To Tempt an Irish Rogue

by Kaitlin O'Riley

  Then they explained to Lucien about the letters that she and Declan had been receiving and how Declan refused to see her until he discovered the sender of the letters.

  Lucien’s mouth set in a grim line. “So someone was threatening him.”

  “And Paulette,” Jeffrey stated.

  “Paulette, you really should have come to me with this right from the beginning,” Lucien said, giving her a stern look. “This is dangerous.”

  “I know. And I’m very sorry about it. I wanted to tell you so many times, yet . . . The more involved I became with Declan, the more difficult it became to tell anyone what I was doing. It was a very romantic—”

  “I’ve heard enough,” Jeffrey interrupted. “We understand, Paulette.”

  She gave him a wry look. “I am one and twenty. I’m not a little girl anymore.”

  “I’m sorry, but we can’t help but think of you that way,” Lucien said kindly.

  “It’s true,” Jeffrey added with his signature smile. “You and Yvette will always be little girls in my eyes, even when you’re fifty years old.”

  Paulette gave her head a rueful shake. “You’re daft but I love you both and I thank you for helping me, even if you don’t think I’m old enough to be in love with Declan.”

  Later that night they made arrangements for her trip to Ireland as Harrison readily agreed to sail his ship, the Sea Minx, to Dublin, taking Paulette, along with Juliette and Sara. And of course, Jeffrey Eddington had decided to come along, too.

  Chapter 28

  Adversaries

  Paulette stared with wide eyes at the massive estate that Declan called home. Cashelmore Manor sat upon acres and acres of rolling green land, its limestone and granite walls creating a towering portico with arcades on either side supporting square towers topped with carved pinnacles. The massive structure spread out on either side of the main entrance, with Tuscan colonnades leading to the stable courts. A long, straight driveway made a path to the great courtyard where the carriage carrying her and Jeffrey Eddington came to a stop.

  Jeffrey let out a low whistle. “Well, take a good look at your future home, Lady Cashelmore.” He gave her a knowing glance. “You may very well be carrying a son and the heir to this place.”

  “I’m not Lady Cashelmore yet.” Unconsciously her hand slid to her abdomen and the baby within. Her heart raced at the thought of their child living in a place so grand. “When I met him he was merely Mr. Reeves, a handsome widower from Ireland. How did I know all this existed? I really had no idea what I was getting myself into.” Paulette shook her head in wonder.

  What would she find within the walls of Cashelmore Manor?

  She recalled Declan saying his cousin was overlooking his estate for him, and together with the information that Jeffrey and Lucien had collected, she learned that Gerald O’Rourke and his wife, Alice, were staying at Cashelmore Manor. While aboard ship, Paulette had discovered quite a few interesting facts about Declan’s family, as well as his late wife’s, as she avidly studied the papers Lucien had given her regarding Declan’s case.

  The boat trip from London had been fairly smooth and she had handled the sailing of the Irish Sea surprisingly well. With her morning sickness being as bad as it was, she had anticipated a hellish time aboard ship. However, the sea air must have strengthened and calmed her spirit, for not only did she regain her appetite, but her nausea had lessened considerably. The same could not be said for poor Jeffrey, who spent the entire journey huddled in his cabin suffering the worst case of seasickness Captain Fleming had ever seen. He had been so ill that Paulette dared not even tease him about it. She loved Jeffrey all the more for making the journey for her sake, knowing how much he detested sea travel.

  When they finally docked, Juliette and Harrison decided it was best if they stayed in Dublin with their daughter, Sara, until they had more information. Paulette and Jeffrey continued on to Cashelmore Manor, which was just outside the city of Dublin. Aside from seeing Declan, Paulette’s first mission was to make sure Mara was being taken care of properly. With her father in custody, the poor child must be frightened and heartbroken at his absence. She also knew Declan would be frantic with worry over his daughter. She would not see him without being able to let him know Mara was safe and well.

  Now she took a deep breath as they were helped down from the carriage by servants dressed in the Cashelmore livery. After giving their names, the butler, an ancient gentleman with not one hair on his head, led them into the main salon, where they were told to wait for Declan’s cousin to join them.

