He grinned. “The butler was rather large, wasn’t he?”
“You’re rather large.”
His grin turned wolfish.
Pia knew where his mind went and decided to avoid the subject for now. “You’re amazing. Where did you learn to do what you do?”
He shrugged. “As a lad, I liked to play like other children. I always enjoyed flying through the air.”
She decided the similarities between Sirius and Adam were a direct result of their father. It was the only explanation. “Will you tell me what is going on?”
Sirius’ smile fell. “There are people who want Cassius gone. Milly, too, since she carries his heir.”
“How bizarre. It all sounds like overthrowing a kingdom, yet we are not talking about a kingdom, but a duchy.”
“Cassius’ reach goes beyond his duchy.”
She knew. She looked over at the fireplace and stared at the turtledove. She stood and went for it. Upon her return, Sirius pulled her down.
Pia examined the turtledove. “I don’t understand how this has anything to do with what’s going on.”
“Mullon said the porcelain hides a target. When the time is right next Season, the porcelain will tell them who their target is.”
“Their target?”
“These men plan to take down Cassius’ men and leave him vulnerable.”
Pia thought about all the objects she’d delivered. Had her aunt truly given her messages of murder? “Mullon could be lying.”
Sirius plucked the turtledove from Pia’s hand. “Only one way to find out.” He tossed it across the room, and it shattered.
Pia panicked. She’d been paid to make sure the item reached its destination whole. Even knowing she would never step foot in Mullon’s presence again didn’t help soothe her.
Sirius stood and then took her hand as she crossed the room.
He knelt and in the remains and produced a small piece of paper. Pia’s eyes widened. “Paper could not have survived the fires.”
“Could it have been put in after the turtledove was made?”
Pia thought and then nodded. “If the porcelain had been made hollow with a hole somewhere, it would be easy to make a hole, let it dry in the air for a few days, slip the message in, cover the hole, and then paint the entire thing.”
Sirius stood and unraveled the paper.
Pia could barely breathe from the anxiety that took over her. “What does it say?”
Sirius pressed his lips together. “It’s a name.”
She couldn’t believe her aunt had done this. She wouldn’t. This was all a mistake. “Whose name is on it?”
He gave it to her. “Do you recognize the hand?”
She read it and collapsed. It wasn’t the handwriting that caught her eye first, but the writing itself. She recognized the name.
Lord Sirius Hayes.
She’d been carrying his death sentence for weeks.
Sirius knelt beside her. “I’ll have to tell the duke.”
“No!” Pia clutched the note to her chest. “Let me speak to my aunt first. There has to be some misunderstanding. Mullon could be lying. The name could mean something else.”
Sirius was already shaking his head. “You see the truth. Your aunt will answer for this crime. I’m… so sorry, Pia.”
Pia leaned away. “Mullon could have never pulled off such a task anyway. He tried today and failed.”
“You’ll need to give me the names of the other people you took pottery to.”
Pia got up. “I’m going to London. I’ll speak to my aunt. She’ll straighten this entire thing—”
Sirius grabbed her arms and shook her once. “Pia, listen to me. From this moment on, you must stay away from your aunt. This is not a game. Cassius is going to kill all who are involved in this scheme. I will have a hard time convincing him not to come after you.”
“Me!” Pia closed her eyes and took long breaths. She refused to cry again.
Sirius began to knead her shoulders and then down her back. “I won’t let him hurt you.”
Her eyes popped open. “But you just said—”
“I said I will have trouble stopping him from going after you. I never said I’d allow him to succeed.”
“Sirius, he’s the Duke of Van Dero. He’s your friend.”
He lowered his head to touch hers. “It wouldn’t be the first time the duke and I have fought.”
Pia rested her hands on his chest. “I don’t want to come between you, but you can’t truly expect me to never speak to my aunt again. I must at least warn her in some way.”
“To warn her would be a betrayal to the duke.”
“Sirius, she is my aunt!”
“She helped conspire to have a woman and her unborn child killed.”
Pia turned away. “She wouldn’t do this. I know her. She is by no means the most conventional lady, but murder?”
“You’d be surprised what people are capable of.”
She looked at him. “And you? What are you capable of?”
* * *
The day had not gone as Sirius would have liked. Fighting in front of Pia hadn’t been part of his plan. Hunting down Mullon and threatening his useless life hadn’t been part of it either. At least, not the hunting part.
He despised the thought of explaining himself to Pia even more. She’d seen things, heard things, and now was far more involved than was good for her.
She wanted to see her aunt. Until he could change her mind about that, she couldn’t be trusted with more. “I’ll need a list of the names of every man and woman you delivered pottery to. Do you remember them all?”
Pia shook her head. “I’ve been doing this for two years. There were countless deliveries, though they changed this year. Before, the objects were bigger, normal vases and dinner sets. Male servants carried everything for me. This year, I started to go alone, the items were smaller, and the pay was more.”
Sirius wondered what other work Pia had done for her aunt but found it wasn’t important at the moment. The previous deliveries could have been normal. The palm-sized animals were something else.
“How many did you deliver this year?”
