by Dawn Brower
“Between this and what you were saying yesterday about marriage, you’re going to fill my head up with all sort of ideas,” Cordelia said with a smile. Victor took her face in his hands and smiled, then leaned down to kiss her. He’d barely pressed his lips to hers when shouting from his waiting room made them both look up.
“Wait here,” he said, rushing through the office door and into the hall. Cordelia caught up with him in just a few moments and Victor shot her a look of annoyance. “Cordelia, I thought I told you to stay in my office.”
“I’m not going to---“
“Nobody move!” There was a gunshot from the waiting room and Victor stopped and put an arm in front of Cordelia. Her eyes were wide with alarm and Victor put his finger to his lips and started walking quietly toward the waiting room with her behind him, both of them doing their best to keep silent. He knew there was no way to convince her to go back to the safety of his office and he didn’t want to waste time if someone had been injured.
When they reached the end of the hall, Victor could see the young man he had seen at the manor the night of the party standing in the middle of the waiting room with Miss Wright. His arm was locked around her, holding her in place, and there was a small pistol in his hand. The young secretary was crying and her brother looked around wildly.
“Please, Sam, don’t do this,” Miss Wright said through her tears. “This is crazy.”
“Shut up!” His eyes searched the room and found another client, then Bradley with his hands up, and finally Victor and Cordelia. “You’re the one I’m looking for,” he said, pointing his gun at Cordelia. “It’s your fault this all happened!”
“What?” Cordelia started to step forward and Victor’s arm stiffened in front of her in an attempt to hold her back. She stopped but Victor knew he couldn’t keep her back for much longer. “What are you talking about?”
“If it wasn’t for you, we could have been together,” Samuel said, throwing his sister aside and advancing on Cordelia. “Arthur said the reason we couldn’t be together was because he had to stay married to you or lose his fortune. I needed that money! Our mother needed that money to live but he wouldn’t give it to me. He said he couldn’t do anything while you two were still married.”
“You killed him for that?”
“I was going to kill you,” Samuel shouted. “Then we could have been together! Everything would have been fine if it wasn’t for you. I was going to hide in your room and kill you after the party but he found me first.” He frowned and rubbed his head. “Everything’s kind of hazy after that but when I came back to myself I was back in town cleaning myself up in a room over the pub.” While he was talking, his gun arm had lowered slightly and Cordelia glanced at Victor for just a moment. He nodded and let her step forward, hands raised in front of her.
“You didn’t mean to do it,” she said calmly. “I see that now. Things just got a bit out of control. I’m sure if you explain that to the police---“
“We’re not bringing them into this!” Samuel’s hand jerked up and he pointed the gun at her. “You’re going to give me the money he wouldn’t, and then I’m getting as far away from this town as I can.” Cordelia kept walking toward him. “If not, I’m going to kill you like I should have done before.”
“All right,” Cordelia said. “Tell me how much money you want and I’ll get it for you. You’ll have to wait here while I go get it, though. They won’t like it if you come into the bank waving around a gun and asking for money.” She was maddeningly calm but it didn’t seem to be working.
“Then I’ll go with you,” he said. “I’m not giving you a chance to run away.” Tears were streaming down his face. “If he hadn’t been trying to protect you he would be alive right now.”
“Listen,” Cordelia began gently, but he shook his head and leveled the gun at her. His hands were shaking and he wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt.
“No! I’m finished listening to you!”
“Samuel---“
It happened almost too quickly for Victor to realize what had happened. One minute there was a gun pointed at Cordelia’s head, then there was a crash and the air was filled with the rich aroma of coffee. The gun fell out of Samuel’s hand as he stumbled forward, shouting as the hot coffee soaked into his shirt. Victor leapt forward and grabbed the gun off the floor while Bradley stood over the young man holding the handle of the now-broken coffeepot.
“Good work, Bradley,” Victor said in surprise. “I’ll never say a word against your brewing coffee again. You can have all of it you like.”
