The Bachelor Bargain (Secrets, Scandals, and Spies)

by Michaels, Maddison

  Livie really did forget her train of thought after that.

  She could only bob her head up and down as he assisted her inside the carriage.

  Immediately, her eyes were drawn to the ebony wood cane perched in the far corner. “My cane!” She swiveled back to face him as he stepped into the carriage behind her and nearly bumped heads with her. But his reflexes were uncannily sharp, and he reached his hands out and steadied her before their heads clashed.

  “You found my cane?”

  He seemed slightly uncomfortable acknowledging so but nodded nonetheless. “I found it in the warehouse and had one of the boys bring it and leave it in here. I know how much it means to you.”

  She squealed in delight and launched herself into his arms. “Oh, thank you, Sebastian, you are so kind and thoughtful!”

  “Well, don’t tell anyone,” he gruffly replied. “I do have a reputation to maintain.”

  Livie laughed at the look of consternation on his face. And in that very moment, she realized she was starting to fall a little bit in love with the man. A little bit in love with the most unsuitable man she could have ever possibly chosen. And the feeling rocked her to her core.

  She couldn’t fall in love with him. She mustn’t fall in love with him. There could never be a future for them together, as much as a part of her was starting to desperately wish otherwise. No one would accept such a match. Not her family. Not Society. Not even his people in the Rookeries.

  Everyone knew a duke’s daughter could never marry the most notorious bastard in London. But her heart didn’t seem to want to listen, beating as it was like a drum, as she soaked in everything about the man.

  Oh dear. She was in trouble now. A great deal of trouble.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “Ride to the train station and alert my man there that I have need of my private carriage and train, ready to go within the hour,” Seb told his carriage driver, Baxter, as the carriage came to a halt twenty minutes later in the curved driveway of his residence.

  He stepped down from the carriage and turned to face the interior to help Livie down.

  “You have a train you can simply order to be ready at this hour of the evening?” Livie asked, taking his hand in hers.

  Seb felt an instant jolt of awareness tug deep in his gut. “Yes. One of the benefits of being a majority shareholder in several railroad companies.”

  “Very impressive,” she replied steadying herself on her feet with the assistance of her cane. “And where are you going?”

  “We, Livie. We,” he replied, leading her to the entrance of his residence, a massive edifice in the Georgian style, with white column pillars lining the marble entrance stairs, which led to one of the grandest properties in London. Part of the reason he’d wanted the property, it was in the heart of the richest area of London and was the sole residence on a quarter-acre block, surrounded by hedges. Which, of course, he’d then secured with a perimeter of ten-foot-high steel fencing. The perfect fortress for him. Some of his most trusted men were currently patrolling the place to ensure their safety, especially after the events of the evening.

  Seb was taking no more chances with either Charlotte or Olivia.

  Without asking her, he swung Livie up into his arms and took the front steps two at a time.

  “I’m perfectly capable of walking up some stairs.” She looked beautifully disgruntled, which he knew she would be. The woman was independence personified.

  “I know you are,” Seb assured her. “But you’ve taxed your leg greatly tonight, and it’s best you rest it when you can. Isn’t it?”

  She blew out a breath. “Yes, I suppose so.”

  “Good girl.” He couldn’t resist winking.

  But instead of the eye roll he’d been expecting for saying such a thing, her lips brushed softly across his check. It was the briefest of touches; soft and gentle against his skin, but it nearly took his breath away. “What was that for?” His voice sounded gruff, even to his own ears.

  “To thank you,” she murmured. “You have a good, kind heart Sebastian Colver.”

  “You’d be the only one in London to think so.”

  As he reached the top step, the front door was opened swiftly by his butler, Simpkins.

  “All went well I hope, sir?” Simpkins asked, not even raising an eyebrow at Sebastian carrying a lady in his arms, even though Seb had never brought a lady to his house before, well, except for Charlotte on a very few occasions. But Simpkins had been trained too impeccably to let even the littlest hint of emotion show on his countenance.

  Seb had inherited Simpkins, along with the rest of his household staff, when he’d taken possession of the property after its previous owner, the Earl of Newell, had lost it to Seb in a high-stakes game of dice.

  Initially, most of the servants had wanted to hightail it out of the service of the Bastard of Baker Street, not wanting to tarnish their future job prospects in other grand houses by working for someone with his reputation. At least they had, until he’d looked over the household accounts and seen just how deplorable the wages the earl had been paying his staff were. As soon as he’d made it clear what their new wages would be, the entire lot of them stayed on, and were now the best paid servants in London.

  “Yes and no,” Seb replied. “Simpkins, ensure the staff continue to stay vigilant. A man who has a definite grudge against me got away, and I daresay he will be trying to attack me at some stage soon.”

  “I shall ensure everyone continues to remain alert.” The lines around Simpkins’s pale, almost translucent, blue eyes crinkled in concern. “Can I get either of you anything?”

  Swinging Livie gently to her feet, Seb straightened. “A picnic basket filled with food and some flagons of water to take with us would be helpful.”

  “Very good, sir. A picnic at midnight is just the thing after such a night,” Simpkins replied in a droll voice.