“Not too many. Perhaps twelve.” She looked down at the note and sighed. “It’s my aunt’s hand. I just can’t believe…”
“You’ll need to accept the truth so that we can move on.” He couldn’t allow her to do something foolish, something that would get her hurt and have her taken away from him. Things were about to get very bloody, and Pia had already come closer to danger than he’d have liked.
She glared at him and then turned to the writing desk by the fireplace. “I’ll give you the names. There is a woman here I made a delivery to.”
“I already paid her a visit.”
Pia sat and lifted her chin to him. “Is she still alive?”
“For now.” He walked over to the desk and turned on the lamp. “Don’t work in the dark.”
“Thank you for being so considerate.” She kept her face to the paper. Her tone was brisk.
Sirius crouched down and grabbed her chin. “I know this is hard for you.”
“You have no idea what this is like.” Her voice was low, clogged with unshed tears.
He caressed her cheek. He hated lying to her. He wanted to tell her how it had felt to lose her fifteen years ago but couldn’t. Instead, he said, “My brother died because he was plotting to kill Milly.”
Pia stiffened and pulled in a deep breath.
“Did you take pottery to Toby?”
“No. Someone else did. My aunt didn’t want me near him. She didn’t want me near you, actually. She and I were worried you and I would run into one another and that you’d demand my hand.”
“Why do you think she was trying to keep you away from me?”
Pia frowned. “I don’t know. At first, I thought it was because she knew how much I didn’t want to marry you, but after a while, her warnings seemed to come from somewhere else.” She cove
red her face with her hand.
The truth was settling in. Aunt Melody hadn’t championed Sirius because she’d been aware of his ties to Van Dero.
“Oh! Why would she do this? I don’t understand it.”
“Maybe someone was forcing her.”
Pia’s eyes widened. Hope shined within them. “Yes, that must be it. It was Lord Seys, perhaps. He could have been—”
“Who?” Sirius asked. “Seys?” The name was strangely close to what the Collector had suggested, which was the other lord they were looking for.
Pia nodded. “She was nervous when I met him. He could be responsible for all of this.”
“Did she ever call him Sweet?”
Pia shook her head. “No, but I do recall his scent. Sweet almond.”
Sirius didn’t like that the man had been close enough for Pia to smell him. “If he is behind this, I’ll find out.”
Pia finished the list and gave it to him. “Thank you.”
Sirius looked it over. “One of these lords doesn’t live far from here. I’ll go there tomorrow after I see your carriage off to Van Dero.”
Pia nodded.
Sirius bent and kissed her head. “If your aunt is innocent, I swear I’ll make certain no harm comes to her.”
She nodded again and then yawned. “I’m terribly tired. I believe I’ll return to bed.”
He stepped back. “I’ll sleep in the carriage.”
“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to impose.” She looked at the bed. “It seems large enough to fit two or even three people.”
There wasn’t a room large enough to keep Sirius away from her if they were lying down.
“Take the bed. I’ll sleep in the carriage.”
She stood and touched his cheek. “Thank you.”
He kissed her again, glad he and Pia had found common ground before bed. “Goodnight.”
She smiled as he left.
* * *
Sirius woke the next morning feeling relaxed, but as he said goodbye to Pia, he grew troubled. She didn’t let her worry show, but it was there in her eyes.
She sat in the carriage. He braced himself at the door’s opening. He knew he should get on with his day, but he didn’t want to leave her.
It was one of those rare circumstances when Sirius wished he were a normal lord, someone who spent his days in a listless existence. Usually, it was his girls who brought on the feeling, but at the moment, he only thought of Pia.
“I’m right behind you. We’ll figure this out together.”
“I’ll see you soon.” Her eyes tilted with her smile.
He cupped her chin and studied her gaze. Then he kissed her softly and whispered, “Very soon.”
∫ ∫ ∫
3 6
* * *
The moment Sirius was gone, Pia began constructing her plan. They would have to ride the main road through town on their way to the duke’s house. The moment they reached the inn, Pia pretended to be terribly ill. A footman escorted her inside to the bathing room. Once there, she begged for privacy.
When the footman stepped away, Pia slipped through the crowd and purchased a ticket for the next mail coach heading to London.
She had to speak to Aunt Melody before the duke found out. Once she could prove her aunt’s innocence, she would tell him everything.
The coach driver told her they would be leaving within the hour, and Pia promised she’d be ready.
Once she returned to the bathing room, she put on yet another performance for the footman and begged him to go find her something to eat.
The moment he walked away, she left the inn and boarded the coach. Taking the last available seat, she blew out a breath as the driver pulled away.
She’d made it. Sirius would be upset, but there was no helping it. She loved her aunt and couldn’t imagine life without her.
“Is that the paper from London?” a gentleman from beside her asked the one who sat across from them.
“It is,” the stranger replied in a hard voice. The paper shielded his face
“Would you mind if I look at it?”
Pia stiffened and began to pray, but her words to the Lord were never completed.
“Not at all.” The paper fell away and Sirius was revealed. He gave the paper to the gentleman who’d asked for it and then openly stared at Pia.
