The Forgiven Duke (A Forgotten Castles Novel) Read online

  He gripped her upper arms and looked hard down at her. “Alex. When I met you I didn’t care if you had two shillings to rub together. You have to believe that. And the way you needed to go to the bank and dip into the duke’s funds, I didn’t think you did! But I knew. I just knew I loved you and wanted you for my wife. The fact that you have this vast fortune? I’d be lying if I told you it didn’t make me happy. It makes me breathe easier for the first time in my life. But know.” He shook her just a little and glanced at the ceiling as if for help to explain it. “Never doubt that I loved you and wanted you before I discovered this. I’m glad I didn’t know.”

  “Oh, John.” Alex wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him to her. In a fierce whisper she added, “I am glad you didn’t know at first, for now I’ll never doubt your love. But I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I suppose we’re rich.”

  John chuckled and squeezed her against him.

  Alex leaned back against his encircling arms and looked into his eyes. “It comes at such a cost, though. If I think of that money, an inheritance, then I have to think my parents are gone. And you know I cannot believe that. I won’t believe it until I see their faces. I’ll have their graves dug up if they exist. I’ll not accept it until I see them for myself. Do you understand?”

  John brought her close again and grasped the back of her head underneath her hair. “Of course. We won’t speak of it again. Just know I love you and I will do anything to make you happy. We’ll find them and God willing, we will find them alive.”

  It was all she needed to hear. It was the only thing that mattered to her. “Thank you, John.” She didn’t say she loved him. She felt shy about those words, like they were butterflies around her heart, just birthed from their cocoon, still testing and trying their damp wings, still seeing the big, wide world for the first time and trying to make sense out of it all.

  A sudden dip and then a jarring motion caused Alex to sway toward the post of the beds. She clung to it, looking at John in alarm. “What was that?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know but it didn’t sound good. Let’s go up and find out.”

  They threw on their wraps and made their way to the deck where other passengers where rushing to the lee side of the railing, pointing and babbling at the same time. The chilly wind blew so hard across the deck that a shiver rushed through her body. Alex pushed her way to the front and saw the reason for all the excitement. A huge chunk of bluish white ice floated right next to the hull of the ship. “Did we hit it?” she asked anyone who would answer.

  “That we did, miss,” a sailor responded, pointing. “Look at the end there, it’s calving off.” A creaking sound and then a big splash sent a spray of freezing water droplets into their faces.

  “Oh, my. Did it damage the ship?”

  “Naw. That there is a bergy bit, not a real iceberg. Our ship shook it up good though. It will probably break into pieces and then float off toward warmer waters where it’ll melt. No harm done. It’s pretty, though, don’t you think?”

  John had finally wrangled his way to her side and frowned at the sailor speaking to her. Alex nodded. She was able to admire it now that she knew it hadn’t damaged the ship. “It’s so blue. It looks like a crystal from some enchanted land. Isn’t it beautiful, John?”

  “It is something to see. But it didn’t seem wise to hit it. I hope this captain knows what he is doing.”

  “Oh, he knows sailing. Don’t you be frettin’ over that.” The sailor stood up straighter. “Captain O’Mally has been captaining this brig for ten and some years, and he ain’t never had a shipwreck.”

  “That’s a comfort.” Another thing to be thankful for. If there was one thing she was certain of, it was that God was watching out for her on this journey. She looked at John and smiled at him.

  Thank You, God, for John.

  Chapter Four

  Baylor crossed his arms over his massive chest and clamped his lips down. “That’s all I’m sayin’,” his lips clearly said.

  Gabriel motioned the hovering serving girl for another pitcher. “Come now, my good man,” he began in a deceptively soft voice, knowing instinctively that he would gain more from Baylor with honey than vinegar. “We want the same things. For Alexandria to be safe and for her parents to be found. You want those things, don’t you?”

