by Heather Boyd
She searched for signs that her plans had outraged Blythe’s strict sense of propriety. She would be giving up her rank, her position in society for the love of her life. But nothing changed in Blythe’s bearing. Her chest rose and fell evenly. Her skin remained pale.
Mercy placed Blythe’s hand beneath the covers so she wouldn’t grow chilled. “I will also ask his brother, Tobias Randall, to stay here at the abbey. They have spent so much time apart and I am willing to forgive him, slowly mind you, for the trouble he’s caused. You need to know that for when you wake. You will likely find him searching for clues about Oliver and Rose’s location alongside Leopold and I and I do not want you to be alarmed. Did you get very far in deciphering those books? I wish you would wake and tell me. I want to tell Leopold about the room soon. If I have the deciphered journals to show him, maybe he will not be so upset with me for keeping secrets.”
Mercy sat back and waited, hoping Blythe would blink and speak her mind. When she remained silent for another hour, Mercy pressed a kiss to her brow, summoned the maid, and left her to sleep and heal.
~ * ~
There were worst things in life than putting your child to bed with a bedtime story and a long hug. In fact, Leopold could grow used to such events very easily. He trudged down the stairs to the library and peeked inside. Tobias sat draped over a large leather chair, drinking directly from a bottle in hand. He stepped into the room, surprised and pleased to see his brother had remained at Romsey Abbey. “Are you jug-bitten already?”
“No, only mellowing.” Tobias peered at his bottle. “I must say the duke keeps a fine cellar. You have no idea the rot they serve up in some of the ports I’ve been. Melt your boots off, but you get used to it, given enough leave.”
Leopold glanced uncomfortably at Tobias’ damaged hand, bound tight in fine white linen, a stark contrast to his ragged clothes. He took the bottle from him, poured a generous amount of liquid in a glass, and put the bottle back on the shelf. He handed Tobias a fresh glass to help numb the pain of his injury. “Thank you, for retrieving Edwin. The duchess would say so too if she could be persuaded to leave her sister.”
Tobias waved away the thanks. “After my mistake, a bit of pain will be an easy burden. Besides, once the ladies get a gander at this they’ll be swooning all over me.”
Leopold raised a brow. “Does that happen a lot? Ladies swooning and you injured.”
“It’s a fluid thing. What’s life if not to take a risk?” He drained the glass and held it out for more. “What did you do with the mad one?”
“Lady Venables is secured in a chamber upstairs. The doctor has come and gone and servants are assigned to watch over her. She hasn’t spoken to anyone since you broke through the window. We fear she’s suffered a great shock.”
“Possibly. Reminds me of the time when a young man on board my first ship, an officer from a well off family, froze in battle. He stood dumb like an oxen on the quarterdeck. Don’t know how he wasn’t killed or set upon. When the ship was taken, and we were rounded up, he didn’t move. The French, being a merciful lot, dumped him over the side. He never came back up.”
“Tobias,” Leopold growled. “That is not very reassuring.”
Tobias shrugged. “I’m out of practice. Spent most of my time staying alive, avoiding the hard jobs, than observing the niceties. The mad one won’t have the same problems that fellow faced. Someone will clean up her drool, force food down her throat, and keep her warm. She’s much better off here than not.”
“What am I going to do with you now?”
Tobias lifted his empty glass and wobbled it. “I imagine you might allow your errant brother a few drinks, a decent meal, and place to sleep before kicking him out.”
Leopold crossed his arms over his chest. The idea of Tobias loose on society as he was now was utterly impossible. “I won’t kick you out. It will be up to the duchess to decide if you remain. It is her house.”
“Then I shall await Her Grace’s delicate foot connecting with my backside.” He shrugged. “I’ll be all right here until then.”
“Do you have funds, land, friends in England?”
Tobias squirmed. “I do all right. Don’t trouble yourself.”
“You’re my brother. I will always trouble myself for you. I have saved every penny, Tobias. Tomorrow, we will discuss what you would like to do with your life.”
Tobias stood and refilled his own glass. “Are you sure you want me to stick around that long? Aren’t you worried about what I might do overnight?”
Leopold snorted. “I’d be more worried if you left here. Besides, I have my spies watching you. Behave yourself and I will see you at breakfast.”
“He will see you at lunch,” Mercy said from the doorway. “After this, we shall be all indulging in a quiet morning tomorrow. You don’t mind if you speak with him later in the day, do you?”
Tobias waved his hand about. “Of course, Your Grace, we wild Randall’s are yours to command.”
An impish grin crossed Mercy’s face. “Perhaps another time. Do excuse me; I need your brother as a matter of some urgency.”
Tobias chuckled. “Urgent again. Perhaps this time he will slip you out of your gown before he ravishes you. Poor form, by the way, brother. Even I know a proper lady requires better treatment for a tryst than a hard wooden bench.”
Leopold had forgotten what it was like to be teased by a brother. He hadn’t missed this aspect of his former life and it would take a while to grow accustomed to the discomfort.
