The Earl's Bride Read online

  Cover Copy

  Falling for her isn’t permitted.

  Following the brutal murder of his father and elder brother, James Hargrove, the Earl of Donnelly, comes into a title he never expected. His future was set, to join the 18th Royal Hussars and dedicate his life to his king and country. Now, he’s been dragged into the shadowy depths of the underworld as he seeks to discover the impossible—to uncover who murdered his loved ones.

  Lady Sophia Trentbury has long since loved the earl and fears for his life when she learns of his decision to uncover who murdered his father and brother. She’ll do whatever it takes to aid him in his mission, even if she must immerse herself in London’s deadly underworld of spies and espionage.

  As the earl is swept into a lethal circle of deadly enemies, he must discover what is truth and what is deception, and all while protecting the scorching love of his lady who won’t leave his side, even when he demands it. Can he hope for victory?

  Also by Joanne Wadsworth

  The Matheson Brothers Series

  Highlander’s Desire, (Book 1)

  Highlander’s Passion, (Book 2)

  Highlander’s Seduction, (Book 3)

  Clan Matheson Series

  Highlander’s Kiss, (Book 1)

  Highlander’s Heart, (Book 2)

  Highlander’s Sword, (Book 3)

  The Fae Series

  Highlander’s Bride, (Book 1)

  Highlander’s Caress, (Book 2)

  Highlander’s Touch, (Book 3)

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  Highlander’s Champion, (Book 6)

  Highlander’s Captive, (Short Story Book 7)

  Regency Brides Series

  The Duke’s Bride, (Book 1)

  The Earl’s Bride, (Book 2)

  The Wartime Bride, (Book 3)

  The Earl’s Secret Bride, (Book 4)

  The Prince’s Bride, (Book 5)

  Princesses of Myth Series

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  ~∞~

  THE EARL’S BRIDE

  by Joanne Wadsworth

  Regency Brides, Book Two

  Table of Contents

  Cover Copy

  Also by Joanne Wadsworth

  THE EARL’S BRIDE

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Regency Brides Series

  The Duke’s Bride, Book 1

  The Wartime Bride - Book 3

  The Earl’s Secret Bride - Book 4

  The Prince’s Bride - Book 5

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  Other Series by Joanne Wadsworth

  Joanne Wadsworth

  Copyright: The Earl’s Bride

  Chapter 1

  Donnelly House, London, 1810.

  “I must uncover who murdered my father and brother.” James Hargrove, the Earl of Donnelly, leaned back in his study chair, his head resting against the high supporting headrest. Grief clung to him, so dark and dismal and never ending since the death of his beloved family members. “They would expect no less of me.”

  “Yes, but uncovering who murdered them has presented a challenge thus far.” The Duke of Ashten stood at James’s study window, his hands clasped behind his back and shoulders stiff as he cast his gaze over the rear gardens, the late afternoon light of the day shimmering through the trees and dappling the grass. With one brow quirked, his friend cast him a glance over his shoulder. “Think on it, Donnelly. The Bow Street runner has concluded his investigations and reported that their deaths were accidental. It will be a challenge to convince anyone else of it otherwise.”

  “There is nothing accidental about their drowning, not when they were both exceptional swimmers.” He thumped one fist on his desktop. “They perished three nights apart, their bodies pulled from the same stretch of the River Thames alongside my father’s warehouses.”

  “Yes, I agree that’s far too coincidental, and I believe as you do, that there is a killer on the loose. Unfortunately, it’s been so long. Two months have passed since they perished, and no new information has come to light.”

  “Foul play was most certainly involved.” He wouldn’t relent on that, the knowledge burning deep in his gut.

  “George was grief stricken following your father’s death.” Ashten crossed his arms, his brow wrinkling. “When I visited him here at Donnelly House, he’d consumed an entire decanter of brandy and was barely in full command of his senses.”

  “My brother would never have left Maria behind. Our sister needed him.”

  “I instructed your butler to put him to bed, then ensured your sister slept.” Ashten gestured to the pile of papers on his desk. “Have you sifted through all of your father’s papers yet? Our greatest chance of finding any reference to foul play will either be here, or at his warehouse office.”

  Donnelly had only been home a week, his journey back across the English Channel a difficult one since he’d been on the move with his fellow hussars at the time of receiving word of his father and brother’s deaths. It had taken time to extricate himself from their front-line location and make his way back to England’s shores.

  “I’ve investigated each and every one of my father’s business dealings and there isn’t anything either he or my brother didn’t handle with absolute professionalism, even with regard to the sunken treasure you and I have already spoken about. Although it is that treasure which still irks me the most, particularly since it went missing from the War Office where my father and brother had it sent to.”

