A pale shaft of moonlight shone from the one window near the back door. Julia trembled inside as she held her black velvet robe tightly under her chin. It wasn’t cold, but she felt chilled to the bone. If Mrs. Desford or Mr. Leeds should see Mr. Stockton in the house, there would be no hope they’d stay quiet. She must have wondered a thousand times why she’d asked the rogue to help her. Truly it was madness to sneak him into the duke’s home. There was no answer other than that she trusted him, and she was in dire need.
He’d saved her once. Maybe he could again. Without the deed to the company, she had no hope of getting out from under the duke’s strong hand.
She’d tried to think of every possibility that might come up. She had excuses ready if she were found downstairs. It would be easy to say she was looking for yet another book to read. She’d made sure she was never without a book in her pocket or her hand so Mrs. Desford wouldn’t have reason to question the amount of reading she was doing should she find her in the book room in the middle of the night. When Julia slipped belowstairs earlier, she’d stopped by the book room and left a single candle burning on a small table.
There was no soft knock, as she’d expected, but she heard the door creak. Julia held her breath. Slowly it pushed open. Mr. Stockton stepped inside and gently closed the door behind him. She stifled an audible sigh as her heart pumped wildly with hope and fear of what could happen. “You came,” she whispered. “I wasn’t sure if you would.”
“I would never disappoint you, my lady.”
His words comforted her and she offered him a grateful smile. “Follow me.”
Julia led him down the darkened corridor toward the book room. A fine woolen carpet kept their footsteps silent. Once inside, she cautiously closed the door and turned the key with shaking hands before facing him. With only the one candle, it was dark but she could see enough of him to know she wanted to look at him at her leisure and drink in the sight of him. That was a foolish notion for now. She couldn’t waste a moment on such romantic matters. The less time he spent in the house, the better.
“Perhaps now is the time to tell me why you are interested in finding these documents you search for?”
“I believe they will give me freedom from the duke and force him to do what is right for the families who had loved ones killed or injured in that explosion. I need to find the deeds or something to show that the property or company was transferred into the duke’s name.”
“Freedom is something I can understand. What do you want to do first?”
“I’ve checked everywhere you suggested I look a few days ago—except under the desk and the top shelves of books.” She looked over at the two walls of books. “You should be able to reach those with ease and help me see if anything is behind them.”
He nodded. “You’ve looked carefully for a hidden space under the rest of the floor?”
“Yes. Even under the chairs and side tables. There are no loose boards or nails that seem to be loose or raised.”
“What about the walls?”
“Every inch,” she answered desperately. “Behind the paintings, the sconces, the draperies, and even that tapestry.”
Mr. Stockton took no time surveying the layout of the room. The desk was at the back of the library in front of a wall of books. He shrugged out of his coat and laid it on a nearby chair. With light steps, he then strode confidently over to the desk and moved the unlit lamp, ink jar, and quill to the middle of the desk.
“I’ll move it forward one side at the time and then we’ll toss the rug back and see if we can find anything under it.”
“All right.” She walked over to stand beside him, and when he put his hands on the edge of the desk, she placed her hands beside his.
He looked down at her and smiled. “I can manage this without you, Lady Kitson.”
The warmth that shone in his eyes was like a soothing balm to her troubled soul. “I know, but I want to help.”
As if sensing how important it was that she be involved, he said, “One, two, three.”
They lifted the end of the massive desk and moved it forward three steps before setting it back down. Going over to the other side, they did the same.
Mr. Stockton then bent down on his hands and knees and felt around the fine wool. “The indentations the wood made in the rug are here.” He motioned to a spot in front of the desk. “If we push it back to here, we should be able to see all the floor that’s been covered. Bring the candle over while I move the rug.”
Julia did as he asked and then knelt down beside him. Her stomach quivered and her fingers trembled a little. “Do you want me to hold the candle while you search the floor?”
His face was mere inches from hers. They were as close as they’d been when they were in the tree. “I trust you to do it,” she whispered.
