Masterson turned his head and met Cole’s gaze with a burning sincerity. While the man didn’t seem to be a stranger of deception, Cole didn’t doubt him in this and gave a brusque nod. “Very good. What happens now?”
“Now we will concoct a story. I want Hambridge’s associates to continue to use your coast for their activities.”
“What?” The word echoed with the strength of Cole’s outrage.
Masterson took hold of Cole’s arm. “As you said, a few casks of brandy are nothing compared to unlocking the identities of French spies planted on English soil. You must tell no one the truth of what occurred here. No one.”
While Cole could hardly stomach letting miscreants have free rein over his coastline, Masterson’s plan was wise. Getting rid of the smuggling ring from his cove would only drive them somewhere they could not be monitored. “There will be an inquest.”
“Yes, but Abbott is a magistrate, and as there is no body and two witnesses, it will be quick enough. I’ll make sure he understands what to do,” Masterson said. “Abbott will pass along my direction. If you see or hear anything, I want you to send word to me, but do not put yourself in danger in order to obtain information. Is that clear?”
Cole felt like he was receiving orders for battle. “Yes, sir.”
Masterson’s lips quirked before turning serious once more. “Let’s discuss Hambridge.”
The three of them hammered out a story that would leave Hamish’s honor intact, if not his athletic prowess.
“His mother is aware he is a smuggler,” Cole said. “She could make things difficult if she were to tell the truth.”
“She won’t though,” Diana said. “It would cast Hamish in a shameful light and leave her a social pariah.”
“If she does become an issue, we’ll relocate her to the Americas, but for now we’ll trust her self-preservation instincts.” Masterson made a small bow and backed away from the cliff’s edge. “I’ll take my leave. I have the feeling the two of you have many things to discuss. I recently wed a rather spirited lady myself.”
Cole returned Masterson’s small smile. “Congratulations, sir.”
“I hope you aren’t referring to me.” Diana shoved away from Cole, propped her hands on her hips, and glared at both men. “This lady has not been asked nor consented to wed any man, thank you very much.”
“Along with my sincere felicitations, may I offer you luck, my lord?” A distinct twinkle lit Masterson’s green eyes as he shook Cole’s hand. “I’ll await word. You have proved yourself a lady of mettle, Miss Grambling. Consider me an admirer.”
“Thank you for your timely assistance, Mr. Masterson.” Diana’s voice was cool, but she inclined her head. Masterson aimed a shallow bow in her direction.
And with that, Masterson simply walked away and disappeared into the mists. Cole and Diana stared after him, then at one another, an unusual awkwardness between them.
“I’m not going to wed you merely to save my reputation. Let the town talk.” Diana set her chin in a familiar stubbornness. A cold wind lifted from the sea and tossed her hair around her shoulders like flames.
“If not to save your reputation, will you wed me because I love you?” Cole asked with a lightness he didn’t feel.
She stiffened. “You promised never to lie to me. Remember?”
“It is the truth.”
“Since when?”
“Since… forever. My intention was always to come home and woo you. My ascension to the title complicated my plans, but—” he took her hands and was relieved she didn’t pull away, “—wedding you would make me the happiest of men.”
“What about Rose?”
“What about her?”
“She’s beautiful and accomplished and was born to be a countess.” Her hands tightened around his.
“She is all those things and would make an admirable countess, but I’m not the earl for her. My heart has always been yours. I apologize that my impatience got the better of my gentlemanly intentions the other night, but I assumed by allowing me liberties, you agreed to become my wife.”
Her mouth formed an O. “I thought it was merely one night of recklessness.”
Worry stabbed at his heart. “Do you wish to wed me? If not, then—”
She raised on tiptoe, pressed her lips against his, and murmured, “I love you too.”
Cole rumbled a groan of relief, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her with a fierceness imbued by their brush with death. Gratitude roared through him. He dropped his face into her neck and took a deep breath. He’d lost so much already and had come close to losing everything. He would hold tightly to Diana from this day forward.
