And not only had the duke and duchess welcomed Lily and Brianna into their home, they had offered to present them to London society. Brianna had bristled at the thought, claiming herself a spinster, but had conceded to at least attend events as Lily’s chaperone.
Lily sucked the last drop of liquid from the glass, already eyeing the next champagne-balancing footman making his way around the perimeter of the ballroom. She glanced to Wynne. “Eyes are fixated?”
“You do not look happy on that fact.”
Lily forced a bright smile onto her lips. The footman stepped in front of them, and she traded her empty flute for a full one. “I…I just did not expect it. I did not know what to expect.”
Wynne squeezed her arm. “Well, I expected it. I am positive any eligible man here would be delighted to make your acquaintance. This was the best idea, to come down from the cold castle to London for the season. As much as Rowen and I adore having you and Brianna to ourselves, it is only fair that you meet new people, a suitor or two. Or three, or four, or five. And then Brianna will see how much fun this can be, and maybe allow herself to proffer the slightest smile for a gentleman.”
Lily scoffed at Wynne’s last words, shaking her head. But instant guilt made her stop, and she fixed the smile back onto her face. “You sound as if you have already filled my dance card?”
“Yes. I do have options for you. And did you see Rowen?” She pointed across the brightly-lit room. “See the gentleman already edging their way to him?”
Lily nodded, taking a long sip of the champagne as she found the duke in the kaleidoscope of shifting, brightly-colored gowns.
“The lot of those gentlemen are already angling for an introduction.”
Lily noted several men jostling to get a step in front of one another. Almost comical, if that was what was truly happening across the room. Almost.
Her gaze slipped to the right and her breath caught.
Garek.
A head above the men around him, his dark hair glistened in the candlelight as he turned. Lily’s eyes swept along his profile.
Not Garek.
Not Garek in the ballroom. Or on Percy Street. Or in the Notlund Castle stables. Or at the market. Not Garek.
He wasn’t there in the ballroom, and she needed to stop seeing him every place she looked. Needed to stop searching for him in every crowd. Needed to put him out of her mind, out of her heart.
That was why she was here. To move on. To stop torturing herself every single day. To not see him around every turn. To stop thinking of his lips on her skin, his breath in her ear.
To stop everything. To stop being a shell.
The hollow emptiness in her chest threatened to swallow her. Lily’s head dropped, her eyes fixating on the sparkling crystals sewn into the edging along her bodice. They shimmered against the deep blue of her dress. Bright. Happy. Radiant as they hid the vast hollowness beneath.
Damn. She just wanted to feel again. Feel something—anything. Even if she doubted it was possible to truly do so.
“Lily, you have gone pale. What is it?” Wynne’s hand went onto Lily’s gloved forearm, rubbing.
Lily’s eyes rose to the duchess. “Nothing.” She tried to reclaim her earlier smile. “Just a moment of being overwhelmed. Again, I had not expected this. I thought we would just slip into this world…quietly, somehow. Not cause a clamor.”
Lily brought the glass to her lips, draining the champagne as Wynne’s gaze slid across the crowd.
“Your dowry alone swept that possibility aside quite neatly. And now they have seen the loveliness of you. But I cannot imagine they are all rakehells and rogues, even if I have heard a number of stories.” She looked at Lily with a wink. “Which is why you have me. And the duke. And Brianna. Just for a gentleman to get by the three of us will be a feat in and of itself.”
“Yes.” The smallest smile, genuine crossed Lily’s face. She had to remember, at the very least, she had Wynne and the duke and Brianna.
“Are you ready?”
Lily paused for a moment, busying herself with watching the masses of swirling colors on the gowns. A footman was nearing them, and if she stalled for another second, she could snatch one more flute of champagne before being devoured by what was in front of her.
She raised her glass, and the footman stopped for her to exchange her empty flute. Lily could see Wynne watch her movements, but the duchess did not say a word. Not like Brianna would have.
Lily turned to Wynne, clutching the full champagne flute, her voice solid. “I am ready, come what may.”
