Searching Hearts Box Set: Books 1-5

by St. Clair, Ellie

  “Of course,” Lord Taylor replied, coming to sit down in the chair opposite Violet, but only perching on the edge of it. “I presume you made the most of your time away?”

  Chuckling, Joshua nodded. “Of course. The lady keeps a small staff, and it is not a particularly large house, so I was able to find Sir Whitby's study without too much difficulty.”

  “His study?” Violet repeated, her eyes widening. “Did you look through it?”

  “Of course I did!” he exclaimed, thinking it quite touching that his wife would appear so horrified at such a thought. “I had to, in case we could find anything that would help the case.”

  “And did you?” Taylor asked, his voice growing a little louder in frustration at Joshua’s deliberate sluggishness.

  “I did.” Joshua reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black-covered book and, with gusto, dropped it onto the table that sat between them all.

  “You found a notebook?” Violet said, sounding disappointed. “That’s all?”

  Taylor, on the other hand, shot Joshua a wide grin, before reaching for the book. Obviously aware of just how much of an important discovery this was, Taylor began to leaf through the pages at once, his mouth falling open at one particular point.

  “It is more than just a notebook,” Joshua explained quietly. “There is much more here than a simple diary. Believe me, the man had a great many notebooks and this was the only one I took.”

  Violet nodded, her eyes now on Lord Taylor. “And you have discovered something important?”

  “This book is the key,” Taylor breathed, looking up at Joshua in astonishment. “It appears Sir Whitby was doing his utmost to please whoever was forcing him to work for him.”

  “Why?” Violet asked, leaning forward in her chair and frowning at the book. “What does it say?”

  Having only had a brief look at the book, Joshua had only been able to make a small assumption, but he felt it was the right one. “I believe that Sir Whitby lost a great deal of money at the card table and was not able to pay his debt. In recompense, he was then ‘hired,’ as it were, by the man he owed this debt too.”

  “What was he hired to do?”

  Joshua glanced at Taylor and saw him nod as he continued to read through the book.

  “It appears that Sir Whitby was using his company to ensure that certain documents were changed, to the benefit of this one man, Swinney North.”

  Violet gasped. “His identity is there?”

  “No,” Taylor muttered, quietly. “But it will not be hard to find his true name once we get a hold of one of these men’s wills.”

  “Wills?” Violet looked more than a little confused, her expression so endearing that Joshua had to smile. It was so obvious that she wanted to understand but, having not seen the book, was quite unable to grasp it entirely.

  “Swinney North was asking Sir Whitby to change final wills and testaments,” he explained. “To put his name as the sole heir, or at least, the largest beneficiary.”

  “Oh.” Violet frowned, a line appearing between her eyes. “But would that not be quite obvious that something untoward was going on? I mean, for so many people to have their last will and testament changed to benefit one man!”

  “Ah, but it appears he has been quite careful,” Taylor interrupted, putting the book on his knee and running one finger down the page. “He has chosen men who are of a great variety of ages, and the names here are of men who are very much alive.”

  Joshua nodded, his expression clearing. “So he intends to become extremely wealthy, but simply over a long period of time.”

  “So he will have both power and wealth,” Violet murmured, her eyes widening slightly. “Goodness. It appears we have discovered the reason behind all of this.”

  “Although that does not explain why Sir Whitby was shot,” Taylor replied, closing the notebook and handing it to Violet, who took it eagerly. “If he needed him, then why kill him?”

  “Perhaps he had served his purpose,” Joshua suggested. “If he had changed a certain number of wills already, then Swinney North could easily find another man such as Sir Whitby to continue the work, only at a different firm.”

  “And perhaps he was finally growing tired of doing what he was told,” Violet said, slowly. “He was asked to bring something and said he just needed a few more days. Perhaps he did not want to change this last will and testament. He would surely have to bring a copy to the men who worked for Swinney North as proof of what he was doing.”

  It made sense. “You are quite right, I believe my dear,” Joshua murmured, once again impressed with her deductive reasoning. “It appears that all we have to do now is find out who the sole beneficiary was for the deceased men on this list.”

  15

  “Have you found anything?”

  Frustrated, Joshua shook his head as he joined his wife in the drawing room, his disheartened expression making Violet’s spirits sink.

  “It has been more difficult than I thought to look at documents relating to any of the deceased men,” he said, sitting down heavily in one of the armchairs. “I am not a clerk nor a magistrate, so there is no reason for me to be looking into such matters.”

  Violet saw the discouragement on his face and felt for him. “I am sorry, Joshua.”

  He smiled, although the worry did not leave his eyes. “It is nothing you have done, Violet,” he murmured, gently. “You have been a wonderful help in this situation, and I am in awe of your intelligence.”

  Violet blushed despite herself, finding that she no longer held such anger over what he had done. The time they had shared since she had arrived back in London had slowly forced her to see her husband in something of a different light. He had been doing his best to protect her, and for that, she was grateful. He had thought that being truthful with her would make her refuse to wed him and, if she was honest with herself, that was precisely what she would have done.

