Earl of Tempest

by Annabelle Anders

  Jeremy nodded, feeling dead inside. “It’s not exactly fair to the families of the soldiers who didn’t make it home.”

  “War isn’t fair,” Blackheart said.

  But footsteps thundering overhead had both men suddenly glancing up, then over to the stairway where another one of Jeremy’s clerks appeared with, of all people, Ollie at his side. And Ollie looked to have gotten into trouble again. Even worse this time if the swelling around his eyes was anything to go by.

  “M’lord!” Ollie ran heedlessly toward him, knocking one of the boxes into the mud in the process. “They’ve got her! You ‘ave ta save her!”

  “They’ve got who, Ollie?” Jeremy edged the boy closer.

  “They’ve got Lady Liddy.”

  His blood turned to ice. With Ollie’s words, thoughts of Arthur all but vanished.

  “This was delivered just moments ago.” Smithy handed over a folded note with Jeremy’s name written in flowery writing.

  “They said they was gonna use her as insurance. An’ I’m not sure wot that is but it didn’t sound good.”

  Jeremy opened the note, and as he read the contents, a roaring sounded in his ears. He looked up from it and met Blackheart’s solemn gaze. “They have Lydia.”

  Blackheart, Baxter, and Westerley said they needed thirty minutes to round up the men who were prepared to raid the gang bosses’ hideout. While they did that, Jeremy followed Ollie along the wharf to the ship where they were keeping Lydia.

  Watching the gang members carrying stolen ammunition onto the abandoned ship, as though they were barrels of fish, Jeremy required every ounce of patience not to rush inside to save her.

  He also had to convince Ollie, who knew the layout of the ship and wanted to go inside and check on Lydia, that it was best to wait as well. The sun was nearly set, and they’d have the cloak of darkness in a matter of minutes.

  “It’s all my fault,” Ollie whispered, even though the two of them were far enough away not to be overheard. “Buck said he needed my help. But it was a lie. Buck didn’t like that I was staying at yer big fancy ‘ouse. Do you think ‘e could stay with you too? He’s not so bad, really. And he’s my brother.”

  Jeremy kept his gaze pinned on the window where Ollie said they were keeping Lydia. Two guards watched the boarding plank and at least a dozen were manning the pier, a few of them carrying lanterns. He could almost imagine himself being successful going in on his own, but there were too damned many of them—all ages too. It sickened him to see boys who looked younger than Ollie milling about on what ought to have been a deserted wreck.

  “I don’t know, Ollie. Let’s save Lady Lydia first.” But he wasn’t immune to the turmoil Ollie was feeling—the desire to protect a brother.

  Patting the pistol in his jacket, he glanced over his shoulder, sensing Baxter’s men moving into place.

  If he heard any indication of Lydia’s distress, he’d go in guns blazing, alone or not. In her note to him, she’d told him she’d always loved him. That she was his forever.

  A pain stabbed his heart, making it difficult to draw in his next breath.

  No one else in the world made him feel the way she did. She could make him laugh when the world seemed humorless. She provided hope when his future felt hopeless.

  He’d been a damned fool to ever walk away from her. If something happened to her, he could never forgive himself.

  Hearing quiet footsteps approaching behind him, Jeremy stiffened. But he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was only Blackheart.

  It was time.

  “Everyone’s in place.” Blackheart crouched down beside him. He’d known the duke for years, but he didn’t think he’d ever seen such a bleak expression in the man’s eyes. Lydia’s brother must have seen a similar expression on his own face, because he added, “We’ll save her.”

  “We will,” Jeremy agreed grimly.

  “And then you and I will talk.”

  Jeremy only nodded at this. A brilliant light flashed off to the left, the predetermined signal giving him the go-ahead to move in.

  The men that had been assembled overtook the guards on the dock within less than thirty seconds, the men on the rooftops in even less time.