  Too nervous to sit still, Paulette wandered about the ridiculously ornate room. Her footsteps echoed as she paced the blue-themed room, with its twenty-foot ceiling and a white marble floor, admiring the formal portraits and fine china figurines and elegant vases on display.

  It was hard to imagine Declan growing up alone in a house as cold as this, without brothers or sisters to play with. His parents died while he was a young boy, and he was virtually raised by nannies and tutors. The only blood relation he had left was his cousin, Gerald O’Rourke, and Paulette came here to see his cousin and ask what could be done to help Declan. However, she was a little uncomfortable with how to introduce herself and Jeffrey Eddington to Declan’s family.

  “This house is like a museum,” Jeffrey murmured in distaste.

  “Is it very different from your father’s estate?” Paulette whispered back. For some reason she found it necessary to whisper.

  “No, it’s exactly like it,” Jeffrey answered, shrugging carelessly. “But Father’s place is a cold museum too and the reason why I don’t live there.”

  Everyone knew that Jeffrey’s father was the powerful Duke of Rathmore, a wealthy and imposing man, but the duke’s wife had not been Jeffrey’s mother. For all that he had been raised as the duke’s only son in a world of privilege and luxury, Jeffrey could never inherit the title because he had been born on the wrong side of the sheets.

  “I can’t see you living in a place like this either,” Paulette said. For that matter, she could not imagine any child ever living here. Including her own child.

  “Good afternoon and welcome to Cashelmore Manor.” A very pretty dark-haired woman entered the salon. Dressed in a stylish gown of deep burgundy, she posed in the doorway as elegantly as if she were a queen bestowing favors on her subjects.

  Paulette and Jeffrey exchanged curious looks as they moved toward her and said good afternoon.

  “I’m Alice O’Rourke, Declan’s cousin. You must be Miss Hamilton.” Her dark eyes raked over Paulette and then settled on Jeffrey. An odd smile spread over her face, as if a candle had just been lit from within. Her long eyelashes fluttered. “And you must be Lord Eddington. You’re both friends of my cousin, I believe? Please be seated.”

  They all moved to sit upon the blue silk-covered chairs in the center of the large salon.

  “It’s such a wonderful surprise to have some of Declan’s London friends visit us! To what do we owe the pleasure of your company today?” Alice O’Rourke said, her expression one of curiosity. “How may I be of help to you both?”

  After a nervous glance at Jeffrey, Paulette began first. “Actually we were wondering how we could help you.”

  The woman looked completely puzzled. “Help me?” She released a throaty little laugh. “Why on earth would you think I need your help?”

  “We thought perhaps you might need our assistance in helping Lord Cashelmore,” Paulette said.

  “Oh, I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do to help him now.” Alice O’Rourke frowned in a way in that looked a bit forced. “I’m sure you must be aware that the Dublin authorities have taken Declan into custody.” She paused dramatically. “They believe he’s responsible for his wife’s death.”

  “We don’t believe that,” Paulette asserted firmly. “Surely you don’t either?”

  “Well, it doesn’t make a difference what I believe, now does it?” Alice O’Rourke stared sweetly, her brown ey
es full of innocence. “May I enquire why any of this is your concern in the first place?”

  Jeffrey caught her attention. “Lord Cashelmore informed me of his decision to marry Miss Hamilton just before he returned to Ireland. She is his fiancée.”

  The woman could not hide her shock at this development. Her eyes grew very wide. “I thought he had ended things with you weeks ago! I had no idea that Declan had any intentions of marrying anyone! How could we not know of this?”

  Giving Alice O’Rourke a triumphant look, Jeffrey said, “It seems your cousin did not think it necessary to inform you of his plans, now did he?”

  “Well, unfortunately he’s not in a position to marry anyone at the moment, is he?” said a rather round, red-faced gentleman with gray hair, who strode into the room with a drink in his hand.

  “Oh, this is my husband and Declan’s cousin, Gerald O’Rourke. Gerald, these are Declan’s friends from London.” Alice waved a hand in their general direction.

  “So I’ve gathered. And you are his rumored fiancée?” The man turned his bloodshot gaze on Paulette.

