The Promise

BRENDA JOYCE

The Promise

MILLS & BOON

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For Kathy Pichnarcik

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

PART ONE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

PART TWO

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

PART THREE

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

PROLOGUE

Adare, Ireland

Summer 1824

THE ANIMATED SOUND OF adult conversation drifted from the mansion’s formal dining room, where the Earl of Adare was having a supper party in celebration of his wife’s birthday. The children had gathered in an intimate salon across the great, vaulted entry hall from the dining room, and Elysse O’Neill, who was eleven years old, sat on the gold brocade sofa in her most formal supper dress, wishing she had been allowed to join the adults. Her best friend, Ariella de Warenne, also dressed up for the party, was beside her, engrossed in a book. Elysse could not understand her friend—she hated reading. She would have been bored, if not for the boys.

They stood in a huddle on the other side of the salon, excitedly whispering to one another. Elysse stared at them, trying to eavesdrop, knowing they meant to cause trouble. Her eyes were riveted on Alexi de Warenne, Ariella’s brother, as he was always the leader of the pack.

She had met him four years ago, when he had first arrived in London with his father and Ariella, from Jamaica Island where he had been raised. Upon being introduced, she had snubbed him instantly, although his dark, bronzed looks and swaggering air of confidence had instantly fascinated her. After all, he was a bastard, even if his mother was a Russian noblewoman, and she was a lady, so she meant to put him down. But he hadn’t been affected by the rejection; instead, he had proceeded to regale her with his stories of his life. Elysse had expected him to be backward and gauche, but he was neither of those things. She quickly realized that she had never met any boy before who had lived through as much as he had. He had sailed across the world with his father, weathering hurricanes and monsoons, avoiding naval blockades and pirates, while carrying the world’s most precious cargoes! He had swum with dolphins, climbed the Himalayan Mountains, trekked jungles in Brazil. He had even sailed a raft up a river in China without his father! In fact, he had bragged that he could sail anything, anywhere—and she had believed him. Within an hour, she had decided that he was the most interesting boy she had ever met—not that she would ever let him know!

She knew him well now. Alexi was an adventurer, like his seafaring father, and he could not stay on land for very long, or sit still, either. What were the boys up to? They hurried across the salon, and she realized that they were about to leave, their goal the terrace doors.

Pushing her golden hair behind her ears and smoothing down her blue satin dress, Elysse slid to her feet. “Wait,” she cried. She rushed over to them. “Where are you going?”

Alexi grinned at her. “Errol Castle.”

Her heart lurched. Everyone knew the castle ruins were haunted! “Are you mad?”

His blue eyes danced. “Don’t you want to come, Elysse? Don’t you want to see the old ghost who wanders the north tower in the light of the full moon?” Alexi leaned close. “They say he pines for his lady love. I know how you adore romance! She left him, you know, on a full moon—for another man. And so he killed himself, forever to walk the tower when the moon is full.”

“Of course I know the story.” Her heart beat with alarm and fear. She wasn’t brave like Alexi or her younger brother, Jack, or Ned, the earl’s heir, who stood with them. She had no desire to rush off into the night and meet the ghost.

“Coward,” Alexi said softly. He touched her chin. “I’ll protect you, you know.”

She jerked away. “And how will you do that? You are only a boy—and a mad boy, at that!”

His smile faded. “If I say I will protect you, I will.”

She believed he would do just that—even from a ghost. She hesitated, not wanting to go with them. “Ladies don’t have to be brave, Alexi. They must only be graceful, politic, polite and beautiful.”

“Of course they do! My stepmother has sailed the world with my father and even fought pirates at his side. She is brave and beautiful.” His eyes gleamed.

Ned stepped forward. “Leave her be, Alexi. She doesn’t want to come with us.”

Her younger brother, Jack, snickered at her.

Ariella walked up to them, having actually put down her history book. “I’ll go.” Her blue eyes were wide and bright. “I would love to see the ghost!”

Alexi gave Elysse a daring look.

“Fine!” she cried, furious that he had taunted her into agreeing. “But how will we get there?”

“It won’t take more than twenty minutes if we ride,” Ned said. “The girls can ride double, behind us. Jack can ride by himself.”

