The Elusive Earl (Saints & Scoundrels)

by Michaels, Maddison

  “How do you think? As soon as you left, Brianna declared that fact to the whole town.” Sir Walter looked somewhat amused by it. “And word does travel rather quickly, especially considering they have to rely on the rather antiquated semaphore line.”

  “She told the whole town?” Daniel slammed his fist against the wall. “But won’t the Duke of Siprezino insist she marry him and honor the betrothal contract of her mother?”

  “He’s apparently left for England in a decided hurry. I don’t know why or for how long.” Sir Walter shrugged. “But he’s not here to insist on anything at the moment.”

  “She should have waited to make certain!”

  “Perhaps.” Walter agreed. “But you know how stubborn she is. I think she’s determined to move on with her life after your rejection of her.”

  “Yes, I can certainly see how in love she was with me,” Daniel said a bitterness creeping into his voice. He hated that he cared. “Lasted all of two minutes.”

  “Well, you know what it is like when someone’s heart is broken,” Sir Walter looked pointedly over at him. “They do and say some very silly things. Sometimes they even run away and drink themselves stupid.”

  “You over step your bounds, Sir Walter,” Daniel rumbled, knowing full well what the old man was alluding to. He felt a restless energy build inside him, so he stalked back over to the window. He needed some air. Sir Walter’s eyes were too probing. Too knowing. Daniel pushed open the glass.

  “When someone I care for like a son is being an ass, it is my duty to let him know that is the case, so he may then remedy the matter before it is too late.”

  Daniel shook his head. “There is no remedying the matter.” He took in a deep breath of the crisp, salty sea breeze that was wafting in from the port. The crystal blue sky and sparkling sun mocked him, a complete contrast to the inner turbulence he was feeling.

  “Do you love her?” Sir Walter asked blandly.

  “That doesn’t matter.” Daniel’s hands balled into fists. He found himself resentful that the very thought of loving her was causing him to churn inside with turmoil. Did he love her? Obviously, he cared for her, but he’d made a deal with himself to never love another woman, apart from his sister and aunt. Even loving the two of them felt too much, when the very thought of their deaths was like a crippling blow to his midsection.

  “Absolutely, it matters!” Sir Walter replied. “Do you love the girl or not? It is an easy enough question.”

  “There is nothing easy about it at all!” Daniel roared, twisting back to pin the man with his glare. “Of course, I love her. But love destroys lives.” He had to keep telling himself that. Reminding himself why he couldn’t do the simple thing and succumb to her love. He turned back to the window.

  “And it can save them too, my boy.”

  “I don’t believe it can,” Daniel muttered, staring out into the calm blue ocean.

  “Then I do feel sorry for you.” There was a hint of disappointment in his tone. “A life without love is a life not lived fully.”

  The very last words Brianna had said to him. They were both silent for several minutes.

  “How do you manage it?” Daniel asked.

  “Manage what?”

  “Loving your wife,” Daniel replied. “Aren’t you scared you will lose her? That your heart will be hollow for the rest of your life if you did?”

  “We cannot control our futures, but we can control the actions we take and the choices we make here in the present,” Sir Walter said. “I for one, we will never regret loving Edith, even if I did, God forbid, lose her. What I would regret is if I had never opened my heart to loving her at all. That, my boy, would have been the tragedy and would have eaten away at my soul forever. Just like it is now doing to you.”

  “Brianna only thinks herself in love with me.” Daniel tried to rationalize. He wasn’t sure whether he was trying to convince Sir Walter or himself. “Normally, she cannot stand me. She will eventually realize it was simply a fleeting infatuation, and her heart will move on to someone else.” Daniel felt a lump form in his throat at the thought.

  Sir Walter sighed heartily. “As much as I love my niece, you are, however, probably right.”

  His words cut Daniel to the core. “I am?”

  “Yes,” Sir Walter confirmed. “She is rather flighty and changes her mind at the drop of a hat. So easy she is to dissuade from whatever she has her heart set on.”

