Earl of Hearts(41)

Most of the blood was not his.

But he had a bloodied lip and sported the makings of a black eye. "Take off your shirt. Do you need my help?"

"No. I can do it. They only got in a punch or two."

She rolled her eyes. His entire right side was black and blue. "Any broken ribs?"

He moved his arms and twisted his upper torso to the right and then to the left. "No. All good."

"And your hands?"

He shrugged. "Knuckles are a little swollen. Nothing broken."

"You were fortunate."

He tossed her a lopsided grin. "I had you on my side."

She kissed him gently on the lips. "Always."



IT WAS JUST after nightfall when John left the Bainbridge office to go  in search of Somersby. He hadn't discussed his plan in detail with  Nicola for fear she'd follow him. She had been lucky this morning, but  he would not put her life at risk again.

He'd left her in the care of Harry, his two terriers, and ten trusted  workers whose duties were now to guard Nicola and make certain no one  harmed her. Of course, he'd also instructed them not to allow her to  leave, but that had been done out of her earshot. Obviously, he'd turned  into a coward.

In truth, she did not appear determined to disobey him.

What also preyed on his mind was the possibility that Selena had led  Somersby to them. She knew the vessel they'd sailed on. She knew he had  offices in Harwich and also knew of the Three Cups Inn, for it had been  used by agents of the Crown on several occasions. Perhaps Somersby would  have figured it out for himself, but he thought it unlikely.

Selena had led the marquis here.

Which meant she was here as well.

He'd just turned the corner and was about to make his way down to the  Three Cups Inn when he heard Mortimer's sharp bark. Horace quickly  joined in, his yips and yaps slightly deeper, and now sounding fierce.

Someone had seen him leave and was now going after Nicola. He turned  back in time to catch a shadowy figure running toward the building. He  gave chase, slowed only slightly by a limp from this morning's fight.  One of Somersby's men had stepped on his booted ankle during their  assault, but it wasn't serious. The villain would have broken it if he  had intended to.

He caught up with the shadowy figure within a matter of steps and  reached out to grab his collar, but realized at once he'd just caught  hold of a woman. Selena. Which meant she was armed and dangerous. He  grabbed her hands and squeezed them until he heard a pistol clatter to  the ground. It wouldn't be the only weapon she carried. "Let go of me or  I'll scream!"         

     



 

"Open your mouth again and I'll slit your throat. You've gone too far this time, Selena."

She struggled against him, but he had no intention of letting her out of  his grasp. "You don't understand. I'm trying to help you."

"How? By leading Somersby and his hired scum straight to me?"

"You should have given me the book."

John laughed in disbelief. "You were working with Somersby all along.  Prinny must have caught you stealing Crown documents and meant to have  you hanged. That's why there's no going back for you. You backed the  wrong side."

"You forced me to it."

"Don't blame your mistakes on me. You and I have nothing to do with each other. We were in the same line of work, that's all."

"I loved you. I offered you my heart. I offered you all of me, but you only wanted her."

"You joined Somersby's rebellion before I married Nicola."

She shook her head. "It was always that Emory girl. I saw the look in  your eyes whenever she was mentioned. I saw you at ton parties, the way  you looked at her whenever you thought no one was watching. You hurt me,  John. So I had to hurt you back. Somersby and I thought it would be fun  to see your precious Nicola snatched from you. He was going to marry  her, take her money, and then stage an accident before the month was  out."

Selena's words were like knives slashing straight through his heart.  He'd been the target of their revenge. He was the one who'd put Nicola  in danger.



JOHN DRAGGED SELENA back to his office, hating that she was under the  same roof as Nicola, but there was no help for it. Neither the Harwich  magistrate nor the local regimental commander was equipped to handle  assassins and spies. Selena would have broken out of their meager prison  within a matter of hours.

Nicola jumped out of her seat when she noticed that he'd already  returned. "John, what happened?" Her eyes widened when she caught sight  of the person struggling beside him.

