Her Only Desire (21 page)

“Oh, God.”

“He saved my life. Just like he saved Georgie's.”

Ian turned to him, almost not brave enough to ask if she had been killed. Somehow he managed to form the words: “Where is she?”

“We were attacked. We sent her on ahead. Safer that way. We had no choice. Queen Sujana sent her forces after us.”

“After me, as well,” he murmured, offering up a silent prayer in his relief to hear the news confirmed, that Georgiana was alive.

“They struck first on the road out of Janpur,” Derek murmured. “We fought them off and escaped, but they were relentless. They kept coming after us. The hottest fight was over at the shipyard. Didn't look like any of us were gettin' out of there alive, but we managed to hold them off long enough for Georgie to escape on one of Jack's ships.”

“Thank God,” Ian breathed, feeling a little shaky. All of this struck much too close to home.

“Yes,” he agreed, “but she's alone, and, I warrant, scared to death.”

“Was she hurt?”

“No. We lost a lot of men. Major MacDonald is dead, along with half our sepoys.”

Ian bowed his head. “God keep them.”

“Griff, my brother—cannot travel like this. The voyage will be long and grueling. It may be weeks until he's strong enough to chance it. I must stay with him.”

“Of course. Don't worry. I've brought you reinforcements. The rest of your men from the diplomatic detail are just down the street. They will help keep watch in case those bastards come back.”

“I think we got them all,” Derek answered with a nod. The hollowness of his tone sent a chill down Ian's spine.

“Lord Griffith, I—I realize we already owe you our lives as it is, but I have no choice; I must ask another favor of you.”

“Of course, man. Name it.”

“Look after our sister for us when you reach England? She's never been out of India before. She's got none of her servants with her, no money, nothing. Jack's crew will get her to London safely, God willing, but she's not going to know a soul there except for you. She trusts you.”

“What is the name of the vessel on which she is sailing?”

“The
Andromeda.
It's a twenty-gun frigate in Jack's merchant fleet, so it'll probably be delayed by stops at numerous ports. You may be able to catch up to her.”

Ian nodded without hesitation. “Have no fear for your sister. Just take care of him.” He glanced at Gabriel. “I'll look after Georgiana as if she were my own.”

Gratitude filled Derek's light blue eyes. “Yes, well, actually, now that you mention it, we really wouldn't mind it if she were.”

Ian's eyes widened. “Pardon?”

“You have a way with her. I know she can be wild, but she—she's got a good heart. She listens to you. And after all that has happened, I think you may find her much more malleable.”

Ian stared at him uncertainly. “What exactly are you saying, Derek?”

“I'm saying if you want to marry her, you have our blessing. Gabriel's and mine.”

For all his silver-tongued savoir-faire, Ian could not summon up a single word in response. His heart skipped a beat. He dropped his gaze and tried to think of something to say.

“Ah, never mind me,” Derek said with a weary sigh. “I don't mean to put you on the spot, old boy. Haven't slept in days. Talking nonsense. Sorry.”

“You needn't apologize, it's just—” Ian found himself half confounded. “I had no plans ever to remarry.”

“Of course. Then again, plans sometimes take the most unexpected turns, don't they?” He glanced at his wounded brother and then looked at Ian again. “The voyage to England is long. If a change in course is due, you'll have plenty of time to discover your own mind on this matter. Certainly the choice is yours.”

With that, Derek dropped the subject, and Ian rose to go seek a ship at once that would take him to England.

“Give this to my father if you see him, would you?” Derek handed him the letter he had been writing. “I've been making copies to send out on Jack's ships, so no matter where our old man is, he'll hear from us eventually. I've asked Father to meet us in London.”

“Anything else I can do?” Ian asked as he tucked the letter for Lord Arthur into the breast pocket of his waistcoat.

Derek shook his head. “Probably best not to tell Georgie how serious Gabriel's wound is. She blames herself enough for all this as it is. Part of that is my fault. I…gave her a bit of a hard time about things when we were leaving Janpur.” He hesitated. “Would you—tell her I'm sorry for all that I said and not to pay me any mind?”

“Of course. Derek, I'm sure your sister knows you love her, no matter what was said.” Ian gave the weary soldier a kindly squeeze on his shoulder. “Try not to worry too much. Your brother's as strong as a horse. He'll pull through. You should get some rest,” he added.

“Right,” Derek said with a resolute nod, but the inhalation he drew in through his nostrils sounded a little unsteady. “Safe journey, old boy. Give Georgiana our love.”

CHAPTER

         
NINE
         

L
ondon loomed before her, an eerie and alien new world shrouded in darkness and swirling fog.

As the frigate
Andromeda
sailed up the onyx River Thames, Georgie stood at the rails, staring at the city, a brown wool cloak wrapped tightly around her. The damp night's deep gloom was punctuated by little glowing lights that sketched the shapes of hulking buildings, great bridges, church spires, innumerable ships in the distance. The streetlamps cast a hazy glow into the mist. Somewhere in the dark, a cathedral's deep, bonging bells tolled the hour.

