Barons, Brides, and Spies: Regency Series Starter Collection Volume Two

by Mary Lancaster

  “I’ll have Foskett search the records and uncover everything we have,” he said, brisk and businesslike. “I’ll even ask him to make inquiries to examine the old ecclesiastical records if you like. Those records we have here can be ready for you after lunch; the ones archived at St Mary’s may take a few weeks.”

  With the matter apparently settled in his mind, he put on his spectacles and started examining the documents before him.

  “You’re very kind, Peter.”

  Olivia wondered whether he even heard her. She quietly left his office and nodded to his clerk, a thin and smartly dressed young man, his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows in deference to the warm summer morning.

  By the time she had emerged from the Lemon Mews arcade, Olivia felt as though she had passed some kind of test. If she played her cards right, she would be able to find out for certain whether Christopher Hardacre had any claim on the Denton estate.

  If he lived.

  She made her way across the township toward the post office with the letter to the superintendent at The Foundling Hospital. All of her research would be for naught if she couldn’t find out what happened to the boy.

  Olivia was so caught up in her musings that she didn’t see the phaeton until the driver called down to her.

  “Excuse me, Miss. Are we on the right road to Kenwyn Hill?

  She looked up at the two well-to-do women, mother and daughter, she presumed. The older woman held the reins in black-gloved hands. She cut a trim figure in a very fashionable riding habit of vivid blue with gold braid and frogging across the breast. A pert black hat with a tall crown and narrow brim was perched on a coiffed riot of silvery white-blonde curls.

  The girl was about the same age as Lydia Denton, her old charge, and wore a less elaborate but still fetching habit of blue-green. With light brown hair and brown eyes, she did not look like her mother. Perhaps she took after her father.

  Olivia bobbed a curtsy. “Not quite, Madam, the name of Kenwyn Street is misleading. You will need to go back and onto King’s Street and follow the road past the post office. In fact, I was on my way there to post a letter.”

  “Isn’t that fortunate, Marie?”

  “Oui, Maman,” she answered with a faintly amused smile.

  “Then, you must ride with us,” the older woman said. “Move closer to me, Marie, so there is plenty of room for Miss…”

  Olivia bobbed again and reached for the step to draw herself up into the high seat. “Olivia Collins, ma’am. And I beg forgive me, but who do I have the honor of addressing?”

  “I am Lady Abigail Ridgeway, and this is my daughter, Marie.”

  “I am honored, ma’am.”

  Olivia barely had the words out before the lady snapped the reins and set the two handsome, matched chestnut horses into a smart canter. The phaeton barely slowed as it rounded the corner onto King Street. Olivia clung on to the rail with one hand and held the other to her straw hat to keep it from flying off.

  In half a mile, they had reached the post office. Lady Ridgeway brought the horses to a stop.

  “I’m very much obliged to you, Miss Collins,” the woman said crisply.

  Olivia took that as a dismissal. She lowered herself down onto a mounting block and stepped back down onto the pavement.

  “And one more imposition,” said Lady Ridgeway, reaching for a leather satchel beneath her seat. “Be a dear and post this letter to London for me.”

  The woman passed it to Marie, who then passed it down to Olivia who glanced at it. It was addressed to an Aunt Priscilla who apparently lived somewhere in Mayfair. Olivia also felt the weight of two guineas pressed down into her hand.

  “My Lady, you’ve given me too much!”

  “Nonsense! You’ve saved Marie from climbing down and there’s enough for your letter there, too.”

  And with another sharp snap of the reins, Lady Ridgeway’s phaeton took off up King Street toward Kenwyn Hill.

  Olivia watched them leave and shook her head. Lady Ridgeway was probably one of the “fast set” in her youth, she suspected.

  *

  Another letter reached Adam in Plymouth. This time delivered to his place of work by post.

  Adam found Admiral John Staerk’s office empty and closed the door behind him so he could read the letter in private.

