“Regardless.” Mr. Shepard set his jaw in a stubborn manner. “I think the board should launch a thorough investigation.”
“Excellent idea, Mr. Shepard.” Poppy hooked her hand through his elbow and steered him toward the door. “However, I would suggest waiting until after the banquet to make the board aware of your concerns.”
“Why?” He frowned. “Shouldn’t it be done at once, before we honor the man?”
“My dear Mr. Shepard.” She shook her head in a mournful manner. “If you bring this to the board now, the banquet will be canceled and there will be a dreadful scandal. It would besmirch the reputation of the Explorers Club if it was discovered that one of the honorary members was not what he claimed to be.”
“Even so—”
“No, better to bring this up after the banquet in a quiet and circumspect manner.” She paused. “I suspect the board would look far more kindly upon anyone who brought something like this to their attention discreetly. For the sake of the club, you understand.”
He paused then nodded thoughtfully. “I see your point.”
“Now, I would suggest you retire to your home to consider everything we’ve discussed.” She released his elbow and gave him a gentle shove toward the door.
“Yes, of course,” he murmured and left the building.
This was certainly a mess. Poppy hurried toward the library. Hopefully, Mr. Shepard would realize he couldn’t possibly let Dulcie marry a fraud and accept his own feelings about her, as well.
Poppy pushed open the door to the library and at once spotted Dulcie sitting in a heap on the floor. What on earth had happened to the girl?
“Dulcie?” Poppy hurried to her.
Dulcie looked up with a sort of vague, shocked expression.
“My dear child.” Poppy bent down beside her. Dulcie didn’t look injured in any way, just rather stunned. “Are you all right?”
Dulcie swallowed hard. “Yes. Quite fine, really.”
“You don’t look quite fine.” Poppy sank down on the floor next to her. Not something she would usually do but it did seem appropriate at the moment. “You’ve been crying.”
Dulcie reached up and felt the wetness on her cheeks. Her eyes widened. “I didn’t realize...”
“Oh dear. That’s never good.” Poppy pulled a handkerchief out of her bag and handed it to the girl. “I passed Mr. Shepard outside. He appeared rather grim. Did you have a disagreement?”
“No, just the opposite.” Dulcie dabbed at her eyes. “Mr. Shepard long ago decided, given his plans for his life, never to marry. I simply realized he was right. It was all quite civil.”
Poppy stared. “Why on earth would he be right about that?”
“You of all people should understand.”
“Should I?”
“Mr. Shepard’s uncle was an explorer who disappeared on an expedition when Mr. Shepard was a boy.” Dulcie paused to draw a calming breath. “Not knowing what had happened to her husband devastated his aunt and ultimately led to her death.”
“I see,” Poppy said thoughtfully. “Wouldn’t she have been similarly devastated if her husband had stepped into the street and been run over by a carriage?”
Dulcie nodded. “I would think so.”
“Or if he had drowned during a holiday to the shore?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Or choked on a bite of overcooked beef at a banquet?”
“Certainly but...” Dulcie shook her head in confusion. “That’s not the point. The point is she never knew what happened to him.”
“It’s the price one sometimes pays for marrying a dashing, handsome adventurer.”
“Mr. Shepard never mentioned that he was handsome or dashing,” Dulcie said slowly.
“It was an assumption, dear.” Poppy waved off the comment. “There is something about those men who choose to venture into the unknown. They are universally daring and courageous, which makes them very nearly irresistible. Curiosity is in their hearts and the stars of far off skies twinkle in their eyes. And we love them for it.” She smiled at the memory of the first time she’d met Malcolm. “Mr. Fitzhew-Wellmore and I have been married for almost a quarter of a century and I will admit, even now I hate to see him leave.”
“What if he never came back?” Dulcie’s voice quavered. “What if you never knew his fate?”
Poppy chose her words carefully. “My friends and I know that is an ever present possibility. Our husbands are smart and always well prepared but one cannot plan for every eventuality. If Malcolm never returned I too would be devastated.” She raised her chin. “But life would go on as would I. He would be very disappointed if I were to curl up in a little ball and weep for the rest of my days. No, he would say, in a delightfully stern voice that neither of us would believe, ‘Poppy, dear girl, you are an Englishwoman. You are made of sterner stuff. Now carry on and make me proud.’ And so I would.”
“But not knowing what happened to him.” Dulcie shook her head. “Isn’t that too high a price to pay?”
“For love?” Poppy scoffed. “Not everyone in this world finds love, Dulcie. It is as elusive as a lost city or a forgotten tomb. And more precious than the richest treasure. And worth whatever price.”
“Even so—”
“Dulcie.” Poppy met her gaze firmly. “There are times when my friends and I envy those women who know exactly where their husbands are at all times. That they will be home for dinner. Where they will be tomorrow. Their lives are safe and comfortable and expected. And they are probably quite content. But we have an independence few women do. We can live our lives as we wish without having to ask permission for every little thing. There is much to be said for that.
