Already her emotions were greatly at risk. And becoming even more intimate with him would blatantly endanger the serenity she'd striven so hard to find.

Yet she had taken this course and would see it through to the conclusion. She only hoped that her calculations had been right. That once he claimed her as a conquest, he would abandon the chase. And that he would tire of his pursuit before she was too badly hurt.

When she reached home, however, worries about her plan were driven out of her head as they turned into the drive at the rear of the house. She could see lights blazing from many of the rooms.

"Something has happened," Aurora murmured, trying to stem her alarm.

The moment Nicholas drew the curricle to a halt, Aurora scrambled down and ran up the back steps. Nicholas's tiger, who had been waiting patiently for their return, came to hold the horses, leaving Nicholas to follow her inside the house.

She was met in the hallway by her butler, who looked as if he'd been roused from sleep. Danby wore a dressing gown over his nightshirt and a cap over his gray hair, while his elderly face sported a grave expression.

"My lady, is aught amiss? We were concerned for you when we could not find you anywhere in the house."

Aurora lifted her chin, determined to brazen out her actions. She had no reason to cower before her servants in shame. "I went for a drive. What has happened, Danby? Why is the entire household awake?"

"The Earl of March has arrived, my lady."

For a moment Aurora's heart seemed to stop. Geoffrey could not have called, for he had perished at sea nearly a year ago. Then she remembered that his ten-year-old brother, Harry, had inherited the title.

"Harry is here? In London?"

"Yes, my lady. He is currently in the kitchens. He was… er… hungry after his travels."

"His travels? What do you mean? Did his mother bring him?"

"No, my lady. Only young Lord March – "

Just then a blond-haired boy came bounding into the hall from the stairway that led to the kitchens. He was dressed in breeches and jacket, but his hair was mussed and his young face that looked so much like Geoffrey's was actually dirty.

"Rory, am I ever so glad to see you – " When he spied Nicholas, the boy came to a halt. Much to her surprise, his hands curled into fists, and he stood there glowering at Nicholas. "Who are you?" he demanded angrily.

"Harry," Aurora said sharply in protest. "Where are your manners?"

"I am Lady Aurora's cousin by marriage, Brandon Deverill," Nicholas said mildly.

"You have no right to be here!" the boy nearly growled.

"Harry, this gentleman is a guest in my house. You will mind your tongue."

Still scowling, he cast Aurora an accusing look. "You cannot have forgotten my brother already? It has been only a year since he died. One year exactly today."

Aurora winced. She hadn't remembered that today was the anniversary of the tragic shipwreck. "No," she said guiltily. "The date may have slipped my mind, but I could never forget Geoffrey."

"Then what is he doing here, calling at this time, of night?"

She took a measured breath. "You have no authority to ask such questions, my young lordling. Furthermore, as a relation, Nic – Mr. Deverill has every right to call here. Now it is your turn to give me some answers. What are you doing here in London? Especially at this hour of night?"

For the first time, Harry's scowl faded to uncertainty. "I've run away from home, Rory. Mama has become insufferable. Please, you must allow me to stay with you."

Chapter Fourteen

He touched me with startling tenderness, as if even my heart belonged to him .


"So tell me, Harry, how did you manage to find your way to London?" Aurora asked a short while later as she and Nicholas sat with the boy at the servants' table in the kitchen. To her exasperation, Nicholas had remained without invitation and simply made himself at home, and she hadn't wanted to argue with him in front of her unexpected young guest.

Harry looked up from munching on a meal of cold chicken and scones and apples. "The stage. It was ever so much fun. I rode on top first and then in the box. That was famous! The coachman let me take the reins, but only for a moment because some of the passengers complained about my driving."

"You traveled all the way from Sussex alone?" Aurora said, dismayed. "Don't you realize how dangerous that was? You could have been robbed or – "

"Oh, the stage was not dangerous in the least. It was only when I arrived at the posting inn that I almost landed in the briars. It was quite crowded, and I had to inquire about directions, and there were three fellows who looked like footpads. But when they tried to detain me, I showed them my fives and ran away."

