The Fortune Hunter

by Jo Ann Ferguson

  Prattling nonstop, Annis urged Nerissa to sit on the window seat. She sent her abigail, Horatia, on a dozen errands at once.

  “I don’t wish to waste a moment of the time we can have at your house,” Annis said. “I really was surprised when Mama allowed me to join you. Two young women without a chaperon, after all.”

  “Your mother knows well that Frye will allow no impropriety.”

  “True.” Her eyes twinkled with happiness. “And you can be sure that Mama will be calling regularly to ascertain from Frye exactly who else is calling on us.”

  Nerissa hesitated, then said in a somber voice, “I received a letter from Hamilton before I took Cole to the Mail.”

  “How wonderful!” She hugged Nerissa enthusiastically. When Nerissa stiffened, she pulled back. “Whatever is wrong? Didn’t he set things right between you?”

  “He wrote only that he and Philip will be escorting us to the Pump Room tomorrow. Did you know of this?”

  Annis sat on a chair, her face clouded with confusion. “Philip said nothing of such an invitation.”

  “Mayhap he knows no more about it than we did.” Unable to sit still while she spoke of the disturbing letter, she rose and walked to the far side of the room. She turned to face her friend. “Hamilton may have devised this alone.”

  “But why?”

  “I have no idea.” She wrapped her arms around herself, not sure if she was happy or discomposed or both. “All I know is that we are sure to find out tomorrow afternoon.”

  Annis hated puzzles. She had owned long ago that she was not as quick at solving such things as her bosom bow Nerissa Dufresne. Yet even Nerissa was unable to guess what would happen when a knock on the door signalled the arrival of Philip and his brother.

  Watching Nerissa pace the parlor as she had for the past hour, Annis locked her fingers together in frustration in the lap of her grass-green dress. How could a man, who was as sweet and considerate as Philip Windham, have a brother who could be so prodigiously beastly? If Nerissa had half a brain, she would give Hamilton his congé as soon as he walked through the front door.

  She sighed. Nerissa would do that no sooner than Annis would push Philip from her life. For some reason that Annis could not fathom, Nerissa was sweet upon the volatile viscount. Sometimes she was certain Hamilton had a cupboard love for Nerissa as well. Then other times—like now—she suspected he cared no more for her friend than he had for any of the other women who had passed through his life.

  “They should be here soon,” Annis said to fill the silence that was interrupted only by the muffled clatter of carriage wheels on the street.

  “Hamilton said they would be here at one o’clock. They shall not arrive a heartbeat before then.” Nerissa’s faint smile added to the ache in Annis’s heart. “He is dismally punctual.”

  As if to prove her words true, the tall-case clock by the stairs clanged a single time, drowning out the rapping at the door. Nerissa laughed shortly, but Annis had never felt less amused. She knew her friend had slept very little last night, for every time Annis woke, she had heard Nerissa’s footfalls in the room across the hall.

  Nerissa patted her bosom bow’s icy hand before going out in the foyer to see Mrs. Carroll open the door. The housekeeper mumbled something, but Nerissa was sure she would not have understood the most clearly enunciated words as her gaze was caught by Hamilton’s uncompromising grey eyes. Something opened within her, a wound that yearned to be healed, a need she could not name, but she could do nothing but stare up into his eyes as he closed the distance between them.

  “Nerissa, I would like to speak with you for a moment,” he said, his rich, deep voice tolling through her. “Alone.”

  “My brother’s book room is private,” she managed to whisper.

  “Then may I speak with you there?”

  Although she dreaded what he might say to her beyond his brother and Annis’s ears, she nodded. She led the way across the foyer, conscious of his eyes watching the sway of the flounces at the hem of her pale, blue skirt.

  When she had closed the door, she lit a lamp on one of the tables. His brows lowered as he looked about the messy room, but he said, “I assume the invitation surprised you.”

  “Very much.”

  “Honest to the end.”

