Special thanks to Tammy Andresen. It was fun creating the Wicked Earls’ with you and it wouldn’t be what it is without all of your hard work. You’re a great friend and I’m glad to work with you on so many projects.
PROLOGUE
SOUTHINGTON CASTLE, England, 1808
The day was like any other one in England. Rainfall had become a normal enough occurrence that Jonas didn’t notice it—even as it dripped down his face, drenching him completely. He stared at the chiseled stones in the cemetery near Southington’s chapel. Only members of his family were buried there—many he never met personally. Pictures of them filled the great hall, but they were history to him, and he’d been able to distance himself from their stories. This, however, was far different.
His life would never be the same. The death of his father had marked an unchangeable truth. The duke now had control over Jonas’s life. His grandfather was a tyrant and had always attempted to browbeat his will into him. His father had been the one person he’d been able to count on. A buffer the duke couldn’t break through, and he’d tried often.
So, no, the cold didn’t matter because he was numb through and through. Rain? Paltry in comparison to what he had yet to face. The Duke of Southington, his grandfather, hadn’t started yet—mainly because he couldn’t. There were people around, and he dared not cause a scene. Once all the mourners departed, things would start to unravel ever further around him. Would his grandfather allow him to return to Eton? What about his mother? Would she have it in her to fight him? Somehow, he doubted everything and yet prayed for anything resembling his life before his father’s death.
“Lord Harrington,” a man said as he rested his hand on Jonas’s shoulder. How could he be the earl now? That was his father’s name, and he doubted he’d ever become accustomed to it. “It’s time to head back.”
He glanced up at the man as the rain continued to drip down his face. His hair was black, but had already started to turn to gray along the sides. Jonas barely knew him, but Lord Coventry had been a friend of his father’s. “I’m not ready,” he told him.
“George was a good man,” Lord Coventry said. “He loved you.”
“I know,” Jonas replied woodenly. He’d long ago stopped feeling and now went through the motions. What else could he do? Lord Coventry was correct—it was long past time to go, yet he couldn’t move. Once he left, it would all become too real for him. His grandfather would start barking orders, and he had years before he could be free of him. Three long years to be exact—once he turned eighteen he could seize control of his inheritance. As long as his grandfather didn’t find a way to break the will. “But that doesn’t change anything.”
“No,” Lord Coventry agreed. “He’s still gone, and nothing will ever bring him back.”
If Jonas were capable of crying, he’d have done so days ago. It was probably a good thing he hadn’t. Any sign of weakness would have set his grandfather off. He had to be brave, and somehow find the strength to move on sooner than he’d like. His father deserved to be mourned, but he’d understand why Jonas couldn’t openly do it. “I’m ready now.” Jonas didn’t look at Lord Coventry. He spun on his heels and began the long trek back to Southington Castle. He hated his grandfather’s home—it was as cold as he was. There wasn’t anything welcoming about it.
“Lord Harrington—”
“Don’t call me that,” Jonas interrupted. The sound of his father’s title shot pain through his already aching heart. He didn’t want to think or feel. Everything reminded him of his father and the loss that he couldn’t escape. The title… That was more than he could bear.
Lord Coventry cleared his throat. “It’s who you are now.”
“That may be.” Jonas swallowed hard. “But filling my father’s shoes is something I’m not yet prepared for. I can’t hear his title without thinking of him and what I’ve lost.”
“I understand,” Coventry said and sighed. “You’re too young to have lost your father already. If I had a son…” He shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. You have a long road ahead of you, and there’s probably no one you feel you can trust. You might not know it yet, but you can trust me.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “What would you like me to call you?”
“Nothing,” Jonas said. “I doubt we will see each other again after today.”
The older man laughed. It was a foreign sound, considering their surroundings. Sadness permeated everything around them, yet the earl had found something humorous. Coventry seemed like a likeable sort and in another time, Jonas may have liked him. Somehow, he doubted he’d find anything appealing or even joyous for a long time.