“That was very quick thinking,” Cordelia said as Miss Wright knelt on the floor beside her brother. Victor could see burns on the sides of his neck and the part of his chest he could see through his shirt and he pointed at Samuel.
“Go get the police and the doctor,” Victor said. “I think it’s safe to say we need both.”
“Yes, sir.” Grinning, Bradley disappeared through the door and Victor stood over Samuel, shaking his head.
“I’m sorry,” he said to Miss Wright. “I’m sorry you had to see this.”
“What’s going to happen to him?” She looked up at Victor, and he wasn’t surprised to see tears in her eyes as well. “He’s done a horrible thing but he’s still my brother.”
“It’s hard to say,” Victor said. “He planned a murder but ended up killing his lover instead, and I believe him when he said he didn’t intend to.” Cordelia came over to him, shaking her head. “Are you all right, darling?”
“I’m fine,” she said with a smile. “I’m glad it’s over.”
“Not quite,” Victor said as the door opened again and the doctor came in. He knelt down beside Samuel and Miss Wright, opening his black bag just as the police chief and the detective came in. “But I’m sure those two gentlemen would like to apologize to you.”
“What happened here?” The police chief looked around the office at the broken glass, spilled coffee, and Samuel sitting up with blood running down the back of his neck while the doctor looked into his eyes. “Mr. Pembroke, is this one of your clients?”
“He’s my secretary’s brother,” Victor said, motioning to Miss Wright. “And the man who killed Lord Arthur Whittemore. He admitted as much before Bradley incapacitated him, and we have multiple witnesses who will put him at the manor both the night of the murder and earlier.” He looked at Christianson. “I hope you’ll forgive us for doing all your work for you.” The detective gave Victor the coldest look he’d ever seen and he smiled patronizingly. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll make yourself look decent for your higher-ups when you go back to Elston.”
“I think you’re going to be fine,” the doctor said. “I’ll need to dress those burns but I can do that at the police station.” The chief of police nodded and grabbed Samuel by the arm, hauling him off the floor. “I’ll go with you.”
“Mr. Pembroke, Lady Whittemore,” the chief said. “Would you meet us at the station with the witnesses you spoke of?”
“Of course,” Victor said. “We’ll have to fetch them from the Whittemore estate.”
“You should do it as soon as possible,” the chief said, glancing at Samuel. “I want this taken care of by the end of the day.”
“You aren’t the only one, sir.” Cordelia turned to Victor. “I shall fetch my pocketbook from your office, then we can take my carriage to the estate.” He nodded and she started back down the hall while he went over to Bradley and slapped him on the shoulder.
“Can’t believe you thought of that,” he said with a smile as Samuel was led away out of the office. “If I might make a suggestion, Bradley?”
“Yes sir?”
“Go to law school. You’re being wasted her as my assistant and it’s that kind of on-your-feet thinking and resourcefulness that a good attorney needs. Your father might not think you’re smart enough, but I have faith in you.”
“But I like being your assistant,” Bradley said. “Who’s going to get you
r mail and go buy biscuits for your clients? I don’t want you to get along poorly without me around.”
“I’m touched.” He looked toward his office and smiled. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around, to be honest. It depends on whether Cordelia wants to stay here or not.” There was the sound of a door closing and he leaned closer to Bradley. “Don’t mention just yet, though.”
“Of course not, sir.”
“I’m ready,” Cordelia said. “My carriage should be waiting outside. We can fetch Mrs. Richmond and Patricia and be back directly.”
“Let’s go then.” Victor offered her his arm and she looked at it hesitantly. For a moment he thought she was going to decline his offer on the grounds of propriety but she smiled and took his arm with a smile of her own.
“Yes, let’s.”
Victor led her out to her carriage and opened the door before her driver could get there. He helped Cordelia into the cab, then climbed up himself and closed the door. The driver climbed up onto the boards and got the horse moving while Cordelia and Victor sat face to face. Victor took her hands and looked closely at her.
