An Outlawed Heiress and Her Duke Read online

  George walked up to Milton with long, determined steps, grabbing the envelope from out of his little hands. It seemed to be the same envelope he’d received last night at the standoff with Murphy.

  “How did you get this?” George glanced inside it to make sure everything was still in there.

  “Well,” Milton crossed his arms, “while ya’ll were so busy with that mushy good-bye at the station, some guy pulled that out of your bag. I followed him and stole it back for you.” Milton proudly lifted his chin. For a moment it was totally silent, everybody staring at the scene in front of them. Suddenly George broke the silence with a loud laugh and turned toward Emily.

  “To get back to your question, those two are my guides,” he said in a confident, smiling voice. Was there nothing that could break through the impenetrable wall of this man’s composure?

  Milton happily did a little bow in front of Emily to second his introduction.

  “At your service, milady,” he grinned at her. This was enough.

  “Will you excuse us?” Esther grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the dining car back into their private quarters. “Have you lost your marbles? You can’t come with us.” She shut the door behind her, trying her utmost not to slam it.

  “I already am,” Milton said unfazed, knowing darn well that Esther would never lose her temper with him. Esther now rubbed her temples in desperation as if she were trying to massage this stubborn kid back to New York.

  “It’s dangerous, Milton.”

  “And that’s why you shouldn’t go alone. I will protect you.”

  Esther looked at him. He seemed dead serious. This boy would follow her to the end of the world. For a brief second, she felt a warm, fuzzy feeling in her heart. She loved this boy so dearly, it scared her sometimes. But that was also the reason why he couldn’t come with her. At least not past Denver. Wait a minute… Denver… An idea crept its way into her mind, lifting some of the headache Milton had just caused her. She would let him roll along until Denver and then put him back on a train to New York. Maybe by then he would have had enough of an adventure and would agree to return? That would also buy her time to give him a feeling of accomplishment, telling him what a marvelous job he had done protecting her all the way to Colorado. Denver was more than fair enough for both of them to convince him that he had done his duty as her knight.

  Milton was analyzing her face.

  “You’re biting your lip,” he said, pointing at her.

  Esther instantly stopped. “No, I’m not.”

  “Yes, you are. What are you planning?” he asked with an eyebrow raised. Milton just knew her too well.

  “Nothing!” She tried to throw him off her trail. But Esther did indeed bite her lip whenever she was coming up with a plan, a habit she could not break even if her life depended on it.

  “Good to know,” she heard George enter. “So, when you bite your lip, you are up to something?” He smiled at Esther with that devilish handsomeness, instantly causing her to blush and look the other way.

  “Yes, and she always speaks the truth when you ask her something in her sleep,” Milton added.

  “Milton!” Esther chided.

  George laughed.

  “You are already invaluable to this mission, Milton,” he said taking his coat off and starting to unbutton his shirt, revealing a muscular chest. Esther instantly jerked around, almost hitting her head on one of the brass lights. She was facing the walnut wall, her nose leaving marks on it from her warm breath. “A-are we seated in the third c-class, Sir?” she stuttered nervously.

  George took his shirt off and opened his suitcase to grab a more comfortable, casual outfit. Esther looked over her shoulder, only to jerk her head around again. Gosh, his upper body was pure, lean muscle. A tingling rushed through her body, making her lightheaded.

  “Why would you prefer to be in the third class cramped on top of each other if you can use the beds over there?” He nodded to the wall behind the dark mahogany desk. Esther knew that there would be foldable beds in there. As she had accompanied her father wherever he went, she herself had placed Ginny or other travel companions in those extra beds. But that was different. George was a man. An incredibly attractive one too. And she was a woman who, besides her father’s, had never even held a man’s hand before. To go from that to sleeping within only a few feet of one, watching him dress and undress himself, that was more than she could bear. The thought of George’s naked body brought tiny pearls of sweat onto her face.