  The man’s tone and facial expression were completely neutral, making it extremely difficult to tell if he was being sarcastic, humorous, or simply chastising Sebastian for not disclosing more details.

  Seb suspected it was probably a combination of all three. “We shall be leaving for the train station shortly, Simpkins, heading to my country estate.” Knowing that that was probably what the man was wanting to know all along. Simpkins did pride himself on the effective running of Seb’s household, after all.

  “And shall you require any additional staff to travel with you, sir?”

  It was still taking Seb some time to get used to all the protocols of having servants, and that traveling usually required a multitude of them to travel, too. “No. This will be a quick trip.”

  “But what about your valet, sir?” Simpkins wore an acutely bland expression on his face, yet Seb had gotten to know that a bland expression was Simpkins’s subtle way of trying to pull Seb into line for what an employer should be doing.

  Seb was never one to do what he should, though. And after four years, he would have thought Simpkins would have known so. “No,” was all he said.

  “Very good, sir.” Simpkins inclined his head an inch. “Simply the picnic basket then.”

  “Yes, the lady hasn’t eaten for hours.”

  “Of course, sir,” Simpkins bowed toward him before glancing at Livie. “Lady Olivia, I shall ensure Cook packs you a delicious spread for your journey.”

  Seb shouldn’t have been surprised that the man would know who Livie was. Simpkins had an uncanny knack of knowing all who mattered in Society, a fact Seb had used to his advantage on many occasions when gathering information about someone from Society.

  “Thank you, Simpkins, that is very kind of you,” Livie replied.

  “Not at all, my lady.” Simpkins bowed to her, too. “I have become rather used to unusual requests at any time of the day or night.”

  “Yes, I imagine it mu
st be difficult to run a household such as this, especially with a master such as he.” She flicked her head toward Sebastian.

  Seb nearly fell over when Simpkins actually smiled at Livie. The man never smiled, period.

  “Indeed so, my lady. Indeed so.”

  Lovely, now his servant and Livie were in cahoots. “Before you head to the kitchens, Simpkins, send someone to Charlotte’s residence and get word to her father that she will be accompanying Lady Olivia and myself to the country for a few nights. Send someone who will be calm and not worry him, but who will let him know it’s being done to keep her safe. And obviously phone ahead to the estate and tell Mrs. Brooks to expect us and have ready some guest rooms.”

  “You have a telephone?” Livie’s astonished voice interrupted. “In your house here? And in your country residence?”

  “Yes.”

  “Goodness! I thought only businesses used them.”

  She was mostly right, though Seb had grand plans to change that. “Yes, at the moment it’s rare for houses to have them. However, I intend for that to change. There will come a time when every household in England will be connected to the telephone network and have their very own telephones.”

  “A bold statement to be sure.” Livie smiled.

  Seb shrugged. “Telephones are the future, which is why I have shares in several telephone companies.”

  “Of course you do. Well, you shall have to show me how to use one.”

  Simpkins cleared his throat loudly by the door. “Is that all, sir?”

  “Yes.” Seb began to wave him away, then thought better of it. “Actually, no. Do you know where Charlotte and Rowan are?”

  “Miss Charlotte is in the library with Mr. Drake.”

  “Very good. Send Rowan into the study to see me. And have my valet pack an overnight bag with some clothes to last me a few days.”

  “Indeed, sir. Shall I also bring in a tray of tea and some biscuits, considering Lady Olivia must be famished?”

  Seb glanced up at the grandfather clock on the far wall. “Yes. There should be time for a quick tea.” He turned to face Livie after Simpkins bowed and left to do his bidding. “You can relax in the sitting room or go into the library with Charlotte, while Rowan and I take care of some business.” He had several people to inform of the night’s events and instructions on what to do in his absence for a few days.

  With a nod, he began walking to his study, his feet clipping on the marble tiles as he strode toward his favorite room in the place.

  “Actually, I think we have a few things to discuss ourselves first,” Livie replied, following him into his study, instead of one of the other rooms as he’d suggested. “For one thing, I cannot go to the country.”

  Seb walked behind his desk and sat down in his chair, the well-worn leather instantly relaxing him. “Of course you can.”

  “No. I cannot.” She came to a halt in front of his desk, tapping her cane in a rat-a-tat motion on the floor and pursing her lips in a manner Seb found ridiculously adorable. He shook his head, trying to dislodge such an equally ridiculous thought from his head. The night’s events must have addled him more than he realized.

  “I have to find Mary and get the journal from her.”

  “Mary is dead.”

  “Dead?”

  “Yes, she was murdered, and there was no journal to be found.”

  “The poor girl,” Livie murmured, before she was silent for a minute. “With such a discovery, I really must stay in London at the moment to investigate it. I cannot possibly waste a single second by traveling to the countryside.”

  “Yes, you can, and you will. End of story.” The woman had just been kidnapped. Seb was getting her out of the city and as fast as he bloody well could.

  “You cannot dictate such a thing to me.” She banged her cane on the floor, staring at him in utter indignation. “You are not my father. You are not my brother—”

  “Thank the Lord for that, or we’d be in trouble, wouldn’t we.”

