Caversham's Bride (The Caversham Chronicles - Book One) (20 page)

“Luchino, how are you? Are they treating you well?”

“Lia, Lia. You should see! I have my own room on the ship and new clothes and shoes. The cook is my friend now, and so is
Signore
Cully. I’m going to be a captain of a ship one day. It’s so much fun!”

Finally the boy stopped for a breath. Lia hugged him close once more, and he pulled away. “I can’t play with girls anymore. I’m a little man now.
Signore
Cully said so.”

“Yes, I see you are.” Lia looked up to Ren with grateful eyes, thanking him for her brother’s life.

“Come, Lia,” Ren said, “our fate awaits.” They signed the license and church register with the priest and innkeeper as witnesses. She straightened and slowly stepped toward Ren. He wore a pristine white shirt tucked into black breeches that fit his well-muscled thighs to perfection. Over that, he wore a double-breasted dress coat with large lapels, coming to just below his waist. It, too, fit him perfectly, as though tailored onto him.

His face bore an impatient expression as his cool silver eyes focused on her. If he thought staring daggers at her would hurry her along, he had much to learn about her. She turned away from his gaze to smile warmly at the young, dark-haired priest who stood next to Ren.

“
Buon giorno, padre
,” she said softly.

The priest returned her greeting. “Are you ready to proceed?”

“I am not given a choice in the matter,” she replied.

Ren turned to the priest. “Father, as I told you earlier, she’s not thinking clearly. There is the possibility she carries my child as we speak, so time is of the essence.”

The priest turned to Lia. “Is this true?”

Afraid of seeing the disappointment in the priests eyes, she lowered her gaze and nodded.

She felt Ren’s burning glare, as he said to the priest. “Please begin.”

In the front parlor of the inn, with several of Ren’s men and Luchino as witness, she and the Englishman became man and wife. Lia didn’t remember much of it, except that she responded appropriately when asked if she would have Marcus Renfield Sewell Halden, ninth Duke of Caversham, as her husband for the rest of her life.

How could she not answer in the affirmative when he glared down at her, trying to intimidate her as he did? As His Grace placed a thin gold band on the third finger of her left hand, a strange, warm tingling traveled slowly up her arm and through her body, to settle in her belly. The rational part of her knew it was just Ren’s touch that caused the strange sensation, not the piece of gold around her finger.

She tried to pull her hand away from his, but he held her fast, probably afraid she might flee with her brother again. After the priest signed his name to the license and blew sand over the ink, he rolled it and handed it to Ren, who had to let her hand go, in order to give the priest a leather pouch. He tucked the rolled parchment under his arm and began to issue orders to his men.

The priest opened the pouch and peered inside. “
Santa Maria!
” His brown eyes went wide with shock at the amount of coin in the bag. “Your Grace, you are indeed very generous. This is more gold than my small church sees in a year’s time!”

Ren pulled Lia next to him, putting his arm around her. “Consider it our gift to your parish for the service you did for us this day.”

“There are many families who will benefit from your unselfish donation, Your Grace.
Mille grazie
.” With that, the priest left.

Lia glimpsed Ghita standing in the doorway, watching tears falling from the maid’s eyes. The innkeeper’s wife shouted at her, ordering her to get busy cleaning the rooms upstairs. Feeling responsible for the other girl’s condition, Lia had an idea.

She hugged her brother one last time before he left with Cully. It seemed Ren had assigned Luchino to be in Cully’s charge, and the little boy was ecstatic at the idea of following a ship captain around.

After her brother was out of sight, Lia turned to Ren. “May I have a word with you, Your Grace?”

One black brow arched up curiously. “Yes?”

“I was thinking,” Lia said, “that I will be in need of a ladies’ maid. Will I not?”

“Not any time soon.”

Lia turned and worried her lower lip. There really was no other way around it. She’d just have to ask him. Turning back she stared into his hard eyes, all the while hating the position he’d placed her in. “Can I please hire the girl, Ghita, as my maid?” When he didn’t respond, she continued. “I feel responsible for what happened to her. No woman deserves to be beaten, whether she be low born or not.”

“As you said, you are responsible for the punishment meted out to her this morn.”

Her face burned with shame. She lowered her gaze. “And I would now correct that wrong by offering her a position in my employ. With me, she would never have to worry about being struck again.”

“No.”

Lia always did have a difficult time feigning meekness. “As the wife of a duke, will I not require someone to attend me?”

“You will. Once we arrive in England.”

“All right then. I would request that my ladies’ maid be someone I trust. Someone I can communicate with in my native tongue.”

“She is also someone who has helped you escape me once. How could I ever trust her? Besides, you speak English well enough.” He moved closer and stroked her cheek with his knuckles. “And with a very captivating accent.”

He attempted to distract her, so she turned from his touch, intent on helping the maid. “But....”

“My answer is no.” Ren took her by the arm and led her from the room. “Come, Lia. We sail with the evening tide, and we have a stop to make.”

They crossed the lobby of the inn and she saw the innkeeper’s wife again strike Ghita as the old woman scolded the maid for something. Lia tugged against Ren’s grip, wanting to do something to help the girl.

He tightened his grip on her arm, and pushed her toward the door right as they all heard a scream and a crash. Lia turned to see the maid fall, along with the buckets she carried, spilling water on the inn’s wooden floors. The innkeeper’s wife kicked at her, and the maid cringed, trying to move away from the old woman’s booted foot.

Lia turned to him and pleaded for the girl’s safety one more time. “Please, Ren, please! I promise I’ll never run from you again. Just save the girl from this place. Even if she does not come with me.”

