by Wendy Vella
Table of Contents
TITLE PAGE
DEDICATION
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
EPILOGUE
THANK YOU!
SNEAK PEEK
OTHER BOOKS BY WENDY VELLA
THE SCENT OF DANGER
by Wendy Vella
She believes in duty, not love….
As the illegitimate sister of the Duke of Raven, Emily knows only too well how society judges a woman like her, and what a debt of gratitude she owes her family. She also knows the vital importance of maintaining independence, and how cruel fate can eclipse good intentions anytime. Certainly she’s not going to let her head or heart get fooled by the devilishly annoying Cambridge Sinclair, her family’s protector and London’s notorious rake… who also happened to save her life… more than once.
He’s a reformed rake seeking redemption….
Cam has been intrigued by the mysterious Miss Emily Tolly for years, even though theirs is a turbulent relationship. With her family and others, she’s shy and timid, but with him, she’s anything but. He knows this kitten has claws beneath the quiet exterior and a whole lot of other secrets she’s hiding. But her passion and intelligence draw him irresistibly to her, so when he’s given the opportunity to rescue her once again, he grabs it with both hands. This rescue, though, takes the form of a hastily arranged marriage, which Cam enters into willingly for her sake and her family’s. What he doesn’t count on is the closer he and Emily get, the stronger their passion burns, and Cam finds himself wanting not just her body, but her heart too.
A destiny written in the stars
It was meant to be a dutiful betrothal from the start, but it soon becomes something more. As Emily sees the real man beneath the roguish reputation, her carefully guarded heart begins to believe and hope. Dare she trust the one man who could destroy her?
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Scent Of Danger is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Scent Of Danger is published by Wendy Vella
Copyright © 2018 Wendy Vella
ISBN: 978-0-9951068-0-2
DEDICATION
For Blake
“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day
so I never have to live without you.”
- Winnie The Pooh
PROLOGUE
It is said that when lowly Baron Sinclair saved the powerful Duke of Raven from certain death in 1335 by single-handedly killing the three men who attacked his carriage, King Edward III was grateful. Raven was a wise and sage counsel he had no wish to lose, therefore, he rewarded Sinclair with the land that sat at the base of Raven Mountain. Having shown himself capable of the duty, Baron Sinclair was now, in the eyes of the King, to be the official protector of the Ravens.
Over the years the tale has changed and grown as many do. There were rumors of strange occurrences when a Sinclair saved a Raven in the years that followed. Unexplained occurrences that caused many to wonder what it was that the Sinclairs were hiding, but one thing that never changed was their unwavering duty in the task King Edward III had bestowed upon them.
To honor and protect the Raven family was the Sinclair family creed.
CHAPTER ONE
Being a Sinclair was both a blessing and a curse, Cambridge Sinclair decided as he burrowed into the collar of his thick coat. A blessing because he had six wonderful, if at times slightly annoying, siblings. Two brothers and a sister-in-law, one perfect niece, and one equally perfect nephew.
“What appears to be the problem?”
Cam turned to look at the owner of the voice. Mr. Quixly stood behind him, also waiting in line to enter the lecture. His thick gray brows were drawn in a frown. Like Cam he was dressed for the brisk weather that had descended on London early in November. He knew the man by sight, but they were on nothing more than nodding terms, for which Cam had always been grateful. Quixly was one of those men who would find fault in a visit from a celestial being. Short, squat, with an unappealing visage, he was not someone who could afford to scowl, and yet it seemed to be a permanent fixture.
“Pardon?”
“Why are we standing about waiting, Mr. Sinclair, in this dastardly foul weather?”
And I should know this why?
“The doors have yet to open, Mr. Quixly, and there appears to be a disturbance up ahead.”
“Ridiculous that we have to queue simply because these fair-weather types wish to listen to the great man, when normally the place has any number of empty seats.”
“Indeed,” Cam said, as the man actually had a point. Normally they were not forced to wait for admittance when attending lectures, but because tonight’s speaker had a handsome face and smooth way with words and was a benefactor of the Prince Regent, he had become something of a phenomenon in the astronomy world. Many had come to hear him, and most of them were women who would no doubt sigh and giggle when the man walked on stage.
Looking to the front of the queue again, he noticed a woman appeared to be debating with Mr. Lotus, who was the curator of the institution they were about to enter. He was waving his hands about, as was the lady, which suggested she was displeased about something. Likely she wanted to ensure a seat at the front so she could bask in Fossett’s magnificence.
