Regency Romance: Loving The Reluctant Viscount (The Fairbanks Series - Love & Hearts) (Historical Regency Romance & Mystery)

by Jessie Bennett

  It had taken Steven months to find a lantern small enough to do what he wanted to do. Though the light was dim, it was enough for him to see what he was doing. He moved on silent feet down the hallway to Emiline’s room. He turned the knob and pushed. It was locked from the inside. He narrowed his eyes.

  She had tried to keep him out that way in the past. He kept a pin attached to his belt that allowed him easy access to nearly any locked door and he used it to gain entry to her room.

  Her room was pitch dark. He went straight to the bed and sat on the side of it.

  “Wake up.” He murmured. He shook her with one hand. “Wake up, Em.”

  She opened her eyes slightly to stare blankly at him for a moment. She became aware and her eyes widened in fear.

  “You do not need to look at me that way.” He grumbled. “We are going to the Dowling estate. I want to search for the elephant.”

  “In the middle of the night?”

  “Would you rather do it in broad daylight for everyone, including your dear brother, to see? Come along. Get up and get dressed.”

  “I don’t want to go.”

  “You are going with me, Emiline. Get up. Get dressed.”

  “But I will only be in your way, Steven. You will make better progress without me.”

  “You may be right,” he countered. “But now that I have woken you up and told of my plans, how can I risk that you might go to Duke Worthington and tell him?”

  “I would not do that!”

  Steven shook his head. “I do not believe you. Get up. Get dressed. Now.”

  With tears in her eyes and clogging her throat, Emiline forced herself to get out of bed and put on the lightest dress she had. She did not bother with any extras. She pulled her hair back with combs to keep it out of her face. Without another word, she followed Steven through her door, down the hallway and out the front door.

  She froze when she saw the waiting horse.

  “I cannot ride a horse in this!”

  “You can and you will. Come along. I will hold on to you.” His grin gave her cold chills. She dreaded having his hands tightly around her. She didn’t want to be that close to him.

  The ride to the Dowling estate took longer than Emiline had hoped. Steven kept the horse at a steady pace, not wanting to draw too much attention. He tied the horse to a tree just beyond where they had played croquet.

  “What if someone is awake?”

  “Unlikely. Do you know what time it is? No one in their right mind is up at this time of the morning.”

  “We are up.”

  “We are not in our right minds, are we?” Steven laughed. It sounded wicked and evil to Emiline. She didn’t want to touch Steven but being in the clearing with only the lantern light to show the way made her frightened and she grabbed his arm. He looked down at her with rare compassion and hurried to the side of the house.

  “How will we get in? Surely the glass doors are secured.”

  “I unbolted one of them this afternoon when we were here. We will easily get in.”

  Emiline’s heart was hammering in her chest. She regretted ever having gotten involved with Lord Steven Miner. He had promised her riches and though they had stolen artifacts in the past, Emiline never seemed to be on the receiving end of the riches.

  Except for one pretty dress.

  “The house is so big.” She whispered. “How will we find the elephant in the dark?”

  “We will look until we find it.”

  “That could take hours. What if someone wakes up?”

  “You have done this with me before, Em. Be quiet and do as you are told.”

  They slipped in through the open door and stood inside the room for a moment, listening for voices or footsteps. There was only silence.

  “Everyone is asleep. Come with me. We know it is not in this room. I looked when we were here.”

  Emiline nodded, feeing overwhelmed. The elephant could be in any of the numerous rooms around the house. She felt sick to her stomach, sure they would be discovered.

  On silent feet, they moved out into the hallway. Steven led her in and out of various rooms, prowling around looking for the artifact of his desire. His frustration mounted as they searched.

  “I told you it would be impossible to find in the dark of the night.” Emiline said. He grabbed her arm and squeezed it until she squeaked.

  “Be silent!” He ordered. “We will look in the library before we go.”

  “I will come back and visit Janelle. I will look for it during the day. Please can we go?”

  He frowned in the darkness, still gripping her arm in his hand “We will look in the library first.” He repeated, pulling on her.

  “Do you know where the library is?”

  “Yes. I asked Lady Dowling when we were here earlier. She did not have a chance to show me through the room but she told me where it is.”

  “But can’t we just come back and visit and let her show it to you?”

  “We are here now. I want to look. Come along.”

  He directed her to the double doors that led to the library. As quietly as he could, he turned the knob and went in. For a moment, Emiline stood outside the room, reluctant to go in. Steven reappeared at the doorway, glaring at her. “Get in here.” He hissed.

  Emiline held her breath, passing through the doorway, stepping just inside and to the side, where she remained. Steven grunted in frustration.

  “You are useless.” He chided her. “I will look myself. Do not move from here. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Steven.” She didn’t plan to move. She wanted to leave the Dowling Estate and never return. She watched as the light from the lantern bobbed to and fro while Steven moved through the room. He was becoming angrier by the moment. She could tell by his heavy sighs. When he came back to her side, he shoved a small statue in her hand.

  “Hold on to this.” He said. “If we cannot get the elephant tonight, we will not leave here empty-handed.”

