Read The Pirate's Debt (The Regent's Revenge Book 2) Online
Authors: Katherine Bone
“What plan?”
Heaven help her, she was at sixes and sevens.
He handed her
Otranto
. “In my sojourn as the Regent, I heard tales of orphans in need of good homes.”
“Orphans? What does this have to do with my books?”
“What if we open a home for them, my love? We can find these orphans and the families of the men who have lost their lives in wrecks and offer them a living. And there you can read to them your tales of romance and adventure.”
Chloe was so shocked by her husband’s generosity and foresight that she didn’t know what to say. Her heart fluttered at the thought that they could make a difference in orphans’ lives.
“You hate the idea,” he bemoaned, caressing her arm.
“Oh, Basil! That is not the case at all. I love you! I love you more than you will ever know.” She flung herself into his arms, yielding her body and soul, desiring him like she’d never desired anything in her life. “But where will they live . . .” she broke off, her mind spinning with questions.
He kissed her soundly. “Underwood.”
She braced her feet and sought a steady breath. “Your father’s home?”
“
Our
home,” he corrected with a breathtaking smile.
“You would give it away?”
“No. Not give it away, Chloe. We will open it to those in need. And you and I will be there to help them.” His lips captured hers again, stirring sensual desires inside Chloe, making her want to be closer to him than the night they’d lain together in his bunk after he’d saved her from the
Mohegan
.
“Yes! Oh, yes!” she cried.
She wrapped her arms around him, kissing him thoroughly, caring not who witnessed her display of passion. She held him close, desiring yet again never to be parted.
“I warned you, Markwick!” Walsingham shouted with firmness and authority, instantly breaking them apart.
Basil took her by the hand, his touch surprisingly gentle. “Come. Let’s take this below before I’m forced to duel your brother. That would not be a good way to start our marriage.”
This was another reason why she adored her husband. He cared about others more so than himself. “I love you, Basil.”
“And I love you, my darling, courageous wife. Now let’s go below before your brother is upon us.”
Hope filled her breast and longing coiled in her belly. She followed Basil as he led her down the companionway past hooting and hollering members of the Regent’s crew.
“Is a body happy about another, unless they are in love with them?”
she asked, quoting Bianca from
Otranto
.
Basil pulled her close at the bottom of the companionway ladder and kissed her the way a soul yearning for ecstasy craved to be kissed. “I love you, Chloe,” he said, drawing back. “And I promise you and your body a lasting adventure that will rival any of your books.”
“I will hold you to that promise, husband.”
He took her by the hand and began to lead her to their cabin. “And you, my darling romantic, must never let go.”
No matter how diligent an author is, historical inaccuracies fall through the cracks. The Regent’s Revenge series begins in Exeter, Devon, and progresses across the coast of Cornwall. While no documented cases of wrecking ships exist, local legends and lore suggest the practice was used for smuggling purposes. Taxation of the poor and the decline of silver and copper mines forced starving men and women to turn to the unlawful but profitable trade to supplement their income. Daphne du Maurier wrote about the practice in her prize-winning novel,
The Jamaica Inn
, and Winston Graham included smuggling in his Poldark series.
Reports of smuggling and wrecks abound when it comes to a number of locations, however: the Helford River, Falmouth, Penryn, Wells Beach, Mevagissey, St. Austell, Bodmin, Gunwalloe Church Cove, Porthleven, Penzance, Perranporth, Gweek, Brandy Hole Creek, Poole in Dorset, Hartland Quay, Portland, Scillies, and Tyne. In fact, legendary Cornwall is surrounded by dangerous reefs jutting out of the sea like brutal teeth ready to pulverize hulls when fog, shifting tides, and southwesterly storms arrive. In
The Pirate’s Debt
, I chose rock formations off Lizard Point, Coverack and Porthoustock for the grounding of Captain Teague’s ship, the
Mohegan
(in honor of a vessel that actually sank after hitting the Manacles there, killing 104 souls, in 1898). The Manacles, meaning Church Stones or Maen Eglos in Cornish, are deadly submerged and semisubmerged rocks that form a treacherous reef extending one nautical mile of hazardous sea.
