A Kiss Before Dawn Read online

  KIMBERLY LOGAN

  A KISS BEFORE DAWN

  To Pat Shrout, former student teacher extraordinaire, who befriended a little girl who loved to write and showed her that all things are possible, even becoming a published author. My appreciation knows no bounds.

  And to my wonderful editor, May Chen, who took a chance on a “newbie” and made her dreams come true. Thank you for believing in me and for always being so patient and encouraging.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Dear Lord, how did I manage to get myself into…

  Chapter 1

  “I want to hire you.”

  Chapter 2

  Emily reined in her horse and drew to a halt…

  Chapter 3

  Peter was home.

  Chapter 4

  “And the next thing I know, they’re planning a dinner…

  Chapter 5

  Peter reached up to give his cravat another impatient tug,…

  Chapter 6

  Would she never learn to control herself?

  Chapter 7

  Emily descended the stairs early the next morning, filled with…

  Chapter 8

  Over two hours later, as Peter trotted his horse along…

  Chapter 9

  Emily sat ensconced on the window seat in her bedroom,…

  Chapter 10

  Peter had been unable to sleep.

  Chapter 11

  Peter awoke the next morning to sunlight streaming in through…

  Chapter 12

  Over two hours later, Emily found herself riding alongside Peter…

  Chapter 13

  By the time Peter and Emily departed the Fulberry residence…

  Chapter 14

  She’d made up her mind that she wasn’t going to…

  Chapter 15

  “You’ve been very quiet this morning, Em. Is everything all…

  Chapter 16

  Emily pulled aside a low-hanging branch and peered through the…

  Chapter 17

  Over an hour later, Emily and her two companions limped…

  Chapter 18

  After another night spent tossing and turning with very little…

  Chapter 19

  From his seat across from Emily in the Ellington carriage,…

  Chapter 20

  “I beg your pardon?

  Chapter 21

  Peter trotted Champion up the long, winding drive toward Willow…

  Chapter 22

  Emily knelt between Miles and Jenna behind the concealment of…

  Chapter 23

  As Knighthaven came into view in the distance, Peter felt…

  Chapter 24

  Emily lay cradled in the circle of Peter’s arms, her…

  Chapter 25

  Jack Barlow would receive his comeuppance.

  Chapter 26

  Emily finished securing Jenna’s wrists to the arms of the…

  Chapter 27

  Late the next evening, Emily met with Peter and Tristan…

  Chapter 28

  His mind and spirit numb, Peter sat ensconced in an…

  About the Author

  Other Romances

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Prologue

  Oxfordshire, England

  1827

  Dear Lord, how did I manage to get myself into this?

  Clinging to a tree branch at least ten feet above the ground, Lady Emily Knight squeezed her eyes tightly closed and rested her cheek against the rough bark, restraining the hysterical urge to giggle. She had to admit, the situation would have been funny if it hadn’t been so dire.

  She was well and truly caught. And the Tuttlestons were due home at any moment.

  Up until this point, everything had gone according to plan. Having known the Viscount and Viscountess Tuttleston for years, she was well aware of their weekly Wednesday-night sojourn to the home of Lord Tuttleston’s sister. Being a frequent visitor to the estate, she was also aware which suite of rooms belonged to the master and mistress of the house, and the secured window had proven no barrier to someone who had learned to pick locks at the young age of fourteen. Once inside, she had wasted no time in claiming her prize.

  It was upon her escape that the trouble had started. As she was shimmying back down the large oak tree she had used to access the upper floor of the building, her breeches had snagged on a protruding branch, and no subtle maneuvering was enough to loosen its grasp. She could see no way to free herself without risking a very dangerous fall.

  It served her right, she reflected, biting her lip. Surely she deserved this for what she was doing, no matter her reasons. She felt a sharp tug of guilt as she recalled how kind Lord and Lady Tuttleston had always been to her.

  Who would have ever thought that her past would come back to haunt her after all this time?

  “Seem to ’ave gotten yourself into a spot of trouble, ’aven’t you?”

  The voice coming from directly below her caused Emily to gasp and tighten her grip on the branch before looking down at the figure who stood at the base of the tree.

  Leave it to Jenna to state the obvious.

  “What are you doing?” she hissed at the younger girl. “You’re supposed to be keeping watch.”

  “I was.” Jenna shrugged and glanced back over her shoulder. “There’s a carriage coming.”

  Fear, cold and stark, raced through Emily’s veins. Sure enough, in the distance, she could hear the approaching clatter of carriage wheels. “And you didn’t think to tell me sooner?”

  “I’m telling you now.”

  Emily gritted her teeth. “I have to get down from here.”

  Her face a pale oval in the moonlight, Jenna tilted her head to study her companion’s predicament from a different angle. “You’re caught,” she supplied helpfully.

  “I’m aware of that. What am I going to do?”

  There was a pause as Jenna considered the question. “You’ll just ’ave to give it a good tug,” she said finally. “But be quick about it. They’re getting closer.”