“And if perhaps half of my married life has been spent without my husband, it has still been a good life. No, not merely good.” She drew her brows together and thought for a moment. “It has been an adventure. Different than the adventures my husband has had but an adventure nonetheless. And every time Malcolm returns home, it is as exciting as when we first met. I still see the charming, intrepid rogue who captured my heart all those years ago. And he still sees the girl of his dreams. I would rather spend one moment with him than a long lifetime without him and he feels the same.” Poppy smiled. “One cannot ask for more than that.”
Dulcie shook her head. “You have far more courage than I.”
“Nonsense.” Poppy scoffed. “Courage isn’t something most people are born with. It comes from determination and resolve and faith.”
“Nonetheless.” Dulcie smiled weakly. “I am a coward, Poppy. I cannot bear the idea of losing him to an unknown end.”
“Well, then you are much better off to let him go on his way now,” Poppy said briskly and rose to her feet. “Better to avoid love altogether really.”
Dulcie stared. “I’m not sure I wish to avoid it altogether.”
“Of course you do.” She extended a hand to help the girl up. “Because whether the man you love never goes farther away from you than down the road or travels to the ends of the earth, life is full of risk as is love.
“Life, Dulcie, is entirely too short to waste. There are no promises, no guarantees. But love, my dear girl.” She took Dulcie’s hands and gazed into her eyes. “Love is always worth the effort.”
* * *
“YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT,” Poppy said when she had joined Effie and Gwen for tea after a long day spent in the library. She squared her shoulders and adopted a determined expression. “Reginald Everheart must die.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
HOW COULD HE have been such a fool?
Michael had known one kiss with Dulcie would never be enough. In that, at least, he was right. He should have stopped it, should never have responded, but the moment her body pressed against his, the moment he b
reathed in the heady scent of her, the moment his lips tasted hers, he was lost.
Michael’s cab drew up in front of the Explorers Club and he practically bounded from his seat. He had stayed away yesterday. It would have been entirely too hard to be in the same room with her as he had fully intended to abide by her suggestion that they pretend nothing had happened between then. In that too he was a fool. There wasn’t so much as a single instant since he’d walked out of the library that she had not been on his mind. He had done a great deal of thinking between then and now and had come to some awkward realizations.
First—he was wrong. Utterly and completely wrong. To think for even a moment that he could live his life without Dulcie was to deny everything he had felt from the first day he’d stepped into the library and seen her immersed in an ethereal sea of light. If he was nearly as intelligent as he’d always thought he was, he would have walked out that very day and never come back.
Second—how could he even think of leaving her? Regardless of his long-held desire to seek out the unknown, how he could possibly do anything of worth in this world without her in his life? He’d never believed in foolish nonsense like soul mates, but he knew as surely as he knew how to use the stars to find true north, Dulcie was his fate, his destiny.
He had only one choice. He would forgo travel to the remote corners of the world and stay right here in London. His father would be pleased even if Michael had no intention of joining his family in the running of the Shepard empire. Perhaps he would devote himself to scholarly pursuits. He had quite enjoyed his studies and research for the Amazon venture although, in truth, Michael had been preparing for most of his life. He firmly ignored a sharp stab of what might well have been regret. It was entirely natural to feel a bit of disappointment at abandoning one’s dream. No, he corrected himself. He wasn’t abandoning anything. He was trading one dream for another. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind she was worth it.
Michael waited impatiently for the club door to open, nodded at the attendant, then hurried down the corridor to the library. Urgency probably wasn’t necessary but now that he had realized what he truly wanted, he didn’t want to waste another second before telling her. Before finding out if indeed she shared his feelings. She hadn’t said the words but she had kissed him like a woman in love.
Besides, who knew what Everheart had in mind? If he had already asked for her hand, or worse, if she had already accepted, this would not go well. Dulcie was not the kind of woman to renege on a promise. One would hope everything he had said about Everheart would dissuade her from accepting him. Still one never knew. Regardless, determination hastened his step—Michael would not give her up without a fight.
He pushed open the library door and saw her immediately, standing by her usual table, speaking with Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore and her friends. Well, it couldn’t be helped. Nor did he care.
“Dulcie!” He strode across the room toward her.
Her gaze snapped to his, her tone was cautious. “Good day, Michael.”
“Mr. Shepard,” Lady Blodgett said faintly, the other two ladies echoed her greetings.
“Ladies.” He nodded, his attention on Dulcie. “We need to talk,” he said firmly. “I have spent the hours since we parted giving our...situation a great deal of consideration.”
“My, they have a situation,” Mrs. Higginbotham murmured.
Dulcie stared. “Have you?”
“Indeed, I have thought of nothing else.”
“Oh, that is a good sign,” Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore said quietly.
“Perhaps,” Dulcie said slowly, “this might best be discussed at another time.”
“Absolutely not. I don’t wish to, nor can I, wait another minute.” He glanced at the older women. “Forgive me, ladies, if you consider this inappropriate.”
Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore waved dismissively. “Don’t mind us, Mr. Shepard. Just pretend we aren’t here.”
