The Wagered Bride (10 page)

He took
another warning step toward her. Not knowing what made her do it, she picked up
the pen in the inkwell and pointed it at him. "Not another step, I tell
you."

He
laughed at her then, as if she were nothing more than a stupid little rich girl
spoiled by her father's money. He reminded her of Lady Odette. Odette always
laughed at her, too.

The girl
would spread falsehoods about her father, whisper about Elizabeth's ugly face
and the spectacles she wore, toy with her self-esteem, and tell her she was
nothing without her father’s money—just as she had at breakfast. Odette called
her homely, with no prospects for the future—no prospects except marriage to an
old man with a title who would have a host of gambling debts a mile long.

And now
this man was laughing at her, too.

Elizabeth
pushed down the bile creeping up her throat. She would not be laughed at. Mr.
Fennington never laughed at her.

"Will
you spear my heart with that pen, Miss Shelby?"

"You
have no heart, my lord, or you would never have broken mine."

He
frowned then, his gaze softening. But she had no wish for his pity.

"You
have a smudge of ink on your nose," he said, half- smiling.

Oh, the
injustice of having such a handsome face. It was not fair. Not fair at all.
Fury almost choked her from saying anything more, but she did.

"And
... and you are too clean, my lord!"

With a
jerk of her wrist, she flipped a spray of ink his way, splattering that all too
perfect white shirt and cravat as if they had been trampled on the battlefield.

His eyes
rounded in shock, for it looked as though he had been shot at point-blank
range.

With a
muffled groan, she ran for the door.

"Why,
you little spitfire," he shouted, taking a step in her direction. The next
moment he stopped abruptly and looked down at his chest, his lips curving into
a full-fledged smile.

And then
he did the most outrageous thing. He laughed.

An hour
later Stephen stood inside the library, rubbing a finger over the ink stain on
the writing desk. He had already changed his shirt and had delivered Lord
Harmstead his apologies for his clumsiness, offering to pay for the damages.
Harmstead would not hear of it.

"Afternoon,
my lord."

Stephen
looked up as William Shelby walked into the room. "Shelby," he said
dryly.

It was
all Stephen could do not to give the man the facer he deserved. Did Shelby
think once of his daughter's pain? Did the man think he could make her love
Stephen just because he was a lord? Hell's teeth, it was an intolerable way to
treat a lady.

Barely
able to stop from grinding his teeth, Stephen waited patiently for the
discussion that was to come. The man stuffed his hand into his waistcoat pocket
and closed the door with a satisfied smile.

Stephen
was instantly reminded of Cook fattening up the goose before the kill on Christmas
morning. The conversation moved quickly from the weather to Elizabeth's future.

"Now,
as I see it, my lord, wooing my little Lizzie through the Season is out. It
ain't that I don't want her to have a bit of fun, but it don't signify since
you made your feelings known in the breakfast room."

Grinning,
Shelby exposed a set of crooked yellow teeth, giving the appearance of a man
quite proud of catching a lord for his daughter. "You must see that by now
everyone believes that this is a love match. It don't matter if it isn't, just
that everyone believes it. Better this way, you know."

Trying
to ignore the man's pompous speech, Stephen stared at the ink staining his two
fingernails. He felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he vividly
recalled a pair of fiery blue eyes. So he was too clean, was he?

"But
I must make one thing clear, my lord. You must never let Elizabeth know I
traded her for a debt you owed. Women get these fanciful thoughts, don't you
know."

Stephen
looked up from his fingers. "Fanciful thoughts?"

The man
shifted uncomfortably. "She believes you sought her out for my money, of
course."

"Now,
let me see if I have this straight," Stephen said, his gaze flat and
unreadable. "You want your daughter to believe I needed funds so badly
that I sought to wed her and procure your money in the process."

Shelby's
eyes lit with approval. "Yes, yes, precisely. Thought we already agreed
upon that."

"However,
I am not to tell her I lost at the gaming table with you, and that you, the
wonderful loving father that you are, fobbed her off on me."

Stephen
was grateful to see that at least Shelby's cheeks had pinkened. What kind of
father was this man? Elizabeth certainly deserved better and so did little
Milli.

Stephen's
protective instincts took over again. "Listen here, Shelby, I don't like
being a party to manipulation. Why not tell your daughter the truth? That I
lost at a game of cards and you offered her as a way to release me from debt.
It isn't as if she doesn't know you want a titled son-in-law."

Shelby
grimaced. "Are you mad? If I tell her I wagered her on a debt owed to me,
there's no telling what she would do. The girl's as impulsive as Napoleon
entering Russia."

Stephen
had to admit she was that. And if he told Shelby's daughter the truth, perhaps
he could sway things his way. However, honor demanded he pay his debt, and
telling Miss Shelby the truth would hurt her deeply. Though Stephen didn't love
the girl, he was not an ogre. Her father had done enough damage in that department.

Hurting
a female to gain one's independence was something a weasel would do—someone
like Fennington. Two orbs of baby blue came to Stephen's mind and he frowned at
their innocence. The thought of Fennington running away with Elizabeth Shelby
chewed at Stephen's conscience like a dog to a bone. "You can still stop
this insane wedding, Shelby. Call it off."

