Marrying Christopher (A Hearthfire Romance Book 3) Read online

  A Hearthfire Romance

  Copyright © 2015 Michele Paige Holmes

  E-book edition

  All rights reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles. These novels are works of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, places, and dialog are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.

  Interior Design by Heather Justesen

  Edited by Angela Eschler, Michele Preisendorf, Cassidy Wadsworth, and Jennie Stevens

  Cover design by Rachael Anderson

  Cover Photo Credit: Lee Avison/Trigger Image

  Cover Photo Copyright: Lee Avison

  Ocean Background Photo: Shutterstock.com #113710504

  Published by Mirror Press, LLC

  eISBN-10: 1941145426

  eISBN-13: 978-1-941145-42-5

  Counting Stars

  All the Stars in Heaven

  My Lucky Stars

  Captive Heart

  A Timeless Romance Anthology: European Collection

  Timeless Regency Collection: A Midwinter Ball

  Hearthfire Romance Series:

  Saving Grace

  Loving Helen

  Marrying Christopher

  To LuAnn—

  Whose patient corrections and sometimes brutally honest words

  taught me so much about writing.

  I will always hear your voice in my head and be thankful of it.

  Yorkshire, England, July 1828

  Christopher Thatcher leaned casually against the mantel in Mr. Samuel Preston’s drawing room. A smile played upon his lips as he studied the room’s other occupants— his two sisters, Grace and Helen, and their husbands— and thought of another night, not long ago, when he had stood in this same spot and contrived a plan to unite his sisters with the men they loved, Lord Nicholas Sutherland and Mr. Samuel Preston.

  Nicholas’s transformation over the past months had been nothing short of miraculous, but then Grace had always been a worker of miracles, raising her younger siblings alone as she had. That she had brought the tall, handsome, dark-souled earl to his knees had not surprised Christopher, and he felt inordinately pleased to be witness to not only Grace’s happiness but to Nicholas’s release from the grief that had too long consumed him.

  Samuel, on the other hand, had a more gentle nature and was the perfect match for Helen. Samuel had coaxed her from years of shyness and timidity, and she had truly blossomed these past months so that her personality shone as much as her outward beauty.

  Brilliant work, Christopher silently congratulated himself. In spite of a few glitches along the way, all had turned out to be the happiest of endings for his sisters— almost. There was one more item to be resolved before he felt he could go about his life and no longer worry about their welfare. Sir Edmund Crayton.

  The pirate had to be dealt with. Since Grace’s and Helen’s recent weddings, they had all been somewhat on edge, aware as they were of the vile transaction that had taken place between Crayton and their late father. Though the £3500 Crayton had paid— Christopher still shuddered at the many depravities their father’s gambling debts had brought into their lives— for the “right” to Helen had been returned to the scoundrel, neither she nor Grace would be completely safe until he was permanently relocated. So long as Crayton remained in England, Christopher felt that his protection must remain also— a situation that he felt had become almost unendurable.

  It was not his sisters he wished to escape. He loved them dearly and felt it was his sacred duty to protect them from Crayton, just as Grace had protected him as a child. But his sisters had husbands now, and despite the fact that he had lost much of his sense of purpose when they’d gained safety and love, Christopher still could not pursue a new purpose— or sense of self— until the threat was vanquished entirely. And yet, he was impatient to leave England.

  In spite of my sisters’ husbands’ generosity. The two had gone so far as to even offer him a fair piece of property, a parcel of each of their own adjoining estates. His sisters had been most disappointed when he did not accept the offer. He wanted property, yes. But he wanted to earn it on his own, not have it handed to him. He wanted to make something of himself, to be free to pursue whatever he may, to make his own name and fortune. America had freed herself from England, and he intended to do the same.

  But first…

  Christopher caught Lord Nicholas Sutherland’s eye and gave him an almost imperceptible nod. It was time to present their plan. Christopher had chosen to share his idea with Nicholas first, as, of his two brothers-in-law, Nicholas was the one more likely to take risks and action.

  “I have the weekly report on Crayton,” Nicholas said when there was an appropriate break in the conversation.

  Helen tensed at once, and Samuel, ever attentive, took her hand in his.

  “Crayton’s activities this week have not taken him from London. He had several meetings— a few with his own solicitors, one with a ship’s captain, and two with… ladies of ill repute.”

  Samuel shot a look of disapproval at Nicholas. “You needn’t share all the details. Telling us that he was not in Yorkshire is sufficient.”

  Nicholas ignored him. “Crayton also attended the theatre this week.”

  Helen gave a resigned sigh. “It is almost as if he knows we are tracking him and shows himself at the theatre just to mock me. I fear we shall never be able to go again.”

  “You won’t,” Christopher said. “Unless something is done— something more permanent.”

  “What have you got up your sleeve this time?” Samuel asked, his eyes narrowing as he studied Christopher.

  “You act as if my past schemes have come to no good,” Christopher said, feigning offense. “And yet, look at you— sitting there with my lovely sister fawning all over you.”

  “I am not—” Helen straightened quickly, blushing as she extracted her arm from beneath Samuel’s.

