Searching Hearts Box Set: Books 1-5

by St. Clair, Ellie

  “That is to say,” Joshua continued, apparently seeing her dismay. “I was never inclined to wed a flighty young thing, who only cared for my wealth and status. I had always wished to marry someone who was something of a thinker, someone I could have real conversations with. You have shown bravery and fortitude, and your character – what I know of it at least – is certainly something to be admired.” He paused, and Violet saw him glance at Lord Taylor in desperation, as though needing help to complete his speech to her. “Is that such a bad thing?”

  Violet shook her head and passed a hand over her eyes. She now felt quite miserable, dejected even. “It is wrong when you use pretty words to tie your bride to you, my lord,” she said, softly, hoping that he would understand her meaning. “You should have told me the truth from the start although, if you were truly in such desperate need for a bride, I cannot understand why you wished to marry me so quickly.”

  Lord Taylor cleared his throat. “I shall go and fetch a tea tray,” he said, walking towards the door. “I won’t be long.”

  Violet did not care, her eyes now fixed on the floor, not even seeing the ornate designs on the plush carpet. She felt quite the fool, used and cast aside until her husband decided to pick her up again.

  “I suppose I must tell you the truth of it now,” she heard Joshua say, as he pushed another chair closer to her and sat down heavily in it. “Perhaps I ought to have done so from the start, but I did not wish to bring you any more anxiety after what you suffered.”

  A trace of worry began to swim through Violet’s mind, twisting her stomach as she brought her eyes back to his.

  “You are in danger,” he said, softly. “You were quite right when you stated that I only kissed you that night to keep your identity safe.”

  “Oh.” Violet did not wish to be right, having believed that she had been quite mistaken in the matter. A heavy weight settled in her soul, her entire being going limp with sadness. As angry as she was, she couldn’t deny the feelings for him that remained, and she had wanted to believe he felt something for her.

  “Unfortunately, Lady Beauforth practically shouted your name from the rooftops,” Joshua continued, sounding more than a little annoyed. “Although, thankfully, she did not say mine. Since then, these men have been hunting you.”

  “And you believe that you can keep me safe?” She saw the way his eyes looked into hers, filled with a sudden intensity that lifted her load just a little.

  “I have to,” he said, quietly. “The carriage accident – that was not an accident, my dear. I had to place you somewhere I knew you would be well protected. Even the staff were on their guard — and some were actually guards themselves!” He shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh. “You are my responsibility and this matter is something I am already involved in.”

  Violet’s mouth fell open as he quickly described to her all that he was doing, shocked beyond measure that an earl, a man of standing and quality, would be involved in an investigative service.

  "I am mostly in an organizational capacity," he finished, a half smile on his lips. "But this man, whoever he is, is involving himself and his men with gentlemen of high society. Those under me are not always able to place themselves in situations where the targets might be, so, in this case, and in some others, I am forced to become involved.”

  "And Lord Taylor?" Violet asked, breathlessly. She was struggling to take in what he was telling her, realizing that her husband was living two lives at once. He was not the man she had thought him to be.

  "Yes, he is involved also," Joshua replied, calmly. "It was he who was able to catch one of the men intent on capturing you at the ball, although the other managed to make his escape." A look of frustration crossed his face. "Someone is running a gang here in London, using it to push himself into a higher position of power and, for whatever reason, Sir Whitby was his next choice. He was to give something to this man, but as yet we do not know what that was."

  "And because he did not do it in time, he was killed," Violet murmured, the sounds of that night ricocheting around her head almost at once. "How terrible."

  “You witnessed it,” Joshua finished, gravely. “You are a liability.”

  “But they cannot know that I witnessed anything of the sort!” Violet exclaimed, her blood running cold. “It was dark! And what would I have said, anyway? To whom?”

  “None of that matters,” came a voice from behind her as Lord Taylor re-entered the room. “This group does not take chances. You will be dispensed with, should they manage to get a hold of you.”

  Violet shuddered violently, only to feel her husband grasp her hands and hold them tightly.

  “I am sorry that I told you such untruths,” he said, quietly, stroking the backs of her hands with his thumbs as Taylor made a show of concentration on pouring the tea. “I do want you to know that I find you a most admirable lady. I believe you are aware of just how much I am drawn to you, for that, at least, cannot be in doubt.”

  Knowing he was discussing their liaison the previous evening, Violet nodded jerkily, but, much to her relief, did not blush.

  “You must return now, of course,” he continued when she did not reply. “You cannot stay here.”

  Violet snorted in a most unladylike fashion, tossing her head. “My trunks are already on their way,” she said, firmly. “I am not about to hide up in the country whilst you remain here.”

  There was a brief silence.

  “But you must,” her husband eventually replied, sounding quite aghast at the idea of her remaining. “Surely you can see that it is the only way to keep you safe!”

  “No,” Violet answered, at once. “I shall be quite safe here, I am sure of it. Besides, I do not intend to remain uninvolved. No, I shall put my mind to good use for once. You investigate these matters because you are not content simply living in society. Why should it be any different for me? And I am sure you both need all the help you can get!”

