The Dark Side of the Earl: Historical Regency Romance

by Ella Edon

  Her friend had been reading too much Jane Austen.

  “Lady Eleanor?”

  Eleanor turned. Parsons was walking towards her, a letter in his hand. He bowed at her before handing her the letter.

  “This came for you just now. I thought you would want it as soon as possible.”

  “Thank you, Parsons.”

  Parsons nodded and gave her a smile that warmed his eyes before walking away. The valet, now butler, had been relaxing a little over the last few days since Nathan had stepped into the house. It was like he was becoming optimistic about the future himself. He had good reason to; once this wedding happened, her father Edward Heavenly’s debts would be cleared, and they could start afresh.

  Although Eleanor was beginning to wonder what would happen when the money needed to be paid back. Creditors always came back for their money. Edward Heavenly was sure it wouldn’t happen, he had been promised, but Eleanor did believe that it would come back to bite them.

  “It’s a bit late to be receiving letters.” Marion looked over Eleanor’s shoulder. “Perhaps it’s from Captain Reynolds.”

  “I don’t think so.” Eleanor looked at her name scribbled on the front. “It’s not his handwriting. That doesn’t look like his seal.”

  “Has he been sending you letters in between meetings?”

  “Marion…”

  “All right, I’ll stop.” Marion laughed. Then she nudged Eleanor’s arm. “Go on, open it.”

  Eleanor shook her head, but she opened the envelope and slid out the letter.

  “Honestly, Marion, it’s like living with a child at times when you’re around.”

  “I’m not commenting on that.”

  “Don’t. Because we’ll be here all night arguing about it.” Eleanor opened the letter and scanned it. It was only half a page, and the letter writer’s signature was a surprise. “It’s from Lady Chapman.”

  “What?” Marion rose up on tiptoes to look over Eleanor’s shoulder. “Why on earth would that woman be writing to you?”

  “Possibly because she knows I’ll have her kicked out so fast that she won’t know what hit her if she comes here.” Eleanor frowned as she read the letter again. “She wants to meet me in Wandsworth Common. At two.”

  “You’re actually going to meet her?”

  “I shouldn’t.” Eleanor folded the letter, putting it back in the envelope. “But I want her to know this is the last time I will entertain her. She can say her piece, and then she’s gone, and that’s it.”

  Besides, the letter looked like it had been written in a bit of a panic. The writing was more erratic than Eleanor expected for a poised woman like Lorraine Chapman. Unless that was just her normal writing.

  “Anyway, I’ll be able to put myself at rest knowing I’ve faced her and seen her walk away for the last time. And I could do with a walk.”

  “Do you want me to get one of the footmen?” Marion asked.

  “No, just you and me. That’ll be fine.” Eleanor linked her arm with Marion’s as they headed back to the house. “Lady Chapman isn’t the type of person who’s going to physically cause a scene.”

  “Yet,” Marion muttered.

  Yet was the operative word. But Nathan was coming to visit for tea, and Eleanor wanted to get this dealt with before he arrived. Then she would be able to concentrate on his visit without wondering what Lady Chapman wanted with her.

  Eric wasn’t impressed. He had been out of London for a few days to sort out business in Birmingham - the death of another brat who had vanished was not good for him and he needed distance - and now he seemed to have come back to even more mayhem.

  What the hell was Leyton up to? Eric had given him the necessary ammunition to disrupt Nathan and Eleanor’s marriage, but he had been pushing Leyton towards the desire to kill Nathan before he got to walk down the aisle with his bride, before Eric would slip into his place.

  But Leyton seemed to be working on a different agenda and working very rapidly at it, too. Eric heard it through the grapevine that Eleanor had been attacked in her own home. The servants had been gossiping and it spread everywhere that a baron’s daughter had been attacked in her own bedchamber. Eric didn’t need to guess that it was Leyton. He was unstable and arrogant enough to break into a house to go after Eleanor.

  He may claim to love her, but Eric was sure that Leyton would tip over the edge if pushed too much. Eleanor’s rejections were becoming too much. Eleanor would get hurt or even killed. She wasn’t meant to be the one who ended up dead. Not yet, anyway.

  Eric wanted to do that himself if Eleanor carried on her charity work at the orphanage. But first he had to deal with Leyton. The timeline had been shifted a little too much, and now he would have to think on his feet. If this failed, they would have to start all over again.

  Perhaps using a man who had been committed for his obsessions wasn’t such a good idea, after all.

  At least he listened when Eric sent for him. Eric waited in an alley across the street from where he told Leyton to wait for him, and the man was there on time. He was pacing around, scowling at people as they went past him. Everyone started to give him a wide berth.

  He was going to draw attention to himself if he kept doing that. Eric wanted meetings to be inconspicuous. No one was supposed to be aware that they were meeting up. Growling, Eric then whistled sharply. It caused several people to turn, but Eric was confident nobody would see through his disguise. The blond wig and beard hid pretty much everything. But it did make Leyton turn around, and it took him a moment to realize who it was.