  She tilted her head to find Milton who was signaling with waving hands and wide-open eyes to get it together. Milton was right. She was acting extremely strangely. As a man, seeing George naked waist up, or even down, should be nothing unusual. She took in a deep breath and turned around again to face the music, or in this case, blazing orchestra.

  George was still naked waist up. He was scanning her, clearly noticing her anxiety. Esther you fool.

  “That, that is in-incredibly kind. Thank you.” She cleared her throat.

  “Before I forget,” she heard Milton interrupting the whole situation. Esther let out a sigh of relief, he was coming to her rescue. He suddenly pulled out a brown, leather cowboy hat from behind his back. “Mary wanted you to have this,” he said walking over to Esther. He put it on her head and nodded in approval.

  “Mary?” she asked, eyebrows high, wondering why the hell she would gift her a hat. Milton totally misunderstood her confusion and tried to clarify.

  “Yes, Mary. From the brothel, remember? The one that fell for you.” Milton thought he was helping, but Esther froze to the shaking train floor, pulling at her collar for air. Could this get any worse? Apparently, it could: “Said she was riding all night to get it for you,” Milton added innocently, not knowing what Mary had meant by that. George, who watched the two of them extremely entertained, now burst out into loud laughter.

  “That was very kind of Mary, wasn’t it, Egan?” He teased Esther, who was now throwing Milton a look that was shooting knives at him. Milton shouted a silent What did I do? back at her, shrugging his shoulders. A knock at the door saved Milton before Esther could do God-knows-what to him.

  “Sir, your lunch,” a voice came from outside.

  George finished buttoning up his shirt.

  “Yes, come in.” A man dressed in the train’s personnel red uniform stepped in. “You can put it over there on the table.” George nodded toward the two-person table across from the desk. “This is for you in case you are hungry.”

  Milton stormed to the table and grabbed a sandwich, biting a chunk off so big, he couldn’t close his mouth all the way to chew it. Esther took in a deep breath, while George smiled at him.

  “Will you not join us?” she asked.

  “I would love to, but unfortunately I have agreed to dine with Emily Wayne.”

  Esther felt that annoying burning sensation in her stomach again. This Miss Wayne was certainly throwing her bait in the waters for George to swallow it. Did he not see that?

  “Believe me, I would much rather dine with you. I can’t remember when I have laughed this much,” he said, tilting his head in thought. “I actually can’t remember laughing this much—ever,” he added with a grateful smile.

  “Go ahead. We don’t mind,” Milton said with a full mouth. “Right, Egan?” He waved her to sit down next to him at the table.

  Esther shook her head. “Of course not.”

  Her words said one thing but her face clearly another. George now smiled at her as if he wanted to smoothen things.

  “Thank you. We shall dine together tomorrow, I promise.” Those were his last words before he closed the door behind himself, off to join his Greek goddess.

  “She’s probably changed into some fancy, pretty dress,” Esther said out loud to herself in a condescending tone, under the watchful gaze of Milton who was staring at her with a wrinkled forehead.

  “What!” Esther told him off, grabbing a sandwich and taking an elegant bite from it
.

  “Nothing…” he mumbled innocently, still staring at her. “Nothing…”

  Esther didn’t sleep well at all that night, which was surprising considering she had not slept on a real mattress in months. The kids always came first, so she slept on some blankets, hay or whatever else could be used as a barrier from the cold, hard floor.

  The first few hours that she tossed around in her bed were dedicated to why George was still not back from his late lunch. Not that it was unusual to mingle with other first-class guests after dining for a drink and cigar in the parlor car. But for some reason Esther couldn’t get the image out of her head of how Emily and George would walk hand in hand, laughing and giggling at each other’s jokes, while being admired by others for their endless good looks and charms.