  She nodded. “Yes, I am his fiancée and we’ve come to see how we can best help Declan. We hoped to see Mara as well.”

  Gerald chuckled ruefully and took a sip of his drink. “I don’t believe there’s much you can do in the way of helping my cousin at this point, but you can try. We’ve done all we can on our end. It’s out of our hands and up to the courts now, but I must say it doesn’t look too good for him. And as for Mara . . . she’s fine, simply fine. She’s up in the nursery. I’m sending her to live with her mother’s family. It’s best for all concerned this way. Her aunts can take better care of her than Alice and I can.”

  Shivering, Paulette recalled all that Declan had told her about Margaret’s two older sisters and how he had fled Ireland to keep Mara away from them. Declan would be devastated at the thought of Mara in the hands of his late wife’s sisters.

  Paulette stared at these two people who lived in Declan’s house and yet would so callously give away his daughter. She was developing a strong dislike for Declan’s cousin and his wife. They seemed not at all concerned with helping Declan’s cause or worried about him in the least.

  “May I please see Mara?” Paulette asked abruptly.

  “Of course you may see her, if you like. Would you care to join us for supper this evening or do you need to return to Dublin right away?” Alice asked, clearly hoping they would decline the invitation to stay.

  Paulette had no intention of staying with these people any longer than necessary and was about to refuse the half-hearted invitation.

  “We would love to have supper with you.” Jeffrey suddenly favored Alice O’Rourke with his most devastating smile, the one he used when he wanted to charm a woman.

  It seemed Alice O’Rourke was not immune to Lord Eddington’s allure. Once again her thick eyelashes fluttered. “That would be wonderful. I’m sure you’re a most entertaining supper companion, Lord Eddington.”

  Growing a bit annoyed, Paulette rose to her feet, wondering why on earth Jeffrey agreed to stay for supper. She asked Gerald, “May I please see Mara now?”

  Gerald stood, obviously as eager to end this visit as Paulette was. “Yes, I’ll ring for a footman to escort you to the nursery.”

  “Jeffrey.” Paulette gave him a pointed look. “Are you coming with me?”

  He waved a dismissive hand at her, his eyes still on Gerald’s wife. “I’ll wait for you here, Paulette.”

  With an annoyed huff, Paulette followed the footman as he escorted her down the wide hallway and up a massive staircase that made the one at Devon House look small by comparison. They walked along another hallway, then ascended a more normal-sized flight of stairs, until they reached the nursery. It was another unnecessarily large room with tall windows, which at least let in some natural light, as the October sunshine spilled in the room. Carpeted with thick oriental rugs and heavy wooden furniture, there was nothing about the room that indicated it belonged to a little girl.

  Paulette hesitated in the doorway, looking about and unsure what to do. It was then she saw Mara, at the far end of the great room. She sat on the floor, in a blue dress, her golden hair like a halo around her sad face, a few books and toys scattered on the carpet beside her. Paulette knew the instant that Mara sensed her presence, for the child stood up immediately, her eyes wide with recognition.

  “Papa!” she cried, as she fairly flew across the room.

  Paulette sank to her knees and Mara ran into her arms, clinging to her so tightly she almost couldn’t breathe. The little girl sobbed and sobbed, saying over and over again. “They took Papa away. They took my papa.”

  “Oh, it’s all right.” Shocked that the child actually spoke, Paulette held her close, whispering soothing words to her. “It’s all right, Mara.”

  “Oh, Miss Hamilton, it’s you!”

  Turning at the voice, Paulette recognized Mrs. Martin right away. The woman smiled at her with relief. Slowly Paulette rose to her feet, still holding Mara in her arms. “Yes, I’ve only just arrived.”

  “I’m so happy to see you here, you’ve no idea.”

  “Mara’s talking now?” Paulette asked.

  “I guess you could say so, yes.” The days of concern and anxiety cleared showed on Mrs. Martin’s face. “But that’s all she says. She just keeps asking for her father, the poor child. And who can blame her? But I’ve no idea what to say to her because I don’t know what is happening with Lord Cashelmore.”