This was a horrible idea—Elysse simply knew it—but everyone else was wide-eyed with excitement. Within moments, she was following the boys and Ariella across the terrace to a paddock where they would steal their mounts. The boys often rode bareback, with just a bridle or even a halter. Now, she wished they were horrid horsemen—but they were not. The night was so dark and so quiet! As she followed them across Adare’s great gardens, she glanced up at the gleaming moon. It was full and bright. She prayed they would not encounter any ghost that night.

A few minutes later everyone was astride, and they were trotting away from the house. Elysse held on hard to Alexi, angrier with him by the minute. He was an excellent horseman, but she was a terrible rider, and she was afraid she would fall off.

“You are breaking my ribs,” he said, with laughter in his tone.

“I hate you,” she exclaimed.

“No, you don’t.”

They rode in silence the rest of the way. Ahead, in the moon’s odd yellow light, she saw the dark shadows of Errol Castle. It was huge.

It was so quiet now. All she could hear was the rhythmic clip-clop of their horses’ hooves and her own thundering heartbeat. Beneath her hands, she could feel Alexi’s breath come more rapidly and thought she could feel his heart, racing more swiftly than it should. They passed through the piles of eerily white stones that had once been the outer walls of the barbican. She wanted to turn around and go home! Suddenly a wolf howled.

Alexi’s slim body stiffened. Elysse whispered nervously, “There are never wolves this close to Adare.”

“It isn’t close.” They halted their horses by the gaping entrance in the stone walls of the castle, which had once been the front door. Through the shadows of the maze of stone walls inside, she could see the lone standing tower at the other end of the ruins. She swallowed dryly. Her heart thundered.

Alexi whispered, “They say he carries a torch—the same torch he carried for his lost love.” He gave her his hand, twisting a bit to do so. “Slide down.”

Elysse did so, keeping her balance by holding his hand. Everyone dismounted. Ariella whispered, “We didn’t bring candles.”

“Yes, we did,” Alexi said proudly. He produced a candle from a breeches pocket, and lit it with flint. “C’mon.” He swiftly started inside, clearly intent on leading the way.

Everyone followed. Her stomach churning with dread, Elysse balked. She did not want to go inside.

The group of children vanished into the darkness inside the ruined castle. Elysse bit her lip, breathing hard. She became aware of being absolutely alone in the dark night, outside of the ruins. And perhaps that was even worse.

Something moved behind her. She cried out, leaping in fright, only to realize that one of the grazing horses had bumped into her. An owl hooted, the sound ominous. She hated adventure! She liked parties and pretty things! But being outside alone was worse than going inside with everyone else. Elysse rushed after the other children.

It was almost pitch-black inside and she could not see. She could hear their whispers, somewhere ahead, and she ran, trying to follow them. But the interior of the ruins was a stone maze. She hit a wall, panicked and turned, found a corner, and turned that, too. Her foot caught, and she tripped and fell.

She started to call out to Alexi, to tell him to wait, when she saw a flash of bright light in the darkness on the other side of the castle where the tower was. She froze, crouching by the wall, afraid to cry out. Had she just seen the light of the ghost’s torch?

Afraid to move or make a sound, afraid the ghost would find her, she became utterly still. She realized she couldn’t hear her friends anymore. Where were they?

Panic overcame her. She saw the light again! Elysse rushed from the corner where she had been crouching, intent on fleeing the castle and the ghost. Instead, she found herself turning corner after corner, tripping and falling as she ran. She bumped her knees, skinned her hands. Why hadn’t she left the ruins already? Where was the entrance? She realized she had reached a dead end. What might have been the huge wall of a fireplace blocked her. She fell against the rough stone, panting harshly, and that was when she heard the galloping horses.

They were leaving her?

She choked on a sob of fearful disbelief. She turned her back to the wall, and saw the ghost with his torch coming toward her. Fear paralyzed her.

“Elysse!” Alexi cried, hurrying forward.

She felt her knees buckle in absolute relief. It was Alexi, carrying the candle, not the ghost with his torch. She cried out, weeping. “Alexi! I thought you left me. I thought I’d be lost forever!”

He put the candle down and swept her into his arms. “It’s all right. You’re not lost. I’d never leave you. Didn’t I say I would always protect you?”