  Over the past few years, his father had invested heavily in his maritime trade ventures, his brother standing firmly at his father’s side, those ventures exceedingly lucrative. For certain the dealings they’d undertaken had increased their Donnelly wealth to the point where their coffers overflowed with coin.

  “I will fully search his warehouse office in the morning. Would you be free to offer your aid? An extra set of eyes is always helpful,” he asked Ashten.

  “Certainly. Collect me from Blackgale House in the morning.” Firm agreement.

  “Thank you.”

  “Have you had luck contacting the man I gave you the name of?” Ashten crossed to him and pressed his palms against the polished oak desk, the sleeves of his superfine navy jacket rising and exposing the gold cufflinks adorning his pristine white shirt.

  “Yes, I’ve managed to track Captain Anteros Bourbon down. The spymaster is elusive and prefers keeping to the shadows, but I located him at a gaming hell,
his own establishment as I came to learn—The Cobra. Or I should say he located me while I was searching for him.” Captain Bourbon certainly held a complex network of connections that reached into the dark depths of the underworld, a network he hoped would aid him in uncovering the truth about what had happened to his father and brother. No matter that the Bow Street runner had concluded their deaths were accidental, they’d been killed, and he was certain of it.

  “Bourbon will uncover anything that reeks of foul play.” A reassuring nod from Ashten. “I give you my word he will.”

  “After I gave him all the information I held, he told me he’d be in touch. He certainly seemed interested in my case when I spoke of the sunken treasure and its disappearance.”

  “Yes, Bourbon enjoys a challenge, and your case will surely provide it. That sunken treasure is the key, I believe.” Ashten returned to the window and grasped the sill, his gaze alert.

  “No harm will come to your wife and her sister outside.” Donnelly stood and joined his friend and comrade. Along the stone pathway lined with white and pink flowering bushes, Ashten’s new bride and her sister strolled, their golden-haired heads bent close together. When his butler had announced the duke’s arrival, along with the two ladies who’d traveled with him, he’d asked Woodman to show Ashten to his study, and to ensure the ladies made themselves at home. They’d chosen to enjoy a stroll outside while he conversed with Ashten, which suited him well, particularly since he didn’t wish to speak to Ashten’s new sister-in-law, Lady Sophia Trentbury. Only trouble lay down that pathway if he did.

  “Sophia’s been quite worried about you.” Ashten quirked a brow. “I realize things didn’t end well between the two of you when you chose—on the day you rode out with the hussars no less—to end your courtship fully and finally. You’re an idiot for letting her go, Donnelly, a true imbecile.” An exasperated shake of the duke’s head. “A dolt through and through. Of the greatest sort. In case you haven’t quite got my meaning yet. Shall I go on?”

  “I understand perfectly.” It had nearly ripped his heart in two to set Sophia free, but better that than to ask her to wait until he returned home from the war, if he ever did. So many good men had perished in their battle against Napoleon, and so many more still would to come. This war of atrocity loomed endlessly over all of Europe.

  “You told Sophia to enjoy what remained of the Season, that you wished her well. She was both furious and heartbroken, although even worse, you’ve turned her away each time she attempted to visit you and your sister this past week. She had been calling by and keeping Maria company until you returned, and doing a fine job at it too. You’re a cad and a coward.”

  “Good grief, old chap. Lay it out.” He slapped Ashten on the back. “Don’t hold back.”

  “I wasn’t.” A smile tugged at Ashten’s lips. “You’re rather hard to stay angry with at times.”

  “My father used to tell me the same, and I had to be abrupt with Sophia, otherwise she would have waited for my return, for years if need be.” No matter his return, he still couldn’t pick up with his sweet Sophia where he’d left off. A murderer remained on the loose, a killer possibly intent on coming for him next, and whether that was an absolute possibility or not, he’d rather take his own life than allow Sophia’s to be stolen from her because he had selfishly wanted to keep her for himself. “Until I know who killed them, and why, I can’t commit myself to another woman.”

  “I understand, but Sophia is so very much like my Ellie.” Ashten sat on the edge of the sill, his arms crossed and sunlight streaming over his jacketed shoulders. “Both sisters hold those they consider family close to their hearts, and Sophia has always considered you and Maria family, no matter your broken courtship. When she asked if she could ride with me to see you today, I, of course, agreed.”

  “My butler did inform me of Sophia’s visits with Maria while I was across the channel, but they can’t continue now I’m home. She’d be entering the home of a single gentleman, which even Winterly should be standing up and disallowing.” Sophia’s brother, the Earl of Winterly, was a man he considered a friend and confidant, a man who needed to consider his sister’s safety above all else. Safety which didn’t exist around him, not with all surety.

  “Maria is her friend, and Sophia brought her maid with her while you were away, a guard too. She was well chaperoned. Where is Maria, by the way?” A huff as Ashten asked that. “You haven’t locked her away in her bedchamber, have you?”

