The Truth by Jane Lark ~ a free book exclusive to my blog ~ part fifty

The Truth

Posted as a gift of my time and thoughts to the readers of my books, thank you for the lovely messages of appreciation,

© Jane Lark Publishing rights belong to Jane Lark,

this novel should not be recreated in any form without prior consent from Jane Lark

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18 ,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33,34,35,36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49

Emerald

A tap knocked on the cabin door. Emerald knew it was Richard the moment his knuckles struck. No one else aboard the ship knocked with his confidence – as if they owned the ship. But she had not heard that knock for days and her body jumped at the command of it and she rushed to her feet, standing before her bunk. “Come in.”

She was not a coward. She knew she had to face him today. It was simply sooner than she had expected.

“What do you want?” she asked harshly as she stepped forward when the door opened so he did not come in too far. She had no patience for him. His presence irritated her. But even so, as she faced him for the first time in days, his threateningly handsome features spoke to her heart. He had some sort of invisible force that drew her closer Her mind flooded with memories of the things they had done together on this ship.

“Your family await you on the dock. I have come to fetch you.”

“Like a dog,” she mocked cruelly, but he had presented her with such a perfect opportunity for spite.

“You are not amusing and I am not in the mood to fight. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” Realisation suddenly sparked through her head. She would not be travelling with Richard… Relief and fear blended. “Who is here?” The man she had come to England to marry… Emerald looked at Rita. They were dressed in bonnets and cloaks prepared to leave – to face an entirely unknown future among strangers.

How long before her father could reach England?

“You are honoured, the Duke of Sunderland has come himself. Yet propriety is met; he is accompanied by your uncle, your mother’s brother, and his wife.”

“Oh.” She glanced at Rita again. She would not hide. This parting must be made. “We are ready.” She wanted to leave Richard and she had to leave the ship. Her heart leapt into a racing beat as she moved to walk past him but he caught hold of her arm to stop her, his mouth opening as if to say something else to her.

“Miss Martin, it has been a pleasure knowing you. I hope the future is good to you,” Mr Bishop stood at the door that Richard had left open, preventing Richard from speaking if that had been his intent.

She slipped her arm free from Richard’s grip, aware that he let her go, and offered her hand to Mr Bishop. Of course it was inappropriate, Mr Bishop was far, far, beneath her family, but he had been kind to her these last weeks. He held and squeezed her fingers gently.

“Thank you, Mr Bishop, for your company and kindness. I have greatly appreciated it.” When he let go of her hand she saw Mr Pritchard come forward behind him. She stepped past Richard and out on to the deck and offered her hand to Mr Pritchard.

He held it. “Miss Martin, it has been a pleasure. I am sincerely sorry about your mother. I hope you find good fortune in England.” He kissed the back of her gloved hand.

Good fortune… She did imagine she would find it in this dull dreary land. If she tried to look into her future now she could only see grey mist.

“Thank you, Mr Pritchard.”

He let her hand go.

She drew in a slow breath, her fingers were trembling.

Richard caught hold of her hand and laid it on his arm, then pressed his hand over it, in a gesture that said he was trying to help. She looked up at him. She would swear he had felt her trepidation but his business mask hid all emotion. He was so clever at that.

“Miss Martin.”

She looked over to face, “Dr Steel.” meeting his gaze. She did not remove her hand from Richard’s arm.

“I am sorry you find it difficult to understand my position, Miss Martin. I would like to part on good terms, but as that is not possible I wish you well regardless.”

“Thank you, for all you did, Dr Steel,” she acknowledged curtly, her pitch expressing the the reminder of all that he did not do. Yet he had saved her life, if not her mother’s.

When she did not offer her hand he bowed deeply. “Goodbye, I wish you well.”

“Thank you, goodbye.” She looked past him, over the edge of the ship, to the glossy carriage with the crest painted on the side. Her heart beat faster.