Chapter 9
Cole’s hands took on a desperation that mirrored hers. Diana couldn’t get close enough to him. Shivers she couldn’t control weakened her knees in the aftermath of Hamish’s betrayal. She hadn’t thought anything about accompanying Hamish to the cliffs. In fact, the privacy had been welcome. She’d had no desire to humiliate him. His switch from bumbling vicar to murdering smuggler had been swift and startling.
“Let’s get you home.” With an arm firmly around her waist, they stumbled their way down the rocky path.
With the smoke from the Grambling Manor in sight, Liam and Piers rushed toward them. Piers held the ancient blunderbuss that usually hung in their father’s study. “Where’s Hambridge?”
The brothers were breathing hard and wore the same panicked look around the eyes.
“He’s… he’s…” She swallowed, unable to speak the truth aloud. Yes, Hamish was a traitor to England and would have killed her, but she’d known him all her life. Once, he’d been a laughing boy who’d played pretend in the woods with all of them.
“Dead,” Cole said flatly.
Piers’s gaze bounced between the two of them. “How?”
“It was an accident. After Diana refused him, he was despondent and stepped away to gather himself, but with the mists, he got too close to the edge and lost his balance. We tried to save him, but…” Cole shrugged. They all understood how dangerous the mists could be. As did Hamish, which was probably why he’d taken her there.
“Not the first nor the last death to occur on the cliffs, I’m afraid. The timing couldn’t be worse with the Christmas fete in full swing at Linley House. Who will tell Mrs. Hambridge?” asked Piers.
“It is my duty. At least the bishop is here to offer comfort.” Cole tightened his arm around Diana. “Then I must make an appearance at the fete and hand out sweets to the children.”
Diana understood the reluctance in his voice. She didn’t want to let Cole out of her reach, much less out of her sight.
“Will you come to Linley House for a light supper after the fete? All of you. We have much to discuss.” Cole pushed her hair behind an ear and leaned down to brush her lips with his.
“You still have a pressing question to ask Father, don’t you, Cole?” Liam grinned.
Diana couldn’t find a smile to return, still unsure of her brother’s part in the smuggling operation. After returning home and relaying the agreed-upon story to her mother and father, they said their farewells to Cole with promises to come to Linley House that evening. Piers stepped inside, but Diana took Liam’s hand and drew him into their father’s empty study.
“I’m mightily relieved you are safe, sister.” No guile reflected in his expression. “Although I hate you had to see poor Hambridge fall to his death.”
Diana had seen worse, but Liam didn’t need to know that. She took both his hands in hers, and his smile morphed into confusion. “Liam, I’ve seen you.”
Now he wore a frown tinged with panic. “Seen me what?”
“I’ve seen you slip out of the house at all hours of the night. Where do you go?” She swallowed past a lump, and her voice thickened. “Are you a smuggler?”
Liam gaped before he recovered his senses. “Ah, no. Nothing so dangerous. Can you please forget what you’ve seen?”
Perhaps
once she could have, but not now. “I must know, Liam. Please.”
“I’m not proud of what I’ve done. It’s not… honorable.” Red colored his cheeks, and he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.
As realization dawned, heat flushed into her face, his embarrassment spreading to her. “A woman?” she whispered.
“A lady. A married one.” He gritted his teeth.
“Do you love her?”
“She’s married, and I’m leaving the country in a month.” It was a nonanswer that answered everything.
Diana hugged her brother. After a moment, his arms came around her and returned her tight squeeze. “I’m very happy for you and Cole, Diana.”
Nothing more needed to be said, and he retreated to the stables. A week earlier, she might not have understood, but she did now, and her heart ached for him.
Diana’s mother sent the little children to the fete with two of the maids and the footman. The rest of the family would forgo the festivities in light of what had happened. Diana would be the object of curiosity and scorn.
Rose and Diana retreated to their room to rest.
“You will soon become Lady Linley. It’s so romantic. When will the wedding be, do you think?” Rose asked.
