A Most Delicate Pursuit (26 page)

First, she would begin writing letters. Judging by his memories, it seemed his mother had left under terrible circumstances. Chances were, she didn't even know that Michael's father had died. More than that, who knew what her circumstances were? Was she afraid to return because of threats he'd made against her?

Whatever the case, Michael's mother needed to know that her son was alive and married. That'd he'd prevailed against those who'd tried to destroy him and come out victorious.

So, with Amelia's help, Bea would do her best to try to find her. One way or the other, Michael would at least know the truth of her life, and if she were still alive, she would know the truth of his.

All the ghosts of the past must be put down in order for them both to have a future.

Sighing, Michael turned to his other side, more relaxed than she'd ever seen him. She scooted up beside him, wrapping her arm around his waist and resting her head in the crook of his neck. Then he reached back, took her hand, and brought it up to cradle against his chest.

Bea couldn't believe all that had happened to them and would never have guessed she could fall so completely in love. Michael was hers in a way no other would ever be and she thanked the heavens for it.

Michael had been dreaming. He was on a ship, sailing to some distant land with Beatrice at his side. Snuggled together, he was content to go anywhere she led him. As long as they were together.

“Are you asleep?” Beatrice said beside him.

It had been six months since they'd returned to Slyddon. Every day had been pure joy for him, and each night had been filled with love and laughter. The entire time they'd spent planning for their future, making love and enjoying each other's company. He was sure Heaven would be no better than the life he'd known with Beatrice.

“I'm awake, but not for long.” He yawned. “What is it you want, woman?”

She giggled. “I want you to make love to me,” she whispered.

“By the heavens, three times last night wasn't enough?”

He rolled over and took her into his arms, kissing her, and despite only a few hours having passed since they'd been together, his desire for her rose in him like a summer tide.

“Wait,” she said. “Before we do, I have news.”

He sat up, pulling her with him. “What is it? What's wrong?” Fear shot through him.

“Michael?” She gave him a puzzled expression. “What's wrong?”

“It's nothing. Tell me your news.”

She gave him a long look and he knew she could read his mind.

“Oh, for Heaven's sake. I'm not leaving you.” She paused. “You're not still having that dream, are you? The one where I've left you stranded on a beach somewhere?”

“It hadn't gotten that far. You woke me up.”

“For the thousandth time, I'm not leaving you.”

“Of course not.” He'd known she was telling the truth, but the old fears had not yet died.

“You're quite stuck with me. But the other news is something that I hope will make you happy. Well, there are two things, actually.”

“What is it, Beatrice? You've got me on tenterhooks.”

“Poor man.” She smiled, patting his face. “We're going to have a visitor.”

“A visitor? Who?”

She bit her lip, and then, turning to the bedside table, she leaned over and pulled open the drawer and took out a letter. Handing it to Michael, she settled back again.

“I think you should read it. The truth is, I think I know what's been bothering you. What it is that's making you think that I'm going to leave you. I've never been to the beach and I've certainly never been sailing. That was how your mother left you, wasn't it? Your father put her on a ship and you never saw her again?”

Michael swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. “Yes.” He gingerly opened the letter and pulled it from the envelope.

“I know I should have asked first, but I was afraid you'd say no. The truth is when we returned to London, with Amelia's help, I started writing letters to find out where your mother was. I knew that your father had shunned her, sent her to Heaven only knew where, so I thought it best that you know the truth of all of it.”

“And this is?” He held out the letter, not daring to even look at it.

“It's your mother. She'll be here in a few weeks. She was living in Corsica, working at an orphanage. It seems she never got over losing her son.”

Michael looked at the letter in his hands, turning it over and over. “He threatened her, didn't he?”

“He did, and because of that she never came back.”

Michael nodded. “I need…” He started, but the words left him.

Bea smiled and hugged him tight. “You need some time. I'll go and see to breakfast. You come down when you've finished.”

Michael nodded. “Thank you,” he said, his voice thick with the tumultuous emotions stirring inside him.

It was nearly an hour before Michael came down. He looked shaken, but Bea could tell immediately that whatever demon had plagued him, he'd finally put it down.

She was in the dining room, finishing a cup of tea, her breakfast hardly touched in front of her.

Sitting down beside her, he shook his head. “All these years, and my father kept her away. He sent her support for a while, but according to the letter, once he decided to stop, she was forced to manage some other way. She started as a governess and then found work at the orphanage. It seems my father told her if she ever came back, he'd have accused her of adultery and would have dragged her through public humiliation.”

“Of course, he would. He didn't want her but he wouldn't let her have a happy life.”

Michael shook his head. “All these years I believed my father's lies. I never questioned him. I never looked for her.”

“My love, the time for such talk is past. You had no way of knowing what that wicked old man had done. You must look to the future. We're building a life, you and I. And I spoke to Ash and he's already made arrangements to bring her home.”

He nodded. “At last we can talk and I can learn the truth of it from her.”

“Good. Now, I've one other bit of news for you, my good man. But I need to give it to you on a full stomach.”

Bea called for the butler, who made him a plate of food. For the first time since she'd known him, Michael ate with fervor. One bite after another until he'd finished everything on his plate.

“So, what's this ‘other' news?” he asked, sipping his tea. “I'm thinking you and your sister have been planning some party to announce my mother's return to London, I suppose.”

Bea watched him a moment and thought about how to share her news. “Hmm, we should celebrate that. I'll discuss it with Amelia and Caro straightaway.”

He sent her a puzzled expression and Beatrice grinned. She could stand it no longer.