Mr. Stockton went to work and Julia watched. He was so close she heard his breaths, caught the scent of his shaving soap and the fresh washed smell of his hair. Through the linen of his shirt she saw the firm muscles in his back working as he bent over the floor. Holding the light close to him, Julia watched his strong, sure hands skim the seams and joints of the wood. Suddenly she was imagining the palm of his hand gliding over the plane of her hip, up to her waist, and gently caressing her breasts.
“Damnation,” he whispered after a few moments. “I think I’ve found something.”
For a moment Julia felt paralyzed, but then her breath leapt in her chest. “What?”
He moved farther into the alcove of the desk where the chair would sit when pushed tight again the desk.
Julia crawled to get closer to him, bumping his shoulder with hers, letting her thigh rest against his. “Let me see.”
“Give me the candle,” he said.
She gave him the round brass holder with a shaking hand.
He took the light in one hand and with the other showed her where to touch. “Start here and follow my hand up to this point and back to here. Do you feel that?”
“The seam of the wood is raised,” she said, beginning to believe they might have found something. “How do we get the boards out so we can see if anything is inside?
He handed the candle back to her. Reaching behind him, he pulled his knife from his boot. He started knocking the blade into the seam with the hilt of his hand. The noise reverberated around the room. Julia felt as if a gong was sounding throughout the house. Her heart jumped to her throat.
“Wait. It’s so loud I’m afraid it will awaken the housekeeper or Mr. Leeds. I don’t know if they are sound sleepers.”
Garrett stopped and laid the knife down between them. He reached over and cupped her cheek with his warm hands. His touch was soothing. She wanted to melt against him and let him take this fear and burden from her.
“I’ll make as little noise as possible. It’s your choice, but I can’t break this open silently. There must be a little sound if you want to know what’s hidden beneath the boards.”
Julia didn’t know what to do. It was torture to be so close to possibly finding the evidence she needed, but the noise to get it was terrifying. What good would it do her to find the papers if the housekeeper found her? Mr. Stockton stayed calm. His hand was steady, comforting against her skin. He didn’t rush her to make a decision. It was as if he knew she had to be sure what they were doing was worth the risk they were taking. He was right. There was no way to remove a board silently.
She really had no choice. “All right,” she said. “Do what you must. I’ll leave the candle here with you and go to the door to listen for footsteps from above.”
“It’s not as loud as you think it is.” He gave her a gentle, brief kiss on her lips and then another just as short on the side of her mouth. The contact was startling but calming. Her breaths slowed.
“Everything will be fine. I’ll be as quiet as possible.” He kissed her forehead. “Now go listen from the door.”
His hand moved to the back of her neck and gently squeezed before he let her go. With her heart pounding in her ears, Julia rose and hurried over to take up her post. She unlocked the door and eased it open just enough to get her head through the space. She focused her gaze down the corridor that led to the back stairs which ended up on the servants’ floor. She inspected each shadow on all the walls so she would know if a new one appeared. Every creak and crack of wood she heard behind her made her wince in fear that someone would hear and come to investigate.
Seconds turned to minutes, but she dared not leave to see what Mr. Stockton was doing. Her eyes were dry from lack of blinking. Her chest ached from holding herself so rigidly, and her stomach felt as if it had been twisted into knots. Finally the noise stopped. There was complete silence just before she heard, “Julia, come here.”
Desperate to believe his call to her was for good news, she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before slowly leaning back into the room, closing the door and securing the lock. There, in the darkened room, she could see his form clearly. He stood behind the desk, looking magnificent, powerful, and commanding, and holding a leather packet in his hand. Julia couldn’t move. Was it over? Had her search come to an end? All of a sudden her heart lurched and she rushed over to him.
“Are there documents in it?” she asked breathlessly.
“I don’t know. I thought you should be the one to open it.”
