Charmed By Knight (The Fielding Brothers Saga)

CHARMED BY KNIGHT

Book two in the “Fielding Brother’s Saga”

(
previously
published under different title and my other pen name, Phyllis)

Marie Higgins

Second-place winner in The Golden Pen Contest given by Heart
Of The
West RWA Chapter.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

Charmed By Knight

Copyright
© 2011 by Marie Higgins

Cover Design by Sheri
McGathy

Edition License Notes

This
ebook
is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This
ebook
may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

For more information:
 
http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com

Megan Ramsey will do anything not to marry the drunken lord selected for her – even if she must follow her parents’ plan and trick a duke into marriage.
 
Instead of capturing the duke, she mistakenly traps the man who put her family in financial ruins.

Edmund Knight will stop at nothing to take back the deed to his goldmine.
 
When he meets the thief’s daughter, Edmund sets his mind on charming her in order to get back his treasure.
 
Will he find the real treasure beyond his precious gold?

Dedication

I want to thank my critique partner, Melissa Lynne Blue who loves my heroes almost as much as I do.
 
If not for you, I wouldn’t have created such an exciting historical figure as Edmund Knight.
 
Ahh
…
 
Got to love those rogues!
 
And the credit for the great title of this story goes to you, my friend!

Chapter One

London, England, 1850

Trapping a duke into marriage was hard work.

Literally.

Megan Ramsey tightened her grip on the horse’s reins and rode the animal hard. Her quick breaths were almost as fast as the horse’s. Frowning, she focused on the trail ahead of her – the same path the Duke of
Kelton
had taken about an hour ago.

So her mother told her.

Confusion throbbed in her head and brought with it a dull ache.
What am I doing?

Grumbling, she pulled on the reins and stopped the horse. As she sat upon the animal and surveyed the unfamiliar land, anger rose inside her chest. She couldn’t possibly do what her parents wanted her to! It was unethical. Improper. But more than that, if she accomplished trapping a duke into marriage, the guilt would eat away at her for as long as she lived.

Megan glanced back at the way she’d traveled. The Dowager Duchess’ estate was now out of view as she hid in the glade of trees. A cool wind picked up and with it brought the reminder of the forthcoming storm. Branches danced to and fro, and she ducked to keep from getting scratched.

Although she wanted to ride far away from this place – and her parents – she didn’t have the courage or the funds. What her parents had originally wanted her to do was track the duke down while on his morning ride, and be with him just as the storm hit. Being a gentlemen, he would suggest finding shelter and then take her to his woodman’s cottage. According to her mother, this was how the duke would fall in love with her and ask for Megan’s hand in marriage.

Megan grumbled louder and rubbed her forehead. Her mother’s plan wouldn’t work, but arguing with her mother was like talking to the horse for all the reasoning it would do. In fact…the horse was better company since he didn’t complain constantly. Regardless, Megan followed her mother’s instructions and set out on horseback to find the duke.

Another gust of wind blew from between the trees, almost knocking her from her sidesaddle. She glanced up at the dark clouds, and her stomach churned. She couldn’t do this, and disobeying her parents would cause her father to drink…and he was not a nice person when foxed.

Tears formed in her eyes, recalling his mean and degrading words, and especially his punishing hand. No, she definitely could not make that man cross.

Deep in her heart she knew if she didn’t marry a wealthy man soon, her family would be forced out of their home and required to live on the streets like common beggars. Thanks to
Grandmama
who couldn’t abide having a gambler for a son – and wanted to punish him and his family. Megan wished her father hadn’t gambled away his fortune and was now in debt, but there had to be another way to find the money to pay off debtors besides marrying her to a wealthy man.

The horse neighed and shifted. She figured the animal must not like the gusts of wind coming from everywhere at once, either. She patted his head. “Just another moment, please. I need to figure out what to do. I must obey my parents, but I cannot.” She gritted her teeth.
Father, it’s
all your
fault!

If only her father hadn’t started gambling. If only he’d made wise choices in his business dealings and paid his debtors. And if only he hadn’t met up with Edmund Knight – the very lowlife miscreant responsible for leading Megan’s father astray. She hadn’t met Mr. Knight, but knew about him by his sordid reputation. Perhaps it was a good thing she had not met him, yet. She would be sorely tempted to forgo her manners and spit on the lout.