  “Is that what this is, Hamilton? The end of our friendship?”

  He shook his head. “It would be easier if that was so, but the deception we devised to convince the élite to be more interested in our times together than in my search is still necessary.”

  “So that is why you invited me and Annis to the Pump Room?”

  “One of the reasons. I considered, as well, the fact that you are too interested in a match between Philip and Annis to do anything to jeopardize it. You will even spend time in my company to ensure that.”

  Nerissa was sure her heart would shatter within her, but she kept her chin high. “You need not burden yourself with me, Hamilton. I can assure you that Annis would look with favor upon Philip’s suit if he was to present it.”

  “You are no burden.” When he laughed, she stared at him in astonishment. “And I do apologize for my behavior when I was here last.”

  “You do?”

  His hearty laugh bewildered her more. “You are the most blasted woman! You believe me when I jest with you, but discount my words when I speak from the heart.”

  “Could it be because you speak from the heart so seldom?”

  “I have discovered few people truly wish to know what is in a man’s soul.”

  Unwilling to be put off from the truth, she asked, “Were you speaking from the heart the last time you called here?”

  “Yes.”

  Pain buffeted Nerissa as he gave her the answer she had prayed he would not. When she would have turned away, his hands grasped her elbows. Gently he drew her to him. Instead of putting his arm around her, he continued to cup her elbows in his hands.

  “Do not look so sad,” he said in a raspy whisper. “It is the truth that you are lovely, and I would delight in possessing every inch of you. I would be less than a man if I could look at you with indifference.”

  “I will not be the way for you to forget another woman’s treachery.”

  “Why are you thinking of another woman when I can think only of you when we stand so close?”

  “And when we don’t?”

  When he stared at her, as dumbfounded as she had been moments before, she sighed and drew away. His hesitation told her what no words could. Like Cole, he was obsessed with reaching a goal.

  “Nerissa—”

  “Do not bother with your loud ones, Hamilton.”

  He took her hands. “I am not lying when I say that I enjoy the times we have together. Not that they are easy times, for you delight in any chance to turn teasing words into a tiff, but I would like us to be friends, Nerissa.”

  “Only friends?”

  “I would have us be more, if you would agree.” He put his finger to her lips and laughed. “No need for you to fly out at me, for I know you hold the canons of propriety too dear to consider such a relationship.”

  Nerissa wondered how he could read her thoughts so effortlessly on other matters, but was so mistaken when it came to knowing how desperately she longed to be in his arms, his mouth straining against hers as they sought to give voice to every whisper of passion within them. Although she was sure her broken heart would be rended completely, she said, “Friends we shall be.”

  Hamilton smiled and stepped over a jumbled collection of books. “So this is your reclusive brother’s lair.”

  “Yes.” She blinked back tears that should not be in her eyes when she was getting what she thought she had wanted. Hamilton was back in her life, and he would not ask her to be his natural, to be set aside when he was done with her. She should be pleased, but she was miserable.

  He squinted at a small frame on the wall. “Viam qui nescit, qua deveniat ad mare, Eum oportet amnem quaerere comitem sibi.”
He chuckled. “If my Latin teacher taught me well—and I can tell you that the poor man despaired of me ever sitting still for a single lesson—I believe that says, ‘He who knows not the way leading to the sea should make the river his companion.’”

  “It is one of Cole’s favorite sayings. Plautius, I think.” She ran her finger along the edge of one of the tables. To speak of such mundane things when her heart was cramped with sorrow seemed mad, but she struggled to maintain her composure. “He repeated it often when he reached a block in his work.”

  “So you embroidered it for him to hang on his wall.” Folding his arms over the front of his proper brown waistcoat, he said, “You have much affection for your brother, Nerissa. I look forward to the opportunity to meet him.”

  She was surprised when she could smile honestly. The thought of Hamilton and Cole meeting was humorous. The two men would find each other boring. “He should return from London within a few weeks. Mayhap, if fortune looks with favor on his plans, I shall arrange a small soirée to celebrate the beginning of the actual work on his canal.”