  Baylor nodded his big, shaggy head, a worried expression wrinkling his brow. “Aye, but she didn’t want anything to do with you. She said you would take her back to London and then she would never be able to search for her parents.”

  Meade wrote the words in the speaking book as fast as he could. They’d both come to understand how a conversation could become stymied if it took too long to keep Gabriel up to speed and respond.

  “I understand why she thought that. I do. I had told her in one of my letters that the prince regent had ordered me to fetch her back to London. But she wrote me another letter, asking me to join her cause and disobey the regent. Baylor, that is exactly what I had planned to do once I caught up with her. Imagine it. With my connections and wealth, I could hire men to travel with us, investigators and soldiers. I could keep her safe.”

  “She hasn’t needed all of that. Why do you think she needs you? Maybe you need her.”

  Gabriel stopped, his next words falling away. He stared at Baylor, such an innocent and seemingly simple man, but a man who saw the truth. The giant’s face remained thoughtful. Gabriel looked away and said in a soft voice, “You’re right. I do need her.”

  Finally Baylor rubbed his knees and said, “Lord Lemon is Montague’s nephew. He’s a good chap, he is.”

  Montague’s nephew? He hadn’t thought of that, anything close to it. “Where is Montague? Is he on the ship with Alexandria?”

  “No. Montague is at John’s house healing up from a stabbing.” Baylor scowled. “A couple of Spaniards are following the lass and they attacked them a few weeks ago. I didn’t attend the event so’s I wasn’t there to help fight them, I’m sorry to say.” Gabriel hurriedly read the words, his heart beating a little faster.

  The Spanish wanted this manuscript as badly as Alexandria wanted her parents alive. They were probably on that ship with her now. And she only had that John fellow as protection. He looked too pretty to be of much good. Gabriel caught himself clenching his teeth and took a long, deep breath.

  “Can you take me to Montague? I have to talk to him.” Montague would understand all the nuances to the kind of mission Gabriel had in mind and be more logical than this sentimental giant.

  Baylor drained his fourth mug and grinned, foam covering the orange hair on his upper lip. “That, your dukeship, I can do.”

  Gabriel shook his head, smothering a smile. “Your Grace.”

  “Your what?”

  “Never mind.”

  AFTER UNTANGLING BAYLOR'S CART FROM the horses’ reins, they made a plodding procession to John Lemon’s house. It was a quaint street and well kept, Gabriel reflected as they rode up and dismounted, but nothing compared to his town house in London, nor even a shadow of Bradley House in Wiltshire. The fact that Alexandria hadn’t even seen what he had to offer in comparison rankled, even though Gabriel knew she loved a ramshackle castle on Holy Island, a home with a gothic, windswept feel to it that would be hard to replace.

  They knocked on the door and stood outside waiting. It took an inordinate amount of time but finally a maid, mop cap askew atop her curly brown hair, flung it open. Upon seeing Baylor her face broke into a wide smile. “Baylor! How did your task go? Were you able to detain the duke?” Her gaze flickered over Meade and then paused on Gabriel. Gabriel raised a brow at her.

  “Oh, dear.” She swallowed hard with a nervous laugh. “You’re the duke, aren’t you?” She sank into a curtsy and said some other things Gabriel couldn’t make out.

  “We’ve come to see M
ontague,” he interrupted in his best authoritative voice. “He is here, isn’t he?”

  She looked toward Baylor who started inside. “Come along. I’ll show you.”

  They found Montague seated in a neat sitting room, his feet propped up and a book in his lap. He sat up straighter as they entered. His eyes caught and held Gabriel’s for a long moment, and then he nodded in an imitation of a bow. Gabriel took in his bandaged chest under the half-open shirt and understood, especially in a man of his years, why he didn’t stand.

  A sudden memory surfaced, streaking images of a sea battle from his navy days as he looked at Montague. He’d saved this man’s life, long before Montague was an admiral. When Gabriel was just one of the lieutenants, he’d thrown himself on top of him, dragging him away as a cannon blew nearby. The blast had been horrendous. He lost consciousness and woke up in a hospital in Jamaica. He had not been able to recall what had happened until this very moment.