Lightening flashed overhead and another clap of thunder resounded through the trees. The animal skidded nervously, and Megan patted the horse’s head again, cooing soft words. “Forgive me for not thinking of you. Perhaps we should head back to the dowager’s estate. I shall just inform Mother we could not find the duke, and that will be that.”

She urged the animal forward.

By now the duke must have turned back toward the estate so he wouldn’t get caught in the storm. And she suspected the riding party that had left this morning had probably returned as well.

Although Megan had never met James Hartley, the Duke of
Kelton
, her mother assured her of his good breeding and exceptionally good looks. At this point, Megan didn’t care if he were the most handsome man in the world. Once he discovered she meant to trick him into marriage, he’d loathe her. How could she be happy then? For certain she didn’t want a marriage like her parents.

Megan quickly kicked her heels into the mare’s belly, pushing the animal into a run. Within seconds, the first drops of moisture fell on her face. Groaning, she shook her head and urged the horse faster. The wind picked up and heavy moisture slapped against her face, the gush of wind hindering her vision through the torrent. Wetness suffused her clothes, making her seat on the sidesaddle slippery. She squeezed her legs – the right downward and left upwards – creating a strong grip as she used her whip to cue the horse.

A crash of thunder pierced the air, and her horse reared. She slipped on the saddle and leaned forward, holding on tight.

“Easy girl,” she tried to soothe as she patted the horse’s neck, although she had to lift her voice to a yell this time. When the horse relaxed, Megan tightened her legs once more. Another blast of wind ripped off her bonnet, the strings flapping wildly. She pushed her horse faster, not caring about the branches whipping against her face and tangling in her hair. A damp lock blew into her vision, but she darned not remove her hand from the reins to wipe it away.

Off to the side she glimpsed another trail, and she steered the hose in that direction. Perhaps the overgrowth would provide more shelter from the raging downpour. The narrow path became rocky and difficult to travel. Tree limbs hung lower, and thick foliage made it impossible to see more than ten feet ahead. The rain continued to pound, penetrating through the trees, which gave her little relief from the storm. Her teeth chattered from the cold, and her fingers were already numb. Needing to seek shelter soon, she prodded the animal faster, eager to get to a clearing so she could estimate her location.

Wind whistled past, and she shielded her face with her arm against the low hanging branches. Thunder echoed all around, getting louder by the second. The animal reared and Megan clutched the reins. Her bottom slipped again in the
wet
sidesaddle.

A limb over her head cracked and fell toward her. She tried to duck, but the weathered wood struck her head before hitting the horse, making the animal stumble. Dizziness consumed Megan as she fought the blackness and pain rushing through her skull. Ahead, a larger limb lay in the road – one her horse must jump, but since the animal was injured as well, Megan feared this wouldn’t happen.

She pulled on the reins as hard as she could and screamed for her animal to stop. The horse didn’t respond, and instead sped along the path until it darted away from the fallen branch. A sudden jerk sent her flying through the air to land in the mud, the breath jarred from her lungs. As darkness beckoned, she gave into its tempting nothingness with a defeated groan.

* * * *

An encouraging masculine voice, warm and mellow, brought Megan slowly awake. Little by little, she became aware of the pain beating through every inch of her body. She groaned and willed herself to return to the painless oblivion she’d just left. Wherever she was, it was out of the rain. Although her body screamed in agony, at least a soft mattress was beneath her to help soften her aches.

The presence beside her disappeared but within moments returned as a thick blanket covered her. Prickles of warmth spread over her cheeks and extended throughout her limbs. The scent of firewood and snapping of burning wood created images in her mind of lying beside a roaring fire. Within minutes, the numbing cold ache left her body.

A man’s gentle voice prodded her to complete awareness. His large hand surrounded her dainty fingers, and all around her the smell of leather and spice engulfed her senses. The duke must have found her! Who else could it be when she’d been trying to follow him this morning?

Now the question was, could she go forward with her mother’s plan of entrapment? Inwardly she groaned. Did she have a choice? It was most imperative she convince him of marriage now. The mere idea of her brutal father pounding his wrath into her if she failed left her frightened. Whatever it took, she must succeed.