~~~
Newgate Prison, London, England
March, 1822
Salvation came in the form of a duke.
Unexpected. Unwanted salvation.
Salvation delivered by one Devin Williams Stephenson, twelfth Duke of Dunway.
A boot nudged Garek’s belly.
His eyes crept open, and a strand of dirty hay trapped in his eyelashes cut into his eye. Garek blinked several times, trying to dislodge it as he looked at the shiny black boot in front of his face.
Far too fancy for these wretched guards.
He turned his head, the hay poking into his neck. A tall man. Finely dressed. Cane, beaver hat, all the accoutrements of wealth. A sliver of morning light hit the man across his cheekbone.
What now? What, after more than a year in this rat hole, could this man possibly be standing over him for? Garek knew the executioner preferred black clothes—absolutely everything black. If you were to be transported, it was usually a few sailors that came for you. Quite possibly, the delayed and delayed and delayed trial had finally happened without him even knowing.
At this juncture, nothing would surprise him.
But no. This man had none of the business of criminals about him.
“You are awake, man?”
Garek nodded. He hadn’t had anything to drink in days and couldn’t afford to try and make words, create saliva that wasn’t there.
“Good. Then gain your feet. Your fortune is about to change.”
Garek stared far up to the face, trying to see the structure of it. Did he know this man?
The man bent, slipping a hand under Garek’s upper arm. His eyes squinted, running over Garek’s face until he nodded, satisfied with whatever he saw. “Once I knew it was you, Harrison, I volunteered to deliver the news and deal with this matter myself.” His gloved finger pointed upward, swirling about the stone cell. “And none too soon, I can see.”
The voice. The face Garek couldn’t place, but the voice. The voice he could. Far, far back. The continent. The war. Dunway. The Duke of Dunway.
“You saved a number of my men on the continent, Harrison. Had I known you were in here, I would have come regardless of the current matter—and sooner.” Dunway pulled up on Garek’s arm, bringing him to standing.
Garek’s eyes didn’t leave Dunway’s face. He opened his mouth, stretching for words. Three tries before his tongue made a sound. “Why?”
“As much as the Worthington family would like to continue to put off your trial and let you suffer in here, they waited a pinch too long,” Dunway said. “Fate now has a very different end for you, my old friend, than to have you wither to death in this hell hole.”
Dunway slung his arm across Garek’s back, supporting him as they walked out of the cell.
{ Chapter 13 • Marquess of Fortune }
Notlund Castle, Yorkshire, England
September, 1822
Garek watched the Earl of Luhaunt walk down the hill from the small structure—a painting studio of some sort, from what he could surmise earlier when he had passed it.
The earl’s low voice a murmur in the clear night, his hands were animated as he talked to Mr. Flemming, the Bow Street runner Garek had been shadowing for weeks. The two men disappeared into the stable furthest away from where Garek stood watching the scene from the deep shadows of the forest behind the painting studio.
After lurking for a day, Garek
finally had a handle on the many buildings surrounding Notlund Castle, the Duke of Letson’s estate in Yorkshire. Garek knew the duke and duchess had assumed the role of unofficial guardians to Lily and Brianna within the last year. And after launching Lily successfully into London society during the season, the sisters had been living at the castle for the past four months.
Garek had heard the majority of the conversation taking place within the studio. None of it was news to him, but, he imagined, devastating to Brianna. And now he only had mere moments to talk with Brianna in private before her new husband returned from the stable.
Pulling the hood of the black cloak lower about his face, Garek slid along the side of the building. He stepped lightly, silencing his boots on the wooden porch as he opened the front door and slipped into the painting studio, closing the door behind him.
Brianna sat slumped back in a chair, holding herself with her eyes glazed over, staring into the light of the lantern on a table. In shock—much as he suspected she would be after hearing what she just did.
The sight of her again, up close, jarred him for a moment.
Healthy, her cheeks were no longer sunken, her eyes no longer dead. Her light brown hair was pulled into an elegant upsweep. No longer fragile, with delicate bones barely propping her up, Brianna looked strong and even more like Lily than he remembered.
