Emily drew back and swiped at her eyes, her head spinning. She had gotten justice for Jason. She yearned to revel in her triumph, but victory was bittersweet. Something was missing.
Someone was missing, she corrected.
She needed Brett. She pressed her hand to her heart.
This triumph was not hers alone.
Brett had been there from the very beginning. He deserved to be here at the end. “Brett should be here. I need him to be with me.”
“He will be,” Julia murmured, and squeezed her hand.
“He will come through,” Daniel said. “After all you two have been through, he deserves to see Drummond’s face when you charge the man with embezzlement and murder. Rest assured, he will not miss that moment. You have both earned it.”
Emily nodded, grasping onto their conviction like a lifeline. Brett would come through. She refused to contemplate anything less.
Chapter Thirty
AFTER Winfred had departed, Emily was once again settled in the easy chair beside Brett’s bed. The shooting had occurred yesterday morning; surely he should wake soon. She clutched his hand in hers and curled her fingers around his wrist, the rhythmic beat of his pulse a comforting balm.
“I have news.”
Emily jumped, unaware of her sister’s approach.
Julia squeezed her shoulder. “That boy who works for Brett, Baines, is it? Well, Daniel engaged him to help with the search for the thugs who attacked your carriage. Daniel said that Baines can find a piece of copper wire buried in the stink and mud of the Thames, so it took some time, but he has scouted out the two thugs’ hideout. Father has engaged Runners to apprehend them, so they should soon have answers as to who hired them. No doubt that will add one more charge on which to hang Drummond.”
“And when Brett wakes up, he will be able to identify the men,” she said with conviction. Sighing, she frowned at his still form. “Stubborn, headstrong man. I told him he needed to protect himself and stop worrying about me. I warned him.”
Julia circled her chair and knelt before Emily. “And I understand he told you much the same. You know, when Brett wakes up, I doubt his first question will be about the men who shot him. It will be something closer to his heart, and which only you can answer.”
“You have been talking to Father,” Emily muttered.
“I cannot tell you how to respond, Emily. I know how much you loved Jason and the toll his death took on you, so I understand that it is frightening for you to risk loving another. But have you ever considered that the reason you took Jason’s death so hard was because it came during a time when you had suffered so many losses? First, Mother died, and Father was lost to his own grief. I was struggling to care for Jonathan and keep the estate afloat. It was a bleak period, and Jason was like a bright beacon of light. When that was snuffed out, you must have felt as if you were plunged into darkness again.”
Stunned, her lips parted, her mind reeling at the implication of Julia’s words.
“He is a good man, Emily. You have fought so valiantly for Jason, perhaps it is time that you fight for yourself,” Julia said softly. She closed her hands over Emily’s and squeezed. “You deserve love. You deserve Brett. Not many men would risk their lives as he did.” She stood, gave Emily’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, and turned to leave.
Emily pressed a hand to her temple. Frowning, she recalled her gut-wrenching loneliness before Jason, her despair over her mother’s death, her father’s inability to cope, and Julia’s absence. She had been so young and so very alone.
Could Julia be right?
Could it have been a confluence of tragic events that had so shattered her? She blew out a breath, because the reasons for her breakdown no longer mattered. It was not important. The last two days had taught her what was important—that if there was darkness in her, she was older and stronger now. She may stumble and falter, but she would not fall, and if she did, by God, she would pick herself up and forge ahead. That was all she could ask of herself—or of anyone.
It was the only good news to come out of this horrid nightmare, because if this did not break her, nothing would.
She straightened in her chair, lifted her chin, and smiled at Brett. “Well then. Now you have to wake up in order to propose properly. I need to begin planning our wedding. Such things take time.” She waited a moment, and then poked him in the chest when she received no response. “Are you listening? Please wake up. My nerves are frazzled, and I am not the only one suffering over you. Melody and Miranda are walking around half dazed and with red-rimmed eyes, and Daniel and Prescott are very sour-tempered.”
She sighed.
“If you wish to hear what I have found, you have to wake up, you thickheaded lummox.” She poked him again. Hard.
