Temptation: 3 (Timeless Series) (2 page)

“Passengers?”
His eyebrows shot up. “You’ve always said they’re too much trouble.”

“Aye.”
He grumbled the assent. “Passengers usually are, but these two have paid a hefty price, which makes me bend my own rules. Besides, I’m doing this as a favor for a friend.”

Parker sighed, impatience seeping out in his exhale. “I’m just eager to get home—to reach the shores of the United States.” He focused on his brother’s blue-gray eyes, so like his own. “I hate working in England.”
A god-awful damp and crowded country, in his opinion. “It’s rained continuously since I headed north and London’s no better. Always gloomy and foggy.” He fastened his gaze back on the water. “So, tell me about our passengers.”

“Don’t know much, as my friend didn’t elaborate. When someone flashes the gold, why ask questions when I care little for the answers? My only requirement is that they don’t impede my journey.”

Parker grunted. If Lucas could make money on the transaction, he would. “Aren’t you even curious? I mean, your ship’s a decent size, but it’s still close quarters.”

Lucas offered a careless shrug. “Two women traveling together won’t take up much room. I expect them anytime now. And if they’re easy on the eye, the scenery will improve a bit.”

“Aside from having money to spend, what else do you know about them? They’re not stuffy aristocrats, are they?”

“No.” Lucas chuckled. “I know enough to keep my business acquaintances far away from you. I’m trying to strengthen my connections, not sever them.” He emptied his dark
cherrywood pipe, tapping it upside down on the rail before filling it with fresh tobacco. “Instead of despising the aristocracy as you do, I find it much more expedient to use powerful men for gain and provide what they need because they’re willing to pay good coin for it.”

He lit his pipe. Once lit, he inhaled and added, blowing smoke out with his words, “But rest assured, I have it on good word the ladies are merely immigrants looking for opportunity in a land that boasts of providing such. I gather they are running from something, but then aren’t we all.” He shrugged. “My friend vouched for them, which is enough. Hopefully, the
winds’ll be favorable to ensure a quick journey without trouble. Two women on board are definitely a temptation and why I required a hefty fee.” He paused a moment, then added with a sly smile, “In advance.”

“Attractive females could be a nice diversion.” Parker rubbed his neck and heaved a long sigh. “As long as they’re not—”

Abrupt laughter cut off the rest of his sentence. “I know. As long as they’re not wealthy, spoiled lasses from the upper classes, you’ll be happy. Don’t you think you’re taking this animosity a little too far?”

“I have no use for simpering pampered women, who believe they’re so superior to us unsophisticated underlings with no title or backing of big business to validate us.”

“Like anyone would consider you inferior.” Lucas puffed on his pipe. The clean scent of tobacco rose, blended with those more foul, masking human sweat and the harbor’s stench.

A moment later his gaze lowered to the activity below. Parker’s followed. Though angry, dark clouds hampered visibility, the gaslights on deck made it possible to discern several seamen loading cargo during the break in the weather to ready the ship for departure.

Shaking his head, Lucas’s attention returned to Parker and he grinned. “How you can be so cynical when you’re a force to be reckoned with is beyond me. Not all are cast in the same mold, Parker. You’re lumping all men and women of means together and few are like Sterling or Lady Margaret.”

Parker’s back stiffened. His jaw tightened and his fingers curled into a fist. He refocused on the cargo hold and took deep breaths. While two burly men lifted a huge crate with the aid of a hoist, the fury that always engulfed him at the mere mention of either name faded. There was no one on this earth he hated more than Henry Sterling. And he had little use for women like Lady Margaret.

“I haven’t forgotten my roots.” He inhaled, holding his anger at bay, and purposefully lowered his voice. “I’ll never forget how those who have so much take advantage of those who have nothing. You know damn well Sterling reaped the benefits of human sacrifice with his unsafe mines.” The man’s greed had killed his father and brothers.

“You need to let go of the past. We’re not those unfortunate boys any longer.”

“My logical mind knows you’re right.” He closed his eyes, reliving his loss all over again for the hundredth time in the last thirty-six hours. “You were too young to remember, but the images from our youth are embedded in my soul.”

“That was a long time ago. We’ve changed,” Lucas whispered fervently.

“What about all those still there without the skills, the brains, or the drive to get out?” In the aftermath of destruction and through sheer determination, Parker hadn’t allowed the earth to swallow another of his loved ones. Yet the mental picture of those coal miners’ relatives, who had waited for word of buried loved ones, knowing that with their deaths, their problems were now magnified, compounded his emotional burden. “To interact with so many held hostage due to their situation is bad enough.” He unclenched and clenched his fist, then pounded the railing. “But three children died. And for what? So some goddamned aristocrat can live in luxury?”