  “That is nothing like Brianna at all!” Daniel barked, anger flaring deep within at Sir Walter’s grossly erroneous description. “The woman is as stubborn as a bloody mule, and though she may be reckless and daring, she is certainly not flighty and given to changing her mind at the drop of a hat! She is filled with integrity and kindness and is loyal to her very core.”

  “Oh I know she is,” Sir Walter said, a twinkle of amusement creasing the corner of his eyes. “And I am glad you know it, too. For when Brianna gives her love, it is fierce, it is loyal, and it is forever. Do you see now how she will not, as you keep suggesting, simply change her mind about loving you?”

  Daniel blinked, taking a moment to catch his breath. Sir Walter’s words echoed in his ears, jarring him with their undeniable truth. The man was right.

  Suddenly, Daniel realized with an awful clarity that it had been his fear of love that had made him push her away. Hearing her say that she loved him had taken him right back to the fateful night when his mother had told him the same thing and then left him forever. And her deep unhappiness with her broken marriage had been what had destroyed her.

  But Brianna was different from his mother. She had an inner resilience and passion for life that his mother never had. Where his mother had been weak, Brianna was strong. And as Brianna herself had said, she would have shot him instead of killing herself if she’d found out he had cheated.

  “Love is all that matters,” Sir Walter’s calming voice cut through Daniel’s inner turmoil. “You need to be willing to take the risk on it though. That is the difficult part.”

  “My father was big on taking risks,” Daniel said, as memories of his father tumbled into his mind. The man had taken risk after risk, with ladies and with finances. Both had had devastating consequences. “That didn’t turn out well for anyone.”

  “You are nothing like your father, Daniel.” Sir Walter’s footsteps echoed across the wooden floor until he came to a stop beside him and glanced out across the water, too. “Where he lacked loyalty, you prize it above all else.”

  “Of course I do.” Daniel had to work hard to unclench his jaw. “But loyalty has nothing to do with love.”

  “It has everything to do with it!” Sir Walter’s voice boomed out. “And if you keep making excuses, and pushing love away, then you will have become exactly the sort of man that your father was. A shell of man, destined to be forever lonely as he cannot accept love in all its glory when so generously offered. Nor bring himself to be the man who’s worthy of it.”

  The man’s words were like a bitter acid in Daniel’s stomach. Had he spent so long trying not to be like his father that instead, that’s what he’d become? No. He wouldn’t allow that to happen. But if he continued on this path, that’s exactly what would occur.

  Sir Walter pulled out his pocket watch from his vest and opened it. “Well, we had best get going. Your ship sails shortly, and I shall see you off.”

  Daniel’s mouth felt like rough cotton. Sail back to England? Of course, that’s what he had to do. What he’d been trying to do for nearly a week. But his legs seemed rooted to the spot, as panic clawed at his chest.

  His mind told him to be sensible and leave, but his heart was refusing to let Brianna go. Could they build a life together? Could he let go of all of the rigid boundaries he’d put up to protect himself and risk taking a chance on love. Could he be a good husband to Bree?

  He would never cheat on her as his father had done to his mother. Nor would he ever break her heart with callous indifference… but with a sinkin
g sensation, he realized that was just what he’d done. He’d let his father’s last words haunt him and poison his view on love.

  But damn it, he wasn’t his father. And he never would be. His father had been a coward, too scared to risk his heart. Well, Daniel was not going to make that mistake with Bree any longer.

  Because he loved her.

  Dear God. He truly loved her.

  And he bloody well wasn’t going to regret never telling Brianna how he felt. If she would let him. He had, after all, stomped on her heart, and she wasn’t likely to easily forgive him.

  “I’m not going back to England.” He felt a sense of relief as soon as the words left his lips. “I love her, and she’s worth fighting for.”

  “Well then, you’ve finally seen sense, my boy.” Sir Walter snapped his watch closed and returned it to his pocket. “Just be prepared that you may well have a fight on your hands, in convincing her to forgive you. I’ve never seen her so upset before.”