Mercy blushed. “Enjoy your brandy tonight, Tobias. Tomorrow, you and I will also have a long discussion about what a lady likes to hear in her presence. When my sister comes to her senses, you had better be prepared. I should hate to see you gelded at such a young age.”
She stepped out onto the balcony ahead of Leopold.
Leopold glanced at his brother. “It really isn’t too late to end your life, Tobias.”
“No chance of that now. Besides, life is just getting interesting. Imagine us all here at Romsey Abbey. Who’d have thought it could ever be?”
“The old duke. It’s what he feared most. Don’t disappear overnight, brother. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“I’m not moving.” Tobias wriggled to get more comfortable.
Leopold stalked to the door, eager to catch up with Mercy and find out what she wanted.
Behind him, Toby called out. “I’d like another nephew when you can arrange one. Mother was always said ‘one’ was too lonely a number.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Evening was the time for secrets and lovers, but tonight as Mercy stepped out on the terrace she was determined to dispense with both. She set her hands to the balustrade, listening to Leopold’s footfalls come closer and tried to steady her racing heart.
The danger to Edwin was gone, or so she hoped, but one challenge still remained.
Leopold set his hand to her shoulder. “I take it there is no change.”
“None. She sees nothing. Reacts to nothing. It is unnerving to see her so still.”
“You left a maid with her?”
“I left two. Wilcox was good enough to send to Walden Hall for Blythe’s maid and I have assigned mine instead of the young girl the doctor suggested. When she wakes, she will see friendly faces and they will send for me.”
Leopold’s sigh was loud. “I had thought you might have stayed with her tonight.”
“I want to but I had to make a choice.”
“What choice was that?”
“Sit with her or run the risk of letting you slip away during the night while I was distracted. You have no idea how relieved I was to hear you entertaining your brother just now.” Mercy leaned against his shoulder. “Are we ever going to talk about that night?”
“Is there truly a need? We were both there,” he said softly.
Perhaps there wasn’t. They had both been pawns in the old duke’s games, but in order to move ahead with her plans, Mercy needed t
o hear Leopold say the words. “Do you regret it then?”
Leopold set his hands to the balustrade and leaned forward. “I do not regret what we were forced to do. But he ensured we both behaved without honor. I still feel bitterness over that. My life has been manipulated by Romsey more than I care for.”
Mercy sucked in a breath, startled by the heat behind his words. “Do you resent me, too?”
She couldn’t bear that. She couldn’t live with herself if he blamed her for the loss of his honor. Not when doing so had given her a man she could love.
Leopold’s gazed fixed on hers as he smiled, showing off the dimples she loved. Her heart did little tumbles of joy. “Never. That would be impossible.”
Relieved, Mercy grinned impishly and ducked under his arm. She stood between him and the balustrade. Leopold shook his head at her and she curled her fingers into his waistcoat pocket and tugged. “I love you.”
Leopold’s eyes closed, yet his arms curled around her protectively and drew her against his body.
Mercy watched his face, searching for some hint as to what he was thinking. What he planned for his future. She hoped he’d be amenable to her suggestion. “I’ve given our situation considerable thought over the past few days and I think it’s high time you made an honorable woman out of me. You should propose. Tonight. And then we can start living respectably as man and wife. I liked waking up beside you.”
Mercy bit her lip and waited. Slowly, Leopold opened his eyes and stared at her. She smiled her most encouraging smile then looped her arms about his neck. “Really, it’s the perfect solution. You get free run of Romsey to look for further clues of your sibling’s whereabouts and you get to keep Edwin and I safe from further harm.”
“And what are my chances of getting you to behave?”
Mercy slid her hands down his chest. “You would change me?”
“No. But almost getting caught making love to you is not how I would wish to conduct my marriage. We were lucky that Allen walked in on us and not a housemaid. The gossip will be bad enough that you’re considering giving up your title to marry me.”
Mercy shook her head. “Not considering. I will give it all up to be your wife as long as you promise not to keep any more secrets from me. I don’t care what they are, or how scandalous, I want to be your confidant. I don’t want a stuffy, proper husband who keeps me on the outside of his life. I want you to desire me and also care for my opinion. Just as I do yours.”
Leopold backed her against the balustrade. The hard ridge of his erection nudged her belly. “Desire isn’t a problem for us, and I’m getting used to sharing my thoughts with you. All I ask is that you be a little more patient with me.”
“I can be patient about some things.” Mercy chuckled and shifted her hips against him. “But I hope, too, that you’ll be agreeable to getting me with child again as a matter of some urgency. I don’t want Edwin to grow up alone. I want a large family again.”
Leopold pressed his head against hers. “That’s why the old duke sent me to you in the first place, you know. I overheard him complain to my father once that our side of the family reproduced like rabbits. He’d hoped I’d prove to be just as fertile.”
Mercy cupped his face between her hands. “No matter his motives, I am thankful he sent you and not one of his cronies, or Allen.” Mercy shuddered at the thought and Leopold tightened his grip around her. “I think I fell in love with you that first night you know. You were so gentle with me, so concerned that I be all right after we made love.”