  “But, Ste…”

  Steven put a finger to her mouth to silence her. He said nothing. Emiline stood still in utter terror, listening to the sound of approaching footsteps. She felt close to fainting. The blood ran from her face, draining into her feet. Her knees threatened to buckle.

  Noticing her distress, Steven wrapped one arm around her and put one hand over her mouth. He pushed her to the side and pressed her against a wall on the other side of a large bookshelf next to the doorway.

  The footsteps passed by the library door. They heard a sound in the distance. Someone had gone into another room.

  “It’s the cook.” Steven whispered. “It’s just the cook. We are all right. She didn’t hear us.”

  Emiline began to cry, frightened tears streaming down her face. “I want to go, I want to go.” She whispered feverishly.

  “You must be quiet!”

  “Steven, I want to go now. Right now!”

  He pulled in a deep sigh and dragged her across the room to the double doors that would let them outside. It was the opposite side of the house from where they had come in and they would have a long walk back to the horse. They slipped through the door quietly. Steven pulled it closed behind him, cringing when it clicked shut.

  “Will they notice the door is unlocked?”

  Steven sneered. “I do not know. But they will notice their statues are missing. Someone will notice when they clean the library.”

  “Why did you take it if you knew they would notice?”

  Emiline realized she was clutching the stolen statue to her chest with tight fingers. It felt like it was burning her and she threw it on the grass.

  “What are you doing? Pick that up. We are not leaving empty-handed!” Steven bent down and picked up the golden statue. “They would have noticed the elephant, if I had found it.” He tried to give her the statue. She folded her arms, refusing to take it.

  “I don’t want to carry it. You carry it, if you are so intent on taking it.”

  “I a
lready have something to carry.” He pressed the statue against her. She tried to turn away.

  “I’m not taking it. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

  Steven’s anger was mounting. She could tell he was furious with her. She didn’t want to imagine what he would do to her when they got back to Worthington Manor. Their cover of darkness would be gone once the sun rose into the sky. The thought that they would be caught going back into the manor sent another flood of chills rolling over Emiline. Her heart was pounding.

  He grabbed her arms and forced them apart, pressing the statue against her chest. She was sure she would have a bruise there in the morning.

  “Take it or I will leave you here to suffer the consequences.”

  Emiline wrapped her arms around the statue and stumbled after him as he pulled her along.

  She pictured the bed she had left behind. She pictured her brother, Janelle, Shawn and Elizabeth. How much longer could she take what Steven was doing to her?

  She began to cry ferociously once they reached the horse. Steven didn’t speak a word to her as the horse tore through the street. She could feel how tense he was against her body. She hoped he would just leave her in her room. Soon everyone would be up getting ready for breakfast. If they were caught entering the house with the stolen statues, they would have no escape.

  That thought made her cry harder. She didn’t stop even when they reached the Worthington grounds.

  Sneaking back into the house terrified Emiline. Once they were inside the door, she shoved the statue she had been holding into Steven’s chest, turned around and took off toward her room. She held up the long skirt and took the stairs two at a time. She was grateful their window of opportunity was short because it prevented Steven from calling after her. He didn’t follow her into her room. She closed the door behind her and leaned back against it, her heart hammering against her chest so hard she feared it might come out.

  Just as she crawled into her bed, she saw light from the sun peaking over the mountains, casting its rays over the dewy landscape. She huddled under the sheets, the events of her night replaying over and over in her head. She pictured what would happen if she was discovered, if the Duke realized what was going on.

  She wanted to go to Allan’s room and tell him everything.

  But she was ashamed.

  She had gotten herself into this situation with Steven; years ago. It was too late to take it all back.

  “You are a stupid, gullible girl, Emiline Gray.” She murmured to herself. That’s what Steven would tell her. Now she knew it to be true. “Stupid, gullible girl.”

  She cried until she was asleep.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  THE THEFT OF THE GOLDEN STATUES

  THE THEFT OF THE GOLDEN STATUES

  Allan woke up that morning with thoughts of Janelle on his mind. He had dreamed about her all night. He slid out of bed with the full intention of spending the entire day with her. It didn’t matter where they went or what they did. He wanted to spend every minute fulfilling every desire she had.

  He dressed and groomed himself in a hurry. He was anxious to see her. For a moment, he wondered if Shawn or Elizabeth might have invited her for breakfast.

  When he reached the dining hall for breakfast, it was clear that Shawn had not invited Janelle for breakfast. In fact, Shawn was not there himself. Elizabeth was eating but she looked frazzled and in a hurry.

  “Good morning, Your Grace.” Allan said, taking a seat opposite her and nodding to Mary, who nodded back and went through the door to the kitchen. “Are you all right? You look worried.”

  She looked up and nodded at him. “I am worried, Allan. Someone went into my mother’s home last night and stole several statues from the library.”

  Allan frowned. “That is reprehensible! Who would do such a thing?”

  “We have never had such problems with theft before.”

  “Problems? Has this happened more than once?”

  “The vicarage has also been the victim of theft in the last week or so.”

  “Oh no. That is quite upsetting.”