Coventry gestured toward the castle in the distance. “We shall see. Come, let’s get out of this rain.”
The earl followed behind Jonas as they entered the castle. He didn’t stay long after that. He’d spoken to the duke quietly before his departure, and the duke didn’t argue or order the earl around. That alone made Jonas wonder what they’d discussed.
“Now that everyone is gone we have some things to discuss, boy.” His grandfather stormed across the room and glared down at him. “Starting with your education… I was going to keep you here, but Coventry made a good point. You’ll need to make connections, and those are rooted in school. So, I’ll allow you to return to Eton—at least for the rest of this school year. We’ll revisit that idea before the next term.”
He owed the earl far more than he realized. Never had he truly believed his grandfather would allow him to return to school. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” his grandfather said gruffly. “We have a lot of work ahead of us to prepare you for the dukedom.”
He was barely an earl, and now he had to worry about grandfather’s title? The Southington title was no longer entailed, but he wouldn’t remind the duke of that. Jonas wanted to curl up into a ball and sleep for days—no, weeks. That was the cowardly way though, and he refused to give in to it. “Where is Mother?”
“She’s gone to live with her sister,” he replied. “Your mother is too delicate for Southington. Don’t worry. Your father made sure she’d be provided for.”
His mother had abandoned him? He’d always been closer to his father, but still… She left him alone with the duke, and she was well aware of his brutish nature. He had no problems using his fists to make a point. The Harrington title was prestigious, but he wouldn’t have control of the estate for many years. They had plenty of funds as long as they did what the duke wanted. His father had decided to cut as many ties as possible with Southington. They lived in a small townhouse in London, and his father had invested in a profitable shipping company with the income he had available. They didn’t live in splendor, but they’d been comfortable.
None of it had made the duke happy, but then nothing could. He liked having control over his family, and losing it had made him cut them out of his life. That was until his father died and he saw a way to wiggle his way back in. Now, Jonas was his ward until he gained full access to his inheritance. It was not a huge sum, but it would be enough for him to break free.
“May I be excused?” The duke hit Jonas’s mouth with his fist before he was fully prepared for its impact. Jonas jerked backward involuntarily, but then gained control as quick as possible. He lifted his gaze and stared the duke in the eye, repeating his request, “May I be excused now?” Leaving without permission would prolong the torture, and he didn’t want another punch to the face, or anywhere else.
The duke nodded, and Jonas left as fast as his feet would carry him. He didn’t run as he wanted to because he would not give in to the duke’s bullying. If he darted out of the room, his grandfather would find a reason to make him stay. Instead, he walked briskly and steadily until he reached his chambers. Only then, once the door was closed and he had privacy, did he give in to the emotions raging through him. The tears he’d held in finally flowed freely, and he grieved for his father.
LONDON, 1812
Jon
as picked up the glass of brandy on the table and took a drink. He set it back down and stared at the cards in his hand. So far, luck hadn’t been on his side, and he was steadily losing what funds he had. He should have given up a long time ago but stupidly thought he’d win if he kept playing. Freedom had led him astray when it should have brought him happiness. He learned fast that the latter was an elusive emotion not meant for him.
“I think it’s time to call it a night,” announced Jason Thompson, Earl of Asthey. He ran his fingers through his dark blond hair and grinned like a cat that’d caught the prize mouse. “It’s been a productive night.”
At least it was going well for one of them. “I’m ready too.” He threw his cards on the table. “I’ve lost too much as it is.” And he had very little he could afford to lose. His grandfather still held onto most of the purse strings. Somehow, the duke had found a way to gain control over a large part of his inheritance. Jonas had won his independence a year ago, but he wasn’t truly free. The one thing he had left that the duke couldn’t touch was a tiny sum his maternal grandmother had left him. It barely gave him enough to live on. He needed to figure out how to raise his income, but he was at a loss on how.
