Soldier of Fortune: The King's Courtesan (Rakes and Rogues of the Retoration Book 2) (21 page)

He stood up and offered her his hand. “The hour grows late and I’ve still much to do. Will you join me later for supper?”

“I look forward to it,” she said with a brilliant smile. “Robert?”

“Yes?”

His body was almost touching her. She could feel it like a warm caress.

“I….” What to say? That she was sorry for seducing him? She wasn’t. All she could think of was doing it again. “I’ve blamed you for things that weren’t your fault, and I regret it. I said some things the other night, but despite our differences I know they aren’t true. You are an honorable man, or at least you have been so with me.”

He gave her a deep bow. “I have done the same, madam, to you. I thought you part of Charles’ scheme and resented you for it, as much as I resented myself for saying yes. I shall do my best to make you feel at home here as I should have from the start.”

“Thank you, my lord. Perhaps, on your return from London we might start anew. I should like us to be friends.”

His smile was warm as he bent to kiss her hand. The touch of his lips sent a shiver up her spine. What would it be like to make sweet love with this man? With no anger or hurt or reason beyond wanting. What would it be like to love someone who cared?

“I promise you, I should like that, too.”

London

Robert Nichols’ return to London was a good deal more circumspect then his last visit had been. He wore nondescript clothing and kept the brim of his hat pulled low over his eyes. It wasn’t easy hiding his height but seated men all looked the same when hunched over a table. He had arrived in the city just in time to watch the new queen’s procession from Hampton Court to Whitehall. Gliding down the Thames on a gilded barge surrounded by a grand flotilla, she and her train of black-clad monks and stern-faced ladies looked like a flock of starlings let loose amidst the peacocks.

He had felt a stab of pity. Confessors and duennas and somber dress would only bring her ridicule here. Even as he had watched, a smiling Lady Castlemaine stood among the king’s friends and retainers, draped in more jewels than the queen and the Duchess of York together. He wondered what Hope would have thought to see it all.
She’d be inclined to sympathy
. His musings reminded him that she, too, belonged to the king.
They say he feels no jealousy, but I do. I should never have allowed the other night to happen. Any man would want her, but I didn’t expect to like her so much.

In truth, their talk had gone much better than he’d anticipated. She really didn’t seem that hard to please. Common courtesy, a little respect, her Irish maid and a kitten. It was a small enough price to see her smile. When she smiled everything lit up, even her surroundings. Her face glowed, her eyes shone with excitement and she awakened things inside him he’d long thought dead.
I wish I could have stayed to take her back to Nottingham.

He’d certainly enjoyed their first visit…for the most part. Watching her spinning glass, her thrill at the tales surrounding the city and Sherwood Forest…he’d never really understood how their argument had begun. Somehow he’d offended her and she’d offended him.

“I will tell you how many men I have fucked if you tell me how many you have killed.”

Ah, yes. There
was
that. Three, she’d said. It was shocking only for its moderation. But she’d be shocked if she knew the answer to the question she’d asked of him, or if she knew what he did in London now, sitting in this Russell Street coffee house with its stink of tobacco and frantic bustle of over stimulated fools—waiting for William de Veres.

Robert disliked asking help from any man, particularly regarding a matter of personal honor, but it was a necessary evil. This wasn’t only about vengeance or redemption. For the first time in a long time there was something to protect. Harris was dangerous and he had disappeared. So…highwayman, courier, spy, whatever de Veres’ previous hobbies, hopefully he had something of note to impart—because after two fruitless weeks of inquiries, all Robert wanted was to be done with his business and go home.

A buzz of excited conversation drew his attention. He put down his drink and looked to the entrance as a tall, elegant-looking gentlemen strode through the door. De Veres doffed a rakish feathered hat and bowed to the room, exchanging a few sallies and nodding politely to a beefy mutton-chopped gentleman who stood near the door. Robert recognized him as Joshua Greathead, a country squire who had fought in the civil war under Cromwell and had also led a company of his own. He wondered what acquaintance he might have with de Veres as the king’s favorite poet sauntered over to join him in the corner.

