The Unlucky Viscount

by Emma Brady

  Turning she spoke in low tones to answer him. “I have found my footing with your peers, if that’s what you mean.”

  “Is it?”

  That’s when he began to nibble slightly on her ear while pushing her backwards behind a bit of over grown shrubbery to be better hidden. She felt exhilarated by the sensation of his lips on her skin and his hands on her body while they were both fully clothed. There was no telling how far she might be willing to go, but he stopped and put a few inches of space between them.

  “I have become as enchanted by you as the rest of the crowd in that ballroom.” Alex said.

  Rachel laughed. “I’m hardly enchanting. I’m just new. Everyone likes something new.”

  “Not me.”

  The moment slowed down as she looked into his eyes and saw the intensity there. Her breathing became long drawn out breathes and her heart beat fluttered in her chest. She felt frightened by the feelings she was beginning to have and in her panic she pushed him away.

  “We need to get back.” She couldn’t look him in the eye, so she turned her face away.

  Alex backed up, giving her room to walk away. She couldn’t even take his arm as they walked back to the ballroom. Her emotions were so jumbled and she felt she needed to keep the distance between them. Suddenly, she saw Alex freeze next to her, with the most stricken look on her face. She followed his gaze through the glass doors into the house and saw that Deckland was standing there, conversing with a small number of gentlemen.

  "Where are you going?" Rachel grabbed Alex by the arm, hoping he wouldn't go.

  "To see an old friend."

  "You can't face him in public."

  Alex went still beneath her hands, his body no longer tugging them both forward. He looked at her over his shoulder with bewilderment and anguish in his expression.

  "How do you know who I'm speaking of?"

  "It's Deckland. I see him in the ballroom, same as you."

  "You have never met Deckland."

  Rachel didn't want to lie to him so she said nothing.

  "You have never met him, right?"

  Still, she kept her lips pressed together. He turned and grabbed her by both arms, almost lifting her off her feet. There was a crazy look in his eyes.

  "Rachel?"

  "I didn't want you to worry, but I met him a few days ago. It was while Daphne and I were out."

  "He didn't know you were my wife?"

  "No, but something he said I recognized."

  "This happened days ago, but you never told me." He released her, giving her more room to breathe, but she didn't move away from him. "It was the day I found you looking through my things in the study. You were looking for more information about him."

  "I wasn't certain it was him at first. He gave me a different name and I wanted to be sure."

  Rachel didn’t know how to respond. Alex’s eyes were wide open and his cheeks were a bright red. In a moment the shock of it wore off and he barreled through the doors.

  “You bastard!” Alex cried out as he grabbed Deckland by both arms and lifted him off his feet.

  The crowd in the ballroom was now filling in around them. Everyone straining their necks to see what was happening. Rachel attempted to calm Alex down, but he heard nothing that she said. All he could hear was what Deckland sputtered through his pursed lips.

  "I'm sorry. Who are you talking about?"

  “You! Deckland. I know it's you!"

  "You have the wrong man."

  "No!" Alex shook Deckland Hard enough to make his head bounce back and forth. "I know it's you."

  People were starting to gather and watch the confrontation. Rachel didn't know how to help, but Thomas was quietly trying to get them to move on. His influence helped, but there were still some who refused to leave.

  "I don't know who you think I am, but I'm not him. My name is Hatwell and I just arrived in London a week ago."

  "A week? You have been here for a week and I didn't see you?"

  "I don't know you."

  A strangled sound came from Alex. "You know me too well. You know me well enough to steal from me."

  “You are Marcus Deckland." Alex growled. "The man who fooled me into giving him my entire fortune and then disappeared."

  "Do you have proof of that?" The expression on Deckland's face changed. He became calm as he no longer struggled. "My name is Hatwell, not Deckland. I have a list of people who will vouch for that. Do you have any that would agree I was this Deckland person?"

  Rachel watched as Alex slowly released Deckland, anger and frustration clearly visible in his demeanor. "You know I don't. You always had an excuse why we had to meet in private."

  "Do you have proof that this Deckland person took your money?"

  "The bank has record of it."

  "They can prove that you took the money out, not where it went after that. If you were fool enough to give it to someone, there is no record of it but your word."

  "My word will be enough."

  "I highly doubt that. I am a wealthy and well-respected man in America, and I have many friends here in London. It would be your word against mine, and I have more people who can speak to my character than you think."

  Thomas came up beside Alex and placed a hand on his shoulder. There was such anguish in Alex’s eyes that Rachel could feel tears falling down her own cheeks. He had no choice but to let the man go, but it was difficult for him. Thomas pulled him back and the man stood there straightening his evening clothes.

  “I’m afraid he thought you were someone else. He knows he made a mistake and is deeply sorry for it.” said Thomas.

  “Then I want to hear him say it.”

  The room froze. It was so silent, Rachel could hear the wind coming in through the open door.

  “My apologies.”

  The tone of Alex’s voice sent a chill up her spine and many of those in the crowd by the looks on their faces. Hatwell just smiled, in a smug way and shrugged.

