The Duke's Brother: A Regency Romance (Regency Black Hearts Book 2)

by Claudia Stone

  “Oh no, of course he wouldn’t,” Caroline replied distractedly as a footman deposited her into the carriage. She smoothed down her skirts and gave Aurelia a winning smile as she took her seat opposite her; “But my husband is the head of the War Office, so I’m sure he’ll tell me.”

  Aurelia’s mouth was an “O” of surprise and she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

  “Now let’s return back home,” Caroline continued; “And we shall ask Sebastian and Gabe to help us solve this mystery.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  .

  The carriage ride to Kensington seemed to Aurelia to be interminable, not least because she was seated beside Sebastian, her legs pressed against his. She tried to keep her breathing even, and focus on the scenery of London Town outside the carriage window - and not the queer, nervy excitement she felt at being in such close proximity to Sebastian. The memory of his low, hungry growls of lust as he kissed her were seared into her brain, and though she was wholly focused on finding Theo, still Sebastian overpowered nearly all of her senses.

  “This is Kitty’s home,” Sebastian said quietly as the carriage drew up outside the white façade of a three-story town house on Earls Court road. Aurelia bit her lip to keep from asking how it was that Sebastian knew the exact address of the famous actress. Plenty of married men kept mistresses, this she knew, and she was not even married to Sebastian – so she had no right to be feeling this surge of jealousy.

  “Kitty and I were friends as children,” Sebastian caught her eye, seeming to sense, intuitively what she was feeling. “We have remained in touch over the years – I see her as a sister.”

  “Oh,” Aurelia replied, mollified but not wishing to show it. “That’s nice. Which house do you think Theo might be in?”

  Sebastian frowned, this was something he didn’t know.

  “Wait here,” he instructed all three passengers, as he banged on the roof for the driver to stop. The carriage drew to a halt on the footpath outside Miss Marnell’s home, and Sebastian quickly got out. The front door of Kitty’s home was answered by a stoic looking butler, and Aurelia passed a few nervous minutes waiting while Sebastian disappeared inside the building.

  “He’ll only be a moment, don’t worry,” Caroline said reassuringly, as Aurelia fidgeted with her gloves. She had never felt so nervous in all her life; the thought that Theo might be alive, when she had spent months engulfed by an all consuming grief, was nearly too much to contemplate.

  “I don’t want to raise my hopes too much,” she whispered, meeting Caroline’s eyes across the carriage; “Least I was wrong this whole time.”

  Lady Caroline’s eyes were full of sympathy, and even the cavalier Marquess looked slightly misty eyed.

  “Don’t worry old girl,” he said brusquely, as though soothing a mare and not a young woman; it was obvious the Marquess didn’t often deal with emotions. “I’m sure you’re right. I’m sure that your brother is alive and well, just hang on for Sebastian.”

  The trio spent a few more minutes of tense silence, before Sebastian emerged from the Kensington town house, Kitty Marnell in tow. The flame haired actress beamed as first the Marquess, followed by his sister and finally Aurelia, emerged from the carriage.

  “Sebastian has said that you think Mrs Baker is hiding your brother,” she said her face a picture of confusion, as she lead them along the footpath towards her next door neighbour’s home. Steps led up to an imposing black doorway and Kitty hesitated at the bottom of them, her beautiful face troubled.

  “Mrs Baker is such a lovely old soul,” she said, addressing Aurelia directly, her green eyes startling in their intensity. “I cannot imagine that she would deliberately keep your brother from you…”

  “I am sure you are right,” Aurelia conceded, trying to overcome the envy that still lingered for both Miss Marnell’s flame red haired beauty, as well as her familiarity with Sebastian. “Though I cannot think what would make a woman claim a stranger as her son.”

  With a quick glance at Sebastian for reassurance, Aurelia squared her shoulders and marched up the front steps of Mrs. Baker’s home. She wasn’t long waiting under the portico, before the door was opened by a frazzled, elderly butler, whose gaze slid past Aurelia to Kitty, still standing at the bottom of the steps.

  “Oh thank goodness Miss Marnell,” the butler said, making his way slowly down the steps to Kitty. “Mrs. Baker is having a fit of some kind. Jack left this morning and never returned - and she seems sure that someone has kidnapped him.”