A few seconds passed and Brianna’s head turned, her eyes lifting from the light to him.
Garek took one deep breath, pulling the hood from his head.
Instant fear crossed her face, but then her eyes widened and she leaned forward, recognizing him.
Garek smiled at her, giving her a long second to digest his presence.
“So what will it be, Brianna? The devil you know, or the devil you don’t?”
Her jaw dropped as her hand flattened on the table to push herself to her feet. She looked a force, instantly ready to battle, but Garek could see her fingers straining against the table, holding her steady.
“Dr. Harrison,” she said, her voice solid. “So you know Lily is to marry tomorrow?”
Garek inclined his head. “I do. And it seems as if you have a decision to make.”
“You know?” She stared at him, her eyes narrowing. “So I am to decide—a grave robber or a lecher?”
The blow came out of the darkness, ramming into Garek, tackling him. Flying through the air, Garek and the mass wrapped around his chest slammed into a wall of shelves, sending glass jars of paint plummeting, breaking everywhere as Garek crashed to the floor.
A grunt rang in Garek’s ear as the mass of a man landed on him, crushing him. Garek’s fist already in motion, it made contact on skull just as Brianna’s scream filled the room.
“Seb. Stop. Stop. Stop.” Brianna’s words froze the man on top of him.
Garek kicked up, flipping the man off of him as he sat up.
So this was Brianna’s husband, Lord Luhaunt. The man was ready to pummel Garek, already to his feet with his fists drawing back to strike. But then he paused, his eyes not veering from Garek.
“An explanation, wife,” Luhaunt growled.
“Seb.” Brianna ran to him, her hands wrapping around his upper arms, tugging at him. “This is the man that saved me—saved me from my leg wounds. The physician—the surgeon. The man Lily loved.”
Lord Luhaunt relaxed slightly, looking to his wife as she moved to his side, her left hand staying on his arm.
Her eyebrows arched as she tilted her head down toward Garek, her blue eyes pinning her husband. “The man I paid to leave Lily alone. Garek Harrison. This is him.”
Luhaunt shook his head, his arms relaxing as he looked from his wife to Garek. “I apologize. I could only think the worst.”
He offered his hand down to Garek. “A cloaked man cornering my wife in the dark is just not done, man. Not done at all. I am sure you can imagine, and sympathize.”
“No harm suffered.” Garek grabbed Luhaunt’s hand, letting Brianna’s husband pull him to his feet. “You were right to have tackled me. I would have done the same.”
Luhaunt slapped him on the back, sending a shard of glass deep into his shoulder. Garek hid a cringe. He could feel all sorts of shards needling into his back, as he had been on the bottom side of that pile, grinding into the broken jars.
“So, with my apologies, please also accept my gratitude for saving my wife.” Luhaunt’s eyes swung to Brianna, smirk on his face. “I do appreciate the effort, and most notably, the end result.”
Luhaunt stepped away from his wife, muttering as he brushed glass debris off the front of his jacket. “First that Sneedly character and now this—I need to have a serious conversation with Rowe about the safety here at Notlund—far too many ways in.” He moved back to Brianna and tucked her under his arm, seemingly oblivious to the blue paint on his jacket that smeared into the side of her peach gown.
Garek’s ears perked, his look whipping to Brianna. “Sneedly? What the hell was he doing here?”
Brianna waved her hand. “It was nothing. Mr. Sneedly recently had a change in fortune. The viscount’s holdings have been seized, and Mr. Sneedly has found himself a pauper. He appeared here yesterday to cause trouble. No harm was done. The duchess intercepted him—she is very protective of Lily—and then the duke had him removed far from the premises.”
The earl looked to Garek, his jaw going tight as his eyes hardened. “Which brings up the current point—what the hell were you doing with my wife, Dr. Harrison?”
“I am here for Lily’s sake.” Garek’s eyes stayed on Brianna as he blindly picked at a sliver of glass embedded in his palm. “I know about her fiancé, Lord Newdale.”
