Enticing Her Unexpected Bridegroom Read online

  Looking at him, Sarah’s entire face seemed to light up with pleasure.

  “Thank you, David,” she said simply, and he was touched.

  “You’re welcome, Sarah.”

  Smiling broadly, Sarah looked out the window of the no-longer-moving carriage and chirped, “I believe we are here.” Opening the door herself, she fairly leaped from the vehicle and immediately fell on her face as her foot slipped in the mud left from the previous night’s rain. Before David could get to her side, she was up, brushing herself off, and brightly announcing her well-being.

  Shaking his head, David offered her his arm, and together that went to see what the magistrate had to say.

  Luckily, he was in and available. Upon meeting the short, rotund man, David was no longer surprised to find him so readily accessible.

  Magistrate Fitzherbert was an obsequious little fellow. Eager to please but seemingly with no actual opinions of his own.

  “Magistrate,” David began, “my wife and I are interested in purchasing property in the area—” He glanced quickly at Sarah, urging her with his look to follow along. She responded with a barely perceptible nod. For all her odd ways, my wife is a clever thing, David thought proudly.

  “—but we have heard of some vandalism recently.”

  “Vandalism?” the magistrate echoed. “No, certainly not. Not here. We are a safe little hamlet, I assure you.”

  “Oh,” David said, looking at the man dubiously. He turned to Sarah. “Dear, didn’t you say Lord Blackwood had mentioned some damage to his land?”

  “Oh, yes, dearest,” Sarah gushed, fluttering her hands nervously. “He made it sound most concerning. He’s so fond of his gardens, you know, and to have them so grievously injured…shameful.”

  Sarah appeared so concerned for Blackwood’s poor trees, David almost laughed, but he got himself together enough to look back at Fitzherbert with an eyebrow raised in question.

  Magistrate Fitzherbert cleared his throat. “Blackwood, you say? Well, yes, there was a small incident with his lands. I had forgotten, but it was a singular incident. Nothing to be concerned with, I assure you.”

  “Then you have the culprit in custody?” David asked. Last they knew, Potter was still evading capture, but things could have changed in the time it took for the letter to reach the Coles.

  “Ah, no, not yet. But it is only a matter of time. And he is only one man. Nothing we cannot handle.”

  “I will make that decision myself, thank you,” David said, with all the self-possession he could summon. He was not accustomed to throwing his aristocracy in the face of others. He admitted to many faults, but false pride, he was happy to say, was not usually one of them.

  “O-of, course, sir,” Fitzherbert stammered. “What can I do to put your mind at ease?”

  Smiling to himself, David thought, This is just the opening for which I was hoping.

  “Actually, I would like to see the damage for myself. Blackwood was too horrified by the incident to show us himself.”

  “Oh, I see. Well, naturally, you would like to see it,” the magistrate rushed to agree. “If you give me a moment, I will happily take you—”

  “That won’t be necessary.”

  “But—”

  David shot the stubby man a piercing look. “Are you going to imply I do not know my way around a plot of land?”

  “Certainly not, sir!”

  “Very good. Then just tell me where the incident occurred, and we will be on our way.”

  Nodding almost spasmodically, the magistrate pulled out a map of the local lands. With a shaking finger, he pointed out the general area where the damage was said to occur.

  Rolling up the map, David tucked it under his arm. He silently warned Fitzherbert against arguing and turned on his heel. Offering his elbow to Sarah, he led her swiftly to the egress. Once outside, he didn’t let his expression change in the slightest until they were both stowed safely in the carriage. After closing the curtains completely, he finally let go and released a deep laugh like he hadn’t done in years.

  Soon Sarah was giggling along with him, and they could barely hold each other up in their mirth.

  “That was so much fun!” Sarah said gaily.

  “I concur completely,” David replied, trying unsuccessfully to adopt his previously serious mien.

  “Wherever did you learn to be so commanding and arrogant?”

