by Wendy Vella
Table of Contents
TITLE PAGE
DEDICATION
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
THANK YOU!
SNEAK PEEK
OTHER BOOKS BY WENDY VELLA
LORD VALIANT
By Wendy Vella
The second book in the, Lords of Night Street, from Amazon bestselling romance author Wendy Vella.
When Miss Charlotte Radley arrives on his doorstep, claiming she needs help from the Lords of Night Street, Viscount Needly is intrigued. She lives in one of the most notorious parts of London and runs a halfway house for ladies of the night, yet her speech and manner tell him she is a lady. Determined to uncover the truth about his mysterious new client, Marcus’s investigations find that not only is Charlotte more than she seems—she’s also in grave danger.
But instead of listening to his warnings, the headstrong Charlotte continues to throw herself into trouble on behalf of her girls, giving no thought to her own wellbeing.
When she is abducted, Marcus has no choice but to go after her. He knows that it’s no longer just her safety involved—his own survival would be in question if he lost the one woman who had given his life meaning.
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Lord Valiant, is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Lord Valiant, published by Wendy Vella
Copyright © 2015 Wendy Vella
ISBN: 978-0-9941157-6-8
Cover Design – Ebook Indie Covers
DEDICATION
This book is for my grandparents, the people who started it all.
Thanks for the endless stories and patience.
Gone but never forgotten.
Love you always x
CHAPTER ONE
Marcus, Viscount Needly, looked at his three friends, sitting in various states of inebriation around his study. They were known as the Lords of Night Street, simply because that was where they had chosen to base their investigative services. They took the cases no one else touched and reveled in each challenge.
Tonight they were celebrating returning the Duke of Sithe’s son back into the bosom of his family. They had removed him from the clutches of several ruthless men intent on extorting a large ransom for the boy’s return.
"Leo, were you actually to bed Lady Braithwaite, I'm sure your infatuation with her would wane."
Nicholas, the fifth Earl of Attwood, who was lying on the floor, lifted his head and opened one eye to glare at him. "Ssshis not as beautiful as my wife," he managed, before closing it again. Nick had not overindulged for many months and his wife, who was three months away from the birth of their first child, had insisted he join tonight’s celebrations. However, his tolerance for spirits was not what it once had been.
"Lady Tattler hasssh larger breasts.” This was said by Jacob, Viscount Hatherton. Slumped in a chair, he wore only one boot; the other he had flung across the room at some point in the evening to support an argument he was trying to win.
"Lady Braithwaite—" Leo, Marquess Vereton, sighed. Like Marcus, he sat with his feet on the desk. "—has the most superb breasts currently on display this season, and much as I would love to tumble with her, I have heard she is not one to let go easily after the deed is done."
“Deed?” Nick raised his head again, blurry eyes focusing on Leo. “It is not a deed but an exquisite pleasure when you make love to the right woman.”
“May the Lord save us from happily married men,” Leo muttered.
A knock on the door drew the eyes of the two men still in control of their wits and was followed by the gray-haired head of his butler.
"If I may have a word, my lord." The head was soon followed by a tall thin body, immaculately tailored as always, even at—Marcus squinted at the clock on the wall opposite.
"Good God, Chadley, it's gone three in the morning. What are you still doing above stairs?" Leo said.
"Chadley!" bellowed Nick, raising his head briefly before subsiding once again and succumbing to slumber.
"I was about to retire, Lord Needly—" Chadley stepped over Nick, managing to look as if stepping over an inebriated Lord was an everyday occurrence. "—when there was a knock on the door."
"Which I gather you opened?" Leo prompted.
"Yes, and a person was upon the doorstep requesting to speak to you, one of the Lords of Night Street. I told her there was no such person of that name here, but she refused to leave without speaking to the owner of this house. I, of course, attempted to dissuade her, as no woman of worth would be out, alone, at such an hour, but she informed me that she w-would…"
"Would?" Marcus questioned his servant when he stuttered to a halt.
"Make me very sorry if I did not tell you she was here."
"In what capacity did she say she would make you sorry, Chadley?" Leo said, looking intrigued.
"By screaming very loudly that I was taking advantage of her person, Lord Vereton."
"Did she, by God." Leo whistled softly. "Good ploy one has to say, even considering the hour.”
"I then informed her that I would rouse the footmen and have her thrown from the doorstep," Chadley added.
"To which she replied?"
"That I would have to leave her alone on said doorstep to do that, Lord Needly, as she didn't believe I had the strength to remove her bodily so I could close the door on her."
"Another excellent reply, wouldn't you say, Chadley?"
"Be quiet, Leo," Marcus said calmly, before addressing his butler. "Does this person have a name, Chadley?"
"Yes, my lord, her name is Miss Radley."
"Do we know a Miss Radley?" He looked at Leo, then back to Chadley. Both looked blank.
"And where have you put her?" Marcus rose to his feet.