Two
A
.
M
.

She had spent Christmas at sea, and Easter, too, and now the new year, 1818, was well underway. The last time she had stood on dry land, she had fled a scene of terror. She closed her eyes against the still-vivid memory of the vicious battle at the Bombay docks, sickened by her unending questions every time they sliced through her mind. Were her brothers dead or alive? Had they survived their ordeal?

Now she was thousands of miles from home without a penny in her pocket and nothing but the clothes upon her back. She wasn't even certain the authorities would let her come ashore, for she had no passport, no traveling papers to prove to the customs officers who she was. There hadn't been time for such things. She had barely escaped with her life.

The
Andromeda
's dear old captain had told her not to worry, that when they got upriver to the Knight Shipping warehouses, her cousin, Lord Jack, might be there, and he would deal with the harbor master. She gathered this was a polite way of saying that Jack would simply bribe the customs officers to make sure she was allowed into the country. Georgie didn't doubt that he could do it—her cousin, the ruthless business tycoon, had a way of getting things done—but she had no reason to believe that Jack even was in England.

Fear continued whispering in her blood, reminding her that she knew no one in this city and that, in bluntest terms, she had nowhere to go. Her highborn cousins were her only hope, but she had never actually met them and had no idea where they lived. The city hugged the river bends for miles; she did not know how she would ever find them. But even if she did by some miracle locate Knight House, it would surely seem incredulous and rude in the extreme if she simply showed up on their doorstep in the middle of the night, claiming to be their long-lost cousin from India. They would probably call the constable!

Her anxiety climbed as she faced this foreign shore, all cloaked in darkness. Both sides of the river were crowded with buildings shoved together cheek by jowl, with an endless range of docks and markets. Shivering in the chilly northern climate, she clung to her courage as the boat glided onward, past a thronged pleasure garden on the south shore of the Thames.

Gaily colored lanterns illuminated gaudy pavilions filled with people having fun. Noisy, romping music played along with the chatty drone of hundreds of revelers. One of the sailors informed her the lively place was called Vauxhall. Despite the late hour, watermen were still ferrying people back and forth across the river to the pleasure grounds.

She borrowed the first mate's spyglass and saw a fanciful display of topiary sculptures, and then a performance that made her shudder, it looked so dangerous: costumed performers illumined by limelights were juggling various objects as they walked across a tightrope high above the ground.

She handed the spyglass back to the first mate, unable to watch, for she was certain they would all fall down…
just like her.
To be sure, she had learned her lesson about taking too-great risks and showing off.

Farther up the river, they floated past Lambeth Palace, the home of the bishop. She even got to see Whitehall, where Parliament met. Ian had a seat in Parliament, she knew, the House of Lords. At the thought of him, her heart ached with her need to see him again.
Was he safe? Had he made it out of Janpur alive?

It could be weeks before she'd know, but she had good reason to fear for his safety. If Queen Sujana had been so effective in sending her minions after her and her brothers, in how much more danger must Ian have been when they had been forced to leave him behind, all alone?

She could hardly bear to think about it, for in truth, her feelings toward the marquess had also undergone a change. For all those long, lonely months at sea, reliving the memory of every word they had exchanged and every kiss and touch they had stolen in the prayer cave, her admiration for him had deepened into something more insistent.

Unfortunately, after her recklessness at Janpur, she was quite sure Derek was right. Ian was never going to want her now. She might as well whistle down the moon.

How she wished he were here, she thought with an ache of longing. She felt so lost at the moment, and he always knew exactly what to say.

Upriver, a sprawling warehouse came into view with “Knight Shipping” painted in huge block letters on the side. Her heart sank as she noticed the offices above were pitch dark.

Nobody home.

It seemed she really was on her own in this strange country.

The frigate dropped anchor not far from the shore, striking sail in the middle of the river.

The harbor master in his riverboat shuttled up alongside the ship, and soon the
Andromeda
's captain was engaged in answering queries about their cargo.

Before long, however, the captain left off their conversation and came clomping over to where Georgie still stood by the rails. “Would ye like to go ashore at once, Miss?”

What for?
she thought glumly.
What should I do? Wander the streets of London until dawn?

“Harbor master says you've already got permission,” the captain added with a twinkle in his eyes.

“What?” She turned to him. “How is that possible? Did you tell him I don't have any papers?”

“Aye, and he says 'twas handled by a gentleman days ago in anticipation of your arrival.”

“A gentleman? Who?”

“Him, I reckon.” The captain hooked his thumb toward the sprawling warehouse shrouded in gloom.

She followed his glance in amazement. “Lord Jack?”