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes,” Cordelia said, squeezing his hands. “A bit shaken up, I’ll admit. I’ve never even seen a gun, much less had one pointed at me. There were a couple of moments I really thought he might kill me. I knew you wouldn’t let him do that, though.”
“I would have thrown myself in front of a bullet for you without hesitation,” Victor said. “Without you, my life wouldn’t be worth living.” He got up so he could sit beside her. “Before you, I thought of women as little more than pretty playthings. I never wanted someone with a mind of her own, or bravery like you showed this afternoon.”
“I didn’t know I had it in me until I met you,” she said with a smile. “I’ve always been the good daughter, the one who didn’t want to speak out of turn or harm my family’s reputation. I suppose that’s part of why I agreed to keep quiet about Arthur. Not wanting to shame my family or how it might reflect on me to others.”
“I came to Greenley with a reputation and I had no intention of trying to repair it. That may make things a bit difficult for you if you want to stay here but I swear I’ll never give you reason to doubt me, Cordelia.” He reached up and cupped the side of her face in his palm. She smiled and leaned against it. “I love you.”
“How different it sounds when you say it,” she said, her eyes shining with tears. “I love you too, Victor.” She leaned forward and put her arms around his neck, and he pulled her into a kiss. It was every bit as passionate as the ones they shared on their nights spent in each others’ arms, but Victor doubted that there was enough time for much else before they got to the estate.
“Come on,” he said, smirking as he moved to the opposite side of the cab. “We should at least pretend to be proper while your Mrs. Richmond will be watching.”
“You’re right,” Cordelia said, grinning as brightly as he’d seen her sister do. “The last thing we need is for her to have heart palpitations before we get to the police station.”
“I’m more worried about what she might do to us,” he replied. “Especially now that she has that cane. You saw how she talked to the police, I can only imagine what she might do to you and me.” Cordelia laughed and he sat back against the cushions. “Have you ever ridden in an automobile?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Is it enjoyable? I’ve heard it can be quite dangerous.”
“Not if you’re with someone who knows what they’re doing. I’d like to take you to London sometime. Maybe show you around a bit and take you for a ride in one. It’ll be a long time before Greenley even gets roads that would lend themselves to automobiles.” He sighed. “There’s quite a lot of modern life we’re missing being out here.”
“I’d love to go to London,” Cordelia said. “To be honest, living out here in the woods was never really that appealing to me. It was beautiful at first but I grew lonely rather quickly. I wouldn’t even mind staying a while in London.”
“That settles it,” Victor said. “After all this is over, we’ll go to London. I’m going to buy you the most beautiful dress you’ve ever seen and to hell with those mourning clothes. You never should have had to wear them in the first place.”
“Oh darling, thank you!” Cordelia hugged him tightly and Victor kissed her on the cheek, then pointed out the window.
“Is that Mrs. Richmond?”
“What?” Cordelia sat up, a guilty look on her face, and Victor grinned at her. He couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with this woman, and as far as he was concerned it couldn’t start soon enough. He reached out and took her hand, then kissed the back of it.
“Only joking, my love.”
“I’m not speaking to you any longer.”
“Of course you will,” Victor said. “You just need the proper motivation.” He pulled her over onto his lap and kissed her. To hell with being proper, he thought. I’d rather be in love.
My Enemy My Earl
A Laird to Love Book 1
USA Today Bestselling Author Tammy Andresen
Chapter 1
Lord Ewan McDougal took a deep breath of Scottish air as he trotted down the rutted road toward Kirkcaldy. It was so good to be back in his home country. Even with the misting rain, the fresh smell of spring flowers lifted his spirits. With any luck, he’d never step foot on soil that wasn’t Scottish again.
He doubted he’d ever have need to traipse over Europe or Asia after the war, so there was no real danger there, but England was another matter entirely. A Scot could get sucked onto English land despite his best intentions not to. And he had no intention of ever touching that country again.