Being taller than most he could see over the heads in front of him, but could hear nothing. Cam wished his sister Eden was with him; she had exceptional hearing.
“Can you hear what the disturbance is about, Mr. Sinclair?”
“As I am only one space ahead of you, Mr. Quixly, I fail to see how I could. A woman appears to be in conversation with Mr. Lotus, is all I can tell you.”
“A woman!”
Mr. Quixly’s tone indicated women were not his favored gender, unlike Cam. Lowering his eyes to the large bonnet before him once more, he again contemplated his lot in life. He’d been doing that a lot lately.
The curse of being a Sinclair was that he and his siblings were born with heightened senses. Cam could smell foul breath or rotten food from two hundred
paces. Even now someone nearby was emanating vile odors that made his nostrils twitch. His siblings had often teased him about needing to wear a nose peg. Cam had actually been tempted a time or two. He tended to breathe shallowly when in public and usually through his mouth rather than his nose.
“I merely wish for you to show him my paper!”
He heard those words because they were shrieked. The woman who was talking to Mr. Lotus was displeased about something. She leaned in closer now, and he could only surmise the gesture was meant to intimidate—not a terribly sound notion when the top of her head reached Mr. Lotus’s chin.
“I will not be sent away, and will hand my paper to Mr. Fossett myself!”
Why did he know that voice? Cam went through the list of women he was acquainted with. It was considerable.
“Mr. Fossett does not like to be approached or bothered with such things; he is an important man. Please go to the back of the line like everyone else, madam, or I shall be forced to stop you from entering these premises.” Mr. Lotus sounded harried.
Looking skyward, Cam wondered if they were in for snow. It was certainly cold enough. He hoped the woman did as she was told so they could enter soon, or his face would be numb, and then his nose would turn red.
“Cold enough for you, Mr. Sinclair?”
“Indeed it is, Mrs. Vex.” He nodded to the woman barking at him as she passed to join the line. Large, with a square jaw that had a mole that drew the eye like a beacon, the woman had attended every lecture Cam had, and was considered something of a bluestocking.
“Stuff and nonsense going on up there if you want my opinion.”
“Indeed,” Cam said, not sure what was going on, but not wishing to get offside with the woman.
“Wouldn’t hurt that windbag Lotus to hand the woman’s work to Fossett. He’ll read it or he won’t!”
“Just so,” Cam said with a nod. This seemed to appease her, as she moved on.
“I shall take my place, but I think your behavior exceedingly shabby!”
The woman who was debating with Mr. Lotus began to turn toward Cam, and he felt a strange surge of anticipation grip him. He inhaled to see if he recognized her scent, and shock ran through him. He knew only one woman who wore orange blossom.
“Emily?” Cam shook his head to clear it, sure he was not seeing who he thought he was. Reaching his side, she stopped, the horror on her face telling him she was about as happy to see him as he her.
“What are you doing here?”
Emily was the half-sister to James, the Duke of Raven, Eden’s husband. Cam and she had disliked each other excessively from their first glance. The feeling had not alleviated but grown over the years. Emily often made Cam feel as if he had a pebble in his shoe—not painful, but bloody annoying.
“I-I am to attend Mr. Fossett’s lecture.” She raised her chin, defying him to say a word against her.
“You do realize it is on Galileo and heliocentrism?”
Her soft gray eyes narrowed as she glared at him. “Oh dear, I had thought it was flower arrangement.”
This time it was Cam who narrowed his eyes. The woman had a smart mouth, which she rarely used unless he was nearby. Beneath that black velvet bonnet was hair the color of the honey he drizzled on his morning toast. She was slender, and he’d often thought her willowy, but to her face he called her skinny. He personally liked women curvaceous and less caustic.
“As it is likely that I am standing between you and this lecture, one would think you could find your way to being nicer,” Cam said.
“Why are you standing in my way?”
“Where is your maid?” Cam asked instead of answering her question.
The gloved fingers at her side clenched briefly, then released.
“Not here.”
“You are surely not attending alone?” Cam looked around but saw no one that would be keeping her company. He knew most of the staff in her household. “In these conditions?”
“I am, and usually do so.”
“I don’t believe James or Max would like the idea of that.”
Her lips formed a straight line.
“My brothers trust me. Besides, I have always walked about London alone, I see no reason to change that.”
“It’s cold enough to snow, and the streets are lined with ice. That alone, without the other ten reasons, should have been enough to make you use common sense.”
“Only ten? I am surprised.”
“You,” he pointed a finger in her face with a total disregard for manners, “are a mouthy woman.”