“That’s a shame,” Asthey said. “Winning big would solve a lot of your woes.”
Jonas rolled his eyes. “I need more than I’d win in a few hands of cards to solve all that.” It might help if his grandfather decided to roll over and die, but no, that wouldn’t happen. The old man was too bullheaded to do anything as congenial as save the world from his type of meanness. “Where is Shelby?” Gregory Cain, the Earl of Shelby, was the other member of their trio. Jonas scanned the room for Shelby’s midnight locks. They were his trademark. No one else had hair quite as sinfully dark as his. His friend was nowhere to be seen in the gaming hell.
“He found a light-skirt to his liking and appropriated a room for a bit of sport.”
Of course he did… Shelby was quite the rake, and relished in ravishing any willing female in his vicinity. “Should we wait?”
“He knows his way home,” Asthey replied. “I rather not wait on him to finish. He might take all night, or he could come out in an hour. It’s hard to say with him.”
“You’re right,” Jonas agreed. He stood and pulled on his jacket and buttoned it over his waistcoat. “I’m tired and would rather sleep in my own bed.”
They both headed to the front door and exited the gaming hell. It was still quite dark, and for once it was a rather clear night in London. The rain had been dreadful for days. The streets were filled with puddles and mud. They walked in silence for a few moments as they headed for a nearby hackney. As they stepped onto the road to cross over to the carriage, Jonas was yanked backward. He fell to the ground, his head smacking against the hard surface.
“Bloody hell,” he said with a groan. “Why’d you do that?”
“I have a message for you.” A big, burly man loomed over Jonas.
Jonas lifted a brow. “You might want to work on your delivery. I won’t be recommending your service to anyone.”
“Don’t need it,” the burly man replied. Jonas couldn’t make out his features in the dark, but felt the sting of a fist hitting his jaw. “The message isn’t the verbal kind.”
The ruffian was poised to throw another punch, but was jerked backward before he could land it. The man hit the ground in much the same manner as Jonas had. Served the bastard right… Jonas leapt to his feet before the other man could get up. He rubbed his hand over his sore jaw. “Took you long enough.” He turned to whom he’d thought was Asthey, but was shocked to find Lord Coventry instead.
“Where’s Asthey?”
“There.” Coventry pointed in the distance. He was battling a ruffian of his own. He landed a solid blow, and the man fell to the ground. “What is going on?”
“Unfortunately, this is the work of your grandfather,” he replied. A hint of sadness echoed through his voice. “I heard a rumor and came to investigate the veracity of it.”
“And?” Jonas didn’t like where this conversation was going. His grandfather could do a lot of damage if he wanted to, and it appeared as if he’d decided to employ his power. He had to have all the information Coventry possessed so he could form a plan of his own. His grandfather’s contacts were extensive and his reach even farther. In order to beat him at his own game Jonas might have to fight dirty.
“I’m afraid it was correct by the looks of things,” Coventry answered.
Asthey joined them, shaking his hand in the air as he walked. “That hurts more than I want to admit. I might need to learn a thing or two about throwing a proper punch.”
Coventry nodded. “I might be able to help you both.” He turned to Asthey. “Go inside and fetch your friend, Shelby. I have a proposition for you all.”
Asthey didn’t question Coventry’s order. He nodded and headed back into the gaming hell. Jonas watched him until he disappeared inside, and then turned back to Coventry. “What do you know?”
“Far more than you do,” he replied cryptically. “The duke has plans for you, and he’s not happy with your reluctance to follow them.”
“That’s something I know far too well.” He wished the old man would leave him alone already. “Was this his way of forcing me to go to Southington?”
“I’m not entirely sure what he hoped to accomplish tonight,” Coventry admitted. “I know he arranged it, and I’m here to help if you’ll allow it.”
Jonas was so tired of constantly fighting with his grandfather. There had to be a way to stop him from coming after him again and again. “What do you have in mind?”
