To Desire a Wicked Duke (Courtship Wars)

They both managed to sleep afterward, but Tess rose well before daybreak, which meant Ian had to rise also.

Ned’s fever was down and he looked much heartier than the previous evening. He ate a thin gruel with appetite and asked for more. Even so, his nerves were so raw that he started at any sudden movement or sound. And he was still exceedingly nervous about any mention of Jolly Banks.

Eventually, though, they drew out his confession, with Ned admitting that he’d acted as a lookout for Banks and his crew when they robbed more than a dozen houses over the past summer and autumn.

At least Ned claimed to know when Banks planned to return to the caves to retrieve the chests full of stolen loot—on Sunday night, three days hence, since Sundays were when the Revenuers were the least vigilant.

“Jolly would ’ave waited for another sennight, till the dark o’ the moon, but ’e was worried about what the duke might do”—Ned cast a wary glance at Ian before continuing—“and so decided to move it forward.”

When Tess and Ian left the room so that Ned could sleep, she gave vent to her anger. “It is so unfair,” she exclaimed, her eyes dark with outrage. “They used him for their own foul ends, and now he could be imprisoned or even hanged.”

“He will not go to prison,” Ian promised.

“How can we prevent it? Ned could perhaps testify against Banks, but given his diminished mental capacity, his word alone may not be enough to make the charges hold. And Banks could even lay all the blame on Ned and leave him with no defense.”

“If the information Ned provides helps us to apprehend the thieves, then the courts will show him leniency.”

“But what if he cannot help us?”

“Stop fretting, Tess. A duke has extensive powers, and I will put them to good use. I also have a fortune at my disposal. At minimum, I will persuade Banks’s victims to leave Ned out of it. They are likely to be more forgiving if I can recover their stolen property and if I offer to reimburse them for any distress they suffered as a result of the burglaries.”

Her anger arrested, she looked up at Ian hopefully. “You would do that for Ned?”

“No, I would do it for you.”

Tess raised herself up on her tiptoes and kissed him warmly on the cheek. “I knew you were not as heartless as you always pretend.”

With a semblance of her usual cheerful optimism, she turned and headed for the kitchens with the invalid’s breakfast tray, leaving Ian with a dry smile hovering on his lips.

At least he seemed to have made progress convincing Tess he had a heart. More surprising still, he found himself wanting her to believe he had a heart, when for the past four years, he had been intent on proving just the opposite.

I confess, the strength of my desire has become a prime source of guilt for me, but perhaps my guilt is a good thing if it can help to protect my heart.

—Diary Entry of Miss Tess Blanchard

If Ned was right, they had only until Sunday night to prepare to capture Jolly Banks and his band of thieves, so there was little time to lose.

Ian, along with Tess, met first with Vicar Potts, then Sir Thomas Greely, the magistrate who meted out justice in that part of Cornwall. Upon deciding to call in the militia, Ian traveled to Falmouth—the closest large city and naval seaport—to make an official request of the Lord Lieutenant and was granted two dozen troops to aid in the effort.

In addition, he alerted the local Customs preventative officers to ward off any accidental interference. If Banks failed to appear Sunday night, they would have to devise another strategy, but for now they hoped to catch the thieves red-handed, in the act of retrieving the stolen property or breaking into the Duke of Rotham’s castle.

They also attempted to discover Banks’s current location in order to keep an eye on him, but he hadn’t been seen in his home town of Polperro for several days. It was possible that he was scouting out another great house to rob. Since wealthy estates were widely scattered over the district, he would have to range farther than when operating in shires closer to London.

In the meantime, they continued to guard the cave below the castle and swore the Falwell servants to secrecy.

As for Ned, his health improved significantly with proper care, and with his fever gone, he was more lucid, almost in his right mind, in fact. But they refrained from mentioning their scheme to trap his cohorts in crime. It was doubtful Ned could keep any confidences secret from the castle staff, and they didn’t want Banks to be warned off, or Ned to make himself a target for revenge.

Tess had appointed herself the veteran’s guardian angel and was more optimistic that he could avoid incarceration of any kind. Moreover, she’d learned that the most recent victims, Lord and Lady Shaw, had offered a reward for the return of their jewels, and she was determined that the funds would go to Ned in reparation for helping expose the thieves.

Ian did not argue with her. In past years, he’d reluctantly been drawn into supporting Tess’s causes, but this was one battle he would fight for her willingly—in no small part because her good opinion had become annoyingly important to him.

He was, however, somewhat surprised that she trusted him to deal with the complex arrangements involving government forces and wasn’t afraid to tell him so.

“Truthfully,” Tess confessed when he returned from Falmouth, “I am glad you are in charge, since I wouldn’t know where to begin. I have every faith you will foil Banks and his men.”

They generally agreed on the major points of the plan. The biggest bone of contention was the extent of Tess’s participation on Sunday night. She wanted to take part in the thieves’ capture, but although Ian was impressed by her tenacity and courage, he was not about to expose her to danger.

When she complained that he was being dictatorial and overly protective again, he remained adamant. “Your safety is my one condition, darling. You will remain behind in the castle. If you won’t agree, then I will end this entire enterprise at once.”