Her mouth fell open. “How…?”
Sirius turned to the gentleman he’d given his paper to. “Pardon me, sir, but would you mind changing seats with me?”
“Not at all.” The man’s nose didn’t leave the paper as they moved.
Sirius settled down next to Pia. He turned and his thighs pressed against hers. He bent his head and loomed over her. With her in the corner and his back to the other passengers, they were all but alone. The air seemed too thin as she held his powerful gaze. “Are you wondering how I knew what you would do? It was the look you gave me before I walked away. The smile said everything. You were worried about your aunt. You were in pain. Your smile was a lie.”
She blinked and looked away.
He lifted her chin. “Do you know what I do for the Duke of Van Dero?”
She shook her head.
“I’m a Collector, Pia. I take things from others.” His finger trailed down her jaw and then slipped down her throat.
Pia’s breath hitched and her heart raced.
“I’m a debt collector,” he went on. “Usually, they bring me what is required of them, but sometimes…” His finger journeyed back up and rubbed against her lower lip. His gaze darkened. “Sometimes they run, and I’m forced to hunt them down.”
Her body stilled even as her throbbing pulse seemed to be knocking her into motion.
“I like hunting,” he whispered, only an inch from her mouth. “I love the chase. I love the capture more.”
Pia’s blood pooled below her belly. Sirius’ words aroused her to a near painful degree. She closed her eyes.
A throat cleared.
Sirius turned. An older woman sat across from Pia. Her look was disapproving.
Pia worried how Sirius would respond. He surprised her by coloring in embarrassment and giving the woman a charming smile. “Forgive us. We’ve not been wed for more than a week.”
Pia’s eyes widened.
The gray-haired woman brightened. Her blue eyes filled with warmth and life. “Well, young man, you must learn to control yourself in public.”
Sirius sat back. “You are right.” He took Pia’s hand and laced their fingers together.
The woman looked at their combined hands and then lifted her gaze. “My husband Thomas and I were much the same. We were married for forty years before he died. Every one of them was near bliss.”
“I’m sorry to hear that he’s gone.” Sirius continued to speak with the woman and his fingers continued to caress Pia’s hand. He was polite and charming and as the hour went by, he’d convinced the woman to take her funds to his old bank, the Society Bank the moment she made it to London.
“Let’s see if we can make your money grow and leave your children an inheritance. Tell them Hayes sent you.”
The woman, who said her name was Mrs. Mary Coleman, thanked Sirius affectionately and then turned to Pia. “You’re a very blessed woman to have such a fine husband.”
Pia smiled tightly and then looked up at Sirius.
His smile seemed far more genuine than her own.
He was not responding at all the way she thought he would upon finding out that she’d tried to get away. He should be angry that she’d defied him. Perhaps, he was, and she’d regret her decision later.
She turned to Mrs. Coleman and said, “I know.”
“Hayes?” the man with the paper asked. “You wouldn’t be Lord Sirius Hayes, would you? The Earl of Gordie?” The paper was quickly forgotten and now everyone in the carriage was looking at him. “Congratulations on your nuptials.”
The rest of the coach joined in with smiles and well wishes. They looked at Sirius and Pia
as though they were performers on a stage. It was rare for the common man to meet an earl.
And his countess.
Pia’s fingers tightened on Sirius’ as her panic began to rise. There were only four other people on the coach but depending on who they knew, word could spread that they were married. As it turned out, the gentleman who’d borrowed Sirius’ paper had a cousin who worked for another paper.
Pia panicked slightly.
She looked at Sirius, but he remained calm and joined in the merriment, celebrating as though they were actually married. She bit her lip when he gave their company her name. Before that moment, she could have been anyone, but now all of London would be speaking about the Lady Pia Hayes before long.
∫ ∫ ∫
3 7
* * *
They made it to London just before midnight. Pia was helped to Sirius’ carriage once they stopped at the inn. Apparently, the carriage had been following them the entire time.
“Why didn’t we just take your carriage?” she asked.
“I enjoyed myself in the mail coach. Didn’t you?” he asked as he settled next to her.
She leaned against him, placing her head on the muscle in his upper chest. She was too tired to care how ill-mannered she was being. She was amazed how comfortable such a hard physique could be. It was no wonder he could make the jumps and moves he did. He was a well-toned man. “By tomorrow, people everywhere will think we’re wed.”
He put an arm around her and pulled her tightly to his side. “By tomorrow, we will be wed by special license.”
She was slowly falling under the spell of the rocking carriage when his words cut through her mind like the end of a rapier. “What?” Sitting up, she looked at him.
She couldn’t see him in the dark. “You weren’t meant to be on your own. That’s what got you into this mess to begin with. Your own family took advantage of your naivety—”
“That’s not true!” Though it was.
“You were nearly killed at Lord Mullon’s house. You almost got me killed in the process.”
“That wasn’t my fault!” Though technically, her message to Mullon had been instructions to kill Sirius.
The Secret Pleasures of an Earl: (The Valiant Love Regency Romance) (A Historical Romance Book) Page 18
