Scandal By The Ton (16 page)

"If I take you home with me, I will do my level best to persuade you to marry me, Julia."

How can I possibly resist hearing a proposal of marriage from a man who loves me with all his heart?
"Do your worst, Lord Royston!"

Chapter Sixteen

"Nicholas, I confess that this time I am the one who cannot control myself." Julia's eyes darkened with desire as she gazed at his naked torso. The coiled strength of his rippling muscles was evidence of his powerful masculinity, and it made her weak with longing. "Take me to bed."

His arms reached out and he lifted her high against his heart. She entwined her arms about his neck, and offered her mouth for his ravishing. When he licked her sensual lower lip, she shuddered with desire. She felt his hard erection brush her bottom cheeks as he carried her to his bed, and she cried out at the demands of his possessive mouth, hot and hungry with need.

He threw back the covers and laid her down against the cool sheets, then straddled her with the granite power of his thighs. Her warm breasts felt lush and full as his possessive hands caressed them.

She reached out eager fingers to stroke his hard cock and brush her thumb across its swollen tip, wanting to make him shiver and groan with passion.

Nicholas knew that with one driving thrust, he would be inside her. When she arched her mons in invitation, his iron control was at its limit. He reached out to caress her woman's center, then stroked her with his fingers in a tantalizing rhythm. When she cried out for more, he kissed her deeply, thrusting his tongue in a matching rhythm until she dissolved in liquid tremors.

He gathered her in his arms wanting to hold her close and never let her go, but he knew that was impossible unless Julia agreed to become his wife. His lips brushed her temple and he murmured, "Sweetheart, I can't live without you much longer, will you marry me?"

Julia smiled a secret smile. "You will first have to pledge certain things to me before I give you my answer, Nicholas."

He knelt before her on the bed. "What things?"

"Do you vow to let me write after we are married?"

His mouth curved with tenderness. "I insist upon it."

"This next vow may be harder to keep. Do you promise to keep your hands and your advice off my writing? It must be all mine, without your input. It is the one thing I refuse to share with you."

Nicholas masked his amusement and gave her a solemn look. "You are a woman grown, quite capable of making your own decisions. I promise to respect your profession, just as you respect mine."

Julia sighed. "Ah, you do understand." She reached out to caress his cheek. "So my answer is
yes
, I will marry you."

Nicholas picked her up off the bed and swung her about joyfully. "From this moment on, consider yourself betrothed. I don't want a long engagement. I want us to be married without delay."

"Dottie will be thrilled that we are to be married. Mother may take a bit longer to come around."

"I'll come to Berkeley Square tomorrow and formally ask for your hand."

"Better leave it a day or two. I'd rather break the news first."

It was almost midnight when Nicholas walked her home, and they arrived just as Dottie emerged from Alex Hamilton's carriage. Julia and her grandmother entered the house together, and as they were about to go upstairs, Claire arrived home. Julia offered up a silent prayer of thanks that Fate had made it seem as if she had spent the evening with her grandmother.

She went into Dottie's sitting room. "I have something to tell you."

"You have stars in your eyes."

"Nicholas asked me to marry him, and I accepted his proposal."

"That's wonderful news, darling. I totally approve of him, and I'm truly happy for you."

"Thank you. Tonight I'm happier than I've ever been in my life!"

Dottie kissed her granddaughter. "That's exactly as it should be, darling."

Julia awoke early and her first ecstatic thought was:
I am about to become Lady Julia Royston.
She stretched her arms above her head and remembered the feel of his hungry kisses.
Nicholas doesn't want to wait!
Her pulse quickened at the thought of waking in his bed for the rest of her life.

She hummed happily as she bathed and dressed, and felt as if she were walking on air as she descended the stairs to the breakfast room. She was enjoying a delicious cup of chocolate and contemplating what she would have to eat, when her mother arrived.

"I've ordered crepes, blackberry crepes. Would you like some?"

"They sound delicious. Since you're having them, I will too."

Claire rang for Dora and ordered enough crepes for both of them. "How did you enjoy the music at the theatre last night?"

Julia, delighted that Claire was in a happy mood for once, decided there would be no better moment for her to tell her mother that she was about to become a bride. "I have to confess that I didn't attend the theatre with Dottie." She took a deep breath and plunged in. "I spent the evening with Nicholas, and he asked me to marry him."

Claire's teacup hit her saucer as it dropped from her fingers. "Royston? Do you mean Nicholas
Royston
?"

Julia nodded and braced herself. Her mother's reaction showed plainly that she was outraged.

"You must be simple-minded! Do you not realize that Royston wants the property in Hertfordshire, and the only way he can get it is by marrying you?"

Julia's brows drew together. "I don't understand."

"Don't play the innocent with me! You and your grandmother have conspired to deprive me of my rightful inheritance. The old witch took great delight informing me that she has left Ashridge Place to you in her will."

"I had no idea,"
Julia said faintly.
Is Mother telling the truth or deliberately lying to me?

"You surely don't expect me to believe that?" Claire threw back her head and laughed bitterly. "You stupid girl, don't you realize that Dottie has bought Nicholas Royston for you, just as surely as she bought my husband for me all those years ago?"

Julia's hand went to her heart as if she were protecting it from breaking.
It cannot be true! You are filling my head with lies!
She got up from the table and hurried from the breakfast room. As she ascended the stairs to her grandmother's suite, her mind cried out,
It cannot be true... It cannot be true!

Dottie was taking breakfast in bed. When she saw the look of despair on her granddaughter's face, she asked, "Whatever is wrong, my dear?"