“You know of Newdale’s activities? How?” Lord Luhaunt asked.
Garek shrugged. “I have been following your runner, Mr. Flemming, for weeks, ever since I discovered he was investigating Lord Newdale. I am well aware that Lily’s betrothed is keen on buying virgins from brothels. It is why I am here. I do not intend to let her marry a demon such as that.” His look went solely to Lord Luhaunt. “I also knew I needed to approach Brianna first, in order to gain access to Lily, as Lily may not welcome me or what I have to say. She can be stubborn.”
“Yes. You remember,” Brianna said.
Garek’s gaze swung to her. “I do.”
Brianna’s eyes narrowed at Garek. “But why? Why now? Why not five months ago? A month ago? Why appear on the eve before her wedding?”
A yank, and Garek freed the glass sliver from his palm. He glanced down as he flicked the bloody glass to the floor, his hands falling to his sides. He met Brianna’s stare. “I did not have a reason five months ago to interfere. I do now. I also have the means. You are aware of my change in fortune and that I have been cleared of any misdoings? I was assured the bank note was delivered to you.”
“Yes, I did receive it, and I am aware of your new status.”
“But you have not told Lily?”
Brianna squirmed, glancing up to her husband, then looked to Garek. “I could not tell her. She has been happy, Dr. Harrison. I did not want to send her life into a tumble.”
Garek bit his tongue but managed a curt nod. Brianna was being much more accommodating than he imagined she would be, and he could not let slip what he truly thought of Lily’s sister. He still needed her help. “I understand. But I can give her the life I could not before. That is why I am here.”
“You still want her? After all this time?” Brianna asked. “She is to marry another tomorrow, Dr. Harrison.”
“Do not play the innocent, Brianna.” A wry smile lined Garek’s lips. “Every one of us in this room knows you will not let Lily marry Lord Newdale on the morrow.”
Brianna’s arms came up, curling around her waist. She exhaled with a nod, conceding the fact. “It will be hard to convince Lily to see you—to give you a proper chance.”
“That is where I must ask for your assistance,” Garek said. “I do not want her ruined by this—do not want scandal to touch he
r because of Lord Newdale. If any word of his actions were bared to the light, it would ruin him, and everyone attached to him—his family, his fiancé—all innocents.”
Brianna’s lips sucked tightly inward, nodding. “I agree. It is messy beyond belief—purchasing virgins, for heaven’s sake. While Lord Newdale deserves whatever he would get, his mother, his sisters, and most certainly, Lily, do not deserve the same fate because of his ill actions.”
“Exactly.” Garek cleared his throat, glancing from Lord Luhaunt to Brianna. “I will be forthright. I am thinking an elopement.”
Brianna gasped. “An elopement?”
“It will extract Lily from the situation. There is scandal attached to an elopement, of course.”
“But elopement scandals tend to be forgiven when love is involved.” The smallest smile crossed Brianna’s face as she nodded, her eyes lighting up.
“Exactly.”
“But that means she will go with you. She is not prepared for this. She has not seen you in a year and a half. She thinks she is marrying Lord Newdale tomorrow. She is happy.”
Garek’s forehead crinkled. “Is her current happiness going to continue in any fashion after tonight?”
Brianna’s eyes dropped to the floor. “No. It is gone, and she does not even know it yet.” She paused, her fingers tapping her arm. Her eyes came slowly up to Garek. “I cannot—I cannot make this decision for her. I have played God once too many times in her life, and I cannot chance another mistake with her.”
Garek suffocated a growl. Now Brianna had a conscience?
His words came slowly, holding himself in check. “So what will you do?”
“I will have to tell her everything,” Brianna said. “Everything I know—about Lord Newdale buying virgins, about you. It is her decision on how we proceed. Will you wait in…in the stables? Stall eighty-nine? It is in the third stable from the left.”
Garek gave a curt nod. He had hoped for more. So much more. But this would have to suffice. He could always take more drastic measures if Brianna’s conversation with Lily didn’t work.
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