  Paulette smoothed her hand over Mara’s golden hair in an attempt to calm the girl and moved to sit on the nearest chair, settling Mara on her lap. “Everything will be all right, Mara. Your father will be back with you very soon. He loves you and misses you very, very much. He wouldn’t want you to worry and cry over him this way. He needs you to be a very brave girl for him right now.”

  Sniffling, Mara looked at her and nodded in understanding. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands.

  “Good girl, Mara.” Paulette placed a kiss on the girl’s head. She then turned her attention to Mrs. Martin. “I’m afraid I’ve not much more information to share with you either, but my family is trying everything they can to help him.”

  “Oh, Miss Hamilton, it was terrible the day they took Lord Cashelmore. They didn’t even give Mara a chance to say good-bye to him, oh and she was just beside herself when she realized he was gone. It took me all night to calm her down, and she kept calling for him over and over. It just about broke my heart. And now his cousin says that Mara is to go and live with her Aunt Deirdre tomorrow and I know Lord Cashelmore wouldn’t be happy with that arrangement at all. And what’s to become of me? That horrid Mrs. O’Rourke dismissed me as soon as Lord Cashelmore was gone, but I couldn’t bear to leave Mara here alone. Where would I go anyway? I’m stuck in this country without enough money to get myself back to London. And they sent Lord Cashelmore’s valet packing that very night. Poor Hobbes. I don’t even know where he went.”

  “Oh, we’ll see that you get home safely, Mrs. Martin. With Mara as well,” Paulette promised. “Lord Cashelmore would not be pleased with any of this, I assure you.”

  “What are we going to do?” Mrs. Martin asked.

  “I’m not entirely sure just yet.” Paulette hesitated. “Mara, do you want to go stay with your Aunt Deirdre?”

  “No. I want Papa.” Mara’s words were perfectly clear between a hiccupping sob. “I want my papa.”

  “I know that, darling.” Paulette smiled at her, happy that the child was speaking. “Would you want to come stay with me, perhaps? While we go and get your father?”

  “Oh, yes, please.” Mara hugged her.

  Mrs. Martin frowned. “They’ll never let you take her from the house.”

  “I’m sure you’re right about that.”

  Paulette worried and wished that Jeffrey had come up to the nursery with her. He would be sure to know what to do about Mara. Whatever was he doing down ther
e anyway flirting with that horrid woman? He chose the worst time to become smitten with a pretty face. Paulette knew if she asked the O’Rourkes if Mara could stay with her, they would refuse. And honestly, who was Paulette to waltz into Cashelmore Manor and demand the earl’s daughter anyway? She was carrying Declan’s child and would soon be Mara’s stepmother but no one else was fully aware of that fact yet. She had no proof of her claim until she saw Declan. All she knew was that she had to protect Declan’s daughter, and there was only one way she knew to do it.

  She had to get Mara out of the house without being seen.

  “Mrs. Martin, would you be willing to help me?” she asked.

  “If it’s the right thing to do, why yes, of course.” The woman nodded.

  “Lord Eddington and I have agreed to stay for supper this evening. While we are dining with the O’Rourkes, do you think you could manage to get Mara and yourself out of the house without anyone knowing? Once it’s dark enough, just wait for our carriage along the drive and we’ll pick you both up and take you back to Dublin with us.”

  “Miss Hamilton!” The petite woman’s eyes grew round in astonishment. “Are you sure? That sounds very dangerous for us all. If Mr. O’Rourke or his wife find out . . .”

  Yes, it was quite dangerous, but the little girl Paulette held in her arms had come to mean a good deal to her and she had to protect her for Declan’s sake, if nothing else. “I don’t know what else to do. I can’t let Mara’s aunts take her. We’ll sort it all out when we get back to Dublin and see Lord Cashelmore. Mrs. Martin, do you think you could get out of the house without anyone realizing you’re gone?”

  Mrs. Martin thought for a moment, considering the urgency of the situation. “Yes, I believe we could. Those two don’t ever come up to see Mara and in fact, they haven’t since I’ve been here. Since I refused to leave, they are letting me stay on and have dismissed the other servants who are supposed to work up here in the nursery. I don’t think anyone would notice we were gone until they call us down tomorrow when Mara’s aunts arrive.”