An Irresistible Alliance Read online

  An Irresistible Alliance

  Stephanie Laurens

  Savdek Management Pty Ltd

  Contents

  Artwork Information

  Copyright

  About An Irresistible Alliance

  Cast of Characters

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Interior Artwork

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Author’s Note

  Also by Stephanie Laurens

  About the Author

  INTERIOR ARTWORK IS LOCATED

  BETWEEN CHAPTER 15 AND CHAPTER 16

  and also can be accessed via the TABLE OF CONTENTS

  This e-book is licensed to you for your personal enjoyment only.

  This e-book may not be sold, shared, or given away.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  AN IRRESISTIBLE ALLIANCE

  Copyright © 2017 by Savdek Management Proprietary Limited

  ISBN: 978-1-925559-02-6

  Cover design by Savdek Management Pty. Ltd.

  Cover and interior artwork couple photography and photographic composition

  by Period Images © 2017

  Cover background image photographic credit to Michael Spring

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  No part of this work may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Savdek Management Proprietary Limited, Melbourne, Australia.

  www.stephanielaurens.com

  Email: [email protected]

  The names Stephanie Laurens and the Cynsters are registered trademarks of Savdek Management Proprietary Ltd.

  Created with Vellum

  About An Irresistible Alliance

  A duke’s second son with no responsibilities and a lady starved of the excitement her soul craves join forces to unravel a deadly, potentially catastrophic threat to the realm - that only continues to grow.

  With his older brother’s betrothal announced, Lord Michael Cynster is freed from the pressure of familial expectations. However, the allure of his previous hedonistic pursuits has paled. Then he learns of the mission his brother, Sebastian, and Lady Antonia Rawlings have been assisting with and volunteers to assist by hunting down the hoard of gunpowder now secreted somewhere in London.

  Michael sets out to trace the carters who transported the gunpowder from Kent to London. His quest leads him to the Hendon Shipping Company, where he discovers his sole source of information is the only daughter of Jack and Kit Hendon, Miss Cleome Hendon, who although a fetchingly attractive lady, firmly holds the reins of the office in her small hands.

  Cleo has fought to achieve her position in the company. Initially, managing the office was a challenge, but she now conquers all in just a few hours a week. With her three brothers all adventuring in America, she’s been driven to the realization that she craves adventure, too.

  When Michael Cynster walks in and asks about carters, Cleo’s instincts leap. She wrings from him the full tale of his mission—and offers him a bargain. She will lead him to the carters he seeks if he agrees to include her as an equal partner in the mission.

  Horrified, Michael attempts to resist, but ultimately finds himself agreeing—a sequence of events he quickly learns is common around Cleo. Then she delivers on her part of the bargain, and he finds there are benefits to allowing her to continue to investigate beside him—not least being that if she’s there, then he knows she’s safe.

  But the further they go in tracing the gunpowder, the more deaths they uncover. And when they finally locate the barrels, they find themselves tangled in a fight to the death—one that forces them to face what has grown between them, to seize and defend what they both see as their path to the greatest adventure of all. A shared life. A shared future. A shared love.

  Second volume in a trilogy. A historical romance with gothic overtones layered over a continuing intrigue. A full length novel of 101,000 words.

  Praise for the works of Stephanie Laurens

  “Stephanie Laurens’ heroines are marvelous tributes to Georgette Heyer: feisty and strong.” Cathy Kelly

  “Stephanie Laurens never fails to entertain and charm her readers with vibrant plots, snappy dialogue, and unforgettable characters.” Historical Romance Reviews.

  “Stephanie Laurens plays into readers’ fantasies like a master and claims their hearts time and again.” Romantic Times Magazine

  "In the second installment of her Devil’s Brood Trilogy, Laurens introduces a terrific new heroine who is by turns witty, winsome, and wise. Fans will relish the romance, engaging plots, and lush descriptions they know to expect from Laurens, but with that dash of the unpredictable that makes her novels such a delight to read."

  Angela M., Copy Editor, Red Adept Editing

  "Vivid characters and a fast-paced plot captured my attention and drew me into the richly detailed world. I can't wait for the next one!"

  Irene S., Proofreader, Red Adept Editing

  Cast of Characters

  Principal Characters:

  Cynster, Lord Michael Magnus – second son of Devil Cynster, Duke of St. Ives, and Honoria, née Anstruther-Wetherby

  Hendon, Miss Cleome (Cleo) Annabelle – only daughter of Jack, Lord Hendon and Katherine (Kit), née Cranmer

  At Wolverstone House, Grosvenor Square:

  Varisey, Lord Drake, Marquess of Winchelsea – eldest son of Royce Varisey, Duke of Wolverstone, and Minerva, née Chesterton; heir to the dukedom of Wolverstone

  Hamilton – the Wolverstones’ London butler

  Finnegan – the marquess’s gentleman’s gentleman

  Jeffreys – a footman

  Various footmen and a maid

  At St. Ives House, Grosvenor Square:

  Crewe – the Cynsters’ butler

  Simpkins, Tom – Lord Michael’s gentleman’s gentleman-cum-groom-cum-driver

  Cynster, Lord Sebastian, Marquess of Earith – eldest son of Devil Cynster, Duke of St. Ives, and Honoria, née Anstruther-Wetherby; heir to the dukedom of St. Ives, now engaged to Lady Antonia Rawlings

  Rawlings, Lady Antonia – eldest daughter of Gyles Rawlings, Earl of Chillingworth, and Francesca, née Rawlings; now engaged to Lord Sebastian Cynster, Marquess of Earith

  Cynster, Lord Sylvester (Devil), Duke of St. Ives – Sebastian’s, Michael’s, and Louisa’s father

  Cynster, Lady Honoria, Duchess of St. Ives – Sebastian’s, Michael’s, and Louisa’s mother; née Anstruther-Wetherby

  Cynster, Lady Louisa – only daughter of Devil Cynster, Duke of St. Ives, and Honoria Anstruther-Wetherby; widely known as Lady Wild

  Tully – a footman

  At the Hendon town house, Clarges Street:

  Morris – the Hendons’ butler

  Jilly – Cleo’s maid

  At the Hendon Shipping Company Office, corner Fenchurch and Lime Streets:

  Fitch – head clerk

  At the Cranmers’ town house, South Audley St
reet:

  Cranmer, Geoffrey – Kit Hendon’s cousin, second cousin to Cleo

  Cranmer, Maude – Geoffrey’s wife

  Cranmer, Anthony – Geoffrey’s nephew, Cleo’s third cousin

  Cranmer, Georgia – Geoffrey’s niece, Cleo’s third cousin

  Herbert, Mrs. – a Cranmer connection

  Winston, Mrs. – a Cranmer connection

  Hepworth, Mr. – a businessman visiting from Philadelphia

  Hepworth, Mrs. – Mr. Hepworth’s wife, also visiting from Philadelphia

  Hepworth, Miss Andrea – Mr. Hepworth’s daughter, also visiting from Philadelphia

  Hepworth, Mr. Robert – Mr. Hepworth’s son, also visiting from Philadelphia

  Elsewhere in Mayfair:

  Rawlings, Lord Gyles, Earl of Chillingworth – Antonia’s father

  Rawlings, Lady Francesca, Countess of Chillingworth – Gyles’s wife and Antonia’s mother

  The footman army – comprised of footmen and grooms from all the Cynster households in London

  In the East End:

  Carpenter, Joe – a registered gunpowder carter

  Fields – a registered gunpowder carter

  Landry, Mick – a registered gunpowder carter

  Grimsby, Jack – a registered gunpowder carter

  Carter, Martin – a registered gunpowder carter

  Feeney, Walter – a registered gunpowder carter

  Doolan, Terrance (Terry) – a registered gunpowder carter; disappeared, believed murdered

  Dibney, Johnny – registered apprentice to Doolan; disappeared, believed murdered

  Hendrick, Mrs. – Johnny Dibney’s landlady

  Oldham, Mrs. – Oldham’s wife

  Oldham, Mike – a registered gunpowder carter

  Chilburn, the Honorable Mr. Lawton – youngest son of Viscount Hawesley

  Three London Chartist militia leaders

  Four London Chartist militiamen

  Lovett – London Chartist leader absent from town

  Hetherington – London Chartist leader absent from town

  In Southwark:

  Shepherd, Mr. – owner of a warehouse in Morgan’s Lane, Southwark

  Ellis – head clerk at Shepherd’s warehouse

  O’Toole – foreman at Shepherd’s warehouse; disappeared, believed murdered

  O’Toole, Mrs. – O’Toole’s wife

  In Whitehall:

  Greville, Sir George – the Home Secretary

  Waltham, Sir Harold – the Home Secretary’s principal private secretary

  In Kent:

  Boyne, William, Lord Ennis – of Pressingstoke Hall; deceased

  Boyne, Connell – Lord Ennis’s brother; also deceased

  In Northern England:

  O’Connor, Mr. Feargus, MP – head of the Chartist movement and owner of the Leeds-based Northern Star newspaper

  At a manor house in Berkshire:

  An old gentleman – pulling the strings of the plot

  Reed – the old gentleman’s manservant

  Chapter 1

  London

  October 24, 1850

  Lord Michael Magnus Cynster sauntered down the grand staircase of St. Ives House as the long-case clock on the landing chimed the quarter hour. It was nearing two o’clock in the afternoon, a perfectly acceptable time for an unmarried gentleman of the ton to be descending to meet the day.

  Would that his day held any appeal; it stretched before him, a vast emptiness he had no idea how to fill.

  Out of habit, he maintained an amiable, easygoing expression, yet he was bored and restless. The only bright spot on his horizon was the news—hardly surprising, but at least a touch intriguing—that his older brother, Sebastian, had finally opened his eyes and seen what had been plain to all around him for the past decade.