“Dulcie.” He stepped close and took her hands in his. “When I said I loved you, I meant it.”
“Did you?”
“With all my heart.” He paused. “But I didn’t realize exactly what that meant, if that makes any sense.”
“Not really.” She shook her head. “But now is not the best time—”
“Loving you means I want you in my life forever.” He gazed into her eyes. “It means you are the most important thing in the world to me. It means I want you to marry me. I cannot leave you, Dulcie. And I cannot, I will not, lose you to another man.”
She frowned in obvious confusion. “What other man?”
“Mr. Everheart of course.” He drew a deep breath. “In spite of my suspicions about him—”
Dulcie winced. “Unfortunately, you needn’t worry about Mr. Everheart.”
“I know he is considered eminently eligible and I am not the catch he is. He’s famous and accomplished and, while I am not without financial resources, he can offer you far more than I can but—”
“Mr. Shepard.” Lady Blodgett’s sharp tone echoed in the room. “That’s enough.”
He had almost forgotten the ladies were still here. “What?”
“Miss Middleworth has been trying to tell you something you really should know.” Lady Blodgett exchanged looks with her friends. “It’s rather difficult to—”
“Mr. Everheart is dead,” Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore announced with a sob. “We received word last night.”
“Dead?” Michael stared.
“I’m afraid so.” Mrs. Higginbotham heaved a heavy sigh. “He was attempting to save a kitten—”
“It was a puppy,” Lady Blodgett corrected.
“It was a child!” Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore snapped.
“Yes, of course.” Lady Blodgett nodded. “He was trying to save a child from falling into a hole.”
Mrs. Higginbotham frowned. “I thought it was a ditch.”
Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore’s jaw clenched. “It was a cliff.”
“Well, then you tell it.” Lady Blodgett huffed.
“Very well.” Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore paused to gather her words. “Mr. Everheart was visiting friends in Sussex. Yesterday, during a successful attempt to save a child from falling off a cliff, Mr. Everheart unfortunately lost his balance and fell onto the rocks below.”
The older ladies shuddered in unison.
“Unfortunately, before anyone could reach his broken and battered body...” Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore began.
“The tide came in...” Lady Blodgett added darkly.
“And swept him right out to sea,” Mrs. Higginbotham said with a wide, sweeping gesture. “Never to be seen again.”
“How terrible.” Michael wasn’t quite sure what else to say. “My condolences, ladies. I know you were all fond of him.”
They did indeed look quite forlorn and heaved heartfelt sighs almost in tandem.
“Mr. Shepard.” Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore moved closer to him and lowered her voice. “Under these tragic circumstances and given he died in a most heroic manner, I do hope you will refrain from sullying his name with your suspicions. It really is rather pointless now, don’t you agree? Speaking ill of the dead and all.”
“Yes, of course.” Regardless of whether Everheart’s claims were true or not, it scarcely mattered now.
“Excellent.” Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore beamed. “Now then, as you and Miss Middleworth obviously have a great deal to discuss, we shall be on our way and leave you to it.” She nodded at the other ladies. They murmured good days and took their leave.
“Dulcie.” He turned to her. “I—”
“Michael, I too have been giving this, us, a great deal of thought.” She paused and he didn’t like the look on her face. “And I’ve been talking to Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore. She disagrees with you, about not marrying that is.”
“It’s no longe
r—”
She held out a hand to stop him. “Please allow me to finish.” Michael held his breath. “She and her friends are remarkable examples of women whose husbands seek to discover the world. These ladies are kind and clever and frankly have the kind of fortitude and courage I fear I do not.”
His heart caught. “Dulcie, I—”
“I’m not finished.” She paused. “Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore said courage came from resolve and faith. Even so, I didn’t think I could manage that. But when I heard about Mr. Everheart...” She shook her head. “Life is short, Michael, and unexpected. If indeed I love you—” her gaze met his “—and I do, I would be a fool to let fear destroy what we might have together. Make no mistake, Michael.” She raised her chin. “I am afraid, but in the words of a very wise woman, I would rather have a single moment with you than a lifetime without you.”
“And a wonderful lifetime it will be.” He pulled her into his arms. “But I’ve decided not to go.”
“Not to go where?” Hers eyes widened with realization. “Not to go to the Amazon?”
“I would rather be with you,” he said simply.
She stared. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Of course you’ll go.”
He drew his brows together. “I don’t want to spend my life without you and I don’t want to see what happened to my aunt happen to you.”
“Then you shall have to make certain you return.” She shook her head. “Admittedly, it will be difficult but I have friends and family and I am made of sterner stuff.” She rested her hands on his shoulders. “My dear wonderful man, I would never allow you to give up your dreams for me and I never want you to be unhappy.”
“I wouldn’t be unhappy.”
“Not now perhaps but someday.” She smiled. “And I couldn’t bear that.”
“Do you really mean it?” His gaze searched hers.
The Rise and Fall of Reginald Everheart Page 11