  “Do you remember me, Admiral?”

  Montague gave a slow nod. “When Alex told me who her guardian was, I agreed to become her champion. I owed it to you, if nothing else, to keep her safe.” He looked away. “Though after getting to know her, I couldn’t have abandoned her. She has become like a daughter to me.”

  Meade hurried to write down the words and Gabriel responded. “It appears she needed a protector. I understand you had a run-in with a knife.”

  Montague’s lips curled into a half smile and he shrugged one shoulder. “Spaniards. You might have shown up earlier and helped, Your Grace.” They both chuckled. “What’s with the book?”

  Gabriel took the seat across from him. He folded his hands into his lap, hating to have to say the next words to this man of distinction. “I would like to introduce my secretary, Mr. Meade. Meade will take down what you say in a speaking book, as I’ve had some difficulty hearing of late.”

  Montague’s intelligent blue eyes darted to Meade and then back to Gabriel. He gave Gabriel a small smile, his eyes thoughtful. Meade wrote almost as fast as Montague spoke. “I see that Alexandria’s plan was successful and our friend Baylor here has kept you from her ship. Had you planned to board it or take her from the shore?”

  “I planned to board it.”

  “A more dramatic move, but what then?” Montague flicked an imaginary piece of lint from his pants.

  “I planned to go to Iceland with her, help her track clues there, and hopefully, though I have personal doubts, find her parents. Then I planned to take her to London and the prince regent.”

  Montague’s head came up, steel gray brows raised. “You would defy the regent’s orders for her?”

  Gabriel tipped his head to the side. “Something like that.”

  “I’m sorry, then.”

  “Sorry?”

  “I tried to detain her. I told her you might be trusted and reasoned with. Of course, she wouldn’t take the risk, not with your power. She knew the moment you got close enough, she could be forced to give up her search. When I knew I couldn’t convince her, I let her make her own plans.”

  “Tell me about your nephew.”

  “You saw him, did you?”

  Gabriel felt a thunder gathering in his chest. “I did.”

  Montague sighed. “He’s a good fellow. He has a good hand with the sword too, so that should help, though I promised to join them in Iceland as soon as I’m able.” A long look of intensity passed through his eyes. “He thinks himself in love with her. Of course, so do most men who cross her path, but he’s a charming fellow and handsome. She agreed to marry him before they left.”

  A stone being thrown into his middle couldn’t have more impact than those words. Gabriel swallowed and turned his head away to gather himself. “So they’re engaged? Not married?”

  He held his breath and watched the words appear on the page.

  Not married yet. I asked that they wait until I arrive. I wouldn’t want to miss the wedding, you know. They agreed as there wasn’t time to wed before they left, what with the only ship headed that direction leaving in two days.

  “But she is listed on the passenger list as Alexandria Lemon.”

  “I suppose they are pretending to be a married couple so she can travel alone with him. I don’t like it, but she was determined to lose no time getting to Iceland.”

  Gabriel remained silent, looking off into the empty fireplace, thinking. What if they didn’t wait? He turned back toward Montague. “You approve of the match?”

  Montague gave a bark of laughter. “John is my nephew, and you would think I would be ready to dance at their wedding. But”—he shook his head once—“I feel like the father who hasn’t met anyone good enough for her. Even John.” He rubbed his knees. “And I suspect her heart isn’t really in it. Not for John—” he broke off with a humorless chuckle.

  Gabriel raised his brows. “For someone else?”

  Montague looked right into his soul it seemed. “If you plan to catch her in time, Your Grace, you should hurry.”

  “Thank you, my friend. Your debt is paid.”