  “I am an earl’s son, my dear,” David replied, puffing up his chest. “We learn such things from birth.”

  “Oh, please.” Sarah laughed, poking David in the stomach. “Your father is the kindest man I have ever met.”

  David collapsed into laughter again. “I know! He has failed me completely in the ways of the aristocracy.”

  “And you are very glad of that, aren’t you?” Sarah said knowingly.

  David’s smile became fond. “Yes, I am very grateful. I could do a lot worse than to become a man like my father.”

  Sarah leaned her head on his shoulder. “I have always envied you your family.”

  Settling his cheek against Sarah’s soft hair, he replied with the only thing he could think to say. “They are your family now, too, dear. And they love you as if you have always been their daughter.”

  Sarah just buried herself farther in to his side. From the slight sniffling he heard, David was sure she was becoming maudlin again. He had known Sarah a long time, and in the past twenty-four hours he had seen her cry more than ever before. Even when faced with the near constant ridicule of her peers, she always kept a firm face in public. But pay her a few compliments, make her feel as if she belonged, and she turned into a puddle of emotion.

  It seemed unbearably sad that such a lovely young woman had been deprived of love for so very long.

  Shouting directions to the driver, David got the carriage moving once again. One of these days, David was going to have to explore why he was so sure he could help Sarah with this problem of feeling unloved.

  Because he was rather sure he could, indeed, help her.

  Chapter Eight

  The truth is seldom unadulterated and never simple.

  —The Duke of Lancaster

  By the time Sarah and David arrived on the outskirts of Lord Blackwood’s estates, Sarah had gotten her emotions under control. When had she become so given to tears? Was it simply that she was unused to such a feeling of camaraderie with another person? She really was having a wonderful time with David, but she had had plenty of fun with her girlfriends on previous cases, and she didn’t turn into a ninny at every turn.

  Perhaps it was just that David was being so kind to her. He had always been nice to her, but this was different. It was more personal somehow. It was affecting her more. His compliments were suddenly sincere and not some act he put on with Alexander when trying to appear suave and debonair. And what he had said about his family…it was true. They had welcomed her with open arms, even before she had married David. But it wasn’t until recently that she realized how much she had been craving a family…a family of her very own. David was her family now, for better or worse. And if she were being truly honest with herself, she found the thought frightening. It was much safer to want him from afar. Safer for her heart. She was now in the perilous position of finding herself so emotionally attached to David that he had the power to destroy her completely.

  Sobered by the thought, Sarah straightened and moved purposefully away from her husband. She didn’t think she had the ability to stop herself from loving David even more than she already did, but somehow she needed to find a way to survive if he decided he could never love her in return.

  “Are you ready?”

  Sarah looked over and saw that David had already exited the vehicle. He must have moved the moment she let him go. Stifling the pain, Sarah nodded and took his hand.

  She immediately released it upon landing firmly on the ground. Shaking out her skirts, she glanced around. Anything to avoid looking at David.

  “Which
way is it, do you think?”

  “According to the map, this way.” David pointed east.

  There didn’t seem to be anything but trees to the east, and Sarah wondered how Lord Blackwood had ever even found the damaged area.

  “All right,” Sarah said gamely, “lead on.”

  It took approximately fifteen minutes of fairly rough going to reach the orchard indicated on the map. A number of times, Sarah had to rely on David’s help to traverse the terrain. The physical labor actually helped to clear her head. She just needed to focus on the task at hand and let the rest fall where it may. It was not her nature to complain about the lot given her, and she vowed not to start now.

  The orchard was as orderly as the grounds they had seen surrounding Blackwood’s manor, which made finding the scene of the “crime” a simple task.

  David and Sarah stood looking at the evidence for what seemed to be an eternity. Sarah, for one, could not find the words to express what she was feeling.