  On top of this, she found herself missing him, in a way she could not quite explain. Sleeping alone every night, whilst her husband was in the next room, brought a slow burning ache that could not quite be prevented. It was as if she longed for his touch, finding that there was an affection growing in her heart for him. Forgiving him for what he had done was the final step, the last barrier that would allow her heart to open up entirely.

  "You are too kind, Joshua," she murmured, wandering over to the drawing-room window. "I just wish that we could find the culprit so that we might begin to look to our future."

  Her skin prickled as he came to join her at the window, although his gaze was on her and not on the street below.

  “Do you think of our future then?” he asked, with a hesitancy in his voice that she had not expected. “After all I have done, can you have any hope?”

  Turning towards him, she put one hand on his arm, seeing the uncertain expression on his face. "I think I have come to forgive you," she said, softly. "You are a man who is willing to let me be the person I am, who does not hold me back and expect me to fit into a mold. I am grateful for that. Not many men would be so understanding.”

  Her cheeks burned and she couldn’t quite meet his eyes as she tried to explain all that she felt. "I must confess that I hope for affection and for love one day, and yet I understand that perhaps that might never come. Regardless, I want you to know that I care for you very much, despite everything that has occurred. Now that I see the kind of man you are, I cannot help but think well of you."

  She had barely finished speaking when his mouth landed on hers, his strong arms encircling her waist and crushing her to him. Violet found that she could not stop herself from responding to him, her arms around his neck and fingers twining into his hair. Their kiss was hot and sweet, burning with an underlying passion that neither of them, as yet, could allow to be completely free.

  Eventually, Joshua broke the kiss, his breathing ragged as he rested his forehead against hers.

  “I hope that assails some of your qualms,” he
said, breathlessly. “Believe me, Violet, I have a great deal of affection for you. How much I regret what I did! If you are willing to forgive me, then I will do everything I can to prove to you just how I care for you. The beginnings of love are already in my heart.”

  Violet could not pretend that she did not feel an answering heat rush through her veins, although the feeling was still quite new. Hardly trusting herself, and fully aware that they were in the drawing room, she reached up to kiss him again, delighted when he responded at once.

  When she found the buttons on his shirt, he paused and pulled back, looking down into her eyes.

  “Please,” Violet whispered, not sure what exactly it was she was asking for. “Joshua, please.”

  His lips twisted and he stepped back, making Violet believe that he was about to refuse her – but instead, he walked to the door and said something to a footman, before closing them in alone and coming back towards her.

  “Just so we are not disturbed,” he murmured, trailing his fingers down her cheek. “Are you quite sure, Violet?”

  This was different from the man he had been before, the man who had first made love to her. Back then, he had encouraged and cajoled her, whereas now he was eager to ensure that she was both willing and ready — that this was truly her decision. That in itself was evidence of how reticent he was over his previous behavior.

  Sighing inwardly, Violet did not reply, but simply kissed him again, her fingers reaching for his shirt buttons. When he tugged down the shoulder of her dress, she did not stop him, suddenly desperate for his touch. His lips tore from hers and moved down the column of her throat and along her collarbone, just as her own hands touched his bare skin.

  The heat in his eyes as he lifted his head made her start, and she stared at him for a moment as though realizing exactly what it was they were about to do. Then he was kissing her again and Violet knew with all certainty that, despite what had happened between them, she wanted this. She wanted to be with him. He was the only one who could fulfill the need that was growing steadily within her.

  It seemed as though time stood still as he led her through the act, bringing her to a crescendo that then slammed down around her ears, making her body jerk and clench around him. He had been so careful, so gentle, just as he had been the first time, and Violet could not help but love him for that. It had been something of a surprise to her to use the table as their bed, but it had been more than suitable. Her heat was only just cooling in her veins as he righted her again, smoothing down the skirts he had lifted and giving her a moment to ensure her dress and undergarments were suitable.

  "Perhaps we should change," he murmured, as one arm slipped around her waist. "Lord Taylor will be here soon."

  Quite sure that her cheeks were crimson, Violet nodded and tried to smile, feeling more than a little comforted when he brushed his lips across hers.

  “I won’t leave this time,” he whispered in her ear, his hand tightening on her waist. “I won’t ever leave you again, Violet, I swear it. I am truly sorry.”

  * * *

  “Oh, excuse me.”

  Sometime later, Lord Taylor looked quite abashed as he stepped inside, evidently aware that something had shifted between the two of them. Violet smiled at him, aware that Joshua had not dropped his hand from her waist.

  They had both returned to their rooms to change and had then come to the drawing room once more, and she had expected Joshua to sit apart from her. Instead, he had chosen to sit as close to her as possible on the settee, wanting to ensure that she was quite well after their encounter. His kindness and consideration spoke volumes.

  “I have only just arrived,” Taylor continued, glancing at Violet. “And a messenger arrived just as I did. It appears that Lord Swinton has sent you an urgent note. The butler was in search of you and I said I would bring it up.”

  "Thank you," Joshua said, frowning. "I do not know Lord Swinton very well at all." He got to his feet, took the note from Taylor and breaking the seal, opened the parchment.

