Kane, Samantha - Brothers In Arms 06

BOOK: Kane, Samantha - Brothers In Arms 06
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Love in Exile

Samantha Kane

Brothers in Arms, Book Six

Gregory Anderson has reluctantly returned to England in 1817 after more than seven years sailing the world. Half Polynesian, Gregory is caught between two worlds.

He isn’t looking for love. He’s only looking for a warm body with a modicum of wit and reasonable intelligence to help him get through the few short months he’ll be in England.

Nat and Alecia Digby’s marriage, arranged when they were young and foolish, was almost ruined before it began when they both took lovers. They don’t want to give up the erotic games they learned to play and enjoy, but they won’t risk their marriage again by falling in love with someone else.

When the three meet, they think it will be nothing more than a night or two of shared pleasure and erotic thrills. But the unthinkable happens, because love refuses to be forced into exile.

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Love in Exile

ISBN 9781419925283

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Love in Exile Copyright © 2009 Samantha Kane

Edited by Raelene Gorlinsky

Cover art by Syneca

Electronic book publication December 2009

The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

LOVE IN EXILE

Samantha Kane

Dedication

For my husband, my family and my readers, who have all been so very patient.

Acknowledgements

This book would not have been completed without the invaluable help of our summer nanny, Amy. We all love and miss her, but wish her well in her new teaching job. I’d also like to thank the General Research Desk librarians at The High Point Public Library, who were able to find all the sources I requested.

Author’s Note

A quick nod to the two main sources of information I used for this book.
Cook: The
Extraordinary Voyages of Captain James Cook
by Nicholas Thomas (New York, NY: Walker Publishing Company, Inc., 2003) and
Farther Than Any Man: the Rise and Fall of Captain
James Cook
by Martin Dugard (New York, NY: Pocket Books, 2001). Both books contained extensive excerpts from Cook’s own journals, written during his voyages, and the journals of his officers, crew and fellow scholars.

I used traditional Maori tattoo designs as the inspiration for my description of the hero’s
tatau
. Gregory Anderson’s mother was from the Friendly Islands, modern-day Tonga, but traditional Tongan designs are lost to history. When Christian missionaries converted the inhabitants of the Friendly Islands in the eighteenth century, the new Christians gave up their
tatatau
, and very few descriptions survived. The
moko
of the Maori, however, were well-documented, and are still popular today. And I confess, I love traditional Maori designs. So the decision to use them was partly based on research, but mostly on my own preferences. I hope readers will indulge me.

Samantha Kane

Chapter One

“Ah, I see the native has returned.”

Gregory Anderson turned toward the drawling voice, the other man’s malice barely contained beneath his bored, slightly amused tone. It was Hardington. Gregory’s first foray into polite society since returning to England and he had to run into one of his least tolerable acquaintances. He hadn’t seen Hardington since just after the war.

Gregory had spurned his advances, and his offer to invest in Gregory’s first voyage.

The man was completely untrustworthy.

Gregory raised a brow coolly as he met Hardington’s stare and then insolently ran his gaze down the other man’s form. Hardington was tricked out beautifully, of course.

The man knew the only likeable thing about him was his looks. He was tall, dark, brooding, well built. Too bad his mind was a cesspool.

“You are still astoundingly unappealing, Hardington,” Gregory responded politely,

“and the answer is still no.”

There were gasps from several people standing near and unabashedly

eavesdropping. Hardington’s face went rigid with dislike as his cheeks turned red.

Gregory sighed inwardly. As if his appearance wasn’t fodder enough for the gossips, he had lost control of his unruly tongue again. But since they were going to be talking about him over tea tomorrow anyway, he might as well make sure the gossip was as spectacular as he could possibly make it.

Hardington stepped closer. “You are in my world now, Anderson,” he ground out quietly. “I would be very careful if I were you.”

Gregory looked away from Hardington, disgusted with himself almost as much as the other man. Then he caught sight of Daniel Steinberg smiling at him broadly from the other side of the ballroom and he forgot completely about Hardington’s presence.

“Excuse me,” Gregory said to no one in particular and moved across the room toward Daniel. It was like swimming against the tide. The brightly colored gowns and waistcoats in the ballroom shone in the candlelight reminding Gregory of the brightly colored fish of the South Seas. And like startled fish, people darted out of his way as he passed.

He knew he was imposing at well over six feet tall, with shoulders so broad his tailor despaired. But he also knew it wasn’t his physical presence that made the people around him nervous. It was fear. He was, after all, half savage, and God knew he could revert to his base nature at any moment. He scoffed as two colorless debutantes scuttled out of his way. They need have no fear. He had no desire to throw them down and plunder their inviolate innocence. They appealed to him about as much as Hardington.

6

Love in Exile

Daniel fought through the crowd and met him halfway. “Gregory,” he cried in obvious delight. “When did you arrive in town?” He stuck his hand out and grasped Gregory’s in a firm handshake as he reached up and squeezed Gregory’s shoulder with the other.