She held on to him, hard. “I didn’t think you’d find me—I heard the horses leaving!”

“Don’t cry. I’m here now. You heard my father, the earl and your father pursuing us. They are outside—and they are furious.” His gaze was searching. “How could you think that I wouldn’t find you?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered, trembling, her face wet with tears. But she had stopped crying.

“If you are lost, I will find you. If you are in danger, I will protect you,” he said seriously. “It’s what a gentleman does, Elysse.”

She inhaled. “Promise?”

He slowly smiled and brushed a tear from her face. “I promise.”

She finally smiled back at him. “I’m sorry I am not brave.”

“You are very brave, Elysse. You just don’t know it.” Clearly, he believed his every word.

CHAPTER ONE

Askeaton, Ireland

March 23, 1833

ALEXI HADN’T BEEN HOME in more than two years, but it felt like an eternity. Elysse O’Neill smiled at herself in the gilded mirror hanging over the handsome rosewood bureau in her pink, mauve and white bedroom. She had just finished dressing for the occasion. She knew that her excitement was obvious—she was flushed, her eyes bright. She was thrilled that Alexi de Warenne had come home, at last. She couldn’t wait to hear all about his adventures!

She couldn’t help wondering if he would notice that she was a grown woman now; she’d had a dozen suitors in the past two years, not to mention five offers of marriage.

She smiled again, deciding that her pastel-green gown made her nearly violet eyes even more intriguing. She was accustomed to male admiration; boys had begun to look at her when she was barely more than a child. Alexi had, too. She wondered what he would think of her now. She wasn’t certain why she wanted him to notice her this evening—they were only friends, after all. Impulsively, she tugged her neckline down, adjusting it to show off just a bit more of her cleavage.

He had never been gone for so long before. She wondered if he had changed. When he’d left on a run to Canada for fur, she hadn’t known that it would be years before he would return, but she recalled their parting as if it had been yesterday.

He looked at her with that cocky grin he had. “And will you be wearing a ring when I get back?”

She’d known immediately what he meant. Startled, she had quickly recovered and her answer had been coy. “I always wear rings.” But she had wondered if some dashing Englishman would sweep her off her feet before he returned. She certainly hoped so!

“Not diamonds.” His thick black lashes lowered, shielding his brilliant blue eyes from her.

She shrugged. “I can’t help it if I have so many suitors, Alexi. There will probably be many suits. Father will surely know which one to accept for me.”

He shrugged in return. “Yes, I imagine Devlin will make certain you are properly married off.”

Their eyes met and held. One day, her father would find her a great match. She had overheard her parents speaking about it and knew they wanted it to be a love match, as well. How perfect would that be?

“If I am not offered for, I will be vastly insulted,” she said, meaning it.

“Isn’t it enough that you are always surrounded by admirers?”

“I hope to be wed by the time I am eighteen!” she exclaimed. Her eighteenth birthday would be in the fall—only six months away—while Alexi was still in Canada. Hear heart lurched oddly. With confusion, she shook off the strange feeling of dread, smiling brightly at him. She took his hands. “What will you bring me this time?” He always brought her a gift when he returned from the sea.

After a pause, he spoke softly. “I will bring you back a Russian sable, Elysse.”

She was surprised. “You are sailing for Lower Canada.”

“I know where I am going,” he replied, his gaze direct. “And I will bring you back a Russian sable.”

She scoffed at him, certain he was teasing her. He had simply grinned. Then he had said goodbye to the rest of her family and swaggered out of the salon, while she rushed off to a tea, where her most recent suitors were eagerly awaiting her….

He had remained in Canada for several months, apparently having some problems acquiring a cargo for the run home. When he had finally raced back to Liverpool, he hadn’t stayed. Instead, he had turned around directly for the islands for sugarcane. She had been surprised, even disappointed.

Of course, she had never doubted that he would follow in his father’s footsteps. Cliff de Warenne had one of the world’s most successful maritime transport companies, and Alexi had been at sea with his father for most of his life. It was a foregone conclusion that, when he came of age, Alexi would take on the most lucrative trade routes, carrying the most profitable cargoes, as his father had once done. At the age of seventeen he’d commanded his first ship. Elysse was the daughter of a retired naval captain, and she truly understood how much Alexi loved the sea—it was in his blood. Men like Cliff de Warenne and her father, Devlin O’Neill—men like Alexi—could never remain on land for very long.