  “Kidnapped him?” Kitty queried, startled at the turn of events, but allowing the butler to lead her painstakingly slowly up the steps to the doorway. “Why would anyone want to kidnap Jack?”

  “Because he’s not Jack Baker,” Aurelia replied slowly, both relief and despair showing on her face. “He’s Theo St. Claire, and my Uncle must have kidnapped him to hide what he has done.”

  Grief threatened to overwhelm Aurelia, and from what seemed like very far away she could hear someone speaking to her - but there was a buzzing in her head that drowned out what the person was trying to say. Strong arms caught her before she hit the ground, and just before she fainted dead away she saw the face of Sebastian Black.

  “Don’t worry Aurelia,” he whispered in her ear; “I’ve got you, I’ll keep you safe.”

  Sebastian scooped Aurelia up into his arms, and carried her inside as though she weighed nothing at all. His brain was working on overdrive, trying to ascertain where Lord Epsom might have taken Theo to, but he was not so distracted that he did not allow himself a moment to savour the feeling of having Aurelia in his arms.

  He kicked open the door of the front drawing room with his boot, and gently placed Aurelia on the sofa, before turning to look at the butler who had trailed him inside.

  “Where is your Mistress?” he asked, none too kindly. They had precious little time to figure out where Theo might be, before something dreadful happened to him. For Sebastian was sure that erasing Theo altogether was Lord Epsom’s plan.

  “Here young man,” a voice croaked from the door. “I am here.”

  Mrs. Baker was not what Sebastian had expected, and once she shuffled into the dim, old-fashioned drawing room Sebastian could see why Kitty had appeared so defensive of the woman. Mrs. Baker wore a white cap, which fell low on her forehead. Upon her nose were wire rimmed spectacles, which magnified her pale blue eyes almost ten-fold. When she blinked, which she did often, she gave the appearance of a rather startled owl – and not the appearance of a scheming accomplice, which is what Sebastian had expected.

  “He’s taken my Jack,” Mrs. Baker mumbled, shuffling into the room with the aid of a walking stick. She perched herself on the edge of a Queen Anne chair, and blinked up at Sebastian sadly.

  “Who has taken him Mrs. Baker?” Sebastian asked urgently, hoping that perhaps she had witnessed something that might help him to find Theo quicker.

  “Lord Epsom,” she whispered fearfully, glancing left to right as though checking to make sure Lord Epsom wasn’t in the room. “He called this morning for tea, and afterward I showed him some of Jack’s paintings – they seemed to send him into a rage. He left quite quickly, and afterward Jack – Jack –“

  “Take your time,” Sebastian said reassuringly. Aurelia was beginning to stir on the sofa, and he could see her watching Mrs. Baker through heavy eyelids.

  “Jack had been in the garden,” Mrs. Baker continued, drawing her shawl around herself and shivering despite the oppressive heat; “He stays there for hours sometimes. When Howard called him for tea there was no reply. We searched high and low, but he’s not anywhere in the house.”

  “Are you certain?” Sebastian asked brusquely, not wishing to startle Mrs. Baker, but wanting to know exactly what position they were in.

  “Quite certain,” Mrs. Baker nodded her head furiously before dissolving into floods of tears.

  “What was it about the paintings that upset my Uncle so?”

 
Aurelia cut across Sebastian’s thoughts, startling him; apparently she had been listening for much longer than he realised.

  “I don’t know,” Mrs. Baker said through gasping sobs. “They’re in the back parlour, you can check for yourself. Just please - please find my son.”

  Aurelia was on her feet as quick as a flash, Sebastian hot on her heels. They opened the door to several wrong rooms - library, music room, scullery and kitchen - before finally opening the door to the parlour. The first thing Sebastian noticed was the lace; elaborate lace curtains hung on the small window which looked into the back garden, lace cushions and doilies were everywhere they eye turned, except -

  “Look at the walls,” Aurelia breathed.

  Dozens of paintings of the countryside, framed in mahogany, covered the walls. They looked very competently done to Sebastian’s untrained eye, and as he came closer he saw that each watercolour depicted a similar scene.