  We have received your message and The Collector is anxious to meet at your earliest convenience. Be sure to have the goods ready for inspection this Sunday. There will be a letter waiting for you at Truro Post Office with further instructions.

  – W

  Adam swallowed back a curse – then helped himself to a cigar from the rosewood box on Staerk’s desk.

  He moved to the fireplace to retrieve a tall twist of paper from the vase on the mantel. Making quick work with the fire steel, the spill ignited. He lit the cigar then touched the lit paper to the letter in his hand, making sure it was well alight before tossing it into the fireplace.

  Adam drew deep, then exhaled out into the room, using the smoke from the cigar to mask the burning missive.

  Bassett was not going to be happy.

  Hell, he wasn’t happy.

  That bastard Wilkinson – or whoever was pulling his strings – had brought forward the meeting by another five days.

  And Adam wasn’t expected to leave Plymouth for Truro for another two days. That meant if he left at first light on Saturday morning, he might just be able to make it back to Truro before the post office closed at eight o’clock in the evening.

  If he was lucky.

  Otherwise, he’d have to wait until Sunday morning when the office opened at eight in the morning for a couple of hours – and that would leave him no time to collect the Artemis warship plans from Bassett and consult with Lord Ridgeway.

  The door opened. Staerk walked in and started at seeing him by the fireplace. Adam kept his expression neutral as the spry elderly gentleman looked at him, then at his humidor, and then back to him.

  The old admiral’s lips thinned with displeasure, but he said nothing. Adam had to admire the man’s restraint. Whatever hold or incentive Lord Ridgeway exercised over the man, it must be considerable.

  Adam took one last pull from the cigar, threw it in the fire, and strolled to the door as though he owned the place.

  Staerk finally showed emotion as they passed, shoulder-to-shoulder, in the doorway.

  “The next time you see Sir Daniel,” Staerk ground out, “you may pass on my compliments to his wife.”

  Adam made sure he was well away from the architect’s building before he allowed himself the laughter that had been bubbling in his gut ever since he left the office.

  Compliments to Ridgeway’s wife, indeed!

  He shook his head, reminding himself never to underestimate women. Lady Abigail in particular.

  And yet, as handsome – and hypnotic – as she was, in Adam’s own mind she was no comparison to Olivia.

  He recalled the promise extracted from him and found himself chewing over the same dilemma. Every evening this week, he had gone to bed with a vow to break his bargain, but every morning he woke up with his resolve diminished. The logic was compelling – he wanted her as much she wanted him.

  The crude words he had used to shock her had the unintended consequence of rebounding on him. The thought of Fitzgerald bedding Olivia turned his stomach. The only way to avoid that was to give Olivia a reason to refuse the lawyer – and Adam was sure the only one she would accept was marriage.

  Marriage…he’d vowed years ago to avoid that state until he had attained his commission and could afford to keep a wife properly. The idea of it had never occurred to him again until the night of the dance.

  Perhaps he had been too hasty in dismissing the idea of an involvement. The Ridgeways made it work – marriage and this shadow world of spying. Why couldn’t he and Olivia?

  Damn it. He loved her. And there – now he’d actually articulated it in his mind.

  Adam lengthened his stri
de once he had crossed the street onto the expanse of parklands overlooking the sea that the locals of Plymouth called the Hoe. Before him, still several hundred yards away, was the Royal Citadel – a fort founded by Sir Francis Drake on behalf of his queen and home to the garrison that protected this shipbuilding town.

  He could see the wooden structure that stood much higher than the walls. The semaphore arms stretched out like a headless scarecrow. Adam would use it to send a coded message to Ridgeway – perhaps they could identify the man who was to deliver his next instructions.

  In his mind’s eye, he could see the signal book. Adam rehearsed the code over and over again in his head.

  The soldier at the guardhouse greeted his arrival with suspicion bordering on hostility.

  “State your business,” he demanded through the grate.

