If the Earl Only Knew (The Daring Marriages)

by Amanda Forester

  “Well played, my boy.” Admiral Devine laughed and gave John a hearty slap on the back. “Only do take care.” He leaned in to give a little friendly advice. “Nothing like a wedding to turn a lady’s head to marriage.”

  Wynbrook took the warning to heart. As invited guests began to arrive for the wedding breakfast, all he could see were determined mamas with their unmarried daughters. And here he was an unmarried earl. It was a travesty so great, they all were determined to remedy the situation, with Wynbrook being the prize catch of the day.

  He soon found himself surrounded by eligible females—tall ones, short ones, plump ones, skinny ones. All he needed to do—nay, was expected to do—was pick one. He could have no further excuse. It was considered nothing short of criminal that he had not chosen a bride already.

  He looked over to Kate for some sort of sympathy, for he knew she would be standing alone amidst the crowd, but he could not find her. Instead, there was a crowd of young gentlemen surrounding the spot where he had seen her last. He looked closer and realized she was in the middle of the feeding frenzy.

  His heart began to pound. How dare they surround her like vultures? They were only after her money, the opportunist knaves. He was marching toward the group before he realized what he was doing. Kate would not like to be smothered by fortune hunters. The gentlemen parted before him and he found Kate, but not as he was accustomed to seeing her.

  This Kate was regal, aristocratic, and in command. With a start, he realized the men might not be swarming around her for her money but for her beauty. Those surrounding Kate were not base fortune hunters but his friends, many of whom he knew had no need for an heiress. It was even worse than he’d thought. They were here not for her money, but for the lady herself.

  Her ethereal eyes flashed, and he knew he must say something since he had barged his way over in a great state. Where was her brother, anyway?

  “Lady Kate, forgive me, but your brother wishes to see you in the drawing room.”

  She raised an eyebrow but laid a hand on his sleeve and allowed him to escort her out of the hall. “My brother is in the privy,” she whispered to him when they were out of the dining room and beyond hearing of the guests.

  “Oh, well, I guessed you would not like to be swarmed so came to save you.”

  “I was not in need of rescuing,” she said staunchly.

  “Forgive me for misreading the situation.” He led her into an empty drawing room and shut the door behind them. It was a relief to be outside the room where he felt hard-pressed to make some young lady an offer, and it was even better to separate Kate from her would-be suitors.

  Kate sat tentatively on a chair, not quite looking at him but not quite avoiding him either. “Do you think those men were merely fortune hunters?”

  “You are well dowered,” he insinuated, though his conscience pricked him to say it.

  “I wonder that you would invite such gentlemen to your sister’s wedding.” She looked at him directly, a gaze he was not equal to return.

  “I… that is to say…they might not all be seeking a rich wife.”

  “Then why would they seek my company?”

  Wynbrook was now the one staring at the art on the walls. “Well now…very nice in your new Town togs. Polite to be receptive to our guests.” He stumbled over his words.

  “I see,” she said, but said no more, remaining curiously quiet.

  He wondered what precisely she saw. He knew she would not be right for any of those men who swarmed around her. He knew it in the very marrow of his bones.

  “Have you…” He cleared his throat. “Have you any thought towards marriage?”

  “Marriage is an institution designed to subjugate women and rob them of their resources and basic freedoms. A woman’s dowry should be her resource to dispose of how she pleases, not held in trust until such time as she weds and then handed over wholesale to her husband.”

  “Yes, yes, I quite agree,” said Wynbrook, heartily relieved that she was not considering any of the young bucks who had swarmed around her as candidates for a groom.

  “Then why did you encourage your sister to enter into the institution?”

  “Well, I…” He had stepped in it again. He really needed to be more careful when he spoke with his Kate. His Kate?

  Fortunately, the drawing room door opened and Darington walked in, stopping a moment and frowning at the two of them before shutting the door behind him. Wynbrook realized he had been caught alone in a closed room with the sister of a lord. Had circumstances been different, he might have been called upon to make an offer. He had no fear of this but still felt the need to explain.

  “Your sister was being crowded by a bevy of admirers so I helped to facilitate a rescue,” said Wynbrook as justification for being found alone in a room with Kate.

  “I was fine,” muttered Kate.

  “You here to escape company as well?” asked Wynbrook.

  “Lot of young ladies,” said Dare, clearly uncomfortable with the female company.

  “I am afraid there are. But we must be brave, can’t avoid them forever. Have you found a bride yet, old man?”

  “None that would have me,” muttered Dare.

  “He offered for Penelope Rose,” explained Kate.

  “The new Duchess of Marchford? Unfortunate. But do not despair, plenty of fish in the proverbial sea. I fear I must return to the guests. Brotherly duty and all.” Wynbrook walked to the door, secretly hoping Dare and his sister would remain safely in the drawing room—where no young men could find her.

  “Rather be fishing for actual fish,” commented Dare.

  “True, indeed. Many times in society, I’m not sure if I am the hook or the bait.”

  The corner of Dare’s mouth twitched up a fraction, the closest thing to laughing Wynbrook had seen.

  “Perhaps we shall remain bachelors forever and you can teach me how to sail,” said Wynbrook.

