There is nothing Matthias Deverell, illegitimate son of a marquis, wants more than to remove the murmurs of treason that haunt his father’s name. He is determined to do just that, even if it means completing the nearly impossible task of reassembling the globe his father used as a safe. With pieces spread all over London, it will take all of Matthias’ considerable skill at intimidation to retrieve them. Nicholas Rexford, young Viscount Leighton, wants only to be able to provide a comfortable life for himself and his three sisters. After being left in near-poverty thanks to their father’s spending and gambling, Nick is desperate to find a business venture he can invest in to turn their fortunes around. Sadly, he has no head for business, preferring to spend his time engrossed in horrid novels. When Matthias finds Nick in possession of a piece of the globe, he believes the handsome young man to be in on the scheme, and decides to keep a closer eye on him. But when Nick meets Matthias, he is enthralled by the “dark and dangerous bastard” who could have stepped out of one of his novels. Despite his suspicions, Matthias is drawn to Nick, but will his suspicions destroy what is developing between them and cost Matthias a chance at happiness?

The Bastard's World

“We were just at war again,” Lucy continued blithely. “So I asked Lord Marling if he thought there were smugglers nearby.”


“And I told Miss Lucy that thirty miles was certainly too far from the coast to be of much interest to smugglers,” Marling added. “And what’s more, with Old Boney safely tucked away, there wouldn’t be nearly as much need for it now.”


“And Mr. Deverell says that any smuggler trying at Dover had to be especially brave or foolish, since it was so heavily garrisoned during the war.” Lucy eagerly shared her newfound knowledge. “The army dug their own tunnels and built batteries and lived in the castle.”


Chapter 53