“So you plotted to shoot Crofton?”
“Well, yes. I could not think of any other alternative, you see. He had heard about your beautiful dragons. He said just one of them would undoubtedly cover Papa’s gaming debts. So I told him I would bring him one of the statues tonight. I lied. My plan was to wound him very seriously. I wanted to frighten him off, you see.”
“You were going to kill him in order to protect me from humiliation.” Simon shook his head in disbelief. “God in heaven. You never cease to amaze me, madam.”
A shiver of fear went through her as she absorbed the odd tone of his words. Emily drew back slightly, folding her hands in her lap. She studied him carefully. “Have I shocked you at last, Simon?” she whispered.
“Yes, Emily, you have.”
Emily finally began to realize how the whole incident must appear in Blade’s eyes. No wonder he was acting so strangely. He was no doubt sickened and repulsed by her now. She had ruined everything. Emily stood up slowly as tears welled in her eyes. “I am sorry, my lord. I confess that until now I did not consider the matter from your point of view. I can see how disgusted you must be to know you are married to a woman who is capable of shooting someone.”
“Not that it matters, but you did not shoot anyone tonight, Emily.”
“Not for lack of trying.”
His mouth curved faintly. “No, not from lack of trying. You are a tigress when you set out to protect your own, aren’t you, my dear?”
Emily stared at him in confusion. “I could not let him humiliate you, Simon.”
“No, of course not. You love me. You adore me. You think I am noble and generous and brave, a paragon among husbands.” Simon took a sip of brandy. “You would do anything for me.”
“Simon?” Emily’s voice was uncertain.
“You must forgive me for being somewhat dazed at the moment. Actually, I have been in this state for the past several hours. No one in my entire life has ever tried to protect me, elf.”
Emily continued to stare at him, unable to speak.
“I have taken care of myself for as long as I can remember,” Simon continued. “And when I met you, I realized I wanted to take care of you, too. But the notion of someone being willing to risk her life for me, the concept of someone willing to shoot a man to protect me, has temporarily scattered my wits.”
“Simon, are you trying to tell me you are not repulsed by my actions, after all?”
“I am trying to tell you that I probably do not deserve you, elf, but I will kill anyone who tries to take you away from me.” His golden eyes flashed in the candlelight. “In that way, I believe we must be two of a kind.”
“Oh, Simon.”
“A long time ago I wrote three letters asking for help.”
“You wrote them to Northcote, Canonbury, and Peppington. Yes, I know,” Emily said gently.
“When that help was refused I vowed I would never again ask anything of anyone in this world or the next. But now I find I must break that oath. Please do not ever stop loving me, elf. Losing your love would destroy me.”
“Oh, Simon.” Emily’s fingers twisted in the folds of her wrapper as the happiness threatened to explode inside her.
“I love you, Emily,” Simon said quietly, his eyes never leaving hers. “I probably have all along. God knows nothing else could account for much of my behavior recently. But when I saw you about to shoot Crofton in order to protect me, I knew it for certain. I also knew I had to tell you.”
“Simon.” Emily could not stand it anymore. She threw herself across the bed and into her husband’s arms.
He caught her close. The empty brandy glass fell to the carpet as Simon crushed his wife against him and buried his lips in her hair. He held her so tightly Emily could not breathe, but she did not mind in the least.
“Tell me you will give me what I ask,” he whispered. “Tell me you will love me forever, elf.” Simon tipped her chin up so that he could look down into her eyes.
“Forever, Simon.”
“Good. Now, then, there is just one more point I would like to make tonight.”
“Yes?” she looked up at him expectantly.
“You will give me your word that you will never again attempt anything so dangerous as that meeting with Crofton,” Simon said roughly.
“But, Simon, I had no choice. The scandal—”
He put his fingertips over her mouth. “The scandal does not exist, Emily. How many times must I tell you?”
“But Crofton knew about it. He would have told everyone.”
