Clandestine
Page 1
“[ROSS’S] COMBINATION OF LYRICISM AND SENSUALITY IS ON PAR WITH JO BEVERLEY’S.”
—Booklist
Praise for the novels of Julia Ross
Clandestine
“A terrific Regency romantic suspense thriller…action-packed…Julia Ross proves the subgenre is alive and well.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Brilliantly merges suspense, passion, and a cast of characters one really cares about. It marks Ross as a remarkable storyteller and a writer whose talents have taken her to the top of the genre.”
—Romantic Times “Top Pick” (41/2 stars)
“More than meets expectations…A very good book with surprising twists.”
—Romance Reviews Today
Games of Pleasure
“Beautifully written with intelligent characters…and an insightful glimpse into the human heart…one of Ross’s finest novels. You’ll be captivated from page one.”
—Romantic Times “Top Pick” (41/2 stars)
“The kind of book one can sink into…While intensely character driven, [it] also chronicles a suspenseful plot…replete with wit and sensuality…Full of romance and excitement, telling prose and engaging dialogue, and soul-deep characterization, Games of Pleasure is another winner.”
—Romance Reviews Today
Night of Sin
“Exhilarating and highly sensual adventure romance…Ross’s gift for creating masterful plots and memorable characters is at its height.”
—Romantic Times “Top Pick” (41/2 stars)
“One of the most lush and atmospheric books I’ve read in a long time; I was drawn in and engulfed in the story.”
—All About Romance
The Wicked Lover
“The Georgian period comes vividly to life here…I highly recommend The Wicked Lover to anyone seeking a romance with rich details, intriguing characters, and a fabulous conflict.”
—All About Romance
“Master storyteller Ross delivers a spellbinding double dose of intrigue and passion in this…fast-paced, sensual story brimming over with unforgettable moments and memorable characters. Exquisitely romantic, utterly captivating.”
—Romantic Times “Top Pick” (41/2 stars)
“Twists and turns entwine with sensuality and suspense to make this lush romance a genuine page-turner.”
—Booklist
“Sizzles with unbridled sensual desire. Lots of amusing twists and turns, a real keeper.”
—Rendezvous
The Seduction
“Rich, delicious…Books like this are treasures…Put it at the top of your summer reading list.”
—The Oakland Press
“Ross’s lush, evocative writing is the perfect counterpoint for her spellbinding tale of a wickedly refined, elegantly attired rake who is redeemed by one woman’s love. Ross, whose combination of lyricism and sensuality is on par with Jo Beverley’s, skillfully builds the simmering sexual chemistry between Alden and Juliet into an exquisitely sensual romance and luscious love story.”
—Booklist
“A gripping novel starring two wonderfully tainted romantic skeptics as lead protagonists.”
—Midwest Book Review
“A superb example of Ms. Ross’s outstanding storytelling talents and exceptional writing abilities. Intense emotions and passionate, strong characters are the complement to a complex love story, replete with such dastardly villains as Shakespeare might have crafted.”
—Romantic Times “Top Pick” (41/2 stars)
“Magnificent…A wonderfully tempting tale filled with unsurpassed sensuality…A hot and fast-paced read…completely enthralling.”
—The Road to Romance
“Wit, lust, and just enough mystery…The characters are charming, reckless, and endearing.”
—Rendezvous
My Dark Prince
“Brilliant! Passionate, complex, and compelling. The best book of any genre I have read in a long, long while. Don’t miss this beautifully written, intensely satisfying love story. I am in awe…highly recommended.”
—Mary Balogh
“I thoroughly enjoyed My Dark Prince. If you enjoy exciting, entertaining, wonderfully written romance, read this book.”
—Jo Beverley
“A fantastic cast of characters…Julia Ross traps the reader from page one…outstanding…a breathtaking and mesmerizing historical romance. This is romance in its finest hour.”
—The Romance Journal
“A powerful story of the redemptive power of love, with one of the most tortured heroes I have come across in quite a while…My Dark Prince has loads of danger and adventure…the definition of a ‘keeper.’”
—The Romance Reader
“With this thrilling adventure of the heart, Julia Ross establishes herself as a powerful, distinctive force in the evolution of the romance genre…Darkly erotic and sensually stunning, this innovative and spellbinding romance will enslave your heart and fill your dreams.”