A groan escaped him, and she yanked her finger back, her pulse racing. “Brett?”
His eyes fluttered and eventually blinked open. He shifted his gaze around the room until his eyes locked on her. And then he simply stared.
She could see his pupils constrict as they came into focus with what she hoped was recognition. Her heart pounded, and the silence stretched taut. When she could stand it no longer, she bent over him. “Do you know who I am?” She took care to speak slowly and articulate each word.
He stared at her blankly.
She did not dare breathe. Nerves strained, she resisted the urge to give him another poke. When he finally responded, his words were a near whisper, so she leaned close.
“A sharp-taloned she-devil who has been poking and prodding me. And I am not a lummox.”
She straightened. “You are, regrettably, the same. I will never forgive you for upsetting me, your sisters, Prescott, and Daniel, for worrying everyone senseless.” She drew a shuddering breath and blinked furiously.
He moistened his lips. “Drew and Daniel do not have much sense to begin with, but I am sorry for upsetting you and the girls. I should have ducked as Drew advised. Fortunately, I have a hard head.”
With a half laugh and half hiccup, she pressed her lips to his temple. “It is a brilliant head.”
When she pulled back, his eyes softened and his gaze roved over her features as if memorizing each one. “I love you,” he said with tender solemnity.
She smiled, her heart pounding. “I love you, too.”
“Marry me, Emily.”
Her breath hitched and her eyes blurred. “Of course, I will marry you. How can I not? You are as mad as I. You stop bullets to protect me, and compose verse comparing me to the fair Athena. More important, I am mad. Madly in love with you.” She brushed his hair away from the bandage on his temple and pressed a gentle kiss on it.
When she sat back, his hand cupped her cheek. “You are not the only one with a fair hand with ink and pen,” he said, his voice husky with emotion. “I told you I would wear you down.” His hand slid to the nape of her neck and with a gentle urging, he drew her to him. Their lips met for a long, lingering kiss.
This was the real triumph of her quest. That this beautiful, brilliant man had fallen in love with her. He had stood by her, supported her, and believed in her. Her heart swelled with joy.
After a few moments, she drew back. Light-headed, she rested a hand gently on the blankets covering his chest. “Now then. You need to regain your strength. To get better so that we can meet with Lord Roberts and deliver the ledger and Jason’s diary to him. We need to finish what we started so that I can begin planning our wedding. I—”
“You are good at planning,” he said with a smile, and tried to pull her back to him. “You will have the wedding organized in a day. What I need is— What? You have Jason’s ledger and diary? How? You met with Winfred? Alone? Devil take you! After all—” Brett struggled to rise on his elbows, ignoring her protests. “Blast it, my head is pounding!”
“That is what happens when a bullet grazes it. Lie down, you thick-headed fool!�
�� Desperate, she pressed on his shoulders, but he struggled against her. “Please, are you trying to rip open your wound? For goodness’ sake, I did not meet Winfred alone. He came here, and Daniel and Julia were with me. I will tell you everything once you lie down, you obtuse man! I cannot marry you if you kill yourself.”
“I am getting up. Hang Winfred, but I am going with you to Lord Roberts. It is my company that charges were brought against and . . . and devil take it, I am as weak as a newborn babe, so let go.” He slapped at her hands.
“Dash it, he is still the same. I had hoped the bullet might have softened his hard head.”
Recognizing Daniel’s amused drawl, Emily whirled to see him framed in the doorway, Prescott next to him, and Melody and Miranda crowding behind them. “Do not just stand there,” she cried. “Get in here and get him to listen to reason.”
The room flooded with people, Taunton and Julia joining the chaos. Brett was forced to lie back as Melody and Miranda fussed over him, grasping his hand and sniffling.
“You are all right? Do you recognize me?” Melody said, leaning close.
“Let me think,” Brett murmured and scrunched up his features. “Thunder? Is that you? What happened to your harness?”
“He thinks I am his horse!” Melody squealed, her hand covering her mouth.