She took it in her trembling hands and knelt down near the candlelight. Mr. Stockton knelt beside her and picked up the candle, holding it close so she could see better. She quickly untied the leather strings. Moving the flap aside, she opened it and saw perhaps thirty or forty sheets of letters and documents and a ledger. Giving no thought to the ledger, she laid it to the side and started leafing through the unbound pages, reading the title of each page. Halfway through the stack the Eubury-Broadwell Company seemed to jump out at her.
“This is it,” Julia whispered, her hands trembling even more. She held it up for Mr. Stockton to see. “This is the company I heard him say he secretly owns. The one you said had an explosion. This document proves he owns it and he’s not taking responsibility for it or caring for the families of those who were killed or injured in the explosion.”
Mr. Stockton took the paper from her and glanced down. “This does seem to be a straightforward registered deed but it doesn’t have the duke’s name on it, Julia. It has Mr. Eubury’s name on it. This only proves the duke has the deed in his possession. He could merely be keeping it safe for this man.”
“What? No, no,” she said irrationally, feeling close to losing her self-confidence. “You’re wrong. You don’t understand. I know it’s the duke’s company. I heard him say this man doesn’t exist. The duke buys companies under made-up names so they can’t be traced back to him.”
Mr. Stockton’s concerned gaze swept down her face. “I believe you, but this doesn’t prove what you say, and it won’t convince anyone.”
His words rang true, but she didn’t want to believe them. Determination not to let the duke defeat her rose up inside. “Maybe it’s here in the ledger.” She thrust the other documents aside and picked up the book, certain it would contain proof he owned the secret companies. But her eyes wouldn’t focus on the first page. She turned to the second and it was the same. None of the letters or numbers made sense. It was gibberish. “I must be losing my mind,” she said, despair in her tone. She looked over at Mr. Stockton. “I can’t read it. It’s—”
“Code,” he answered tightly. “The ledger is written in a code. The alphabet and numbers are coded so no one can understand it. Each column probably represents something different. The company name, how much money it makes. Maybe the dates. There’s no way of knowing.”
Julia felt numb. She moved off her knees, sat on the floor, and leaned against the desk. Her hand tightened on the ledger. Frustration ate at her confidence. Outrage at the duke threatened to overwhelm her. What was she going to do?
“I can’t let him win. I have to find a way to make sense of—”
“We will,” Mr. Stockton said softly, moving to sit beside her. He pulled her close to his chest. “Don’t give in to your doubts and fears. It’s time to tell me everything you know about the duke and the properties that are here.”
Julia wasn’t sure she could talk. He kissed the top of her head and she melted against his warmth, his strength. She didn’t know what she was going to do to escape the duke or to see that justice was done for the people he’d wronged. She had put all her faith in finding the hidden papers. She had nowhere else to turn, but then she felt Mr. Stockton’s arms tighten around her. His hand rubbed her arm, her shoulder with slow rhythmic strokes that were meant to soothe her and let her know he wasn’t going to leave her. She felt his breath in her hair, his lips moving softly just above her ear, and his heart beating strong and solid beneath her hand pressed against his chest.
A rush of deep longing filled her. From that afternoon in the tree, Julia had an undeniable trust in Mr. Stockton but it had been so hard to act on that feeling and allow him to help. She felt a reassuring sense of security whenever they were together. Now she wanted to place her complete faith in him.
The duke wasn’t in this room. He had no control over her right now. Sitting in the pale glow of candlelight she was free to say, to do, and to be the person she wanted to be. Julia lifted her head from Mr. Stockton’s chest. Their faces were close together. She stared into his eyes and saw disquiet and appreciated it, but she knew she wanted something else. It wasn’t even comfort that she needed. There might be a time for that but not right now. She reached up and let her fingertips graze his cheek and follow the shape of his lips.
He took hold of her hand and kissed her fingers. “Your touch is like fire lighting a wick to me, Julia. This is not the time for—”
“Then when will be?” she asked, pulling her hand out of his and winding her arms around his neck. Her hands met at the back of his head and her fingers tangled in the richness of his hair.
“I don’t want you in danger of being caught in here with me any longer than necessary,” he said.