  Darington nodded. “Happy to have you on board.”

  Wynbrook opened the door, and they stepped out into the hall where some of the guests had congregated, chatting in small groups. “Perhaps you will allow me the honor of taking command of the Lady Kate,” said Wynbrook, thinking perhaps he would make an escape to a life at sea.

  “No,” said Dare flatly.

  “No? You would deny me the Lady Kate?”

  “She is a tempestuous lady, needs a firm hand. Not for the young and inexperienced,” said Darington in all seriousness.

  Wynbrook realized the man did not jest about his ship. “Is there anything I could do to prove my worth?”

  They walked back into the dining room as Darington shook his head. “Sorry, for you have been good to us. But the Lady Kate is not for you.”

  * * *

  Captain Silas Bones pulled up his collar against the cold. It was a bright January day, the sun glinting off the pristine snow, but bitterly cold. He looked down on Arlington Hall with resignation. He had used the information from Sir Richard to follow Wynbrook and Darington, but they had kept in tight company and had not given him the opportunity to attack. More and more people arrived at Arlington Hall.

  “No hope for it now,” he said. “Might as well go back to the inn.”

  His men, four in all, stamped their feet in the snow behind him. He had been so close to getting his hands on the ledgers. Where was all the gold? Had it all gone to the bank? Wouldn’t have been his choice, but was it theirs?

  “Your father will be sailing into Portsmouth soon,” said a large man with massive forearms. “What are you going to tell him about his cargo?”

  Silas ground his teeth. After their failed attempt, Wynbrook had posted footmen as guards and barred the doors. Silas had hoped he would have more of a chance when they parted for the country estate, but now the country was crawling with gentry.

  “What
do you propose we do? Show up at the door and pretend to be wedding guests?” growled Silas. Had things been different, he might have been one of those guests. But that was forever barred to him. And Darington was to blame.

  “Captain will be mad as fire if you don’t have his money.”

  “I know very well the character of my father! Now, unless you would like to return to him and report on your failure, I suggest you shut your mouth and do what you’re told.” Silas glared at the large man.

  “Aye, sir,” said the big man.

  “Wait here. Tell us when they depart,” said Silas, leaving his detractor to cool his opposition in the freezing temperatures. In a flash, he made a decision. If he couldn’t be a thief, he might as well go for kidnapping and ransom instead. “I am done trying to find the ledgers. Time to go for Lady Kate.”

  Silas sighed again as he trudged back to his modest inn. From a wedding guest to a thief to the abductor of young maidens. It was a long way down and he had the feeling he was not done falling.

  Eighteen

  Men attended her in a manner Kate found strange, bordering on the bizarre. It was one thing for those she knew were in desperate financial straits (Tristan was an impeccable source of gossip), but there were also a few who did not have need of an heiress, which baffled her. Why would they wish to spend time in her company? And why was Wynbrook glaring at them from across the room?

  It was a good wedding by all accounts. The bride was glowing and the groom was bursting with pride. Everyone wished the happy couple well, and they were surrounded by a chorus of happy voices. It was a new beginning for them…and an end for her and Robert.

  When the pianoforte was brought out in the evening for some spontaneous dancing among the happy crowd, Kate and Robert retreated to the library. Dancing was not going to happen. Not ever.

  “How long do you wish to visit with the family after Jane and Gareth leave tomorrow?” asked Robert.

  Kate did not wish to leave, yet she knew she must. Wynbrook was meant for another. There was no reason to stay. “We can leave tomorrow as well,” she said.

  “Back to London or to Portsmouth, to return to Gibraltar?”

  Kate sighed in defeat. She had hoped Robert would find a bride, but he seemed more reluctant than ever. “We might as well return to Gibraltar.” Kate did not say “home,” for Gibraltar would never be that. Truth was, they had no home. Robert would go back to sea and she back to her ledgers. Though they honestly had no need for more financial gain, she did not know what else to do. Ironic that they had regained their fortune to take their place in society only to discover they no longer belonged.

  “I thought I might find the two of you hiding in here,” said Wynbrook, entering the library. “Came to tell you cake is being served.”

  “Cake?” asked Robert, always interested in good food.

  “What is this about Gibraltar?” asked Wynbrook.

  “We will be leaving tomorrow to go back to Portsmouth and then Gibraltar,” said Kate in a matter-of-fact tone.

  Wynbrook stared at her like a puppy that had just been kicked. He blinked and his cool reserve returned. “So soon? I’m sure we expected you to stay awhile at least.”

  “We have already encroached on your hospitality long enough. We have completed the tasks we set for ourselves, concluded our business with our investors, and wished Jane well at her wedding. We should return to our business now and allow you to return to yours.”

  “But what of your mission to find Dare a bride?”

  Kate shrugged. “Seems a hopeless case.”

  “Yes,” said Wynbrook without emotion. “Yes, I understand. I wish you a safe journey.” He turned to leave and paused by the door. “Too bad you will not be here longer, for I’ve made a tangle of my accounts, can’t make sense of them. Thought you could help. Oh well. I’m sure it can be sorted out somehow.” He gave a quick smile and left.

