Liam's Luck Read online

  In London he’d dallied among the other servants, both male and female. There had been nothing between him and his lovers and nothing expected. He was lonely, now that he’d put himself in such a strict household. He felt as though he was serving his father’s memory, however. If he had to take care of his sexual desires on his own now, at least he had his own room in the attics.

  He stopped in the servants’ hall for a cup of coffee, finding the place empty as expected. The kitchen staff was about their seemingly endless stream of tasks and the housemaids and footmen were busy upstairs. Settling at the long table in the hall, he poured himself a cup.

  “Hello, Jackson,” Mrs. Hughes said as she joined him. “Am I intruding on your solitude?”

  Jackson smiled at the motherly housekeeper. “I enjoy much solitude, Mrs. Hughes. This afternoon an intrusion is welcome.”

  She nodded sagely. “We are to have another Hawk visitor, Jackson.”

  “Oh.” He took in a slow breath. Another Hawk. Another handsome-as-the-devil and just as tempting Hawk. “When does he arrive?”

  “Tomorrow morning. Mr. Carstairs was going to speak to you about your added duties.”

  “My added duties?”

  She nodded. “You’ll be serving as the man’s valet, Jackson. Peter was adequate with Elliot Hawk last month, but Mr. Carstairs and I feel that this Hawk deserves a more seasoned servant.”

  “Why?”

  Mrs. Hughes just shook her graying head. “That’s not for me to say.”

  The answer was beyond cryptic, but the housekeeper kept the earl’s secrets close. It was only logical that she would protect this newest Hawk, as well.

  “He’ll have my service, Mrs. Hughes.” He dipped his head. “And my loyalty.”

  She smiled at him and stood, taking up her own cup. “Good. I have business to attend in my own study, Jackson. I trust you to serve Liam Hawk well.”

  Liam Hawk. So that would be his new charge. Draining his coffee cup, he stood and headed out to the woods behind the great house.

  The outdoors was a constant lure for him, and the wilds of Yorkshire were filled with opportunities for escape. The July afternoon was warm, so he took off his jacket and rolled back his sleeves. No wrinkles would be evident in his shirt, but he would change before he had to ready the earl for dinner in any event.

  The woods were several degrees cooler than the walk across the lawn, and as he stepped into the dappled shade, he took in a deep breath. He’d been his own companion for the past six months. His own counsel since his father had passed away. If the solitude bothered him now and again, he wasn’t the man to admit to it. Not to the butler or housekeeper and certainly not to the earl himself. A possibility occurred to him. There was a new Hawk arriving tomorrow. Jackson would serve him, but perhaps the gentleman could serve him, as well.

  Not in a sexual manner, although it was safe to assume this man would be as alluring and magnetic as all of the other Hawks. Perhaps he could be a friend, for the time he was here. Jackson was meant for service, and this Liam Hawk was meant for nobility. There was nothing that could come of it.

  Still, he would think of this assignment as the chance to get to know a person as more than a duty. As long as he kept his heart and his passions out of it, what could go wrong?

  A chill coursed over him, which he attributed to the shifting winds out here on the moors. Donning his jacket, he returned to the house.

  * * * *

  Liam sat back as his driver piloted the motorcar toward Hawksfell Manor. His mother had seemed out of sorts this morning as she’d bid him farewell at Sheffield House, but he’d attributed it at the time to her upcoming solitude with both him and Charlotte gone. As for that young woman, she was uncharacteristically quiet. If he closed his eyes, he might be able to imagine himself alone, were it not for her confounding scent. Damned roses.

  “How much longer until we reach Hawksfell Manor, Liam?”

  He refrained from jumping at the sound of her voice. Turning toward her, he eyed her closely. “She speaks at last.”

  Her lush mouth dropped open, causing a flash of heat to course over him. “I was merely following your lead. It seems that even in silence I cannot please you.”

  “Please me?” He tamped down the images those innocent words invoked. “What do you mean, Charlotte?”

  She dropped her gaze to her lap, and he took the opportunity to take in her appearance. Wearing a sunny yellow dress trimmed with an abundance of lace, she looked delectable. The color brought out the rosy tint of her smooth skin, and her posture drew his eye toward the blond curls at the nape of her neck.