“Oh for goodness’ sake!” Emily said, exasperated. “He is teasing. He is fine.”
Melody dropped her hand and narrowed her eyes. “I cannot believe I shed one single tear over you. Drew is right. Your head is too thick to pierce.” She bent over him and kissed his cheek. “You are a wretched older brother. Miranda, Mr. Jenkins is due to pay another call this afternoon, and I need your help in determining what I should wear. I might have to go shopping. Again.”
“Jenkins? Another call? Shopping? Again?” Brett roared, but grimaced and pressed a hand to his head.
Miranda moved his arm aside to press a kiss to his bandaged head. “You need to rest, because your memory is not entirely returned. You forget, Melody gives back as good as she gets.” She tucked his blankets around him. “Welcome back. You had everyone worried. Do not do it again.”
“I never worried,” Prescott said. “I warned you to duck, not my fault that you never listen to me—or Lady Emily for that matter. We heard your bellows in the other room.”
Brett struggled to sit up, then seeing everyone crowd closer, he relented. “Fine. I will stay in this infernal bed under one condition. No one confronts Lord Roberts without me. Arrange for the meeting tomorrow. The throbbing in my head should be better by then, so you can all stop mollycoddling me. Except for Emily, who has agreed to marry me, and I am holding her to it.”
“I think . . . ,” Taunton began, but as Brett’s words registered, the squeals of excitement drowned him out.
Julia rushed forward and gave Emily a fierce hug. She was then passed on to her father, Melody, and then Miranda.
Prescott and Daniel came over and pumped Brett’s hand.
“I never doubted you would prevail,” Daniel said. “No mere bullet can thwart you.”
“I always wanted an older brother,” Julia said, and leaned down to kiss Brett’s temple. “Welcome to the family.”
Emily smiled as Daniel and Prescott congratulated her.
“I have every faith that you will get him to listen better than he does to me,” Prescott said and winked.
“So, son, you need to regain your strength,” Taunton said, restoring order. “We have toasts to make, and you have a wedding to plan. As for meeting with Lord Roberts, we will do so the day after tomorrow.” Her father’s tone brooked no dissent. “And we are all going. A show of force is warranted.”
Emily caught her father’s hand and beamed. Then she glanced at Brett, who appeared to be weighing his options.
“Fair enough,” he relented. “Two dukes and an earl is gilding the lily, but if you insist.”
“We do.” Daniel and Prescott spoke in unison.
“And stop maligning dukes,” Prescott said, “or I still might petition the king to draft a patent of nobility, transferring the title to you.”
Emily sputtered out a horrified laugh. That was why Brett was so determined to find Prescott. To stop him. She grasped his hand in hers and lifted it to her lips, a smile curving her lips. “Your Grace.”
Brett scowled and turned on Prescott. “I appreciate your warning me about those thugs trying to shoot me, but now you can disappear again. This time, I promise not to look for you.”
Prescott simply laughed.
“Pay him no mind,” Daniel said. He leaned close to Prescott and added sotto voce, “He is always an ungrateful, ornery cuss when he is bedridden.”
“And take Daniel with you,” Brett said, narrowing his eyes.
“Gentlemen,” her father interceded. “If Mr. Curtis is to recover, he needs his rest. Emily?”
“In a minute.” Once they departed, she squeezed Brett’s hand. “Two dukes, one earl, and my thickheaded protector.” When he grinned back, her smile broadened. She brushed his hair from his temple. He was not different after all.
He was the same arrogant, clever man with whom she had fallen irrevocably in love. And she was absolutely mad—to marry him.
Chapter Thirty-one
THEY were joining Lord Roberts in a meeting room in his offices located on Cheapside in a grand Elizabethan mansion. Its frontage boasted three bays that were four stories high, a cornice balustrade, and imposing Doric pilasters, making for a majestic and imposing welcome to any visitor.