  Kate watched him leave. Was that all the good-bye she was going to get? A lump formed in her throat. If this was all the farewell she could hope to receive, then she did not care that she was leaving either. In fact, she was glad to leave. The sooner the better!

  Several hours later, after the house had gone to sleep, Kate lay awake thinking of Wynbrook’s words about the difficulty with his accounts. How could she leave with it uncorrected? It would bother her forever. With a sigh, Kate grabbed a wrap, shoved her feet into slippers, and padded down to Wynbrook’s study. A “tangle of the accounts”? He would “sort it out”? She had no confidence in his ability. At least she could set things to rights before she left. Besides, this was as clear an invitation to correct his books as she was going to get.

  The ledger lay open on the desk, beckoning her to fix it. Kate sat down before the ledger, brushing her long, brown hair out of the way and beginning her work. Strange how six years ago she was in the same place, doing the same thing, and here she was again, just like last time. Just like a few weeks ago too. In truth, it did seem a bit too coincidental. Her suspicion grew.

  “Wynbrook?” she called out.

  John emerged from behind the drapes in the shadows and strolled forward, still immaculately dressed as he had been all day. “I knew you could not resist correcting my ledger.”

  “You lured me here!” cried Kate, feeling at a distinct disadvantage for being clothed in only a nightgown and wrap, while he looked like he’d stepped off the pages of a fashion plate.

  “Yes,” replied Wynbrook, completely unremorseful. He stepped closer, the light from her candle casting him in a rosy hue. “Other ladies might be tempted with wine or jewels, but your head is turned by the prospect of solving math equations.”

  “It is more the thought of your errors not being corrected,” growled Kate.

  “It is a worthy concern, for I am not the most attentive when it comes to my sums.”

  “Yes, I can see that.” Kate made a final notation on the ledger. “What I do not see is why you would wish me here, especially considering your future bride lies sleeping upstairs.”

  “My future bride?”

  “Do not play coy. Everyone speaks of your connection with the Devine family.” Kate was not one to mince words.

  “Ah yes, I have heard the rumors too. Hate to be disobliging to anyone, but I fear there is no truth in the tale.”

  Kate’s heart tapped faster in her chest. “Truly? That is to say, please tell me what you wish to discuss.” Kate used her most businesslike tone to cover the hope that surged through her.

  Wynbrook cleared his throat and motioned for her to sit in a chair beside the waning embers of the fire. He took the chair opposite her and Kate waited in silence.

  “The last time you left was so sudden, I did not have the chance to say good-bye. This time, I wanted to be able to express my gratitude for your service to my family.”

  Kate gave him a short nod. “Duly noted.” She knew this was not the reason he had wished to see her alone.

  “I was surprised to hear you are leaving so soon,” commented Wynbrook.

  “Our business is concluded, our investors paid. There is no reason to trespass on your hospitality any further.” She attempted to keep her face neutral.

  Wynbrook gave her a quick nod. “Then there is only one more thing to discuss.” He cleared his throat. “The kiss.”

  Kate was so surprised, she gaped at him. “Whatever do you mean?”

  “The night before you left six years ago—”

  “Was terribly difficult for you,” said Kate, attempting to change the subject. “You had suffered a grievous loss. I am sure your recollections of that time are hazy at best.” She was giving him a way out. Take it.

  “No, it will not do,” said Wynbrook after a moment’s pause. “I must beg your forgiveness for such inexcusable behavior.”

  “Nonsense. You were sick with grief. If anyone took advantage,
it was me,” said Kate.

  “Do not be absurd. My behavior that night was unconscionable. As a gentleman, I cannot abide it.”

  “But you have already told me you are no gentleman.”

  John gave her a slow smile. “Very true. If anyone had seen my behavior, an offer of marriage would have been expected.”

  “But no one did see it.”

  “You could have told your brother. I would not have denied it. In truth, I do not know many young ladies who would not have confessed what happened, knowing the outcome would be a wedding.”

  “If you think I would trap you or any man into marriage, you are very much mistaken.”

  “Yes. You are unique in that.” He gazed at her with frank admiration in his eyes, bringing to the fore all the difficult emotions she had worked so diligently to repress.

  “I have no desire for a proposal.” Was she telling him or reminding herself?

  “I do not blame you for holding me in low regard. The only thing worse than kissing you when you were under the protection of my own house was to do the thing badly. I fear my kiss was poorly executed, and for that, I apologize.”

  “It was not… That is to say…I would not have said it was poorly done,” she faltered.

  “So you liked the kiss?” He sounded sincere, but his eyes blazed with mischief.

  “You are incorrigible. If you would excuse me.” Kate stood. It was past time to make her escape.

  John stood as well. “Forgive me, please. It is not my intention to cause discomfort, truly. Is there anything I can do to make amends?”

  “For one thing, it is hardly fair to have a conversation with me in such dishabille and you fully clothed.”

  “You are beautiful as always, but I grant you the point.” He shrugged out of his formfitting jacket.

  “Lose the cravat,” she demanded.

  He untied it with a flourish, tossing it aside with the jacket. The waistcoat followed.