  “The only good part about this is that we know the thief must still be in the vicinity and did not leave with the items from the vicarage. Shawn has gone to my mother’s estate to speak to a constable. Something must be done to stop this criminal.”

  “I agree. Shall I go and assist him?”

  “If you desire. I know that Jan will be there.” Elizabeth managed a small smile. “I am quite sure she would be delighted to see you.”

  Allan gave her a small grin. “I will be delighted to see her.”

  “I am glad the two of you are getting along so well. Janelle needed a good man to come into her life.”

  “I will certainly try to be the best man I can be for her.”

  “I’m sure you’ll do fine, Viscount.”

  Allan had nothing to reply to that. He ate a quick breakfast, excused himself and found Charles to take him to the Dowling Estate.

  Allan had neglected to get many of the details about the thefts from Elizabeth. He’d assumed she knew very little of them herself and didn’t want to put any additional pressure or worry on her by making her speak of it any more than she had to. He ran over the few facts he knew of in his mind as he gazed unseeing out of the carriage window.

  Elizabeth had mentioned that the thefts had happened during the last week. He couldn’t help thinking they did not occur until after his arrival and the ball where he’d introduced himself to the Duke and Duchess and the lovely Janelle Dowling.

  Thinking about her distracted him from the worry in his mind. She gave him a renewed vigor, a lust for life that he had not felt for many years. Overall, he was a happy and content man. Now that he had met Janelle, he realized what had been missing to fill in the gap to pure happiness. He didn’t need riches, though he coveted them in order to care for the woman he loved as best he could.

  The thought had barely escaped his mind when he realized that it was love he was experiencing. Despite his age, it was the first time he had ever felt such intensity. He thought about her constantly and desired her presence everywhere he went. He almost wished he could put her in his pocket and take her wherever he had to go.

  He smiled. It was a silly thought.

  His mind reverted to the thefts. The fact that they had not occurred until after his arrival made him wonder if the Duke and Duchess suspected him. His chest tightened. What if they suspected it was him? Were they keeping him at the Manor to keep an eye on him?

  He shook his head, though no one was there to see him.

  “No.” He said aloud. “No, no, I am no thief.” That Shawn and Elizabeth might think such a thing made him feel confused and upset.

  He swallowed, reviewing the timeline in his mind. He wasn’t the only one who had arrived that night. Abraham Montgomery had also made an appearance, as well as Steven Miner. Could it be either of them? Steven was also staying at the manor but Allan had not seen anything suspicious involving him. Abe Montgomery had gone back to his home in Fairfield a few days previous. And Abraham had no reason to steal anything from the Dowlings or the vicarage. He was a wealthy man and greatly respected by the Duke, the Duchess and the citizens of Fairfield, which was his territory.

  His mind narrowed in on Steven. Lord Steven Miner was a stranger to everyone involved. If there was ever anyone to suspect, it would be him.

  Allan narrowed his eyes. Lord Miner had been spending some time with Emiline. He resolved to put a stop to the relationship as soon as possible. Being suspected of theft was enough for him to keep the two apart. He would protect his sister in any way he could.

  He thought about Emiline for the rest of the ride to Dowling Estate. He had come to recognize the lands. The Dowling Estate was not far from the Manor of the Duke and Duchess. It would not take long to get there.

  When Charles pulled the carriage up in front of the large house, Allan got out and was immediately con
fronted by the constable, who was leaving, and Shawn, who was showing him out.

  Shawn nodded at him. “Lord Gray.”

  “Hello, Your Grace.”

  “Janelle is inside. She is in the dining room, if you would care to speak with her. She is very upset. I assume Liz told you what has happened?”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  Shawn nodded, his face serious. “All right.”

  Allan looked from him to the constable and back. “I do hope that you do not suspect me in these crimes, Your Grace.”

  Shawn immediately shook his head. “No, Lord Gray. We have another suspect in mind. Your character has not been tarnished by this. Worry not.”

  Allan felt a great sense of relief. He nodded and went past Shawn to enter the house.

  He got an odd feeling when he went through the front doors. The house was nearly silent. Usually, the maids and servants were bustling about, taking care of their daily duties. He looked around him as he walked to the dining room. There was no one about.

  He frowned, wondering where everyone was.

  He went through the door, poking his head in first so as not to surprise Janelle or anyone else who might be in the room with her.

  “Miss Janelle.” He said in a gentle tone before pushing through the door and closing it behind him. She was sitting at the table with her mother, holding the older woman’s hand. When she looked up at him, her face brightened somewhat, making Allan’s heart skip a beat.

  “Lord Gray. It is so good of you to come. How did you find out about this tragedy?”

  “The Duchess Worthington told me, my lady. I am so sorry to hear that this is happening.” He walked around the table and bowed to Lady Dowling, taking her hand and placing a soft kiss on top. “If I can be of any assistance, please do tell me. I will do whatever I can to help you recover your stolen items.”

  Lady Dowling nodded. “Thank you, my lord. You are so kind.”

  “It would be my pleasure. May I sit with you?”

  The older woman nodded. “Please do. We have been discussing the servants.”

  “I noticed they were nowhere to be found. Have you dismissed them all?”