Secret Pleasures (38 page)

“I would have.
”
Darien laughed
.
“I still will.”

“I did not think it mattered until Philip died and you became the heir
.
I feared I could not give you what you needed to fulfill your destiny
.
So when your father called in my father’s gambling debts, I agreed to break the engagement
.
Perhaps I thought I deserved to lose you for keeping my medical difficulties secret.”

“You didn’t deserve anything except to be happily married to a man who adores you.”

“Maybe not.
”
She smiled wistfully, but since it was the first smile she’d given him all day, Darien was thrilled
.
“My father spent the money from your father in short order and racked up a few thousand pounds more debt
.
Thankfully, my sister fell in love with a pious commoner who abhors the aristocratic lust for money
.
He whisked her away, not caring for a dowry
.
My mother died shortly after
.
My sacrifice was for nothing in the end
.
It was just my father and I
.
If Marcus hadn’t kept abreast of things
…
I don’t expect you to understand, but he made my life so much easier
.
I cared for him as a friend
.
Well, more than a friend, but I never stopped loving you
.
Marcus always knew that.”

“We all made mistakes, Ivy.
”
Darien gently kissed her forehead
.
Perhaps he felt somewhat appeased to know Ivy had never loved Marcus, but his former friend’s behavior was still not garnering accolades from Darien
.
“My biggest mistake was not coming after you
.
I should have ignored the rumors
,
taken you to Scotland and made you my wife.”

“I wish you had
.
I truly do.
”
She sighed
.
“But then there would be no Melody.”

Darien shoved his hands in his pockets
.
“I still cannot believe she is my daughter.”

“I believe it.”

Darien touched her face
.
“She’s your daughter as much as mine.”

“Thank you for that.
”
She held his gaze for a long moment
.
He leaned in to kiss her mouth, but she slipped from his grasp and strode to the other side of the room.

“So you see that my best option to give Melody a life free from the misfortunes of our own is for us to sail to America and start a new life
.
Thanks to Marcus, I have invested well
.
And I have your father’s fifty thousand pounds
.
Which I plan to keep.”

Darien bowed
.
“And considering the circumstances, you have my blessings on that count
.
But you don’t need to flee to America
.
Stay here and be my wife.”

“That isn’t possible
.
Henry Maddox will destroy us
.
And your father
—
”

“Will not interfere
.
I told him of my intention to marry you and he has given his blessings.”

Ivy appeared incredulous
.
“And Melody?”

“He knows of her, as well
.
She is a girl and not a threat to Maddox’s plans for his daughter to bear the heir.”

“Henry Maddox is not to be trusted
.
He is dangerous.
”

Darien crossed the room and took her hands
.
“What did he do to you
?
There’s something you’re not telling me.”

“He was the one that started the rumor that I broke our engagement to be your father’s mistress.”

“I’ll take care of Henry Maddox.
”

Ivy held his hands tightly
.
“I don’t want you to do anything to Henry Maddox
.
Melody’s well-being is my only concern
.
Maddox will hold us hostage with his suspicions
.
And even if he doesn’t learn anything new, he knows enough to cast doubt and speculation against Melody
.
Ugly rumors will follow her everywhere she goes.”

“He won’t
.
My father won’t let him.
”
Darien wondered how he was going to tell his father that he harbored his longtime mistress’s daughter
.
“Westhaven cared for Diana on some level and helping her daughter, my daughter, is the least he can do
.
Don’t you see the truth only works in our favor
?
After everything, Maddox and my father insist that a marriage will take place
.
I won’t stop it if they leave my family alone.”

“What of Robert and Arianna?”

“I love you and our daughter
.
Taking care of you both is my main concern.”

Ivy searched his gaze for the truth
.
He stared at her with a conviction he had never felt before and the courage to see it through
.
“Well, will you marry me?”

“Yes.
”
She smiled
.
“Yes, yes, yes.
”
She threw her arms around his neck and he stumbled back under the onslaught of her embrace.

A crash sounded downstairs and they broke apart
.
There was the matter of an attempted murderer on the loose
.
How easily had he forgotten
.
Ivy was correct in fearing Henry Maddox
.

“Wait here.
”

“No.” Ivy clutched his arm
.
“Don’t leave us.”

Darien retrieved the musket he kept under the bed
.
He found the shot and loaded it.

“Do you think it’s Henry Maddox?”

