Best of Both Rogues
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Authors: Samantha Grace
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Also by Samantha Grace
The Beau Monde Bachelor Series
Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel
Lady Amelia’s Mess and a Half
Miss Lavigne’s Little White Lie
Lady Vivian Defies a Duke
The Rival Rogues Series
One Rogue Too Many
In Bed with a Rogue
Copyright © 2015 by Samantha Grace
Cover and internal design © 2015 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover art by Judy York
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.
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In memory of Eddie, a true gentleman at heart
April 1817
Eve Thorne had no more tears to shed. Her body had become heavy, sinking into her bed as if it might swallow her. The coverlet beneath her cheek was damp and cool. Subdued afternoon light cast her normally cheerful bedchamber in shadow.
Her maid’s sympathetic frown and the porcelain plate she held out to Eve made her eyes burn, dispelling the notion she had cried herself dry. The plate was filled with dishes meant for Eve’s wedding breakfast, food that would spoil in a day with no guests to enjoy the feast.
“Lord Thorne will be cross if I cannot coax you to eat something, miss,” Alice said.
“Has he returned?” Speaking required more effort than Eve thought possible; her voice was raspy and her throat tight.
Alice shook her graying head. “May I speak freely, miss?”
“Please,” Eve said on a sigh.
“You don’t want your brother to find you this way. The baron is on a tear as it is.”
Sebastian was scouring London for Eve’s runaway groom now, determined to defend her honor. Finding her in tears would only make matters worse, but how did one hide the shattered pieces of one’s heart?
She blinked up at Alice. “I will try.”
Her lady’s maid answered with an encouraging smile and placed the plate back on its tray. “Very good, miss. Allow me to help you sit up.”
Eve leaned forward while Alice fluffed the pillows and watched in a numbing fog as her maid placed the tray across her lap.
The sight of red grapes made Eve’s vision blur again. “Oh, bother,” she mumbled. Why did everything have to make her think of Ben?
It was hard to believe it had only been last night when they had teased each other.
Ben’s smoky blue eyes—the perfect blending of dark blue and gray—had twinkled with mischief as he’d wrapped her in his arms when Mama had allowed them a rare moment alone for Eve to bid him good night. It was to be their last good-bye, for tonight he should have taken her to his home.
Her
home.
Once
we
have
spoken
our
vows, I will expect many things from you, Miss Thorne.
Is
that
so, Mr. Hillary? Let me hear these expectations, so I might decide if I wish to meet them.
She had been teasing. In that moment of blind devotion, she would have done anything he asked. His amused chuckle had washed her in warm tingles.
Do
you
want
the
entire
list?
She had nodded, expecting him to recite the usual duties involved with managing a household. Instead, he’d made her laugh and planted the most delicious vision in her mind to take with her to bed: Ben lounging on a fainting couch like some hedonistic god, wearing nothing but a loincloth and laurel wreath in his golden brown hair, while Eve fed him grapes.
Eve had felt so cherished and happy when he’d stolen a kiss and whispered in her ear.
I
love
you, Kitten
.
She swiped at the wetness leaking from the corners of her eyes. What could have happened between nightfall and this morning at the church to change his mind about her? Or had she been too smitten to recognize reservation in his actions?
He had come to St. George’s Church, and by all accounts, seemed prepared to marry her. Surely the love she had felt in his touch last night was no lie. Yet her limited imagination didn’t allow for any other excuse for what he had done. Ben left her at the church, humiliated her in front of her family and friends.
A soft knock sounded at her door and Alice swept across the room to answer. Eve’s mother paused in the threshold. Her dark gaze flickered over Eve as a small frown formed on her lips. “Eve, there is a gentleman here to see you. Mr. Cooper says Mr. Hillary sent him.”
Eve’s heart leaped. She knew Ben hadn’t truly abandoned her. Something of the utmost importance must have occurred to make him leave so suddenly.
More
important
than
your
wedding?
She ignored the logic in favor of having Ben back.
“Should I have Milo tell him you are not receiving?” Mama asked.
“No!” Eve nearly knocked over the tray in her haste, but Alice grabbed it before it tipped. Eve mumbled an apology and scrambled from the bed. She stopped at the washstand to clear the evidence of her tears from her cheeks, although she wouldn’t be able to hide the redness of her eyes and nose. “Did Mr. Cooper indicate how he knows Ben?”
Mama came up behind her to place her hands on Eve’s shoulders. “He only said he made his acquaintance at the docks this afternoon. Mr. Cooper was seeing his cousin off to India on one of Benjamin’s ships.”
Why would Ben be at the docks on their wedding day? Eve swallowed against the panic welling up at the back of her throat. There must be a reasonable explanation, and it appeared Mr. Cooper was here to deliver it. She couldn’t get ahead of herself.
Draping the cloth over the side of the basin, she took a deep breath. “I suppose I should see what the gentleman has to say before drawing conclusions.”
Mama’s smile reflected in the looking glass appeared more like a grimace. “That seems wise, dearest.”
