Earl of Hearts

by Meara Platt

  She wanted to protest, but he was right. Somersby was too close. He was desperate. If Somersby succeeded in harming her, it would be John’s nightmare come to life again. “All right. But you have to let me tend to your wounds first. I love you. I would like this marriage to last longer than a day.” She eased off his lap and found a basin and ewer of water on the bureau that stood along a side wall. After dipping his handkerchief in the water, she returned to his side and began to clean him off.

  Most of the blood was not his.

  But he had a bloodied lip and sported the makings of a black eye. “Take off your shirt. Do you need my help?”

  “No. I can do it. They only got in a punch or two.”

  She rolled her eyes. His entire right side was black and blue. “Any broken ribs?”

  He moved his arms and twisted his upper torso to the right and then to the left. “No. All good.”

  “And your hands?”

  He shrugged. “Knuckles are a little swollen. Nothing broken.”

  “You were fortunate.”

  He tossed her a lopsided grin. “I had you on my side.”

  She kissed him gently on the lips. “Always.”

  IT WAS JUST after nightfall when John left the Bainbridge office to go in search of Somersby. He hadn’t discussed his plan in detail with Nicola for fear she’d follow him. She had been lucky this morning, but he would not put her life at risk again.

  He’d left her in the care of Harry, his two terriers, and ten trusted workers whose duties were now to guard Nicola and make certain no one harmed her. Of course, he’d also instructed them not to allow her to leave, but that had been done out of her earshot. Obviously, he’d turned into a coward.

  In truth, she did not appear determined to disobey him.

  What also preyed on his mind was the possibility that Selena had led Somersby to them. She knew the vessel they’d sailed on. She knew he had offices in Harwich and also knew of the Three Cups Inn, for it had been used by agents of the Crown on several occasions. Perhaps Somersby would have figured it out for himself, but he thought it unlikely.

  Selena had led the marquis here.

  Which meant she was here as well.

  He’d just turned the corner and was about to make his way down to the Three Cups Inn when he heard Mortimer’s sharp bark. Horace quickly joined in, his yips and yaps slightly deeper, and now sounding fierce.

  Someone had seen him leave and was now going after Nicola. He turned back in time to catch a shadowy figure running toward the building. He gave chase, slowed only slightly by a limp from this morning’s fight. One of Somersby’s men had stepped on his booted ankle during their assault, but it wasn’t serious. The villain would have broken it if he had intended to.

  He caught up with the shadowy figure within a matter of steps and reached out to grab his collar, but realized at once he’d just caught hold of a woman. Selena. Which meant she was armed and dangerous. He grabbed her hands and squeezed them until he heard a pistol clatter to the ground. It wouldn’t be the only weapon she carried. “Let go of me or I’ll scream!”

  “Open your mouth again and I’ll slit your throat. You’ve gone too far this time, Selena.”

  She struggled against him, but he had no intention of letting her out of his grasp. “You don’t understand. I’m trying to help you.”

  “How? By leading Somersby and his hired scum straight to me?”

  “You should have given me the book.”

  John laughed in disbelief. “You were working with Somersby all along. Prinny must have caught you stealing Crown documents and meant to have you hanged. That’s why there’s no going back for you. You backed the wrong side.”

  “You forced me to it.”

  “Don’t blame your mistakes on me. You and I have nothing to do with each other. We were in the same line of work, that’s all.”

  “I loved you. I offered you my heart. I offered you all of me, but you only wanted her.”

  “You joined Somersby’s rebellion before I married Nicola.”

  She shook her head. “It was always that Emory girl. I saw the look in your eyes whenever she was mentioned. I saw you at ton parties, the way you looked at her whenever you thought no one was watching. You hurt me, John. So I had to hurt you back. Somersby and I thought it would be fun to see your precious Nicola snatched from you. He was going to marry her, take her money, and then stage an accident before the month was out.”

  Selena’s words were like knives slashing straight through his heart. He’d been the target of their revenge. He was the one who’d put Nicola in danger.