“No, my sweet, he would not have dared to tell anyone. He would have known the price of such gossip would have been his own life. And there would have been no reason to take the risk. He would have realized I could have crushed the gossip as easily as I would have crushed him.”
“Simon, are you really that powerful?”
“Yes, Emily, I am. Crofton’s only hope of using the information was to threaten you with it. And that is exactly what he did.”
“Oh. And I fell for his trick.”
“Because you love me. But in future you will also trust me enough to come directly to me if you are ever again faced with such a problem. Are we agreed?”
“Yes, Simon.” She smiled tremulously.
He carefully removed her spectacles and then he brought his mouth down on hers with a soul-wrenching hunger that sent shivers through Emily.
She moaned into his mouth and joyously gave herself up to the embrace. With utter abandon and excessive passion, she clung to her husband.
“Oh, God, elf, I need you so much.” Simon muttered thickly against her throat. “Love me. Love me.”
“I could do nothing else except love you, Simon.”
Gently, he pushed Emily onto her back. As he undressed her, Simon’s hands were everywhere, moving with a tender, possessive urgency across her breasts and along the inside of her thighs. The raging need in him sparked her own blazing desires. Emily shivered again in the grasp of the dragon.
When he settled between her legs and guided himself into her with one long, powerful thrust, Emily cried out and clawed at his back. Simon gripped her hips and held her to him as he drove himself into her.
And then they were lost in the wondrous world they had created for themselves.
A long time later, Emily stirred sleepily in Simon’s arms. “Well, my lord?”
Simon yawned hugely. He looked like a lazy, supremely satiated dragon. “Well, what?”
“Would you agree at last that there is only one way to describe the culmination of our lovemaking?”
“You refer, I imagine, to that immortal line from your epic poem. We are, indeed, cast adrift upon love’s transcendent, golden shore.”
“Actually,” Emily said thoughtfully as she moved her toes up and down the length of Simon’s leg, “I think our lovemaking is even better than that. I do not believe the line quite captures the full magnitude of the event.”
“You are quite correct. It does not.”
“I shall have to work on some new lines for my poem.”
“Perhaps you ought to broaden the range of your sensual experience a bit further, madam poet.” Simon’s fingers trailed warmly over her thigh.
Emily turned toward him. She was about to kiss him when a thought struck her. “Simon?”
“Hmm?” He was busy nuzzling her throat.
“How did you happen to know I was conducting that dreadful scene with Crofton in the alley tonight?”
Simon’s bare shoulders moved in a negligent shrug. He pinned her leg with one powerful thigh. “I merely had a hunch something was wrong. I searched for you in the crowd and could not find you, so I went looking.”
“Hah. I knew it.”
“Knew what?” Simon drew the tip of his tongue across one nipple.
“We do communicate on the metaphysical level, Simon,” Emily said excitedly. “The events this evening prove it. How could you have known I was involved in something terrible ton
ight unless you had received some mystical message on the transcendental plane?”
Simon raised his head to gaze down at her. At first he looked rather nonplussed. And then a slow, wickedly sensual grin curved his hard mouth. “You are quite right, my love. But in future, I would rather you did not rely on metaphysical communication. The next time you are plotting an adventure of any kind, I want your word you will discuss it with me verbally as well as in the metaphysical realm. Agreed?”
“Whatever you wish, Simon. You know, I am having second thoughts about my epic poem.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes. I am thinking of changing the title from The Mysterious Lady to The Mysterious Earl”
Simon groaned.
“Just think, Simon. It opens up all sorts of new possibilities for exciting adventures and thrilling scenes.”
“Come here and thrill me, Emily,” Simon ordered, pulling her closer.
“Certainly, my lord.”
Simon sat behind his black lacquered desk and eyed the library full of Faringdons. Broderick Faringdon was occupying the chair nearest the brandy decanter. Devlin and Charles were ranged expectantly on either side of the black mantel, rather like a handsome pair of gilt candlesticks.
