Stephanie Laurens – The Lady's Command (страница 1)

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The Lady’s Command

The Adventurers Quartet: Volume 1

Stephanie Laurens

ISBN: 978-1-474-03708-2

THE LADY’S COMMAND (THE ADVENTURERS QUARTET: VOLUME 1)

© 2015 Stephanie Laurens

Published in Great Britain 2015

by HQ, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

Cover design by Savdek Management Pty. Ltd.

Cover and inside front couple photography and photographic composition © 2015 Period Images

Image of galleon stairs: photographic credit to Aleksandrs Tihonovs

The name Stephanie Laurens is a registered trademark of Savdek Management Proprietary Ltd.

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

How does marriage work? If convention is set aside and is no longer there to guide…what then?

#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens brings you THE ADVENTURERS QUARTET, a riveting blend of Regency-era high seas adventure, a mystery shrouded in the heat of tropical jungles, and the passionate romances of four couples and their unexpected journeys into love.

The instant Captain Declan Frobisher laid eyes on Lady Edwina Delbraith, he knew she was the lady he wanted as his wife. The scion of a seafaring dynasty accustomed to success, he discovered that wooing Edwina was surprisingly straightforward—not least because she made it plain that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Declan’s vision of marriage was of a gently-reared wife to grace his arm, to manage his household, and to bear his children. He assumed that household, children, and wife would remain safely in England while he continued his life as an explorer sailing the high seas.

Declan got his wish—up to a point. He and Edwina were wed. As for the rest—his vision of marriage…

Aunt of the young Duke of Ridgware and sister of the mysterious man known as Neville Roscoe, London’s gambling king, even before the knot was tied Edwina shattered the illusion that her character is as delicate, ethereal, and fragile as her appearance suggests. Far from adhering to orthodox mores, she and her ducal family are even more unconventional than the Frobishers.

Beneath her fairy-princess exterior, Edwina possesses a spine of steel—one that might bend, but will never break. Born to the purple—born to rule—she’s determined to rule her life. With Declan’s ring on her finger, that means forging a marriage that meets her needs as well as his.

But bare weeks into their honeymoon, Declan is required to sail to West Africa. Edwina decides she must accompany him.

A secret mission with unknown villains flings unexpected dangers into their path as Declan and Edwina discover that meeting the challenge of making an unconventional marriage work requires something they both possess—bold and adventurous hearts.

The first voyage is one of exploration, the second one of discovery. The third journey brings maturity, while the fourth is a voyage of second chances.

Start the journey here and follow the adventure, the mystery, and the romances to the cataclysmic end.

Praise for the works of Stephanie Laurens

“Stephanie Laurens’ heroines are marvelous tributes to Georgette Heyer: feisty and strong.” Cathy Kelly

“Stephanie Laurens never fails to entertain and charm her readers with vibrant plots, snappy dialogue, and unforgettable characters.” Historical Romance Reviews

“Stephanie Laurens plays into readers’ fantasies like a master and claims their hearts time and again.” Romantic Times Magazine

The Lady’s

Command

Stephanie Laurens

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Principal Characters:

Frobisher, Declan – Hero Frobisher, Lady Edwina – Heroine

In London:

Staff:

Humphrey – butler King, Mrs. – housekeeper Cook – cook Wilmot – lady’s maid

Family:

Delbraith, Lucasta, Dowager Duchess of Ridgware – Edwina’s mother Delbraith, Lord Julian, aka Neville Roscoe – Edwina’s older brother and London’s gambling king Delbraith, Lady, Miranda – Julian’s wife Catervale, Lady Millicent – Edwina’s oldest sister Catervale, Lord – Millicent’s husband Elsbury, Lady Cassandra – Edwina’s sister Elsbury, Lord – Cassandra’s husband Crawford, Anthea – Lucasta’s companion, a distant cousin

Society:

Montgomery, Lady – ton hostess Mitchell, Lady Cerise – ton lady Fitzwilliam, Mr. – gentleman of the ton Holland, Lady – major ton hostess Marchmain, Lady – ton grande dame Minchingham, Lady – ton hostess Forsythe, Lady – ton hostess Comerford, Lady – ton hostess

Government:

Wolverstone, Duke of, aka Dalziel – ex-commander of British secret operatives outside England Wolverstone, Duchess of, Minerva – Wolverstone’s wife Melville, Viscount – First Lord of the Admiralty

In Aberdeen:

Frobisher, Fergus – Declan’s father Frobisher, Elaine – Declan’s mother Frobisher, Royd (Murgatroyd) – eldest Frobisher brother

At sea:

Frobisher, Robert – second oldest Frobisher brother Frobisher, Caleb – youngest of four Frobisher brothers Frobisher, Catrina (Kit) – female cousin Frobisher, Lachlan – male cousin

In Freetown:

Dixon, Captain – army engineer, missing Hopkins, Lieutenant – navy, West Africa Squadron, missing Fanshawe, Lieutenant – navy, West Africa Squadron, missing Hillsythe – ex-Wolverstone agent, governor’s aide, missing Holbrook, Governor – Governor-in-Chief of British West Africa Holbrook, Lady, Letitia – Governor’s wife Satterly, Mr. – Governor’s principal aide Eldridge, Major – Commander, Fort Thornton Decker, Vice-Admiral – Commander, West Africa Squadron, currently at sea Richards, Captain – army, Fort Thornton Wallace – house agent in Freetown Hardwicke, Mrs. Mona – minister’s wife Hardwicke, Mr. – Anglican minister Sherbrook, Mrs. – local lady Quinn, Mrs. – local lady Robey, Mrs. – local lady Hitchcock, Mrs. – local lady Winton, Major – Commissar of Fort Thornton Winton, Mrs. – wife of Major Winton Babington, Charles – partner, Macauley & Babington Trading Company Macauley, Mr. – senior partner, Macauley & Babington Trading Company Macauley, Mrs. Genevieve – wife of Macauley Undoto, Obo – local priest Sampson – old sailor Lashoria – vodun priestess

On board The Cormorant:

Caldwell, Mr. Joshua – First Mate Johnson, Mr. – Master Grimsby – Bosun Elliot – Quartermaster Henry, Mr. – Steward Dench – experienced sailor Carruthers – experienced sailor Billings – experienced sailor Higgins – sailor Upshaw – sailor Martin – sailor Ginger – cabin boy Cam – cabin boy

CHAPTER 1

April 1824

London

Marrying the lady of his dreams had proved surprisingly easy. Forging the marriage of his dreams… That, apparently, was an entirely different challenge.

Declan Fergus Frobisher stood alongside Lady Edwina Frobisher née Delbraith—his new wife—and let the cacophony generated by the tonnish crowd gathered in Lady Montgomery’s drawing room wash over him. The chattering was incessant, like a flock of seagulls squawking, yet such exchanges were the sole purpose of a soirée. In a many-hued kaleidoscope of fine silks and satins, of darker-hued superfines and black evening coats, the crème de la crème of the haut ton drifted and shifted from one circle to the next in a constantly rearranging tapestry. The large room was illuminated by several chandeliers; light glinted on artfully twisted curls and pomaded locks and in the facets of myriad jewels adorning the throats, earlobes, and wrists of the many ladies attending.

One heavily burdened lady swept up in a dazzle of diamonds. “Edwina, my dear!” The lady pressed fingers and touched cheeks with Declan’s beloved, who greeted the newcomer with her customary sunny charm, yet the lady’s gaze had already shifted to him, traveling down and then up his long length. Then she directed a smile—a distinctly predatory smile—at him. “You must—simply must—introduce me to your husband.” The lady’s tone had lowered to a feminine purr.