by Wendy Vella
They had ridden grim-faced across London and left their horses a short distance away, not wanting to alert anyone they were approaching.
“I’ve been inside this place before.”
Joseph looked at his younger brother. “I beg your pardon?”
Charles waved a hand. “I did not lose my shirt, so calm your fears, brother. It was with some friends, and we merely wished to see what it was about. It is indeed an impressive establishment. George’s offers everything. Woman, wine, and gambling, and a truly superb cut of beef.”
“Food,” Joseph grunted. “I should have known that was the draw for you.”
Looking up at the façade, he knew she was inside. He could feel her? Was that even possible? Was she so much a part of him now that he knew when she was near?
Be strong, my love.
“No risks, Joseph.”
“I will risk what needs to be risked for her, Louis.”
“I understand that more than most, as your sister is my life. But, for this to succeed, you must think with your head, not your heart.”
Joseph nodded. There was sense in the words, however, he was driven by his heart to get to Milly.
“Mr. Brown, if you will take my footmen and go to the rear of the building, there will be a way inside. Please find it.”
“Very well, my lord.”
He watched the men leave. They wandered to the end of the building and then disappeared.
“I want none of you endangered,” Joseph said to his brothers. “Take no risks.”
They all nodded.
“And now we will enter through the front door.”
“He’ll recognize us,” Rory said.
“Yes, but not immediately, one hopes,” Louis said. “Especially if he believes Joseph dead or badly wounded.”
“Good evening, gentlemen.”
The man on the door nodded, but did not appear to recognize them. Was it possible that George had not put his men on alert? Did he believe Joseph dead?
Inside was grand on every scale, and a hive of noise and industry. Calls were made, bets laid, and women moved around providing encouragement or handing out drinks. Voices rose and fell as they moved deeper onto the floor. Joseph looked for doors or a way upstairs, and found it to his right.
Heading that way, he wove through the patrons, after signaling to Charles to stay and keep watch. He made the first floor, and then the second, before they were spotted.
“This floor is not for gambling. Please return to the lower floors.”
“I think not.” Rory moved forward, and before the man could react he was crumpled to the floor.
“What the hell was that?” Joseph asked his brother.
“I learned that a few weeks ago from a man I met. He is from China. Handy type of fellow.”
Shaking his head, Joseph took out his pistol and stepped over the fallen man.
They met two more men, and took care of both. After checking rooms and not finding Milly, they moved up to the next floor. Reaching the top step, he heard a moan. It was the sound a man in pain made. He ran in that direction and found an open door. Stepping inside, he saw Milly. She held a chair leg in her hand, and had already felled one man. Another was advancing on her.
Joseph raised his pistol as she saw him, and lowered it on the man’s head.
“Joseph!” Dropping the chair leg, she launched herself at him. He caught her. “I knew you would not be dead. I would have felt it!” Joseph held her as she sobbed into his chest.
“It’s all right now, love.” His relief at finding her safe was absolute. “Come now, we must leave here before more men come.”
She lifted tear-drenched eyes to him.
“I am so glad you are not dead.”
“As am I, sweetheart.” He kissed her, hard and swift.
“I don’t know where I am.” She stepped back, but only far enough to clutch his hand. “Are you hurt? I saw you fall?”
“My shoulder, but it is all right—”
“He shot your shoulder. I shall kill him for that!” Her blue eyes spat sparks on his behalf.
Lord, he loved this woman.
“I think there may be a queue for that, my sweet.”
“He is a cur, Joseph, and has meddled in our lives for far too long.”
“I wholeheartedly agree with you, Milly. However, I believe now would be a prudent time to leave... with some haste.” Louis spoke the words over his shoulder.
“Oh yes, forgive me. I am just so happy to see Joseph.” Her smile was blinding.
“Retain that thought, love. Now put on your cloak, and we shall leave.”
She did quickly, and then took the hand he held out to her.
The hallway was clear, and they made it down the first set of steps. Reaching the end of the second, he found four men with pistols raised. The man in the front was the one he wanted.
Chapter Twenty-One
Pushing Milly behind his back, he held her there.
“No!” She struggled to free herself. “I have a right to see the face of the man who has meddled in my life.”
“Milly, stay back!”
“I will not!”
“Such fire, my dear. We shall be very happy together, as I knew we would be when I made the deal with your dear, departed father.”
The man had a smug look on his face that made Joseph’s fingers itch. He’d disliked a few people in his life, but this man he reserved a special hatred for.
“Mr. George, I believe,” Joseph drawled. “You, sir, have caused my fiancée and me a great deal of trouble.”
The smile slipped slightly. “She will not wed you, my lord.”
“Oh, but she will, and let us not forget that several of my peers saw me walk through your establishment tonight. Imagine if this was the last place I was seen. Surely that would cast suspicion on you. As it would if you removed every last member of my family.”
“I will have her.”
“As I would die to keep her safe, you will have to walk through me first.”
