The Duke’s Daughter - Lady Amelia Atherton: A Regency Romance Novel (Heart of a Gentleman Book 3)

by Isabella Thorne

  Her thoughts were screaming. She could not leave Samuel behind with the man who killed her father! What started as a wonderful day had ended in disaster. She did not know what to do. All she could think was get help. She glanced desperately at Samuel’s footman, hoping to send someone for aid, when she realized that there was a second man, even burlier than the fellow who had helped her exit the carriage all day: he was actually quite appalling as a footman, but both were quite grand as bodyguards. The second of Samuel’s men hoisted the unconscious Roberts up on his shoulder as if he were light as a deer and strode towards the carriage

  “Sorry M’lady,” he said as the two men proceeded to drag The Duke’s man inside. Carlton boarded the carriage as Amelia struggled to her feet. “We have nowhere else to put him until the Watch gets here and I’m afraid he’d attract attention on the street.”

  “Samuel!” she said. The carriage lurched forward again. She had still not gotten her footing. Roberts was sprawled unconscious on one seat and Carlton, was smiling at her from the other.

  “No. No. No,” she said frantic. “We can’t leave Samuel with my uncle. He killed my father. He cannot take Samuel from me too!”

  “Do not worry, yourself” Carlton said. “The Commander’s brother, Lord Beresford has just returned from securing the docks. He and the boys will be here quick as I drawed this one’s cork.” He gestured to the fallen Roberts. “The Duke isn’t going anywhere but the gaol.”

  There was a great shuffling outside and Amelia, too curious for her own good, peered out of the carriage. She recognized Percival with some members of the watch. “Lord Beresford,” she called with an indecorous shout.

  Percival was talking animatedly with one of the footman and an older gentleman who she did not immediately recognize. Then the older gentleman turned, headed straight for the carriage, and poked his head inside.

  “Lady Amelia,” he said. “Your pardon for speaking so frankly, when we have not been introduced, but I need to know, how many men are holding my son?”

  “I don’t know,” she stammered. “I only saw The Duke and the one other.” She gestured and he saw her uncle’s man still spread unconscious on the opposite seat. The gentleman muttered under his breath, and said. “Let us find you another carriage. Lady Patience is at my townhouse with my wife, I believe,” he said as he took her arm to escort her.

  She slapped his hand away. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” she snapped, eyes flashing fire. “Samuel is in danger and I’m not leaving him.”

  ~.~

  Chapter Seven

  Inside the townhouse, Samuel watched The Duke for a long moment. The maid left the room with Amelia, and although he didn’t like it, he knew that as long as The Duke was with him, she wouldn’t be in immediate danger. He had wished she had gotten to the carriage and his men, but he trusted her to be resourceful if necessary.

  The Duke had poured himself a brandy. He did not offer any to Samuel. He took a long swallow and set the glass aside. “You should not have threatened me,” he said.

  “You should not have threatened my intended,” Samuel retorted.

  A loud clatter was heard in the corridor and a door slammed like to rattle the windows loose. Samuel gave The Duke a small shrug. “It seems Amelia did not wish to retire,” he said.

  “Get her,” The Duke said, and the large man followed, leaving the duke alone with Samuel.

  “Samuel stood in one fluid motion and sat his teacup carefully on the table. He moved towards the door that the footman had gone out of, following Amelia, but The Duke stood in his way. For all that he was a villain, he was a member of the Peerage, Samuel reminded himself, giving him but a moment of pause. He listened with half an ear to the scuffle outside and he was fairly certain his men had Amelia safe.

  “Sit down,” The Duke barked at him. “You do not understand. You are nothing but a common seaman. You cannot touch me. This ends now.”

  “Oh, I agree,” Samuel said, a gleam, of amusement in his eye. “But I am afraid it is you who is uninformed, Your Grace. You see. I really don’t see how you will explain another body,” Samuel objected. “Or the gold, or the fact that I have the book. Killing me would be a grave mistake.”