"Mother says that you have bequeathed Ashridge Place to me. Is she telling the truth?"

"It is the absolute truth. But shouldn't that make you happy rather than sad?"

"Dottie, I thank you with all my heart. I am profoundly grateful that you are so generous to me. I truly love Ashridge Place."

"And that is precisely the reason I want you to have it."

"I need to know if Nicholas is aware that you have bequeathed the Hertfordshire property to me."

"What the devil has your mother been saying to you?"

"She said that Nicholas asked me to marry him because he wants the property in Hertfordshire."

"Rubbish! He asked you to marry him because he knows you will make him the perfect wife."

"But does he know that I will inherit Ashridge Place?"
Please say no... Please say no!

"Yes, he knows, and I have complete confidence that he will look after it as well as he takes care of the rest of his Royston property."

"Oh, hellfire, I wish you hadn't told him, Dottie. How on earth will I ever know if he wants the property or he wants me?"

"Listen to your heart, Julia. Trust your own instincts. Your mother poisons everything she touches."

I have listened to my heart. Perhaps it's time I listened to my head!

Just as Nicholas was finishing breakfast, he received a summons from Prime Minister Pitt's office. When he arrived at Whitehall, he was ushered into William Pitt's private office.

"Good morning, Mr. Prime Minister."

"Please sit down, Royston. I sent for you to sound you out about an offer I've had of a peace treaty. I assume you have guessed what was in the secret dispatches you brought from Paris."

Here's a fine dilemma. For the sake of my brother Michael, I fervently wish that there was peace between Britain and France. I don't want him fighting in a war. If Pitt asks what I think, I could advise him to sign it. On the other hand, what's best for the country, isn't necessarily what's best for me and Michael.
"You guess right, Mr. Prime Minister. I am aware that our diplomat, John Hookham Frere, has had secret meetings with Napoleon. All of us involved at the Foreign Office know that Bonaparte is in charge of France, both militarily and politically. I surmised that the secret dispatch I delivered offered a peace treaty between Britain and France."

"The alliances we have are becoming increasingly harder to maintain, there is a shortage of money to funnel to our allies, and
there is a lack of popular support for this war." Pitt ran his fingers through his hair. "The problem is, Royston, that I simply do not trust Napoleon Bonaparte. Give me your thoughts on this offer of a truce."

Nicholas hesitated for a brief moment, then spoke decisively. "In my opinion, the only reason Bonaparte wants a peace treaty with Britain is because we have the finest navy in the world. He fears we will eventually defeat France. I firmly believe you are right not to trust him."

"Lord Grenville has given me the same advice. Your honest assessment, coupled with my own instincts, has helped me reach a decision. I will reject this peace treaty out of hand. Thank you for your service, Lord Royston."

When Nicholas stepped outside onto Parliament Street, he felt good that he had not compromised his integrity out of concern for Michael's safety. His thoughts turned to Julia, and he decided to visit the jewelers and look at engagement rings. His mouth curved. Since she had a mind of her own, he would let her choose her own ring, but advice from a goldsmith wouldn't be amiss.

It doesn't seem possible that only last night I was the happiest woman in London and this morning my joy has all evaporated.
Julia's heart ached as the seeds of doubt
her mother had sown took root. She felt as if she must get out of the house so she could think clearly. Usually, when something upset her, a long walk in the park helped her think through her troubles and resolve them.

She deliberately chose a pretty hat and stepped outside into the late July sunshine. She walked all the way down Mount Street, crossed Park Lane, and entered Hyde Park. It seemed to Julia that all the carriages today held beautiful ladies and their escorts, and she began to feel sorry for herself. She walked around the Serpentine where even the ducks and swans seemed to be mated pairs.

The question she had to resolve was whether Nicholas Royston loved her for herself or for the property she would inherit in Hertfordshire. Her heart told her one thing; her head told her another.

This is ridiculous. There is only one person who knows the answer and that is Nicholas. I shall simply go and ask him.

Julia made her way to Curzon Street, rehearsing what she would say when she bearded the lion in his den. But when the servant who answered the door informed her that his lordship was not at home, she felt suddenly deflated. With a heavy heart and lagging steps she returned home.

Julia sat down at her desk and
took out her writing. She asked herself:
What would Bess do? So many times in her life just as Elizabeth Hardwick was about to reach a goal, Fate swept everything out of her reach, but no matter how many times she was knocked down, Bess always got up again and carried on.

Soon, Julia was transported back to Elizabethan times, lost in her writing. She didn't hear her mother leave on her afternoon visiting rounds, and she didn't hear the door knocker, nor realize that Hastings had admitted Nicholas Royston. But when Dora came to her chamber door and cleared her throat, she looked up from her writing.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Lady Julia, but your grandmother would like to see you."

"Thank you, Dora." She put down her pen and followed the maid.

When she arrived in Dottie's sitting room, she was surprised to see Nicholas. "I had no idea you were here." Julia gathered her thoughts. "I have only just found out that my grandmother has willed Ashridge Place to me." She glanced at Dottie. "She never told me, but apparently she told
you
."

Nicholas could clearly hear the accusation in Julia's voice. "Yes, she did," he readily admitted.

"You make it sound like a conspiracy," Dottie protested. "I can assure you that I didn't use it as bait to catch you a husband, in spite of Claire's accusations."

"It is an easy enough matter to prove your mother wrong," Nicholas said firmly. "I'll draw up a marriage contract that puts the inherited Hertfordshire property in trust for you and your children."