Once Bitten by Aileen Fish

Author:Aileen Fish
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Copyright 2017
Published: 2017-07-19T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Before the ball that evening, Adam’s Aunt Caroline and her children gathered at Thorn’s Mayfair home for a quiet celebration of Susan’s birthday. They sat together in the drawing room, each presenting her with a gift.

Thorn handed her a small box. Removing the ribbon, she opened it and gasped, looked up at Thorn with rounded eyes, then back at the contents of the box.

“What is it, dear?” her mother asked.

“Yes, what did Cousin Thorny give you?” Her younger brother snorted.

Susan lifted a delicate necklace and held it aloft for all to see.

“The necklace belonged to our grandmother. Our grandfather gave it to her on her eighteenth birthday, a month before they married. As the oldest granddaughter, she wished for it to go to you.”

Adam wasn’t sure who sniffled first, Susan, her mother, or her twelve-year-old sister. He simply smiled.

Thorn approached their cousin, lifted the chain from her fingers and opened the latch. “Allow me.” Standing behind her, he fastened it, then returned to his place.

“It’s beautiful,” their aunt said.

“Thank you,” Susan said, her voice thick with emotion.

More packages were opened, and the younger three children returned to the nursery to raise havoc. The six of them, all told, had recovered from their father’s loss more quickly than he’d expected—was that due to his being away from home so often?

This proved Adam was right to wait to marry. Even when they’d arrested all the men responsible for Uncle Fitzwilliam’s death, there were other men to be captured, other plots against Wellington—against their King himself—to be thwarted. Napoleon’s men were spread over the Continent and England, men like Boiselle who blended in to their surroundings. Careful surveillance was required before the King’s men had the information needed to make an arrest.

Adam knew realistically they’d never capture all the spies, so he wasn’t foolish enough to believe he’d stay in the army until then. What Wellington needed was for Adam and the others to intercept encrypted messages and pass them to those who could figure out the cypher code, allowing the King’s men to interpret quickly enough to stop a scheme before it started. How long that would take, he had no idea.

When Susan and her sister ran upstairs together, and her brother wandered off to his own devices. Thorn excused himself, leaving Adam alone with their aunt. He sat in the chair beside her. “My uncle would be so proud of how lovely Susan is. She’s so composed, and a pleasure to be around.”

“She’s such a good girl.”

“Have any gentlemen hinted at an attraction? Or something more?”

“There are a few who’ve tried to catch her eye, but she’s very particular about who she marries.” Aunt Caroline smiled at Adam, a wistful, sad look in her eye. “I have hopes she’ll find a man like you or Thornton, one who’s deserving of her.”

Before Adam could protest, she raised a hand. “Don’t pretend to be humble. You know very well both of you are more honorable than any six men in Town.”

Six men. That was a high standard to live up to.

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