The Dark Side of the Earl: Historical Regency Romance

by Ella Edon

  Eleanor couldn’t begin to imagine how her friend was feeling. Theresa Fairley was only a child. Barely fourteen. She didn’t deserve to have her life taken so abruptly. Cecilia hadn’t given many details, but it was clear that it was foul play. It only caused them more concern for their most recent run-away Clarice.

  What had happened to her? Theresa had to have been tempted away from the orphanage with the promise of a better life. Eleanor was sure there were those who wouldn’t have approved of Theresa talking back. She was fiery and combative, not afraid to put her opinion across – much like Clarice. Eleanor felt cold at the thought.

  “Eleanor?”

  Eleanor jumped. Her father sitting across the table, was watching her curiously. Eleanor had forgotten she sat at the breakfast table going through the morning letters. She gulped and put the letter aside.

  “I’m fine, Father. Really.”

  Edward Heavenly sighed. He was looking a little restless, but at least he was sober. True to his word, he hadn’t been out for over a week. He was behaving himself, and Eleanor was grateful for that. It couldn’t undo most of the damage, but her father was here and doing his duty.

  “Don’t lie to me, love. I know when you’re lying.” Edward Heavenly plucked another slice of toast from the toast rack and began to butter it. “What is it? Looks like bad news.”

  “It’s from Sister Cecilia.”

  Her father frowned. “I thought you saw her last night. Why is she sending you a letter now?”

  “It’s only just happened, and I suppose she didn’t think it could wait until she next saw me.” Eleanor looked at her bacon and eggs. She didn’t feel very hungry now. “One of the girls ran away from the orphanage a couple of months ago. She’s been found.”

  Edward Heavenly stopped buttering his toast. “She’s dead, isn’t she?”

  “Yes.” Eleanor gulped. “She was found in the river. The coroner told Sister Cecilia that the girl drowned, but there are…” God, she could not say it without shuddering. “There were bruises around her throat.”

  “She was murdered,” her father murmured.

  “She was only a child, Father.” Eleanor rubbed her hands over her face. “I know she wasn’t the nicest of children and her attitude could rub people the wrong way, but Theresa didn’t deserve that.”

  She could feel tears close to coming out, but she would not allow it. Eleanor would cry on her own, where no one could witness her breaking down. Eleanor missed her mother.

  “Who’s going to do the funeral?” Edward Heavenly asked. He had now reached for the jam, his hand slightly shaking. “I mean, she won’t have any family.”

  “The nuns are going to bury her in their churchyard. I’ll help with the funeral arrangements.”

  “I know you will.” Unscrewing the top off the jam, Edward Heavenly glanced at the letters on his side of the table. Then he frowned and picked one of them up. “Oh, Parson put this in my pile for some reason. This is one for you.”

  Eleanor reached across and took the letter. She didn’t recognize the handwriting, which looked very sharp and regimental. There wasn’t anything to identify who had written it.

  “Eleanor?” Edward Heavenly raised his eyebrows. “It’s not going to explode.”

  “I know. I’m just hoping that it's not from Leyton. He did say that he wanted to organize a time to talk to me.”

  Edward Heavenly stared. “Leyton? He’s back in London?”

  “Unfortunately.” Eleanor turned the letter over in her hands. She didn’t recognize the seal, either. “He wants to try and start back where we left off. It’s like the years haven’t told him that I want nothing more to do with him.”

  Eleanor had told her parents what Leyton had done. Her father had been outraged. He wasn’t one to toe the line, for the most part, but to touch Eleanor without her consent and being deaf to anything she said was crossing the line fast enough to smudge it for her father. When Leyton had attempted to come over and speak to him about Eleanor and courtship, Edward Heavenly had punched him and promised more if he didn’t keep away from her. Leyton had left very hurriedly.

  Now Eleanor watched as her father’s jaw tightened and he was scowling, looking much like he had that day when Eleanor told him about Leyton’s actions.

  “If he comes anywhere near the house, you let me know. He’s dangerous, and I won’t have him anywhere near you.”

  Eleanor stilled. “He’s dangerous? How is he dangerous?”

  Edward Heavenly hesitated, absently putting a generous amount of jam on his toast. Eleanor sat forward.

  “Don’t you start ignoring me, Father. How is Matthew Leyton dangerous?”

  “I’ve seen his brother on occasions when…” Edward Heavenly’s face went bright red. “Dominic Leyton has told me that his brother went to a place in Cornwall for some years. It was to convalesce.”

  A grown man went to convalesce in remote Cornwall for years? That didn’t sound right at all. As far as she was aware, Leyton had been a relatively fit and healthy young man. It could only mean one thing if a grown man in supposedly good health had to move to Cornwall for a long period of time.

  “He was committed?”

  “That’s not what Dominic said, and he denied strongly that Matthew was mad or had a breakdown, but I read between the lines.” Edward Heavenly took a bite of his toast. “I just want you to be aware of what’s going on, and if he has been committed then he’s to be treated very carefully.”