  “Nor I,” Taylor mumbled, looking more than a little intrigued. Violet, too, could not help but wonder what the letter was about, remaining seated and folding her hands in her lap so that she would not be tempted to read over her husband’s shoulder.

  “How very interesting,” Joshua murmured, quietly. “He has become aware that I was seeking information about his brother’s recent death and wishes to speak to me of it.”

  “His brother?” Violet echoed, confused. “Was his brother one of the men on the list?”

  “I believe he was,” Taylor replied, slowly. “A Lord Stephen Swinton – a viscount, if I remember correctly.” He looked at Joshua with a glimmer of excitement in his eye. “Mayhap he has had his brother’s fortune taken from him and given to our Swinney North!”

  “And has only been able to retain the title, since that cannot be given away,” Joshua said, softly, his expression growing serious. “I must go and speak to him at once. If he can tell us who the beneficiary of his brother’s will was, then we will know who we are looking for! I shall return shortly. Taylor, if you would stay until I return, I would appreciate it.”

  Violet clasped her hands together as Joshua practically ran from the room, leaving her and Lord Taylor alone. Her heart beat a little more quickly in her chest as her optimism grew, desperately hoping that this meeting might be the key to solving the mystery of who Swinney North really was. Finally, they could capture the man in question and she could be free to live her life with her husband, without fear or anxiety about simply walking out the front door.

  “I suppose we might take another look at that diary whilst he is out,” Taylor suggested, ringing the bell for tea. “It will give us something to do, at the very least, for I can see that you are almost as agitated as I!”

  “Indeed,” Violet laughed, getting to her feet and moving to the table in the corner of the room where all the documents and pieces of parchment were strewn. “Although I am not sure what use I can be in looking at something we have already studied in great detail!”

  He shrugged and waited for the maid to place the tea tray in the middle of the table before holding a chair out for Violet. “Who knows?” he said, as she sat down. “We may have missed a vital clue.”

  Some ten minutes later Violet heard the front door slam, certain that Joshua was now on his way to meet Lord Swinton. She smiled to herself, her quill doing nothing more than squiggling some letters on a blank bit of parchment.

  Her heart was full of hope and expectation, both for the conclusion of this mystery and for the future with her husband. The kiss they had shared had been one filled with promise, and she was already looking forward to the next time they could be alone. It was more than an attraction -- she had grown to love him, and she could only hope he truly felt the same.

  Suddenly, she paused in her musings and looked down at the letters she had drawn on the parchment. Her heart slammed into her chest, making her draw in a sharp breath, as she pushed her chair away and rose to her feet.

  “What is it?” Taylor asked at once, frowning heavily. “Is something the matter?”

  Violet gestured down to what she had written, and Lord Taylor came over to stand next to her, staring down at the parchment.

  “You have written two names,” he said, slowly, clearly not understanding in the least. “What of it?”

  “Look,” Violet whispered, her hand trembling as she resumed her seat and traced under the names. “Lord Swinton? Swinney North?” She drew in a deep breath, trying to stop the shaking in her soul. “They are a little too familiar, are they not?”

  “They are a little similar, yes,” Taylor replied, pulling up a chair next to her. “But that is not so alarming.”

  Violet’s mind worked quickly and she picked up her quill once more, sorting out the letters. She took the letters of ‘Swinton' out of the name ‘Swinney North,’ leaving her five remaining letters, which she reworked until, written there in bold strokes, stood the name
‘Henry Swinton.’

  “Tell me that Lord Swinton’s Christian name is not ‘Henry’?” she begged, looking over at Taylor in fright. “Tell me my husband has not just gone to visit the one man who is behind all of this.”

  Taylor did not reply for a moment, as he stared at the name. Then, without saying a word, he threw back his chair and looked at her in horror.

  “I must go,” he exclaimed, racing from the room. Violet followed him at once, rushing down the stairs after him.

  “You cannot come,” he shouted, over his shoulder. “It is too dangerous!”

  “I will not wait here,” she replied, her blood thundering through her veins. “He is my husband!”

  Without even waiting to put on her gloves and bonnet, she shouted at the footman to open the front door and hurried outside, with Lord Taylor now just behind her. A hackney was hailed and, within a few minutes, they were on their way. Thankfully Lord Taylor knew the address and, although it only took less than fifteen minutes to arrive, Violet could not stop herself from seeing visions of her husband’s lifeless body falling to the ground, with orders from Lord Swinton to throw him in the Thames.

  “We have to save him,” she said, half to herself as she stared anxiously out of the window. “I cannot lose him.”

  Lord Taylor did not say a word, his eyes fixed on something out the other side of the carriage.

  “Here we are,” he said, loudly, grasping the door handle and throwing the door open, descending as quickly as he could. “Come, Lady Greville.”

  Violet followed him as best she could up the walk to the entrance of the large stone manor, frustrated that her voluminous skirts prevented her from moving as quickly as she wanted.

  “Open the door,” she heard Taylor say, evidently speaking to the butler who held the door open just a crack. “I have urgent business with Lord Greville, the Earl, who I believe is speaking to your master.”

  Evidently, the butler was not in the least impressed with the title, for the door did not open further.