The Earl’s Dangerous Passion (Historical Regency Romance)

by Ella Edon

  Amy hoped so. Preferably before someone else died that day.

  * * *

  “I can’t believe this is happening.” Anna stared at Amy. “Two murders in a day?”

  Amy nodded miserably. Once she had calmed down, Derby had led her back to the dining room. Rebecca was sobbing with Hartley having no idea what to do with her. Beatrice had been standing close by, scowling at Rebecca’s antics as she huddled up to the Viscount. That had almost had Amy giggling.

  Between Derby, Baron Maudlin, and James, they managed to get everyone to leave. James was still checking Dobson’s body, while Baron Maudlin took charge of the servants blocking the area off. Derby, meanwhile, had disappeared. Amy didn’t know where he had gone, but she knew to leave him be. He had just lost a servant who Derby treated like family. This was hitting him harder than he was willing to admit.

  At a loss at what to do, Amy had gone upstairs to her mother’s room. Anna was still very pale and shivering in spite of the fact she was sweating, but she was conscious. Amy hadn’t planned on telling her about Dobson, but it had all come pouring out. Now Anna looked like she was going to pass out again.

  “This...this is just...terrible.”

  Anna started coughing, taking the glass of water from Amy. She took a hefty gulp before passing it back.

  “How’s the Earl coping?”

  “I don’t know. He’s not said much about it.” Amy put the glass on the bedside cabinet. “He’s lost his friend and his valet within hours of each other. I don’t think it’s completely sunk in yet.”

  “It’s going to hit him hard later.” Anna sagged back onto her pillows with a heavy sigh. Her chest was sounding like there was a lot of bile clogging up her breathing. “Poor thing. I wish there was something I could do to help him, but…”

  “Don’t worry about anyone but yourself, Mama.” Amy cut her off. “You’re sick. You can’t do anything except get better right now.”

  Anna stared at her, looking like she was going to start coughing again.

  “I suppose you’re right, darling.”

  “I know I’m right.” Amy stared at her hands in her lap. “I just wish I knew what was going on. Lord Merseyside had never done anything wrong that meant someone wanted to kill him. And Stuart...Dobson, I mean, he was a good man. A kind one.”

  It was difficult not to think about the dead body. Amy kept trying to push the image to one side, but it kept coming back, and it was making her want to panic. She didn’t want to see Dobson like that. That was not how she wanted to remember him.

  “They may not have done anything wrong,” Anna murmured, “But they did have one thing in common.”

  Amy looked up. She couldn’t believe where her mother’s mind was going.

  “You mean Lord Derby? Mama, no. He would never kill his friend and his valet!”

  “I was talking about you.”

  “Me?” Amy squeaked.

  Anna managed a small smile, swallowing hard before she croaked.

  “I could tell Lord Merseyside had taken a fancy to you. It’s plain for anyone who’s been in love before to see. I was surprised you hadn’t noticed. And Dobson clearly had a soft spot for you. That would explain why he was around you so much.”

  Amy was stunned. She knew about Merseyside’s infatuation for her after Sarah’s confrontation moments before, but not about Dobson. He was just always around, as a servant should be. Then Amy realized that now everything Dobson had been doing was jobs that a valet shouldn’t be doing. Because he was one of the servants, Amy had never questioned his whereabouts.

  Had it been because he found Amy attractive? She had never contemplated it.

  “Amy?”

  Amy blinked. Anna was starting to sit up. Amy started forward.

  “Please, Mama, don’t move. You need to lie down.”

  “Leave me be, now’s not the time.” Anna managed to get up onto her elbows. She gripped Amy’s hand as her daughter tried to ease her back. “We need to discuss something. Something you need to tell Lord Derby about.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m talking about the other men previously. Have you told him about them?”

  Amy faltered. She had tried very hard not to think about any of them. Most of them had come into contact with her more recently, and Amy had found it frustrating that they essentially ignored her after declaring their intentions. They had knocked her confidence more than being in a room full of crowded people.

  And she had tried very hard to forget about Alan…

  “It’s in the past, Mama.” Amy licked her lips. “I didn’t think it was something for Derby to know.”

  “It’s not in the past anymore.” Anna insisted. “If anything, it’s coming into the present very rapidly.”

  “But...we don’t know if it’s the same person.”

  “You remember how Alan France died?”

  Amy did know. She could hardly forget, but she was still shaking her head.

  “I don’t want…”

  “I know you don’t, but you have to contemplate it.” Her mother sounded very firm on that. “If it is the same person, at least we can narrow the suspects down to someone in this house.”

  “Or someone watching the house,” Amy muttered.

  Anna sighed.

  “Don’t make this harder than it already is, love. You must tell Lord Derby about this. For all you know, he could be the next victim.”