  “It seems I irritate you, Liam. All the time, though I have no notion of why that should be.”

  Guilt slashed at him. “You don’t irritate me.”

  Her head shot up, her blue eyes flashing. “Ha! You barely speak to me, and when you do? It is with a tone of voice one would use to address a gnat.”

  Liam began to protest and then remembered they were not alone. Raising his eyebrows toward the driver, he gave a short shake of his head. Charlotte seemed to catch his meaning, he’d known she was a smart girl after all, and pressed her lips together.

  “We should arrive within fifteen minutes, I wager. Brown? An update, please.”

  “You are correct, my lord,” the chauffeur, Brown, agreed. “We’re just making the turn onto Hawksfell property now.”

  Liam nodded in Charlotte’s direction and swiftly turned toward the window once more. She huffed beside him, but stayed silent. He praised the heavens for that small miracle. His mother’s common turn of phrase made him once more wonder what had been troubling her. Before he could think more about it, or look lingeringly at Charlotte again, the driver spoke.

  “Up ahead, Lord Sheffield.”

  Liam straightened as Hawksfell Manor came into view. It was clear that the earl possessed the legendary financial good fortune, as Liam did himself. The manor was very grand. The sprawling house had an impressive edifice, with soaring walls of sandstone leading to peaked roofs of slate that glinted in the morning sunlight. The grounds were well kept and the drive well maintained, and the number of servants lined up on the drive attested to the place being very well staffed.

  “Oh my,” Charlotte breathed.

  The motorcar rolled to a smooth stop, and his chauffeur turned to Liam. “Do you need me to stay, my lord?”

  Liam realized he hadn’t instructed Brown earlier, attesting to his disquiet regarding his mother’s odd behavior.

  “No, Brown. My mother will no doubt need you in my absence. I’ll have word sent if I cannot acquire conveyance home.”

  “Very good, my lord.” Brown stepped out and opened Liam’s door. “Miss Crane.”

  Liam waited as Brown assisted Charlotte from the vehicle. He followed close behind and then checked his movement to maintain some distance from her. She was staring up at the manor, her eyes wide. He forced his attention from her upturned face and straightened to greet the portly gentleman standing before him.

  “Welcome, Lord Sheffield. I am Carstairs, the butler of Hawksfell Manor.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Carstairs.” He waved a hand toward Charlotte. “This is Miss Charlotte Crane, my mother’s ward and my guest.”

  “Very good, my lord,” an older woman with graying brown hair said with a nod. “Miss Crane. I am Mrs. Hughes, the earl’s housekeeper.”

  “A pleasure, Mrs. Hughes,” Charlotte answered with a smile.

  Liam looked down the line of the Hawksfell servants, seeing more pressed black and crisp white than even Sheffield House boasted. The first man in line, Liam assumed he was the earl’s valet, turned compelling eyes on him. His hair was a rich brown, and his full lips were pressed in a line. Liam felt a rush of heat like he had back in his motorcar, and it was very strange.

  “My lord?” Mr. Carstairs was looking pointedly at him.

  Liam nodded with a tight smile. “Yes?”

  “The earl is awaiting you in his s
tudy, my lord. I’ll bring you there while the footmen see to your things.”

  “And you may come with me, Miss Crane,” Mrs. Hughes said. “I’ll have one of our maids show you to your guest room.”

  “Th-thank you,” Charlotte said.

  Liam forced himself to ignore both the breathy, sensual quality of her voice and the valet’s lovely hazel eyes as he followed the butler into the great house. Luxurious trappings and fine furnishings faded from his notice even as he recognized the worth of the title and the man. He was to meet the earl himself, after all. The first Hawk relative he would ever set eyes upon in his life.

  “Lord Sheffield, my lord,” Carstairs said as they reached an opened door.

  A tall, commanding gentleman stood behind a wide carved and polished desk. Liam stared into dark eyes so like his own his breath caught. A sense of vertigo struck him, and he locked his knees to stay upright.

  “Lord Hawksfell,” he managed to say.