  “I am on a mission of great urgency. I have a message for General Campbell from Aunt Runella.”

  The young man made the mistake of laughing.

  Adam returned an implacable stare.

  He had perfected the steely-edged voice of command long ago and it was good to finally use it with true authority.

  “Now, soldier!”

  The snap to attention was almost audible. The guard disappeared and returned a few minutes later with a mustachioed sergeant who looked less than impressed.

  “The general wants to know who’s delivering the message.”

  Adam drew a deep breath. “Aunt Hilda.”

  The sergeant’s hair-covered mouth twitched. Adam gritted his teeth and waited for the refusal. But the man had the uncommon good sense to keep his laughter behind that tea-strainer mustache. He nodded to the guard. A moment later, Adam was admitted.

  Damn Ridgeway and his stupid code names!

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Olivia set up her easel in the main dining room, the space now cavernous without the dining table that could seat twenty and its accompanying sideboard. Those pieces were now in London. But what could not be taken away was the magnificent marble fireplace.

  On first glance, it seemed plain, made of white marble with fluted Corinthian columns rising to a plinth into which was carved the Denton coat of arms. The header of the mantel featured a rectangular piece of russet red mottled marble, as were the facing legs, which picked up the color of the painted walls.

  The overmantel rose high over the chimney breast to accommodate a large mirror which reflected the light from the tall windows at the opposite end of the room.

  Olivia drew herself closer and sat on a stool she’d taken from the kitchen. She began her sketch.

  Yes. It was good to have something to occupy her time. At least it gave some small measure of purpose to marking the days ’til the end of summer. It gave her something to think about other than the thought of moving away – or of marriage to Fitzgerald. She wasn’t sure which one she dreaded most.

  But she would not, under any circumstances, waste any more time thinking about Adam Hardacre.

  She knew he had spent all week in Plymouth. But if he decided to return, he should be back in Ponsnowyth tomorrow. Perhaps, she would see him at the church.

  So much for not thinking about him.

  She grabbed a pencil and started short, hard strokes for her sketch.

  Olivia might not have heard the arrival of a visitor but for having the dining room window open to clear the stuffiness of the room. But as soon as she heard the jangle of a bridle and heard the rhythmic trot of a single horse outside, she went to the window.

  The rider’s blond hair glowed in the sunlight and her breath caught. Adam! She glanced down at her blue day dress. It was neither here nor there in terms of fashion, but it was cool and comfortable. Perfect for the day she had planned sketching architectural items of interest in Kenstec House. Not for receiving a visitor. This visitor.

  She watched him deftly dismount from his bay horse. Should she call out to him? Olivia found his name caught in her throat, so she waited to see what he did.

  He seemed to be looking intently at the exterior of the house, as though committing it to memory. Why was he here? There could be any number of reasons why and not one of them to do with her.

  But what if he was here to see her?

  The little voice tickled her ear; it sent gooseflesh running down her arms and a flush running up her chest and into her face.

  Was there any hope he might have forgotten her request? Surely, he was a gentleman despite not being born to it. And she would forget she had asked for such a thing – after all, no lady of quality would…

  She closed her eyes as she felt the heat of her blush grow warmer still. He might forget, but she could not.

  A breeze up from the river cooled her cheeks and she hoped it would be enough to hide her discomfiture from her visitor. When she opened her eyes, Adam was gone, his horse abandoned and happy to graze on the lawn.

  She listened to see if she could hear his booted feet echoing through the sparsely furnished house but she did not.

  “Looking out for anything in particular?”

  His voice came from nowhere. Olivia jumped, then clapped her hands over her mouth before she could scream.

  Adam’s face also wore a look of surprise in return.

  “I’m sorry, I thought you heard me come in…”

  Olivia recognized she was not merely surprised but in shock a split second before Adam closed the distance between them and caught her in his arms. She fought the part of herself that wanted to burst into tears, accepting the embrace and comfort he offered. She held on to him until the blood ceased roaring through her ears and she could hear the familiar sound of birds singing outside and the breeze blowing through the trees.