  When George finally did come back at nine o’clock, actually quite an early time for first-class social engagements, Esther couldn’t help but listen to his every move as he stumbled around in the dark, most likely because he wanted to be considerate and not wake them by turning on a light. The moment he started undressing for bed, her heart almost exploded. Just thinking of him lying in his bed almost naked, just a few feet away, sent heat flashes up her spine and into her cheeks. And so she tossed and turned, even the slightest noise making her jump up in bed.

  So it was not surprising that she was already up the next morning when George and Milton slowly opened their eyes to greet the day. Milton, who was willing to take the bed above Esther’s, let his bare feet hang from the edge of his mattress.

  “Why are you already up?” He rubbed his eyes.

  Esther was washing her face in the small sink next to the small bathroom.

  “I always get up early,” she replied loud enough for George to hear, drying her face.

  “No, you don’t,” Milton disagreed. “It takes forever to get you out of bed,” he added.

  George let out a little chuckle. Esther bit her lip. Gosh darn it, Milton.

  George was now out of bed as well. Much to Esther’s relief, or disappointment, he was wearing underpants in bed and did not come out from under the blankets completely naked. She let out a sigh of relief to give her constantly heated cheeks a break.

  “I hope I didn’t wake you last night?” George asked, putting on a white shirt and comfortable but still elegant black pants.

  “No, no. No, not at all.” Esther made room for George to use the wash basin.

  “Well, why don’t we get ready and eat breakfast together?”

  Milton jumped down from his bed. Like Esther, he had slept in his clothes, but that was due to him not having anything packed for the trip he hadn’t been invited on, not because he was worried about being discovered as a woman.

  “I’m starving!” He stretched himself.

  George opened the upper drawer to the desk and pulled out the envelope that Milton had stolen back for him yesterday.

  “I should like to go over these with the two of you after breakfast, if you wouldn’t mind?”

  “Not at all.” Esther shook her head.

  “I appreciate it,” he said, walking to the door and opening it. “I shall make reservations for a table for three,” he said, leaving Milton and Esther behind to give them some privacy to refresh themselves.

  Esther looked after him, wondering how such an incredibly kind, brave, handsome, and respectful man was still a bachelor. Esther had never come across a more charismatic man—no, human being—before. His smile genuinely caused women to melt and men to want to be his friend. So why was he still eligible? Was there something he was hiding? Was he one of these secret womanizers, never ready to settle? A feeling of disappointment formed in her heart over the sheer thought of that. Out of nowhere she got the feeling that somebody was watching her. And somebody was, in the form of Milton’s eagle eyes. He was standing at the wash basin, his hands filled with water, frozen in the movement of washing his face, staring at her mercilessly.

  “What?” Esther tried to sound carefree.

  “Nothing…” Milton squinted his eyes and let out a long, deep, audible breath. “Nothing…”

  Chapter 7

  G eorge made his way into the dining wagon that had now been transformed into a breakfast car with a buffet on a long table pushed against the wall. He was scanning the room for the table with his name on it, when he saw Emily waving at him enthusiastically with dancing eyes. For some reason, the idea that he might now be forced to have breakfast with her bothered him. Why, he didn’t quite understand himself. He put on a fake smile and walked over to her. She was wearing khaki riding pants and a white shirt, a bold choice for a lady of her standing. As he had come to know from her yesterday, Emily Wayne was the heiress to one of the biggest silver mines in the nation. She was on her way to Denver to visit her father who managed his mining empire from there, as apparently the vast majority of his silver mines were located in Colorado. Her knowledge about mines was probably one of the only things that made spending time with her for several hours bearable. Not that she was not a delight to look at, and she was one of the most cunning ladies he had ever come across, no doubt, but he was not here for romance, which couldn’t be said about Emily Wayne.

  “Did you get a good night’s rest?” She sparkled, her beautiful white teeth exposed by her charming smile.

  “Yes, thank you. I apologize for retiring so early last night, but it has been a rather eventful week.”

  “As long as you don’t make a habit of it.” She grinned. “But you can make up for it now. Come have breakfast with me.”