“I don’t know.” Diana had a difficult time focusing on the happy at the moment.
“Perhaps as soon as Cole can get the banns read.” Rose tossed a teasing smile over her shoulder as she dried herself with linen. “You could be Lady Linley in a matter of weeks.”
Diana tried to smile, but lying to her family about the circumstances of the past few days was more difficult than she anticipated. Plus the day’s events had caught up with her. From her night in a crypt, fearing Cole was dead and they would never be discovered, to hearing Hamish’s pitiful scream as he faced a horrific death. It was yet early. What other surprises lurked?
A wrinkle appeared between Rose’s eyes. “Why don’t you lie down for a bit? I’ll wake you when it’s time to dress.”
Although she feared what she would see once she closed her eyes, Diana nodded. At the very least, she wouldn’t have to put on a mask for her family if she were alone. Shockingly though, she slipped into a deep sleep. If she dreamed, they didn’t torment her, and when she awoke, her natural optimism and good humor had swept a portion of the darkness away.
She and Cole would marry and share a bed every night. A shiver of anticipation had her biting her lip. She stretched herself out of bed. The next hour was a whirlwind of lacing one another into their best dresses. Rose wore a pink-hued velvet that brought out her creamy complexion.
Diana wore a green gown with tight sleeves and a square brocade bodice shot with gold. Rose twisted Diana’s hair into a loose chignon, leaving tendrils to frame her face and emphasize her neck.
“You look lovely, Diana.” Rose gave her a hug. “I’m so very happy for you.”
While nothing was changing immediately, change was coming soon. Diana would no longer live at Grambling Manor or wake next to Rose. She would leave the only home she’d known. It was sad and exciting, and she wasn’t sure how to feel.
Diana hesitated but forced herself to say, “I worried you might have nurtured a tendresse for Cole.”
Rose shook her head. “Mother encouraged me to pursue him, but my feelings for him never went beyond friendship. I thought he was your friend as well.”
“He was—is—but he’s also more. He always has been.” Diana fumbled for words to explain the connection she shared with Cole.
Rose’s smile was marred by wistfulness. “I hope to find someone to marry who is more.”
“You will, Rose. I’ll make sure of it.” Diana squeezed her sister’s hand. Once she was Lady Linley, she could enlist Cole’s help to introduce Rose to a cadre of eligible gentlemen.
Their mother called for them. It was time to leave. Their trip in the carriage was dominated by her mother’s excited chatter as if Diana’s scandal in the crypt and Hamish’s death hadn’t happened. She kept adjusting Diana’s hair and clothes until Diana’s nerves were outweighed by her need for peace.
The grounds of the house were empty now with only remnants of the celebration left behind. As the butler answered the door, Cole swept through the entry to greet them and lead them to the drawing room where the bishop took up an armchair and was flushed from the drink in his hand.
The evening passed in a blur. Dinner was a simple meal of stew and fresh-baked bread accompanied by rich wine. It did not go unnoticed by anyone when Cole and her father slipped away together from the drawing room. She paced while everyone else made stilted conversation, casting glances toward the door.
When Cole and her father returned, her father came over to her and kissed her cheek. “I wish much happiness for your union, daughter.”
“Thank you, Father.” Diana turned her attention to Cole, who was standing at the ready for an announcement.
“Bishop Everly—” Cole nodded at the bishop, who stood and leaned on his cane, “—has agreed to perform the ceremony this very evening, if Diana is amenable.”
Shock held her in its grasp. “Right now?”
“Will you excuse us for a moment of privacy?” Cole put an arm around her shoulders and drew her into the hall. “I apologize for springing a wedding on you. Is it a good surprise or a bad one?”
“Good. Very good.” She daubed her tongue along her dry lips. “I thought it would take weeks for the banns to be read.”
“We can’t wait weeks. The speculation in town will be rife. My name will protect you and all will be forgotten by next year’s Christmastide fete where you will act as hostess. Plus I want you safe by my side.” His smile faded and his brow furrowed. “If you’re amenable, that is.”
