A Lady in Danger: A Suspenseful Regency Romance

by Eliza McGrey

  “Well, this is what we’ve been looking for,” he said, looking up at me. “Exactly what we needed, in fact.”

  My heart jumped. “How so?”

  He pointed to a sentence on the letter. “This here is a secret that the French should never have known about our side of the war. Movements, where certain parts of the army were based and at what times…these were all things that the French military would have died to get their hands on.”

  “But if they did get this information, why didn’t they win?” I asked. “If the Colonel was feeding them information, then surely that would have been enough to turn the tide of the war, right?”

  He shook his head. “Remember, the Colonel’s so called victory was only one part of the war’s success. It was attributed as being part of it, but there were other factors, such as favorable battle outcomes and the like. It is almost as if he managed to get this information to them too late…or somehow some of his men were able to stand up to him and delay him for long enough that the information didn’t matter anyway.”

  “Good heavens…” I said.

  Henry’s face hardened. “Of course he would want to keep this secret. And if this is the information that my sister found out…” his voice trailed off.

  My heart ached for him. I could hear the sorrow in his words, sense the freshness of the wound. It had been months now, but he still grieved her loss.

  “You and your sister were close, weren’t you?” I asked.

  A bird trilled overhead, a stark contrast to the grim expression on Henry’s face.

  “We were very close,” he said, his voice cracking. He couldn’t meet my eye. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, staring down at the flagstone path around the base of the fountain. A sad smile crept up the side of his face. “We were inseparable. Wherever we went, we always went together. When my sister was born, my mother had matching lockets made for us. Hers held a locket of my hair, and mine a locket of hers. Each were inscribed with a W, which made it very easy for us to mix them up. As she grew older, she wore it all the time. After her death, I…I couldn’t wear mine anymore.”

  I sighed. It was hard to hear the suffering in his tone and just have to sit back and watch.

  “That’s part of the reason why I knew the body they found and claimed to be hers wasn’t really her…” he said. “The first question I asked was if they had found a locket. They told us they hadn’t. She never took it off.”

  “What did your parents say?” I asked.

  He glanced up at me then. “Oh, my parents died when I was only seven. We were raised by my aunt. My mother was from a high born family, you see. They didn’t approve of her marriage to my father, but our aunt took pity on us. Anyway, we moved out together when I was old enough to pay for some lodgings of our own. I did it so we could find a good match for my sister to marry. And that’s when she met the Colonel.”

  I swallowed hard.

  “He was immediately smitten with her,” he said. “He doted on her. It was as if he only had eyes for her. Everyone kept telling us what a wonderful match he was. He was so charming and dashing. I rather liked him back then, if I’m honest…”

  The tightness in his eyes returned, and I braced for the blow.

  “The day she disappeared, she sent me an urgent message in a very messy hand. She told me she was in danger and had found something that she didn’t want to put down on paper. And that was the last I heard from her.”

  I let out a breath I hadn’t known I had been holding. “And you’re assuming it was the Colonel’s fault.”

  He nodded. “After her disappearance, I did everything I could to find her. The first place I went was to the Colonel’s estate. I assumed he would have been as shaken up as I was. But he was…serene, almost. It was as if he couldn’t be bothered to spend any time or effort looking for the woman he was engaged to be married to.”

  “I’m terribly sorry, Henry…” I said.

  He shook his head. “Don’t be. That is what spurred me onto the idea that maybe he had something to do about it. And well…here we are now. You know the rest of the story.”

  I swallowed tightly. I did indeed know the rest of the story. And it was a frightening tale indeed.

  “Henry…” I said. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. Something that I’m rather ashamed of, but also need you to know.”

  “Yes?” he asked, sitting up and looking me straight in the eye. “What is it?”

  I took a deep, steadying breath. It was time to tell him.

  “I want to be the one to write this story.”

  Chapter 11

  Henry stared at me for a moment or two before coming back to his senses. “I’m sorry…you wish to write this story?” he asked. “But…why?”

  I moved closer to him, dropping my voice even lower than before. “I have been an aspiring writer for many years now. I even took up a pen name and attempted to publish some stories I had submitted to various newspapers – ”

  “A pen name?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Yes. I went by Lord Theodore.”

  “Wait just a moment…” Henry said, looking more closely at me, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I think I remember hearing about a submission by a Lord Theodore. It was turned down.”

  “They all were,” I said. “I was beginning to think that I was just a terrible writer, but Henry, I believe that all of my desires are leading me to this moment.”

  Henry shook his head. “My Lady, I appreciate your efforts, but that would be deeply unwise – ”

  “That is precisely what I thought you would say,” I said, folding my arms across my chest. “I began writing many years ago. I’ve done much studying on the subject, spent many, many hours reading the very best of authors and scholars. I chose a pen name because I knew that people would not accept my works as the daughter of a nobleman. They would think I was seeking some sort of fulfillment or had some kind of privilege. I wanted them to accept my work because it was good, not because of the name I carried.” I frowned. “But alas, it seems that my talent is still not enough to win the editors over.”

  “I don’t think it was your work,” Henry said, shaking his head again. “I believe it was because they had no proof that a Lord Theodore even existed. You would have been much better off using your real name.”