  Before her were the remnants of a very dead apple tree. The leaves were brown and looked as if they could crumble on sight. The trunk of the tree, which had been partially hewn away, was gray and lifeless. The roots were exposed and reached to the sky in a stark request for a release from their death throes. Even the ground around the tree was free of new saplings, which may be expected near a newly barren tree.

  This tree was lifeless and had been for a very, very long time.

  This tree was also the only one they could find that had been partially chopped up. Sarah and David walked around the entire orchard and well beyond it and found nothing else even remotely spoiled.

  David was the first to break the silence.

  “That bastard.”

  Sarah should have been shocked by his coarse language, but frankly, all she could do was agree.

  “He lied directly to our faces,” David continued. “For this a man may die?”

  “It’s a travesty,” Sarah agreed. “Whatever shall we do? We cannot let this continue. William must be found innocent.”

  Just then a loud crack was heard from the woods behind Sarah. She and David whirled around only to find a young girl crouched in the brush. The child looked uncertain as to whether to run or accept that she had been caught eavesdropping.

  Sensing her uneasiness, Sarah said, “No, don’t go! We won’t hurt you.”

  Holding out a hand to the girl, Sarah urged her to come into the open.

  Looking warily in David’s direction, the stranger slowly crept forward. As she got closer, Sarah could see that the girl was not as young as she first imagined. She was probably sixteen or seventeen and despite the dirt and ragged clothing, it was clear she was a very pretty young lady.

  When the girl was fully out in the open, Sarah said, “My name is Sarah Jar—ah, Rochester. And this is my husband, David.”

  “Hello,” the girl said cautiously. “My name is Melinda. I was just taking a walk. I swear.”

  Sarah looked at David in question. Why did the girl feel the need to swear about taking a walk? David answered her query with a small shrug. Apparently he was as much at a loss as she.

  “That’s fine, dear,” Sarah said kindly. “Walks are very healthful, are they not?”

  Melinda visibly relaxed at Sarah’s response.

  “Then you are not friends of the Earl Blackwood?”

  “Certainly not,” Sarah replied indignantly, screwing up her face in disgust.

  “Well, that is pretty clear now, I must say.” Melinda laughed. “May I ask why you are here, then? This is not a place to which one just happens to wander.”

  “And yet you did,” David said pointedly.

  Melinda blushed. “Yes, well, I was actually following the earl. I have been following him for a while.”

  “Whyever for?” Sarah asked.

  Melinda looked at David and Sarah thoughtfully, before finally answering.

  “He is looking for something. I’m not sure what, but I am hoping it’s something incriminating that will rid us all of his presence.”

  “What makes you think he is looking for something?”

  Sitting down on the remains of the fallen apple tree, Melinda shrugged. “I noticed it a few weeks ago. My brother Samuel has a habit of running away, you see. And his favorite place to hide is on the earl’s land. I have tried to warn him of the danger, but he’s only nine. He doesn’t understand what the earl would do to him if he were caught. To him it’s a game.”

  Shifting in her makeshift seat, Sarah could see that the topic of her brother worried Melinda.

  Sighing, Melinda continued. “In any case, one night I found Samuel hiding in the foliage under the library windows. He seemed to be fascinated by the goings-on within. I was curious enough to take a look. The earl was reading a piece of paper and appeared to be making a list. Then I watched as he got up and began examining every figurine in the room. I don’t know what he was looking for, but it was clear he didn’t find it, because he threw the last statue at the wall.”

  “You began going back to the house often after that, didn’t you? To see if he had found whatever he was looking for?” Sarah guessed.

  Having the grace to look somewhat sheepish, Melinda nodded.

  “He is becoming frantic. Whatever he is looking for must be of great import.”

  “But, Melinda, what if you are caught?” Sarah asked. “You said yourself, he is a dangerous man.”

  “I know,” Melinda cried, “but the earl is awful. The people around here cannot endure his abuse much longer.”

