If the Earl Only Knew (The Daring Marriages)

by Amanda Forester

  “Well, now you have me intrigued. Please come and tell me the whole story. I have a feeling it will make a good tale. Is there a captain with a peg leg in it?”

  “No. Well, actually I have met a captain with a peg leg, but he was married with twelve children.”

  “I knew somewhere there were twelve brats!”

  Kate gave a reluctant smile and he was gratified to finally break through her icy reserve. If ever he did win her heart, her devotion would be worth the effort, for it was not easily bestowed.

  “Now come sit next to me and tell me your tale. I promise not to bite…unless you ask me to.”

  “You are incorrigible.” Her tone was disapproving, but she did sit next to him.

  Wynbrook said nothing, hoping his silence would make her feel more inclined to share.

  Kate took a deep breath and began to speak, staring straight ahead of her, never once glancing at him. “When we were twelve, we were called home from boarding school for our father’s funeral and found the house had been gutted. We were told our father had left us deeply in debt, though we knew that could not be possible. It was clear any money we had and any valuables we owned besides the estates themselves had been stripped from us. What was not clear was who had done it or why.”

  Wynbrook covered one of her hands with his in a silent gesture of compassion. She took a breath and continued.

  “We were informed by the steward that we needed to travel to London to see our godfather and legal guardian, General Roberts, a friend of our father’s. We made the journey, but when we arrived, we were informed that our guardian was too busy to attend to us. We were quite alone in the world.”

  “Too busy? Unforgiveable! Was there no one else? None to whom you could turn?” Wynbrook could not remember a time when he did not have a multitude of friends and relations. He also had lost his parents but had been immediately surrounded by family. How could Kate, at only twelve years, be left so unprotected in the world?

  Kate shook her head. “We have no other living family. We were told we were paupers due to our debts. The steward handed us over to some rough men who deposited us in debtors’ prison.” She turned away so he could not see her face.

  “Debtors’ prison?” He was certain he must not have heard right. “But you are members of the peerage. That cannot be.”

  “I assure you it can be if you have no friends and those around you deny who you are. The prison guards were told we were the children of a dead merchant who had not paid his debts and that we were habitual liars and to pay no heed to anything we said.”

  “Oh, Kate. Now I understand why you set free all the children of Fleet.” It was all starting to make sense.

  “Yes. It was a memorable experience.”

  Wynbrook squeezed her hand. “I cannot believe such a thing could happen.”

  Kate kept her face turned from his. “We were fortunate. We were only there a week.”

  “A week!”

  “Some people live much of their lives in prison.”

  “But you should not have been there at all!” he growled. It was wrong, so very wrong. “Where is this bastard steward? I cannot believe he could get away with this.” He was ready to take the man to task himself.

  “The steward is dead. After we escaped Fleet, we found the man murdered.”

  “Murdered!”

  “Clearly someone ensured he would not be able to talk.”

  “So if someone killed the steward, then he was merely the pawn of a larger player.”

  “Yes, exactly so.”

  “And you never found out who did this to you?” he demanded. One hand lay gently on Kate’s but the other was clenched at his side.

  “To this day, we do not know.”

  “But how did you escape?” he asked, still incensed that his precious Kate would be so mistreated.

  “One of Robert’s teachers, a rather unconventional fellow, had been let go from his post and followed us to London, I think in the hopes of gaining a position as a tutor. Instead, he discovered our plight and paid enough of a bribe to secure our release.”

  “This cannot be. It cannot happen,” said John, unable to get past the unfairness of it all.

  She finally turned to him with sympathy in her eyes. She patted his hand as if trying to comfort him. He needed to pull himself together. He was supposed to be consoling her.

  “After we left the prison,” continued Kate in her most businesslike air, “we found ourselves in a tenuous position. We were only twelve years old and obviously had not reached majority. The steward had been murdered, and we were fearful whoever came after him would come after us next.”

  “What did you do? You must’ve been terrified. Had you no one to protect you?” John was on the edge of his seat.

  “I suppose this is a rather lurid tale. All I need is a peg-legged captain and I could pen the next popular novel.” Kate gave him a weak smile.

  For once, Wynbrook did not feel like making light of the conversation. He was too angry at the injustice done to her to see any humor in the story. “I fear I cannot laugh at any story in which you are hurt.”

  A softness crept into Kate’s light eyes and she continued her story. “Our best course seemed to be to take our well-being into our own hands. We both agreed that, though young, we could hardly do worse caring for ourselves than anyone else had. So we went to court to gain Robert’s majority.”

  “At the age of twelve?” Wynbrook was incredulous.

  “It does seem young now, but we did not know what else to do. We were helped in this regard by our tutor. He was the only one we could trust.”

  A spark of humor shone in her eyes, and Robert guessed this was one part of the tale she recalled in a positive light. “I fear what I have to tell you does not reflect well on myself or Robert. I would remind you that we were twelve years old and in desperate straits.”

  “Yes, of course. Please do go on. I can’t imagine how you survived this.” He squeezed her hand and realized she was holding his. He did not recall how it had come to be, but he was glad for it.