  “I suppose I can accept that. Mistakes do happen.”

  He held out his hand and Alex took it, even though is face was grim. The other guests were satisfied with that and began to disperse. That’s when Hatwell pulled Alex in and grinned with a sick smile.

  “I wouldn’t want us to have a sour relationship. I’m hoping to do a lot of business while I’m here and lady Luck may bring us together again.”

  The way he smiled at her made her stomach turn and she could see Alex trying to break away from Thomas. Luckily the duke was strong enough to hold him in place while is enemy got into the carriage and left. Then his shoulders slumped and he stood there in defeat.

  “That was Deckland.” His voice carried such a desperate tone. “I don’t care what he calls himself now, but he’s Deckland. He’s the man who ruined me.”

  “I believe you, but without proof you can’t just attack him in public.” Thomas said.

  “In private?”

  Rachel wouldn’t be against the idea, but then Alex could be the one under arrest. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

  His head swiveled and those green eyes of his were flaming with anger. “So I just let it go? I just wish him well and let him go on living the life my family’s money gave to him?”

  Rachel was shaking her head, but he was pushing her and Thomas away. Breathing like a wild animal, she worried he might be going after Deckland again, but he didn’t. Alex let out a low string of curse words and then left the ballroom.

  “I will make sure he doesn’t do anything reckless.” Thomas told her. “You need to make sure Daphne is taken care of. Find Eloisa and let her know where I went. “

  She had tears in her eyes as she watched them leave.

  CHAPTER 15

  SLEEP WAS ELUSIVE AS Alex sat in his study and drank away the memories of Deckland and his betrayal. He had sent Rachel and his sister up to bed as soon as they had arrived home. Neither of them argued when he insisted on staying down there.

  The next morn
ing he left the house early to find out what he could about the new person Deckland was pretending to be. What he found out was bad news. After talking to a man he knew at the Bow Street Runners, he needed to talk to a friend and found himself calling on Thomas.

  "He has an entirely new identity." Alex said as he came into the room that Thomas called his office.

  "Deckland does?" Thomas didn't bother to get up from his chair, where his steward was helping him with correspondence.

  "Of course. How many other swindlers are running around London?"

  "I'm not going to bother answering that."

  Thomas indicated for his steward to leave them alone. Alex was so agitated, he felt like he couldn't be still, so he paced back and forth across the room. He could feel the pounding of his heart inside his chest, as if he had run there instead of riding. He so badly wanted to put his fist through the man's face, but he had to find him first.

  "What did you discover about his new identity?" Thomas remained calm, sitting in his chair behind the desk.

  "He is now going by the name Marcus Hatwell. He recently arrived from New York, along with a few of his business partners."

  "Decided to take them with him this time."

  "Apparently, he is now in the textile business. When we were going into it together, it had been paper goods."

  "Textiles are far more profitable these days."

  Alex stopped and looked at Thomas. "How can you make light of this?"

  "Humor is the only way I know how. Years of bad situations, I suppose."

  "The man stole my future and my sister's future. He is the worst kind of devil."

  "Yes, but he's a smart one. Those are the hardest to catch."

  Alex remembered what Deckland had said the night before, about how he had no proof of any of it. He couldn't prove that Deckland was really the same man as Hatwell and he couldn't prove the money was taken by him. Legally, Deckland was going to get away with it all.

  "There must be something I can do. The thought of seeing him around London, living the life he bought with my family’s money will drive me mad."

  "You appear to be halfway there already."

  "Funny."

  Thomas reached into one of the drawers of his desk and pulled out a stack of papers. They were tied together with a string and looked as if they had been riffled through numerous times. The corners of the pages were bent and they appeared to have had the ink smudged too many times.

  "Do you know what this is?" Thomas tossed the stack of papers on the desk, but Alex didn't move to reach for them. "This is all the information I could find about my brothers after they went missing. Every eye witness or piece of gossip that I followed. Any kind of paper that might show where they were that week. I retraced every step they made leading up to that night."

  Alex remembered that time in his friend's life. Thomas had tried to console his mother while he himself went down the trail looking for the young men. Nothing had ever turned up to show if they were dead or alive. Eventually, he had stopped searching because of his injury, but Alex always suspected Thomas still believed they were out there.

  "It took me a long time to get this much information and I couldn't have done it alone. I hired a man, a very persuasive man. Someone who knows how to sniff out the truth from those that don't want to give it."

  "I need such a man."

  "I thought you might. I sent him word this morning that I had a new case for him to look into. He's faster than expected and told me to meet him later this evening about it. Seems he already has a lead on the man and his activities."

  "You did this without me asking?" Alex finally felt his body begin to slow down and he was no longer feeling the need to move.

  "A friend doesn't need to be asked. I saw you were in trouble and decided to help."

  "You didn't have to do that."

  "No, but I wanted to. You are one of the few friends who kept by me after the accident. You need someone to keep by you now."

  Alex didn't know what to say. He knew Thomas was a good friend, but this went beyond that. This was something that felt more like family.