  I brightened. “Really? Well…that changes my opinion of everything,” I said.

  “I think it’s absolutely fascinating that you are a writer,” Henry said. “I suppose it doesn’t surprise me, though. You are an incredible woman, and you always have such insightful things to say.”

  The color in my cheeks deepened. “Mr. Watson, you flatter me.”

  “I’m quite serious,” he said. “I am always impressed by your attitude. You are well learned, and it shows in your knowledge in so many things. I have spent a great deal of my life learning and researching, and you are one of the few people I’ve ever known that seems to value it as well.”

  “Oh, yes,” I said. “I value it so very highly. It was the one way I was able to have any sort of peace when I was a young girl. It allowed me to get lost in another world. I fell in love with stories of all kinds, fiction and non-fiction alike. Stories that are real are even more exciting in my opinion.”

  “Yes, as do I,” he said. “That’s part of the reason I became a journalist in the first place. Really, I just wanted to make a difference in the world. I wanted to ensure that those that read my pieces were able to receive the real truth about what was happening. There are far too many journalists who wish to do nothing more than further their own name, the truth at the very bottom of their priorities.”

  “That’s terribly sad,” I said.

  He nodded, giving me a sidelong look. “But you…my apologies, but you seemed sad as well just a moment ago. You said you read and buried yourself in research to help you cope with things as a child. May I ask what, exactly, you were trying to cope with?”

  I swallow
ed hard and looked away. There were still rosy spots of color in my cheeks. “I…well, it’s a rather dull story. I’m sure you do not wish to hear it.”

  “I do…” he said, leaning more closely toward me. His voice was gentle and low, and it sent a small shiver down my spine.

  “Well…when I was a little girl, my father passed away. My mother was positively devastated. She loved my father, you see. Even as young as I was, I could see it every time she looked at him. When he died, it was as if she were nothing more than a corpse herself,” I said.

  The sunshine was warm on my neck, and for the moment, it stung instead of warmed me. I took another deep breath before continuing.

  “After he was gone, mother hardly paid any attention to me. I just remember her sitting in her room in a chair facing the window. She could see the ocean from her window. I would go in and try and speak with her, she would pretend as if she couldn’t hear me. Now that I’m older, I wonder if she was so lost in her despair that she just couldn’t hear me. It was as if a wall had been erected around her heart, and no one was able to surmount it.”

  The bubbling fountain behind me reminded me of a torrential rainstorm, dousing the earth with violent rains and winds.

  “Lord Rupert heard that she was a young widow, and took pity on her. I suppose it helped that she was lovely. He proposed, my mother accepted, and they’ve been married ever since.”

  A silence fell between us. I didn’t feel the need to discuss how loveless her marriage to Lord Rupert was now. It made no difference.

  “I’m sorry…” Henry said gently.

  I shook my head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. It was just the lot I was given, and I have made the very best out of it.”

  “You certainly have,” Henry said. “If you don’t mind me asking, how did your father perish?”

  “Illness of some sort,” I said. “Mother has hardly ever mentioned it, but I assume it was something with a fever. I remember him lying in bed the days leading up to his death.”

  “I see,” he said.

  “But in their absence, I found myself writing stories of ways my life could have been different. I read and read and read…and now, this is the strangest thing…all of this spying on the Colonel has, well, it’s been some of the most fun I’ve had a in a very long time,” I said. “It is as if all of my own interests have prepared me for all of this.”

  “Yes, but it is very dangerous,” Henry said. “I’m worried sick about you getting caught.”

  “And I nearly have been, more than once,” I said. “But worry not, I have always managed to get away unscathed.”

  “Yes, but for how long?” Henry said. “I am pleased with all the information you’ve been able to find, and I realize that I was the one to ask you to search for it in the first place, but now I am beginning to regret asking you to get involved.”

  “But why?” I asked. “I feel as if I am making a difference. All these terrible things that the Colonel has done…we cannot let him get away with it.”

  “I know,” Henry said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “But I…”

  “What?” I asked.

  “I would never forgive myself if something happened to you.”

  I gaped at him. Where had this come from?

  “I think you deserve only the very best…” Henry said under his breath. “And all of this is so dangerous…”

  I looked up at him and found him staring down at me. My heart caught in my throat as I stared into his blue eyes. They were like the blue depths of a lake in the middle of summer; warm and inviting.

  “I…don’t understand,” I said, breathlessly.

  “The Colonel truly does not understand just how blessed he is to have you as his wife,” Henry said. “If I were your husband, not a day would pass where you were not showered with love and reminded of my affections for you. I would always make sure you were safe, and I would ensure you were never in an unsafe situation ever again.”

  “Henry…” I said.

  It was as if a rope had been tied around my heart and that someone was tightening the knot. Henry reached out and took my hands in his.

  “I’m terribly sorry, my Lady, but I cannot wait any longer. I have held my tongue for nearly three months now, but I feel the same as I did that very first time I laid eyes on you.”

  “Henry, what – ”

  “I’m in love with you,” he said, and I was awed to see that his face lost all color. “I have been in love with you and I am unashamed of it no longer. The more I learn about this Colonel, the more I am determined to get you away from him.”