  She turned her gaze back on her husband, seeing him staring at her with a horror-struck expression.

  “Tea, Lady Greville?”

  She smiled up at Lord Taylor as he held out a cup to her, seeing the slight twinkle in his eye. Clearly, he was quite enjoying Joshua’s comeuppance and, in truth, so was she.

  12

  It took the best part of a week for Joshua to become used to having his wife’s presence in the house. Her rooms were next to his, as was entirely proper, but he took great pains to avoid her company whenever he could. It was not because he found her distasteful, or her company unpleasant, but because he could not rid himself of the aching guilt he felt whenever he saw her.

  He had never expected her to come after him, had never thought that she would refuse to settle quietly in the country as he had hoped. Her actions were not what he had expected from a lady, but, then again, his wife was one of the more extraordinary ladies he had met – and Joshua discovered that he appreciated that about her.

  In addition to all this, Lady Greville had also refused to sit apart from him and Lord Taylor whenever there were matters to discuss. She had, to his surprise, made several fine propositions about how to find those who had killed Sir Whitby and, even now, Lord Taylor was following up on her suggestion of how to extract more information from the man in custody. In all of this, Joshua felt his admiration for the lady grow, discovering that, at times, he could barely take his eyes from her. She was graceful, beautiful and intelligent, and he often found himself wondering what he had done to be blessed with such a creature as his wife.

  At night, he would lie awake in his bed, aware that his wife was only just in the next room. His mind would recall how he had taken her in his arms, the surprise and sheer bliss on her face as he had shown her what making love looked like between husband and wife. It had been a privilege to do so, and, at the time, he had fully intended to continue her instruction once he had returned from town, but now that she was here, he felt quite unable to go to her. The pain and hurt he had caused her was mo
re than evident at times, in the way she looked at him or by the expression on her face. He had done her wrong but did not know how to make up for it.

  * * *

  “Good morning, Greville!”

  “Good morning,” he replied, stumbling towards the table and passing a hand over his eyes. “You are here early, Taylor.”

  “That is because I was invited by your dear wife,” he replied, grinning at the yawn Joshua was quite unable to hide. “We are to discuss the details of the case.”

  “Oh.” Joshua had not known that this was to go ahead, although he did not mind in the least. It was about time they all discussed the situation and he was quite eager to learn whether Taylor had made any progress.

  “Not sleeping well?”

  Joshua grunted as he collected a few morsels from the dishes to his left, before sitting down opposite Taylor, who poured his coffee for him. There were no footmen or servants of any kind in the room, given what they were about to discuss was of an entirely secretive nature.

  “I’ll take it that no, you’re not sleeping well,” Taylor continued when Joshua did not reply. “What can be on your mind?”

  Joshua glanced up and saw the way his friend was grinning at him, hearing the irony in his words. Clearly, Taylor was well aware of what — or rather, who — was preventing him from sleeping.

  “You do not deserve her, you know,” Taylor said, quietly. “Not after what you did.”

  “I thought you supported me!” Joshua exclaimed, pausing midway through buttering his toast.

  “I did,” Taylor replied, at once. “Although I did not expect you to go to her bed, only to leave it again. That was quite a dreadful thing to do, Greville. I still am not quite sure what you were thinking.”

  Joshua shook his head. “Neither do I,” he mumbled, putting the butter knife down. “Nor do I know how to make amends.”

  Their conversation was interrupted by Lady Greville’s arrival. Joshua got to his feet at once, as did Lord Taylor, but she laughed and waved a hand, telling them not to stand on ceremony on her behalf. She was dressed in a pale yellow gown, and seemed to brighten the room when she walked in.

  “Now,” she said, seating herself next to her husband and reaching for the tea tray. “What progress have we made? I must confess that I am getting quite bored cooped up in the house!”

  “But you must remain indoors,” Joshua insisted, paling at the thought of what might happen to her were she to set foot outside of the house. “They will know of our marriage by now and will have made the connection that you were the one in the gardens that evening.”

  He saw the way the brightness dimmed in her eyes, the deep breath she drew in.

  “We have to be careful,” he said, quietly. “You cannot put yourself at risk.”

  “You think they still wish to do me in, then?” she asked, the lightness gone from her tone. “And they do not think that you or Taylor are involved?”

  “I cannot be sure, but no, I do not think so,” he replied, wishing he could take her hand so as to reassure her. “That is why you must remain indoors and one of us will always be with you, as we have been this last week.”

  She sighed but did not disagree, evidently aware that he was doing the best for her that he could.

  “So, let us consider where we are,” Joshua continued, looking expectantly at Taylor. “Have you discovered anything?”

  Taylor grinned, which immediately sent a spark of hope into Joshua’s chest.

  “I believe we are getting close, Greville.”

  “Oh?”

  Taylor cleared his throat and sat back in his chair. "As you know, the first man we caught from the evening you both met was very uncooperative, refusing at first to give any details about the second man who came after you – or who it is organizing everything behind the scenes."

  “Did you do what I suggested?” Violet asked, a little breathlessly. “Did he give up more information?”