  JOHN DRAGGED SELENA back to his office, hating that she was under the same roof as Nicola, but there was no help for it. Neither the Harwich magistrate nor the local regimental commander was equipped to handle assassins and spies. Selena would have broken out of their meager prison within a matter of hours.

  Nicola jumped out of her seat when she noticed that he’d already returned. “John, what happened?” Her eyes widened when she caught sight of the person struggling beside him.

  “Keep away, Nicola. I haven’t searched her for weapons yet. She’s been working with Somersby all along. You suspected it.” He was furious with himself as much as with Selena. He was spitting, fiery mad. “I should have paid closer attention.”

  “She used your friendship against you. She knew the loyal, honorable friend you were.”

  He began to run his hands over Selena’s stiff and bony body. He found three small knives and a garotte. “There’s probably more.”

  He tossed Selena’s cape to Nicola. “Take this next door into my clerk’s office. Search along the seams.”

  “Ugh, her cape smells like whale blubber.” But she held her breath and left the room to do as he’d requested.

  John then called for rope and used it to bind Selena’s wrists and ankles. “Harry, guard her. Don’t get close. She’s dangerous. Probably still hiding weapons. Keep Mortimer and Horace with you.”

  He then sent two of his men off to fetch the magistrate and regimental commander. “Have them bring guards. Somersby’s still on the loose and I don’t know how many men he’s brought with him. Lady Bainbridge will explain to them what’s happened.”

  Nicola had heard him give the order and her eyes rounded in surprise. “Aren’t you going to wait for them?”

  “No. I know where Somersby’s hiding.”

  Nicola placed her hand on his arm to hold him back. “How can you possibly know?”

  “What did you do with her cape?”

  “I did what you asked. I stretched it across your clerk’s desk and ran my hands along the satin lining. I found nothing. But the odor was making me ill, so I opened a window and stretched the cape across the sill to air it out.”

  He nodded. “I can feel the cool wind blowing in.”

  “Don’t close the window yet, John. I can’t tolerate the odor. But that isn’t important. You said you knew where Somersby was hiding.”

  He nodded again. “You just told me. You smelled it on Selena’s clothes.”

  She quirked her head in confusion, and then her eyes lit up in understanding. “They’re hiding out in a storage barn beside the whaling ships. All the more reason to wait for the authorities. Let them help. You can’t take on Somersby and his men all by yourself. Six was your limit,” she said, reminding him of how many he’d taken down this morning. Unfortunately, Somersby had brought along twelve men and Nicola was never going to let him forget it.

  He grumbled and paced, but waited for reinforcements.

  After what seemed like an eternity but could only have been half an hour, he and a garrison of soldiers surrounded the dock area where several whaling ships were moored for the evening. Most of the seamen were ashore, imbibing at the nearby pubs.

  John waited until the soldiers were in place and then entered the simple wooden structure that served as the whaling storage. Pots filled with whale blubber were boiling. Two whale carcasses were stretched acr
oss one of the long walls.

  Somersby sat at a table with three of his cohorts.

  “Put up your hands,” the regimental commander ordered.

  Somersby leaped to his feet, overturning the table in his haste, and withdrew his pistol. As he raised his weapon and aimed it at the regimental commander, John shot him between the eyes. “Bloody hell! The man almost got me. Who is that vermin, my lord?”

  “No one important. A traitor.”

  The commander spit on the floor. “He’s the one who ransacked Mrs. Finch’s inn this morning. Poor woman, she barely escaped with her life. Traitor. Vermin. It’s all the same. Glad he’s dead.”

  John cast the commander a mirthless smile. “So am I.”

  CHAPTER 18

  JOHN STOOD IN silence as his best friend, Julian Emory, angrily paced across the elegantly carpeted floor of John’s study. He and Nicola had returned to London almost a week ago and had quietly settled into the Bainbridge townhouse, but this was their first meeting with her brother and it did not appear to be going very well. “You went into the Highlands to hunt grouse and came back married to my sister,” Julian accused.