  Kate gave him a brief nod to acknowledge his comment. “Our tutor snuck in to the courthouse and found an application for a young man to reach his majority and I made a replica for Robert.”

  “You created the legal papers?” He was impressed.

  “Yes, and I purposely made the hand barely legible.”

  “But still,” John argued, “even if you smudged the papers, no one looking at a twelve-year-old boy could think he was full grown.”

  “True. That is why we stole the judge’s spectacles the night before the hearing.” Kate grinned.

  John laughed. “Incredible! This is much better than my novel, I must say.”

  Kate made a guilty sort of chortle he had never heard from her before. “I confess, we even drew on something of a mustache for Robert before we went before the judge. Fortunately, Dare has always been tall for his age. It all seems quite fantastic now, but it did work. The judge must have assumed Robert to be close to being of age and issued a ruling giving him majority. The first thing we did was to change bank accounts. We hired a new steward and gave him instructions to sell off anything we could to pay off debts, which were indeed substantial. A land agent was engaged to take over the management of the house. Until yesterday, we had never returned.”

  It all explained so much. Her generous gift to release the residents of Fleet prison. The desperate clinging to every farthing. The general distrust of people. The isolation and betrayal she had endured certainly did not make for an inviting personality. Still, she had a warm heart and was fiercely loyal to those she loved.

  But would she ever love him?

  “We realized that even with strict economy, it would take a while before we had even two farthings to rub together,” Kate continued her story. “We also were desirous to
leave London, and returning to Greystone was not an option. In the end, there are only a few occupations open to a gentleman of Robert’s age and position.”

  “He joined the navy,” said Wynbrook. It was all starting to make sense.

  “Yes. Our tutor was brought on board the ship to instruct the young gentlemen.”

  “But what did you do? Did you return to school?”

  “I would have liked to, but we had not the funds, and we still did not know what had happened or who had gone out of their way to cause us such pain. Perhaps it was cowardly, but I feared remaining in England by myself without Robert there, and besides, where was I to go?”

  “That is sensible. I would not have allowed my sisters to go off to school in a similar situation. Who knows what could’ve happened to you alone and unprotected?”

  “Yes. But I fear that there were very few options open to us, and I am certain we chose one you would never have done for your sisters.”

  “What did you do?” he asked softly, almost fearing the answer. This was no doubt why Kate felt she could not ever marry him.

  Kate shook her head. “It is too terrible.”

  “It is your story, your past, and so whatever it is, we can face it together.”

  The doubt in her eyes was clear. “I hope you mean that.”

  He hoped he did too.

  Thirty-one

  Kate cleared her throat, trying to form the words she needed to say. She looked away, unwilling to watch Wynbrook’s reaction. Whatever was blossoming between her and Wynbrook, this revelation would kill it. Kate kept her eyes straight ahead, looking out the window to the bright orange sunset. The day was over and so too was this potential life with Wynbrook. She was watching it come to an end. Or possibly she was killing it with her bare hands.

  “I decided that since Robert was joining the navy, if I wished to remain with him, I must join too.”

  Kate paused to allow her words and their meaning to be understood. She did not want to watch as Wynbrook began to understand that she had been ruined beyond all hope of redemption, yet she could not help but turn to him. At first, his face remained impassive, a slight frown on his brows. Then understanding dawned, his eyes widened and his lips parted but he said nothing. He squeezed her hand again and it gave her the courage to continue.

  “I cut my hair. I quickly reworked some of Robert’s clothes to fit me. I did not tell him my plans until I had completed the disguise, then presented myself to him and our tutor.”

  His voice came in a hoarse whisper. “He let you…”

  “No, he told me I would not go, could not go. He was working on some agreement with a girls’ seminary to accept me then and be paid later, but his request was denied. Perhaps we were young and did not know all our options, but to this day I am not sure what else we could have done. We did not know whom to trust. And Robert feared for my safety if he left me unprotected.”

  “Oh, Kate, I wish we had known you then. We could have protected you. I would have…” His voice trailed off. “And to think I said such horrible things about you and Dare that day before the accident. How can you ever forgive me? I was such an unmitigated arse.” The pain was clear in his eyes.

  “Yes, you were,” Kate agreed. “But you have more than made up for your uncharitable words. Indeed, Robert and I are quite in your debt.”

  Wynbrook shifted closer to her. “But how did you manage? How…?”

  “Robert introduced me as his cousin, Ashton. I was young and thin and looked for all the world like a lad. I worked as a cabin boy and ran powder to the gunners during engagements.”

  His eyes opened wide. “Engagements? You were in battle?”

  “Yes, I served under Lord Nelson in the Battle of the Nile.”

  His eyes flashed with sudden understanding. “The medal I found, it was yours, not your brother’s. Oh, my sweet girl.” He suddenly embraced her, wrapping her in his warm, strong arms. She was stunned, utterly speechless. This was not the reaction she had anticipated. Hesitantly, she rested her cheek upon his shoulder.

  “So you see why it is that I cannot marry you. I cannot marry anyone.” Her voice was muffled from his shoulder.