The
Hermanest August
wrecked near Porthleven on April 15, 1808. Then the Brig-of-War
HMS Primrose
sank on January 22, 1809, with two hundred lives lost, and a transport ship, the
Dispatch
, lost sixty-eight souls after hitting the Manacles prior to the time frame during which
The Pirate’s Debt
is set.
Trewman’s Exeter Flying Post
and the
Sherborne Mercury
were popular weekly newspapers in the late eighteenth century and early to mid-nineteenth century.
The Regent’s Revenge Series is a thrilling diversion from my Nelson’s Tea Series, me hearties! During my research, I found interesting instances of smuggling/pirating off England’s shores, specifically Cornwall and Devon, where contraband offset the poverty that was introduced by the decline of working mines, harsh climate, and political upset during the Napoleonic Wars (1795-1815).
Research, however, is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to producing a book that can offer countless hours of escape. My books wouldn’t have the swashbuckling, humor, and adventure I strive to include without the author M.V. Freeman’s clever input. I put it all on the line when I say, from the depths of my heart, I cannot survive without our brainstorming sessions and satisfying afternoon teas, M.V. Thank you, dear friend!
Special thanks to authors Julie Johnstone and Danelle Harmon for their generosity.
Behind every good book is a FABulous team. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to my editors Danielle Poiesz, Lorrie McCann and Lisa Scott. Your guidance, suggestions, and ARRwesome story mojo packs a phenomenal punch. And thank you, Victoria Vane, for creating the beautiful covers for my Regent’s Revenge Series. I’m indebted to you all and oh! so grateful for what we’ve achieved with
The Pirate’s Debt
! Huzzah and hoorah!
Raising a well-deserved signal flag to fans who contributed to this series: Kelly Braun for providing the name of the Black Regent, Kimm Fontenot Cooper for the
Fury
, Lee Garcia for the
Viper
, Denise Fackler Van Plew for the
Windraker
, Karen Simpson for Captain Carnage, Diana Sinek Gould for Roaming-eyed Roger, and Janie McGaugh for Lucky Ned. Thank you for your suggestions!
I could never set sail without my Rogues, Rebels & Rakes Street Team! It’s been quite an adventure to dive into the literary seas with this crew. I’m super thrilled to have been sharing this extraordinary voyage with these fine readers and friends. Huzzah!
Lastly, I owe everything I am and achieve to God and my family, whose love and support enable me to do this writing thing and help my books become richer and more enjoyable for it.
To my family and to you, dear reader, thank you for sharing my passion for swashbuckling heroes of yesteryear!
Katherine
National best-selling historical romance author
Katherine Bone
has been passionate about history since she had the opportunity to travel to various Army bases, castles, battlegrounds, and cathedrals as an Army brat turned officer’s wife. Who knew that an Army wife’s passion for romance novels would lead to pirates? Certainly not her husband, whose Alma Mater’s adage is “Go Army. Beat Navy!” Now enjoying the best of both worlds, Katherine lives with her hero in the south, where she writes about rogues, rebels, and rakes—aka pirates, lords, captains, duty, honor, and country—and the happily-ever-afters that every alpha male and damsel deserve.
Katherine’s FAN Mail:
[email protected]
Katherine on the web:
www.katherinebone.com
Katherine's Official Facebook FAN Page
Katherine's Amazon Author Page
Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed Lady Chloe and Markwick’s swashbuckling romance. Reviews are a great way for readers like yourself to find books, and I’d be ever so grateful if you shared your experience with others. If you’d like to leave a review for this book, you can do so here:
The Pirate's Debt
.
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Up next in my Regent’s Revenge Series is
The Pirate’s Duty
, featuring Captain Pierce Walsingham and Miss Oriana Thorpe. Now that Oriana has defied her brother, she needs protection. But will the Black Regent arrive in time?
Keep reading for a look back
at the first book in the Regent’s Revenge series,
The Pirate’s Duchess
, which tells the tale of Lady Prudence and Lord Tobias Denzell, the Duke and Duchess of Blackmoor.