  “It’s Epsom Hall,” Aurelia said excitedly. “Look here it is in winter, covered in snow. And here is the view of the Hall from the riverside. Oh…oh.”

  Her eyes filled with tears as she realised what it all meant.

  “It’s him Sebastian,” she croaked, smiling a watery smile. “It’s really him.”

  “I know love,” Sebastian instinctively reached out for her and drew her towards him, holding her against his chest, and allowing her a few moments to sob against his jacket, not caring a fig that Reeves would chastise him later for his ruined lapels.

  “What do you think my Uncle has done with him?” Aurelia pulled away from Sebastian, as though just struck by this urgent thought.

  “I don’t know,” Sebastian’s mouth was a grim line - he wanted to conceal his worry from Aurelia but it shone through clearly. “We need to find out exactly where your Uncle might have taken him. Can you think of anywhere Aurelia?”

  Aurelia bit her lip, her eyes thoughtful.

  “The only place I can think of nearby, that would offer my Uncle any privacy, is our estate in Surrey…”

  Aurelia trailed off, startled.

  “There’s the hunting lodge,” she gasped; “It’s on the edge of our lands, quite hidden away from the main house, but easily accessed from the road.”

  “That sounds like the perfect spot,” Sebastian began, but stopped himself before he could finish the sentence. He had been about to say “To commit murder”, but luckily had remembered that he was speaking to Aurelia St. Claire and not the nefarious thieves and sailors he dealt with on the docks.

  “I’ll leave straight away,” he said, turning on the heel of his Hessian to leave the room.

  “How will we get there?”

  “We?” Sebastian stopped in his tracks.

  “Yes, we,” Aurelia drew herself to her full height - which wasn’t much - her eyes challenging him. An image of her from the first night that they met, stubbornly refusing to acquiesce to his request to give him her real name, flashed before his minds’ eye. She may be a lady, but she was the bravest, stubbornest and most foolish lady Sebastian had ever met, and for that he admired her.

  “I’ll have to send Sutherland to Pickering Place,” Sebsatian said slowly, hoping to put her off joining him on the perilous journey; “He needs to alert my man of business, Briggs, to have lookouts scout the city for your Uncle least we are mistaken.”

  “We’re not,” Aurelia interrupted him. “Mistaken. I know we’re not mistaken.”

  “If anyone gets word that we have traveled to Surrey alone, together, your reputation will be ruined Aurelia. You may kiss your chances of even becoming a Viscountess goodbye.” Sebastian replied urgently. He did not care a jot about what society thought of him, but the thought of exposing Aurelia to their ridicule…

  “I don’t give a fig for my reputation,” Aurelia snapped, storming from the room, down the corridor and towards the front door. “You can tell your Marquess to follow us to Surrey if you like, but we’re leaving now Sebastian. Or I’m leaving by myself.”

  Framed by light in the open doorway Aurelia looked like an avenging angel painted by a renaissance master.

  “Very well,” Sebastian acquiesced with a nod, his treacherous mind thinking that perhaps when they returned to London he could use Aurelia’s predicament to his advantage. “But when we get to Surrey, you follow every order I give you, is that understood?”

  “Yes,” Aurelia nodded, somewhat mutinously.

  “I’ll hold you to that,” Sebastian said, holding up a finger to warn her that he was serious. He then made a shooing gesture, indicating that she should wait for him in Sutherland’s carriage.

  “I’m taking Aurelia to Epsom,” he said in a low murmur to Gabriel, whose eyebrows shot up to heaven. “I’ll need you to tell Briggs to alert all of his eyes and ears to be on the lookout for Lord Epsom.”

  “Right,” Gabriel nodded before glancing at the sobbing Mrs. Baker who was being comforted by his sister and Kitty. “What should I do about the old dear?”

  “Leave her with Kitty,” Sebastian suggested; he had no idea how Epsom had done it, but the woman seemed convinced that Theo St. Claire was her lost son and that he had been kidnapped. “I’ll find someway to help her when I get back.”

  “Sebastian,” the Marquess called, just as Sebastian reached the door. “There’s a pistol in the inner storage box. She’s fully loaded.”