  Michael had had the news from his man, Tom Simpkins; apparently, Lady Antonia Rawlings had returned from Kent with Sebastian the previous evening—and had, it seemed, spent the night in his brother’s bed.

  If that didn’t herald the sound of wedding bells chiming throughout the house—and, presumably, through Sebastian’s thick skull—Michael would eat his hat.

  As Michael stepped onto the black-and-white tiles of the front hall, Crewe, the family’s London butler for the past decade, walked out of the library.

  Michael smiled genially. “What-ho, Crewe! I hear my brother has finally seen the light regarding the position of his marchioness. Has he popped the question, do you know?”

  Crewe’s normally rigorously impassive mien eased into a small smile. “I believe Lord Sebastian is currently thus engaged, my lord. He and Lady Antonia left several hours ago for Green Street.”

  Antonia’s father was the Earl of Chillingworth, and the family’s town house was in Green Street. Michael imagined the scene and chuckled. “I would give a great deal to be a fly on the wall when Sebastian asks the earl for Antonia’s hand.”

  “I’m sure the earl will be delighted.”

  “Indubitably, but for how long will Chillingworth drag out the interview before he admits that? That’s the question.”

  “I’m sure Lord Sebastian will meet the challenge.”

  Michael had no doubt of that, either; once Sebastian set his mind on a course, very little could turn him from it.

  “Will you be going out, my lord?”

  Michael had halted several paces from the front door. He glanced at Crewe as realization struck; Sebastian and Antonia’s upcoming union effectively released him from his careful existence of the past several years.

  As he was not even a full year younger than Sebastian, until his older brother secured his wife—the future duchess—Michael had been almost equally in the matchmakers’ sights. One of them had to marry and produce an heir, thus securing the dukedom for the principal line; the whole family and all of society had expected that.

  But now Sebastian had finally taken the plunge…

  Staring unseeing at Crewe, Michael murmured, “As soon as the news gets out, which it will almost immediately, I’ll be able to slide out of the social spotlight. I won’t need to pretend an interest in balls and soirees anymore.”

  The pressure to attend such events—to be visible and, supposedly, to cast his eye over the available young ladies as if possibly considering making a choice—hadn’t come so much from his parents as from his great-aunts and myriad female connections. That he and Sebastian had both been circulating had, to some extent, lessened the pressure each had had to bear, yet waltzing through the ton while avoiding all the snares and pitfalls strewn in their paths by ambitious mamas had been…a challenge for the first few weeks, but thereafter, intensely wearying.

  Being pursued primarily for one’s social and financial status wasn’t, all in all, a gratifying experience.

  But now…now he was free. Free from all matrimonial pressure.

  He could return to his carefree bachelor existence, at least for the foreseeable future.

  Until he decided otherwise.

  Michael smiled and refocused on Crewe. “Yes, I’m going out.” Although he had no idea where.

  Crewe duly retrieved Michael’s greatcoat and cane from the coat rack.

  After shrugging into the greatcoat, settling it across his shoulders, and tugging down his coat sleeves, Michael accepted the black cane with its silver stag’s-head knob from Crewe. “I take it Their Graces have been informed?”

  “Not yet, my lord. I understand Lord Sebastian intends to send a rider this afternoon. We anticipate the duke and duchess will arrive by tomorrow evening.”

  “And my sister?”

  “Lady Louisa is not due back for several more days. It’s possible she’ll call in at Somersham Place first.”

  Michael nodded and turned to the door; as Crewe opened it, Michael said, “I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”

  “Indeed, my lord.” Crewe bowed.

  Michael walked onto the front porch and paused. He heard the door shut quietly behind him.

>   He looked out at the park in the center of the square, taking in the children playing on the manicured lawns under the watchful eyes of nursemaids and governesses. Fashionable couples strolled the graveled walks, while carriages rolled sedately along the streets surrounding the park.

  What now?

  His earlier restless boredom swirled and surged anew; he felt rudderless—he had no direction. While he might now be free to resume his previously hedonistic life, the endless round of drinking, gaming, parties, dinners, and more gaming and even more drinking had, somewhat inexplicably, lost its allure.

  The word “crossroads” hovered in his mind.

  Impatient with such unproductive introspection, he shook his shoulders, descended the steps, turned left, and set out along the pavement—and found himself staring at Sebastian’s back.

  With Antonia Rawlings on his arm, his brother was walking east—but Green Street lay in the opposite direction. The pair must have already passed St. Ives House before Michael walked out of the door. But if they were coming from Green Street—and Michael had no reason to suspect they weren’t—where were they going?

  Curious, he lengthened his stride, closing the distance between them.

  Sebastian and Antonia were discussing something; given their intensity and their brief gestures, Michael didn’t think it was anything to do with a wedding.

  Then the pair glanced up at the façades, slowed, and turned and climbed the steps to another house.

  One glance, and Michael recognized the mansion. Wolverstone House.

  Oh, ho! Something was up.

  Intrigued, he followed the pair up the Wolverstone House steps.