  Adam looked down at her. His hazel eyes were grave, his expression reserved. He was waiting for her to say something. She decided on the truth.

  “I’ve missed you.”

  He seemed in no hurry to release her from his embrace. Instead, he kissed the top of her head tenderly.

  “I’ve missed you, too,” he murmured.

  “I was afraid after last week you might treat me with contempt.”

  Adam pulled back. There was no derision in his eyes, no mocking. In fact, his face was serious as she imagined hers to be.

  “For being honest about your circumstances? For what you want?” he asked.

  Olivia didn’t trust herself to even nod.

  “How much better we’d all be if everyone showed so much candor.” he said. He slid his hands down her arms and took hold of her hands. “Too many of my days recently have been spent trying to discern the honest man from the charlatan, the good from the deceitful. Your truthfulness is the one thing I’ve come to depend on.”

  He kissed one hand, then the other, waiting for her full composure to return which she signaled with a smile.

  “Come with me…to the kitchen,” he clarified. “No big decisions should ever be made hastily. I brought tea.”

  They walked unhurriedly, hand-in-hand, down the hall into the kitchen, as though they actually were sweethearts. Perhaps she could pretend.

  “I didn’t expect to see you today,” she said. “In fact, I wondered whether I’d ever see you again.”

  “I left Plymouth the day before yesterday and camped overnight outside of Saint Austell.”

  “You must be exhausted!”

  He shrugged, unconcerned, although she saw now his eyes were dark rimmed from lack of sleep.

  “I had business to conduct in Truro, then I came straight here to see you.”

  Adam set a filled kettle on the stove before urging her to the kitchen table. They sat and he took her hands in his once more.

  “What we arranged…do you appreciate what it will mean if we become lovers? There’s risk involved…to your reputation if we’re discovered for one; your plans to marry Fitzgerald for another. Is that something you’re prepared for?”

  She opened her mouth to answer, but he touched a finger against her lips. “Don’t answer yet. Th
ey’re not the only risks. I believe we’re half in love with each other as it is. We could walk away now and still leave with our hearts intact. But after knowing one another, loving one another, becoming as one all summer – do you really think we could part then without something of ourselves breaking?”

  She closed her eyes, fearing her innermost thoughts might show in them, and took in a shuddering breath.

  “Think about this carefully, Olivia,” he continued softly. “Think if we fell deeper still in love and you wed Fitzgerald. What would it be like to see one another, knowing we could not be together? Or worse, what if the parting between us was bitter and you resented me for taking what should have been something you shared with your husband?”

  Adam paused for a moment. “So, one final time, have you given serious thought about this?”

  “’Tis better to be left than never to have been loved…” she quoted. She opened her eyes to find Adam looking puzzled. She offered him a shy, reassuring smile. “I have thought of nothing else all week…longer. I am willing, if you are willing.”

  She watched Adam’s face carefully – the slight working of a muscle at the jaw, the movement of his eyes at things perhaps only his mind’s eye could see – learning the expressions that told her as much about him as words ever could.

  Once again, he raised her hand to his lips, and she allowed him to see her unguarded emotion – the want, the desire laid bare. Surely disrobing could not leave her any more naked.

  Adam glanced behind him. Jets of steam rose from the kettle spout. He released her hand and rose from the table.

  “We have all afternoon,” he said. “Tea first.”

  Olivia looked down at her empty hands. She hadn’t realized they were shaking.

  *

  Adam removed the boiling kettle from the stove and poured a small amount of hot water into the pot to warm it before emptying it into the slops bucket. He used the time to give Olivia a chance to compose herself.

  He needed that time, too, if he was honest.

  Adam pulled out a sealed envelope from his satchel that hung over the chair, opened it carefully, and poured the black leaf within into the pot. As he filled it with water, he heard Olivia rise behind him and prepare the cups.