Emily, dressed in a dragon-trimmed gown, sat demurely in a red velvet chair near the desk. Simon was not unaware of the significance of her choice of position in the room. She was on his side.
“I have summoned the three of you here today because the time has come to settle certain matters,” Simon said slowly.
“Well, well, well.” Broderick Faringdon nodded approval. “Must say it’s about time you assumed your duties to your in-laws. I can give you the total of my current losses immediately and let you know how much additional blunt I’ll be needing to carry on with until Emily can replenish our finances.”
Simon drummed his fingers on the desk, aware that Emily was chewing on her lower lip again. “First, we shall discuss the future of Devlin and Charles.” Simon glanced at the young men. “You have both agreed to my offer?”
“Jumped at it, is more like it,” Devlin said cheerfully.
“Cannot wait to be off to India,” Charles agreed. “Good thing I never got around to offering for Maryann Mathews. Much rather go abroad and make my fortune. India’s the land of opportunity and adventure and all that. Bound to come back rich.”
“Excellent,” Simon murmured, amused at the surprise on Emily’s face. “I have spoken to my man of affairs and he has arranged suitable positions for both of you in Bombay. Passage has been booked on a ship in which I own controlling interest. It sails tomorrow on the morning tide. Captain Adams is expecting you aboard.”
“We are already packed and ready, sir,” Devlin assured him happily.
Broderick Faringdon scowled first at his sons and then at Simon. “What the devil is this all about? Dev and Charles are off to India?”
“They have decided to seek their fortunes on their own, without relying on their sister,” Simon said smoothly. “And as their father, I am certain you will wish to do the same. You know how important it is to set a good example.”
Broderick sputtered in outraged shock. “See here, if this is another offer to fob me off on some menial employment on your horse farm in Yorkshire, you can bloody well go to hell.”
“What offer was this?” Emily broke in to demand.
“Your tightfisted husband came to me the other day with the crazed notion of paying off my debts if I would agree to go to Yorkshire to manage some damn horse farm,” Broderick said in aggrieved tones. “Can you believe it? Me? Working on a horse farm?”
Emily blinked and turned to Simon. “You offered to do this for him? Simon, that was wonderfully generous of you. I had no notion you had done such a thing.”
Simon shrugged. “My offer was rejected out of hand.”
“Damn right, it was.” Broderick was overflowing with righteous indignation. “Cannot expect a man o’ the world to bury himself in Yorkshire.”
“Sounds like an excellent suggestion to me,” Devlin observed. “You’ve always had an eye for good horseflesh, Father.”
“Should have thought you’d have taken him up on it,” Charles agreed. “Perfect solution to the problem.”
“Now, see here,” Broderick yelped, shocked at the traitorous words of his sons. “’Twas no such thing.”
“Your father had another solution in mind,” Simon said quietly. “But as it happens, it did not work out.” For some strange reason he did not feel like telling Charles and Devlin just what sort of bastard their father had been. Emily had been right. The twins were different from their parent. They had been languishing for lack of a proper example but had been eager enough to grow up when shown the way.
“Did not work out?” Broderick flicked a startled glance at his daughter and then scowled at Simon. “What are you talking about now?”
“I have made some arrangements for you,” Simon said.
Broderick nodded, looking somewhat placated. “Thought you’d come through. Told Emily she would be able to talk you into it. Didn’t I say that to you, girl?”
“Yes, Papa. That’s what you said,” Emily murmured.
“Whole world knows Blade indulges you to an astonishing degree. And he don’t want any more scandal, o’ course.” Broderick smiled with satisfaction. “Now, then, Blade. About the matter of replenishing my capital.”
“Yes, of course.” Simon folded his hands on top of the desk and met Broderick’s expectant gaze. “You will want to get started as quickly as possible, as you are, apparently, almost entirely without funds at the moment.”
