Chapter Two

"A n urgent missive for you, sir."

Edmund Broadbank nodded to the elderly retainer. "Thank you, Wythe." He broke the wax seal, read the note, and slowly smiled. "Is Mrs. Wythe feeding the messenger?"

"Aye, sir."

"Excellent. I need a few moments to send a reply."

"Shall I wait?"

He was already reaching for a bit of foolscap to pen a reply. "Nay, I need to send a message to my brother as well. I shall be along momentarily."

"Is something amiss, Edmund?"

He glanced up and smiled at his wife standing in the doorway. "Not a thing, my love. I have a promise to keep, and a request I am about to send to my brother." He slipped the quill back into his holder and walked toward her. Slipping his arms around her, he held her close, reveling in the feel of her. Sensing she was about to ask a second time, he said, "Do you remember my telling you about Quinton?"

"The challenger for my hand who was afraid of heights?"

"Aye. He needs me to intercede on his behalf with Mrs. Dove-Lyon. He needs to marry immediately, and met the woman he wishes to propose to, but there are complications."

"What request do you have for your brother?"

Edmund answered, "Something I am not yet at liberty to discuss, but nothing to worry over." He smiled as he released her and walked over to his desk. He sanded both missives, folded them, melted the wax, and sealed them. Smiling, he extended his hand. "Walk with me, my love."

She slipped her hand in his. "Adam should be waking from his nap in a little while."

"We're only going to the kitchen."

"Oh. I had hoped we could take a turn in the garden."

"It would be my pleasure to see what is blooming today. First, I need to hand these notes to the messenger."

A few moments later, the missives were in the messenger's pouch and on their way to London. Edmund opened the back door, stepped outside, and offered his arm to his wife. "Now then. Shall we explore the herb or rose garden?"

Addy smiled. "The herbs."

Viscount Moreland answered the knock on the door to his study with a bellow. "Enter!"

His butler entered and handed him a missive. "This just arrived from Thorne House, your lordship."

Knowing his brother, it could be anything from an invitation to visit to regaling him with their nephew's latest escapade in the stables. He broke the wax seal and read the missive, frowning. He had wondered if inheriting the earldom recently would force Quinton to finally make an appearance in London after an extended period of recuperation in the country. Apparently it had, though not in the way Moreland had anticipated.

It would be expected that Quinton, the new Earl Stansbury, would take his brother's seat in the House of Lords. Though Moreland was a few years younger than Quinton, they had served together at one point on different ships. Moreland's brother Edmund had met Quinton when they competed in the Lyon's Den for Addy's hand. Edmund had won.

He shook his head and read the rest of the missive. The situation, it seemed, was very like the one Moreland had faced when their eldest brother died suddenly and the viscountcy was thrust upon him…along with his father's insistence that he needed to wed. He appreciated Stansbury's desire not to fall into a matchmaking mama's trap by taking matters into his own hands, trying his luck in the Lyon's Den—as Moreland had. Rescuing Gemma and marrying her had changed his life for the better. He hoped for the same for Stansbury.

He quickly penned a reply to his brother and one to Mrs. Dove-Lyon. "Apparently, I must make an appearance at Lyon's Gate Manor…today."

"Shall I send Lettie to see if her ladyship is awake?"

Warmth filled him as he thought of his wife and the precious babe she carried. The physician had said she would need plenty of rest. He had planned to insist upon it, but his wife's ability to fall asleep at will was proof that their son—or daughter—would ensure that she rested without his interference.

"Not necessary. Give these to the messenger, and have him deliver the one to Cleveland Row first. I shall check on Gemma."

"Very good, your lordship."

Half an hour later, Moreland entered the Lyon's Den.

"Viscount Moreland to see you, Mrs. Dove-Lyon."

Bessie set aside the tally sheet she had been reading. The missive she had received a few hours earlier had been unexpected, but she was known for reacting quickly and cleverly, when called upon to do so. She had been expecting the viscount and wondered what connection he had to the latest lord she had banished.

"Please show him in." She always enjoyed the way the viscount moved as if he were still on the quarter deck commanding a ship of the first line in the Royal Navy. "To what do I owe this pleasure, your lordship?" she asked when Moreland entered.

