so angry, calling her all sorts of vicious names.” She wiped away the tears. “I heard her asking him to stop, that he was hurting’ her. Then next thing I know, Mr. Roberts fell down the stairs. There was so much blood.”

  “How did he fall?”

  “I don’t understand?”

  “Did she push him down or did he fall on his own?”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. “She pulled away from him really hard and he stumbled and fell. He said he’d kill her.”

  It took everything he had to control his rage. He should have dragged his father’s arse to prison when he first hurt his mother. “Listen carefully, I need you to tell this to the judge.”

  She shook her head and began to sob. “I won’t know what to say.”

  “All you have to do tell him what you told me. That is all. It won’t take more than maybe a few minutes.”

  “Will ye be there?”

  “Of course.”

  When her elder sister gave her an encouraging smile, the young maid nodded in agreement.

  “You did a good thing. Thanks to you, an innocent woman will be set free.” Then he looked at the elder woman. “I can make arrangements for her to see the judge tomorrow privately. Do you have a place to stay?”

  Her sister said, “We have a friend in London we can stay with for a day or two.”

  “Good,” Roberts said. “Go get some rest and I will be in touch with you both.”

  He walked away, relieved for his mother, yet there was another matter that clung to him relentlessly.

  After discovering the jewel had been in Kate’s room the entire time, he left Blackthorn Hall without confronting her. He had to think. He needed space.

  But now, he was beginning to think he made a big mistake.

  A mistake he would regret for the rest of his life.

  CHAPTER 27

  It rained terribly for two days. On the third day, it was a steady drizzle.

  Looking out the blurred window inside her dimly lit carriage, Kate searched the streets for a man she knew would not show. The hope she had clung to diminished as each minute ticked by during her journey here.

  Amelia had asked if she loved Roberts the other day at Blackthorn Hall. Did she love him? Had she ever known true love? He made her wish for things that were impossible. Her heart had swelled with happiness every time he entered the room and when he looked at her as though she were the only person in that room.

  Lord Blackthorn had revealed to her by post just an hour ago of the recent confession by Daniel. But unless he came forward and confronted his father, her predicament wouldn’t change. This discovery that Daniel and Mr. Harris were related stunned her.

  She knew Daniel’s father wasn’t approving of his relationship with Ethan; however, she had no indication it was the same man who accused her of stealing and murdering Ethan. Daniel had kept much of his private life to himself, and Ethan didn’t like to speak about his family; there had been no reason for her to question it.

  Despite it all, she was thankful for Amelia and Lord Blackthorn’s friendship. She didn’t have the words to express her gratitude.

  She straightened her skirt and folded her hands in front of her.

  “He will be here,” Johnathan finally spoke.

  “Who?”

  “Roberts.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said. “His mother needs him right now. I’m the least of his worries or concern. Why did you escort me here, anyway?”

  “I promised Roberts that I’d look after you.”

  Look after her? Strange that they would discuss such things. “Since when did you two become friends?

  “We are not friends.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Lord and Lady Blackthorn are here.” Johnathan stepped out of the carriage to greet them.

  Finally, alone to gather her thoughts. She closed her eyes and listened to the soft tap of the rain on the roof of her carriage.

  She heard the carriage door open, but she didn’t bother to open her eyes. “Afraid I’d run?”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  Her eyes bolted open. “Roberts?” She saw him sitting across from her and she lunged at him and embraced him.

  “Thomas,” he corrected her. Kissing her softy, he said, “Do you think I would let the woman I love leave the country without me?”

  She pulled away. “You love me?”

  “Yes, you bloody pain-in-the-arse woman,” he said with a smile. “I love you. Where you go, I go.”

  Tears formed, and she sobbed a proper sob. “I thought you didn’t want to speak with me after you discovered the jewel in my room.”

  “I needed to think,” he said. “And I had received word that the witness for my mother wanted to speak with me. I had to think fast.”

  “Will your mother be all right?”

  “She will be released within the week.”

  “I’m so glad.”

  He smiled widely at Kate.

  “I am sorry for putting you through all this.”

  He wiped the tears from her eyes and kissed her. “You can repay me by marrying me. That should stop you from running. Or if you do, I have the legal right to go after you,” he teased.

  “I love the sound of that, but you know I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m going to Boston. I may not have a future. What will you do, become cellmates with me?”

  His smiled widened. “Come with me, love,” he said, taking her hand and stepping out of the carriage with her.

  “Where are we going?” She stepped out into the drizzle. Several yards away, she saw guests boarding the clipper ship that would take her to Boston.

  “Kate,” she heard someone call out her name. She turned toward the voice and saw Daniel standing with her friends.

  “Daniel, what are you doing here?” She scurried up to them and hugged him.

  “I’m here to do what I should have done from the beginning.”

  “Oh, Daniel,” she said hugging him.

  “I am sorry, Kate,” he said, whispering in her ear in an embrace. “I miss him,” he said.

  “Me too.” When they parted, she continued. “He will disown you and then murder you if you insist on this.”

  Daniel nodded. “I know, but I can’t watch you take the blame for what my father did.” Daniel looked at Amelia. “It took some convincing though from the people who care a lot about you.”

  Kate’s heart swelled with joy. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You were there for us, supported us. Now, it is my turn. It’s what I should have done from the beginning.”

  “Thank you.”

  Amelia instantly hugged Kate. “I am so happy for you.”

  Emily came rushing to her and hugged her. “I am thrilled for you. The girls will be so happy.” As Emily was saying this to Kate, Johnathan held the umbrella for Miss Wentwo
rth.

  From the ship, Mr. Harris, the senior, shouted from the deck to his son. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Johnathan turned to look at the old man on the ship. “I think this is our cue before he decides to run off,” he said to Daniel. “Ladies…gentleman,” Johnathan said. He tipped his head and walked toward the clipper ship with Daniel trailing behind him.

  Kate and her friends watched as the US marshal walked up the plank and approached Mr. Harris. After a few exchanges on the ship, the old man lifted his hand to slap Johnathan, but Johnathan caught his arm and dropped it.

  “I think we should all be heading back home,” Roberts said, looking at Kate. “My future bride, are you ready?”

  “Wait,” Kate said. “I never agreed to marry you.”

  The group halted, all looking at Kate. “I expect, Mr. Roberts, a proper courtship. When enough time has passed, I expect a proper proposal.”

  “Whatever you wish, love.”

  Just then, there was the sound of the pistol firing on the ship. Everyone ducked. A few seconds later, Johnathan appeared on the plank. “We have a bloody problem.”

  I hope you enjoyed Sinful Kiss. Want More?

  Sinful Seduction

  Book 3 of Sinful Ladies of London Novels

  Coming soon…

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  Kristi

  About the Author

  Kristi Jun resides in Southern California with her infinitely patient husband, beautiful quirky son, a needy sphynx cat, and two goofy Australian Labradoodles. If she isn’t conjuring up another happily-ever-after, she can be found searching for the web for all things English, watching reruns of Star Trek, Poldark, and Dr. Who.