Letter from Lewis Barrett, Marquess of Eggleston, to His Grace, Richard Denzell, fifth Duke of Blackmoor, 23 September 1806
My Lord Duke,
It is with great sorrow that I must inform you we have been betrayed. Lord Underwood has undermined our adventures in copper and tin at Whitechurch, Eylesbarrow, and Mary Tavy. Desperate to recover our losses from those mines, I conferred with several bankers, who agreed selling our shares was in our best interest. To my shame, Lord Underwood bought them shortly afterward and profited £300,000. As a result, my family is penniless and my son will be shunned. Can such a thing be written with decided calm? I cannot bear the shame. There is only one escape: meeting my maker, knowing that you, of all capable men, whose authority and power surpass all but the king’s, will ensure our heirs do not fall prey to a likewise scheme.
I beg you, keep our association secret. Do not reveal this letter or the source of the copper ore that Thomas Davis discovered at your estate. If that information was to fall into the wrong hands, I believe Underwood would do anything to claim it, including commit murder.
Allow me, my faithful friend, to close my eyes one last time knowing that you will administer justice and ensure that my son, Algernon, does not suffer my fate. I go to my grave knowing he is in your capable hands.
I remain obedient,
Eggleston
SMUGGLING! If ever there was a need to TERMINATE this ill-timed enterprise,
Trewman’s Exeter Flying Post
insists the BLACK REGENT and his intolerable crew occasion the greatest enthusiasm and the hopes of mortals! Let it be known, ANYONE caught AIDING the cunning villain will be held LIABLE for damages and sent to ROUGEMONT.
~
Trewman’s Exeter Flying Post
, 1 February 1807
Exeter, Devon
April 1809
“Do you have everything you need, Your Grace?”
Prudence, the Duchess of Blackmoor nodded to Reverend Polidor Leyes, the vicar assigned to her soon-to-be father-in-law’s estate, then clasped her dearest friend’s hands as the chapel bells chimed ten times.
“Well,” she said, smiling when the door closed, leaving the two of them alone again. “Today begins a new chapter of my life.”
Lady Chloe Walsingham squeezed Prudence’s hands and swung her arms wide to inspect her apple-green wedding gown. “You’re a beautiful bride, Pru. And you deserve a happy ending.”
Closing her eyes, Prudence glanced down at the intricate detail of her fruitful-colored gown, the yards of matching gossamer and lace, savoring the moment, and allowing herself to be transported back to the morning she’d married the man who owned her heart and soul—Tobias, the Duke of Blackmoor. Her breast had been full of boundless joy and love that momentous day. Strangely now, the bittersweet contrast between the virginal white she’d worn then and the gown she wore now, Tobias and her intended—Basil, Earl of Markwick—flashed in her mind’s eye, teasing her with images of what could have been, of how deeply she could have loved, had a brutal fire not stolen her former husband’s life.
Heat rose to her face as, once more, the stable’s deadly flames hissed and crackled untamed before her like a hungry, writhing, poisonous viper sinking its fangs deep into her heart. Horses neighed. Men shouted.
Prudence grabbed her constricting throat.
“What is it?” Chloe asked, touching Prudence’s cheek. “Are you overcome with emotion?”
The memories immediately silenced.
“You feel overly warm,” her friend went on. “Perhaps you should sit down until the reverend returns.”
Prudence inhaled a fortifying breath. “No,” she said, forcing a smile. “On the contrary, I am quite well.” She removed Chloe’s hand and straightened her spine, determined more than ever to move on with her life.
It had been two years since fate had seared her heart to embers and labeled her a widow. She’d survived the devastating loss and the tempering that followed, allowing herself to be forged for a moment such as this. Why, then, when she had to speak her vows, did
that
fateful night play over and over again in her mind?
She walked past a table and a pair of chairs to the pitcher and bowl that were situated on a sideboard. She reached in, then dabbed cool water on her heated skin.
“Why are you so nervous? We’ve known the earl for years.”
Prudence turned to find Chloe running her fingers along Mr. Leyes’s excellent collection of literature assembled on the floor-to-ceiling shelves. She tried to push her concerns aside. “I shall endeavor to make him happy with all my heart.”
Truth be told, she loved Basil. Did it matter that she wasn’t
in
love with him?
For her, marriage had lost its romantic appeal the day she’d buried Tobias. These days, she didn’t desire to be swept off her feet. What she needed now was companionship, a comfortable life, children.
Resigned to give Basil everything she had and more, she walked toward Chloe and led her away from the books. “Wish me luck?”