“You have every reason to be angry. I didn’t see Dad, Charlie, or Mikey die, so I can’t know how that feels. You provided me with a buffer to the cruelties of the world. One you never had.” Lucas grinned, that same mischievous smile he’d always offered when hoping to evade punishment for some childish prank. His wink added to the effect. “I just hate to see the past interfere with the future, is
all. Nothing good comes from being angry. ’Tis wasted energy.”

Parker forced out a laugh to derail his black thoughts. Though he identified too well with the miners’ misery, no good would come of fretting over something he couldn’t control. Clapping Lucas on the back, he tendered his own genuine smile. “God knows you don’t expend any more energy than necessary to get the job done.”

“Of course.” Another sly smile slid across Lucas’s face. “Why waste what can be better used elsewhere?”

“Or on someone else, you mean, specifically if she’s feminine.” Parker’s spreading grin completely expelled the rest of his melancholy. Lucas could always do that—cause his mood to shift with just a few words and that smile. He admired that happy-go-lucky manner, so different from his own brooding demeanor.

“Well, wooing the ladies does require a fair amount of energy to do the job properly,” Lucas teased, nodding.

Parker
chuckled, only too glad to have spared his younger brother some of the harsh realities he’d faced at an early age. “I gather you’re planning on wooing one of the ladies. Is that why you agreed to provide transport?” He raised an eyebrow, meeting his brother’s gaze.

“No.” Grin fading, Lucas’s head moved slowly from side to side. “I gave my word the two would remain untouched while on my ship.” He sucked another puff off his pipe, blowing the smoke out in a sigh. “After the fiasco with Gwendolyn, I try to keep away from any and all marriage traps. I’ve no desire to see myself leg-shackled. My life’s the sea. No woman’s worth giving up my life.”

“At least she was looking for marriage,” Parker retorted, remembering Lucas’s near miss with the conniving aristocratic girl. The memory elicited others, namely one, as the image of his own English heiress resurfaced for the second time within minutes—and this after having been evicted from his thoughts for years. He snorted. Lady Margaret wasn’t worth remembering.

Lucas must have been thinking the same thing, because he said apologetically, “I tried to warn you about her, only you would have none of it. I had no choice but to lead her into that garden and show you her true nature.”

“I just wish I hadn’t asked her to marry me.” Oh, the follies of youthful stupidity. And lust. He and Lucas had worked out their differences with fists too long ago for him to hold a grudge, not when his brother’s actions had caused him to propose, which saved him from more heartache in the end. Seems Parker could forgive her for falling into his brother’s arms, but the bitch couldn’t forgive him for being born common. She’d scoffed at his proposal. Little had he known she’d already accepted a better one. Lady Margaret had even had the gall to suggest they continue as before after she married her earl. Parker laughed bitterly and added sardonically, “God, I hate the aristocracy. They all deserve each other and they all deserve to live in England.”

A flurry of activity on the docks drew their attention.

“Capt’n.” One of the shipmates rushed up to Lucas. “Passengers ’ave arrived. Where should I stow their trunks?”

“The guest quarters, Johnson. Though not dignitaries, their coin has earned them the right to full amenities. Their chastity should be safe in there.” Recapturing Parker’s gaze, he shrugged. “Sorry, old boy. I know you usually use that cabin when you sail, but it’s the only one with a lock on it. I had your things stowed in the first mate’s cabin. Hillman can bunk with Jacques.”

Parker nodded and watched his brother saunter off toward the commotion. It made no difference to him where he bunked as long as he got home. His eyes were then drawn to the gangplank. In the gloomy, wet darkness he barely made out three shapes. An obvious escort delivered two females into the safety of Lucas’s men, then turned to leave.

“Thank you, Captain, for your kindness,” one of the women said. The gentle, melodious tone drifted and swirled around his ears, stirring something deep inside of Parker. Even her clipped, proper English accent didn’t deter him from leaning into the railing to capture more of the soft sound as she gripped Lucas’s outstretched hand to step onto the gangplank. “And thank you for allowing us safe passage on board your ship.”

Smiling, Parker let the cadence of her words roll over him. A heavy coat partially covered her face and hid her figure beneath its thick folds. Didn’t matter that he couldn’t fully see her, his imagination worked fine. His brother’s gushing reply floated up and his grin widened. Seems Lucas was no more immune to the feminine sound than he. He waited while introductions flew back and forth. Then he headed in their direction.

“I do not want excuses. I want action,” Gerald Knightsbridge, the eighth Earl of Kentworth, bellowed to the Bow Street runner spewing feeble explanations. “How bloody hard can it be to find one naive girl wandering the streets of London? You are not looking hard enough.”