  Jeremy didn’t bother with the plank but sprinted past it, to the opposite end of the ship where Ollie said they were keeping her. He then used the momentum provided by his speed to leap across the water to the ship’s deck. Blackheart was only a few steps behind him, landing almost silently a split second later.

  “She’s in the cabin on the quarterdeck.” Jeremy pointed to the window Ollie had shown him. He and Blackheart no longer bothered with keeping silent since the gang was well aware of their presence by now. With each pistol shot that sounded, his heart skipped a beat.

  The door where Lydia was being kept was unguarded now. He tried the handle, but it was locked.

  Jeremy glanced toward Blackheart and with a giant rush of adrenaline, kicked the door in, sending it not only flying open but also knocking it partially off its hinges.

  His gaze found her immediately, tucked in the back of the shadowed room. Her hands were bound and she was gagged, with blood crusted on her face. An older looking boy was grasping her arm with one hand and holding a gun pointed directly at Jeremy’s head with the other.

  But Lydia was alive, and he fully intended she’d stay that way.

  “Put the gun down,” Blackheart ordered in a voice that sounded deadly and quiet as he moved to stand beside Jeremy.

  “Mmmmph!” Lydia stared back at him—not with terror—but with trust and relief.

  A deadly calm came on him, ironically at the same time, white anger anchored his purpose. Whoever had made her bleed would die for this.

  Jeremy forced his gaze back to Buck—the same boy he’d caught sneaking into his garden more than once.

  “Take yourself off, Tempest,” the adolescent growled, waving the gun. “You may ‘ave tricked my kid brother into goin’ soft, but you ain’t about to trick me.”

  “So.” Jeremy forced himself to appear relaxed, slumping his shoulders and leaning against the door frame. “You call feeding him, giving him a warm bed, and providing him with an education ‘tricking’ him?” He allowed a disparaging grin to stretch his lips.

  “Yer makin’ him soft. So when you throw him back on the streets, he won’t know how to take care of himself. At least Farley teaches everyone how to keep fed… and alive.”

  “But I’ve no intention of throwing Ollie out. And if you make the right decision, I’ll give you a better life too.” Jeremy was sincere. He’d told Ollie that Buck was trouble, but the boy could show him otherwise today. “Hot food. A warm bed every night.”

  Both he and Blackheart had managed to sidle into the room by now.

  “It’s your choice. All you need to do is drop the gun and I’ll take you in, the same as your brother. This is the chance for you to have a meaningful life, Buck.”

  “And there’s chocolates, Buck.” Jeremy hadn’t realized Ollie had come up on them, but now he stood in the door, his eyes filled with a sort of sacrificing love Jeremy knew all too well, pleading with his brother to make the right decision. “Mrs. Crump has all kinds and she’s not stingy with ‘em. Just let M’lady go. Please Buck?”

  Buck tilted his head. He hadn’t given Ollie an answer, but he relaxed the hand holding up the gun just enough to provide Jeremy and Blackheart with the opportunity they needed.

  Jeremy met Lydia’s gaze and as though she understood his silent instructions perfectly, she threw herself onto the floor the instant he and her brother pounced.

  Buck was tough and wily though, and he wasn’t about to go down without a fight. He kicked out and tried to throw a punch, but his efforts were in vain. It was two against one—two grown men against one boy.

  The blast of the gun going off reverberated in Jeremy’s ears as Buck made his choice. Blood splattered everywhere. Jeremy felt it on his hands, on his face, and he even tasted the co
ppery liquid in his mouth. He dropped to his knees, cursing, searching for the source and terrified that the blood might be Lydia’s.

  * * *

  Strong arms pulled Lydia off the floor and then wrapped around her almost desperately.

  “Are you hurt?” Jeremy removed the gag from her mouth and frantically ran his hands down her arms as though searching for the lost bullet. “Love? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.” It was all she could think to say. “I’m fine.” She’d been terrified that he’d gone to the warehouse despite her letter, that he had somehow fallen into Farley’s trap. Feeling him whole and solid beside her brought so much relief that she burst into tears.