“Miss Martin,” Richard prompted, his arm falling from beneath her hand. Instead he gripped her elbow and began to guide her across the deck towards the gangplank.

She wished to cry out suddenly, hold back, wait.

There was an odd impatience in Richard. She ignored it, stepping onto the rough wooden boards of the gangplank and gripping the rope.

He was close beside her, still holding her other arm, and as she walked his grip tried to slow her down. He leant down towards her.“I wish you to know my feelings are unchanged. I am staying in England. I will give you time to grieve,” the words were rushing out of him, as though they had been bottled up for days, “but afterward I will call on you and court you as I should have done before and I beg you to consider me seriously. Do not make any rash decisions. Wait for me. Please give me a chance to make amends.”

They had reached the end of the gangplank, Mr Swallow was there.

“Miss Martin.” Mr Swallow bowed to her, then offered her his hand to help her step from the planks.

“Thank you.”

“It has been a pleasure. I wish you well.”

“And I, you. Thank you.”

Richard’s unrelenting grip on her arm slowed her down again as she took the last few steps towards the carriage. “I love you, believe me,” he whispered urgently, leaning towards her again. “I meant you no harm. I did what I thought best. I was wrong, I am sorry. Yet do not let that spoil what we could have together.”

She looked sideways at him. “What we had was not real, it was built on your lies.” Her voice carried and the footman who held the carriage door glanced at her.

Richard stopped. He let go of her arm and held her hand instead. She would have pulled it free but this time he did not let her go.

He bowed his head and lifted her hand. She could feel the warmth of his lips through her cotton glove as he kissed her fingers. Memories stirred; haunting her. She met his gaze as he straightened and looked into his eyes. “If you have need of me,” he said in a harsh whisper. “If there are repercussions. You must write to my shipping office; address it to me here, in Blackwall docks. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” She understood. He meant if she was carrying his child, she had not considered it until now. She could be.

He let her hand fall. “I am sorry the journey has been so difficult for you, Miss Martin,” he said in a normal pitch.

A strange sensation struck her through the heart. It was a sudden sense of loss akin to the feeling she had known when her mother died.

Richard’s eyes looked beyond her. She turned to face a man who stood a few feet away. He was dressed very smartly. Richard held her elbow once more and led her on towards the man.

He was Richard’s height and of a similar age to Richard, though he was broader in stature and his eyes were a piercing blue.

“Miss Martin,” Richard said, “may I introduce your distant relative, the Duke of Sunderland.”

The man removed his hat, revealing thick blond hair and bowed slightly. Emerald’s heart thumped as she curtseyed, freeing herself from Richard once again. This was what her mother had wished for, for Emerald to meet this man – and then marry him. He lifted his hand for Emerald to take. “May I call you Emma, as we are related, all be it distantly.”

Emerald took his hand, her answer a smile. “Your Grace.”

He smiled too. He seemed pleasant, he had a genteel manner, and the kindness in his introduction had quelled her fear, so she was not inclined to receive him unkindly and she put aside judgement.

“Let me help you into the carriage.”

When she looked up into the carriage she faced another man and a woman. She looked away from them as she climbed the step, remembering that Richard had said her uncle and aunt were here. Her mother’s brother. A man who had turned his back on her mother. She looked at him as she sat down. He had her mother’s features, in the shape of his eyes and his mouth. But his expression said his thoughts were uncertain.

Emerald hoped he felt guilty. He should. He had not communicated with her mother for years and now he would never see her again.

“Your aunt and uncle Emma, Mr and Mrs Coomb.” The Duke leant into the carriage and smiled as he made the introduction. There was confidence in his tone, as there was confidence in Richard’s. “Mrs Coomb will play chaperon to you while you reside in my home. We shall take you there now and then we will discuss what needs to be done and how we shall progress.”

“Mrs Coomb. Mr Coomb.” Emerald bowed her head while inside she wanted to ask why – why her father had not been good enough, to a point they had cut her mother? She said nothing, though hurt pride cried out within her. She was reliant on these people now. What would her mother have thought of that?