  His wife, Rose, merely smiled at her husband. “Why are you so surprised? He has always loved her. Haven’t you, Lord Bainbridge?”

  John grinned. “Indeed, Lady Chatham.”

  Julian scowled. “Stop being polite to each other. This is serious, Rose.”

  “I know, my love. But it doesn’t change the fact that Lord Bainbridge has long been in love with Nicola.”

  “Love? Hah!” He eyed John suspiciously. “He is jokingly known as the Earl of Hearts because no woman has ever claimed his heart.” Julian turned back to the window to stare out into the garden. John joined him, his heart beating a little faster as he watched Nicola—no matter that she was a countess, his countess—playing with her younger brothers and sisters. Kendra and Robert were racing from one end of the garden to the other, trying to avoid young Callum’s tag. The boy was blindfolded and running around in circles.

  Nicola was running back and forth with them, but careful to stay close to their youngest sister, Emily. When Callum was about to clamp his grubby paws on Emily, it was Nicola who sheltered her and pulled her out of the way.

  “She’s my sister. You’re my best friend. You’re not supposed to… act upon your carnal urges with your best friend’s sister.”

  Rose cleared her throat. “How is that any different from what you did?”

  Julian growled. “It is completely different. You were my sister’s best friend. Not at all the same thing.” He sighed. “Damn it, Rose. Nicola’s my sister.”

  “I know, my love.” Rose joined them by the window. “And she couldn’t have found herself a better husband, don’t you think?”

  “Maybe. Where are my aunt and uncle? And Jordan Drummond? I need allies. It’s obvious my own wife won’t support me.”

  “You know very well that Mr. Drummond has returned to Aberdeen to fetch Valor.” Rose turned to John. “I hear he’s a beautiful stallion. My sister, Laurel, is quite knowledgeable about horses. She’s eager to have a look at him.”

  John’s expression darkened and he turned away from the window. “I hope he’s safely stabled where we left him. Selena might have done something to him.”

  Julian ran a hand raggedly through his hair. “Damn, that woman did a lot of damage.”

  Nicola walked in just then, arm in arm with John’s elderly aunt, the other Lady Bainbridge, who would now be referred to as the dowager countess. “She didn’t succeed. That’s all that matters.” Nicola cast him an impudent smile. “She didn’t stand a chance. John and I made a good team.”

  John kissed her cheek and then drew back with a warning arch of his eyebrow. “But it’s our last adventure. We fully intend to lead a very dull life from now on, don’t we?”

  Nicola mimicked his arched eyebrow. “I suppose. But hopefully not in the bedroom.”

  Julian groaned.

  Rose and Lady Bainbridge laughed.

  John shook his head and sighed. “Lord, you’re a brat.”

  All talk of their adventures was dropped when Lord and Lady Darnley arrived with the other guests he and Nicola had invited to their home for afternoon tea. John detested these social affairs but it was necessary to properly introduce Nicola as his wife since their “elopement” was a scandal and all that the London elite were whispering about. The town’s most notorious gossip, Lady Withnall, set her sights on him the moment she entered the parlor. “Bainbridge, I’ll have a word with you.”

  He cast her a lethal glower.

  “Stop frowning at me. I only mean to offer my congratulations. You’ve married a lovely girl. I was beginning to despair that you’d ever come around to it. You are obviously as dense a man as ever existed. But that’s what you men are. Slow-witted when it comes to matters of the heart. You are no exception.”

  Despite his annoyance, John laughed.

  “I expect you’ll be deliriously happy for the rest of your days.” She tapped him on the chest with her fan. “Be happy. Don’t be a fool. Let go of the past and look toward the future. Now, bend down and kiss me on the cheek.”

  He gave an impatient shake of his head, but complied.

  She tapped him on the chest again. “Be happy, Earl of Hearts.”