  The earl stared just as hard back at him, and then a wide smile curved his lips. “Liam Hawk.”

  Liam nodded.

  “Come in,” the earl went on. “Sit. We have much to discuss.”

  Liam forced his feet to move across the finely woven carpet and settled in the chair facing Lord Hawksfell. He’d never met another Hawk in his life, but it was clear this man was a relative. A close one, if their resemblance was any indication. “We’re connected,” he murmured.

  “Indeed, Liam. I knew of it, but staring the truth of it in the face is a bit stunning, even to me.”

  “Knew?” Liam clutched the arms of his chair. “How? What?” He shook his head. “Forgive me.”

  The earl waved a hand. “There is nothing to forgive. It’s clear to me that you are my brother.”

  Liam’s mouth dropped open. “Your brother?”

  Lord Hawksfell shrugged one broad shoulder. “Half-brother, but I don’t recognize that distinction with either Matthew or Stefan.”

  That brought Liam back to himself, finally. “Lord Hawksfell, are you saying you and I are brothers? And there are more in the family?”

  “Yes. And please call me Gabriel.”

  Liam gave a shaky nod. “Gabriel. I…can you explain this to me?”

  Gabriel arched a brow, an affectation Liam knew he often utilized himself. “We share the same father, Liam. You and I. I’d come across some correspondence from my late father, our late father, and found a note about a girl from a noble family of Irish descent. It didn’t take long for my man-of-affairs to track you down.”

  “But why?” Liam had to know.

  “Why did our father seduce your mother? The last generation of Hawks spread their seed far and wide, and I know he came back to legitimatize you.”

  “My mother never named him. Truth be told, she never spoke of him at all.”

  “I’m not surprised. Our father was a selfish son-of-a-bitch.”

  Liam leaned forward, the old curiosity rising up in him. “You knew him? Your…our father?”

  “He raised me.” Gabriel leaned back, tenting his fingers in front of him. “That is, he was here most of the time our housekeeper was raising me. I trust you’ve met Mrs. Hughes?”

  “Yes. She seems very motherly, actually.”

  “She is the only woman I’ve known in that capacity.” The earl stood. “I’ve given you a lot to think about, Liam. Please know you can come to me with any questions. I would like you to stay here as long as you wish. I’ve arranged service for you. We’ll share my valet. You are, after all, a son of the late earl.”

  The touch of humor was unexpected, and Liam found himself smiling. “Thank you, Gabriel. For the information and the warm welcome.” He stood and held out his hand. The earl, his brother, shook it with a warm firmness.

  “Until this evening, then. You will meet our brother Matthew at dinner, I believe. He and his wife dine here most evenings.”

  “Then Matthew has found wedded bliss? I find that astounding. My mother has always said that all of the male Hawks carried our, um, curse.”

  “Matthew has found the secret, Liam. As have I.”

  “Secret?”

  “To finding true happiness. Forever.”

  Liam scoffed, but he could barely work his mind around the fact that he had three Hawk brothers. He couldn’t think about their states of matrimony at present.

  He managed to nod and make his way out of Gabriel’s office. He was shown to a lovely blue room in what he was told was the bachelors’ wing, but his head wouldn’t stop spinning. When he was finally alone, he closed his eyes and breathed slowly in and out. The earl was his brother?

  That was but one question on his mind at the moment. And the Lord knew what answers he’d find here at Hawksfell Manor.

  Chapter Three

  Charlotte sat at the elegantly set table in the dining room, surrounded by strangers that were clearly all relatives of Liam’s. Just one look at either the earl or Matthew Hawk, the earl’s brother, was enough to bear that out. Each Hawk gentleman was as handsome as the next, and there was an atmosphere of ease and affection that she’d rarely seen at Sheffield House. In the last few years, at least.

  There was love between Liam and his mother. That was certain. And between Lady Sheffield and Charlotte, of course. Among the three of them when they dined together? Never. Those meals were stilted and uncomfortable, with Liam speaking as little as possible and leaving the table before anyone else.

  She glanced over at him now, seeing his gaze going from the Earl to Matthew Hawk and back again. There was a wistfulness in his eyes, along with obvious curiosity.