Brett had never seen Taunton carry a cane before. Brett assumed the accessory to be another aristocratic affectation, but Taunton assured him that the feral lion’s head gave opponents pause. Brett also had to concede that Daniel and Drew both carried a disdainful ducal scowl rather well. Emily’s ivory gown threaded with blue ribbons broke up the austerity of their black and blue jackets. A spring flower amid dark storm clouds.
He wished he could ease the lines of worry furrowing her brow. A bandage covered his right front temple, but other than mild pain if he moved abruptly, he was quite recovered. Once they finished with Drummond, he looked forward to proving to Emily exactly how healthy he was.
A clerk met them in the foyer and ushered them into the spacious meeting room. “My lords, the Duke of Prescott, the Duke of Bedford, the Earl of Taunton, Lady Emily Chandler, and Mr. Curtis,” he announced. After delivering the array of formidable introductions, the clerk departed with a bow.
Drummond was seated at a mahogany table polished to a gleaming sheen. A flicker of alarm crossed his features before he tamped it down. He rose slowly, nodding a curt greeting. When his gaze fastened on Brett, his eyes turned hard and assessing.
Brett stiffened at the sight of Wentworth, surprised to find him seated beside Drummond. He appeared to begrudgingly rise to his feet. Brett grunted. The man had always been a pompous arse.
Lord Roberts surveyed the group through gold-rimmed spectacles. The tall, sharp-featured man dipped his head. “For those of you who are not acquainted, allow me to introduce Mr. Lawrence Drummond and the Earl of Wentworth. Please, everyone be seated.”
Brett drew back a chair for Emily and then sat to her left across the table from Drummond and Wentworth. Taunton flanked Emily’s right side, with Daniel beside him and Drew one seat further down.
Roberts waited until everyone was seated before reclaiming his own chair at the head of the table. “I see you have brought a strong contingent in your defense, Mr. Curtis,” he said, arching a brow at Brett.
Before Brett could respond, Wentworth sneered. “I do not know what this is all about. As I have explained to Lord Taunton, facts are facts, and opinions to the contrary cannot alter them.”
“That is true when the facts have been unequivocally established,” Taunton said mildly. “However, the customs officials have yet to
find anything to justify these charges. Thus, the facts are still in question. Or am I mistaken?” Taunton cocked a brow.
Wentworth drew himself up. “There have been problems with imports from Curtis Shipping in the past, so it is not—”
“My pardon,” Daniel interceded. “But I was a full partner in the firm during that particular charge to which you refer. Therefore, I can attest to the fact that those allegations, like these, proved groundless. I am surprised you are familiar with the incident, considering it was not public knowledge.” He smiled thinly, eyes narrowed.
“I do not need to account for how I come by my information,” Wentworth snarled. “But in regard to this complaint, Mr. Drummond brought to my attention—”
“You once warned me to choose my friends with care. I suggest you heed your own advice,” Daniel said coldly.
Brett grinned at Wentworth’s apoplectic expression. Pity the arse could not choke on his indignation. But they were not here for Wentworth. “My pardon, but I think it is time we turned our attention to the real purpose of this meeting. Lady Emily?”
“What?” Drummond blurted, red-faced. “Surely you cannot be serious.”
Wentworth took equal umbrage. “What is the meaning of this? This is a business matter, not an open forum for ladies to profess their—”
“That is enough!” Lord Roberts’s booming voice silenced the room. “Mr. Curtis is right. It is my responsibility to investigate nefarious dealings within the East India Trading Company, and that is what I am doing.”
Wentworth furrowed his brow. “I do not understand. What the devil does this have to do with the charges against Curtis Shipping?”
“If you will be patient, all will be explained,” Lord Roberts said, his tone brooking no further interruptions. “Many of us are apprised of the history of one of my investigations, but for those who are not, I will briefly summarize. Four years ago, Mr. Drummond brought to my attention that someone in the company was embezzling funds from the Calcutta factories. Per Drummond’s recommendation, I appointed the late Viscount Weston to investigate. After the viscount’s death, I had no evidence to substantiate the charges of embezzlement, so I believed the matter closed. However, his fiancée has uncovered new information that has recently come to light, thus reopening this investigation.”
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