“I was very sorry to hear about my sister.”

Emerald’s heart bled at the words and the fear returned. She was in a strange land, reliant on people she did not know. She looked out of the window at Richard. As she had felt when she had sailed from Calcutta months ago, and on the deck as her mother’s body had fallen into the sea, she felt the shift of the ground that was ripped from beneath her feat.

“The maid may ride up on the driver’s box,” the Duke was saying to Richard.

“What is your address?” Richard’s voice cut the air, it had grown in command. Her heart swelled at the familiarity of that voice. “I shall call and pay my respects.”

‘I wish you to know my feelings are unchanged. I am staying in England. Consider me seriously. Do not make any rash decisions. Wait for me.’ His words ran through her head as she watched the Duke withdraw a card holder from his pocket and then give a card to Richard.

Richard bowed and the Duke turned away gripping the carriage door.

Emerald slid over so the Duke could sit beside her.

She hoped Richard did not call. If he did it would extend her pain. She would be reminded and have to cut him out of her heart and part from him again. She had lost her mother, she had lost India and her father, and now she had lost him.

The carriage door shut and It felt like a lid closing, trapping her inside. Would there be obligation again now? She had been freed from that on the ship. But her mother had agreed Emerald’s marriage to the Duke and Emerald had sworn that she would fulfil her mother’s wishes.

As the carriage turned she looked through the window, leaning forward and looking back to see Richard. He stood beside Mr Swallow with his hands gripping his lean waist. It was a pose she had seen him take often when he had stood on the poop deck. It was a posture that said he was surveying a situation. His eyes were on Mr Swallow but as the carriage pulled away, he looked back and saw her watching. Their gazes met for an instant and in that instant she saw the words within him. Don’t leave me. But it was too late.

She lost sight of him after a moment.

He was gone.

She breathed in deeply, fighting panic.

She may never see him again. She had lain with him. She might be carrying his child. And she may never see him again.

Her fingertips had been prized from a cliff and now she was falling.

Then she remembered Rita was sitting on the driver’s box above. Emerald was not entirely alone. She clung to the knowledge as her gaze passed over the unfamiliar streets.

“I believe you have not been to England previously,” The Duke said.

Emerald turned to look at him.

To be continued…

The Marlow Intrigues: Perfect for lovers of period drama

The Tainted Love of a Captain #8 – The last book in the Marlow Intrigues series out in May and available to preorder

The Lost Love of Soldier ~ The Prequel #1 ~ A Christmas Elopement began it all

The Illicit Love of a Courtesan #2

The Passionate Love of a Rake #3

The Scandalous Love of a Duke #4

The Dangerous Love of a Rogue #5

The Jealous Love of a Scoundrel #5.5

The Persuasive Love of a Libertine #5.75 now included in Jealous Love, (or free if you can persuade Amazon to price match with Kobo ebooks)

The Secret Love of a Gentleman #6

The Reckless Love of an Heir #7

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Jane Lark is a writer of authentic, passionate and emotional Historical and New Adult Romance stories, and the author of a No.1 bestselling Historical Romance novel in America, ‘The Illicit Love of a Courtesan’.Click here to find out more about Jane’s books, and see Jane’s website www.janelark.co.uk to learn more about Jane. Or click ‘like’ on Jane’s Facebook page to see photo’s and learn historical facts from the Georgian, Regency and Victorian eras, which Jane publishes there. You can also follow Jane on twitter at @janelark

The Truth by Jane Lark ~ a free book exclusive to my blog ~ part forty-nine

The Truth

Posted as a gift of my time and thoughts to the readers of my books, thank you for the lovely messages of appreciation,

© Jane Lark Publishing rights belong to Jane Lark,

this novel should not be recreated in any form without prior consent from Jane Lark

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18 ,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33,34,35,36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48

Richard

“Are your possessions ready to go ashore, sir?”

