Chapter Sixteen
M alcolm paced back and forth under the large oak, keeping to the shadows. She had changed her mind. Damnation, he was going to have to go inside and drag her out after all. He kept an eye on the back door.
“Are you sure about all this?” Trent said from where he lounged against the trunk of the tree. “Is the girl worth all this trouble?”
“Yes,” he snapped. Then, he paused his pacing to face Trent. “Look, this is the woman I am going to marry. If I am honest with myself, I knew it from the first moment we met.”
“Sure it’s not you wanting to rescue the damsel in distress? Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“No, dammit. This lady is different.”
“Hmmm.” Trent straightened. “She is a pretty little thing. You know I will help you no matter what, boss. Mr. Bosely will drive you out of town. You’ll need to rent rooms, change horses, feed them. Gonna cost you a pretty penny to make it to Wiltshire.”
“Money isn’t a problem.”
Malcolm’s meeting with his family’s solicitors had gone better than expected. The Duke of Hartwick had hired a reputable land manager all those years ago and the firm had handled the collection of rents. They’d sent him bi-yearly reports since he had turned eighteen. But he had largely ignored the correspondence, when he actually received it. Being at sea did not make for timely post. The solicitors had been surprised, to say the least, when he walked into their office to request a meeting. All the numbers had made his head swim, but the long and short of it was that he had an enormous sum of money saved in his accounts.
Trent raised his eyebrows.
Malcolm sighed. “Look, the Marquess of Kingsbury is not a cover for the assignment. I am he.”
“I knew you come from a fancy family but I didn’t realize you held the title.”
“I lost all my family when I was a child. I have never wished to take up the title and all that it entails. I am just a sailor.”
Trent snorted. “You have been hiding out. But now you have a fancy lady to win. She will want the title for sure. You better get used to it.”
Trent was right. If he wanted to marry Adeline, he must be the Marquess of Kingsbury. His name would help protect her from the scandal when her father was accused of stealing the artifacts. He straightened his shoulders. It was only a name, after all. And it wasn’t cursed like so many had whispered after his brother took his own life. Back then, grown-ups had never seemed to notice that he was sitting right there as they gossiped about his family.
He clapped Trent on the shoulder. “Thanks for your help. You are a good friend.”
“I am. With the Constellation docked for the next month. I will have to be working under Captain Harris.” Trent grimaced.
They both looked over when the back door creaked open. Adeline emerged with that same large carpet bag she’d had in the bookshop gripped in both hands. Good Lord, the woman had been choosing reading material.
He walked over. “I was about to go searching for you.”
He reached for the bag, but she held fast to the handles. “Allow me to carry your bag.” He gave it a gentle tug.
“It needs to come inside the carriage with me.”
“Not a problem,” he assured her as she allowed him to take the bag. It was heavy. “How many books did you bring?”
Adeline let out a small, choked sound. “Oh, a few. To keep me entertained. And to read when I am rusticating at Millstone. There is no library there.”
She looked quite skittish, her eyes darting around the dark garden like she was considering turning tail and bolting back inside.
Malcolm held out a hand. “Ready?”
“I suppose.” She slipped her gloved hand into his.
The three of them moved through the garden gate and out to the alley.
“Good evening, Commander.” Mr. Bosely tipped his cap.
“Good evening, Mr. Bosely. This is Lady Amberley.” Malcolm looked down at Adeline. “Mr. Bosely is a midshipman aboard my ship. He will be driving us.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Bosely.”
Malcolm opened the door to the carriage he had rented and helped Adeline inside. Then he turned to Mr. Bosely. “You know where we are headed?”
“Yes, sir. The lieutenant filled me in.” Bosely climbed up into the box.
Malcolm turned to Trent. “Thanks again for your help organizing our getaway.”
“No trouble, sir.” He saluted. “Have fun on your honeymoon.”
“Honeymoon?” Adeline’s voice squawked from inside the carriage.
Malcolm quickly climbed inside and shut the door. One small lantern dimly illuminated the interior of the carriage. He flashed Adeline a smile, hoping to put her at ease. “I told the chaps the same thing you told your maid—that we were eloping. Seemed the easiest thing to explain why I was stealing you from your bedroom at ten o’clock at night.”