“Good evening, Lord Newport.” The poet rested his booted feet upon the table and folded his hands across his lap. “My, what a great big sword you’ve got. It’s hard to believe the lovely Drury Lane angel could have tired of you so soon after seeing that. Or won’t you let her touch it?”

“Call me Captain Nichols…or Robert if you must. One hopes you’re not as foppish as you look. My enemies fight with swords, de Veres, not words.”

William grinned in appreciation.

“On men disarmed how can one gallant prove?

And I was long ago disarmed by love.”

“For God's sake, man. Must you speak in rhyme? It grows damned annoying.”

“My apologies, Captain, if my flights of fancy tax your brain.”

“You sent me a message to meet you here, Lord Rivers. Why?”

“You made enquiries about Lord Harris. Why?”

Robert leaned back in his chair drawing lazy circles on the battered tabletop with his finger and didn’t answer.

“Perhaps Lizzy is right and I may grow to like you. You could certainly use some friends. You have many enemies, Captain. It’s very hard to fathom given your gentle nature. Fortunately for you I am adept with pen
and
sword. I know you dislike me but I do love Lizzy and I did so long before you knew her. If I endangered her it was by accident and I cannot regret it for it brought us together again. You kept her safe and cared for her when I couldn’t. I know you did it for her and not for me, but I am indebted to you, nonetheless. I sent you a message because I thought you should know that Lord Harris has been making enquiries about
you
.”

Robert’s hand stilled, and he lifted his head to look William straight in the eyes. “That’s interesting.”

“I thought so.”

“What do you know of him?” Robert’s tone was mild.

“He is sadistic, vicious, a murderer, but a dab hand at racing and cards. He calls himself Colonel, though he was cashiered from the army a decade ago. He’s been twice charged with rape, and once with assault, though he’s scampered away unscathed from each charge.”

I should have killed him years ago. Who else has he harmed because of my failure?
“Is there some reason Charles would want to reward him?”

“Perhaps. I’m not as close to His Majesty as I once was. Charles is rather indolent when it comes to paperwork. The devil is in the details. Literally in this case. I doubt he knows anything about the man’s crimes or he’d never be welcomed at court. Harris is wealthy, owns several brothels and has vast properties in Lancashire and Scotland. He’s well connected and well protected as he’s owed significant sums of money by significant men. He has made several generous contributions to His Majesty’s cause. What’s really curious is why he should have any interest in you.”

Robert nodded, unaware his fingers stroked the hilt of his sword. “You’ve been very helpful, Lord Rivers. You have my thanks. Do you know where I might find him?”

“Again, I ask why?”

“I have business of a private nature with him, and it seems he also has business with me.”

“There can be no good business with him, Nichols.” William eyed Robert’s sword pointedly. “And the king is dead set against dueling. You have your lands and you have the king’s gratitude and goodwill. And the girl…she is charming, is she not?”

Robert gave him a sharp look.

“Mmm. Yes, I thought so. I refer, of course, to her winning nature. She was far too selective and over-chaste to make a convincing courtesan. You have stumbled upon a prize there, Captain. If there is something personal between you and Harris I suggest you let it go and enjoy the bounty fate has sent you lest you anger our dear Charles and lose it all.”

Elizabeth trusts this man. “
There is
something
very
personal between us, Rivers. A debt that must be paid. Even if I wished to let it go, I cannot. I spent years tracking him only to lose him in Europe. Now he is back and a danger to me and mine. It was he who was meant to have Cressly. He asked the king for it specifically. He can’t be sure I know it was him. He can’t be sure I know he’s back. I need to put him dow—I need to deal with him before he does.”

William smiled and leaned back in his chair. “Lizzy made me promise to act with discretion and maturity and to try and dissuade you from impulsive acts. You are my witness that I did. But intrigue, espionage, danger…I am married, Captain, not dead.”

“You discussed my message to you with Elizabeth?”