“Why have you persisted in pursuing me?” Milly asked.
Joseph saw Mr. Brown appear briefly behind George and his men, and then disappear again. He had no doubt the Bow Street runner was planning something, and when he did, Joseph would be ready.
“Your father owed me, and I always ensure my debts are repaid.”
“You cannot repay a debt with a person,” Milly scoffed. “Neither you nor my father had a right to use me like chattel.”
Aware that his brothers were standing silently at his back, Joseph knew they would have seen Brown also, and would be ready and waiting.
“I wanted you from the first moment I saw you, Lady Millicent. Your mistake was in thinking I would stop before I had you.”
“But I loved another!”
“Milly, that’s enough, love—”
“No.” She spat out the word. “It is nowhere near enough!”
“This man has no morals, Milly,” Joseph said.
“Yes, my dear, do not mistake me for your cosseted, soft nobleman.”
“Joseph is ten times the man you are!”
“Thank you, Milly, but that will do now,” Joseph said. “You will never have her, George. We are at a stalemate, surely. Guns firing in the hallowed walls of this reputable establishment will draw people and suspicion, and finding several dead peers will not go well for you either.”
George paled slightly, then his lips pressed together, and Joseph knew he hadn’t put a great deal of thought into what he had done tonight.
“Fire!”
George turned, as did the other men at his side, at Mr. Brown’s roar, and Joseph seized the moment and leapt at him. Carrying the man to the ground, he pounded his fist into his face. It felt good enough to do so again.
Around him, his brothers were meting out their own justice to George’s men.
“Bastard!”
Joseph saw the boot lash out and connect with George. Looking up into the face of his bel
oved, he saw her ferocious scowl.
“Run now!” he roared. “Go to Mr. Brown, Milly!”
“I will not leave you again!”
“You bloody well will!”
Distracted, he did not see the knee George lifted. It connected with Joseph’s groin, and he fell sideways.
“He’s getting away!”
Joseph felt hands slip inside his coat, and then she had his pistol.
“Milly, stop!”
Too late. She aimed, and fired. Joseph managed to get to his knees and battle through the blinding agony. Staggering to his feet, he watched George brace himself against the wall. Eyes wide, he focused on Milly, who still held the gun.
Joseph moved to take it from her.
“Y-you shot me!”
“I should have aimed for the heart, but ’tis, I fear, too small an area.”
“God, you are a wonderful woman.” Joseph snorted, moving close to her. He pulled off his necktie and pushed the still-stunned George to his knees. He then bound his hands.
“I’ll be taking him, my lord.”
“Thank you, Mr. Brown. I will speak with you tomorrow about charges.”
“Joseph?”
“It is over now, my love.” He pulled her into his chest, and held her trembling form close. “Come now, let us go home.
It was shock, she knew that. But she couldn’t stop shivering. Milly had shot a man. Yes, she had not killed him, but she had raised a gun and fired it. She had never done so before.
She was at the Ellsworth town house. Her aunt had been called, and was at present in a room down the hall, talking with Joseph’s family. Joseph was at present being seen by the doctor. As yet she had not had a chance to be alone with him, and Lord, she needed that. Needed him. She had left the family on the pretext of wanting a moment to herself, but what she needed was Joseph.
“Lady Millicent.”
She turned as the butler entered the room.
“If you will come with me, Lord Ellsworth wishes to see you.”
She didn’t run, but it was a near thing. She was shown into his room, and the door was closed firmly behind her.
“Joseph, are you all right?”
He was seated before the fire in his dressing gown. He rose as she entered.
“I am fine, Milly, but I missed you, so come here at once.”
His smile had her running to his side.
“Joseph, is it over?”
He wrapped a hand around her waist and pulled her close.
“Yes, my love, it is over.”
He kissed her, soft and achingly sweet.
“I can hardly believe it. So much has happened, so many wasted years.”
He touched her lips with a finger. “I would have grown to love you as I do today given time, but you were right. What I felt for you was nothing compared to this fire inside me. It consumes me, love. You consume me.”
“We will never part, Joseph.” She touched his face, mapping the contours she loved so much.
“Never. I love you, Milly.”
“And I you.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today.”
Joseph looked down at Milly as the service started. She was sniffing into his handkerchief, as she had forgotten her own.
“I had no idea you were such a watering pot.”
The eyes she turned to him where filled with such joy, he had to swallow the lump in his throat.
“Happy tears, Joseph.”
Two months had passed since that day Milly had shot George. The man was now locked away for a very long time, and she was free from his villainy.
“I love you,” he whispered.
Around them sat the guests who had come to attend the wedding of Miss Apple-blossom Wimplestow to Mr. Daniel Howard. Milly had been insistent they come, and Joseph had not put up a fight. He liked Apple-blossom, even more so now that he knew how kind she had been to Milly.
“Oh, Joseph.”