  “Then will you leave Bath?”

  As he had before, she was shocked into silence because she had no answer to give him. Neither she nor Cole had ever spoken of what they would do when his dream was achieved. Such changes it would bring to their lives, whether he was successful in Town or not. An icy shiver inched along her back as she thought of what they would do if he found no patrons for his project. There was little money left for them to maintain the house, and, until a buyer put forth money for Hill’s End, she could not plan on any income from that quarter.

  “We may.”

  “Believe me, Nerissa,” he said, coming around the table and folding her hand in his, “that I shan’t look forward to that day.”

  She gazed up into his eyes and wanted to believe the sentiment in them was genuine. Softly she answered, “Neither will I.”

  Nerissa was startled to discover two carriages waiting in front of the house. When Hamilton handed her into his sleek curricle, which had been decorated with bright gilt on its sides and its two wheels, she turned to see Philip and Annis sitting in a more sedate gig. Hamilton sat next to her on the red velvet seat and picked up the fringed reins.

  Opening her parasol, she asked, “Two carriages simply to go to the Pump Room?”

  “We are not going there. It is too beautiful a day to spend inside.” He slapped the reins on the back of the horses, but kept them at a decorous pace along the street.

  “Then where are we going?”

  “I thought that should be a surprise.”

  “A surprise? You are abducting Annis and me without giving us a clue of where we are going?”

  He tilted his tall beaver back on his head as he relaxed against the seat and let the horses go at the sluggish speed of the town traffic. “You need to be more trusting, Nerissa.”

  “Me?” She shook her head in disbelief. “I am—as I have been told on too many occasions—too trusting.”

  “Of everyone save me, then, although you may be wise not to trust me. I am sure you have been told that you are caper-witted to trust a swell like me.”

  “You are no rakehell, Hamilton, although you clearly delight in playing the rôle.”

  “No?”

  Tipping the parasol so she could see him without squinting into the bright sunshine, she said, “You delight in any chance to do harm in one’s eyes, but you are too engrossed in your quest to find that blackguard to be dangling after any woman’s skirts.”

  She waited for him to own up to her words or deny them, but he asked, “Then why do you show such a lack of trust in me?”

  “I would trust you if you could trust me.”

  His only reply was a lowering of his brows as he frowned. With a sigh, Nerissa leaned back against the seat. Nothing had changed, although she had hoped their conversation in Cole’s book room would prove otherwise. Hamilton could profess friendship, but there could be none while he waited for her to betray him.

  As the busy streets evolved into soft hills and a nearly empty country road, Hamilton’s hand slipped over hers. She looked at him and saw his sad smile.

  “It shan’t be easy to be as trusting as you are,” he said, “but I shall try. You have proven to be a steadfast friend through these taxing days.”

  “Have you learned anything about the man you seek?”

  “I have my suspicions, and I hope they soon will prove fruitful.”

  Recalling his savage vow to avenge himself on the thief, she shivered at his grim answer.

  His laugh contrasted with the dark emotions in his eyes as he added, “My search is no topic for a lovely day like today when I am enjoying your company in this beautiful setting. I thought you would prefer the countryside to the Pump Room.”

  “Yes,” she said, letting his words draw her out of the dank apprehension. Taking a deep breath, she exulted in the scents of flowers and trees before releasing it. She admired the flow of the fields along the hillsides. In the distance, she could see the chimney of a brickworks, but its odious smoke did not reach them. “You know I love the country.”

  “I know, so I thought we would see as much of it as we could today.”

  That was the only warning she received before he snapped the whip over the horses’ heads. The curricle leapt forward as if the hounds of Hell were snapping at the horses’ hoofs. With a gasp, she gripped the side of the vehicle. She heard Hamilton’s laugh over the rush of the wind that threatened both her bonnet and parasol. The wheels bounced in a chuckhole, and she grasped Hamilton’s arm. If they were upset at this speed, they could be killed.