“They are. You may have them moved.” Richard faced his quartermaster, meeting Mark’s gaze. “Also you may remove yourself from the ship. You are relieved of your service.”

Mark’s skin, which was tan from their weeks at sea, turned white, and his mouth opened to speak but no words came out.

“Did you think there would be no reprisal?” The anger inside Richard glowed like ash at the bottom of a hearth. He did not think his fury would ever be extinguished, his loss and remorse would certainly never cease hurting him and so if this was cruelly vindictive he did not care. “You should have remembered it is not Joseph who owns this ship. However, I am not dismissing you. It will serve as punishment enough to tie you to the land for a few months.” Mark’s colour returned as Richard continued. “You know, I take it, that if you had not intervened, Miss Martin would be my wife.

“Send someone to hire a carriage and have my own and Miss Martin’s luggage removed to the dock then report to my shipping office. You will work there as a clerk for now.”

“Sir.” Mark bowed saying nothing. At least he still had the common sense not to risk raising Richard’s anger any farther.

“Go then,” Richard barked with a look that told Mark to run before his sentence of administration worsened.

Mark bowed again then turned away.

Richard turned too, to face the cabin doors. Emerald was in her cabin. In minutes they would be ashore. His heart hit like a fist into his ribs.

He glanced about the other ships in the dock. Their masts rocked as they swayed on the water. This had been his life for years. The sea. Trade. But now he was going back to a world he had run from so many years ago he could hardly remember it. He had been away too long to even imagine the scene of his return and he had not even tried because he had not wanted to think of it. That had been easy enough with Emerald and her mother distracting his thoughts. They had kept his focus on other things than himself. But now…

He was not a man who suffered with fear, it was the reason he had come this far; he would take any risk because he was not afraid of fate or failure. Yet today, the rate of his heartbeat and the clasping feeling in his stomach and his chest shouted fear. It had been creeping up on him in the last few hours. Whispering as he had tried to sleep and then gripping about his throat today.

In his mind’s eye he saw Emerald talking to the others and not looking at him.

Last night the knowledge that he had lost her had merged with memories from the past becoming tangled up like rope. “You are not worthy!” “You will never match up!” “No one shall respect you!” His rational mind had been fighting those words since he had woken and his emotions had mingled with them and applied the words to Emerald.

But he was worthy of her. He was. And he was going to sit her in that damned carriage in a moment and talk sense into her. He must make her believe that he loved her. She had to marry him, he could not live with any other conclusion.

The crewmen walked past carrying his possessions in trunks. He had no idea how long he would be in England.

“There’s a swanky carriage on the dock, Mr Farrow, sir. Cap’ain’s gone down to speak to some posh looking ‘ouse-servant. Lilly-livered looking ‘e is. Said ‘e was after y’ur ship, Sir. Mr Bishop told ‘im ‘e’d found it.”

Richard turned and looked at the sailor. “Thank you, Smith.” He was not interested in their gossip. Joseph could handle whoever it was… But.

But damn.

A thought slipped through Richard’s mind. Swanky…

He turned to look. His hands gripping the rail as suspicion lanced through his chest.

Bloody hell. No.

The glossy black carriage that stood a few feet away from the bottom of the gangplank had a mahogany and satin wood motif etched into the panel of the door depicting a gilded coat of arms – and the carriage driver had been looking for Richard’s ship…

The dock was a crush of men who were busy unloading or loading but Richard saw Joseph speaking to a man in grey livery who stood with a stiff back. It was one of those servants who thought themselves important because they were attached to such a grand man. Richard would guess that grand man was inside the carriage too. The conclusion was obvious.

Richard strode across the deck to reach the gangplank, setting men out of his way with a firm hand on their shoulders. His gloved hand slid over the rope as he walked down. “Mr Swallow!” he shouted when he neared the dock. “Mr Swallow!”

Joseph looked back as Richard stepped on to the cobble. He knew from the look in Joseph’s eyes that his guess was right.