"In the small parlor beside the entranceway."
"Lead on then," Marcus said, waving Leo back into his chair when he indicated he would come too. "There is no need for whoever is there to see both of us. That someone knows my identity is bad enough, but there is no need to expose yours also."
Marcus followed Chadley down the halls of his home to the staircase, where he descended.
"Thank you, Chadley, please retire now, and I shall see to Miss Radley."
"Are you sure, Lord Needly? She seems a managing sort of woman."
"Have no fear, Chadley, as I am both managing and menacing, I shall be fine alone with Miss Radley."
Marcus walked into the room after his butler had left, stopping just inside the doorway. The woman was looking out the window at the night sky.
"Miss Radley."
She turned at his words, and Marcus got his first glimpse of her. Her face was tilted, showing him only the right side, and it had a slight flush, no doubt from the night air she had just left. Her features were put together well, delicate nose, full lips, and the lower had a delicate curve that had no doubt tempted many a man. Beneath the arch of her dark brows Marcus thought she had pale blue eyes, but couldn't be sure. Her hair was tucked into a black bonnet so he could not see the color.
"Lord Needly." Her words were rushed, telling him of her nerves.
"You're either incredibly brave
or stupid, Miss Radley, to have come alone to a gentleman’s house at this hour. What made you believe I would be still awake?”
“Noblemen do not often find their beds early during the season, my lord, and I was desperate enough to take the chance. That alone is what drove me to seek out the one they call Lord Valiant."
"There is no one here by that name," Marcus said calmly.
"I know you are one of the Lords of Night Street, Lord Needly."
She didn't retreat as he moved closer, instead following him with her eyes.
"I have been drinking steadily for many hours, Miss Radley, my head is not clear, and I am not fit company for a woman, no matter what her standing is in life. Therefore, I suggest you leave my house at once."
"I know you are he, Valiant," she said in a soft, cultured voice.
"And how do you know that?"
"The boy who delivers my messages said he passed a note into your hands, and it was addressed to L. Valiant."
Marcus and his friends had been investigating since their return from the duties they performed for their country. When a friend had fallen into trouble they had stepped in to help, and since then he, Leo, Jacob, and Nick had closed many cases, but they did do so under the guise of the names they had used as boys. He was Valiant, Leo, Noble, Jacob, Valorous, and Nick was Gallant. Until now their identities had been protected, as all communications came through a man they had employed to front their organization.
"I would not have come here at such at such an hour were I not desperate, Lord Needly."
Marcus now stood close enough to reach out and touch her. Lamplight showed him the fear in her eyes and the rapid beat of a pulse in her neck.
"No one knows the identity of the Lords of Night Street, Miss Radley, and the word Valiant on a letter means very little by way of evidence to support your claim. After all, it could simply be a letter from a lover of mine, or a woman endeavoring to claim my attention."
"But you addressed the return letter to LONS," she said, watching him intently. "The Lords of Night Street, Lord Needly."
Marcus didn't move, instead deliberately intimidating her with his size, but she didn't back away, instead lifting the chin that reached the middle of his chest.
"I could kill you right here, and no one would ever know.”
"Yes, and you could do so easily, but as the words tueri et servite—protect and serve—are on the small plaque above your door, I don't believe you will."
"So not only are you beautiful, you read Latin," Marcus drawled. "However, I hate to disappoint you, Miss Radley, but that plaque was there when I purchased the house." He was lying, of course. Leo, Nick, and Jacob had the same plaque above their doors.
"Flattery comes naturally to you, Lord Needly, so I will pay it no heed. However, I would ask that you at least hear what I have to say."
His mind and body were now alert; since entering the room and exchanging words with Miss Radley, he had shaken off the languor that had settled around him as the evening had progressed. He now felt awake on all fronts.
"You have ten minutes, Miss Radley.”
"Over the past three months, five prostitutes have been kidnapped. Tonight, I woke to a scream outside my window, and when I reached my doorstep, I found two masked men on horseback with two girls draped across their saddles. They were screaming for release. I ran toward them, attempting to reach Molly, one of the girls, but the men struck out at me and—"
Marcus touched her chin, turning it until he could see all of her face. His eyes found a dark, angry bruise under her ear, along the edge of her jaw.
"I-I was pushed to the ground and hit my head. When I woke, it was to find myself alone on the path." She pushed his hand aside. "I ran inside and dressed, then set out to find them. I went to Madam Delana's and other brothels, but the girls weren't there. I searched but found no sign of them nor heard a whisper of their names."
Marcus actually shook his head. "As I stated earlier, Miss Radley, you are either brave or foolish. To have entered brothels, gambling halls, and areas of London most grown men will not venture into is extremely foolish. Not to mention walking around London at night. Please tell me you did not do so alone."
"I am not completely without wits, Lord Needly. I did not set out alone, nor did I enter the brothels, but sent notes inside to the women I knew, to check if there was any word of the missing girls.”