“You were terrified at first, as you should have been. The old man was a bastard to do that to you.” Leopold’s head dropped to her shoulder. “When did you discover it had been me in your bed?”
Had there really been a time that she hadn’t known? She curled her fingers into his hair and held on. “Not at first, certainly. But you affected me, and I couldn’t stop wanting to touch you or kiss you.” Mercy looped her arms about his neck again. “But after our first night by the pond, I discovered that everything I’d loved about the night Edwin was made seemed the same, except for your withdrawal. You have quite remarkable restraint, my love. Did your Indian mistress teach you that?”
“My circumstances taught me to never make mistakes again.” Leopold’s lips pressed hard against her head. “I did have a mistress in India, but she couldn’t hold my interest after I had made love to you. I wanted to come back to you to see if you were all right, but the threats against my family prevented that. Do you understand? Do you forgive me for abandoning you?”
Mercy nodded as tears streamed down her cheeks. “You didn’t abandon me. Family is everything to me, too. But once he was certain I had conceived the old duke doted on my health and happiness. I believe he also discouraged his son from visiting my bed. He only shared my bed once after you came to me.”
Leopold’s sharp intake of breath gave her pain. “Then I may not be Edwin’s father after all?”
“True, but I believe he is your son and that is what counts. There are so many things about the two of you that are similar. Dimples for one.” She smoothed her hands over his chest. “My husband never affected me the way you have, Leopold. I may be a horrid woman to speak ill of the dead, but he never was particularly affectionate toward me. You showed me what had been missing from my marriage and made me yours that night.”
Leopold’s hands cupped her head to hold her gaze to his. “That was never supposed to happen. We did not know one another. I should have done everything different. I should have asked your name.”
Mercy cupped his cheek. “We cannot change what has gone on before, but we can change our futures. I think it only fair that I claim you, too. Marry me so we may find Oliver and Rosemary together. I should confess that there is a hidden room inside the abbey that may contain all we need to know.”
“You clever girl.” His smile grew. “You found the duke’s sanctuary. Father always said there were secrets within the walls.”
Mercy nodded quickly. “Live here with Edwin, with our son, and love us as we love you. You belong here at Romsey. Tobias will settle down in due time, and I will show you the entrance to the room in a moment if you like. But since neither Tobias nor Edwin is in any immediate need of our attention could we please get back to my original proposal?”
“So are you proposing now? I thought I should do it?”
When Leopold pressed his lips to her brow, she snuggled closer. “Well,” Mercy sighed dramatically, “I haven’t heard anything like a proposal of marriage from your lips so far. Perhaps I should be the one to get down on bended knee?”
“Were you this bossy before you became a duchess?”
He really should know the truth before he got in too deep, and he did like her for her honestly. “Oh, much, much worse. I told you my brother was glad to be rid of me. I doubt you will see any change when I give up my title and marry you.”
Leopold drew away. “Your brother could object. He will be unhappy that you’re giving up life as a duchess. I don’t want to cause further trouble with your family.”
“Constantine finds little joy in life beyond his fleeting pleasures. But he will still have control over Edwin’s welfare. When Blythe comes around, guilty or not of terrifying me, she will forgive us any scandal as soon as the vows are spoken. Patience will not care. She is rather broad minded about affairs of the heart. Well?” Mercy gave Leopold a little shake.
To her surprise, Leopold threw his head back and laughed. When he finished, he wiped at his eyes, smiling so broadly that both his dimples showed. Mercy smiled up at him as tears threatened to take away her sight. How had she lived without this gorgeous man before?
“I suppose I should make a start.” Leopold kissed her nose. “A kiss first, my love, and then we can begin negotiating the terms of my surrender in earnest.”
Mercy pursed her lips. “It will do as a start, but don’t think I won’t make you work hard at the negotiations tonight.”
Leopold’s grin widen
ed as he rocked his erection against her belly. “Trust me, given all you’ve put me through so far, I’m more than ready to engage the enemy.”
THE END
~ * ~
Thank you so much for reading Engaging the Enemy. I hope you enjoyed it! Please consider leaving a review—either positive or negative. Reviews help others find a book that’s right for them.
Engaging the Enemy is Book 1 in the Wild Randalls Series. If you’d like to read the books in order, they are as follows:
Engaging the Enemy
Forsaking the Prize
Guarding the Spoils (Autumn 2013)
Hunting the Hero (Spring 2013)
Find out what’s next, or sign up for my mailing list to hear about new releases at
www.heather-boyd.com.
If you’d like to read an excerpt from Forsaking the Prize, please keep reading.
About the Author
Heather Boyd is the author of sizzling romance with an historical bent. A fan of regency England settings, she writes m/f and m/m stories that push the boundaries of propriety and even break the laws of that time. Brimming with new ideas, she frequently wishes she could type as fast as she can conjure up new storylines.
She lives with her testosterone-fuelled family north of Sydney, Australia.
For more information visit
www.heather-boyd.com
Also by Heather Boyd
The Wild Randalls Series:
Engaging the Enemy
Forsaking the Prize
Guarding the Spoils