  “The book is in your possession,” The Duke said. “I don’t need to kill you. Just discredit you. It solves both of my problems.

  “And Amelia?”

  “Bedlam. It is understandable she would be so distraught. What with the death of both her father and her new fiancé. No one will question it.”

  “Even Dukes are not invulnerable, as you well know,” Samuel said.

  “You forget yourself.” The Duke said softly.

  “Do I?” Samuel said. “Or do you forget I am quite good at capturing traitors to the crown.”

  “You have no recourse, Commander. Here is the brash Samuel Beresford, the unloved son, the son so intent upon nothing but his naval career, strangely showing his face at a ball for his betters…”

  Samuel’s jaw tightened momentarily, and then softened.

  “I was accompanying my brother,” Samuel began.

  “Exactly,” The Duke said. “Everyone at the ball saw you with Lord Beresford.”

  “Of course I was with my brother,” Samuel said.

  “All present saw you with your brother, and all saw you practically bowl over poor Lord Cornishe to dance with my niece…to ingratiate yourself with The late Duke’s daughter, my dear brother, who was pulled into this plot by you, and then, you absent yourself from the event at just the time when Lord Beresford became ill.”

  “I took my brother home,” Samuel protested.

  “You conveniently got the carriage and spirited him away to the country—just at the time when he was poisoned—I think it is quite clear that you are the one who did he deed.”

  “What?” Samuel said. “You are mad. No one will believe it.”

  “Wouldn’t they? Do you think they would believe the word of a common seaman over a duke? I think not. If they didn’t believe your brother, they certainly won’t believe you.

  “I think they will believe me now,” Percival said standing in the doorway, a gun leveled on The Duke. “Now, unhand my brother, you blackguard.”

  “But you were dead – at death’s door,” The Duke stuttered as Percy and the watch advanced on him. “The rumors –”

  “My demise was greatly over exaggerated,” Percival said continuing to hold the gun on The Duke as the men of the Watch entered the room.

  “Nothing so simple as a letter from a woman to her friend. It takes so little to start gossip,” Samuel said, tutting. He turned to his brother. “Is all in order?” he asked. “Do we have evidence to prove him a traitor to the crown?”

  “Enough for him to hang five times over,” Percival said. “Boxes of gold bars with the royal seal, the ship’s manifest and past shipments in his own hand as well as money to his private accounts.”

  “A moment then,” Samuel said to the Watch who were in the process of binding The Duke’s hands as he shouted his innocence.

  ‘Your Grace,” he said politely. “This is for the heartache you caused Lady Amelia.” Samuel hauled back and punched The Duke, knocking him completely senseless, and mercifully quiet. Samuel rubbed his knuckles. “I’ve been wanting to do that for ages,” He explained to his brother. “I couldn’t strike a duke, but a traitor; I could hit a traitor.”

  Percy laughed and threw an arm over his brother’s shoulder. “Come, your lady awaits.”

  “You were supposed to see her home,” Samuel protested.

  “Seeing Lady Amelia anywhere that she does not intend to be is quite the feat,” Percy said. “I do believe you have found a woman who is even more irascible than mother.”

  ~.~

  Lady Amelia Atherton was pacing on the street. Her slippers were ruined; her hem was soiled but no one could get her to be conveyed home without Commander Beresford. In fact, she refused to sit in a carriage at all, and the only thing that kept her fro
m running to Samuel’s rescue was the fact that she knew she would only cause him more distress if she reentered the townhouse.

  Just then, she saw someone exit the townhouse. She recognized him instantly as Samuel, and cried out. When he reached her, he enfolded her in his arms most indecorously. For a moment she was caught up in the scent of him, the warmth of his body and the strength of his arms. Amelia shivered. “He could have killed you too,” she said.

  “Did you have so little faith in me?”

  She didn’t answer and it felt like a betrayal.

  “Hmmm? Well,” he said surprised. “Something has finally rendered the irascible Lady Amelia speechless.”