Aurora shuddered to think what might have happened to a child alone at night on the London streets.

"I am not a complete gudgeon, Rory," he said when he saw her expression. "I can take care of myself. They stole my bundle, though." Harry suddenly looked glum. "It had my favorite ship in it."

"Ship?" Nicholas asked curiously.

The boy gave him a wary look, as if debating whether to trust him. "Admiral Nelson's flagship, the Victory. It was made of tin. My brother gave it to me." As if remembering Geoffrey, the boy suddenly sent Aurora an accusing look. "Danby did not want to let me in. He would not believe that I was Lord March, since I was in leading strings the last time he saw me. And you were not here to vouch for me."

She fought the urge to squirm, knowing she must look like a wanton. She had removed her cloak, and her hair was in disarray, tumbling down her back. "Does your mother know you've run away?" she asked, deliberately changing the subject.

Harry grinned impishly. "By now, she does. But I did leave her a note, telling her I intended to live with you."

"Harry, your mother will be frantic with worry."

"I know. That is why I ran away. She is in a quake all the time. She is smothering me, Rory. And this past week, it was even worse than usual, because Geoffrey passed on one year ago."

"She would be understandably upset," Aurora said patiently. "You are her only child now, Harry – "

"I know. Mama is muttonheaded when it comes to Geoff. But she raises a dust if I even leave the house! She means to keep me in leading strings till I am full grown, Rory. It is ever so plaguey."

Aurora frowned. "Where did you learn such vulgar cant?"

"From Tom, the groundskeeper. Do you mean to ring a peal over me, Rory? If so, then go ahead, but I shan't go home again, so there is no use trying to make me. If you will not let me live with you, I will just have to find someone else who will take me in."

Aurora hesitated to answer. She was eager to help Harry, not only because she was extremely fond of him, but also because she wanted to appease her guilt. She had neglected the boy dreadfully this past year. He'd lost a brother he idolized and then had been forced to endure his mama's protective smothering. Lady March was not generally the scatterbrained sort, but she had been devastated at her elder son's death and was determined that nothing would befall her younger son. Aurora could well understand why Harry would finally rebel and seek refuge with someone he considered a friend. Yet she didn't want to encourage or abet his rebellion.

Before she could express her reservations, however, Harry spoke again.

"It will not be for long, for I mean to join the navy and fight the Frogs, like Geoffrey."

"You mean to do what?"

"I am going to run away to sea. I want to have real adventures, but Mama will never let me. She will not even permit me to fish in our own streams. I cannot go near water because she is afraid I will drown like Geoffrey did."

"I know something about running off to sea," Nicholas interjected mildly.

"You do?" Harry's look became interested. "You sound like a Colonial."

"I am American. But I have some experience with the British navy. There are numerous sailors on my ships who were impressed illegally by your country and forced to serve."

"You are a ship's captain?" His eyes lit up.

"Not a captain. Owner. I have a fleet of merchant ships."

"A fleet! That is capital!"

Nicholas smiled. "If you knew the hardships you would face in your navy, you would not want to join, believe me. The life of a tar is remarkably unpleasant compared to the one you're accustomed to. You would do much better to apprentice in the merchant marine."

Aurora gave Nicholas a quelling look, annoyed that he would encourage the boy in such wild fantasies. "Harry is going to join neither."

Harry's jaw set mutinously as he clutched his drumstick. "I am, Rory."

Nicholas shook his head. "Well, this is not the way to go about it. Not only would you distress your mother, but you are ill-prepared to begin your venture. I'll wager you don't even have a letter of introduction."

"I must have a letter?"

"If you want to be more than a scullery, you do. You need someone in a position of authority to vouchsafe your character, and you will need money to outfit your sea chest."

"I have money. I am quite rich."

"Then instead of becoming a tar, you might consider buying your own ship and becoming the employer. Trust me, that would be far more agreeable than swabbing decks from morning till night."