  “What did you have in mind, Christopher?” Grace asked, likely more to draw attention away from Helen than from anything else. Her instinct to protect her younger sister still ran strong.

  “Nicholas will tell us.” Christopher left his place before the fire and drew up a chair closer to the four of them. Glancing over his shoulder, he checked to make sure the drawing room doors were still closed and no servants had entered. He did not want the conversation to leave their circle.

  Nicholas cleared his throat once, then began in a strong, assertive tone. “Christopher has proposed that we trap Crayton at his own game.”

  “You would like us to purchase him and plan for his abuse just as he did for Helen?” Grace teased.

  “This is no trivial matter,” Nicholas gently reminded her. “At the very least your sister remains in danger. And I do not doubt Crayton would take any opportunity to snatch you as well.”

  “Not to mention the bounty price still on Christopher’s head,” Helen said quietly.

  “Yes.” Nicholas nodded. “You’ll recall that, in addition to debauchery, Crayton has also, for some time now, been quite adept at using his fleet to overrun merchant ships. These he boards and takes control of, slitting the officers’ throats and taking the rest of the crew captive, to be pressed into service for the Royal Navy.”

  “The cargo he keeps as his own,” Samuel said. “At a great financial loss to those it belonged to.” He spoke from experience, Christopher knew.

  “I have a friend,” Nicholas said. “Captain Merlow has his own
fleet and a vested interest in the East India Company. And— as he both owes me a favor and is only too eager to remove Crayton’s threat from the seas— he is willing to assist us.” Nicholas paused, his gaze traveling around to each of them, as if to judge how they were receiving the plan thus far.

  “Continue,” Samuel said.

  Christopher took over. “On Monday next, Crayton will be delivered of the news that the second Saturday in August Captain Merlow will be crossing through French waters with a rather valuable cargo.” Nicholas and Samuel exchanged a knowing look.

  “Opium,” Samuel guessed, his expression grim. “Crayton’s taste for it was mentioned in the solicitor’s report.”

  “I thought the opium trade went south,” Grace said, “to China. Grandfather called it the Crown’s futile attempt to keep English silver at home.”

  “It is futile because there are plenty of Englishmen— Crayton included— who are addicted to it as well,” Samuel said.

  “And while much of the opium does travel from India to China, a fair amount makes its way to European ports and here as well,” Nicholas said. “Though Captain Merlow isn’t actually going to be in possession of the opium when he meets Crayton. He’ll leave port with it, and Crayton will no doubt have a man in place to verify that. But once at sea, Captain Merlow will be transferring the opium to another vessel that is headed south. During this exchange, his ship will take on arms and additional men, employing twice the usual protection for a ship that size.”

  “That’s a rather large expense to incur on the off-chance Crayton will bite.” Samuel leaned back against the sofa as if he’d just dismissed the validity of their plan.

  “Oh, he’ll bite, all right,” Nicholas said assuredly. “Aside from wanting some for himself, Crayton knows how and where to sell the opium, so it’s as good or better than a shipment of gold. And switching the cargo in exchange for men and weapons isn’t costing Merlow a penny.”

  Grace turned to Nicholas abruptly. “How much?” she demanded. “How much has this cost you?”

  “Very little when I consider your safety.” He trailed his fingers down the side of her face. “No amount would be too much to keep you safe.”

  Grace took his hand, her gaze softening, and held it to her lips as they looked at one another.

  “Well, then.” Christopher cleared his throat uncomfortably. Such ardor from two of the most sensible and levelheaded people I know. May I never fall victim to such wiles. “In summary, Crayton will attempt to meet up with the shipment of opium, Merlow and his crew will detain him, and then Crayton will be on his way to the Continent, where he shall be pressed into service for La Royale.”

  “You intend to send him to France?” Helen said.

  Grace clapped her hands. “How perfectly delightful.”

  “Pressing him into service for England would not gain us much,” Nicholas said. “He has too many important ‘friends,’ despite his thievery on our own waters. It would only be a matter of time before he was released— and more dangerous than ever.”

  “But in the French navy, Crayton would be the lowest of the low,” Christopher explained. “He has pirated in their waters, too, and many a Frenchman has been his victim.”

  “You don’t think they’ll kill him, do you?” Helen asked, sounding rather alarmed.

  “If we’re lucky,” Nicholas said, earning frowns from both women.

  “It’s doubtful they will harm him too much,” Christopher said, though he silently agreed with Nicholas’s assessment. “Crayton will be worth more alive, strong and able as he is.”

  “There is the risk of ransom,” Samuel said. “If the French learn who he is, might they not write to the king and request payment for Crayton’s release? After all, he was knighted for his service to the crown.”

  “I have thought of that already.” Christopher felt inordinately pleased that their dialogue was going so well. This just may work. “More than a dozen years have passed since he was knighted, and during that time he has somewhat fallen out of favor with those who brought him to power. In addition, he has incurred the wrath of many others. While you have all been off enjoying your wedding trips, I have been busy traveling to London and beyond, speaking to seamen and captains, listening carefully in taverns, and discovering just how many enemies Crayton truly has.”