With her mother at her side, Eve made her way to the drawing room where Mr. Cooper was waiting. He stood as they entered, a friendly grin on his round face. A quick glance at his sturdy brown trousers, plain jacket, and simply tied cravat revealed he was a gentleman of little means, but a gentleman all the same.
Mama came forward to perform an introduction. “Mr. Cooper, this is my daughter, Eve. Mr. Cooper is a parish chaplain at St. Saviour’s Church.”
A
chaplain?
Eve refrained from rubbing away the tightness at her temples. A man of the cloth was often employed to deliver distressing news, but that certainly wasn’t the case today. Still, she couldn’t stop from asking, “Has something happened to Mr. Hillary? Has he been hurt or become ill?”
His kind smile didn’t fade. “No, miss. He was all in one piece when last I spoke with him, although he was a bit pale and shaky, now that I consider it. I am certain there is no cause for alarm, however.” He reached into his jacket and pulled a long box from an inside pocket. “Mr. Hillary charged me with a task, and I promised to deliver this to you straightaway. He said this belongs to you.”
Eve accepted the gaily wrapped box and allowed her mother to guide her to the settee. Her fingers shook as she tore open the gift. The rip of paper seemed to echo in the silence.
Mama sat down beside her. “Will Mr. Hillary be calling at Thorne Place soon?”
A slight shifting of the man’s jaw made Eve’s heart race. “I do not believe that to be the case, my lady.” When Mama raised her eyebrows in a gesture of irritation, Mr. Cooper cleared his throat. “What I mean to say is Mr. Hillary departed on his ship, ma’am. He is traveling to Delhi, as is my cousin.”
Eve fumbled the box and it fell to the Turkish carpet. A gold necklace with yellow gems spilled out, winking up at her in the fading sunlight. Her breathing had ceased the moment Mr. Cooper said Ben was gone, but it returned on a ragged inhale.
“Allow me, Miss Thorne.” The gentleman bent to retrieve the necklace before holding it out to her. She stared at the unusual piece lying in the worn palm of his glove. A small circular gem—perhaps a yellow diamond—sat atop two larger, identical ones, creating a pyramid. The necklace itself was composed of two strands of tiny black pearls, perfect and elegant.
Her hand shook as she accepted the offering. “D-did Mr. Hillary say anything? Was there a message for me?”
“I am sorry, miss. I was charged with delivering the package, but Mr. Hillary sent no word other than this belongs to you.”
“But I’ve never seen it before, or anything like it.” How could it belong to her?
Mr. Cooper shifted his weight to get a closer look at the jewelry. “It is an exotic piece. I saw similar ones when I toured India. I believe it holds special meaning.”
Eve’s fingers closed around the necklace, and she gazed up at the man in interest.
He seemed to recognize her curiosity, because he went on to explain. “I attended a wedding during my stay in Calcutta, and the groom presented a similar necklace to his bride before securing it around her neck. A fellow wedding guest explained that the necklace is believed to protect the marriage and serves as a symbol of love, trust, and marital happiness.”
A low growl came from her mother, the unladylike sound shocking. “Mr. Cooper,” she snapped. “Do you realize the cruelty of your words? My daughter was abandoned at the altar today.”
The poor man’s jaw dropped, his complexion suddenly bloodless.
“How dare you speak to her of marital happiness at a time like this?” Eve’s mother was on her feet and moving toward the bellpull. “Have you no sensitivity?”
“Mama, Mr. Cooper meant no harm. He could not have known.”
Her mother would accept no defense of the man, however. “What type of gentleman agrees to perform the devil’s errand without question?”
“The devil?” Mr. Cooper’s pale skin began to glisten in the afternoon sunlight.
“Mama.” Eve’s soft reprimand went unnoticed.
Her mother scowled in Mr. Cooper’s direction as she yanked the bellpull cord. She had never seen her mother in such a state. Eve had always assumed her brother had inherited his temper from their father, but Mama seemed as unstoppable as Sebastian had been earlier that day.
When Milo entered the drawing room, Eve’s mother instructed him to see Mr. Cooper to the door.
“Forgive me, Miss Thorne.” The clergyman ducked his head and made a hasty retreat from the drawing room before Milo needed to lay a hand on him.
“Thank you, sir,” Eve called after Mr. Cooper.
Once the door closed, Mama swung toward her. “Why should you offer your thanks? Of all the nerve, marching in here without an invitation and…”
Eve blocked out the rest of her mother’s rant as she contemplated the necklace. Why would Ben tell Mr. Cooper the jewelry belonged to her when she’d never before laid eyes on the piece? A necklace that symbolized love, trust, and happiness?
Unless…
Hope flared in her heart. He was coming back for her. She couldn’t fathom any explanation for his desertion today, but he must have a good reason, one she would understand as soon as he returned from dealing with whatever had called him away to India. She hugged the necklace to her chest, close to her heart, and prayed for his swift and safe return.