  “I was afraid,” she whispered in a barely audible voice. “I was afraid I would lose you too.”

  He fixed the bow of her hat and kissed her on her forehead, his lips lingering.

  She was so relieved that he was alright, she could think of nothing but his nearness, and then she realized that others had gathered around them.

  Her hand went to her hair, straggling from beneath her hat. She was in a horrid state.

  Samuel cleared his throat and she stepped quickly away, but Samuel kept her hand on his arm steadying her as he turned to the others.

  “We have him,” Samuel said to his father. “He practically admitted to poisoning Percy and the murder of his brother, The late Duke of Ely to protect his secrets.”

  ‘Well, it answers our question as to what sort of contraband would incite murder,” Percival added. “If you are already going to hang for treason; you may as well hang for murder.”

  Samuel nodded, holding Amelia close. She had begun to shake.

  “Samuel,” said the older man, surprised. “I underestimated you, and your lady. You did well.”

  “Thank you, Father.”

  Father! Amelia choked. She looked from one to the other, realizing at long last that the older man who had asked about Samuel earlier was Samuel’s father, the Earl of Blackburn. She had spoken so sharply to him. Her hand went to her mouth as she realized how horrible she had been. How could she have missed the resemblance? Both were large boned and strong. Both had that peculiar calm and now she realized the gentleman had called Samuel his son when he spoke to her, but she had not even heard him. Amelia’s hand went to her bonnet attempting to stow several more stray hairs underneath it and put some order to her appearance, but it was much too late to worry about that.

  “Lord Blackburn,” she said, blushing hotly.

  “Don’t you think you should take your fiancée home,” The Earl continued.” There’s been enough excitement here. She looks like to swoon.”

  “Yes, father, I shall take her back to her Aunt Ebba’s right now, but for your future reference, my fiancé, is not prone to swooning.”

  “And if you do,” he whispered for her ears only. “I shall just have to catch you.”

  A secret smile passed her lips.

  “Her Aunt Ebba is with Lady Patience at father’s townhouse,” said Percival, gesturing towards his carriage. “And so is mother. You were right, Samuel. She did not stay in Bath, but has descended upon us like a raging lioness.”

  Samuel grinned an I told you so, look that she had begun to recognize as something that often passed between the brothers. Within the teasing, was love, something she never remembered seeing between her own father and her uncle, something she hoped for her own children. Where had that thought come from? She glanced at Samuel, but he was unaware of the direction of her thoughts.

  “Take my carriage,” Percival said to Samuel. “Father and I will finish here.”

  “I will inform mother of your health,” Samuel promised.

  “Tell her we will be home in time for tea,” Percy said. “Or perhaps dinner…”

  “I believe I’ve had quite enough tea,” Amelia said thinking of the awful meeting with her uncle.

  “I believe I will have something a little stronger than tea,” Samuel added at the same time as Amelia spoke. They smiled at each other and Samuel helped Amelia into the carriage. She was glad for a moment of privacy.

  Samuel and Amelia took Percy’s carriage while Samuel’s brother rode with his father, since Samuel’s carriage was occupied with the still unconscious Roberts.

  Samuel leaned against the back of the carriage and rubbed his knuckles with a satisfied sigh. “I have to admit,” he said. “It felt quite good to hit the man who caused you so much pain.” He grinned at Amelia for a moment and then slipped his arm around Amelia’s shoulders, pulling her close against him. She stiffened, as if to pull away, but then, with a quiet tut settled into the crook of his shoulder. She really should not, but she was so shaken by the encounter with her uncle and what it all meant, not just for her but for all of London, that she could not resist.

  All of the implications of The Duke being her guardian came crashing down on her. She would be with her Aunt Ebba now, but she thought that Amelia was to marry Commander Beresford, what would happen when their ruse came to light? She prided herself on her aplomb, but she could not stop shaking.

  “What if he somehow escapes?” she said. “He’s a duke. He has influence.” She could be at the mercy of the man who killed her father.