“No, Miss, the one that's come to fetch you.”

She drew in her breath at these tidings and squinted into the inky darkness by the river's edge. “Didn't you get the man's name?”

“Harbor master didn't say. Just called him ‘His Lordship.' Shall I send one of my men ahead to find out?”

“N-no, I'll go at once!” Anything to get off this boat after so many months! A sudden notion took hold that the man waiting for her on shore might be her father. Derek had said he would be writing letters to Lord Arthur, telling him to meet them in London. Perhaps, somewhere out on the oceans, one of Jack's ships had taken the message to her beloved father in time.

Yes, why shouldn't it be Papa? She was quite convinced her father could do anything, and he had always been there for her whenever she needed him most.

If not he, then at the very least it must surely be one of her titled Knight cousins. She couldn't figure out how any of her as-yet unknown kinsmen could have heard she was coming, but she did not intend to make a poor first impression by keeping them waiting. She scrambled to disembark. Hope at last!

“If it don't smell right, you come right back, you hear?” the captain warned in a lower tone. “These docks is no place for a pretty young lady, especially at night.”

“I understand. Thank you so much, Captain. You've been most wonderfully kind and, believe me, I intend to make sure Lord Jack hears of how well you and your crew looked after me—”

“Ah, go on!” His rugged face cracked into a grin. “You run along, my lass. Good luck to you.” The old captain barked at his men to lower a boat to take her ashore, then trudged back to continue his business with the harbor master.

Before long, a few of the sailors were rowing her toward the docks, struggling against the strong current while she held on tightly to the edges of the skiff. She could hardly wait to find out if she would be greeted by a helpful stranger or someone she loved. The sailors thrust their oars into the oily current, angling the skiff closer to the docks.

When at last the bobbing boat was secured with two ropes slung around the mossy posts, the bosun's mate helped her climb up the wooden ladder onto the pier. Lanterns fixed to the posts every few yards apart cast a dim glow over the damp-slicked planks. Georgie ventured forward, placing each step carefully, lest she slip and fall into the river. It had taken her weeks to gain her sea legs, but now her knees felt wobbly again coming onto dry land.

At that moment, a tall, cloaked figure emerged from the swirling mist at the head of the docks.

Her cautious steps faltered.

At first, she could only make out a black, massive silhouette—then a flash of red as he threw his ebony opera cape back over one shoulder, exposing the silk scarlet lining. As he came striding toward her from out of the raven shadows, his gait graceful, his green eyes fierce, the lanterns' glow slid over the chiseled planes and angles of a familiar face.

Her jaw dropped; she stared at him in shock.

Ian!

But how—?
She had left India ahead of him! She blinked hard. Was this an apparition?

“Georgiana!” he called sharply, the loud, terse tone of his voice very real. His driving stride to reach her was relentless.

Her heart lurched. A cry of amazed recognition tore from her lips; then she ran to him, forgetting her fears. Her mind briefly registered his brooding expression, but it did not slow her. His jaw was taut, his eyes as hard as polished green marble.

His grim stare traveled over her with a swift, assessing gaze as her footsteps pounded over the wooden planks, carrying her to him, and in the next second, Georgie flung herself into his open arms.

He caught her up in an embrace rough with emotion, holding her hard, as though he forgot his own strength. His hand cupped her head to his chest, his fingers tangling in her hair. “I've got you,” he murmured gruffly. “You're safe now, darling. I'm here.”

She clutched him to her, unable to speak or barely to believe her senses, overwhelmed with shock and anguished joy. With welling tears of stormy emotion, she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his waist.

She could feel his heart pounding beneath her cheek. Above her, Ian bent his head and pressed a few firm kisses to her brow with an air of almost desperate relief, comforting her, claiming her. Her mind was in a whirl. She had no idea how he could be standing here on this London dock, holding her, but as she clung to him, she scarcely dared question it.

He was alive. He was safe. He was in her arms, and that was all that mattered. She dug her fingers into his muscled back, holding onto him more tightly still. The bond between them came flooding back at once, the sense of it even stronger now after all they had gone through together, and after their long and painful separation.

Trembling it seemed with the violence of his feelings, Ian placed another soft kiss on her head and draped his cloak around her, letting the heat of his body warm her against the night's chill.

After a moment or two, he moved back just a bit, capturing her face between his hands. He searched her eyes with a fierce stare full of stern intensity. “Are you all right?”

Georgie smiled at him through her tears. “Much better now.”

At her answer, Ian nodded slowly, his tense demeanor easing by a fraction, but she could no longer contain her joy at this most unexpected reunion.

“What are you doing here?” she exclaimed, clutching his lapels. “How can this be? How did you get here before me? I cannot believe you were here waiting, Ian! This is a miracle!”

He laughed softly and covered her hands with his own on his chest. “Ah, never mind all that. I have my ways.” He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed each one in turn.