“My mind is at ease.”
She huffed out a breath at his sarcasm.
“I would never enter them at night with so many inebriated men inside," she said, and Marcus wondered what the hell this woman's story was. She had the address of someone who walked in his world, yet she appeared to associate with prostitutes and knew the locations of places he’d think twice about entering alone. Was she a madam? Did she own and run a brothel?
"Time is of the essence, Lord Needly, girls are being taken off the streets for whatever purpose…" She pressed a hand to her lips and it was the first real sign she was deeply upset. “These men must be stopped, and those girls found."
"What is it that you do, Miss Radley?”
"I run a safe house for women of the night. They come to me when they are sick or thrown out of their brothels. They come to me if they are with child or if they simply wish to start a new life."
Marcus ran a hand through his hair as he sighed. "Excellent, just what I needed at two a.m., a bloody good Samaritan," he muttered.
"As someone who has always had a roof over his noble head and a full belly, my lord, I would not expect you to understand that prostitutes also have needs. Most of these women do not simply wake up one morning and decided to walk through the dismal, damp streets of London each night, where men will paw them for a few pitiful coins. Often this is not a choice for them but their only option.”
"A word of caution, Miss Radley, if you are trying to enlist my help then don’t insult me. Furthermore, you know nothing about me," Marcus said, but he was stung by the truth of her words. He had never considered the life of a prostitute before today.
The hand she pressed to her forehead shook as she inhaled deeply, and Marcus watched as she struggled to regain control of herself.
"Sit, before you fall, and I shall have tea brought for you." Marcus took in her pallor and imagined her head and jaw were hurting, especially as she had obviously been knocked unconscious by that blow earlier this evening.
"I—thank you, no. I must continue my search if you will not help me. I cannot allow any more girls to be taken, to be hurt or abused, not after what they have already endured."
She tried to pass him, but Marcus blocked her exit.
"You are not going back out there, alone," he added.
"But I must." She placed a hand on his chest and tried to push him aside, but Marcus simply braced his legs. "I have asked the authorities for help but they just brush my words aside as those of a woman who is not in her right mind. Don’t you see, Lord Needly, I am the only hope those missing girls have."
He saw the desperation and pain in her eyes, reading each emotion as she battled to hold them inside, and suddenly he wanted to help her, this woman who ran a house for prostitutes, who had walked around the ugliest streets of London looking for kidnapped girls. “I will help you."
"You will. I—oh dear." The first tear slipped over her lashes. "I am not a watering pot in the normal course of events, my lord, and apologize for being so now."
"Think nothing of it.” Marcus took her arm and lowered her into a chair. She was slender, but he felt the strength in her body. Her arms were firm, suggesting she used them for more than just letter writing and taking tea. "After what you have already endured this evening, I'm sure your tears are well overdue."
"Tears do nothing but make you weak," she said, sniffing.
"Not a label you often wear, I am sure.” Marcus took the seat opposite so he was no longer towering over her.
"How will you find them?" She brushed aside his words.
"Before we contin
ue, I must insist you keep my identity a secret, Miss Radley, and also ask that you ensure the boy will too."
"Of course. We will tell no one, I promise you, Lord Needly."
For some reason, Marcus believed her. There was something about this woman that intrigued him, and he hadn't been intrigued by a woman in a long time.
CHAPTER TWO
"I would ask you to tell me everything you know now about the kidnappings, Miss Radley, anything about the men who took the girls tonight. I will need the descriptions of the girls also. Try to think of any small detail."
Charlotte felt light-headed with relief. The pain in her jaw and head were draining her energy and had she not sat, she would probably have fallen. She had no wish to fall before this man.
When Fred had told her of the letter he'd delivered to Lord Needly, she'd been intrigued, as the reputations of the Lords of Night Street were fast becoming legendary. The papers were full of the many cases they had solved. However, no one knew the identities of the noblemen known only as Valiant, Valorous, Noble, and Gallant, only that they were believed to be of noble birth.
"Of course," Charlotte said, looking at the man now seated across from her. He was big, filling the seat with his large body. Dark blue eyes had focused on her from the minute he'd stepped into the room, and if Charlotte had been the nervous type, she would have picked up her skirts and fled long before now. His was a face that made you take a second look, especially when coupled with the sheer strength of his personality. Charlotte hadn’t spent a great deal of time around titled men like this one. He was extremely handsome with high slashing cheekbones and aristocratic features, someone she could tell liked to be in control. However, as she had the same traits, she did not find them compelling in another.
His blond hair was thick and curled slightly, and she could see a small patch of hair through the open collar of his loose shirt. He wore breeches and boots, but no necktie, waistcoat, or jacket. He’d said he had been drinking, and Charlotte wondered if somewhere in this house the other Lords of Night Street were as informally dressed as he, discussing their latest case.