“Of course I did. I tell her everything. There is nothing you can do at the moment. Your quarry is in Scotland, surrounded by armed men. He left right after you did, supposedly to raise monies for His Majesty’s ambitions abroad. By the time you reach his holdings he’ll likely be on his way back to London. Go home. Be patient. I will be your eyes and ears. Rest assured I’ll keep you informed of all you need to know and help in any way I can.”

“I thank you for the offer, de Veres….” Pride, one of his staunchest allies over the years, made a halfhearted effort to refuse, but it was no match for a sudden vision of a sooty-faced enchantress. It
was
his duty to take care of her after all. A thing he could hardly do from miles away. “Your help is much appreciated. And please, give Elizabeth my best regards.”

“
De rien,
Captain. I always pay my debts. Besides, it should prove entertaining.”

Robert set out for home with a sense of anticipation he hadn’t felt in years. For the first time in a long time it felt like there was something to go home to.

Cressly Manor

“‘One magpie for sorrow,

Two for mirth,

Three for a wedding,

Four for a birth.’

“Me ma taught me that one,” Lucy said proudly. “Magpies know things.”

“Everyone’s mother told them that,” Patience said with a disdainful sniff.

“Well, I’ve never heard it before.” Hope stood, her head crooked to one side as two of Sergeants Oakes’ rather burly footmen repositioned a painting yet again. “I wish I’d known that before
my
wedding.”

Everyone laughed, even Mrs. Overton who couldn’t help but add, “The master is a good man. Magpies three was good luck for you, my lady.”

There was a thirst among the staff to bring the neglected house back to life. Underneath the humming and singing, laughter and joking, there was pride. For the past few weeks since she’d returned from her shopping all the staff had lent a hand. Day by day, in remarkably short order, the house took on a new life. Plaster walls were whitewashed, panels and floors polished, and light streamed through windows and danced along the halls.

They were busy decorating now—hanging paintings and tapestries, removing dusty sheets and laying down rugs. Hope hadn’t needed to purchase as much as she’d expected after raiding the treasure trove packed away in storage. She asked Mrs. Overton over tea, why so much had been put away.

“It was first put there for safekeeping during the war, my lady. The master was hardly ever home. It was just me and the servants. And then after the fighting he was off to foreign shores. Gone for seven years with only a handful of visits he was, before the king was restored. When he finally came home he didn’t seem to take much interest. Then Mr. Oakes said the house was going to someone else and we’d all be moving to town so we packed up even more. It does my heart good, ma’am, to see it shining like it is. I never thought I’d see it this way again.”

Hope had been careful to mend relations with the housekeeper. The woman’s experience and expertise were invaluable and she had no interest in taking over her duties herself. “My goodness, Mrs. Overton! You managed this place by yourself for seven years? That must have been an enormous task. What would the captain have done without you?”

“I don’t know, my lady, and that’s the truth. The sergeant wasn’t here neither. I suspect it would have gone to ruin and himself not even notice.”

“Well, thank goodness you were able to preserve it. Between us we’ll return her to her former glory and see if he notices that.”

The housekeeper grinned. “Aye, ma’am. I daresay he might. At least once he gets the bills.”

Hope’s heart leapt when a coach arrived from London but it was just her plate and silverware, not the captain returning home. She flung a note from Charles in the fire without opening it. It was a private note not a royal missive and she felt no obligation to treat it differently than one from any other man. She hadn’t expected to miss the captain quite so much but the wild night he’d taken her during the storm had changed things between them, even if he’d left for London before she could understand how.

She couldn’t call what happened between them making love. It was far too rough, too urgent, too angry, on both their parts. But there had been passion, attraction, lust and delirious pleasure and it lingered in every part of her, even her thoughts.

And do I linger in his?
He’d said it wasn’t her who haunted his dreams. That meant that someone else did. A man who looked like he did would not have spent his life alone. She wasn’t the only woman who’d watched him hungrily in London. Was there a lost love? A broken heart? A tragedy in his past? Who
did
he dream of? Even if it wasn’t her she wanted him to come home.