  He released her from his embrace but held her at arm’s length, his hands on her shoulders. He frowned at her until sudden realization dawned on his face. “Wait, cousin Ashton? Not the Mr. Ashton who has been serving as my solicitor for the past six years.”

  “Er…yes.” She had hoped he would not make the connection.

  Wynbrook stood up and began to pace the room. It was a lot to take in all at once. “So let me get this straight. You were defrauded of your inheritance, sent to debtors’ prison, served in the Royal Navy, fought in the Battle of the Nile, and for the past six years have been acting as my financial adviser and solicitor.”

  “So you see why I am not fit to be your wife. Or anyone’s wife.” She felt quite small having her faults laid out before her so succinctly. She clasped her hands together in her lap so tightly her knuckles turned white.

  “And Tristan knew this!” he cried, saving the worst offense for last.

  “Some of it,” she confessed.

  “I always wondered how Tristan managed to graduate Cambridge with a degree in law. You helped him!”

  “A bit.” And by “a bit,” she meant quite a lot.

  Wynbrook shook his head. “It would be a thing he would do.”

  “I enjoyed learning, and it allowed us to manage our affairs better.”

  He shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

  “Yes. Quite. I will leave you in peace.” It was past time to make her exit. The best she could hope for now was to withdraw with whatever dignity she had left. She stood to leave, but Wynbrook caught her up in his arms.

  “I am sorry to have alarmed you with my reaction. It is just such an amazing story, though now I understand why you are as you are. I thank you for telling me. Most ladies would have taken the offer and never shared their past.”

  “I am not most ladies,” said Kate stiffly. “Now please unhand me.”

  “Sorry, my dear, but my offer still stands.” He released her from his embrace but held both her hands in his, smiling down at her.

  She could not believe her ears. Her jaw dropped and she could do nothing to keep from gaping at him. “After all I just told you, you still wish to marry me?”

  “Yes, indeed. Only when we are wed, I will expect you to perform the office of financial adviser gratis. Save me several pounds a year.” He grinned at her.

  He must be mad. She was sure of it. “The purpose of this revelation is to explain why I cannot marry you.”

  “So you keep saying,” drawled Wynbrook. “But I still refuse to see why that is so.”

  “I spent a year of my life masquerading as a cabin boy. What if your society friends were to discover this fact?”

  “I should laugh in their faces. What a ridiculous story. Too fantastic to believe.” He snapped his fingers as if it were nothing to bring about, and she had to admit the daughter of an earl working as a cabin boy aboard an English Navy ship was too far-fetched, even for society.

  “But…” Kate was at a loss for words.

  “The thing we really must do is find whoever did this dastardly deed to you and Dare in the first place. Do you think your abductors and your old enemy may be connected?”

  “I…I don’t know.”

  “Well, it’s past time we found out. Have you interviewed the staff who worked here at the time?”

  “Some inquiries have been made, but no one knows anything. We have let go all the staff that worked here when we were young, not knowing whom to trust. I do not believe anyone is still alive who might be able to help us.”

  “Have you asked your current housekeeper?”

  “Well…no. But she was not employed here then. Of what help could she
be?”

  “A competent housekeeper knows all,” he said with confidence. He rang the bell and asked the footman to request the presence of the housekeeper.

  “I do not see how she could help,” said Kate when the footman had gone to fetch Mrs. Brooke. She was feeling rather unsteady at his acceptance of her secrets and his immediate jumping in to investigate her greatest mystery.

  “You never know until you ask,” said Wynbrook. “We need to put to rest the ghosts from your past so we can move on,” he said kindly.

  “We? There is no we. These are my ghosts. Do not trouble yourself.”

  The conversation was cut short by the arrival of the housekeeper. Wynbrook motioned for her to ask, and Kate relented, knowing there was nothing the new housekeeper could reveal on this matter.

  “Mrs. Brooke,” said Kate, “I am looking for information on how the house was run before your time. Do you know any of the staff who worked before you who might still be around?”

  “There’s Mrs. Hennings, the housekeeper.”

  “But I thought she committed…that she took her own life,” Kate stammered. This had been the information she had received.

  “She tried. But she survived, or what’s left of her. She lives with her daughter, Mrs. Saunders, in the village.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Brooke,” said Kate. She stared at Wynbrook when the housekeeper turned to leave. She could not believe that after all these years, she finally had a clue as to someone who had been present when her father died.

  It was getting late and darkness had crept up slowly, so any adventure would have to wait until the morrow. “So would you like to have a chat with your old housekeeper tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Yes!”

  “And now will you marry me?”

  “No.”

  Wynbrook shrugged. “Can’t blame me for trying. Your refusal does not sound quite as adamant, and in that, I take hope.”

  * * *

  Silas Bones did not relish returning to his father empty-handed. After his men had first lost Lady Katherine and then misplaced Lord Darington, he had joined them in the fruitless search for the missing earl. They had asked around, greased the palms of many individuals, but the only thing he had discovered was that a gentleman and a lady had taken some interest in his men’s coach but had driven off a short time later.