  “I’ve really made a mess of things, haven’t I?” Daniel said, feeling like the biggest idiot imaginable.

  There was a pause as Sir Walter seemed to contemplate the question. “I do believe a great deal of groveling will be called for.”

  Daniel knew that was going to be the case. In fact, he thought Sir Walter was rather understating the matter.

  Chapter Forty

  Bree sat on the chaise, a book from her grandfather’s enormous library resting open on her lap. She’d spent the last two hours sitting by the balcony window, trying to read the Italian text, but to no avail.

  She exhaled. She hadn’t really been able to concentrate on anything after the events of the past week, finding herself moping around the palace instead. She was even lacking motivation to explore the region for antiquities… But after everything that had happened with Daniel, the thought of searching for relics reminded her too painfully of him and of their adventure together.

  She was lacking motivation for just about everything, really. And that very fact was so unlike her, too, that it was making her more depressed.

  Most likely, that was the reason behind her grandfather arranging for the gathering of Cosenza citizens in the lower courtyard of the palace this morning. He said he wanted to officially introduce her and advise the townspeople of Alessandro’s birthright. Bree suspected that he was also hoping to lift her spirits with a cheering crowd.

  She looked down at the ornate gown her new lady’s maid Ana had chosen. It was a brilliant emerald silk concoction, with pearl beads intertwined along the scalloped edges of her décolletage and piles of petticoats under an elaborate crinoline. Truly a creation fit for a princess.

  At first, she had refused to wear it, the color reminding her cruelly of the brilliance of Daniel’s eyes. But then she had relented, feeling oddly comforted by it.

  Bree blew out a breath and snapped the book shut. It was horrendous how she flipped between hating the man and loving him to the point of distraction. It would not do. She was Brianna Penderley, and she’d had enough of moping about over a man, even if the man in question was the love of her life who had shattered her heart.

  Her grandfather walked into the room. He was dressed resplendently in the same uniform that his guards wore, with several medals adorning his chest. He glanced down at the novel in her hands. “Not to your satisfaction?”

  “I can’t make heads or tails of it.”

  “We will get you an Italian tutor if you wish it. Only, of course, if you decide to stay,” he said in a quiet voice. “I do not wish to pressure you into anything, my dear.”

  A brief smile touched her lips, and she stood. Her grandfather looked both uncertain and hopeful. “I shall certainly need one, then,” she said.

  “You will stay?”

  “I shall,” she informed him, a sense of relief and fear competing with each other from the declaration. “I certainly would like to get to know the region and the people better. Though I anticipate I will spend a portion of the year here and a portion back in England with my other family. Perhaps you can even travel with me when I do?”

  “I would be honored to,” her grandfather replied, as he made his way over to her and took her hands in his. “You look absolutely beautiful, my granddaughter. My people will be so proud to have you as their Principessa. Now, are you ready to meet them?”

  Taking in a deep breath, she nodded. Though they were only going to be out on the balcony, she was finding herself rather uncertain. Particularly at the prospect of having to smile serenely to an array of strangers, when all she felt like doing was bawling like a baby.

  “Then let us go. Your family are already waiting for us.”

  They made their way slowly through the hallways until they reached the sitting room at the front of the palace. Upon their entry, her aunt and Milly jumped to their feet from the sofa, while Uncle Walter and Alessandro stood together just inside the balcony doors, which were open wide.

  On either side of the balcony doors stood two of her grandfather’s soldiers, who both snapped to attention on their approach.

  “Oh darling, you look beautiful,” her aunt gushed, as she rushed over to Brianna and gave her a quick hug. “The people are going to adore you.”

  “Thank you, Aunt Edith.” Bree placed a kiss on her cheek. She looked over toward the balcony and could hear the murmurs and laughter from the crowd outside. A whisper of nervousness gripped her for a moment, but then she reminded herself that all she had to do was stand there, waving and smiling down at the townspeople as her grandfather gave a speech. Nothing to be worried over at all.