  Eyes closed, face pressed against his chest, she forgot they were alone until she heard the sound of a flint strike from across the room.

  She jerked her head up to make sure she hadn’t imagined him, and sure as she lived, her brother stood staring down at the two of them. With a grimace, he flicked his gaze to the young man lying on the floor.

  “It exploded in his hand.” Blackheart lowered to his haunches, untying his cravat while Jeremy freed her wrists. “Bullet never made it out of the gun.”

  “Buck!” Ollie sprang across the room and dropped to his brother’s side as well.

  “Don’t die, Buck!” Ollie’s voice rose in panic. Lydia had never seen so much blood in her entire life.

  Lord Westerley peered inside just then. “Everything under control in here? We’re clear on deck. Farley’s in Baxter’s custody, and most of the others have been rounded up by the runners.” He pointed to Buck. “What about this one?”

  “I’ll handle him.” Blackheart glanced over at Jeremy, who nodded, and without another word, lifted Lydia into his arms.

  “I’m getting her out now in case there’s any more trouble.”

  “Good thinking.” her brother agreed.

  “But—” she sputtered. What about Ollie? “Don’t I get a say?” she asked.

  “No,” both Jeremy and her brother answered in unison.

  Well, then.

  “Ollie?” Jeremy moved toward the door, adjusting his grip as he cradled her in his arms. “Are you coming with us?”

  But Ollie didn’t move. “What about Buck?” His violet eyes swam with tears.

  “This one needs a doctor.” Blackheart answered. “I’ll drop the younger one at your townhouse after.” Her brother didn’t look up as he spoke, all of his attention focused on Buck’s hand—what was left of it.

  Jeremy turned to go, but Lydia stopped him by reaching out and catching the side of the door.

  “Ollie?”

  Her little orphan lifted his gaze to meet hers.

  “I’m proud of you,” she said. She needed him to know he wasn’t to blame. This was the bad people’s fault.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I got you caught.”

  “But you also helped save me.” Lydia said with as much force as she could muster. “Do you understand?”

  Ollie stared at her and then slowly nodded.

  “This man—” Lydia pointed a Blackheart “—is my brother. He’ll take care of you and Buck. Do as he says. All right?”

  “Yes, M’Lady.”

  Lydia nodded and, suddenly too exhausted for any more words, buried her face in Jeremy’s chest again. As he carried her off the ship and onto the wharf, she didn’t look up once as approving voices thanked and congratulated him. He may not have set out to become a hero, but he’d become one, just the same.

  And this didn’t surprise Lydia at all.

  Chapter 15

  “Are you going to carry me all the way to Mayfair?” Lydia asked after they were some distance away from all of the excitement and activity on the ship.

  “My carriage is at my office.” He was a little out of breath by now.

  Studying his profile in the moonlight, Lydia winced. “Are you angry with me?”

  “Livid.”

  She wasn’t sure if his short answers were intentional or due to the fact that he had carried her nearly half the length of the docks.

  “I’m sorry I broke the contract.” She tightened her arms around his neck, thinking to make his task easier.

  “You could have been killed.”

  “I know.”

  He grunted.

  “It was a stupid thing to do,” she added, and then a shiver ran through her.

  “You’re cold.” He halted his footsteps. “Let me give you my jacket.” He moved to set her down but Lydia simply clung to him tighter.

  “Just hold me. I was so stupid today. I nearly got you killed.”

  “No.” Agony sounded in his voice. “You nearly got you killed. Don’t ever do that again.” The look on his face was bleak. “I couldn’t live… God, Lydia, I couldn’t live without you.”

  His arms tightened and he buried his face in her hair.

  “Arthur was a traitor Lydia.” He sounded pained, wounded. “My brother was in Farley’s employ. His actions cost the lives of five other men. Possibly more.”

  Lydia squeezed him tighter. It was the only thing she could do to hold this proud man together.

  “I wanted him to be innocent. I was so sure…”

  “You did everything you could. You were the best brother he could have asked for.” And then she pulled away to stare at him. “You brought Blackheart along with you to save me.” Her statement was really a question.

