Wildfire Kiss (Sir Edward 1)

AFFAIRS HAD PROGRESSED quite comfortably for Miss Bretton and Sir Frederick. It was noted amongst his friends that ‘dear Freddy’ was looking his old self again and that he seemed happier than he had been in two years.

Miss Bretton twirled her parasol happily as she enjoyed a ride in Sir Frederick’s open curricle. He had neglected to bring either a tiger or a driver, thinking himself capable of handling the reins, even with his broken arm, but at some point he’d discovered that was not the case.

Miss Bretton put away her parasol and said in some concern as they narrowly avoided steering his single horse off the road, “Freddy … oh my poor Freddy … would you trust me with the reins?”

“I shall have to, for I certainly no longer trust myself. Thought I could manage with the one good arm, but I suppose it will take practice.”

She laughed. “No need for it. You will be healed in no time.”

She took the reins. After a few moments she wielded the curricle through a tricky turn, and Sir Frederick said w

ith deep admiration, “It appears that I am in love with a notable whip!”

She turned her head to look at him, and he reprimanded her, saying warningly, “Careful now, or I shall have to take that back. You nearly ran that poor old woman down.”

“Take what back,” she returned teasingly, her gaze back on the road. “That I am an accomplished whip or that you find after all that you are not in love with me?”

He took the reins from her and managed to pull his horse to a stop at the curbing. Then he turned to face her fully. “Corry … I won’t even joke about it. Corry …” He touched her chin as she blushed and looked away. “Look into my eyes … there, that is it,” he said on a soft note. “I love you with every thought, I love you with every breath, I love you forever … but will you love me when I tell you what I have done?”

“Yes,” she said at once. “I feel the same about you Freddy … as you do about me. You are who you are, and I know you, and knowing you, I know you have done nothing wrong.”

“I have tried to tell you about my past. I find that I cannot allow this to go on … you must hear me out.”

“Very well,” she said, surprising herself. “Then please, sir, take me home. I will hear nothing against you.”

“Grow up, my only love, grow up. You must be told, and I must be the one to do the telling.”

She caved. She could see he was desperate to tell her. “Right then, have at it—but know this, I do not care about your past. It is the present and the future that matter to me. If you tell me you were a murderer, I will say: ‘Oh, were you? You must not be one any longer.’” She took his hand. “So then … what awful thing have you done?”

He blanched at her analogy and snatched his hand away. “But, Corry, I am a murderer.”

“What?” she nearly shrieked. “You—I don’t believe it. You are the gentlest man I have ever known.”

“I was involved with a young woman two and a half years ago. I was not in love, and I don’t think she was either. In fact, I was told she was seeing other … gentlemen while she and I …” He shook his head. “I … she … we …” He sighed heavily. “That I should have to tell my innocent love—”

“She became pregnant. I have traveled from the States to London and have seen a few things, Freddy. I may be innocent, but I am not dumb.”

“Yes, she came to me and told me that she was with child and insisted I marry her.”

“Who was she?”

“It doesn’t matter … I was a beast. She was the daughter of a cit—a tradesman—and I was not in love. I told her I would take care of her … take her away to have the baby and return her in style. I told her that she could say her husband was killed in the war … I …” He shook his head. “I was a cad.”

“But not a murderer,” Corry said simply.

“And not the father of her child, either. She ran after me when I left her, and she climbed up into my curricle. She sat there with me and told me all. She said she had planned this with her lover … that the child was his, and she and he meant to go off together, if I paid her an agreeable sum.” He closed his eyes. “I should have just said yes, but I was incensed and said I would not pay her a farthing …”

She waited as he paused.

“Then … the world went fuzzy … it all happened so quickly. She stood up in the carriage and said she would shout it to the world that I was the father … and that I had better pay her anything she wanted.” He looked at Corry then. “The milk wagon in front of us jerked, swerved out of the way of something, I know not what, and my carriage horse nearly bolted. We were jostled about as I tried to gain control, and she went flying out of the curricle and head-on into traffic. She was killed instantly …”

“Oh Freddy … oh dearest …” Corry put her arms around him. “Not your fault. She was a criminal … and she caused her own demise. It wasn’t your fault. Standing in a curricle,” She clucked her tongue. “And for that … you have suffered these two years and more?”

“I felt guilty all the same. If I had just agreed to pay her … she would not have become enraged and stood up …”

“Freddy … my love …”

“There will always be some who will whisper about it … say there goes Sir Frederick, who managed to get away with the murder of his mistress.”