Page 20

Chapter Twenty

Making haste…

C aleb returned to the park in search of any clue as to who might have tampered with the phaeton. It had taken mere minutes to get back but already the park was nearly deserted, the promenade hour having given way to the time for afternoon calls. Still, he walked the paths they’d traversed earlier, looking for even the slightest thing to give him some indication of who might have been watching them. Lying in wait.

He had all but given up hope when something caught his eye. Near the clearing where they had shared that scorching kiss, he saw a pair of footprints in the soft, peaty earth at the base of a tree. There was also a handkerchief—marked with dusty fingerprints, likely soiled when they removed the pin from the wheel.

When he retrieved the fabric, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. It was embroidered with initials. JLD . There was only one person he knew to whom it could belong. Jacob Linwood Danvers.

Normally it would never have crossed his mind to think Jacob capable of such things. But nothing had been normal between them since he’d inherited the title and the wealth that would come with it, presuming, of course, that he could make it to the altar. Jacob’s resentment of what he considered to be an embarrassment of riches had been instantly obvious and had seemingly grown stronger still when they reached London. Then, of course, there was Jacob’s insistence that he should not wed Marina—and upon reflection, he had developed a theory.

Jacob had presumed that he would simply turn over the running of the mines to him, that he would be given the company to run and a living to be had from it. Of course, Jacob didn’t realize that in many regards, Caleb’s hands were tied. On his deathbed, his grandfather had pleaded with him to never let Jacob be involved in the running of the mines. The old man had feared that Jacob would run them into the ground or lose them on the turn of a card. Either outcome was both possible and plausible. But Jacob did not know that. He’d never told him so out of concern for his feelings. Perhaps that had been a mistake. Could he afford to provide a small settlement for Jacob? Assuming that he managed to meet the terms of his uncle’s will, he certainly could. But if he did not and failed to secure the fortune to support those estates—and pay the death taxes, it would all be a moot point. All would be lost—the mines his grandfather worked so hard to build and the land that generations of his ancestors had maintained.

It wasn’t simply greed that had prompted him to seek a bride but practicality. But Jacob wouldn’t see that because he was choosing not to. Jacob was only choosing to see that he had been given something that he would not share. Now he was forced to wonder if Jacob’s resentment over these windfalls and leaps in status blinded him to that fact. And, if it had, was that truly enough to drive him to murder?

Tucking the handkerchief into his pocket, Caleb walked back to his phaeton and made arrangements to have the vehicle repaired and the horses returned home safely. For himself, he walked back to the townhouse, hoping it might clear his head and offer some clarity of mind about his next steps. As he did so, he became acutely aware of that strange sensation once more. He was being watched. A glance around him showed only one possible source for the observation. Lady Crowden was seated in a cabriolet only a short distance away, her hard eyes throwing daggers in his direction. It was all growing more complicated by the second.

There was one thing he was growing incredibly certain of. If he meant to marry Marina, they did not have time to wait. There could be no long engagement for them to get to know one another. If they were to wed, they needed to do so quickly before any of those plotting against them could strike again. And the moment they were safely wed, they needed to leave London immediately along with the many dangers it held for them.

Returning home to a house devoid of anyone but servants, Caleb retreated to his study and began penning a letter that would change everything. He’d never planned an elopement before, but clearly there was a first time for everything.

*

Marina retreated upstairs. She could feel Devil and Willa worrying for her, their concerned gazes on her all the time. While she knew it came solely from their love for her, it was overwhelming. She hated feeling that she was a burden to them. They would never say such, and likely never think it either, but that feeling persisted. If she was entirely honest, it always had.

Seated in a well-upholstered chair near her window, Marina let that realization settle in her mind. Despite all the love, lavish gifts, and unwavering support, she still felt as though she were an interloper at times—as if she did not truly belong there. Was it because of her very humble beginnings? Or was there more at play? Many things had been whispered about her over the years—old gossip about her mother, rumors about her father. She knew that every effort had been made to protect her from that truth, but she had pieced enough things together over the years to understand that her father had been a villain. His sins had gone far beyond simply abandoning his child or even arranging the sham of a marriage he’d entered into with her mother.

Would those feelings ever fade? If she and Caleb married, would she feel that she was a burden to him? Or worse yet, would he see her that way? Could the attraction they felt for one another grow into something more, or would it fade and leave them in a hollow sham of a marriage?

They were questions without answer. Predicting the future was not something she was gifted with. There would be no way to know how she would feel until it all happened. And that was the crux of it. In the end, how she would feel mattered less in the moment than the ramifications that would occur if she did not go ahead with it.

A knock at the door interrupted her morose thoughts and she called out for them to enter. It was her maid bearing a tray with a sealed letter atop it.

“This just came for you, miss. From his lordship, the earl.”

“Thank you, Ethel,” Marina said. “While I see what this is all about, could you have a bath readied for me? As steaming hot as possible.” Perhaps the hot water would ease some of the tension that thus far had refused to abate.

The maid nodded and scurried away as Marina broke the familiar wax seal on the letter. It bore the same crest as the signet ring Caleb wore.

Marina,

I’ve come to the unfortunate conclusion that we no longer have the luxury of waiting to wed. I fear that until we are legally married you will continue to be the target of these vicious attacks and underhanded plots. If you are in agreement, I will speak with your uncle at your (and his) earliest convenience about a quick elopement and then decamping from London to a nearby country estate. It would allow you to remain close enough to your family for visiting but far enough that any travelers from London would be noted and remarked upon in the village. I can think of no other way to ensure your safety than to be ever present at your side. In order for that to happen, we must marry now, without hesitation.

Caleb

No flowery prose or—if not quite false but hopeful—words of love and devotion. It was all laid out practically and logically. The only time practicality and logic went by the wayside was when they kissed. And if they married, there would be much more than simple kisses passing between them.

Simple. There was nothing simple about the way he made her feel with just a touch.

Getting up from her chair, Marina moved to the small writing table and penned a note to Caleb. She had only just finished when Ethel returned to inform her that her bath was ready. Passing the note to the maid, she asked that it be delivered immediately. “Oh, and please inform my aunt we will be having a guest for dinner.” Her decision was made. It was long past the point to dither or be indecisive. If she wished to salvage what she could of her reputation and, hopefully, put an end to whatever madness was surrounding them, she would need to act quickly. Perhaps, once they were officially wed, it would eliminate the mysterious motivation for the attacks on her.