  The young man hurried across the street and ducked into the alley, glaring at him.

  “Where have you been? I’ve been trying to contact you for days.”

  “I had a bit of business to attend to.” Eric drew Leyton further into the alley. He didn’t want people to see this. “I got your last letter about your plan. What are you thinking doing this?”

  “I know you said I needed to wait until closer to the wedding date, but I can’t.” Leyton shook his head. “Eleanor isn’t going anywhere near that aisle. Not unless I’m with her. I won’t let it happen.”

  The stupid sap. He still had no idea that he was being used. As soon as he did what he was supposed to do, Eric would get rid of him. Now it looked like he was going to have to move that up.

  “So, you’re doing this ahead of schedule?”

  “I’ve got it all sorted.” Leyton lifted his chin, squaring his shoulders. “This is going to happen, whether or not you agree to it.”

  Eric bristled. “You’re getting above your station, Mr. Leyton.”

  “I don’t think so.” Leyton smirked. “You gave me the nudge, and I’m grateful for it, but I’m going to do this today. Eleanor is my woman. I want her now.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  So much for having things in his control. Leyton had proven to be very unpredictable. Eric silently cursed himself for not having someone keep an eye on Leyton to make sure he followed the rules. Now he had gone off on a tangent and was all over the place. That Eric was going to rectify soon.

  He pretended to acquiesce and sighed heavily.

  “All right, fine, but you do need to get rid of Captain Reynolds. He’s not going to sit back and allow his future bride disappear like that.”

  “I’ve got it all planned, don’t you worry about that.” Leyton sounded very cocky. “He’ll walk right into what I’ve got for him. Then you get what you want, and I get what I want.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Eric muttered. “Captain Reynolds isn’t stupid. He’s going to know something is wrong. Make sure things are secure before you confront him, or you’ll be the one with a knife at your throat.”

  “I’ve had years to practise defending myself. He won’t have a chance. When he comes to me, I’ll have it under control.” Leyton glanced towards the street. “I’d better go. I’ve got to go and meet someone.”

  “If something goes wrong with this, I’m n
ot a part of it.”

  Leyton snorted. “It’s not going to go wrong.” Then he sauntered off, a swagger in his step.

  Eric watched him go. There were very few times when he made mistakes that could blow everything up. This was one of those mistakes, and he wasn’t happy about it. Eric liked to think he ran a tight ship, but Leyton could easily ruin it with his plan, which was probably not as carefully thought out as he claimed. His focus was Eleanor instead of Nathan. Nathan should be the one they were getting rid of. If Eleanor fought back, she would end up dead too.

  She would be dead herself soon enough, but Eric wanted to keep her around a bit longer. He would need to have a word with his men. Leyton would be dead by midnight.

  Leaving without a footman had been a bit of a headache. Eleanor and Marion had been leaving just as Edward Heavenly came across them. Once he knew what was happening, her father had been unsure about Eleanor and Marion going out to Wandsworth Common, even though the common itself was just a few streets away and was mostly open ground. There were always people around as it was so popular, but Edward Heavenly was still nervous.

  He was worrying far too much. Leyton was a problem, but Eleanor wasn’t about to let him control how she did things. She had Marion with her, so she couldn’t exactly get into trouble. Her bruises had pretty much faded now so they were not visible unless you practically had your nose right up against her chin. Eleanor felt better to go out and see someone in public.

  Besides, she couldn’t exactly allow Lady Chapman into the house. After what she said, Eleanor had notified her father, and Edward Heavenly had been furious. He refused to let her step foot in the house again. Eleanor couldn’t agree more.

  Since Lady Chapman couldn’t come to Eleanor’s, she would go to meet her. Eleanor wasn’t about to be locked up, and she was concerned. While she and Lady Chapman certainly didn’t care for each other, Eleanor wasn’t completely cold. She did have a heart, and something wasn’t quite right. Lady Chapman was practically begging for her to meet in the park.

  Something wasn’t quite right, and Eleanor wanted to find out. It would put her mind at rest. If it was another attempt to tell her to break off the engagement with Nathan, Eleanor would simply walk away. There wasn’t anything she could do now with the banns prepared to be published. Lady Chapman wouldn’t be able to get what she wanted.

  Unless she went the sneaky way about it, and Eleanor was not going to let that happen.

  Eventually, Edward Heavenly allowed them to leave, and Eleanor and Marion headed off with little time to spare before they were due to meet Lady Chapman. They briskly walked to the common, which was surprisingly not very busy on such a warm, sunny afternoon. That was unusual. When Eleanor took her walks on the common, the place was usually thriving. There was always someone walking past who would give her a nod and a small greeting. Eleanor could handle saying good day, but nothing more. It often came around to her financial situation with people being too greedy for gossip. Eleanor wasn’t going to explain her situation to anyone. It wasn’t any of their business.