  Her friend was right. There was nothing else for it. She couldn’t get caught. If she did, this would all be for naught.

  Reaching back, Emily grasped the material of her breeches and gave it a hard yank. It ripped free with a horrible rending sound. At the same time, she lost her balance and tumbled from her precarious perch, taking Jenna to the ground with her.

  They landed in a tangle of arms and legs.

  “Bleedin’ ’ell,” Jenna grumbled, struggling to extricate herself. “You’re ’eavier than you look.”

  Ignoring her, Emily scrambled to her feet and lunged for the bag she’d dropped at the base of the tree. The bag that contained the very thing she’d risked so much for.

  “You ’ave it?” Jenna spoke from behind her.

  Yes, she had it. But at what cost?

  Opening the bag, she peered inside. The many facets of the diamond necklace nestled within winked up at her mockingly.

  At that moment, the sound of harnesses jingling and the clip-clop of horses’ hooves from the courtyard at the front of the house announced the arrival of the Tuttlestons.

  “We ’ave to go,” Jenna warned, laying a hand on her arm. “Miles is waiting with the ’orses.”

  Emily nodded and glanced back at the manor one last time. For better or worse, her fate was sealed.

  She turned and followed her friend off into the surrounding darkness.

  Chapter 1

  London

  "I want to hire you.”

  Caught off guard by the surprising statement, Peter Quick blinked, then raised an eyebrow at the man seated across from him. A man who had been like a father
to him for the past eight years of his life. “I beg your pardon?”

  Tristan Knight, the Earl of Ellington, set aside the snifter of brandy he’d been nursing for the last hour and rose, unfolding his broad frame from the depths of the armchair closest to the hearth. Turning his back to the room, he braced a hand on the mantelpiece and stared into the flames for a long, silent moment before finally continuing, his tone gruff.

  “Something must be done. This is the third robbery in less than a month, and the local constabulary is no closer to catching the thief than they were in the beginning.” He glanced over his shoulder, the concern plain to see in his expression. “I’m afraid we have need of your expertise.”

  Propping his elbows on his knees, Peter leaned forward and studied the earl closely. He’d suspected something was afoot when his unexpected guest had arrived on the doorstep of his Fleet Street flat earlier that evening, and he’d known what it was the minute the subject of the Oxfordshire Thief had been broached. But he’d thought Tristan only wanted the benefit of his advice. Never would he have imagined that the man might actually want to engage his services as a Bow Street Runner.

  “You say this most recent theft occurred during a dinner party?” he prompted.

  “Yes. Several thousand pounds’ worth of jewelry was stolen. And the scoundrel managed to do it with at least twenty guests just down the hall in Lord and Lady Fulberry’s dining room. Ever since the first robbery at the Tuttleston estate, he’s grown bolder and bolder, and the longer the authorities go without coming up with a viable suspect, the more they’re pointing fingers.” The earl’s mouth tightened. “I don’t like the direction they’re pointing them in.”

  For Peter, the light suddenly dawned. “The Park?”

  Tristan gave a sharp inclination of his head.

  Willow Park. It had been the only real home Peter had ever known as a boy, a place where he’d felt safe and accepted for the first time in his life. After years on the street as the leader of a band of young pickpockets known as the Rag-Tag Bunch, it had been a warm haven from the miserable existence he’d known in the rookeries of London. And now it offered the same protection to other children. Children for whom stealing and scrapping for a living had been the only way to survive.

  “We have several older boys who have come to us only recently,” the earl was saying, moving away from the fireplace and crossing the tiny parlor to stand before Peter. “No one has come right out and accused them of anything, of course, but the insinuation is there, all the same.” A muscle flexed in his jaw. “It’s starting to upset Deirdre, and I don’t have to tell you how much I dislike seeing Deirdre upset.”

  Peter nodded. “Especially now, I would expect.”

  “Yes. Especially now.”

  It was no secret that the Earl of Ellington was madly in love with his beautiful wife. He’d always been protective of her, but after suffering several miscarriages in the past eight years, the countess was currently in the final month of a rather difficult pregnancy, and Tristan was being ferocious in his care of her.

  “Of course, it doesn’t help that one of the boys they suspect is Benji.”

  “What?” Stunned by Tristan’s words, Peter jerked his head up to meet the earl’s gaze, unable to hide his astonishment. “That’s bloody ridiculous! Benji would never be responsible for something like this.”

  “You and I both know that, but the law doesn’t.” The earl expelled a gust of air and reached up to rake his fingers through his ebony hair in a familiar gesture. “The truth is, Benji has been…different lately. Quiet, withdrawn. Deirdre’s worried about him, and I don’t mind admitting that I am, too.”

  Benji had been the youngest member of the Rag-Tag Bunch, a sprightly, charming lad who had grown into a young man of integrity and intelligence. His early love of reading had led to a love of academics, and with the proper schooling and the continued support of the earl and countess, the fourteen-year-old seemed well on his way to a bright future, despite his impoverished beginnings.