  Sitting next to the girl, Sarah took her hands. “Tell us what he is doing. Maybe we can help.” Sarah looked up at David. He nodded.

  “Do you think you can?” Melinda asked, hope written all over her face.

  “My husband is an earl, too, Melinda. Blackwood cannot treat us the same way he treats everyone else.”

  Taking a deep breath, Melinda began to tell Sarah and David all about the atrocities Earl Blackwood had visited upon his people. His people!

  Like most members of the aristocracy, the earl had hired families to live on his land to help work it. His gardeners, household staff, and stablemen were all required to live on his lands as well. This usually resulted in an innate pride in all the manor’s workers. Keeping the lands, fields, house, and stables in good working order benefited everyone concerned. A loyal staff was nearly priceless in the world of a logical-minded aristocrat, and such a man rewarded his people handsomely to maintain that fidelity.

  But not Earl Blackwood.

  In addition to not providing enough food, wages, or fuel for his families to survive, he believed in corporal punishment for any lapse in work. And with most of his workers sick and malnourished, hateful beatings were occurring with far more frequency. In order to survive, the families had no choice but to scrimp, hoard, and sometimes steal from the earl’s overflowing wealth.

  “But they only take what they need. And none of us would ever consider stealing money or trinkets,” Melinda said, on the verge of tears. “Just food, wood, and sometimes blankets, but only those that have been discarded by the earl.”

  “Why don’t you all just leave?” Sarah whispered, knowing full well what the answer would be.

  “And go where? Earl Blackwood’s reach is far. He has vowed to keep anyone from getting work ever, if they dare leave.”

  David made a noise of disgust. “This man’s entire being goes against everything I believe a man of privilege should be. Those who have are obligated to help those who have not. It’s simply the Christian—the gentlemanly—thing to do.”

  “I wish someone had told Lord Blackwood that,” Melinda muttered.

  “Perhaps someone will…” David replied ominously.

  Sarah got up and put her hand on her husband’s arm. “We need to be thinking of William now, David. Making Lord Blackwood angry is just going to make saving him more difficult.”

  The tension drained from David’s features immediately, and he leaned his h
ead down to settle against Sarah’s forehead. “Thank you, dear.”

  “Are you talking about William Potter?” Melinda said from behind them.

  Sarah and David once again whipped around to look at their new friend.

  “Yes, do you know him?” Sarah asked.

  “Of course! The Potters are one of the larger families here. William and his sons have taken on the majority of the thefts in order to protect the rest of us. So far they haven’t been caught. Until now, that is.”

  “The apple tree…”

  “Yes, Lord Blackwood was out here looking for whatever it is that’s hidden, and he stumbled across William cutting up the tree. William was able to get away, but not before the earl recognized him. He has been on the hunt ever since.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  “No, but his wife might.”

  “Perhaps we should have a talk with Mrs. Potter, hmm?” David mused.

  “That may be difficult. Mrs. Potter is not the most trusting woman. Especially with your kind.”

  Melinda flushed at the implied insult. “Not that you are not lovely peo—”

  Sarah waved her hand. “Oh pish posh. We knew what you meant.”

  David laughed, and Sarah looked at him in surprise.

  He shook his head. “It’s nothing, my dear. She just reminded me of you there for a moment.”

  Sarah smiled and blushed a little herself. She supposed she had that coming.

  Turning to Melinda, she said, “Well, now, it is getting dark, and I am sure your parents are getting worried about you. Perhaps we should see you home?”

  Melinda jumped up. “Oh no, that is not necessary. I need to check if the earl has given up his search for the night, in any case.”

  Frowning, Sarah said, “Are you sure that is wise?”

  “He hasn’t caught me yet, and I don’t think he would notice me tonight if I were standing directly in front of him.”

  Now David frowned. “Why not?”

  “Well, when he saw you two here earlier you should have heard the profanity… I’m willing to bet, he is thinking of nothing but you this evening.”

  “Bloody hell,” David swore.