Twelve

Dare had never been more confused. He had spent a good deal of time and energy trying to avoid young women, especially the possibility of awkward conversations, and yet here he was, talking about the death of his parents, something he had never done in the entirety of his life, with a beautiful young lady without feeling a qualm of discomfort. He should have been running for the door, injury or not, yet instead, he hoped she would speak more about her life.

Their honest conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door and a maid brought in a repast, basic in nature yet delicious in scent. Emma jumped up to accept the offerings and placed them on a small wooden table. “I asked for some broth for you,” she explained, bustling about to prepare to break their fast. “Have you any appetite?”

At the scent of food, his stomach rumbled audibly. “Yes, indeed.” It had been a day since his last meal and he felt the deprivation. “Is that bacon I smell?” Dare was taking a distinct interest in the breakfast tray.

“Yes, but let’s start with the broth.”

His enthusiasm waned. He thought nothing could reduce his regard for Miss Emma St. James, but coming between him and bacon came close.

“We can work up to bacon,” she conceded.

He tried to sit up a bit more so he could eat, but his wound throbbed with pain. He had been hurt before, but never this bad. It was going to take time to heal—time he did not have.

“Now let me raise your head a bit with another pillow so you can try this broth,” said Emma in a mothering fashion.

“I can feed myself,” he complained and took the spoon from her hand. She held the bowl and he ate. Slowly at first, then faster, trying to fill his empty belly.

“Easy now,” she gently chided. Dare did not care to be treated like an infant, but he did appreciate her leaning over him with warmth in her eyes and a smile on her face. He could see where the role of invalid could have its advantages.

“So I understand you took to the sea as a young man.” She smiled at him, her bright-blue eyes crinkling at the edges.

“Yes. I have only recently returned.”

“I know.”

He frowned, wondering how she would know of his movements.

“It’s been in the paper,” she admitted with a guilty shrug of a dainty shoulder.

So she had read of the Pirate Earl. He wondered what she thought of such an unfortunate title.

She appeared to have something on her mind as she gazed at him intently, but then she turned away when he looked at her. She hummed a song as she cleared the dishes, nibbling on her bottom lip in an unconscious manner.

“Was there… Do you have any concerns?” He was not sure how to ask what she was thinking and, for the first time in his life, wished he had been blessed with more social graces.

Emma glanced up with bright eyes and returned to her post on the chair by his side. She did not seem to mind his awkward attempts at conversation. “I do not mean to pry, but you said you thought those men had targeted you. I was wondering why. Please do forgive me my awful curiosity.”

Dare never spoke of his past, but if there was ever a time to break this rule, it was for Emma. If those men were still looking for them, the truth might help her stay alive. He owed her that much at least.

“It’s a long story,” he hedged.

“I adore long stories.” Her eyes sparkled with an adoring enthusiasm, and he found he was not so opposed to talking of his past after all.

“My father died when I was twelve,” he began, trying to stick only to the basic facts. Facts were easier. “We were called back to our family house and found that it had been gutted. The silver, the china, and anything of any value were gone—the furnishings, pictures, rugs, all gone. Everything.”

“You were robbed?”

“We were told my father had not managed his finances well and everything was being sold off to pay the creditors. Hours after the funeral, we were packed in a carriage and taken to London, to what we thought was the home of our guardian. Instead, we were handed off to some rough men who took us to Fleet.”

“Debtors’ prison?” she gasped. “But I thought a peer of the realm could not be imprisoned there!”

“That is true, but they lied about our identities. They said we were children of a merchant who had gone deeply into debt and we liked to pretend to put on airs. I explained who I was, but nobody would listen.”

“That is horrible!” Emma rose to her feet in indignation. “How did you escape?”

Dare searched her face for disapproval or rejection. Yet in Emma’s eyes, he saw only sincere concern. “We were in Fleet for a few weeks before my tutor found us and helped secure our release.”

“Well, I am certainly glad you were able to escape, but who did this to you?” Emma began to pace in the small, sparse room.