  Jeremy resumed walking and she waited patiently for his answer.

  “I blamed him and Lucas. I made Lucas the enemy simply because I didn’t want to believe it could be true. But Arthur’s name was among those who’d been paid off.”

  “He didn’t want to work for Farley,” Lydia said. “He simply ran out of choices.” She went on to tell him all that she’d learned from Farley and Buck. About how they’d trapped him with his debts and then how, after the ambush, Arthur refused to do their bidding again.

  Jeremy didn’t say anything, he simply kept marching along the walk as he listened to her.

  “So you know, then.” He finally said.

  “There wasn’t anything you could do,” she pressed. He had to know this in his heart.

  “I could have helped him with those debts. I could have paid them off myself.”

  “And then what? Knowing Arthur, he likely would have racked up new ones quicker than he did the first.”

  “I should have been able to help him.” His voice caught, and in the moonlight, Lydia watched as a single tear rolled down his cheek. She caught it with her thumb and pressed a soft kiss against his jaw.

  And Jeremy just kept walking. He might have truly been prepared to carry her all the way to Mayfair had his driver not been watching for him. He finally dipped her feet to the ground as the familiar coach slowed to a stop beside them.

  “Excellent to see you safe and sound, My Lady.” The driver spoke from his box while a manservant pulled down the step. “To Cork Street, My Lord?”

  “Yes,” Jeremy answered.

  The last time she and Jeremy had ridden in this carriage had been only one night before. So much had changed in the matter of a single day.

  Lydia settled onto the bench and Jeremy climbed in behind her, but then she moved naturally into his arms as the carriage jerked into motion.

  “Did you mean it?” he asked in a gravelly voice.

  “Of course.” There was no need to question his meaning. He’d received the letter. “I never stopped loving you, and I never will.”

  She’d always heard it was foolish to express her feelings so easily, but she was learning that life was too tenuous to play games.

  “I don’t deserve you.” He squeezed her against him. “I never stopped loving you either. I just didn’t know how… I couldn’t ask you—”

  “You did what you had to, and I love you more now than I did before. I’m only sorry you’ve had to deal with this alone.”

  “But I hurt you.”

  “You thought you were protecting me.�
�� She now understood why he’d pushed her away. It reminded her of how Ollie had tried to convince her to turn away when she’d found him in the Warehouse yard. “Everything happens for a reason. Because of you, there’s no way of knowing how many lives will be saved. You are a hero.”

  Jeremy shook his head, making a scoffing sound.

  “Oh, no.” He needed to see what others saw. “You may have gone into this thinking only to clear Arthur’s name but you’ve come out having accomplished an incredible feat. No one else was willing to take them on until you did.”

  “You almost have me believing that. I don’t deserve you, Lydia.”

  “Oh, but you do.” They were meant for one another in every way. The sooner he accepted this the sooner the two of them could go on with their lives—together.

  Jeremy buried his face in her hair. “Marry me?”

  The question wasn’t at all what she’d been expecting just then, and these were not at all the circumstances in which she’d imagined he would ask but…

  This was Jeremy.

  “You aren’t just asking this because my brother has returned to town?”

  He released her and shuffled through his pockets. When he located what he was looking for, he dangled a small velvet pouch in front of her. She’d seen such a pouch recently, when Blackheart had purchased some jewelry for his new duchess.

  Lydia held her breath while Jeremy untied the drawstring and reached inside.

  “I bought this yesterday. Shortly after the completion of the sale.” Lydia gasped when she caught sight of a sparkling diamond set in a circle of gold clutched between his thumb and finger. It reflected every single star that twinkled through the window. “I meant to propose to you today at the warehouse. But then everything went crazy. I know this isn't very romantic or at all proper, but—”

  Lydia cut him off by pressing her mouth to his. When their lips parted on a sigh, she opened her eyes and met his gaze. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted. Of course I’ll marry you.”