"As I mentioned in my missive, I need your help regarding a delicate matter." When she opened her mouth to speak, he raised a hand. "I know my request goes against your rules. Having served in the military, I know the importance of following rules, and when they can be bent…or broken."

She felt a bit of disadvantage seated, while he towered over her. That needed to change immediately. As she placed her hands on the arms of the chair, he moved to assist her to her feet. "Thank you, your lordship." He was taller than she remembered, and she felt the height disadvantage keenly. Used to turning things to her advantage, she took control of the conversation. "Things have been a bit tedious around here since the night of the mystère masque . What can I do for you, your lordship?"

"Need I remind you it's Colin?"

She motioned for Titan to leave and waited for him to close the door. "Now that it's just the two of us, Colin, we may speak without interruption." She walked over to a pair of settees and sat. "Won't you join me?"

He inclined his head and sat across from her. "My brother made a promise he intends to keep."

Mrs. Dove-Lyon smiled, though she knew Colin would not be able to see it through her black veil. "I thought he and Adelaide were happily wed."

His deep chuckle warmed her heart. "That they are. However, this involves one of the men who were vying for Adelaide's hand, a gentleman who happens to be an acquaintance of mine as well as my brother's."

"Hmmm." She hoped it was not the annoying Frenchman who'd flagrantly broken one of her ironclad rules. She forbade the shedding of blood with foils or pistols in her domain. She asked, though she already knew whom he was here to plead on behalf of, "Which gentleman would that be?"

"Quinton."

"That is unfortunate."

"Why?"

"I recently banished him."

Colin frowned at her. "What rule did he break?"

"He had the temerity to refuse one of my tests, insisting he'd already met the woman he intended to marry, and demanded to know her name."

When he chuckled, she balled her hand into a tight fist, though she sensed he was not laughing at her.

"I believe I said something similar to you when we spoke for the first time."

"When you intervened unnecessarily, as my wolf was handling the situation?"

"The blackguard had Gemma's back to the wall, and those gathered around them were placing wagers!"

His ire was a living, breathing thing. In a bid to deflect it, she said, "If I recall, she had her grandfather's dueling pistol jammed in the man's belly." When the viscount would have spoken, she cut him off. "Be that as it may, your lordship…"

"Colin," he reminded her.

"Colin," she repeated. "What is Quinton's connection to you now that he inherited the earldom a fortnight ago?" She was more than pleased to have been informed of Quinton's change in fortunes.

The viscount frowned. "With your connection, I assumed you had already heard of the unfortunate passing of his older brother a fortnight ago. Quinton and my brother developed a friendship and have kept in touch since competing against one another here."

"Ah, Adelaide Fernside and Edmund, lovely couple. They had quite a time of it after marrying a month ago."

"Mrs. Broadbank," he reminded her.

"Of course. I trust they are doing well?"

"Aye."

She decided not to put off asking, "What do you know of Quinton…er…Earl Stansbury?"

"Stout-hearted, admired by the sailors under his command, and, when gravely injured during battle, kept his head. Until Edmund mentioned Quinton's fear of heights, I had not known of it. There are things that happen to a man during battle that he does not willingly share, even with his closest friend or brother. Did this issue come up when they competed?"

"Yes, but that is neither here nor there. I received correspondence earlier today regarding his military record—it is unblemished. His action under fire during Trafalgar was quite detailed. He was on the middle gun deck when it was hit broadside by the French. The cannons—"

"Guns, they are referred to as guns on a ship."

"A cannon is much larger than a gun." Colin frowned, and she held up a hand to continue, "As I was saying, the guns were blasted loose…one of which crushed his leg."

"Aye, a thirty-two-pounder gun. Would you have treated him differently if you knew of his service and the loss of his leg?"

"Partial loss," she rasped as if it pained her.

Surprised by her reaction, he nodded. "Would you have banished him as readily if he were a seaman or soldier?"

She did not hesitate to respond, "I confess that I prefer dealing with those who have served in the military."