  However, it had been quite some time since he’d seen the boy, Peter had to acknowledge with an inner pang of guilt. His last visit to Willow Park had been well over a year ago. And now that he thought about it, he hadn’t had a letter from Benji—who was usually an avid correspondent—in weeks. Could the youth he’d thought he’d known so well, who had been like a younger brother to him, have changed so much?

  Lunging to his feet, he began to pace in front of the sofa he’d been sitting on, his strides long and furious. “I refuse to believe it. He’s not capable of it.”

  “I agree, and I needn’t tell you that Deirdre won’t even hear of the possibility.” The earl crossed his arms, watching Peter with those unnerving violet eyes that had always seemed to see so much. “But you can understand why we need your help. The situation is swiftly becoming desperate.”

  Taking a step forward, he laid a hand on Peter’s shoulder, bringing his pacing to a halt. “Come home,” he said softly.

  Home. To Oxfordshire. To Willow Park and the Ellington estate, Knighthaven. To the very person he’d been so diligently avoiding for the last four years.

  Home to Emily.

  Forcefully shaking off his thoughts before they could wander any further in a dangerous direction, Peter turned back to the earl. “I don’t know. I doubt the local authorities would appreciate my interference in their investigation.”

  “I should think they would be grateful for your assistance. Little Haverton isn’t London. The law there isn’t used to taking charge of cases like this. Petty thievery, certainly, but something on this scale…No, if it’s left up to them they’ll never catch the bloody bounder.”

  Peter had to concede that Tristan had a point. From what he could remember of law enforcement in the tiny village of Little Haverton, they were ill-equipped to deal with a professional thief of this caliber. Still…

  He met the earl’s gaze squarely. “Perhaps it would be best if you went to another Runner with this. With my ties to those involved—”

  But Tristan was already shaking his head. “You’re the only one I can trust to look after the interests of Benji and the other boys, to make sure they’re not hounded for something they didn’t do.” One corner of his mouth quirked upward in a slight smile. “We need the best Bow Street has to offer, and from what I hear, that would be you.”

  The obvious pride in the earl’s voice filled Peter with a fierce sense of accomplishment. That was all he’d ever wanted. To make Tristan and Deirdre proud of him. To prove to them that he was worthy of the confidence they’d shown in him over the years.

  Even if he didn’t always believe it himself.

  “I’ve heard tales of the escaped murderer you managed to track all the way to the Scottish border last year,” Tristan told him, clapping him on the back. “And half of England knows about that robbery ring you uncovered in Brighton. The boys at Willow Park seem to talk about nothing but your exploits. They all want to be Runners someday.”

  He paused for a moment, then bowed his head, scrubbing a hand over the back of his neck with a sheepish expression. “But I must confess that your talents as an investigator aren’t the only reason I want you to come home.”

  Peter’s brow lowered. “Oh?”

  “It’s been years since you’ve been to Oxfordshire for anything more than a brief visit. You know how Deirdre worries, and the children ask about you all the time. We all miss you.”

  And what about Emily? Did she miss him?

  The thought sprang into Peter’s head before he could quell it, and he once again found himself pushing it away. He’d lost the right to ask that question long ago.

  With an effort, he struggled to focus on what Tristan was saying. “I know you’ve been busy, and Deirdre and I are glad you’ve managed to make a successful life for yourself. But don’t forget you have a family who cares for you a great deal. A family who would like to see you every now and again.”

  Family. Peter felt another sharp ja
b of guilt. It was because of Lord and Lady Ellington that he even knew the meaning of the word. He owed them both so much, and he hated the thought of them—not to mention Benji and the other children at Willow Park—being subjected to the suspicious conjectures of the citizens of Little Haverton. If there was a way he could help by bringing this thief to justice, shouldn’t he be willing to do so? Perhaps he could even get to the bottom of what was troubling Benji.

  “You know there’s always a place for you at Knighthaven.” Tristan clapped him one last time on the back, then turned away to retrieve his brandy from the table next to the armchair. “And I’m certain Emily will be delighted to have her old friend in residence again.”

  Peter froze, glad that the earl had his back turned and couldn’t see the sudden tension that must show on his face. He was immediately flung back in time to a fragrant, moonlit garden. To the taste of soft, sweet lips moving under his own and the feel of silken gold curls wrapped around his fingers.

  Barely stifling a groan, he whirled and stalked to the window, staring down at the darkened street below. Bloody hell! He couldn’t believe that the memories were still so easily called forth, even after all this time.

  “You know…” Tristan’s voice at his shoulder jolted him from his brooding reverie. “I never asked you why you made such an abrupt departure from Oxfordshire, and I won’t ask you now. I’m certain you had your reasons. But if the authorities manage to lay the blame for these thefts on one of the boys, they’ll take advantage of the opportunity to close Willow Park for good.” His face darkened. “Not only would that devastate the children, it would tear Deirdre apart, as well. I refuse to stand by and watch that happen.”