  “I’d rather not be treating him at all.” Eleanor was still trying to get the words to sink in. “I didn’t think he had a breakdown.”

  “Any of us can snap. And seeing as he was sent there shortly after you and I told him where to go, I’d say he snapped badly. Dominic said he was still there last month. He wasn’t expecting Matthew to come visiting anytime soon.”

  Eleanor groaned. Just great. She had a madman following her around. She shouldn’t have been surprised that there was something not quite right with Leyton, and Eleanor was glad she had trusted her gut. But to hear he had been committed over her? Eleanor wasn’t sure what to make of that. It didn’t sit well that she might have been the cause of his breakdown. Didn’t she hear that seeing the person who triggered the breakdown might cause another one?

  Eleanor shivered.

  “Just don’t go out on your own from now on, all right?” Her father said quietly. “I want one of the servants to go with you whenever you go out, and Marion too, and certainly when you go to the orphanage.”

  “You’re not stopping me from that?”

  “You think I’d be able to?” Edward Heavenly shot her a sharp look. “But no trying to slip away from your escort or sending them home because they don’t feel very well. You have a guard with you, and that’s the end of it.”

  Eleanor knew better than to argue. If she was honest, she was now unsure about being out and about. Leyton had shown to her in the past that he was very sneaky when he wanted to be. He wasn’t one to be deterred. Eleanor could take care of herself, but it would make her feel better knowing that she had an escort.

  She nodded. “All right, Father.”

  Edward Heavenly gave her a gentle smile, his eyes warming. “Good girl.”

  Eleanor didn’t feel very good right now. She felt scared.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Eleanor?”

  Eleanor jumped as someone touched her arm. She looked around to see her father standing at her side with a concerned frown.

  “Father?”

  “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  Eleanor took a deep breath. She was still shaken from her father’s news earlier. Knowing that Leyton had been committed for his behaviour and was now back walking around London had been a shock to her. She had moments over the years wondering where Leyton had gone as his departure had been very abrupt, but Eleanor hadn’t paid too much thought to it. She was happy not to see him again. After what Leyton had done and essentially ruined her first season, Eleanor wo
uld not be wasting too much time on him.

  Having him back in London was bad enough. Hearing that he had been committed...that just left Eleanor cold. What if Leyton found out about her marriage arrangement and tried to sabotage that? He wasn’t above making sure other men ran the other way once he started throwing his weight around. Eleanor had witnessed it before. What if he approached Captain Reynolds and started making outrageous claims? He might be believed, and Nathan would break this marriage agreement.

  Nathan. Eleanor found herself almost smiling. She should be more formal with the man. They were only going through a courtship right now, nowhere near being at the stage where they could address each other with a relaxed attitude. But Nathan sounded nice to her ears. Much better than Captain.

  And it was certainly much better than Lord Brixton. Nathan didn’t look like a lord at all. He looked every bit the army man. And he acted like a soldier as well. A respectable gentleman who was very polite towards her. He had been trained well. He had a soldier’s mentality. His title meant nothing to him. If anything, it made him shudder. Eleanor had seen it several times while she was at lunch with him the day before. Nathan despised the title of Earl that he had inherited. If he was given the chance, Eleanor was sure he would give it to someone else.

  Eleanor didn’t care one way or the other. She would just be happy to marry someone who seemed decent enough and was willing to treat her with respect and be a friend more than a husband.

  Other than a few nights where they did their duty to conceive a child. Eleanor could feel her face getting warm, and her corsets suddenly felt a little too tight. Was it getting warmer in here?

  “Eleanor?” Edward Heavenly was looking at her strangely. “You drifted off there. I asked you a question.”

  “What? Oh.” Eleanor winced. “Forgive me, Father. I guess I’m still a little concerned that Leyton is back out and he’s walking around.”

  “I understand.” Edward Heavenly squeezed her hand. “But he’s not getting in here. I won’t let him anywhere near you.”

  Too late. He’s already gotten close. But Eleanor wasn’t about to tell her father about Leyton confronting her outside the orphanage. Jonathan had already been sworn to secrecy, so there were no problems on that part, and Eleanor didn’t want Edward Heavenly to know that the man they both hated with a passion was already pestering her.

  That could wait. If Eleanor couldn’t deal with Leyton, she would turn it over to her father. Then the young man would realize how foolish it was to come back and carry on where he left off.

  “Just so I know you’re going to be fine.”

  “I am fine.” Eleanor managed a smile and kissed her father’s cheek. “Don’t worry about me. I can manage.”

  “That’s the trouble. I do worry. You’re my little girl still, Eleanor.” Edward Heavenly brushed a hair off Eleanor’s face. “I’m never going to stop worrying.”

  Eleanor knew that. For all his faults, Edward Heavenly was a loving father. His love for his family had never been brought into question. Not like his judgement over money and drink.