—Romantic Times “Top Pick” (41/2 stars)
Clandestine
Julia Ross
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsiblity for author or third-party websites or their content.
CLANDESTINE
A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author
Copyright © 2006 by Jean Ross Ewing.
Cover illustration by Griesbach/Martucci.
Cover handlettering by Ron Zinn.
Cover design by Monica Benalcazar.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 978-1-1012-0638-6
BERKLEY® SENSATION
Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I owe thanks to Bruce Ide and Jay Pfahl for suggesting some orchids that might have bee
n growing in English hothouses in 1829, a time when these glorious flowers were being imported into England from every part of the world.
I’m very grateful indeed for their generous help, though any errors in my choices or descriptions are entirely my own.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
EPILOGUE
AUTHOR’S NOTE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHAPTER ONE
London, June 1829
SHE HAD BEEN SECRETLY WATCHING HIM FOR DAYS.
He moved with quicksilver vitality, as if he alone were vibrantly, brilliantly alive. Love of life radiated from the tilt of his hat, from his long strides, from the creases that marked his cheeks when he laughed.
He seemed to laugh often.
Guy Devoran no doubt had a great deal to laugh about. His uncle was a duke. He could never have known poverty, or fear, or self-doubt.
He was standing now on the stoop of his townhouse, gazing up at the sky as if he read mysteries in the clouds.
Sarah’s heart began to hurt, beating agitation against her ribs. Perhaps this quest really was thunderingly foolish, after all: both the hope for help and the hunger for revenge.
Her quarry tipped his hat to the hidden sun, then strolled away down the wet pavement, exchanging pleasantries with passersby. It seemed impossible ever to catch him alone. Others eddied in his wake as if he were royal.
She dodged after him through the throng of carriages and horsemen and into St. James’s. He stopped to talk to another gentleman, who had been gazing idly through a wine merchant’s window. Tall and lean, both men betrayed the unstudied elegance of power and unquestioned wealth. The other man laughed at something Guy Devoran said.
Letting her bonnet hide her face, Sarah pretended to be examining a nearby shop window. After a few minutes’ conversation, Mr. Devoran bowed good-bye to his friend, then strode off as if he owned London.
She followed, keeping several discreet paces behind, until a group of young men burst from a doorway. Arguing loudly about politics, they blocked the pavement. By the time they dispersed, still shouting to one another, Mr. Devoran had disappeared.
Biting back her frustration, Sarah walked rapidly in what she hoped was the right direction, choosing her path at random until she was lost in a maze of unknown streets.
A bookseller’s occupied a corner with doors on both sides. She glanced in through the window as she scurried past.
Her throat froze. Her heart hammered as if she were about to be sick.
The glass panes distorted his image, but Mr. Guy Devoran was moving past the stacks inside, examining titles. He tugged off his gloves and thrust them into a pocket, then stepped out of sight around the end of some shelves. No other customers were visible.
Now or never!
A bell rang as Sarah pushed open the door.
The bookshop smelt musty. The young man behind the counter glanced up, then continued writing in his ledger. She nodded to him before she hurried between the stacks. Her breath raced, as if months of ongoing terror had squeezed a cruel hand around her lungs.
The front room splintered through multiple doorways into a maze of inner rooms. Every wall was filled, floor to ceiling, with leather spines, dust, and cobwebs. Passageways linked or led to dead ends. As if the host of words had simply absorbed him, Mr. Devoran had vanished.
Sarah circled the shop again before she retreated into the deepest room, where she sat down on a wooden trunk and tried to calm her pulse. Perhaps there was no need for such elaborate caution, after all. Perhaps she had simply misjudged everything, right from the beginning. Even if she had not, what real hope could she possibly have that this particular man would help her?
A tiny movement disturbed the dust motes. Her head jerked up.
Arms crossed, brass-headed cane tucked against his body, Mr. Devoran leaned one shoulder against the doorjamb and examined her.
Fine olive skin burnished high cheekbones and shadowed the angle of his jaw. Beneath the brim of his hat, exquisitely carved bone defined the harsh arch of eyebrows above dark, liquid eyes.
His gaze was considered, almost daunting.
Sarah stared back, her thoughts hijacked.
A man who might have been crafted in the Underworld to play Theseus stalking through the Labyrinth.
Eyes filled with perilous intelligence met her hot stare, but he smiled and became simply Oberon, lord of gaiety and madness.