  Putting her hand on his wrist, she drew back on it. He chuckled again, but let her guide his hands to pull on the reins to slow the horses. When they had slowed to a walk and he pulled the curricle beneath the trees on the side of the road, she sagged against the seat.

  He held the reins with one hand as his other arm slipped around her shoulders. “You are shaking like a twig in a high wind, Nerissa. I thought you trusted me.”

  “To break both of our necks?” she retorted heatedly, not caring that each word quaked with her fear.

  “To make the day enjoyable for you.” When his voice softened to an enticing whisper, she raised her eyes to see the undeniable craving in his. His hand on her shoulders steered her toward his lips. “It shall take Philip and Annis several minutes to catch up with us. We may admire the nature around us, or we may …”

  His hand swept up her back to press her to him. The familiar, fierce fire exploded within her, but she said, “I thought you wished only to share a friendship with me, Hamilton.”

  He kissed her right cheek. “Can we not be very special friends?” Teasing the curve of her left cheek with a swift kiss, he murmured, “Very, very special friends, my sweet.” The tip of his tongue stroked the sensitive skin of her eyelids; she moaned with the longing that captivated her.

  As her hand curved around his high collar to bring his mouth to hers, she heard his low laugh, and she knew that he had been correct when he warned her to be wary of trusting him. At the moment when his lips touched hers, she did not care. She might be an air-dreamer, but this rapture was what she wanted … no matter what it cost her.

  Chapter Eleven

  Children cheered with excitement, and horses rumbled uneasily as Hamilton lifted Nerissa from the curricle to stand next to Annis. Nerissa stared at the collection of silk draped across the ground by the side of the road. Once it was completely inflated, the balloon surely would be as tall as the house on Laura Place. The roar of the flame burning within it threatened to deafen her.

  When, with a laugh, Hamilton put his hands over her ears, she drew them away. “It is a lovely roar,” she shouted over the noise.

  “It is as raucous as a crow at dawn.” He turned to watch the balloon thicken and rise as if it was taking life from the heated air within it.

  “I have never seen one on the ground before.”

  �
��Then,” he said as she put her hand on his proffered arm, “it is time for you to do so.”

  The ground was soft beneath her slippers. Keeping her parasol over her head, she laughed when two children, who were chasing a brown and black mongrel, raced in front of them. The launching had all the exhilaration of a County Fair day.

  The blue and green silk billowed skyward as several men, who were dwarfed by the expanse, worked to get all the material off the ground. They shouted to one another, but their voices were lost amid the flame’s thundering howl.

  “Amazing,” said Philip as the balloon rose off the ground until only its tall, wicker basket clung precariously to the earth.

  “I understand they are offering a ride to those daring enough to try it.” Hamilton laughed, then asked, “Are you game for an attempt at the sport, Philip?”

  “It is risky.”

  “No riskier than challenging me to jump that blasted hedge.”

  Philip chuckled and winked at Nerissa. “But you won that wager and much more.”

  “Then shall we take a flight?”

  Nerissa put her hand on Annis’s arm, which shook with sudden fear. “I don’t think that is such a wise idea.”

  “Nonsense,” Hamilton returned. “It will be delightful. You ladies are welcome to join us.”

  “No!” gasped Annis. “I shan’t do something so want-witted.”

  Nerissa looked at the balloon and released a silent sigh. To own the truth, she was glad to remain on the ground. Quietly she said, “I shall stay with Annis.”

  “That leaves you and me, Philip,” Hamilton said with another laugh. Taking his brother’s arm, he tugged him a half-step toward the balloon. “Let’s have a go at it.” Hamilton turned his smile on Annis. “And to show your lovely lady that you are truly without fear.”

  “You need not do this for me,” Annis whispered.

  “Then do it for the fun,” Hamilton said before his brother could reply. “I intend to try it.”