  “No,” Samuel said, riding the exhilaration of his recent victory. “That will not happen. He is a traitor. He’s attacked two members of the peerage, and killed one; all to cover his theft from the crown. We have witnesses to his villainy and a warehouse full of gold. He will not escape his comeuppance. This, my dear is the difference between a Naval officer and pirate,” he said with a smile.

  She shuddered. “I shall never call you a pirate again, even in jest” she said. “But, what will it all mean? He was still my guardian…and now…”

  “Now, I don’t need his approval of our union,” said Samuel his silly grin, breaking into an all-out laugh.

  She stared at him as he laughed.

  “Our false union,” Amelia whispered. “Commander Beresford. Oh, Commander Beresford, stop,” she admonished trying to bring him back to earth.

  Samuel sobered at her words and the formal address. He could see her rebuff now in her serious face, and all the elation of his win left him. It was exactly as he told his brother so long ago. She didn’t love him. She didn’t want to marry him. She only wanted to clear her father’s name, and now she had done that. It was finished.

  Pain ripped through him at the thought. She could go back to being the toast of Town. She could go back to her parties and dangling favors before all the Peerage. Only he wasn’t one of her dandies to be toyed with and never was. He was only a commander and she was the diamond of the Ton.

  As he looked at her serious face, he realized, he no longer believed that she was the vapid woman he once thought her. Perhaps she never was.

  And now, he had caught a traitor He may be a second son, but he was still a man to be reckoned with. The betrothal may have started out as a ruse, but he had become accustomed to the Lady Amelia Atherton at his side. He liked her there. He wasn’t about to give her up. Hadn’t he once said that if he ever decided to marry, no one would ever stop him?

  “Why, Lady Amelia, I thought we were on a first name basis,” he said flippantly, “After all, I am going to marry you.”

  Amelia huffed, and then realized what he had said. He said he was going to marry her.

  “Really,” she said sardonically. “You are really going to marry me?” She raised her chin a little. “You haven’t asked me.”

  “I did,” he said, turning her face to him. “Well, actually…”

  “I didn’t say yes.”

  “Of course you did,” he replied, “You asked me…and I said yes.” He said very seriously and kissed her open astonished mouth. For a moment she melted and then she placed her hands on his chest and pushed.

  “Stop,” she said. “If someone sees us…”

  “What? You will be ruined? You would have to marry me?”

  She looked at him for a moment startled by this
truth. “Well. Very well then, Commander, carry on,” she said tipping her face up to him.

  ~.~

  Chapter Eight

  The carriage stopped and Amelia tried to smooth her rumpled dress. It had been quite an eventful day. Her heart was still pounding from the thought of being at the mercy of her father’s murderer, and the whirl wind of house viewings, and, Samuel’s kisses in the carriage, and the final truth, that she didn’t want their sham of a betrothal any more. She wanted the real thing. She wanted Commander Samuel Beresford, even if he never made Captain, she wanted him, and he wanted her.

  It was quite a relief to realize that he was smart enough to figure things out for himself without her leading him. He had proven that she could depend upon him and he cut quite a figure even if he was less fine than was fashionable. She considered him handsome in a virile sort of way, and her opinion was the only one that counted. A thrill went through her. He was going to be her husband. She thought. Hers. She would have liked to announce their new engagement, now solidified in the carriage; to sing it from the rooftops, but of course, that time had already passed. The celebration of her engagement would have to be shared with the celebration of her uncle’s capture.

  When Samuel opened the door of the carriage, and Amelia looked out on the lawn, she was surprised by the number of carriages. “Is your family entertaining?” she asked. “I cannot be seen like this, Samuel.” She contemplated having him sneak her in a servant’s entrance so she could make herself somewhat presentable.

  “No,” Samuel said. “Most of this is my mother’s retinue. My mother’s and my father’s,” Samuel said with a frown. They do not often reside in the same house.

  Although Amelia would have liked to meet her future mother-in-law under better circumstances, than she had met her father-in-law to be, there was no help for it.