  She was right. Amy wished she wasn’t.

  * * *

  Derby sat slumped on the bench, staring at the tree his father had planted all those years ago. In the early evening with the sun setting over the hedges, the blossoms and the leaves were bathed in an orange glow.

  Normally, Derby would be able to appreciate it, but he couldn’t appreciate it now. Not after everything.

  Merseyside was dead after Derby had argued with him. And now Dobson was gone. The man who had kept him on an even keel for most of his adult life like an annoying brother. An annoying brother who talked a lot of sense. It was hard to believe that he wouldn’t come around the corner with that amusement tugging at the corners of his mouth, ready with a quip or a sly remark that Derby mostly let slide.

  Derby looked down at his hands. They were still shaking. It had taken a while for the shock to set in, but once Day had turned Dobson over to check the body, something had hit Derby in the face. He had to hurry outside and empty his guts.

  One dead body was enough. More than enough. But two? Derby didn’t think he could cope if more of his guests turned up dead. He certainly wouldn’t be able to cope if something happened to Amy?

  What if she was the next victim? Amy could be being targeted, and there was no way of knowing when she would be harmed. Derby’s stomach rolled again, this time at the thought of someone harming Amy.

  He had no idea who was doing this now. Dobson was a servant, and as far as Derby was aware, he hadn’t made any enemies. He could eavesdrop or stand firmly by his master’s side, but if he was killed because of his association with Derby, that was just downright cold. And it didn’t make much sense.

  It would just be easier to go after Derby himself. Unless it was to make him squirm.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  There was a rustling of skirts. Derby didn’t look up. He had a feeling it was Rebecca, coming in search of him, and Derby wasn’t in the mood for the girl. She should know by now just to leave him alone.

  “Go away, Rebecca,” he growled.

  “I’m not Rebecca.”

  Derby shot to his feet. Amy was standing in front of him, wringing her hands with a nervous look. Derby let out a heavy sigh of relief and tugged her close.

  “Amy.” He kissed her forehead, slipping his arms around her. “Forgive me, I…”

  “No need. I understand.” Amy hugged him back. “I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do.”

  “Stay like this for now.”

  He could feel Amy’s smile against his chest.
/>   “Of course.”

  The fear, the confusion, and the frustration that had been there before seemed to melt away in Amy’s arms. Derby had never noticed that before. Amy was a calming influence on him, and that was something Derby had not expected. His father had once said that you would know the right woman for you, but it would just come to you. Derby had known that Amy was the right one for him for a while, but it settled in his gut. There was no way he was going to let her go now.

  “Stuart Dobson was more than a servant,” he murmured. “He was my friend. Family. The one who spoke sense when I needed it. He didn’t deserve to die.”

  “I know.”

  Amy’s arms tightened around his waist. That was when Derby realized she was alone. There was nobody hovering near them or just in sight by the hedge. He drew back with a frown.

  “Where’s Victoria?”

  “She’s sitting with Sarah right now. Sarah was upset, and Victoria offered to give her some company.”

  “You shouldn’t be here with me alone. We’re out in the open.”

  But Amy shook her head.

  “No one knows where I am. What I have to say needs to be said in private. Besides,” She cupped his jaw in her hand. Her hand was surprisingly cool. “As of right now, I don’t care.”

  Derby blinked.

  “You’re willing to be put in a compromising position?”

  “I’d hardly call standing in the same vicinity as a man compromising.” Amy sighed and moved away, sitting on the bench. “I have something to tell you, Daniel. Nobody else must hear of this.”

  This didn’t sound good, and Amy was looking more nervous than Derby felt. Had Hartley told her something else? Had Beatrice come after her? Derby sat beside her.

  “What is it?”

  For a moment, he thought Amy wasn’t going to say anything. She was gnawing at her lower lip, her hands wringing in her lap. It looked like she was about to run away. Derby wanted to touch her, soothe her somehow, but he had a feeling Amy would run.

  “Mama and I were talking. Mama said…” Amy swallowed hard. “She said I needed to tell you about...about what has happened.”

  “Happened?” Derby was confused. “Did something happen to you?”

  “Not me.” Amy shook her head. “To other suitors I’ve had.”

  Derby stared at her, but Amy kept her gaze averted, staring at the ground. Amy had been courted before? From what Derby was aware of, she was a wallflower who shied away from potential suitors.

  “I...I didn’t even know you had any suitors.”

  “I don’t broadcast it. And nothing ever came about any of them.” Amy licked her lips and took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. “I’ve had suitors since I came of age, since just before my first Season. Father pushed me to most of them, and I turned those away, but there...there have been a few who have caught my attention. Things seemed to progress nicely without Father’s meddling. It made me think that possibly, just possibly, something might come out of it.”