He smiled as her tears flowed faster. His beautiful girl, he thought. So much more than she once was. Open, honest, and full of vitality. She could curse like a sailor, or sit in a room full of her peers and drink tea like a lady. He loved every inch of her, every facet and personality trait.
“I wish it was next week, Joseph.”
He took the hand she rested on his thigh, and slipped her slender fingers through his. They were to marry next week in this church, and he could not wait to make her his countess. Finally, she would carry his name, as she already carried his heart.
“I know, my love, but it is not long now.”
When the service concluded, he led Milly from the church, following the newly wedded couple outside.
“Lady Millicent!”
“Hello, Mrs. Howard.”
He released Milly, and she hurried to congratulate her friend. She had told only Apple-blossom the truth about her past, but Lord and Lady Wimplestow were not fools, and he had seen them cast a look or two Milly’s way. However, they had said nothing, and he doubted they ever would.
He looked down as he felt two paws on his leg, and bent to pick up Mugwort. She snuffled and settled into his arms. A piece of lace was tied around her neck, and Joseph was not entirely sure if it made her prettier or uglier.
“I shall try not to let them dress you that way for our wedding day, Mugwort,” he told the little beast.
She would live with him and Milly, once they were wed, and Joseph found he liked that idea. The little dog had certainly found its way into his affections, as her mistress had.
He watched as Milly laughed with the bride and groom, and then with his brothers as they arrived. When she turned to look for him as she always did, she smiled as she noted Mugwort nestled against his chest.
“That dog almost makes you look handsome,” she whispered as he lifted an arm and tucked her under it.
“I will very likely make you pay for that comment later, madam.”
He leaned down and kissed her. This, he realized as he held the woman he loved at his side, was more than he had ever hoped for. More than he had ever believed he deserved. Love tended to make everything appear so much brighter, Joseph realized, looking around him.
“Come, let us join the others and make our way back to Wimplestow Hall,” Milly said.
Even the prospect of a meal with the heathens could do nothing to dampen his spirits.
###
Take a peek at the next Regency Rendezvous Novel
P.S. I Loath You
Diane Darcy
How to jilt a rake in a kilt.
Lady Elizabeth Huntington is determined to be released from her betrothal. She’s been engaged since the day she was born, and she’s having none of it. Too many hurt feelings and too many years have passed. She’d like to choose her own destiny, one that doesn’t include Alexander MacGregor.
Captain Alexander MacGregor, Laird of Inverdeem, is going to London to fetch his bride. He’s put the notice in the paper, he has the license, and he’s ready to post the banns. He thought he knew everything about Lizzie because of the letters they’ve exchanged throughout the years, but it turns out they don’t know each other at all.
She doesn’t wish to get married. He’s going to have to insist.
Prologue
Perthshire, Scotland
July, 1802
Alexander MacGregor, only son and heir to Inverdeem, was hiding in the bushes from a slip of a girl.
He wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve this.
For two weeks every single summer, he had to put up with the little sprat.
It wasn’t fair. She was but fourteen to his sixteen, and his entire life he’d known he’d have to marry the ugly little pug.
Must she follow him around, as well?
So what if their mothers were the best of friends? Did that mean they’d had to betroth them? He’d known from the moment he’d been old enough to understand, that they were to be married.
Everyo
ne knew it.
Curse her hide, anyway.
His father had taken an English bride, and his mother had gotten it into her head when her dearest friend gave birth to a daughter in England that their two children should be betrothed.
Why his father had gone along with it, he didn’t know.
Well, he did. His father was canny, and the girl’s family came from wealth. Not only would his oldest son inherit his properties, but his bride would bring even more to the MacGregor coffers.
But did she have to follow him everywhere? He dreaded the month of July the entire year. He always did.
“There you are! I found you!”
Feeling foolish, his jaw set and he rolled his eyes before standing and turning. He considered simply trying to outrun her, wondered if that was even possible, and decided not to subject himself to the indignity, and the amusement, of anyone watching. “So ye did.” His tone was sour.
“What’s the matter with you today? You are always in a bad mood.”
He looked down into her brown eyes, always sparkling with fun and mischief, and at her frizzy red hair and her stained dress. Frizzy Lizzie. Why did she have to be so ugly? His anger got the better of him and he clenched his teeth. “Mayhap I just wished a moment alone.”
“What for?” Lizzie seemed genuinely confused, and he felt a little bad.
Both his mother and father had reminded him numerous times, that she was his future bride, and he needed to be kind to her or he might be sorry later.
Resentment over that fact welled within him once more, and kindness flew out the window. “Why do ye have to follow me everywhere?”
Lizzie glanced around as if looking for an answer to his question. “Don’t you wish to play with me?”
“No, I doonae wish tae play with ye. Yer a girl, and what are girls good for anyway?” Even as he said the words, he knew what he meant was what was she good for, because girls had certainly garnered his interest as of late. Especially their neighbor’s daughter. Blonde, with China blue eyes, and a giggle that set his heart racing.