  “And risking your own foolish neck,” Samuel muttered.

  “Better mine than yours.” Christopher grinned. “I daresay Helen favors you more.”

  Helen sat on the edge of her seat, a distressed look upon her face, evident by the wrinkling of her pert nose. “I should be distraught if anything were to happen to either of you— to anyone in this room.”

  “No harm is going to befall any of us,” Nicholas said. “Christopher has planned this most thoroughly.”

  “Indeed, I have,” Christopher said. “Happily, the number of Crayton’s enemies likely equals or exceeds that of his obligated allies. Even the crown itself has tired of him in recent years. His talents are not valued as much now as they once were. We are at peace with both France and America; the continual need for men to be pressed into service has greatly diminished.”

  “Pirating among his own has become a nuisance rather than a benefit. If he is removed, no one will mourn his absence,” Nicholas concluded.

  “You have been busy,” Grace said, eyeing Christopher suspiciously.

  He shrugged. “I may have learned a few tricks from solicitors, given all the time I spent in court awaiting news of our inheritance.”

  “Not to mention what you learned while skulking about in pubs all the years you had to chase your father down.” Samuel had unfastened the top button of his waistcoat and was beginning to roll up his shirtsleeves, a sure indication that he was ready to go to work.

  “There was that too,” Christopher admitted with a half grin. “Well?” he asked. “Are we all in agreement?”

  “What is there to agree to?” Samuel asked, his voice wary. “It sounds very much as if the cogs are already in motion.”

  “They can yet be halted,” Christopher said. “We must all be in agreement before we proceed. Because if any part of the plan goes wrong, if just one person involved sways loyalty, we could all be in great danger.”

  For the first time since the discussion had begun, Nicholas exhibited signs of discomfort, tugging on his cravat and avoiding eye contact with anyone, especially Samuel.

  “Those you’ve hired know the origins of this plot?” Samuel asked. “They know we are behind it?”

  Christopher shook his head. “I have been careful to avoid any use of your name or Nicholas’s. But a few know who I am. And that puts us all in danger.”

  “We are all already in danger and have been for some months,” Helen said. “I, for one, would like to be able to roam about the garden with Beth as we used to.”

  Christopher knew she dearly missed these excursions with Samuel’s four-year-old daughter— just one of the many reasons they had to proceed.

  “The constant need for a guard at the gate, these weekly reports—” Helen waved her hand toward Nicholas. “They are wearying. I think Christopher is right to do this. We must act instead of waiting and watching for Crayton to.”

  “Well said.” Christopher sent her an approving smile. A year ago Helen would never have been so bold. “All in favor?”

  Grace spoke first. “I agree with Helen.”

  “And it is a foolish man who disagrees with his wife,” Nicholas said, sharing a rather sultry look— one Christopher wished he had not seen— with Grace.

  “Let us proceed,” Samuel said, “and pray all goes as you have outlined.”

  “But if it does not…” Grace glanced at each of them as the long-assumed burden of worry and responsibility flashed in the depths of her eyes. As eldest, she had spent her life looking out for her younger siblings.

  “Then you shall all have to join me on my journey to America.” Christopher reached into his pocket and retrieved the tick
et he had purchased just two days earlier, deciding that now was as good a time as any to share news of his imminent departure. “I intend to leave as soon as this business with Crayton is completed. The ship I am traveling on leaves from Liverpool the fourth of September, and I have it from the captain himself that there are still plenty of cabins available.”

  Christopher laid his fork across his plate and set his serviette upon the breakfast table as four pairs of eyes followed his every move. The dining room had never been so silent, and he wished little Beth had been allowed to join them this morning. She certainly would not have been as solemn as the others in the room.

  “I thank you for breakfast, Samuel— and for your hospitality these many months.” Christopher cleared his throat, uncomfortably aware of the constriction building within. “It is time. I should go.” The servant hovering behind him pulled his chair back, and he stood.

  “You should not go.” Helen’s voice elevated to an unnatural pitch, and a quick glance her direction confirmed that the tears, which had been threatening all morning, had at last spilled over and were now streaming from her eyes. Grace reached over and took her hand.

  “We must allow your brother to direct his own life,” Samuel said firmly but not unkindly. He put his arm around Helen, supporting her as she rose from her chair. “You will always be welcome here, Christopher. Our home is yours.”

  “I know. And I thank you.” For a fraction of a second, Christopher wished he could avail his brothers-in-law of their generosity. Parting with Grace and Helen was not going to be easy for him either. But the pull he felt to America’s shores grew stronger daily and could not be ignored.

  He turned, quickly exiting the dining room and entering the foyer as a great hiccupping sob reached his ears.

  Grace. Oh no. He’d expected tears from Helen, but he’d hoped Grace would maintain control of her emotions this morning. The chorus of sobs following behind him indicated his hopes were in vain. Christopher crossed the foyer and stepped outside into the crisp morning air before stopping, hoping the coolness might do them all a bit of good and somehow soothe the bitterness of his departure.