  Edward Heavenly moved away and sat on the window seat, crossing his feet at the ankles. Eleanor then moved off into the library, going to her little favourite nook in the corner. It had a window seat and a beautiful view of the garden. In the summer, the garden was just stunning, and Eleanor also loved to see it covered in snow in the winter. It was a place Eleanor would go when she needed a few moments to herself. As a child, she had spent hours sitting on the window seat, curled up with a book, barely noticing anyone around her. Edward Heavenly had indulged her in her reading, and her mother had pushed Eleanor to read everything and concentrate on her lessons. Eleanor just loved a good book.

  Hopefully, Nathan - Captain Reynolds, Eleanor reminded herself - wouldn’t look too unfavourably at her love of reading like he had done with her charity work.

  “So, how was it meeting Lord Brixton yesterday?” Edward Heavenly asked. “I would have asked you yesterday, but we were both so busy that I haven’t seen you until this morning.”

  “You and I need to have a holiday.” Eleanor smiled.

  “If only we could afford it.”

  “That is a problem.” Eleanor sighed. “He goes by Captain Reynolds, not Lord Brixton. He prefers it.”

  Edward Heavenly blinked. “I thought he was an Earl.”

  “He is, but he is also a captain in the British army. One he said that he earned through his own graft and it’s the title he wants to be addressed as.”

  That had been a little bewildering, but Eleanor was happy to do it. Nathan didn’t look like an earl at all, and she saw the way he grimaced whenever his mother addressed him as Brixton. She didn’t want to be on his bad side by being disrespectful. From the look on his face when she addressed him correctly, Nathan appreciated it.

  You’re not familiar enough to call him Nathan, so stop it.

  I can’t help it.

  “I see. I must have been misinformed about that.” Edward Heavenly cleared his throat. “How was it, anyway? I didn’t hear any ranting and raving when I got back, so I presume it went well enough.”

  “For the most part.” Eleanor moved to sit beside her father. “He’s...decent enough. Very much a gentleman, and easy to talk to. We can discuss a lot of things without feeling completely awkward. I think we can be friends out of all this.”

  Edward Heavenly raised his eyebrows.

  “I didn’t send you there to make friends with an Earl. I sent you there to acquaint yourself with your future husband.”

  “But I’m not going to be marrying the love of my life, am I?” Eleanor pointed out. “I would prefer to be friends with the man I’ll be married to if I don’t love him.”

  At least that had been something of a relief. Eleanor had worried that she was being married off to someone who was going to be undesirable. There had to be a reason why Captain Reynolds was still unmarried at his age. Eleanor had thought it was because he was so socially awkward around women, or he was not a very nice man and women steered clear of him. She had even wondered if it might be because - heaven forbid - that he preferred the company of men and needed a cover, so people didn’t talk.

  A career soldier as a husband wouldn’t be a problem. But her husband’s problem with what she did with her spare time was still a source of contention.

  “Something else is bothering you.”

  Edward Heavenly was looking at her with a knowing look.

  “Is it that obvious?”

  Edward Heavenly smiled and gave her a gentle nudge with his shoulder. “You’re my daughter, Eleanor. I know you.”

  Eleanor wished that he didn’t at times. She sighed and looked down at her hands. “He doesn’t want me to work with the children once we’re married. But he expects me to fully support him when he goes back to France to fight.”

  “Ah. I see.” Edward Heavenly’s tone said he knew perfectly well. “Well, as you know already, men have a lot more freedom than women.”

  “I know, Father, and it’s annoying.” Eleanor stood and began to pace. She couldn’t sit still now that she was getting riled up. “If he thinks he can go back to France and expect me to support that, he’s going to have to put up with me carrying on helping at the orphanage. He can’t keep me locked up like I’m some bird in a gilded cage.”

  “I’m sure he could try.” Edward Heavenly folded his arms. “But if he’s as decent as you say he is, I’m sure you’ll be able to make him see sense. Although…”

  “Although what?” Eleanor turned to him. “I thought you were on my side, Father.”

  “I am, but I can see why he’s concerned with the number of children that have been disappearing.”

  “Children can leave whenever they want, although we wish for them to stay and be safe.”

  They couldn’t shackle the children to the beds. The children knew London wasn’t the safest place in the world if you didn’t have money. Eleanor shed a tear for them, but she couldn�
�t stop a child from leaving. Their doors were always open and there was always a lot of temptation.

  “Maybe he’s heard about the disappearances and got concerned. It’s getting dangerous there, Eleanor,” Edward Heavenly warned. “There will be a time when I’m going to be urging you to stop.”

  Eleanor snorted. “No, there won’t. Because you know it's a good thing for me to do with my time.”

  “I don’t know about a good thing, but it does keep you busy. And I know you like to be busy and look after people, which is why I haven’t protested too much.”

  “At least you know where we stand. And Captain Reynolds is going to find that out as well.” Eleanor shook her head. “I’m not stopping what I love doing because a man tells me I should. He can’t impose rules on me when he doesn’t follow them himself. If he can’t accept it? That’s too bad.”