Romancing the Earl (42 page)
Read Romancing the Earl Online
Authors: Darcy Burke
A few days ago Cate would have agreed with her brother, but after seeing what the sword could do and what lengths men would go to in order to possess it, she had changed her mind. She turned to Septon. “I want you to take the sword. Not for the Order, but to keep it safe and secret. Can you do that without giving it to the Order? As you said, it may be in for some troubled times.”
Septon nodded. “I can. I will.” He ran his finger along the hilt. He looked at Cate intently. “May I?”
“Of course,” Cate said.
He lifted it from the table and turned it in his hand. “It doesn’t feel different than any other sword.”
“Not now, but if you try to use it, the blade will become heavy, unwieldy. I tried to employ it myself and couldn’t even lift it.” She exhaled. “It only responds to those who are worthy.”
“And that’s Kersey,” Septon said. “Remarkable.”
Penn frowned. “I could just as easily hide this sword away as Septon. In fact, it might be better if I did since Septon is associated with the Order.”
Her father’s eyes lit. “He has a point, Septon. Why not give it to Penn?”
Septon gave the sword a long, keen look before turning his gaze to Penn. “Will you promise not to publicize it? And not put it in the museum?”
He appeared satisfied, if not terribly pleased. “If I must.”
“Then it’s settled,” her mother said, “Penn will take it.”
“Should we inform the Scudamores about it?”
“I don’t think so,” her father said. “The fewer who know of its existence, the better.”
Septon nodded. “I agree. This is why the Order has tried to so hard to keep the Thirteen Treasures hidden.”
“Then why is the Heart of Llanllwch in the Ashmolean?” Elijah asked. “Shouldn’t it be stowed away somewhere?”
“The Order keeps it under guard, and believe me, people have tried to steal it.” Septon glanced at Penn. “Haven’t they?”
“Indeed. It’s also incredibly popular. You’d have a difficult time convincing the university to hide it away.”
Septon looked from Cate to Penn and back to Cate again. “Might I spend some time with the sword?”
“Yes, please,” Cate said. “We’ve taken a rubbing of it, and I’ve made some drawings of what it looked like when we found it and when it burst into flame.”
“Penn, would it appease you to have the tapestry for your museum?” Elijah offered. “I’d be happy to donate it.”
Donate it? Cate retook his hand and smiled up at him. “You could make them pay for it.”
“I could, but I have other items I can sell—provided my wife allows me to. She’s quite opinionated when it comes to our collection.”
Our
collection. Her heart swelled. “That’s a marvelous idea. But I wonder if we shouldn’t give it to the people of Harlech instead—display it in the church there.”
“I can arrange for that,” Penn said. He looked to Elijah. “If you’ll allow me.”
Elijah nodded. “Thank you.”
Penn returned his attention to his sister, his expression bemused. “Cate, are you sure you’re prepared to relinquish the sword and the tapestry in the same day? I know how desperately you wanted them.”
Cate looked up at Elijah, her heart swelling with love and pride. “I have everything I want right here.”
The end
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Thank you so much for reading
Romancing the Earl
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Romancing the Earl
is the second book in the Regency Treasure Hunters Series. Book one,
The de Valery Code
, featuring Cate’s parents, Rhys and Margery, is available now. Books three and four (
Raiders of the Lost Heart
featuring Penn Bowen and
The Legacy of an Extraordinary Gentleman
featuring Lord Gideon Kersey) are coming in late 2015/early 2016 and sometime in the latter half of 2016, respectively. Thank you for your patience with this series—these treasure hunts take some planning!
If you haven’t read my other historical series, Secrets and Scandals, check out all six books, starting with
Her Wicked Ways
.
Thank you again for reading and for your support. I love to hear from readers, so I hope you’ll drop me a note and visit me on Facebook.
xoxox,
Darcy
Books by Darcy Burke
Historical Romance
Secrets and Scandals
To Love a Thief
(a novella)
Regency Treasure Hunters
Raiders of the Lost Heart (2015/16)
The Legacy of an Extraordinary Gentleman (2016)
Contemporary Romance
Ribbon Ridge
Where the Heart Is
(a prequel novella)
Yours to Hold
Author’s Note
I chose to set this story in and near Wales both because of the subject matter and because my grandmother, Selma Rita King Finney was born in Cardiff in 1916. I still have family there and was fortunate enough to visit several years ago. It’s a beautiful land with charming people, and while the Welsh language is difficult to pronounce, I find it lovely—probably because I can still hear my great-uncle Alec singing it.
The thirteen treasures of Britain are mythical objects that appear in various legends. They have been used in countless stories and in many ways (Harry Potter’s Deathly Hallows are somewhat based on them). I adapted them for Regency Treasure Hunters and added the Heart of Llanllwch for purely narrative purposes. The flaming sword tapestry is completely fictional. The fate of Owen Glendower is unknown—he disappeared after Harlech fell and is thought to have died at Kentchurch, where he may have lived in hiding with his daughter Alice and her husband John Scudamore.
The Order of the Round Table is a completely fictional group, but is based on the myriad secret societies that have existed for centuries. Edmund de Valery and Anarawd are fictional characters as are the documents they produced.
Of course there is no proof that King Arthur, his knights, the Round Table or any of Arthurian legend is real. I’d like to think it’s a little bit history, with a dash of embellishment, and a lot of great storytelling.
Acknowledgments
This was one of those books that felt like it would never, ever end. And I’m pretty sure my family thought so too! I can’t thank you enough for your understanding and your support—I love you more than I can ever say!
I have to give a HUGE thank you to Leigh Duvan for reading and providing exactly the feedback I needed. This book rocks because of you. I can’t wait until it’s my turn to read!
Another MASSIVE thank you to the Dream Teamers. Your encouragement, enthusiasm, and generosity with your time is incredibly humbling, and I just can’t say it enough:
thank you
.
I couldn’t manage without my beloved tribe of writer friends: Elisabeth, Joan, Rachel, Erica, Emma, and Janice. There are plenty more of you out there and I hope you know how much I appreciate the ways you touch my life.
As always, thanks go to my production team, without whom this would look like the equivalent of a high school assignment bound in a Pee Chee folder. Team Romancing the Earl includes the fabulous Eliza Dee, the amazing Trish Schmitt, the awesome Jenn LeBlanc, the spectacular Heather Durant, and the bacon-saving (she’s also lovely) Martha Trachtenberg.
Finally, I am so, so, so appreciative of Judie Bouldry and all that she does to keep me sane—and I’m not talking about the work she does, I’m talking about the times she holds my hand.
Copyright
Romancing the Earl
Copyright © 2015 Darcy Burke
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 193971334X
ISBN-13: 978-1-939713-34-6
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Book design
©
Darcy Burke.
Cover design
©
Patricia Schmitt (Pickyme).
Cover typography
©
Heather Durant.
Editing: Eliza Dee.
Copyediting: Martha Trachtenberg.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
About the Author