  Derby felt like she had hit him over the head. He had had no idea about any of this.

  “I thought you were in love with me?”

  Amy snorted.

  “Come on, Daniel, since when do we ever get with the person we’ve had a fancy for most of our lives? Besides, if you recall, you were engaged yourself, and you were devoted to her.” She shrugged. “I just never thought I’d find myself so close to you, talking so intimately.”

  She did have a point. Even then, Derby had a nasty taste in his mouth. He didn’t want to think about Amy with other men. She was his, and that wasn’t going to change from now on. But Amy wasn’t here to talk about that.

  Amy stood and began to pace. When she spoke, it went from hesitant to fast. Derby could hardly keep up with her.

  “Anyway, the men I chose to see again, to allow to start courting me, they started disappearing. Pretty soon after, I declared that I would see them again.” Amy stopped and gave the air a helpless gesture. “I have no idea what happened, and there was no explanation. They just vanished.”

  “How can members of Society vanish without anyone noticing?”

  “Well, this lot did. They retreated to their family estates and refused to come to London at all. Their families suspected something, but they were just as baffled as everyone else. Nobody had any idea what was going on.”

  That was odd. Normally, nothing could happen in Society, even at their family estates, without everyone knowing about it by the end of the week, if not the end of the month. Derby, himself, was surprised he had never even heard of this. Then again, he preferred not to listen to gossip, and he had been wrapped up in his own romance.

  Maybe he should have paid more attention.

  “Do you think your father scared them off when he realized he couldn’t control them?” he asked.

  Amy snorted.

  “I doubt that meant he would resort to murder to get his own way.”

  Derby knew he was staring at her like a fool.

  “Someone died.”

  Amy nodded miserably. She barely glanced at him before walking towards the tree, absently touching the lower branches.

  “It was right at the end of my first Season. Alan France.”

  “Sir Colin France’s son?”

  “You know him?”

  “I know of Sir Colin. A close friend of Prince Edward’s.”

  “Alan was his eldest son. We were acquaintances before we entered Society.” Derby could hear the sad smile in Amy’s voice. “He was a very sweet, very kind boy. When he suggested that we started courting, I said yes. He was comfortable, and if I had to marry, Alan was a good choice.”

  “Don’t talk about marriage to someone else, Amy,” Derby grumbled. “I don’t want to hear it.”

  “Well, that’s what I was thinking.” Amy’s shoulders tensed. She was trembling. “Then Alan died. He was found in the gardens of his home, his body curled up like he had been convulsing. He had been frothing at the mouth. The doctor initially thought Alan had suffered a fit that had fried his brain, but the coroner thought otherwise.” Derby heard the catch in her voice. “He found that Alan had ingested poison, and there were finger bruises around his face.”

  He had been fed poison by force. Derby was cold. Had Merseyside and Dobson been fed the same way? There had been no other signs of foul play, but had they fought back? He swallowed, trying to get his head around what Amy had just said.

  “I...I had no idea about this.”

  “His family wanted to keep it quiet,” Amy said. She turned to Derby, wiping at her face. She had been crying. “Nobody wanted to have the scandal, and they were hoping the killer would think he was safe and slip up. But it’s been nearly two years, and there’s been nothing.”

  Derby could vaguely remember a notice in the newspaper about the France family losing their eldest son, but they had said pneumonia. That had been pretty widespread at the time, so nobody would have batted an eye. He stood and approached Amy, fishing into his pocket for his handkerchief. Amy gave him a small smile as she took it from his fingers and dabbed at her eyes.

  “Who could have killed him, do you think?” Derby asked. “Someone with a family grudge?”

  “No, nothing like that. The France family were very kind people. How Sir Colin put up with my father when they were in the same room, I have no idea. The man had the patience of a saint.” Amy sniffed, and she began to tremble. “And now Lord Merseyside and Dobson have died…”

  “You’re beginning to wonder if Alan was killed by the same person.”

  “Mama thinks so, and I’m beginning to think the same.” Amy was starting to breathe a little too quickly. “It’s all to do with me; it has to be. Alan and I were courting, and he was killed. Lord Merseyside was in love with me…”

  “Wait a minute, what?” Derby stopped her. “How do you know about that?”

  “Sarah confronted me about it to see if I knew.” Amy touched his arm. “Don’t look so shocked; we’ve sor
ted it out. And Mama said she could tell Dobson was fond of me. I don’t know if that meant he had a soft spot for me or something more intense, but clearly, the killer doesn’t see a distinction.”

  Even with his surprise at Amy knowing about Merseyside, Derby was rapidly coming to the same conclusion that Amy had come to earlier.

  “You think the killer is someone in the house.”

  “I do.” Amy bit her lip. “And I don’t know who.”