How had Gervayse let her slip from his control?
Even more puzzling, how had his betrothed, Lady Penelope Lytton, simply vanished without a trace?

“I understand you’re upset, m’lord. I’m confident we’ll find ’
er.” Terrance Winters, head of his division of runners, stood wringing his hands while sweat beaded on his forehead.

“You’re confident? Incompetent is more like it,”
Gerald snapped, barely able to keep his features from distorting in rage. Her disappearance worried him and meant another flaw in his plans—plans that had seemed so perfect.

He certainly never thought she would defy her parents’ last wishes and run away during his trip north. He was Lady Penelope’s guardian and her betrothed.

Eager for their union, the Lyttons died believing they’d made a great match for their daughter with another imposing name in England. Little did the couple know that at the time of their agreement, Gerald’s need for funds far outweighed the lady’s need for his title. But the Northumberland property his betrothed inherited was what he really coveted. Some of the richest minerals sat beneath those lands and, by damn, he would have them. His fingers curled into a fist. He pounded it into the palm of his other hand, restraining himself. Pummeling the runner would solve nothing, would in fact alienate his only avenue of remedying his dilemma.

“We’ll find ’
er,” Winters said. “I have my best men on it.”

“Then your best is surely lacking when a week has passed.”
Gerald clenched his jaw and bit down on his fury with an iron will. He raked a hand through his hair, squelching another urge to slam a fist into Winters. Blast the Duke of Wyndham for his interference. If not for the man’s insistence in allowing the lady her period of mourning, they’d already be wed and he would not be in this mess.

Still, Gerald was positive she could not get far. He would find her and correct the problem once and for all. These nine months had seemed like forever around her. With his special license and a bishop waiting for his word, a wedding would take place the minute he had her under his control again. Mourning her dead parents would no longer be an impediment. He’d simply figure out a way to keep the marriage secret from the duke for the next three months.

If perchance Wyndham found out? He swallowed a smile. The man would never risk a scandal, not if it involved his precious friend’s daughter or her reputation. Unable to vent his wrath against the deserving peer of the realm, Gerald’s control snapped. He ordered tersely, “You have one week to find her or you’ll not see another shilling. If you find her before the week is out, I’ll double the agreed-upon amount.” He pointed to the door and lowered his voice to a growl. “Now get the bloody hell out before I change my mind and hire someone else.”

“Yes, m’lord.”
Winters bowed and almost ran for the door.

Shaking his head, Gerald watched him flee. Some men were so easily manipulated. Then he flashed a satisfied smile and rubbed his hands together. He’d met his objective for the night. No doubt
Winters would find his missing heiress now. In no time, Lady Penelope would be back where she belonged—under his control. After all, she was but a woman, an untouched and helpless aristocrat at that. How hard could it be to find such a morsel wandering the streets of London? She’d stick out like a fully bloomed rose in a garden of dead weeds.

~~

“Capt’n, Jenkins needs ta know where y’want th’ extra barrels o’ fresh water stored,” someone from the front of the ship shouted.

“Excuse me, ladies.” Captain Davis bowed,
then headed in the direction of the voice.

“Since the captain is detained, allow me to take his place and show you ladies to your quarters.
’Tis best to get inside and out of this weather before it turns nasty again.”

Penny glanced toward the deep voice, spotting a man who closely resembled the captain in both his fair good looks and tall, muscular stature. “Watch your step.” He held out his elbows and presented a disarming smile. “The deck is slippery.”

His dark reddish-blonde hair plastered to his scalp gave him a dangerous appearance, one she could not dismiss. Not when his considering perusal traveled over her body, stealing her air and sending shivers throughout that she wasn’t entirely sure had anything to do with being soaked and windblown. She resisted the urge to pull her cloak tighter, thankful for its protection. His fiery glance made her feel naked, as if he could see underneath the heavy slicker she still wore.

“You must be related to Captain Davis.” She prayed her voice held nothing of her musings. Why was she having such thoughts about a stranger anyway? It had to be nerves.

“Yes, ma’am.” His grin grew an inch. “I’m Parker Davis, the captain’s brother.”

Penny inhaled a steadying breath to control her racing heart, willing away the unease of being under this man’s scrutiny. Surely she wasn’t afraid of him? Her spine stiffened at the thought. Of course she wasn’t. “I’m Penny Layton.
How very nice to meet you.”

Mr. Davis was obviously a charmer—a charmer easily dealt with. After all, she had dealt with worse these past months. Besides, she was free now and finally on her way. She smiled and placed her hand in the crook of his bent arm. “And this is my companion, Melinda Bowers.”

Mindy gracefully curtsied and took the other elbow, remaining silent.