  “I hope I won’t need it,” Sebastian said by way of reply.

  And I hope I’m not too late to save Theo, he thought grimly.

  Time was not on their side.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  .

  Epsom was a small market town located on the northern tip of Surrey. The journey there took nearly two hours, and by the time the carriage clattered through the empty High Street, every home, shop and tavern was draped in darkness.

  “Oh I hope we’re not too late,” Aurelia fretted, watching the familiar buildings pass by. “I don’t know what I shall do if I’ve found Theo, only to loose him again…”

  “You mustn’t think like that,” Sebastian’s tone was firm, and his expression serious. He looked most formidable, almost dangerous, and Aurelia was awfully glad that he was on her side - she would not like to have him as an enemy.

  The carriage flew through the quiet town, passing the grand homes that had been built when the Epsom Downs Racecourse was first erected. It was typical quiet country hamlet, and soon the residential roads turned into rolling hills and tracts of forest.

  The carriage drew to a halt at the cross roads which Aurelia had described. The hunting lodge belonging to Epsom Hall was but a five minute walk from there, through a small wood.

  “You must stay here,” Sebastian said quietly, as the carriage rolled to a stand-still. Aurelia began to protest, but he held up a hand to silence her.

  “No,” he said sternly. “I won’t be able to concentrate if I think you’re in danger. Please, Aurelia, just stay here.”

  “But what if something happens?” she whispered, her heart suddenly stricken at the vision of Sebastian disappearing into the dark woods, never to return. The man sitting opposite her was practically a stranger, but somehow, her happiness had become intertwined with his. He had saved her life twice; first in St. Giles’ and then in Covent Garden - and now he was about to risk his life again to save her brother. She felt completely unworthy.

  She reached out her hand for his, seeking comfort and reassurance. As their hands connected, she felt the same stab of desire pierce through her, as it always did when their skin touched. The same desire was reflected in Sebastian’s eyes, and he tugged her towards him, so that she fell across the carriage and landed on his lap.

  This kiss was different from the rough, uncontrolled embrace that they had shared in St. James’ Square. This time Sebastian was slow and gentle, his lips soft and caressing as though he wished to savour every second.

  “You are a demon of some kind,” he gasped when, after what seemed like eons, their lips parted. His breath was ragged,
his eyes dark with desire. Aurelia gulped as she realised that the tender kiss he had delivered to her concealed his strictly-controlled passion.

  “If I am a demon, then hear this,” she replied tartly; “I shall haunt you day and night if you don’t come back to me in one piece Sebastian Black.”

  “A word to the wise,” Sebastian responded, his eyes amused. “When you threaten a man you’re supposed to scare him, not offer him his wildest dreams.”

  Before she could reply or slap him on the arm, he lifted her bodily from his lap and deposited her on the carriage seat beside him. All teasing was gone from his eyes as he opened the storage box above the window and removed a pistol, which he examined carefully.

  “Good old Gabriel,” he said appreciatively, examining the weapon in his hand. He looked up at Aurelia to explain; “It’s a Flintlock - it allows me two shots instead of one. If I shoot your Uncle, I’ll fire off the second shot to let you know it’s safe to approach.”

  “And if I just hear one shot?” Aurelia asked dubiously.

  “You and the driver are to return to Epsom and fetch a surgeon and a magistrate,” Sebastian said. “No arguing Aurelia, I’m going to instruct the driver of the same. Now stay in the carriage and listen out for my shot.”

  He went to open the door, but before he did he hesitated, and turned his head towards her. He placed his free hand at the back of her neck and drew her towards him, catching her lips in a deep kiss.

  It seemed to take all of his willpower to end the embrace, for when he pulled away from her, he gave a low growl of disappointment.

  “Stay here,” he commanded; “We shall finish this when I return.”

  He left quickly, dissolving into the dark night, moving as quietly as a shadow. It took Aurelia a few moments to regain her composure, but when she did her mind turned quickly from passionate kisses to nervousness. She plucked absently at the material of the dress in her lap, alternating between smoothing it and crunching it, trying to find relief in any repetitive motion.