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And think about what to do about Elizabeth. Of all the matters before him, that was proving to be the most difficult. His mind told him to send her back home, but his actions, his words, suggested that he wanted the very opposite. Not to mention the fact that he’d only just left the manor and he already missed her.
William tried to put the thought of her aside during the remainder of the trip, but it was a fruitless act. Once Wesley brought the carriage to a stop in that same secluded area where he usually parked, William found it easier to stop thinking about her and to focus instead on the noise he could already overhear.
He made his way through the two dilapidated houses shielding the carriage and spotted Nelson almost instantly. He stood out amongst the narrow-framed men, his massive body a force to be reckoned with. Nelson, however, did not spot William until he was right upon him.
“You’re here!” he bellowed with a happy grin. Nelson pulled William into a hearty hug, patting him heavily on the back. “For a moment, I thought you wouldn’t come, my friend.”
“Believe me when I say, I was considering it,” William told him, even as a smile found his lips. Nelson was volatile, excitable, and far too eager to get himself in trouble, but he was also the sort of man who could make you forget your troubles and simply have fun.
“With a lady like that at home, I couldn’t blame you,” Nelson said, wagging his eyebrows.
William scowled at him. “Mention Beth again and you will live to regret it.”
“Beth, is it?” Nelson exclaimed, eyes widening. He chuckled, nodding. “Mum’s the word, my friend! Now, come. It’s time for us to get good and drunk!”
With that said, Nelson shouldered his way into the tavern. William followed. The noise was riotous. A few men sat in one corner playing cards, shouting at each other and claiming the other was cheating. Leaning across the counter were a few men who were far too gone, a few of them actually sleeping amidst the noise and the chaos. Barmaids traipsed through the wooden tables and chairs spread out through the tight space, the subject of ogling men and lusting comments. Some of the women seemed to be enjoying the attention, while the older ones appeared quite annoyed.
Nelson bellowed at the tavern owner to bring over two pints of ale before he made his way to an empty seat a short distance away from the door. William claimed the seat before him.
“Now,” he began. “You said you would tell me what brought you back to London.”
“You should relax, William,” Nelson roared over the noise. William didn’t think he realized—or that he would care—that he could hear him quite well without him having to shout. “There’s no need to get straight down to business. Let’s get those tense shoulders loosened up a bit first.”
“I have a fine bed at home that will be more than capable of loosening my tense shoulders without me having to come all the way out here,” William stated.
“Yes, yes, Your Lordship, Your Excellency. How could I forget?” The bite of Nelson’s mocking tone was lost with his grin. William couldn’t help chuckling himself.
A barmaid approached with their pints of ale and William ordered a bowl of stew to go along with it, remembering his promise to Harold to eat something. He watched as Nelson took three long gulps of his ale before he said again, “What brought you back to London, Nelson? When I’d last checked, the authorities were looking for you.”
“They aren’t anymore, as you can imagine.” Nelson wiped his mouth. “I knew I only had to be away for a short while, just long enough for them to get distracted by other things, then come back without alerting anyone. Except you, of course.”
“Ah, I certainly feel very special,” William drawled.
“As you should, my friend! As you should!” Nelson grinned from ear to ear before drinking deeply from his tankard again. He set the nearly empty jug onto the table once more, then continued, “You aren’t the only one who’s come into some riches, William.”
William raised his brows, spooning his stew. He was already tensing in anticipation of what Nelson was going to say. “Legitimate riches, I hope?”
“You know there is no such thing for a man like me. I go where the wealth is and if that happens to be down the shadow of death, then so be it.” Nelson didn’t seem particularly grim about that. If anything, he appeared proud. Though, considering the fact that an upset Nelson was someone William wasn’t very used to, he felt a twinge of relief.
“Very well, then,” William said after taking a few sips of his stew. The meal warmed him, and he instantly wished he could have been enjoying this with a lady by his side. With Lady Elizabeth, specifically, by his side. “Go on and tell me what this venture is all about. I know that is why you called me out here.”