  MONTAGUE'S WORDS WERE LIKE A haunting chant circling in his head as he rode back to the hotel. Hurry indeed! Gabriel had to find a way to overtake the Achilles. The image of her face when she’d locked gazes with him on the deck of the ship caused a fierce sweetness, a sought torture that burned as if it was branded on his heart. He’d wasted too much time. Montague was right. If he had any chance of talking her out of this marriage, he had to hurry and see that she knew she had alternatives to accomplish her end. That she could have him at her side.

  They reached the hotel and dismounted. Gabriel walked over to Meade. “We’ll need to purchase a ship. Nothing fancy but something big enough to get us across the Atlantic to Iceland. Something fast. As fast as you can find. Also, hire a crew. Just enough men to handle a small craft but experienced. I mainly want an experienced captain, someone who enjoys a good race perhaps. Hint at an additional reward when we overtake the Achilles, which increases with the less time it takes to reach it.”

  Meade nodded his understanding, bowed, and turned to go.

  “Meade.” Gabriel stopped him. “Thank you.”

  Meade looked down a moment, his face turning red. Then he looked up at Gabriel. “My pleasure, Your Grace.”

  Now that Montague had inspired hope that Alexandria was not married yet and might care for him . . . nothing would stop Gabriel from telling her how he felt.

  After seeing that the horses were taken care of by one of his hired groomsmen, Gabriel hurried inside to his room. He had letters to write, had to make sure the regent knew he was still on Alexandria’s trail among other business, and his mother was complaining about his lengthy absence and all of the responsibilities he was neglecting at home. With renewed purpose he started up the grand staircase.

  “Your Grace, is that you?”

  Gabriel stopped, having nearly run the man down but thinking he’d read him correctly. Sudden recognition slammed into him. Wonderful. Just what I need.

  It was the soldier he’d left cooling his heels in Beal, the little village just outside of Holy Island, on a feigned mission of holding down the fort while the little troop, himself and Meade included, searched for the missing Lady Featherstone. It had been a ruse to rid himself of the captain and his men, and it had worked, up until now. It seemed the captain had tracked him down. What was the little man’s name?

  “Captain . . . so . . . good to see you. Have you found Lady Featherstone and tracked me down to tell me of it?” He watched the man’s lips very carefully. Without Meade’s presence, traversing the speaking world was a very different matter, and he hadn’t wanted the captain to ever know of his inability to hear. When last he’d seen the man, his hearing had been coming back. Now to reveal such a weakness was unthinkable. As annoying and incompetent as the short man was, h
e did have the prince regent’s orders and Gabriel needed to be able to fool him again.

  “You know I haven’t found her.” Gabriel thought he said with a sinking feeling. He continued but Gabriel only caught a few words here and there, words like regent and trouble and disobeyed.

  As he spoke the room began to fill with red-coated soldiers. More soldiers than they’d been traveling with to Holy Island to fetch Alexandria. Many, many more.

  Gabriel quickly deduced the situation without the benefit of hearing it explained to him. The captain had gone back to the prince regent at some point and been ordered, with reinforcements, to track Gabriel down. He gazed around at the soldiers’ faces. A few stared him square in the eyes with a cockiness that spoke volumes. They were enjoying seeing him being taken down a notch.

  Since he couldn’t make out much of what the captain said, Gabriel tried to stall for time, interrupting the man with a wave of his arm and a steely look. “Captain, I have pressing matters to attend to at the moment. When my secretary returns, we will meet in the hotel’s drawing room and discuss this. I must bid you good day.”

  He started to move around the man toward the stairs but felt a hand grasp his shoulder and then another on his arm, pulling him hard in the other direction. If he could only hear what was going on! He tried to turn and wrench free and then came face-to-face with the captain holding a pistol in his face.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Gabriel roared. “Unhand me this instant!”

  But they didn’t unhand him. They beat him and twisted him and tied his hands together behind his back. The captain stared into his eyes, sure victory and the enjoyment of someone being humiliated and harmed glowing from his beady little eyes. “You can’t hear me, can you?” his lips overly enunciated. He laughed.