He led her out of the inn and onto the sidewalk, where Cully and Luchino waited. “Go to your brother and stand with him.” He motioned to Captain Cully, and watched her closely as he spoke in low tones with him. When he was done, Ren led Lia to the carriage that waited to carry them to the docks.

“Aren’t my brother and your man coming with us?”

“Cully needs to see to the removal of our belongings before he meets up with us on the pier.”

“But what about...?”

With a look he quieted her. And she turned away from him and kissed her brother, promising to see him later. They made one stop in the business district where she and her new husband visited with the guardian of her trust with proof of their marriage. Ren then gave the man the address in London of the bank in which he wanted the funds transferred. Upon their return to the carriage, the rest of the short ride to the docks was done in complete silence.

C
HAPTER
E
LEVEN

R
en ushered her into his cabin on
Warlock
, locking the door behind them. Once in the room, Lia darted to the other side of the table, thinking she was safe from his reach.

“How could you?” she hissed.

“How could I what?”

“Leave that poor girl there and not help her! How cruel can you be? What kind of gentleman are you?”

He turned away from her. “Do not cross me this early into our marriage, wife.” He stripped away his coat and tossed it onto the chair. He sat on the edge of the bed and removed his shiny, black boots, dropping them to the floor. Standing, he began to loosen his cravat and pull his shirt from the waistband of his breeches. “As to my ungentlemanly behavior—well, I’ve never been accused of being a gentleman, so I’d say my behavior was quite the norm.”

She watched him remove his shirt and cravat, letting them fall beside the bed. When he stood and began to unbutton his breeches, she asked, “What are you doing?”

“Getting ready for bed,” he told her. “So should you.”

“It’s broad daylight out.” Her knuckles turned white as her grasp on the edge of the table tightened and her breathing got deeper and faster.

“When has that stopped us before?” Then he had a thought, and his heart stopped a moment. “Don’t tell me that now we are wed, you’ve grown cold on me? I’ll not put up with it.”

“You ask if I have changed in the short time since the vows were spoken, but it is not
I
who is behaving abominably! What has come over you?” She stood her ground behind the table, out of his reach, and refused to undress. “You have become
un diavolo
. You separate me from my brother, and....”

“There are some who say I have always been evil,” he said, stepping closer. He watched the lump in her throat rise and fall as she gulped and retreated a step.

“Why do you act this way to me now?” Her voice trembled as she spoke. “Is it because of what I did last night?” Her eyes scanned over the room for another safe haven, but there was none.

“Yes, and no. I see it in your eyes Lia.” Ren reached out and stroked her cheek with a feather-light touch, which she knew hid his true emotion. “Even now, you look for a way out. Like a frightened animal. Why? What have I done to you besides give you the safety and comfort that comes with my name? I would think you’d be grateful that I brought you to Genoa to save your brother. But what do I get in return for his spared life? You try to escape me.” His fingers wound their way into the silky hair at her nape, forcing her closer. She was soon in his arms, and he could feel her tremble. “And I cannot think of a reason why. I fulfilled my end of the bargain.”

His lips came down on hers heavily. He wanted to both punish and cherish her at the same time, but she wanted nothing from him. She didn’t move, didn’t respond. Grabbing her head, he slid his fingers into her coiffure, holding her steady while he tried to coax her to passion. One by one, he removed all the pins from her hair, dropping them to the floor, freeing her waist length mahogany waves. When she didn’t return the kiss, he backed away from her passionless stance and said, “Until we arrived here it seemed as though you were amenable to keeping your end of our agreement.”

Then he shook his head as he realized her game, and gave a disgusted half laugh when he understood he’d once again been duped. “Unless, of course, it was all an act.” She flinched and looked away. “That’s it, isn’t it? You were pretending to enjoy my touch. You were pretending so that I would agree to save your brother.” He walked away from her, stepping to the bank of windows and staring out into the Genoan harbor. “Seems I’ve been played a fool yet again. This time all the way to the altar.” He turned to her and saluted her. “Congratulations, Your Grace, the whoremaster trained you well,” was all he said.

“No” she whispered, shaking her head slowly. He saw a tear, then two, then more trickle down her face, falling unchecked. “I never....”

He went back to her. “Oh, I think so. And you know who is the biggest fool, Lia?” Again she shook her head. He stood directly in front of her now, and he reached for her, grabbing her about the waist and drawing her close. “I am. Because I felt something—an attraction maybe, the day you ran from the guard in the souk.” He stroked the hair at her temple, fighting the urge to kiss her, because to do so would only make him a boor. “The night we met in the palace garden, I wanted you to be different. From that night I wanted you to enjoy sharing my bed.” Lia pulled away from him, and opened her mouth, but he cut her off instantly. “Don’t bother. I will never again believe a word you say.”

She straightened, and wiped her face, saying “You accuse me of using you to get my brother back, but can you honestly tell me, that you did not plan to use me as well?” He quirked a brow wondering what she spoke about, when she added, “I heard you say as much.” He looked at her curiously. “Yesterday afternoon, when you spoke with your men in the room across from mine. You told them you would send me back to Italy after I presented you with your much-needed heir.

“
I
entered the agreement in good faith, Your Grace.
I
never intended deception.
You
did. All along you intended deception. Because it wasn’t a partner you wanted in this marriage. It was a ‘broodmare’ on which to beget your heir. When I think back to the sincere gratitude with which I agreed to the bargain, I feel ill. Because all along
you
were the one who intended to unload me as some insignificant baggage after you got what you wanted. I have to ask, Your Grace, were you going to have me killed, too? Because you must know how much I love my brother. Did you think I would so easily walk away from my own
child?
”

“Lia, you tread dangerous water. Careful what you say.” He reached out for her, but she jerked her arm from him.