  Even Alessandro’s normally unflappable expression held hints of apprehension. Bree supposed that to go from thinking you were an orphan whose father was a bastard, to suddenly being the true heir of the kingdom, would make anyone somewhat anxious.

  It actually relieved her a great deal. It meant she didn’t have the weight of inheriting an entire kingdom to run on her shoulders. Instead, she would be able to travel back and forth with no hesitation. In fact, if she hadn’t been so despondent over Daniel these past few days, she’d actually have enjoyed the perks of being a princess without all of the responsibilities.

  Her uncle crossed over to her and hugged her. “You look radiant, my dear!” he declared, beaming at her. There was an air of anticipation clinging to him. Brianna wondered what exactly was going on. He only ever had that twinkle in his eyes when he was plotting something. And whenever Uncle Walter was doing so, it usually meant trouble. She was rather like him in that respect. Or at least, she had been before this melancholy had taken ahold of her.

  The strum of an instrument began outside, its melody soft and haunting as it was carried through the doors on the soft whisper of the breeze. A man began to sing, his voice at extreme odds with the delicate music.

  “What on earth is that horrid noise outside?” Her aunt glanced disdainfully toward the balcony doors. “It sounds like an out of tune horse braying.”

  Bree tended to agree with her. But then she heard her name woven into the words of the song. No, it couldn’t be. She strained to hear, and surely enough she heard “Brianna my dear, come close to me here, ye are the holder of my heart.”

  A sense of hope slowly crept through her, and without thought, she dashed through the doors, her slippers pattering on the marble stones of the balcony. She came to a halt at the stone balustrade and scanned the crowd below.

  Hundreds of people had gathered inside the palace courtyard, but all of them appeared to be standing to the sides, making a semi-circle around two men who stood below in the center. One was strumming a guitar and the other was singing aloud… Her breath caught… It was Daniel, and he was singing the same song of courtship as the Mountain Clansman had, but in English. Serenading her, as he previously swore he’d never do.

  He sounded dreadful, his voice completely out of tune, but it was the most wonderful sound she’d ever heard. Happiness fluttered inside her, beginning to melt away the ice that encased h
er heart.

  His eyes honed in on hers from across the distance, and she felt the tears begin to flow down her cheeks, doing nothing to stop them.

  The song finished, and the crowd roared in applause, obviously knowing the song for what it was and applauding its purpose, as opposed to the execution of it.

  But then when the applause died down, it became eerily silent. Bree could hear her own heart thumping wildly in her chest.

  “Brianna Elizabeta Maria Penderley,” Daniel called aloud, his deep voice resounding loudly up to her. “I have been the biggest fool imaginable.” His gaze searched her own, a look of uncertainty in their depths. “You offered me your heart, and I tossed it aside like a moron. I was a complete buffoon and idiot.” He paused, and Bree could see the hesitation in his posture. “I don’t deserve you after what I did. But I am begging you,” he pleaded, getting down onto one knee. “Please forgive me. Give me a chance to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I love you, Brianna Penderley, Principessa of Cosenza. I can’t live without you. You are everything to me.”

  Joy blossomed in her heart at his words. He loved her. And he was making a fool of himself for her. But then a sense of caution gripped her. The man had hurt her more than she’d thought possible. More than she thought she could ever stand to be hurt again. “You broke my heart, Daniel Wolcott.”

  The crowd collectively drew a breath.

  He spread his arms wide. “I know I did. And I vow to never do so again. To always protect it. Please Bree, I was the biggest ass possible, I know that. I’m begging you, let me show you how much I love. I want to shout out to the world that I love you. That you are the love of my life. My All. That I cannot do without you. Will you marry me and be my wife, Brianna Penderley?”

  She paused for a moment before she spoke. “I am sorry, Daniel, but I cannot.”

  He flinched, as if her words had actually struck him. Many in the crowd gasped, including her aunt and Milly, who she could see out of the corner of her eye, standing off to the side.