“Thank you.” Her chin rose.
“It was not a compliment, as you are only mouthy in my company. You have your family fooled into believing you are a sweet natured, timid individual.”
“I’m sweet natured!”
Cam scoffed. “How is it I have yet to see you at any lectures?” He raised a hand as she opened her mouth to speak. “Wait, I have it, you slip in at the rear, then leave before everyone else.”
“I have no wish to discuss this with you.”
She attempted to walk by, but he grabbed her arm, effectively stopping her.
“You sneaked out of the house, didn’t you, and your family see no reason to question your actions as usually you are the epitome of well behaved, or squirreled away in your bedchamber?”
Emily looked uncomfortable and Cam realized he was on to something.
“How long has this been happening? Hiding in your room, where your family rarely venture, and then slipping out when they are not looking?”
She kept her eyes forward.
“I have no idea what you are talking about. I would never lie to my family.”
“Lie, no; evade, yes.”
“I don’t have time for this.”
“And what of your reputation should anyone chance upon you gadding about London alone... on foot?”
She scoffed. “I hardly think I can do any more to ruin my reputation, Cambridge.”
She attempted to leave once more, but Cam simply tugged her with him as he stepped to the side and out of the line so those behind him could enter, as the doors had finally opened.
“What does that mean?”
She had a way of looking at him that made him want to gnash his teeth. When Emily was near he had the urge to behave very badly... and often did. She brought out the worst in him and Cam had no idea why.
“I’m the bastard daughter of a duke.” The words were cold and clipped. “I would have thought it obvious.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Don’t be ignorant, Cambridge, it has a great deal to do with everything, especially in the way people see me.”
“And this is why you have not entered society as James wished?”
Emily shifted her weight slightly, just a small movement, but he knew her well enough to see it as discomfort.
“Because it is not right I do so, as you very well know. James is blinded by the fact I am of his blood, but it is not done for me to enter society. It will make life extremely uncomfortable for him, and Eden, in fact all of you, should I so much as step foot inside the hallowed walls of a nobleman’s house.”
It made him uncomfortable to acknowledge that maybe she was correct, so instead he said, “He wants only the best for you.”
“I know.”
“What was that business you and Mr. Lotus were discussing... loudly?”
“’Tis nothing.” She dismissed his words.
Cam noted the arm he was not holding was behind her back.
“You said something about showing Fossett your paper,” Cam remembered.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Tsk tsk, Emily. You are lying to me.”
Reaching around her, he grabbed the hand she was hiding and brought it forward. In her fist was clutched several papers.
“You will not touch those!”
“Tell me what they are, then I won’t have to.”
“They are private,
and mine; that alone should be enough to end this discussion.”
Cam laughed. “That has never stopped me, or any of my family members. Lord, Emily, if I simply stood back and waited for people to tell me things I would be constantly in the dark.”
“I don’t have time for this, Cambridge. I wish to attend that lecture, and plan to do so.”
He grabbed her arm again as she turned away from him, and walked her forward. After her encounter with Mr. Lotus, he couldn’t discount the man refusing to admit her and he would not tolerate that. She may irritate him like a rampaging plague of ants, but he was not having her insulted by anyone but he.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Lotus.”
“Mr. Sinclair.” The man bowed, and shot Emily a narrow-eyed look.
“This is my sister-in-law, Miss Tolly. She wishes to attend the lecture. Is that a problem?”
“No indeed. If she is to enter in your company, Mr. Sinclair, I have no problem with that.”
Cam felt Emily stiffen, but he ignored her and took some money out of his pocket. “She also wishes for these papers to find their way into Mr. Fossett’s hands. Is that also possible?” Cam wrenched the papers from Emily and put the money on top. He then handed them to Mr. Lotus.
The man bobbed his head. “I shall see it done, Mr. Sinclair.”
“Why will you take his money and not mine?”
“You tried to bribe him?” Cam was shocked, he’d never thought her capable of such a deed.
“Well you just did.”
“Yes… well yes, but it’s expected of me,” Cam managed to get out.
Mr. Lotus opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word Cam had dragged Emily away.
“How dared he,” she fumed. “Because I am a woman my money is not worthy of his consideration. But you wave some about and charm him with your smile and—”
“Take a breath, Emily, you are turning puce.”
“He... he is a-a—”
“Small-minded imbecile?”
“The very thing.”
Cam found he quite liked seeing Emily with fire in her eyes. It did not happen often, and usually only when a member of her family, or his, was under threat.