“Miss Martin’s, relatives are here,” Joseph said as Richard got closer to him.

Damn it. For God sake. For years fate had been on his side but now it seemed to have turned against him. It is because I am back here. The evil in his head whispered. He ignored the thought and looked at the servant, fighting the urge to throw his fist at someone.

“Since receiving your letter and that from Mrs Martin, they have been awaiting the ship’s arrival.” Joseph continued to explain. “They were notified when we reached London last night and have come today knowing we would dock.”

Richard did not bother speaking with the servant, he strode past him to the carriage and opened the door. Warm air swept out, with the scent of idle luxury that recalled memories of Richard’s boyhood. There were hot bricks on the floor under the occupants feet, and the impeccably dressed man on one side held a stick with a silver top that contained lavender. The Duke of Sunderland. He appeared to be around Richard’s age.

On the other side of the carriage was an older man and a woman of lesser rank by the look of their clothes.

“Your Grace,” Richard stated, letting go of the door and bowing slightly. If he wished to win Emerald back now he must do so through her family, they were now the damned gatekeepers and she was meant to marry this duke. But he had not expected the Duke to be young. Nor expected the sudden kick of jealousy as the man got up and then climbed out of the carriage. “I am Mr Farrow, owner of the shipping company. It was I who wrote to you of Miss Martin’s situation. It is good of you to come in person.”

The Duke offered his hand to Richard. He had a strong handshake, he was blonde haired, blue eyed and square jawed and Richard had an instant dislike of them. He did not want to let Emerald ride off with this man.

He wished he had not sent those damned letters.

“It is the least I could do in the circumstances.”

Richard had deemed the Duke a pompous ass in his mind, but probably unjustly, the man had come to the dock to meet Emerald.

“I have brought Miss Martin’s uncle with me,” the Duke said, “her mother’s brother, Mr Coomb and his wife.” Mr Coomb and his wife were currently climbing out of the carriage.

“I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr Coomb, Mrs Coomb,” Richard bowed his head to them. “Miss Martin’s luggage is yet to be unloaded but she is ready to disembark.” What else was he to say. Go away.

“Splendid.” The Duke said. “Well then, that is excellent. Would someone fetch her, or should we come on board? She can come with us now and her luggage be sent on. The burden is off your shoulders, Mr Farrow.”

Richard did not want the burden taken from him, the idea of it shuddered through him. Nor did he like passing her off to strangers. They did not know her and she would not know them. He had imagined taking her to the mans’ house and being asked to stay and he had intended to accept that offer for a few days until she was settled… To just let her go….

Then there was the new fear that she would see something in this man that she had not seen in him. The fear that had been pressing about his neck on the deck was now strangling him with a firm hold. He was losing her forever. But he had no choice. Any complaint may bring about her ruin. He should have no interest. He should want her gone. She ought to be nothing but a passenger to him. “I shall fetch her.” Richard bowed again, more deeply, though it cut at his pride, but he did it for Emerald’s sake. He did it because he would need to win her back through the Duke. Some how… There must be a way. He did it because Emerald was more important to him than anything else.

When he turned back towards the ship he caught Joseph’s gaze and saw the look that recognised Richard’s unusual submissive approach,and the reason for it.

Richard’s strides were long and quick as he clasped at the ropes on either side and climbed the gangplank, wanting as long as he could get with Emerald.

Numerous men amongst the crew had stopped what they were doing and were looking at him. His bowing on the dock had screamed to them what had been going on. Now the whole ship knew his interest was fixed in Emerald’s direction. The only people who did not know were her family.

He did not bother barking at the men, but focused his mind on the minutes he would have with Emerald.

Richard stood before her cabin obviously about to send the men in to collect her luggage. Richard lifted a hand to tell him to wait. “The Duke of Sunderland is here to collect Miss Martin. Please to talk to his servant to find out the address for her luggage. They will have it sent on later.”

Richard knocked on the cabin, his mind screaming. You have lost her! You will never see her again! Never!