Page 45 of The Lost Lord
Chapter 19
Gulls clamored overhead as theNew Hopepulled into London’s teeming wharves. Richard stood statue-still at the edge of the deck as his hometown gradually increased in size from a distant miniature to a sprawling city.
Christ, the place reeked. By contrast, New York and Boston had smelled positively pleasant. Richard dodged the occasional deck hand as hours passed and the ship tied neatly to the dock. Port officials boarded to inspect the contents of the ship and check the papers of those who bore them. Richard offered his brother’s letter as his mind struggled with the dockside dialect of his countrymen.
Passengers disembarked in clumps. Two here, a rush of eight or ten there, one ambling down the gangplank, whistling. Lizzie’s red hair glinted in the sun to Richard’s left, but she did not turn, and he refused to acknowledge her. She stared out over the city, doubtless plotting her takeover.
A twist of white linen flashed and disappeared in Lizzie’s hands. Richard observed her from the corner of his eye until she glanced briefly his direction, then gathered her skirts and followed the other passengers onto shore. An unsuspecting observer might mistake her for a weak and easy target in her elegant roller-printed cotton day dress and redingote. His forehead tightened into a frown.
“Plotting a reunion with your lady love?”
The bitterness in Miriam’s tone startled Richard out of his torpor. The arrival of woman he’d been waiting for made his heart skip. His throat closed around the words he wanted most to say.
“More like waiting for a viper to strike,” was all Richard muttered. He cleared his throat. “Miriam. About what Lizzie said. It isn’t true. Lizzie had her intentions, but they were never mine.”
“I suppose Lizzie impregnated herself,” Miriam responded tartly. “I hear women have a habit of that, particularly when it’s most inconvenient for men.”
Richard shot Miriam a sidelong glance. She had every right to be angry with him. Guilt nagged him. “I never made a secret of her presence in my life. I’ll be the first to acknowledge my lack of gentlemanly virtue, Miri. Spare me the accusation of dishonesty.”
“You courted me under false pretenses,” Miriam shot back.
Richard shook his head, wishing he still had the liberty to take her into his arms and kiss the hurt away. “I didn’t. I told you exactly what I was. Disgraced. A liar. Untrustworthy. I confessed to killing my own father, Miriam. I would have told you about Lizzie’s scheme if she hadn’t been your bosom friend. Would you have believed me if I had dared to tell you the truth about your dearest acquaintance?”
He took a breath. Miriam stared out over the bustling docks, unwilling to meet his gaze.
“I thought not. The only solution I could think of was to take you away from her. I cannot fathom what drives Lizzie. All I care about, Miriam, is ensuring she stays away from you, and protecting my wife,” Richard said softly.
Miriam stared at him now, with horror or awe he couldn’t decide. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am, Miri.” Richard’s pent-up thoughts nearly overflowed and tumbled out of his mouth in an embarrassing torrent. He bit his lower lip until the urge to blurt out his feeling abated. “Whether or not anything comes of the title my brother has dangled before me, I will make Howard’s trans-oceanic import business into a wild success. I won’t stop until Lizzie is out of our lives forever.” He swallowed. “I won’t stop until every promise I made you comes true.”
Miriam snorted delicately. She thought he couldn’t do it. She thought he was nothing but a worthless liar. Her unspoken challenge reverberated in his soul.
“You’ll see. In the meantime, I am holding you to your end of this deal, Miriam Northcote.” Richard spoke softly, with all the confidence of a lord in his homeland.
“What deal?” Miriam demanded breathlessly. Richard took a step closer. She did not step backward. Toe to toe, they regarded one another as enemies, as equal combatants.
“Our deal with Livingston and Howard. Hate me all you wish, but don’t hurt their investments to spite me.” Did Miriam look crestfallen? He wanted to believe it so badly. “Your father and Mrs. Kent are wrong about you.”
“In what way?” she demanded softly.
“You are not frail. Your strength is that of a reed swaying in the wind, but you’ll stand tall long after the wind had felled the oak,” Richard replied. How was he the only one who could see it?
Again, Miriam scoffed. “I was weak enough to be taken in by my only friend and my only suitor. Do go on about my strength.”
“You married me,” Richard rasped. “That leap of faith required courage. If you turn around and go back to New York after scarcely touching your feet on British soil, you will return a scandal and a laughingstock. You Americans are especially prickly when it comes to pride.”
“My folly will certainly be outweighed by Lizzie’s deception.”
Richard chuckled bleakly, cutting her off. “Lizzie is already a walking scandal whom everyone fears to cross. She has nothing to lose. You, however, possessed a sterling reputation until I stole your heart. If you go back now, alone…”
He trailed off.
“What do you want from me?” Miriam demanded, rough with anger.
“Give me a chance to court you again before you turn tail and go home. In private, with no one watching. I want nothing more than to go back to that beach where we first met and show you the truth of my heart. Since we are here, the beach is out of the question.”
“I gave you that chance. I invited you to take it, over and over, until I was half-convinced that I was so undesirable that I must content myself with the scraps of your affection.” Miriam’s bodice rose and fell. Richard’s stomach twisted.