  "I will be by around sundown this evening to pick you up." Thomas said, unaware that Alex was staring at him like a gaping fish. "I suggest not telling the ladies where we are going. We wouldn't want them to worry."

  "Where are we going?"

  "Mitchum wanted us to meet him in a pub near Whitechapel called the Dancing Fish. A bad neighborhood, but we are looking for a bad man."

  Alex hadn't spoken to Rachel since the night before. He didn't know what to say to her after the scene he’d made. She must think he was a mad man, accosting someone like that in front of everyone. After he had made such a big deal about proper behavior, he went and behaved like a common street thug.

  There was also the matter of her deceit. Alex knew that she had never lied to him about meeting Deckland, but she had kept it a secret from him and that felt very much the same. He was angry about that and wasn't sure he could keep from saying something cruel to her.

  Rachel was waiting for him when he arrived home, sitting on the steps of the staircase just inside the door. ""Where have you been? Daphne and I have been worried about you. There wasn't even a note."

  Alex could see the way her dress was wrinkled where her hands were gripping it. Her hair was pulled up but in haste, so it tilted to the side. She must have been in a hurry this morning to find him. Those brown eyes were rimmed with red, and he suspected she had been crying only moments before he came in. He felt a lump in his throat as he realized how worried she had been. He wasn't accustomed to anyone worrying that much.

  "I didn't have time. I left as soon as the sun was up, hoping to find out more about this Mr. Hatwell person." It was a weak excuse but the only one he could give.

  "And?"

  Alex didn't want anyone else to hear what he was about to say so he pulled her into another room before talking.

  "My search wasn't very successful. I was able to find out that he truly has arrived in London as a different person, but that wasn't going to help me."

  "The nerve of him coming back here!"

  He couldn't help but notice the bright pink color that spread across her cheeks when she was angry. He was glad that those sparks in her eyes weren't directed at him this time.

  "I agree, but there wasn't much I could do to prove it."

  "You're just going to give up?"

  Alex saw the way her eyebrows came together and put a wrinkle there. He wished he could soothe her with good news, but he knew he had to be as vague as possible. As Thomas had said, the girls would just worry if they knew what was going to happen.

  "No, of course not. I'm going to continue to dig until I find something I can take him to jail with. Thomas has offered to help me by going over some of the financial records I had from when I dealt with Deckland." Alex made sure that his expression gave nothing away; he kept the casual look he always had when he was playing cards. "I'm afraid that means I won't be able to accompany you and Daphne to the ball tonight. Eloisa and her cousin will be there, though."

  He could see the way she was looking him meant that she didn't entirely believe him. The Raven had watched him at the tables enough to know every tiny tell he might have. As hard as he tried, something must have been off enough to give her pause but not enough for her to call him on it.

  "Are you sure you want us to go out? I don't think any of us would mind staying in to help. The more hands there are, the more work can be done, or so says my father."

  That was the last thing Alex wanted. He needed to know that the women were safe and far from Deckland. Thomas would feel the same way about his wife and sister-in-law.

  "No, it's going to be very dull and probably frustrating. We wouldn't want you to go through that with us." he said, attempting to sound bored by it. "Besides, Daphne needs as much time in front of the ton as possible. The season is ending soon and she will be sad if she misses the fun."

  "I
could send her with Eloisa and stay behind to–"

  "No." This time Alex knew his voice was sharp, but he needed to be. "You will go with the rest of them to the ball. This is my responsibility, and I need to take care of it."

  She opened her mouth as if to argue but thought better of it.

  "Fine, but if you find anything, you wait until tomorrow. Don't do anything foolish tonight."

  It was too late for that. Alex had no intention of giving that man any more hours of peace than he had to. If they found where that snake was hiding he was sure as hell going to hunt him. He could either drag Deckland to jail or into hell, but he wasn't going to stay in London.

  "Of course not. I have Thomas to keep an eye on me."

  He smiled, hoping she would find his joke funny but she didn't. Instead, she threw herself into his arms and buried her face in his chest. He stood there, holding her with one hand on her back and the other stroking her hair.

  "I know men like Deckland. My father dealt with them all the time. They are dangerous."

  The words were muffled but he heard them still.

  "I'm not naïve. I have had my fair share of run-ins with the dark side of the city."

  Alex had played in all sorts of gambling hells when he first went broke, any that would give him a line of credit to play with. Sometimes he wondered if they would take back their money in blood, but he always managed to come out safe.

  "No you haven't, not like this. I know real evil when I see it."

  "How much time did you spend with the man?"

  Rachel looked up at him with a weak smile. "Enough to know I don't want you to be alone with him."

  "I promise I won't let myself be caught off guard. I won't do anything alone." Alex silently added that Thomas would be there with him for every step, not her.

  He kissed her on the top of her hair, but then she pulled him down to kiss her lips. Only a day apart and he felt like he had forgotten how sweet she tasted. He drank her in and devoured her with his mouth. They were only moments away from stripping each other of their clothes when there was a knock on the door interrupting them.