“Luck?” Chloe giggled the way she always did when she was about to make comparisons between them. “You are set to marry one of the most handsome, eligible men in all of Exeter. If anyone is in need of good fortune, it is I, Pru.”
Prudence tsked. “That isn’t true and you know it. You have much to offer any gentleman. Perhaps one sits in the rectory now, a handsome cavalier destined to whisk you away before the Season comes to an end.”
“Not if my brother continues to scare them off.” Chloe’s brow furrowed like a petulant child’s. “Oh, why did Pierce have to become a revenue officer?”
“Captain Walsingham is only doing his part.”
“Yes. To ruin my life.”
“Nay. To stand up to the Black Regent. Smugglers cannot be allowed to raid ships and sail the English Channel as if they are above the law. Think of the investors and merchants being put out of business.” Basil’s father, William, the Marquess of Underwood included. If Basil was correct, the marquess was on the brink of insolvency, which made his insistence on her marrying Basil understandable. Not only did Basil and Prudence care for each other dearly, but the unentailed lands Tobias had left her were worth at least ten thousand pounds a year.
“No,” she said, determined to overcome any adversity. The Blackmoor estate would become her groom’s, after all. “I heartily approve of the captain’s pursuits. Your brother has done more for Exeter than anyone I know, and I’m glad of it.”
Chloe crossed her arms over her elegant ecru gown. “No one can get past the drawbridge Pierce has levered at our door. No one.”
“Drawbridge?” Prudence giggled. “Your brother isn’t a villain from one of your Gothic novels, Chloe. He strives to protect you as diligently as he does our shipping lanes. The right man will come along. I urge you to be patient.”
“Regretfully,” Chloe said on a sigh, “patience isn’t one of my strongest qualities.”
It was true. Chloe was extremely impatient, and her impetuous actions kept the captain on his toes. “You have a caring nature, a highly prized quality in any woman and one not easily found these days. And I cherish you all the more for it.”
“Oh, I do care, Pru. I really do. I want you to be happy.” Chloe stepped back, clapped her hands over her mouth and then spread her arms. “I’ve always envied you. In my eyes, you
are
the luckiest woman in the world.”
“I am”—she’d once considered herself lucky—“as light as a feather.”
A feather disturbed by a sudden breeze.
“Who wouldn’t be? You’re about to marry the man you love. Is there anything more divine than that?”
Prudence gazed out the window of the stone chapel at the meadow that disappeared across the plateau leading to Blackmoor’s property line. The acreage abutted Lord Underwood’s estate and heralded prized orchards, hedgerows, fenced meadows, quarries, shapely knolls, and watercourses that fed the river below. But the manor house with its multiple stories of granite ashlar and wood withheld secrets she had yet to ascertain, information that had gone with Tobias to the grave, leaving her with no explanation why a map detailing another source of income on the estate had been locked away in his study.
“You aren’t having second thoughts, are you?” Chloe crossed the distance and fingered Prudence’s curls into place. “You have nothing to fear. Your father is in the chapel. And I saw your groom and Lord Underwood arrive nearly an hour ago.”
Prudence sighed wistfully. “I know.” She turned her thoughts to the aged marquess, imagining him standing in the church, hunched over his cane, measuring each person’s worth and finding them lacking. A pincher who hoarded every farthing, Basil’s father was a renowned curmudgeon.
“What then? Are you worried Lord Underwood and your father will come to blows?”
“No,” she lied. Lord Underwood’s gruff exterior and business tactics were legendary, and though her father approved of Basil, he was decidedly unapologetic in his opinions about Lord Underwood. He wasn’t alone in those opinions, either.
She touched her lips, calmed by the memory of her intended’s kiss. She’d endure Lord Underwood’s intrusive opinions if it meant she gained the love and companionship of his son.
Prudence released a sigh and finally spoke to the heart of her worry. “Do you think I deserve a second chance at happiness, Chloe?”
Chloe’s laughter caught her completely off guard. “Do frogs have warts?”
Prudence withheld her mirth. “Don’t you mean toads?”
Chloe made a face. “Don’t quibble. How many frogs did we kiss hoping one of them would turn into a prince?”