“Miss Layton. Miss Bowers.” He offered a brief nod and held eye contact a moment too long, also holding on to his grin. “I am honored. One could not ask for more beautiful companions to ease our boredom.”

Penny’s fingertips rested on his damp sleeve, but even through her glove, she couldn’t mistake the muscles. There was strength in his arm when it flexed. Keeping her hand in place, she restrained a sudden urge to flee as he then turned to guide them below, talking about the journey to come along the way.

His movements were smooth and his words flowed too effortlessly from his mouth. Heat emanated from his imposing form whenever he brushed against her in the ship’s close quarters. Unavoidable or not, the contact sent a shiver of excitement racing through her. That such contact affected her was unnerving enough, but that his presence should affect her at all was unbearable.

Fighting to ignore the sensations, and him, Penny purposefully looked around at the teakwood interior walls they passed. Unfortunately, ignoring the daunting mass of male superiority striding beside her was next to impossible. Nor would her senses shut down, in fact seemed heightened after catching a whiff of his masculine scent, an earthy one of sweat, horses, and wet leather.

Crewmen’s shouts and scuffles from above filled her ears. The warm, humid air condensed. She tasted salt from the moisture now drying on her face when she consciously licked her lips and kept her attention on the beauty of the polished brass fixtures rather than on
him
.

Walking next to Geoff had never caused her pulse to race like this.
That’s because you haven’t had a chance to be alone with him in over five years, she reasoned, tossing out the thought. She exhaled on a deep sigh and continued walking, wishing her love could have joined her on this voyage. Without him, this would be a long, long journey.

~~

“Here we are, ladies.” Parker stopped at a cabin door, opened it, and stepped aside to allow the two women to go ahead.

Once inside the
gaslit room, Penny Layton shrugged out of her cloak and shook off the water. Parker stood near the door, too stunned to move more than his eyes.

His gaze, traveling from head to toe and back up again, didn’t miss any part of the petite blonde angel with a lush figure and flawless skin. Such perfection! Despite her travel-worn clothes and obvious exhaustion, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

Her mouth curved into a slight smile, drawing his gaze. He could not look away. My God, they were the fullest lips he’d ever seen—just perfect for kissing. When her tongue skimmed first the top lip then the bottom in a nervous gesture, liquid heat shot straight to his groin.

“I see my brother has taken care of you ladies.” Lucas’s words interrupted Parker’s unwanted musings and yanked his thoughts back to less dangerous territory.

“We dine in an hour. That should give you plenty of time to change out of your wet clothes. The crew stowed your trunks inside.” Lucas then snared his focus with eyebrows raised. “You should get out of your wet things too. I’ll escort you to your cabin.” The command in Lucas’s voice left Parker no choice but to follow. “She’s under my protection and off limits, Parker,” he added, once the door to the ladies’ cabin shut. “I never thought I’d have to worry about you.”

“What?” Parker asked, throwing out an affronted chest.

Near another cabin door Lucas turned and caught his brother’s gaze again, his tone deadly serious. “I’ve eyes. I saw your expression and while I tend to see what you see, she’s not for your pleasure. Are we clear?”

“I don’t make it a habit of seducing women,” he said, becoming annoyed at his brother’s assumption. He moved past Lucas toward the cabin and grabbed the latch.

“Maybe not, but she’s a temptation for any man, especially when there’s a spark. I didn’t miss the sizzle of attraction between you. ’Tis obvious she’s untried, so leave her be.”

Parker snorted. “You saw all that in such a brief time?”

He opened the portal to enter, but stopped at Lucas’s warning. “I’m trying to avoid trouble, so just watch yourself.”

Pivoting, he flashed irritation in his nod. “I can’t believe you’re chastising me when you know me better than that. I’m not one to dally with any woman, innocent or otherwise, and I don’t plan on starting now. But to ease your mind, you have my promise.”

“Good. We’re in agreement.” Lucas grinned, clapping him on the back. “I look forward to spending time with you once we’re at sea. I’ll see you at dinner. Jacques has arranged a feast in your honor.” Just before Parker closed the door, he added, “Seems he thinks you hang the moon with all your exploits, so I’m sure he’ll be plying you with questions as well as good food.”

Away from his brother’s prying eyes, Parker leaned against the cool wood, unable to totally excise the blonde vision from his brain, even as a strong urge to ignore his promise possessed him for more than a heartbeat.

What was wrong with him? Honor meant everything to him.

That alone told him how potent this attraction was. He wiped his face to expel all ideas of kissing those soft lips. It took several moments before logic and common sense returned. Not a good sign. He yanked his shirt out of his trousers and turned toward his trunk. Since Lucas’s observations held some merit and her warm smile affected him much more than he cared to admit, he’d just steer clear of Miss Penny Layton to avoid any and all temptation.