Exactly as Rachel had described him. His smile invited only laughter and caresses.
An uncomfortable flush of awareness ran over her body.
“Pray forgive my boldness, ma’am.” He stepped farther into the room, doffed his hat, and bowed. “Mr. Guy Devoran, at your service. I fear my sins must demand instant retribution. If I misread your intentions, I beg you’ll accept my apologies, but I believe you’ve been following me?”
“Why should you think—? Yes, sir, I have. How did you know?”
Humor sheened his expression, but he turned away to study the bookshelves. It was much easier to examine the perfect cut of his coat than face that quick gaze. Perhaps he even knew that.
“A lady wandering alone in St. James’s is hard to miss, ma’am, especially when she hovers for several days like one of the Furies near my front door.”
She felt absurdly close to panic. “The Furies?”
“Greek deities of vengeance and destruction.”
A new fear sent clenching fingers through her gut. “I know who the Furies were, sir, of course.”
He had folded his hands around his cane, holding it behind his back. His fingers were lovely, sensitive and strong.
“Ah, very well, then!” The broad shoulders shrugged with consummate elegance. “Yet you’re a damsel in distress, I take it. How may I assist you?”
A drumbeat rolled in her chest, robbing her of breath. She pushed two fingers over her tight forehead, trying to force herself to relax. “I hope—Yes, I need your help very urgently, Mr. Devoran.”
He took down a book to flip casually through the pages. “Mine in particular?”
“Yes.”
“Have we met before, ma’am?”
“No, never! But you’re very well known in London, sir.”
He set the book back and pulled out another. “And I have the unmistakable aura of a knight errant? I trust I may oblige. Yet you didn’t think it seemly to knock at my house, or send me a note?”
“I couldn’t be certain that no one else would open your correspondence—a secretary or footman, perhaps. And it’s vital that I’m not seen to visit you.”
“Indeed? I shake at the implications.” He did not sound in the least shaken, only mildly curious. He glanced back over his shoulder. “You have my full attention, Miss—?”
Her discomfort had deepened almost to pain. She felt a little faint. “Mrs. Callaway, Mr. Devoran. My maiden name was Sarah Hargreaves. You once met my cousin. She was calling herself Rachel Wren—”
He spun about and caught her by the arm, whether to support her or himself was unclear. Intensity quivered from his strong grip.
“Rachel Wren?”
“It was over a year ago. Rachel said that you asked her—or your cousin, Lord Jonathan St. George, did—to spend a day with you on a yacht. She was free for a few days while her employers were away. Though of course she had reservations about such an indecorous adventure, she was assured of anonymity, and she’d anyway given you a false name. Lord
Jonathan wished to escort another lady from town, yet remain unnoticed by his enemies—”
“I remember.”
The strong pulse of life emanated from his fingertips. Echoing ripples seemed to spiral down through her body: a kind of hot madness in the blood.
Sarah glanced down as if to shut out black smoke.
“So she wasn’t Rachel Wren,” he said. “What’s her real name?”
“Miss Rachel Mansard.” She forced herself to ignore the wild rush of sensation and meet the dark flash of his eyes. “She and I were raised together and have always been close. Though she never saw you again, Rachel never forgot your kindness, Mr. Devoran.”
He smiled entirely without mirth. “Was I kind?”
“She thought so.”
“Ah!” He released her arm and stalked away. Guy Devoran moved with the grace of a dancer, but there was something lethal in it. “And was today’s encounter Miss Mansard’s idea?”
“No, indeed not! It was entirely my own.” The frantic hammering in her heart threatened to deafen her, but Sarah plunged on, horrified by her clumsy rush of words. “No unmarried lady would impose like this on a single gentleman after one day’s acquaintance. Yet though I realize that such a casual episode must have meant very little to you—”
“Quite so! So what brings you to me now, Mrs. Callaway?”
She glanced back toward the main bookstore. “This isn’t anywhere near private enough, sir. Someone could come in at any moment.”
He strode to the single doorway to glance through, then walked back to guide her by the elbow into the deepest recesses of the room. He was tall and broad-shouldered enough to block out most of the light.
“No one else is here. Yet if your predicament is so confidential, why trust in a stranger?”
“I don’t know anyone else to ask.”
He stood quietly for several seconds, gazing at her like a man eddying into a void, while her heart beat loudly in her chest.