“I am very amenable.” She took his hand in both of hers. “A Christmastide wedding sounds perfect.”
“I have a present for you.” He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a ring with a winking green gemstone. “It’s the Linley emerald. It’s been in the family for many years. The last to wear it was my grandmother, and she had a very long, happy marriage to my grandfather.”
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, fighting tears. “I didn’t get you anything.”
“I have the greatest gift in you.” Cole took her hand, but before he could slip the ring on her finger, the bishop rapped his cane on the doorjamb. “It’s getting late, and there’s still the ceremony to see to, you young scamps.”
Each laugh and smile they shared helped beat back the darkness of the past day and night. The ceremony was blessedly short, the bishop not one to drone on with flowery sentiment.
“And now you may kiss to seal your promises to one another.” The bishop gifted them with a beatific smile.
Diana felt as if they’d already made their promises to one another on a cold, hard floor not sure whether they would live or die. They’d lived, and so they would love and keep one another safe.
Cole wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her close for the binding kiss. Even after they broke apart, their gazes held and melded. It might as well have been just the two of them in the room.
Piers cleared his throat. “I’m feeling rather tired, aren’t you, Liam?”
Liam took their mother’s arm. “Indeed, and I believe you are looking rather wilted, Mother. It’s been a long, trying day.”
Their mother pressed a starched white handkerchief to her lips and murmured, “My little lamb won’t be coming with us.”
Diana took her mother’s hand and met Rose’s weepy gaze. “No, but I’ll see you so often you won’t even realize I’m gone. I promise.”
Another half hour passed while congratulations and goodbyes were shared all around. Finally Lettie led Diana to a bedchamber with Cole’s masculine touches, from the dark shades of blue to the shaving kit on the bureau.
“I apologize, Miss Grambling. I mean Lady Linley.” While Lettie’s tongue stumbled over her new title, Diana’s brain stumbled.
She was a countess.
Lettie fluffed the pillows and straightened the coverlet. “The master has instructed me to bring you here. The fete has kept the servants busy, and there was no time to air out the adjoining chamber. Tomorrow is Boxing Day, and the master has given the servants the day off, but it will be seen to immediately after.”
“It’s fine, Lettie.” Diana ran her hand over the rich, heavy draperies tied at the corner of the heavy, dark oak four-poster bed. No evidence of a single moth. “I’m not even sure I’ll need a chamber of my own.”
When Lettie’s eyes went wide, Diana bit her lip and gave a brittle laugh. She might hold the title of countess, but she still had much to learn.
“There’s warm water in the basin.” Was it Diana’s imagination, or was Lettie’s tone as brisk as sea wind? “Would you like a night rail and robe?”
“That would be most welcome. This was such a surprise, I don’t have any of my things.” As soon as it was out of her mouth, she realized she wouldn’t need a night rail. She twisted the ring on her finger and stared at the bed as reality set in.
The sleepiness from the wine disappeared in a snap. Her head spun from everything that had happened the past few days. Her life had changed in ways she hadn’t anticipated or prepared for.
Her innocence had been torn asunder. Not her physical innocence, although she supposed it, too, was gone, but her innocence in the world around her. Men who would stop at nothing, even murder, roamed and threatened her once safe world. Had her world ever been truly safe, or had her recent experiences merely revealed dark rifts.
“Lady Linley.” Cole entered the chambers with a smile. “I like the way that sounds.”
She tried to return his smile but found she couldn’t.
His smile morphed into concern. “What’s wrong? Was our wedding too sudden?”
“No. Well, yes.” The sound she made wasn’t quite a chuckle. “But it’s not that. It’s… everything else.”
She didn’t know how to explain herself to him when she was struggling to make sense of things herself.
“I apologize for not taking into consideration your feelings. The past days have been beyond trying.” Cole circled around her with slow steps as if worried she would spook like a frightened hare. Then he lay his hands on her shoulders and pulled her into him, her back to his front, his fingers lightly massaging her tense muscles.
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