“I know what I am risking and I’m willing. The house is quiet. I don’t know if I will ever be as free as I’m feeling right now. I have been attracted to you since the moment I saw you walking toward that tree. I don’t want to pass on this opportunity to be with you.”
His hand slid to the back of her neck, drawing her face closer to his. “I have wanted you,” he whispered huskily.
“Then kiss me with all the desire you have for me.”
“Yes,” he murmured, and caught her up tighter against his chest as his lips came down on hers with glorious passion.
His kisses stole her breath. Julia responded with the same urgency. She ran her hands up and down the length of his muscular back, feeling power in his broad, firm shoulders. Their tongues swirled in each other’s mouths as their bodies strained to get closer. His hand moved up her rib cage. He parted her thick velvet robe, pushed it off her shoulder and fondled her breast beneath the fine cotton of her dressing-gown.
At his touch, her breasts tingled and tightened. His hand cupped their fullness and his thumb aroused her nipples. “Yes,” she whispered, giving him uninhibited access. Julia moaned softly and pressed into the bounty of his embrace, meeting his ardor with a fervency of her own, pressing closer and encouraging his every touch.
“You have no idea how I have ached for you,” he whispered while kissing her nose, her cheeks, and down the column of her neck. “To touch you and kiss you like this.”
“Yes, I do,” she managed to respond between kisses. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you and us being together like this.”
Their kisses kept seeking, demanding, and savoring. Second after second, he was claiming her for his own, making sure she wanted him to continue. He had no need to worry. She was totally immersed in the welcoming, irrepressible sensations that kept thrilling her. She pulled on the tail of his shirt, tugging it from his trousers so she could feel his bare skin. He rewarded her with small gasps of pleasure.
Their kisses and touches didn’t ebb. They were long, hard, and generous. Their breaths, moans, and sighs mingled into one passionate sound.
They were hungry, eager, and impatient. She felt his body tremble and his desire for her grow more desperate. Her gown was pushed up and his trousers pushed down. They came together in a quick single motion that was intense, powerful, and wild. It was mindless oblivion and far too fast. Moments after their bodies joined, pleasure like she’d never known sparked and flashed through her body like bolts of lightning shooting from the sky and piercing her. She clutched the back of his shirt in her hands. Her body shook as she savored the expanding essence of erotic fulfillment.
Moments later, Julia gathered her wits and realized that somehow they had managed to move to the softness of the rug. Garrett lay on top of her, his face pressed into the curve of her neck and shoulder. His breaths were gasping and shuddering.
“I waited for you,” he whispered as his tense body started to relax. He lifted his head, kissed her lips softly, and then looked down into her eyes. “I don’t know how I managed, but I haven’t wanted anyone else since I met you.”
Julia smiled, too. His husky words couldn’t have pleased her more. “I’ve been waiting for you, too. You are the first man to touch me since Kitson died.”
“I’m glad.” He kissed her again. “I knew we would be together but I didn’t expect it to happen tonight.”
“Nor did I, but it seemed right,” she said honestly.
“For me, too.” With a long sigh, he rolled off her and they started straightening their clothing.
“Why don’t you tell me everything you know about the duke’s secret companies?”
“I’ve told you as much as I know. I overheard him and his solicitor talking about the secret companies and the solicitor suggested he destroy the documents on the Eubury Company. The duke holds himself up to Society as the epitome of a compassionate person and fair-minded to all mankind and righteous beyond all others. Yet, he hasn’t come forward to say he owned the company or to help those who were injured in the blast. It seems I am the only one who has seen the bitter, controlling man he really is. He not only insists I live with him but also that I must live my life by his impossible standards. He is punishing me because I thwarted his plans and married Kitson. And because his son is dead and I am not. You saw support of my claim against him when he sent Mr. Pratt to tutor Chatwyn without consulting me.”
He reached over and took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently. “I have never doubted anything you’ve said.”