Still, she had expected him to come home after his run to the West Indies. He always came home, sooner or later. But instead he had refitted his ship in Liverpool and set a course to China!

When Elysse had learned that he had leased his ship, the Ariel, to the East India Company, which had a monopoly on the China trade, she had grown worried. Although retired, Devlin O’Neill frequently advised both the Admiralty and the Foreign Offices on matters of imperial and maritime policy, and Elysse was well versed in the subjects of trade, economics and foreign policy. She had heard all kinds of talk about the China trade in past few years. The China Sea was perilous—it remained mostly uncharted territory, with hidden reefs, submerged rocks and unknown shoals, not to mention monsoons and, far worse, typhoons. Beating up the China Sea was easy enough, if one didn’t encounter one of those half-hidden rocks or reefs, with the south-westerly monsoons to aid you. But beating through the sea when homeward bound was difficult and dangerous. However, Alexi would think the danger the very best part of his voyage! Alexi de Warenne was fearless and loved a challenge—Elysse knew that very well.

But apparently Elysse had worried about him in vain. Last night, Ariella had sent her a note, telling her that Alexi had just arrived at Windhaven. It had been midnight when she’d gotten the hand-delivered message. She had been stunned to learn he had safely put into Liverpool a few days ago, with five hundred and five tons of silks and tea, having made the homeward run from Canton in one hundred and twelve days—a feat everyone was talking about. For a captain new to the route to make that kind of speed was terribly impressive, and Elysse knew it. He’d be able to command top dollar for his freight the next time he ran home from China. Knowing Alexi as well as she did, he would surely brag about that.

Elysse gave herself a final glance in the mirror and tugged at her bodice one last time, well aware that her mother would take her aside for being so daring. She was an acclaimed beauty—every suitor she’d ever had had raved about her striking blond looks. She had been told many times that she took after both of her parents—she was petite, with amethyst eyes, like her mother, and golden like her father. There had been many suits and five marriage proposals in the past two years. She’d turned every suitor and each proposal down, although she was now twenty, and her father had not minded. She hoped that Alexi wouldn’t taunt her for still being single. Hopefully, he wouldn’t recall her plan to be happily married by the age of eighteen.

“Elysse! We’re here—Alexi is home and he is downstairs!” Ariella cried, knocking on her door from the corridor outside.

Elysse inhaled, suddenly so excited that she felt a bit faint. She ran for the door, opening it. Her best friend’s eyes widened at Elysse’s evening dress just before they embraced. “Are you going out tonight? Have I been excluded from an invitation to a dinner party?”

Elysse smiled. “Of course I’m not going out. I want to hear all about China and Alexi’s adventures! How do I look?” She swiftly pirouetted.

Ariella was a year younger than Elysse, with exotic looks—light eyes, olive skin and dark golden hair. Unfashionably educated, she had a preference for libraries and museums, and an aversion to shopping and balls. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were hoping to impress someone.”

“Why would I bother to try to impress your brother?” She laughed. “But he had better notice that I am grown-up now—and the most desirable debutante in all of Ireland.”

Ariella was wry. “Alexi has shortcomings, but a failure to notice attractive women isn’t one of them.”

Elysse closed the door. Alexi was a notorious ladies’ man, but that was hardly a surprise—the de Warenne men were infamous for their rakish ways, which ended on their wedding day. It was an old family adage that when a de Warenne fell in love, it was once and forever, although it might take some time for that climactic event to happen. Elysse squeezed Ariella’s hand as they started down the long corridor, lined with family portraits. “Did he say why he’s been gone so long?”

“My brother is a seaman and an adventurer,” Ariella said. “He is smitten with China—or the China trade, anyway. It was all he could talk about last night—he wants to build a clipper just for the trade!”

Elysse looked at her as they went downstairs. “Then he will continue to lease out to the East India Company? I was surprised when I had heard he’d leased the Ariel out. I can’t imagine Alexi in someone else’s employ.” Alexi had never leased out his ship before.