"Ah, then it is not just former captains in the king's navy that receive preferential treatment?"

She felt her heart warm at the rich timbre of his voice, recalling how his angry bellows had reverberated through the walls of her office the night he stormed into the Lyon's Den and ended up rescuing a damsel in distress. "As proprietress of this establishment, it is my decision to either extend preferential treatment or withhold it."

"Aye, Mrs. Dove-Lyon. I agree that you certainly have that right. However, as it is my brother who has asked this of me, and seeing as how you now know of Quinton's exceptional service record in the navy, I am hoping that, with my added assurances as to his valor in battle and character, you will have a change of heart and allow him entrance once more. Apparently there is an urgent need for him to marry immediately."

Intrigued, as she always was by the trials other people faced, she replied, "I may consider it. What is the urgency?"

He did not hesitate, nor elaborate, simply stated, "Quinton is dealing with the intricacies of inheriting the earldom and all that entails. I am quite certain you are also well aware that he has recently been elevated to the status of the most eligible and sought-after bachelor of the ton ."

She inclined her head. "I have heard rumblings. I take it the earl has no patience for Almack's or the tedious entertainments where one of his station would normally seek a wife."

"Aye, given what the man has suffered in service to the Crown, I would have recommended his seeking your assistance, without the rigamarole and time normally involved in finding a bride."

Recalling her own situation, and how Colonel Sandstrom T. Lyon had swept into her life, offering her marriage, she acquiesced. "I see that there is far more to the man than the mere irritation I felt the last time he was in my establishment. I am of a mind to relinquish my banishment and send word at once to Earl Stansbury that his attendance this evening is mandatory. It just so happens the hellion he rescued the night of the mystère masque will be in the ladies' observation gallery this evening."

Colin rose and held out his hand to her. She placed her hand in his, approving when he bowed over it. "My thanks, Mrs. Dove-Lyon. Send word should you have need of me…no matter the hour."

She rose to walk with him to the door. "I am grateful to have your friendship, Colin. I do not make friends easily. Most people that I meet only want something from me and offer nothing in return. It is refreshing to meet someone like yourself and your brother."

"Once you have rescinded your banishment, you will have Quinton, Edmund, and myself among those you can count on should you need assistance. I value your friendship, Bessie, and hope you will not hesitate to contact me. If for some reason you cannot reach me, send word to the Duke of Wyndmere's town house. I trust the members of the duke's guard implicitly. One of the guards, James Garahan, was instrumental in detaining the man who broke my wife's arm when she tried to stop the man from shooting me in the back."

She frowned. "Harkwell, the blackguard, during the duel. I understand James Garahan is stationed in Sussex now after his recent marriage."

"Aye, at Chattsworth Manor."

"Thank you for thinking of my protection, Colin. It is reassuring to know that I have another military man I can count on."

"You can call on me anytime. In my absence, don't forget to send word to Grosvenor Square—James's brother, Darby, is stationed in London along with Emmett O'Malley."

This time, she held out her hand. "Thank you." She opened the door, and he bowed once more before booming farewell to Titan.

She could not help but smile at the ripple of admiration that swept through her wolves, the former military men she'd hired as protection, when the viscount passed through their midst. Every man she employed had been injured to some extent, some visible, others not, while serving king and country. Colin treated them as equals and never looked down upon them, as most others were wont to do when confronted with one of the brave men who had returned home ravaged by war. Yet one more reason she would send word immediately to Quinton.

"Titan?"

He walked back to his post near her private room. "Aye?"

"Send word immediately to Earl Stansbury that his attendance is mandatory this evening. I have a challenge for him…involving the woman he expressed interest in."

Titan nodded and left to do her bidding.

Mrs. Dove-Lyon returned to her private room, satisfied that although he had not been one of the gentlemen she had singled out for Lady Catherine Huntington, now that she considered their situations and had the assurances of Viscount Moreland and his brother Edmund, she had to admit that Lady Catherine and Earl Stansbury would be the perfect match. Both shared a love of horses, needed to marry immediately, and had expressed a desire for a marriage in name only.

Thinking of their personalities, she could not wait for the sparks to fly!