  George looked at the table which was only a table for two.

  “I would be delighted, but I am afraid I have to go over some business with my assistants.” He tried to sound as friendly as possible, feeling a little bad for brushing her off again.

  “I don’t mind.” She got up, waving the waiter over. George opened his mouth, but Emily was faster. “We need a table for four,” she ordered the waiter, “and pick that up,” she demanded, pointing at a napkin she had dropped earlier. The waiter did a courtesy bow and instantly rushed off to set up one of the larger tables, her napkin from the floor in his hand. “You two don’t mind, do you?” she said, looking over George’s shoulder who turned around to find Egan and Milton standing right behind him. Milton shook his head, but Egan seemed to look at Emily for a moment as if he were seriously thinking about how to answer her rhetorical question.

  “Wonderful,” Emily blurted and took a seat at the new table. Milton followed her, a plate in his hand that was piled up with ham and eggs. When the hell had he got that? He was just standing behind him, George wondered, smiling to himself.

  At first, he was concerned that his newly hired guides might become tiresome to be around all the time, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. They were the most entertaining sort of fellows he had ever come across. He was constantly smiling, laughing, or grinning at one of them.

  Growing up in a house with a mother who must have been brought into this world by a creature of the underworld, laughter or smiles were scarce during his childhood, considered inappropriate for a future duke. Having those two around was an absolute delight. Especially the older of the two, Egan. There was something about this boy that drew George in like a fly to a flame. He had barely known him longer than a few days, but it felt like he’d already got to know Egan better than ninety-nine percent of the people he had spent years of his life with. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he’d seen him step out of the dark, a pistol in his hand, to save him. Selfless and brave, he’d stood by George’s side without even knowing him. And to learn that Egan was using all his money for a troop of street children he cared for as if they were his own, that literally sucked George’s breath right out of his lungs, leaving him speechless. But meeting Egan had also stirred up sad emotions for a man like George, who had grown up without the tender touch of his mother or the loving hug of his father. Watching Egan hug each and every one of these children at the train station, he couldn’t
help but feel a strange loneliness and longing, as if he wanted to belong to someone like those children and Egan belonged to each other.

  “George, you shall sit next to me,” Emily blurted at him, waving him over. George took a deep breath and took his seat right next to her. Although she was one of the prettiest women he had ever laid eyes upon and most men would probably kill to be in his shoes right now, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that Emily was luring him in for marriage—a daunting thought to be quite frank. Of course he had considered marrying an American heiress to save his poor sister from a marriage to the most despicable man in England; these loveless matches were made all the time, a title for a coin, but for now there was still a chance to mine his fortune back—at least according to the documents in his pocket. So why start another doomed, loveless marriage quite yet?

  “So, what kind of business are you conducting here? Please tell me a-a-a-ll about it,” Emily inquired, taking a sip from the cup of coffee the waiter had elegantly placed in front of her. She certainly was a straight shooter, something George could actually respect if it didn’t seem like her end-goal from all of this was a ring on her finger.

  Milton and Egan were both eating, one of them more like a wild animal. But oddly enough, the other was carefully using a knife and fork as if he were born and raised among the highest circles of society. George's brows slowly furrowed as he watched Egan take a careful bite of a tiny piece of egg on his fork. Milton seemed to have noticed too and let out a fake cough to get his attention. Egan now looked around, realizing that everybody was staring at him. All of a sudden, he shoved an enormous scoop of eggs on his fork, wolfing them down, barely able to close his mouth. Milton nodded, even smacking Egan on his back in approval. George, like so often when he was around them, had to bite his lip in an attempt not to laugh, but a little chuckle came out, nonetheless. He looked back up at Emily who was still waiting for an answer.

  “Oh, yes, the business.” George straightened his back to face her. “As I mentioned last night, I am on my way to an investment in a mine that unfortunately did not turn out to be as lucrative as I had initially anticipated.” George poured milk in his coffee and stirred it.