“Thank you for that. I know the duke’s most prized possession is his standing in Society. He adores the accolades he receives, he is constantly reminding his family how everyone looks up to him for how they should live. I have to believe if I show him I have proof that he owns secret companies such as Eubury-Broadwell, he will give me my freedom rather than let all in London know of his treachery. I’m certain he doesn’t want to be remembered as one of the most evil and uncaring men in history. I don’t know of any way to ever be free of him other than confronting him. There’s no way to challenge him in the courts because the laws are written for men. Not women.”
“I know and understand all you say. But men like him are very hard to bring down, Julia.” He picked up some of the loose sheets of foolscap and shuffled through them. “The Eubury-Broadwell was a gaming house. Why would such a pious man want to own a gaming house?”
She swallowed hard. “To make money I assume. I really don’t know. He never gambles and speaks against it, saying it ruins families. He was a vicar before he inherited the title and doesn’t believe in wagering on anything.”
“You will continue to need my help.”
Julia touched the side of his face. “I am grateful for whatever help you can give me.”
He smiled and then reached over and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Do you know when the duke will arrive in London?”
“No, but in the letter Mr. Pratt brought, he told me the fever hasn’t passed but he is feeling better. I know he will come as soon as he is strong enough to make the journey.”
“It won’t be safe for you to keep the duke’s documents here with you,” he said, and started gathering the scattered papers and stuffing them back into the leather packet. “I should take them with me.”
A chill went up Julia’s spine. “No.” She grasped the packet from his hands and clutched it to her chest. “This is all I have. Now that I have it, I can’t let go of it.”
Tension crackled between them like a hot fire for a few seconds. His gaze stayed focused on hers. “You are no longer handling this alone. I’m going to help you, but I must have your trust, Julia.”
“You do. I swear it, but I’m not sure you know how important this is to me. If this is what I think it is, it will change my life.”
“I know,” he said softly, and then continued to gather the sheets of paper from off the floor. “All of this is useless to you the way it is now.”
Her hands tightened on the leather. “I will find someone to decipher the code. I’m certain the ledger will show the names of the companies, the names of the fake people who owned them, and that the duke is the one who has profited from them.”
“Where will you hide it until you find someone?” he questioned. “If the duke returns and finds it missing, you will be the first person he suspects.”
That was true, but the thought of giving up the evidence was terrifying. “I don’t want to lose this chance, Garrett. I’ve waited for something to give me the opportunity to get away from the duke. I know I can convince him to allow me and my son to be free if I can prove he is not who he claims to be.”
Garrett smiled and touched the side of her hair. “You won’t lose it. I promise. Let me take care of it. There’s a man in my office who is very good with numbers. His name is Mr. Urswick and he’s my accountant. He may be able to make sense of the code.”
Her spirits lifted and she swallowed down her misgivings. “Do you really think he can?”
“I don’t know for certain, but I won’t know until I try. Right now, he’s the best shot we have unless you know of someone you can call on.”
Julia shook her head. She had to trust him to help her. She handed over the packet.
Garrett stuffed the rest of the papers into the folder and retied the leather strings. “I’ll have a list made of every company in here. When you confront the duke it’s best you not have the real documents with you.”
“What if the duke catches you with them in your possession? He could have you put in prison.”
Garrett reached over and kissed her sweetly, earnestly, and then looked into her eyes. “I’m not afraid to go to prison, but I would be afraid for you to go. If we’re both careful, I won’t have to. Now, let’s get the desk put back in its proper place and I’ll get out of here. We don’t want to give the housekeeper cause to suspect anyone ever touched it.”
Julia grabbed hold of his arm and stopped him when he started to rise. “I want to know what you find out. I’ll meet you at The Seafarer’s School late tomorrow afternoon. There’s a house in front of the school and a garden between the two. Can you meet me there?”
He smiled. “I’ll meet you anywhere you want me to.”
She squeezed his arm. “You must be careful not to be seen. A neighbor across the street has a spyglass and I’m told she’s not shy about using it.”