  “And you are certainly not my husband!” Livie continued, ignoring his comment. “You have no say in what goes on in my life, Sebastian Colver.”

  She was right. He didn’t, and he didn’t like it one damn bit. Although maybe she was not entirely correct. He was always one to use anything at his disposal to win, after all.

  “Actually, I do have a say. I’m your partner in the gazette.”

  “Silent partner,” she was quick to emphasize. “So please, do stay silent.”

  Heat coiled in his belly. No one had ever dared tell him to stay silent before. Gritting his teeth, he took a short breath to try to calm his anger before he spoke again. “I have a vested interest in ensuring you’re safe, and I will not stay silent when it comes to doing so. As I mentioned, we are taking a trip to my country estate.” He wasn’t going to leave her in London with a madman on the loose, who had his sights set firmly on her. “Once this threat is contained, you can get back to all of your work with the gazette and investigate Lord Daverell.”

  Her long lashes blinked several times. “I don’t think you actually heard me when I told you, you cannot dictate to me what I can or cannot do.”

  “Do you have a damn death wish, woman?” He stood and stalked over to the hearth. He had to do something with all this frustration mounting in his belly. The woman was driving him insane. Absolutely insane. “Of course, I can dictate to you. Haven’t you heard? I do whatever the hell I damn well want to. I’m the Bastard of Baker Street.”

  Seb spun to the door as it burst open and Charlotte ran into the room and nearly knocked Livie over in her enthusiasm to hug her, cutting short Seb and Livie’s conversation.

  “Oh my goodness!” Charlotte cried, wrapping her arms tightly around Livie. “I am so relieved you are safe! Relieved that you are both safe. I have been ever so worried since Mr. Drake brought me here.”

  Striding back across to his desk, Seb sat down. He’d already wasted far too much time discussing what was going to happen with a cantankerous Livie to not get straight to work on what he had to do before they left. He took in another steadying breath as he opened a drawer and pulled out some paper.

  Charlotte kept chattering away as she and Livie headed over to the chairs by the hearth and sat, while Simpkins bought in the tray of tea and served them a cup each before departing with the same efficiency as he’d entered the room. The ladies dug into the tea and cakes, talking away in between mouthfuls.

  So much for having some peace and quiet to get matters sorted before the carriage was ready to go. He shook his head and then dipped his fountain pen in the inkwell and began to quickly write several notes.

  Rowan sauntered into the room. “You wanted to see me?”

  “Just give me a moment.” He placed the notes he’d written into envelopes and sealed them up, then motioned Rowan over and handed them to him.

  “How did the raid go?” Rowan asked, pocketing the letters. There was disappointment clearly etched in his friend’s face over not being in the thick of things at the warehouse.

  Briefly, Seb told him what had occurred, leading up to the part about the leader of the Lads disappearing before they’d even gotten there.

  Rowan swore heartily. And then loudly apologized to the ladies who were still within earshot.

  Seb raised his eyebrows. “Since when do you apologize for swearing?” Rowan more often than not cursed like a sailor.

  “Your sister’s been reminding me a bit tonight that it ain’t gentlemanly to curse in front of any ladies. So I’ve been trying to watch my manners.” Rowan shrugged like it was nothing, but then he ruined the effect by fiddling with the collar of his shirt, looking highly uncomfortable with the admission.

  “My sister does have a way of reprimanding a person without it feeling like a reprimand. Then the person almost always thereafter bends over backward in
an effort to try to please her and seek her approval.”

  “I’m not seeking her approval.” Rowan looked mortified at the suggestion. “Anyway, enough about my manners, what are we going to do about the leader of the Lads? He’s got to be found and gotten rid of. He’s too much of a danger to you and the ladies to let go to ground for long.”

  “I agree.” Seb’s eyes were drawn to the two ladies who were happily talking and smiling on the settee. It seemed as if they’d become fast friends, and the sound of both of them laughing was so wholesome and welcoming that for a moment Seb could almost imagine that tonight had been a bad dream. That he hadn’t worried in the deepest part of his soul that he would be too late once again. That once again a woman he was starting to care for would be taken away from him. Though he was only starting to care for her because of their business interests. That was all it was.

  But, unfortunately, it was all too real, and he had to do something to protect those he loved.

  Not that he loved Lady Olivia, of course. God no. He admired her greatly, and was overwhelmingly attracted to her, not to mention indebted to her for saving his sister. But love? Not a chance.

  It was far too dangerous to love anyone. He’d never allow himself to feel that emotion again. The only woman he’d actually ever loved had been his mother, and when she was taken from him he’d vowed to never love again.

  And even though he loved his sister, he usually kept her at arm’s length. It was much safer that way.

  But now with the threat of the unknown leader of the Lads looming over their heads, Seb needed to get the ladies out of the city to somewhere he could keep them safe and see the man coming from a mile away if he was stupid enough to.

  An escape to his residence in the country would be just the thing. Even if it would put the temptation that Lady Olivia was turning out to be, firmly in his sight. He’d just have to resist her. He’d always been able to resist anything before. He’d simply do the same now. Even if he could still hear her words of wanting to take Seb as her lover, like a caress in his ear.