"Keep away, Nicola. I haven't searched her for weapons yet. She's been  working with Somersby all along. You suspected it." He was furious with  himself as much as with Selena. He was spitting, fiery mad. "I should  have paid closer attention."

"She used your friendship against you. She knew the loyal, honorable friend you were."

He began to run his hands over Selena's stiff and bony body. He found three small knives and a garotte. "There's probably more."

He tossed Selena's cape to Nicola. "Take this next door into my clerk's office. Search along the seams."

"Ugh, her cape smells like whale blubber." But she held her breath and left the room to do as he'd requested.

John then called for rope and used it to bind Selena's wrists and  ankles. "Harry, guard her. Don't get close. She's dangerous. Probably  still hiding weapons. Keep Mortimer and Horace with you."

He then sent two of his men off to fetch the magistrate and regimental  commander. "Have them bring guards. Somersby's still on the loose and I  don't know how many men he's brought with him. Lady Bainbridge will  explain to them what's happened."

Nicola had heard him give the order and her eyes rounded in surprise. "Aren't you going to wait for them?"

"No. I know where Somersby's hiding."

Nicola placed her hand on his arm to hold him back. "How can you possibly know?"

"What did you do with her cape?"

"I did what you asked. I stretched it across your clerk's desk and ran  my hands along the satin lining. I found nothing. But the odor was  making me ill, so I opened a window and stretched the cape across the  sill to air it out."

He nodded. "I can feel the cool wind blowing in."

"Don't close the window yet, John. I can't tolerate the odor. But that  isn't important. You said you knew where Somersby was hiding."

He nodded again. "You just told me. You smelled it on Selena's clothes."

She quirked her head in confusion, and then her eyes lit up in  understanding. "They're hiding out in a storage barn beside the whaling  ships. All the more reason to wait for the authorities. Let them help.  You can't take on Somersby and his men all by yourself. Six was your  limit," she said, reminding him of how many he'd taken down this  morning. Unfortunately, Somersby had brought along twelve men and Nicola  was never going to let him forget it.

He grumbled and paced, but waited for reinforcements.

After what seemed like an eternity but could only have been half an  hour, he and a garrison of soldiers surrounded the dock area where  several whaling ships were moored for the evening. Most of the seamen  were ashore, imbibing at the nearby pubs.         

     



 

John waited until the soldiers were in place and then entered the simple  wooden structure that served as the whaling storage. Pots filled with  whale blubber were boiling. Two whale carcasses were stretched across  one of the long walls.

Somersby sat at a table with three of his cohorts.

"Put up your hands," the regimental commander ordered.

Somersby leaped to his feet, overturning the table in his haste, and  withdrew his pistol. As he raised his weapon and aimed it at the  regimental commander, John shot him between the eyes. "Bloody hell! The  man almost got me. Who is that vermin, my lord?"

"No one important. A traitor."

The commander spit on the floor. "He's the one who ransacked Mrs.  Finch's inn this morning. Poor woman, she barely escaped with her life.  Traitor. Vermin. It's all the same. Glad he's dead."

John cast the commander a mirthless smile. "So am I."





CHAPTER 18





JOHN STOOD IN silence as his best friend, Julian Emory, angrily paced  across the elegantly carpeted floor of John's study. He and Nicola had  returned to London almost a week ago and had quietly settled into the  Bainbridge townhouse, but this was their first meeting with her brother  and it did not appear to be going very well. "You went into the  Highlands to hunt grouse and came back married to my sister," Julian  accused.

His wife, Rose, merely smiled at her husband. "Why are you so surprised? He has always loved her. Haven't you, Lord Bainbridge?"

John grinned. "Indeed, Lady Chatham."

Julian scowled. "Stop being polite to each other. This is serious, Rose."

"I know, my love. But it doesn't change the fact that Lord Bainbridge has long been in love with Nicola."