Or any of its people, for that matter.
“Do ye think we’ll be able to stop soon? I’m peckish.” Kieran McKenna grumbled next to him.
Ewan glared at his longtime companion and friend. They’d grown up together on neighboring parcels of land, had been drafted together, and had returned changed together. Kieran was like his tartan, he was rarely seen without the other man. “We just ate.”
“Aye, but it’s raining.” Kieran looked as though his point ought to have been obvious.
“So what?” Ewan gave him a look of bewilderment. “It’s Scotland. It’s always raining.”
“After years of being cold and hungry, I’ve no tolerance for either.” Kieran shrugged.
It was difficult to argue with that. There were a lot of things he had no tolerance for after years of war. Loud noises near stole his sanity. He couldn’t stand the English, for example, who’d drafted him in the first place. And his ruined land, bare after five years of neglect. That drove him mad but at least his land he could repair. That was why he needed to get to Kirkaldy. From there it was a short ride to third cousin, Hamish McDougal’s castle. “You know I’ve got a bride to meet.”
“Will she marry someone else if it takes an extra day?” Kieran wagged his eyebrows. “Besides, you know you’re devilish handsome. She’ll likely fall right into yer arms.”
Kieran wasn’t wrong. Women had long given him attention. Though Kieran was the more classically handsome man with his straight nose and piercing eyes, Ewan had always had a masculine look to which women responded. “It’s not that. You ken as well as anyone my land is in shambles. I need to marry to put it back together. Winter is comin’.”
“It’s only spring.” Kieran winked. “But I know ye be wantin’ a lovely little Scottish lass with a nice full…dowry.”
Ewan tried not growl at his friend’s crass words. Although they were at least partly true. Fiona, his perspective bride, did come with a dowry and that coin would be verra helpful in repairing his lands. Fiona was a strong Scot woman, which would also come in handy.
They’d last seen each other ten years before, when she was but a child. She’d had a penchant for practical jokes, which had near driven him mad, but surely she’d grown out of that by
now.
Up ahead he spotted a carriage stopped and tilting precariously to one side. The driver was down on his knees in the muck attempting to repair the wheel. Poor sod.
Next to him stood a hooded figure with flowing skirts that had been sucked into the muck. He grimaced. The side of the road was no place for any lass to be. Especially not on a day like this.
“I’m all for helpin’ women in need but it’s rainin’ harder still. We should keep movin’.” Kieran frowned more deeply. “Ye’re not going to stop are ye?”
The question did not dignify an answer. Dismounting, he led his horse toward the stranded travelers. As a soldier, he’d learned it was less intimidating when he approached on foot. Especially considering his height and the breadth of his shoulders. He frightened on horseback.
The driver looked up with a wary eye but Ewan offered him a smile. “Is it help ye be needin’?”
“Aye, that’d be right nice.” The driver nodded.
“You can go back in the carriage if ye like, lass.” Ewan gave her what he hoped was an sympathetic smile but he heard her huff her breath almost like it annoyed her that he’d said it.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’ll stay,” she answered from under the hood, annoyance lacing her lilting voice.
Never mind that he admired a woman with enough pluck to stand out in the rain to fix a wheel. Something Kieran wasn’t willing to do, apparently. Or that she stayed even when she didn’t have to.
Her accent was English.
“Dinna trouble yerself, lass.” The driver reached out to pat her like a child.
Ewan nodded his agreement. “I know an English woman like yerself doesn’t do this kind of thing normally.”
“How would you know what I can or can’t do?”
He could just see her mouth below the edge of the hood. Perfect, full pink lips turned down into a frown.
Why had he thought words like perfect and full when he should be thinking ones like conniving and wretched? Wasn’t that what all the English were? Everyone he’d met when abroad at war certainly had been. Pushing the Scots to the front of the line to die in droves.