  Later that night, once the guests had all gone home and his staff had cleaned up and retired for the evening, John returned to his bedchamber knowing Nicola would be waiting up for him. She wore a thin nightrail and was seated on the carpeted floor, brushing her hair in front of the fireplace. The long strands tumbled loosely over her shoulders, the shades of red in her auburn hair illuminated by the firelight.

  She turned to him as he approached. “Lady Withnall seemed to have had a lot to say to you. What was that about?”

  He knelt beside her. “Confirming a decision I’d already made.”

  “And that is? John, you have such a serious look on your face. An incredibly handsome face, I might add.” She placed her hand upon his cheek.

  “Glad you’re not tired of me yet, brat.” He kissed her open palm and then settled beside her, drawing her into his arms. “I love the feel of your body against mine.”

  She smiled. “Feeling is mutual, Lord Bainbridge. I spent so much time in your arms while we were on the run. Every moment of it felt perfect. Felt right. Now we’re back in London and I almost wish we were back on the run in the Highlands. My body misses the constant touch of yours. I suppose I will get used to it. We’ve only been in your home for a week.”

  “It’s your home, too.”

  She nodded. “It feels like home to me. I think my home shall always be wherever you are.”

  “Hmm.”

  “John, the party was lovely, but your mind seems to be so far away right now. What’s the matter?”

  He sighed. “Prinny gave me a name.”

  She gazed up at him, startled. “What? Of the man who killed your parents? Oh, my heavens. What are you going to do?”

  “Nothing.” He held her against him, needing to breathe her in and soak in her vibrant warmth. “They killed the man within days after he murdered my parents. He was an English duke who expected that the brutal act against my parents would set off a rebellion throughout the land. He was just another Somersby, a greedy nobleman with aspirations to overthrow the monarchy and take his place as king. The royal family hid the truth from me, from everyone, just as they’ll hide the truth about Somersby now.”

  Nicola rolled to her knees and curled her hands into fists. “And they waited until now to tell you? Shame on them. You gave years of service to the Crown and they used your rage to—”

  He pulled her back down into his arms. “They used it to turn me into the man you love. They used it to protect the country we love. And used it to bring down Somersby, who was their latest threat.”

  “How can you condone their actions?”

  “Because these threats are real and it is important to s
tamp them out before they can amount to anything. It is vital to the protection of England.”

  “But you’ve suffered so badly all these years.”

  “Perhaps some of it was of my own making. Who knows what I would have become had I known earlier?” He kissed her lightly on the lips. “It no longer matters. I have you. I don’t know if we would have ever met if not for the path of my life. But now that we’re married, I’ll no longer be permitted to serve in that elite unit. I may be called on from time to time to assist wherever I must, but no more dangerous assignments for me.”

  “Thank goodness for that, but it all seems so unfair. Can I be angry for you?” She curled her hand into a fist around the hairbrush she was still holding.

  “No. Set down your brush and come to bed. I need to hold you in my arms tonight.” He rose and brought her up beside him. Firelight shone upon her hair and outlined her slender body. “I need to hold you in my arms every night of my life.”

  She sighed. “It isn’t fair. You know I melt whenever you say such things.”

  “Then I must make it a habit to say these things to you more often.” He furrowed his brow in thought. “You once asked me if vengeance is what my family would have wanted for me, and now I know it isn’t. They would have wanted to see me carry my noisy children in my arms and laugh in the sunshine. They would have wanted to see me happily married, and that is what I shall always be with you. I’m sorry it took me so long to come around. I love you, brat.”

  Nicola reached up on tiptoes to kiss him. “I love you too, my Earl of Hearts.”

  THE END

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading Earl of Hearts, Nicola Emory and John Randall’s story. Nicola is Julian Emory’s sister—Julian is the hero in The Viscount’s Rose. John also appeared in that story, as well as making a brief appearance in Rules For Reforming A Rake. I hope you enjoyed this sixth full-length novel in the Farthingale series. There will be more Farthingale stories coming out soon. I look forward to introducing you to Poppy and Violet Farthingale, cousins of the five Farthingale sisters.