  “Of course not. Maria’s resting. She didn’t sleep well last night.” He glanced out the window and followed Sophia’s footsteps as she wandered the pathways of his rear gardens. Like an elixir to his senses, he wanted to drown in the returned sight of her. Her rose-colored day gown accentuated her slim waist and flared over her hips, the dainty capped sleeves framing her creamy shoulders, while her golden curls swept down her back underneath her matching silk bonnet. When she bent to smell the fragrant blooms of the yellow roses, that bush in particular having been his mother’s favorite, the scalloped neckline of her gown dipped forward, and he received a rather alluring view of her lush breasts.

  Such incredible torture.

  She wound one loose golden curl around her finger, and he groaned.

  A sudden lift of her head, and she snagged his gaze.

  He jerked back.

  No eye contact.

  Too dangerous.

  Clearing his throat, he returned to his desk and plunked into his chair. “One very fortunate man will make Sophia an offer of marriage, and she’ll become the wife of another, which I have resigned myself to. Things simply can’t return to the way they were considering my treatment of her. She must detest the sight of me.”

  “You are underestimating her.” Ashten tuttered under his breath, then opened the window a notch wider and smiled down at the ladies. “Are you two enjoying your walk?”

  “Yes, very much.” Sophia’s heavenly voice floated through the window opening, both a balm to his senses and a searing danger as well. “Donnelly, I know you’re there and currently ignoring me. May I speak with you, please?”

  “Lord Donnelly?” Ashten eyed him expectantly. “I believe Lady Sophia is trying to gain your attention.”

  “I’m busy.” Rocking back in his chair, he made sure to say that nice and loud, so Sophia wouldn’t miss his answer through the window.

  “Unfortunately,” Ashten said with a ragged sigh to Sophia, “the earl is unable to converse with even a modicum of politeness at present. You’ll have to excuse his terribly obnoxious behavior and count yourself lucky you’re not in here with me.”

  “I’m coming upstairs this instant. Obnoxious behavior included.” An exasperated huff. “Inform the earl.”

  “We’ll see you momentarily.” With a distinct smirk, Ashten closed the window and leaned one shoulder against the window frame. “I admire her determination.”

  “You would.” He wanted to toss Ashten out his window.

  Footsteps thumped up the stairs and his study door swung open.

  Sophia stood in the doorway, her piercing blue gaze locked on him and fire blazing within their passionate depths. “Unable to converse, my foot.”

  “I am extremely busy.” He motioned to the pile of papers.

  “I will not accept that answer, and why have you forbidden my entrance into your house this past week? Maria needs her friends, and I am one of them, you aggravating oaf.” She huffed again as she marched inside, her reticule swinging from her fingers as if she wished to swing it at him.

  “Do excuse me while I check on my wife.” Ashten strolled past him, his step far too lively. “When you’re both ready to join us, Ellie and I will be enjoying afternoon tea in the drawing room. Like civilized people do.” His friend deserted him, disappearing right out the door.

  “You shouldn’t be here, Sophia.” He glared at her, hoping to get his point across, that he didn’t appreciate her visit, not in the least. “I have vengeance to seek for my father
and brother’s death, vengeance I won’t allow you to be a part of.”

  “I’ve gathered that by your dismissive attitude, but you must consider Maria’s needs as well. She grieves deeply for your lost family members, just as you do, and I must continue to be at her side as needed. What kind of friend would I be otherwise?” She came around his desk and jabbed a finger in his chest. “I wish to be your friend as well, if you’ll allow it.”

  “Gentlemen don’t keep female friends. I wished you an enjoyable Season, that you not feel beholden to me, in any way at all. I’ve been gone for two months. Do you not wish for marriage and children one day?”

  “Yes, not that that’s any of your business, not when you tossed me aside so ruthlessly.” She jabbed him again. “I wish I could hate you, James, but unfortunately I can’t turn my emotions off as easily as you can.”

  “I’d appreciate it if you did hate me.”

  With a fierce growl, she stomped on his foot.

  “That’s a good start.” He tried not to flinch.

  “You deserved that.”

  “Of course, I did.” He stepped back in case she thought to stomp on his foot again, a smile tugging annoyingly at his lips. Dash it all, but her fighting spirit was a sight to behold and he enjoyed seeing it rise.

  “Now we’ve got that detestable moment out of the way, I must enlighten you about another matter. Your father and I came to an agreement while you were away.”

  “Pardon?” His brows perked up. His father had certainly been saddened by his decision to end his courtship with Sophia, although he’d also understood why he’d needed to do so. “What kind of agreement?”

  “Might I take a seat while I inform you?” She gestured to the blue settee framed by the darker blue silk wallpaper of his study.

  “If you must.”

  “James Hargrove!” Her eyes went wide, her mouth gaping. “I’ve never known you to be so rude.”