“After we escaped, I was able to win my majority in court and take control of my finances. Our steward had robbed us of all monies and property beyond the land entailed to the title. He stole everything and left us in prison.”

“The thief! What happened when you confronted him? Was he arrested? Did he hang?”

“No. He was found murdered in an alley behind his lodgings, his throat slit, no trace of the fortune he stole. He must have been working for another and was killed to ensure his silence.”

Emma’s jaw dropped at his frank words, and he belatedly remembered this was not the type of conversation one was supposed to have with a lady.

“How horrible! Who would do such a thing?” Emma sat back down in the chair beside him and leaned close.

“To this day I do not know.” Dare felt the weight of the unknown enemy that he had carried his entire adult life. Someone had gone to great lengths to cause him pain. “I joined the Royal Navy and served for years until I returned to England for university. Afterward…as you have read in the papers, I sailed as a privateer. Despite what the papers infer, I was not a pirate.”

“No, of course not. You are an honorable man,” she reassured, her eyes gleaming. “What stories you must have to tell.”

“I was able to restore my fortune…more than restore.” He could not help but voice a small boast. “Unfortunately, the wealth may have made us a target.”

“Do you think someone tried to abduct your sister to hold her for ransom?”

“Perhaps. We have recently been the target of several attempted robberies.”

She paused, a wrinkle forming between her eyebrows. “Do you think what happened to you as a child, the attempted robberies, and the abduction yesterday are connected?”

“I do not know.” He did harbor suspicions. “But I will find the truth.”

“Yes, but you must heal first. I do hope you can find the answers you seek. I will pray for a solution to present itself. I have had to rely quite a bit on the good Lord these past few days, and I have not been disappointed.”

“You are sincere in your faith?”

“Why yes, of course.” Emma’s expression brightened into a natural smile. “I would not know how to survive without it. After my father’s death, my faith was the only solid ground on which to stand. Is not your faith of importance to you?”

Dare shifted a bit in the bed. “I have not the fortune of experiencing any understanding of the deity.”

“Well, it’s rather difficult to understand the creator of the universe, so I would hardly hold that against you.”

“Perhaps I have never seen the hand of God in my life.” Dare took a breath and blew it out again. He was sure that she would not approve of what he was going to say but was unwilling to deceive her since he had been frank about so much. “In truth, I have doubted the existence of God. Either he has no control over the circumstances of my life, or he does not hold me in high regard.”

“So you think that the Lord should protect you from any adventures?” She tilted her head to one side.

“Only the bad ones.”

“How do you know the good from the bad?”

“When you end up shot and bleeding on the floor of a coach, you’re in a bad one.”

Emma inclined her head in acknowledgment. “That does sound rather awful. But then, if you had not been in that carriage, I shudder to think of what would have happened to me. I fear your misfortune was the answer to my prayer.”

Dare grunted. “To follow your logic then, God does exist, does act in the lives of men to protect those he chooses.” He gestured toward Emma. “He just doesn’t like me.”

“Now do not say such. I am certain God loves all his children.”

“If he loved me, he would have found a way to protect you without getting me shot.”

“I can see you are rather firm on this position.”

“I was shot.”

“I concede the point. I would likely feel the same if I was shot. It cannot be comfortable.”

“No, it is not.”

“Would you like another dose of—”

“No, no, I am well enough. I do not wish to be medicated into unconsciousness. I am simply saying that faith is easier when one has very little to complain of.”

“Well, I suppose you are going to find me argumentative, for I cannot agree. I tend to ignore my faith when things are going well and cling to it desperately when they are not. I suppose that says a little about my capricious nature. There now, you have induced me to reveal myself in a very unflattering manner, and I was so determined to present myself in an admirable light.”

“Nothing you can say will reduce my admiration for you.” Darington spoke in earnest. He appreciated her candor and even her willingness to disagree. She was a lovely, capable creature, with a mind of her own.

She would make the perfect bride…just not for him.