Asthey and Shelby came out of the gaming hell and joined them. Shelby carried his cravat in his hand and was straightening his jacket. “This better be important,” Shelby muttered. “The chit was…”
“We don’t need to know,” Asthey said, interrupting him.
Coventry smiled. “I believe you boys will fit right in.”
“I don’t follow,” Jonas said, then frowned. “Fit in where?”
“A very special club,” he replied. “Come along. I’ll explain everything and how it’ll help you with Southington, your social life, and even financially, if you like.”
He didn’t understand how a club could do all that, but he was willing to hear Coventry out. He had saved him from being beaten, and as long as Jonas had his two friends with him, he didn’t see the harm. They could decide together if it was something worth doing. They’d stuck together this long.
They followed Coventry to a nearby carriage and climbed inside. It rolled across the cobbled street with ease. The interior was plush, and the seats rather comfortable. Jonas had never ridden in a carriage so fine. After a short drive, the carriage stopped. They all got outside to find an elegant townhouse with a W emblazoned near the door. Where were they? What had Coventry said earlier? Something about a club.
“Where are we?” Asthey asked vocalizing Jonas’s thoughts.
“Doesn’t look like much,” Shelby replied. “Why’d I leave that lovely lass again?
Coventry pulled a key out of his pocket that had the same W on the top of it. He pushed it into the lock and opened the door.” “Gentleman, please come inside.” He led them from the foyer into the main part of the house.
The outside expertly disguised the decadence found inside. Rich velvet draped the windows. The settees, chaise lounge, and every chair in the place had similar color scheme of dark red and burnished brown. To the side was a long cherry banister that wound around an elaborate staircase. To the side was a large room with a blazing fireplace. Several men sat at one of the tables as they played cards. Each one had a beautiful, scantily clad woman on their lap. Jonas’s mouth fell open at everything he saw, and he couldn’t believe he didn’t know the place existed. He turned to Coventry and said, “You have our attention. Want to explain this to us now?” He continued to stare at the luxuriousness of his surroundings.
Coventry smiled. “Welcome to
the Wicked Earls’ Club. You have been nominated for admission—if you want to join. There are rules, of course,” Coventry told them. “Nothing too extreme, but you should all find them reasonable. Keep the club a secret, and you forfeit your membership once you marry—only the leader of the group is allowed to have a wife and retain his membership. If you’re wondering who that is—I am the one currently in charge of the club and its members.” He glanced at each one of them and asked, “Do you wish to be a part of all this?” He held his arms out wide.
They all nodded immediately. Jonas didn’t give it much thought, and figured the other two hadn’t either. The sheer excess of the place had won them over. The rest he could figure out later.
It was a decision he never regretted…
CHAPTER 1
LONDON, 1823
Dark gray clouds floated in the sky above, threatening to unleash rain upon everyone who dared to walk the streets of London. Lady Marian Lindsay stared up at them as she chewed her bottom lip. It was not a good sign, and she hoped the bad omen didn’t lead to a disastrous meeting with Sir Anthony Davis. Not that rain wasn’t commonplace in England—because it most certainly graced the country with regularity; however, Marian’s luck never held when it deigned to fall from the sky. So her meeting with Sir Anthony would surely be doomed.
Nonetheless, she fully intended to go through with it. She had plans, and Sir Anthony stood in the way of them. Without his permission, she’d never become a part of the Royal Medical Society. They had this misbegotten notion medicine and women didn’t mix. She hoped to change his mind and have him recommend her for admission.
She’d been studying medicine and herbs her entire life. All right, maybe not that long, but it felt like it. Her interest started almost a decade ago after her aunt and uncle’s death. They’d both been in a terrible carriage accident near her family estate. Her father was the Earl of Coventry. Her uncle, the Earl of Frossly, married her Aunt Belinda and became a part of the family. After their death, Marian’s mother had been desperate with grief and the loss of her beloved younger sister.
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