  Taylor nodded, his eyes lighting. “Your suggestion worked brilliantly, Lady Greville.”

  “Violet, please,” she replied, quickly, as though wishing to do away with formality.

  Joshua grimaced as he saw Taylor smile, irritated that his wife was smiling at his friend instead of at him, even though he knew he was being quite unreasonable.

  “Very good,” Taylor continued, inclining his head a little. “In short, your suggestion of offering the option of swinging from the gallows that very afternoon, were he not to give up more of what he knew, worked very well. He is now being transported to the colonies: his ‘reward’ for telling us what he knew, as well as keeping him safe from any further consequences from the man in charge.”

  Joshua was leaning forward in his seat, his eyes fixed on his friend. His heart was slamming into his chest in a way it had not done before, his blood thundering through his veins. “Did he give you a name?”

  “He did,” Taylor replied, smiling. “The man and this Roberts work for, the man in charge of it all…Swinney North.”

  The expectation, the hope, the happiness – it all left Joshua in one huge rush, making his shoulders slump and his head droop. “Swinney North?” he said, throwing himself back into his chair. “What kind of a name is that?”

  Taylor shrugged. “Is it what the man is known as, although it is not his real name by any means, that much is obvious.”

  “And no description?”

  Shaking his head, Taylor threw Joshua a glance. “No, those who did North’s dirty work never did see him. Their orders came from this Mr. Roberts, who I believe is the man Lady Greville saw shoot Sir Whitby that night.”

  “And we have no idea who this man is, or where he might be?”

  "I am to visit our little friends from the street this evening," Taylor replied, with a quick grin. "They have been keeping a sharp eye."

  “You were also trailing the other man,” Violet interrupted. “The one who escaped that night at the ball? Did you find him?”

  Joshua grimaced, seeing Taylor throw him a worried glance. “I did,” he said, taking the responsibility away from Taylor. He had not wanted to share this news with his wife but knew he had very little choice.

  “I did find him, only a couple of days ago,” Joshua continued, quietly. “He is watching the house.” The moment he said those words, he saw the way his wife’s face paled, her fingers slipping from the china cup she held in her hand, making it rattle in the saucer.

  “That is why we must be careful,” Taylor added, after a moment’s pause. “You are protected here, Lady Greville, but, as yet, you cannot leave.”

  Joshua wanted to draw closer to his wife, the urge to reassure her overwhelming him. Before he knew what he was doing, he caught her hand in his, feeling the racing pulse in the veins at her wrist.

  “You are quite safe here, I promise you,” he said, quietly. “Please, just trust me and remain indoors.”

  Violet’s eyes met his, but she did not pull her hand away. Instead, she allowed it to rest there and continued to study him, as though drawing strength from his gaze.

  “I do wish I could be of more help,” she said, eventually. “I feel so useless being inside all the time.” Slowly, she drew her hand away but gave him a brief smile with it.

  “You have been of a great help already,” Taylor said, quickly. “This will all be over soon.”

  Violet nodded, her gaze drifting back to Joshua for a moment. “So, where are we? What have we still to do?”

  Joshua frowned, ticking items off his fingers one at a time. “We need to discover what it was Sir Whitby was required to give to this man, Mr. Roberts, who, in turn, would give to our mystery instigator, Swinney North.”

  “We need to discover who Swinney North is, as well as what he wants,” Taylor muttered, shaking his head.

  "And we need to ensure that you are kept safe," Joshua finished, looking over at his wife. "That will not take too much brainpower, will it?" He grinned but found that neither Taylor nor Violet smiled back.
/>   “I should visit Sir Whitby’s widow,” Violet said, slowly. “I might be able to discover something that helps.” Sir Whitby’s death had been announced in the society papers only this week -- evidently, Roberts’ men hadn’t weighed down the body well enough -- so the news was still fresh in her mind.

  “No!” Joshua and Taylor said at once, their voices equally loud.

  "I must," Violet insisted, apparently disregarding everything they had just said. "How else am I to help?" As Joshua was about to protest further, she held up one hand and waited for his stuttering to stop. "You may come with me if you wish it, but I am sure that walking from the house steps to the carriage and back again will not result in my death. You will be right beside me, will you not?"

  “But you did not know the man,” Joshua spluttered, trying desperately to think of any kind of excuse to keep his wife indoors. “What possible reason could you have for visiting his widow?”

  She lifted one delicate shoulder, a glint of steel in her eye. “I am married to a wealthy man, and it is my duty to show care and compassion to others. I am merely doing what I ought.” The corner of her mouth curved into a smile. “Besides, a woman grieving is not going to turn a sympathetic lady from her house, whether she knows her or not. I am sure I will be able to bring her a little comfort and, perhaps, be able to help our investigation also.”

  Joshua wanted to protest but discovered that he could not find a way to stop her from doing such a thing. He knew that she was determined enough to do what she wanted, regardless of his opinion and, as such, he would be best suited to just go along with her.

  “Very well,” he sighed, the delight in her expression making his heart lift. “I shall send for the carriage.”

  13

  “You see?” Violet murmured, as she sat on the seat across from her husband. “We are quite safe.”