“Quite right.”
“I have, therefore, taken the liberty of booking one-way passage for you on another of my ships. This one is not bound for India, however, as I feel your sons should be on their own. Instead you will be sailing for a small island in the East Indies where I have some business investments.”
Broderick stared at him. “You’ve gone mad, sir.”
Simon ignored him. “A position in one of my ventures awaits you on the island. Once there, you may choose to accept that position or reject it. I do not particularly care. But either way, you will be going to the island and you will not be able to get back to England unless you manage to earn your passage. It is rather expensive.”
“See here,” Broderick raged, surging to his feet, “I am not going to Yorkshire, let alone to some bloody damn island in the East Indies.”
“You are right about not going to Yorkshire. That offer will not be made again. I want you out of England altogether, and mark my words, you will be on board the Sea Demon tomorrow morning when it sails. You have only two options. You may go willingly, or I shall have you tied up and carried aboard. Take your pick.”
“You cannot do that, damn it,” Broderick snarled.
“I own the Sea Demon and every man on board, including her captain,” Simon said softly. “I have told Captain Conway that you are to sail with him to the East Indies. Two of his men are waiting out in the street now. They will escort you back to your lodgings and assist you in packing your belongings. You will spend the night aboard so that we do not have to worry about you nipping off to the country.”
Broderick’s desperate gaze went straight to Emily. “You cannot let him do this to me, Em.”
Emily drew herself up and faced her father. “My husband has, as usual, been extremely generous under the circumstances. But, then, he is naturally inclined to do the noble thing. ’Tis his nature. I wish you a good voyage, Papa. Be certain to write when you arrive.”
“Emily!”
“I am in need of a good correspondent from that part of the world. I have always felt I lacked sufficient information from the East Indies for my various investment decisions in that area. You can be a great asset to me, Papa.”
“Dear God,” Broderick said, clearly dazed. “My own daughter has turned against her loving papa. I cannot credit it.”
“I myself had a
bit of difficulty crediting the arrangements you had allowed to be made regarding the payment of your gaming debts,” Simon said, feeling dangerous all over again as he recalled the scene in the alley.
“You … know about that?” Broderick asked uneasily.
“I know all. Emily and I enjoy a most unusual form of communication,” Simon explained.
“Good God. I never meant … never actually thought it would come to that. Thought Emily could talk you into paying the debts. It was Crofton who suggested applying the spurs, you know. Said Emily might need some incentive.”
“I would not say anything more, if I were you,” Simon warned softly. “You may be interested to know, however, that you will not be alone when you sail to the East. Your good friend Crofton will be with you. Indeed, he is already on board, awaiting your arrival.”
Broderick’s mouth opened and then closed again as Simon’s cold fury finally registered. This was obviously the first time he had realized his opponent knew everything. Whatever he saw now in Simon’s gaze must have convinced him that there was no more hope. Broderick turned to Emily, eyes pleading. She returned his glance without expression.
“Goodbye, Papa.”
“Banished to the East Indies. Of all the unjust fates. I wish your mama were here. She would know what to do.” Broderick got up, walked slowly to the door, and let himself out into the hall.
A long silence descended on the library. Devlin glanced at his twin. Both straightened away from the mantel, looking suddenly much older and far more mature than they had a few weeks ago.
“Time we were on our way,” Charles said crisply. “Plenty to do before we leave tomorrow.” He leaned down to give Emily an affectionate peck on the cheek. “You’ll come down to the docks to see us off, Em?”
“Of course.” She smiled at him.
“We’ll write to you, Em.” Devlin kissed his sister’s cheek and grinned down at her. “And we’ll send you all our profits to invest.”
“Do take care, both of you.” Emily jumped to her feet to embrace the twins.
“We will.” Charles gave her the charming Faringdon grin. “And the next time you see us, we’ll both be rich nabobs.” He turned to Simon. “Goodbye, sir. And thank you for everything.”