“Oh, that makes sense, I guess.” She sighed and leaned back against the squabs.
The carriage swayed gently as they got on their way. Malcolm stayed silent. He didn’t want to spook her, but he wished he could tuck her next to him and drown in her delicious scent. He wished they were eloping, then he could make love to her the entire way to Gretna Green. Wait. “How old are you, Adeline?”
“Twenty-three.”
He relaxed. She wasn’t so young that she needed her father’s permission anymore. This was good because once he convinced her to marry him, he wanted it done as soon as possible.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Twenty-seven.”
“Hmmm. And why haven’t you married before?”
Her direct question had his lips twitching with a silent laugh. No one could accuse Adeline of being coy. Unfortunately, the reason he was not married was a sad tale. One that he tried to forget most of the time. But as he looked across at her inquisitive expression, the delicate arch of one eyebrow raised in challenge, he found himself doing something he didn’t often do: speaking about his past.
“I was engaged once, five years ago, to the daughter of a captain who I sailed under for a time. I thought she would be the perfect wife because she already knew what the life of a navy officer entailed. She was vibrant and audacious, and I couldn’t believe she had agreed to be my wife.”
“What happened?”
“During our engagement, I was away for six months, and she became pregnant with another man’s baby. They ran away together in secret, but on their way to Gretna Green, there was a terrible carriage accident, and they both died.”
Adeline pursed her lips together in a thin line of disapproval. “It sounds like she got her comeuppance.”
Her approval of Bridget’s untimely end surprised him. “I thought you didn’t believe in fate?”
“I don’t.” She huffed. “But I do believe that one’s actions have consequences. And it is satisfying to know that bad people receive bad consequences. That isn’t always the way of it.”
“It’s a bit bloodthirsty, but I agree that plenty of bad people go unpunished. In this case, once I made my peace with her betrayal and her death, I realized that it was her secrets that led to her bad decisions. I despise secrets. My brother, Paul, also kept big secrets. He had a gambling problem that he kept hidden from me until his debts became too overwhelming. He chose to take his own life instead of facing the consequences.”
“That’s terrible, Kingsbury.”
He nodded. It was an old hurt, scarred over along with all the others. “Please call me Malcolm. It’s only fair since you gave me permission to call you Adeline. Besides, I’m still not entirely comfortable with my title.”
“I don’t know if I should be so familiar with my kidnapper.”
“Adeline, you came willingly. You know this is the right decision.”
“You didn’t really give me a choice, did you? Everything with you has been a manipulation.” She folded her arms across her chest.
“I swear to you our interactions have not been. It is true I reconnected with your brother to find out if your father had the artifacts. But meeting you has been the loveliest surprise. You have absolutely enchanted me.”
Her mouth formed an O , and her mulish expression softened. This lady had a secret soft spot for sentiment; he tucked that bit of information away for later.
But then she sighed. “I can’t decide if I believe any of your pretty words, Malcolm.”
Hearing his name rolling off her tongue was a small victory, even if she didn’t entirely trust him yet.
A few moments later, she said, “Everyone calls me Addy.”
“That’s a shame, Adeline is such a pretty name. I shall stick with Adeline.”
A small smile played across her lips. “Honestly, I prefer it. But it seems people, and by that, I mean my brother, always want to shorten it.”
“Come to think of it, George always called me Mal when we were in school.”
She shrugged. “My friends call me Addy, too.”
“Why don’t you tell them you prefer Adeline?”
“It doesn’t matter that much. I am happy to have good friends like them. They can call me whatever they like.” Adeline raised her hand to cover a yawn.
“Sleepy?”
“Mmm, it was my bedtime when you came in through the window, you know.”
He chuckled and let the conversation drop. Adeline’s eyes began to droop as the carriage continued to roll. Each rut and hole in the road would jolt her head as it rested against the squabs. Her eyes would blink open momentarily and then slowly drift closed again. The dark eyelashes created a sharp contrast to her creamy complexion. They hit a huge bump, and Adeline’s whole body jerked.
He changed benches to sit next to her. Giving in to his desire to hold her, he gathered her against him and guided her head to rest on his chest.
A sleepy mumble of protest came from her as she nestled her cheek against him.
He ran a hand over her hair and pressed his lips to the top of her head. “Shh. Sleep. I have you.”