Darien shook his head
.
“He gets others to do his dirty work, but I don’t think he’s that much of a fool.
”

Another crash sounded below.

“Probably a raccoon has gotten into the kitchen
.
It’s happened before.”

Ivy nodded.

“I’ll be right back.
”
Darien kissed her on the lips, then paused to glance at the sleeping child in the crib
.
His daughter
.
Darien would do everything in his power to protect them both.

His name is Collin Jacobson, a horse breeder from Scotland.

Ivy followed Darien down the stairs, ignoring his command for her to return to the bedroom and lock herself in with Melody.

“I’ll stay on the landing,” she whispered
.
At least that way she would be halfway between Darien and Melody.

Darien gave her a final silent look and crept toward the kitchen
.
From the sounds of it, someone rummaged through the cupboard
s
, banging pots in the process.

Darien paused in the doorway and lifted the musket to his shoulder
.
“Who goes there?”

“Darien?
”
Ivy didn’t recognize the man’s voice but he had a strong Scottish accent
.
“It’s Collin
.
Collin Jacobson
.
I was a friend of your brother’s
.
We met once or twice.”

Darien lowered his weapon
.
“You’re a horse breeder
.
My father bought one of your stallions.”

Barking dogs sounded in the distance, along with the shouts of men
.
Ivy came down the rest of the stairs and into the kitchen.

A tall man with reddish brown hair stood in the kitchen with his hands in the air
.
Horses’ hooves sounded in front of the house.

Collin Jacobson’s eyes widened
.
“Please, hide me
.
I did not mean to shoot that young man
.
It was all a mistake
.
I saw Maddox attack you and I felt I must finally do something.”

“That young man was my nephew
.
Why?” Darien raised the musket to his shoulder
.

“I was not aiming for him
.
I wasn’t even trying to kill Maddox, though someone should
.
He is the one responsible for your brother’s death.
”
Jacobson glanced in the direction of male
shouts
.
“Please
.
They’ll kill me on the spot
.
I’ll tell you everything I know about the night your brother died if you give me the chance.”

The dogs had stopped barking but the jangle of harnesses warned her that the men were dismounting
. 

“Wait here.” Darien handed Ivy the gun.

“Darien, I don’t think I can
…
”
Ivy tried to push the weapon in his direction, but he arranged the weapon against her shoulder
.

“Pull the trigger if he moves.”

“I won’t
.
I’ve never before
purposely
harmed another soul in my life
.
I’d never hurt a wee woman,” said the Scotsman.

Darien left her standing face to face with the man who appeared far more afraid of her than she of him
.
He was painfully thin
.
His clothes hung on his frame
.
A poorly made wool jacket was torn and his buckskin breeches showed days of mud stains.

They silently assessed each other
.
Ivy trembled under the weight of the musket, but she knew her exhaustion had more to do with the drain of the day than the current circumstances
.
She prayed she had done the right thing in telling Darien the truth
.
How could she deny Melody her father’s love
?
Especially since she knew the depths of Darien’s feelings
.
Once he adjusted to the shock,
she knew
he would do everything in his power to protect his daughter
.
Of that she was absolutely certain.

Darien returned to the kitchen
.
Shortly after, the horses’ hooves pounded the dirt as the riders galloped away.

“I told them I’d search
ed
the place,
and that
no one was here.
”
He took the gun from Ivy
.
“Sit and start talking, Jacobson.”

“Might I have a sip of water?
”
The man slipped into a chair at the scarred wooden table
.
“I’ve been running all day.”

“I’ll get it,” said Ivy
.

Jacobson nodded and licked his dry lips
.
Darien sat across from him, the musket settled against his chair but in easy range if he chose to use it.

“I thought this was a hunting lodge
.
I didn’t mean to frighten your wife
.
Ivy, is it?”

Ivy poured a cup of water from an earthen pitcher
.
She glanced at Darien, but he said nothing
.
“Yes, it’s Ivy
.
Have we met, Mr. Jacobson?”

“No, my lady, but Philip spoke of you often.
”
Collin Jacobson took the cup and gulped the water.

“I didn’t think Philip knew I was alive.
”
Ivy placed the pitcher on the table and went to retrieve a wooden cutting board loaded with bread and cheese
.
Mr. Jacobson’s eyes widened at the food.

“Thank you, my lady,” he said as she set the sparse meal before him
.
“Philip knew you very well
.
He envied Darien here for finding someone he cared so much for.
”