Daniel’s greeting was so warm that Gregory forgot the cold welcome he’d received so far. “Only yesterday,” Gregory replied shaking Daniel’s hand with both of his. “God, Daniel, it’s good to see you.” He knew his smile was as broad as Daniel’s. He had missed his old childhood friend these many years he’d been gone.

“Palu,” was all Daniel said, a world of meaning in the old childhood name.

Gregory could see understanding in Daniel’s eyes before he let go of Gregory’s hand and grabbed his arm, pulling Gregory toward a group of people looking at the two of them with undisguised interest. “Come on, let me introduce you to some new friends, and there are some old ones here who will be thrilled to see you again.”

“So you’ve finally decided we are not all bad and are going to grace us with your presence,” an amused voice drawled from the middle of the group as they walked up, and Simon Gantry smoothly stepped between two people to stand in front of Gregory.

“Simon,” Gregory cried, and shook the offered hand. “How are you?”

“How am I?” Simon said with a laugh. “Well I’m quite all right, seeing as how I’ve been stuck here in England while you sailed the world, discovering new lands and seducing innocent natives.”

Gregory laughed for the first time since arriving in the chilly ballroom. “That would be discovering new plants, and being seduced by natives.”

Simon waved his hand airily in front of him with a snort. “The distinction is negligible.”

“Not to the plants,” Gregory replied seriously, earning another laugh from Simon.

Simon turned then and pulled a voluptuous, chestnut-haired beauty out of the pack. “My dear, let me introduce you to Mr. Gregory Anderson. Gregory, this is Mrs.

Neville, Phillip Neville’s wife.” The lady smiled widely and Gregory bent over to kiss her outstretched hand.

“Mr. Anderson,” she said, and her voice was sweet and deep, like dark rum. “I’ve heard so much about you. And might I add that you live up to your well-deserved reputation.”

“My thanks,” Gregory replied with a grin. “I think.” She appeared to be with child, although her dress masked most of it. Perhaps that was why she seemed to glow with health and exude sensuality.

She laughed just as Phillip Neville and Jonathan Overton stepped up. Neville held out a glass and his wife took it gratefully. Gregory noticed that Overton stood at her other side, his hand on her arm proprietarily. So, he had read Daniel’s letter correctly.

The three were together. Interesting.

7

Samantha Kane

“Anderson,” Overton said somberly, shaking his hand. Then he grinned, and Gregory was struck by the difference in him. He had always been serious to the point of morbidity. Neville and his beautiful wife seemed to have brought about a miraculous change. “It’s good to see you again. When did you return?”

“In London, only yesterday,” he replied, realizing that he’d be repeating it all night.

“But we docked at Liverpool over a month ago. I paid my respects to my aunt and uncle and cousins before coming here.” He shook his head with disbelief. “And somehow Wilchester got wind of it and sent round an invitation. Where is the happy couple?”

To say Gregory had been shocked to receive an invitation to the ball the Earl of Wilchester was giving to celebrate the marriage of his nephew Ian Witherspoon was an understatement. When he had arrived at his London townhouse to find the invitation he thought surely there was a mistake. But the earl, a patron of the Royal Society, had included a handwritten message urging him to come. He could hardly refuse.

“Dancing around somewhere,” a feminine voice said from behind him, with no little disgruntlement. “Apparently we are all expected to dance our feet off.”

“Very,” another woman’s voice said quietly.

Gregory turned to see Kate Collier…no, it was Lady Randall now…standing a few feet away, smiling at him. She was still arrestingly beautiful with her white-blonde hair.

“Lady Randall,” he said, stepping toward her at the same time she stepped forward.

Her smile was genuine. “Mr. Anderson, how delightful to see you again.”

“My congratulations on the birth of your son,” Gregory said.

Lady Randall beamed. “Thank you. Yes, Anthony. He’s a delight. But I must say a baby has turned the house on its head.” She laughed as she turned to the woman standing behind her and pulled her forward. She was young, but it was clear that she was going to lead some man a merry chase very soon. Tall, slim, shapely, with lustrous dark hair and eyes that snapped with intelligence and deviltry, the young lady’s gaze traveled up and down his person with obvious admiration. “May I introduce my niece, Miss Thomas?” Lady Randall said.

The young woman curtsied gracefully, somehow managing to keep her eyes on him the whole time. “How do you do, Mr. Anderson,” she drawled with a flirtatious grin.

“It is absolutely
delightful
to make your acquaintance.”

Gregory bowed from a safe distance. He preferred to admire her type from afar.

Alluring and just spreading her wings to begin exploring the games men and women played. He didn’t venture into those waters if he could avoid them. “Miss Thomas,” he replied politely.

BOOK: Kane, Samantha - Brothers In Arms 06
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