“One slimy creature was enough.” At least neither of them had grown warts during their childhood experiment.
An enviable dimple appeared on Chloe’s left cheek. Her unusual, but extraordinary violet eyes rounded, glistening with myriad emotions as she reached into her reticule and produced her copy of
The Castle of Otranto
.
“On page twenty-seve
n—
”
“Please tell me you didn’t bring
that
book to my wedding.”
“I did,” Chloe confirmed with a grin. “You know I never go anywhere without it. And I shall continue to read about blackguards and rogues while Markwick pampers you anon. I’ve never seen a man so smitten.” She closed the book and hugged the volume close to her chest. She sighed distractedly. “How I long for a gentleman like the Earl of Markwick to do the same for me.”
“That day will come,” Prudence promised. “And when it does, your wallflower days will be all but forgotten.”
Chloe released a hopeful sigh. “Do you think I shall find a man as worthy as Isabella’s Theodore?”
“I know so.” It was only fair. Chloe deserved a man who’d move heaven and earth to convey his love—a heroic man like Tobias.
I am such a fool hanging on to my ghosts.
Tobias is gone. Basil is my future now.
“What I wouldn’t give to meet a man as dashing as the Black Regent, though,” Chloe said, drawing in another idealistic sigh.
Prudence released a horrified gasp. “The Black Regent? Why on earth would you glorify that rogue, especially when your brother is trying to catch him?”
“Bookkeepers under my brother’s employ verified that local men are receiving stipends in their accounts when none were to be had. Does that not remind you of Robin Hood?” She stepped toward the mirror as if conveying mere gossip, rearranged an errant curl, then turned back to Prudence to put on her gloves. “I’ve overheard Pierce say the Regent’s demeanor is darker than the clothes he wears. His ship, the
Fury
, is the wraith of the Cornish coast, painted blacker than night, and nigh uncatchable. You do know what this means, don’t you?”
“No.”
“He’s even more complex than characters in our favorite tomes! How romantic!”
“A pirate? Preposterous!” How many times did she have to remind Chloe that the novels she read were works of fiction? “There is nothing romantic about pirates.” Prudence eyed the door, counting down the moments until she was summoned, unsure she wanted to hear more shocking details. But for some inexplicable reason, she went on. “Tell me. What has
he
done now?”
Chloe’s expression turned sheepish. “He targeted another one of Lord Underwood’s ships.”
“
Another
one?” she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper. If she knew one thing about Lord Underwood, it was this: he valued monetary worth over blood. And right now, with the dire straits he was already in financially, worry sunk deep in Prudence’s belly.
“Yes, the cunning devil,” Chloe continued. “He divided up the cargo and gave it to anyone who could carry it off the beach.”
Prudence chewed the inside of her lower lip. “Why wasn’t I informed about this earlier?”
“I assume Markwick didn’t want to worry you about it before the wedding.”
Prudence toyed with the Honiton lace at her wrists as her friend went on. “I’m sure the earl waits to divulge this unhappy state of affairs after your wedding night. Men do not feel obliged to burden women with their concerns.”
She looked up at Chloe sharply. “I am not most women.”
“Oh yes. I am well aware of that, dear friend. I feel positive Markwick simply wants to preserve your happiness, rather than encumber you with his father’s difficulties.”
Prudence tapped her bottom lip, then sighed. “I suppose you are right. Go on. Tell me what else you’ve heard.”
Chloe’s eyes brightened. “After the pirate’s last attack,” she said, thankfully leaving out her usual litany of the devil’s misdeeds, “The Captain was forced to escort debt collectors from Lord Underwood’s offices.”
“You
can
use your brother’s name when we’re alone, Chloe.”
Her brows furrowed. She gulped. “Forgive me. Old habits. You know how demanding he is.”
“I do.” Prudence had also known Underwood was struggling, but was the marquess
destitute
?
“I assure you, these are not yarns. Not in the least. Pierce has it on good authority—”
“Your brother has been feeding your imagination again.”
Chloe’s smile faltered. “Balderdash.”
Prudence fanned herself more rapidly. “I’m surprised that you, of all people, believe your brother’s stories. Even if he does work with the Royal Navy and the Revenue Office, don’t you remember how he deceived both of us into believing we could swim?”