“Wait right here,” she said, leaving him momentarily in the dining room, his mouth open and his eye wide. What he didn't know was that Lizzie waited outside the door, her arms laden with a large box, wrapped in gold paper and white satin ribbon tied to a prim bow. Bea motioned her to follow.

“Bea, I don't understand…”

She held up her hand. “Open the gift, husband.”

He shook his head. “But where's it from?”

Bea smiled. “It's from Caro and Ash. Go on, open it.”

Michael did as she asked, setting the box on the table. Slowly pulling the ribbon off of it, he rose from his chair to lift the lid and peer inside.

“Beatrice, what the blazes?” He lifted up the small, rose-colored spun-cotton infant nightdress.

“Congratulations, husband. You're going to be a father.”

He looked at her, mouth open, but not a sound came from him. Then, her strong husband, the war hero, the man who'd fought Heaven and Hell to be with her, lost his footing and flopped backward. Thankfully, he landed with a thud into the chair behind him.

“Michael?” Bea rushed around the table to see if he was all right. But as she made it to his side, he sprang to his feet once again and crushed her against him. The next thing she knew, he was kissing her and lifting her in his arms.

“My love,” he said, gasping for air when he finally pulled out of their kiss. “You are the most amazing woman,” he said.

“And you are a most worthy husband.”

He nodded. “I must be to be loved by you.” He sighed. “Now, let's take the rest of our meals in bed today.”

“I think that is a most inspired idea.”

With that, he carried her out of the dining room and up the stairs to their bed, barking orders to the servants as they went.

For Bea, it was the culmination of her life's dreams. She hadn't needed to travel to distant lands to build her life after all. She'd found more happiness than she ever had imagined in the arms of the man she loved.

And that was the greatest adventure of all.

As always, this book is dedicated to my family—my awesome husband and real-life hero, Bill, and also to my terrific daughters, Jamie and Caitlin. Love you guys!

There are so many people who have a hand in making books possible. Two of those who helped me the most are amazing writers on their own.

Tammy Strickland has long been a dear friend and has helped me develop this book and others. As a plotter and a critique partner, she's a rock star!

The second person I have to thank is Angela Drake. An amazing author and blogger, she read each version of this book, on an incredible time-crunched schedule. Her insight and sharp eye for detail helped me immensely. I simply cannot thank her enough for her efforts.

Of course, I'm very blessed to have so many awesome writer friends I can't possibly name them here. Among them are members of the Romance Writers of America, especially my fellow authors in the following chapters: Central Florida Romance Authors, Spacecoast Authors of Romance, Tampa Area Romance Writers, and the Georgia Romance Writers.

Finally, I have to thank my editor, Susan Grimshaw, for her encouragement, wisdom, and patience throughout the process.

To Catch a Lady

A Most Delicate Pursuit

An avid reader since childhood, Pamela Labud had dreamed of being a novelist. At age thirteen she begged her parents for a typewriter for Christmas, and she started creating romantic stories of her own. Now, many years later, she's realized her dream and become a multipublished author. In 2005, her first novel was a double finalist in the RWA's prestigious RITA contest.

These days Pamela has a full life as a romance author and also works full-time as a registered nurse. She and her husband have raised two daughters and now manage a busy house with six dogs and two cockatiels.

In addition to reading romance novels obsessively, Pamela enjoys going to spin class, as well as visiting the beach and local theme parks. When she's not doing that, she spends her downtime watching TV crime shows, old movies, and anime.

pamlabud.net

Facebook.com/​Pamelalabudauthor

@pamwriter

Swing into spring this May with Loveswept! We've got something for everyone, so take your pick from these fabulous romance books.

Tracy March brings you another enchanting novel set in Colorado, with book two in her Thistle Bend series, Just Say Maybe. Brenda Rothert releases her first Loveswept book, Blown Away, a sensual, emotionally charged novel of love and loss in which a tender affair gives two daring storm chasers the strength to overcome shattered dreams and the courage to build a future together. Then we go from extreme weather to the world of extreme sports with Zoe Dawson's pulse-pounding Mavrick Allstars series debut, the steamy Ramping Up. Bestselling author HelenKay Dimon makes her Loveswept debut with Mr. and Mr. Smith. Moving on from the suspenseful to the sensual is a novel of pleasure and persuasion revolving around a high-stakes business deal in which the rules of negotiation are defined by desire in Shawntelle Madison's Bound to You. New York Times bestselling author Noelle Adams introduces a notorious tech mogul who makes a mild-mannered woman an offer she can't refuse and gets in return a battle for control—and a million-dollar affair—in Fooling Around. The Hunt Club continues with Pamela Labud's A Most Delicate Pursuit. New York Times bestselling author Erin McCarthy follows Nashville's hottest country music duo as they fight for love in a city where dreams often cost a broken heart in Heart Breaker. And New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett proves that vengeance is sweet—but seduction is to die for—in Sugar Daddy.

Wait—there's more! Gina Gordon's White Lace series continues in book two with lots of sizzle and heat in Reason to Believe. A. M. Madden continues the True Heroes series—hot hero alert!—with Glass Ceilings. Two tortured souls share an unbreakable bond even as they break taboos, as Laura Marie Altom does it again with a fabulous stepbrother romance in Stepping Over the Line. Back in the sporting world, Stacked Up continues the Worth the Fight series from USA Today bestselling author Sidney Halston. And Interference continues the Pilots Hockey series from Sophia Henry, where a young single mom falls for a damaged coach pulling double-duty as a cop.

It's a great month for relationships, so follow us on Facebook and Twitter and let the romance begin!

Until next month ~Happy Romance!

Gina Wachtel

Associate Publisher