  “You are Lady Sheffield’s ward, Miss Crane?” Lady Hawksfell asked her.

  Charlotte turned toward the astonishingly beautiful woman seated at the earl’s elbow. She was clearly expecting, as told by the exquisite cut of her dark blue beaded dress covering her small rounded belly. Still, she was rosy and pretty and apparently very pleasant.

  “Yes, my lady,” Charlotte said. “From when I was eight years old. And please call me Charlotte.”

  “You lost your parents, Charlotte?” the countess asked, her gaze gentle and sympathetic.

  The memory still struck Charlotte with sadness, and she nodded mutely.

  “And how did you react Liam, to gaining a sister?” Michael Crowley put in.

  Charlotte stiffened. Liam never considered her a sister, did he? Oh, how horrible would that be? Her lungs seized as she awaited Liam’s answer.

  “Charlotte is my mother’s charge, Mr. Crowley,” he said, his voice clipped.

  Michael Crowley’s blue eyes twinkled. “That is telling.”

  Lady Hawksfell clicked her tongue at him. “Don’t tease Lord Sheffield, Michael.”

  “Was I teasing, Millicent?” the man asked, his fair brows raised.

  The countess simply laughed lightly. “Never mind.”

  He seemed a very affable man, and clearly a favorite of both the earl and the countess. He was very attractive, too. Blond and bright and ­­very different from the earl in looks. As for that gentleman, she could scarcely look directly at him. He was very commanding and had so many features in common with Liam she couldn’t help but find him attractive.

  Liam looked vastly uncomfortable at the exchange between the countess and her particular friend. If Charlotte were to look very closely, she could see that the countess was very fond of Mr. Crowley. For that matter, the earl was, as well. That was not her concern at the moment, however. No. It was the discomfiture of Liam himself.

  Something was troubling him. That was clear. Her affection for him, her attraction, led her to care very much about his well-being. Lady Sheffield had told her this would be a difficult visit for her son. Just what that entailed, Charlotte had no notion.

  Soon the meal concluded, and they all rose to move into the parlor. Charlotte settled on a settee beside Posy, the wife of Matthew Hawk. She’d been told earlier that they resided in the dower house on the Hawksfell estate.

  “
I trust you will stay at Hawksfell for some time, Liam?” Matthew Hawk asked as he poured a glass of brandy. “I know it would be the earl’s fondest wish.”

  Charlotte was unable to keep from watching Liam’s face for his reaction. As she watched, he searched Matthew’s for something she couldn’t fathom.

  “My plans aren’t fixed, but the earl was gracious enough to extend an invitation,” Liam answered him, taking the offered glass from him.

  Matthew’s wife, Posy, giggled, fairly bouncing on the settee beside Charlotte. “Oh he even sounds like you, Matthew. William would be quite diverted!”

  Liam paled a bit, and Charlotte’s heart dropped to her stomach. This was what Lady Sheffield had warned her about before their visit. The clarity of Liam’s connection to the earl, to Matthew Hawk, went beyond some distant Hawk relation.

  “Brothers,” she murmured.

  All heads turned to her. The earl looked intense, of course. The countess and Michael Crowley appeared sympathetic, as did Matthew and Posy. As for Liam? His gaze was so sharp she nearly felt it.

  “Charlotte, please don’t trouble yourself,” the countess said. “I’m sorry to bring up this subject in company, Lord Sheffield, but it isn’t my story to tell. Gabriel?”

  The earl expelled an audible breath. “Liam, I am sorry.”

  Liam nodded and set his glass down on the nearest table. “Forgive me, but I believe I’ll retire to my room.”

  Matthew crossed over to him, placing a hand on his arm. “Liam, Gabriel knows where you can reach me. I’ve been where you are, believe me.”

  Liam’s lips thinned, but he nodded. “I bid you all good night.”

  “Ring for Hartley,” the earl said. “He’ll attend you.”

  Liam nodded and left the room. Charlotte had to grab on to the armrest beside her to keep from following him. After a few more heavy moments of silence, talk resumed with Michael Crowley relating an amusing tale of something or other that occurred when he’d driven into the nearby village of Helsmley.