  If only everyone else got the message.

  They got to the gates of the common just as they heard the church clock across the street chime two. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Eleanor scanned the few people in the park limits. There was no sign of Lady Chapman anywhere. Either she was going to be fashionably late or she was waiting further in the park - or she could have left, even though it had only just reached the time she requested to meet.

  The woman was certainly unpredictable, and irritating. Eleanor would be glad not to interact with her again.

  “I don’t like this.” Marion was frowning at their surroundings. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

  “I thought you were meant to be the optimistic one,” Eleanor teased.

  “I can’t stop the nagging feeling that something’s wrong.” Marion rubbed at her belly. “I can feel it here.”

  Eleanor could feel it, too. She wasn’t one to throw herself into something with abandon, but while she was concerned that something was up, she was also worried about Lady Chapman. What if she was in trouble and she needed Eleanor’s help? Why she would ask Eleanor, she had no idea, but Eleanor knew she wouldn’t be able to settle until she knew exactly what was going on.

  “It won’t be too long.” Eleanor squeezed Marion’s hand as they went through the gates. “We can just have a walk around the common while we look for her and then we can go home.”

  “As long as we do it at a more sedately pace.” Marion grimaced. “I’m worn out after all that running.”

  “That wasn’t running, that was a brisk walk.”

  “If you think that was a brisk walk, you’re mad.” Marion rolled her eyes. “Then again, you are mad. You walk so quickly I’m surprised that you don’t fall over. I bet you would go for a run around the park if it weren’t for your skirts.”

  Eleanor laughed.

  They headed down the path. A man and a woman were walking the other way with two children about ten years old. They gave Eleanor and Marion a pleasant nod of greeting, the children practically beaming. The sight of this family going on a walk together made Eleanor’s chest tighten. It was something she had longed for. A family with children, where they could do anything together. Going for walks, visiting places, going on holidays. Eleanor would love to explore the rest of the country. She had only been to the outer limits of London, maybe a small holiday when she was eight on the south coast. But that was it. She was looking forward to going around the country and seeing what it was like. Hopefully, Nathan would be agreeable to that. If he stayed. If he went back to France, it wouldn’t be the same. Eleanor wouldn’t be able to find any enjoyment if Nathan wasn’t there.

  He’s not going to stay after you’re married. As soon as you’re with child, he’s gone. Then you’ll just have to pray that this war finishes quickly and then he can come back.

  Until next time.

  It wasn’t a way to live, but Eleanor knew she would be able to suck it up and manage. Nathan was a good man and a good soldier. He would always come home, especially now he had someone to come home to.

  That was what Eleanor hoped for. She didn’t want to disappoint him.

  “What if this is a ruse?” Marion asked. “What if we were drawn out here?”

  “For what reason would she do that? And draw us out for what?”

  “I don’t know, but it feels suspicious.” Marion shook her head with a frown. “I know you think the same way. The last time we saw her, Lady Chapman came to the house for a confrontation. Why meet out here?”

  “Because she’s not permitted in the house, remember? And it’s more than likely she’ll ask me not to marry Nathan again. She’s probably thinking doing it in a public area will embarrass me into agreeing to it.”

  “And embarrass herself while she’s at it? That does seem far-fetched.”

  “I agree, but she’s requested me here and I might as well see what’s going on. Otherwise, I’m going to get inundated with letters.” Eleanor pointed off to the right where the path forked. “Let’s go that way. I can’t see her here.”

  That way they could go for a loop around the common and come back to where they started. If they didn’t see Lady Chapman, they would go home. That way they got a walk in before heading back. It meant cutting it close for meeting Nathan, but at least it would be out of the way. Eleanor just wanted it done with.

  Stepping through a small copse of trees, they came upon an open clearing that had a small pond, a stone bench beside it and a canopy of branches blocking out the sun. Some of the sunlight shone through the leaves, and it cast a green glow on the ground. Eleanor often stopped here, and she and Marion had spent hours here as young girls. There was so much you could do with this area.

  Lady Chapman was there, sitting on the stone bench. She was fidgeting with her cane, tapping it erratically on the ground. Even across the clearing she looked nervous. Very nervous. Not like the last time they had seen
each other.

  That put Eleanor on the alert. Was something wrong? Was Lady Chapman in fear of someone? Could that be the reason she wanted to meet? Whatever it was, a knot formed in Eleanor’s belly. She touched Marion’s arm.

  “Get ready to run if necessary.”

  “I thought you said she wasn’t going to hurt us.”

  “I’m beginning to change my mind,” Eleanor murmured. “I’m not getting too close, but I’m going to find out what she wants. Just make sure the way is clear, all right?”

  “All right.” Marion bit her lip. “Just be careful.”