  “Oh, Henry…” I said.

  He squeezed my hands, his eyes boring into my own.

  “I…” I stammered. My throat was tight and my heart was beating so fast it was as if a hummingbird was trapped inside my chest.

  Was it possible that I loved him, too? I knew that I didn’t love the Colonel. In fact, I despised his very being. But Henry, sweet Henry…he had always been there for me. He cared for me, helped me, protected me.

  And to hear those words…I was filled with such joy, such overwhelming elation that I didn’t even know how to react. That could only mean –

  “Henry…” I said, my voice cracking. “I…I think I love you, too.”

  His face split into a grin and his eyes shone with tears. “Oh, Maryanne…” he whispered.

  Hearing him say my name sent chills down my spine. “Oh, Henry…” I whispered back.

  His breathing was coming hard and fast, and my heart seemed to beat in sync.

  We stared into one another eyes and I lost all sense of control.

  His arms were around me, drawing me in closer to him. He kissed me, his lips warm and gentle. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, giving in to the desires in my heart to have him near, to be loved, to be cared for.

  The kiss was not demanding, or rash, or harsh. It was nothing at all like kissing the Colonel. Where the Colonel seemed to want to devour my very being, Henry was gentle and held me as if I were made of crystal; precious and valuable.

  He pulled away, and his eyelids fluttered open.

  I stared at him, breathless, my heart thundering in my ears.

  “I – ” he murmured.

  I burst out laughing, my eyes stinging with tears. I didn’t even know what to think. The kiss had been perfect. Better than any kiss I’d ever had. It meant something. It was the very first kiss that had ever touched my soul.

  In that moment, it didn’t even matter to me that it was wrong. Well, perhaps not wrong, but certainly frowned upon as a married woman. I had broken my marriage vows.

  My fingers reached up and brushed against my lips, the memory of the feeling of his kiss still lingering there.

  “I – I’m sorry if I was presumptuous, my Lady,” Henry said, suddenly nervous, immediately putting some distance between us. “I – I don’t know what came over me. I – ”

  “It’s all right,” I said, my palm against my cheek. My head was swimming, and it was as if all of my thoughts had been erased. “I…I didn’t mind.”

  “But you are…married,” he said. He rose from the side of the fountain and began to pace back and forth in front of me. “I should never…what was I thinking?...”

  “Henry, it’s all right,” I said, also getting to my feet. “Truly. I do not mind.”

  “I let my feelings get the better of me, and I – ” his voice trailed off and he came to a stop.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  He was staring down the path toward the entrance of the park, and he was suddenly as pale as a ghost.

  I followed his gaze and saw a man standing at the end of the street. He was a tall man, wearing a charcoal grey suit and matching top hat. He carried a cane as well, ebony black, and he wore a golden monocle over his right eye.

  And he was staring straight at me. My blood ran cold.

  “Lord Redmire,” I said, curtsying to him, trying to hide the scarlet in my cheeks. “What
a pleasant surprise to see you out on such a lovely day.”

  What an unfortunate happenstance that one of the friends of my husband just happened to walk by the park at this moment. And he wasn’t just any friend. No, he was one who had served alongside the Colonel in the war…well, he supposedly did. Was he aware of everything that Richard had done? Was he condoning his actions by keeping silent?

  “Lady Nash,” Lord Redmire said, inclining his head. His gaze flickered back and forth between Henry and I. “I am surprised to see you out in such heat. Most young ladies would be faint and longing for the coolness of their parlors.”

  “Oh, yes, well I positively love the heat,” I said, fanning myself with my gloved hand. “Especially after such a long and cold winter. It’s far too lovely to be cooped up indoors.”

  Lord Redmire nodded, but his small smile didn’t seem all that genuine. If anything, the narrowness of his eyes as he stared back and forth between Henry and I demonstrated he was overly suspicious.

  My heart was banging against my ribs. Had he seen Henry kiss me? If he had…there no was no telling what might happen.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t think we have ever been introduced,” Lord Redmire said, turning to Henry.

  Henry did not miss a step. He bowed deeply to Lord Redmire. “My deepest apologies, my Lord. I am Lord Jonathon Watson.”

  Watson? Why did he use his real name?

  “Watson, eh?” Lord Redmire asked, adjusting his feet and leaning more on his cane. “Of the Southampton Watsons?”

  “That is my father’s uncle’s family on my grandfather’s side, yes,” Henry said with a broad smile. “You are familiar with them?”

  “I’m quite good friends with Lord Erickson,” Lord Redmire said. “I don’t remember him ever mentioning a Lord Jonathon before.”

  “We are cousins, Lord Redmire,” I said, cutting in with as sweet of a smile as I could muster. “He has come to London for the Season to spend some time with me while Colonel Richard is busy working.”

  “Has he now?” Lord Redmire asked, his brow arching. “How very kind of him.”

  “Indeed,” I said. “He was so kind to bring a picnic to share with me today.” I lifted the basket off the ground at my feet so he could clearly see it. “Are you on your way to Parliament?” I asked, hoping to divert his attention.