"No,
your lordship. Ain’t going to do that. Already sent the announcements."

"Announcements
can be rescinded."

"The
fact of the matter is, I have no wish to see it done, and you owe me a good
sum."

Stephen's
temper flared. "I can have that money in a week and you know it. Would you
cast your daughter into a fire where she would get burned? Because that's
exactly what you are doing! I certainly don't love her. And she certainly
doesn't love me."

She
loves another, he thought grimly.

"Love
will come," Shelby said, pulling out a cigar and tapping it against his
palm.

Stephen
let out a snort of disgust. "You're mad. She wants nothing to do with
me."

The portly
man paused, then tilted his head back as though he were looking at Stephen for
the first time. "If I didn't know better, I would say you cared for my
girl."

Stephen
glowered at the man. "I care for most human beings, Shelby." Most,
but not all, including that despicable Fennington character your stubborn
daughter believes she is in love with.

"Then
this should be most advantageous to you, I believe. In exchange for my
daughter, I will relieve you of all your outstanding debts. And don't forget, I
am returning Creighton Hall to you. An added bonus, don't you think?"

"How
convenient for you, sir, that I have a few measly debts you can pay. What a
doting father-in-law."

The man
flushed as if he were being complimented. "We will get along nicely, my
lord. Uh, Stephen. May I call you by your Christian name, seeing that we are to
be family?"

No, he
wanted to shout. We are not going to be family or friends.

"I
realize you must not bother your brother, the duke, about your debts, seeing as
they can cause families such trouble. So I decided to take it upon myself since
you are to be my son-in-law. I ain't one to shrug off my duty. I informed
Harmstead I would be sending him a new desk within the week."

That
comment drew Stephen's attention. "You what?"

"I'm
sending the man a new desk within the week. You should be more careful with
your writing instruments, my lord."

Stephen
wanted to knock the man's smiling eyes out of his blasted head.

"Oh,
did I forget to mention that after you are married, you will have a new townhouse
as well? One in St. James. No need to thank me. Father's duty and what
not." The man puffed out his chest. "I will reside next door to
continue my services on your behalf. Don't want my grandchildren to go without,
you know."

"Your
grandchildren? Do you believe I will not be able to fend for my own children,
sir?"

Shelby's
forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Oh, oh. No need to get fussy about it. I
ain't one to allow my family to suffer. We can keep the money under our hats,
you know."

Stephen
wanted to pick the man up and throw him out the window. And by Jove, in his
wilder days he might have done just that. But in those days he was always
approaching his father or his brother Roderick with a bill or two. He had
stopped applying to his family for money when his father had died. Except, he
thought with a scowl, for last week with Roderick.

He had
finally decided to take control of his own life and stop depending on his family
to extricate him from unseemly situations. That was the precise reason he had
gone into the business venture with Brule.

Stephen
clasped his hands behind his back. "You, sir, may see me marry your
daughter. You may bestow upon both of us your blessing. And you may return
Creighton Hall to the bosom of my family. But fiend seize it, as to other favors,
you will curtail your flow of money my way. Is that clear?"

The man
raised a chubby hand to his neck and pulled at his cravat, surveying Stephen
with an approving eye. "Indeed, my lord. Knew you were a man with a spine.
That's what my little poppet needs. A little bending of her will and she will
be fine. Of course, a mere present of something on her birthday or the birth of
a grandchild isn't charity, you know. I do hope I will be able to offer my
monetary services. And of course, there is the dowry." He raised a proud
brow.

"The
dowry?" Stephen spat out, his jaw stiffening with rage. "How very
convenient."

Without
another word, he spun on his heels, barely able to control his fury. Any father
who would give away his daughter to a stranger was half out of his mind.

"But
where are you going, my lord? We have not set the date for the wedding or
considered the other matters we need to attend to."

Stephen
stopped and glared at the closed door. There would be no wedding if it were up
to him. If he had known that this pompous idiot was to be his father-in-law, he
would never have had a drink in his life.

"We
will pack and depart tomorrow," the man went on. "If that is soon
enough."

Stephen
whirled around. "Soon enough for what?"

"You
have invited my family to the Elbourne townhouse, my lord. Have you
forgotten?"

The
devil. Yes, he had forgotten. Roderick would spear him alive. "No, of
course not. I am departing today to ready things." For my new maddening
family, he thought with a grimace. Jupiter and Zeus, this entire week was
incredible.

"Capital,
my lord. We will not be late. Depend upon it."

Stephen
resisted slamming the door behind him as he departed from the room. He ordered
his horse to be ready in one hour for the ride back to London to inform his
family of his upcoming nuptials. Ha! Would they not be surprised?

He
climbed the stairs to his chambers and paused when he saw a train of maids departing
from one of the bedchambers. He winced as high-pitched screams burst from
beyond the door.

"My
face! My arms! Oh, what is happening to me? I look like a squished strawberry.
And it itches! Every part of my person itches! Gracious, you peagoose, get me
something! Anything! Now!"

To his
astonishment, Millicent Shelby came running from the room, her breath coming
out in little gasps, her face pale.

Stephen
took hold of her shoulders and frowned. "What the deuce is going on in
there?"

Milli
swallowed, her eyes bugging out of their sockets. "It's Lady Odette."

"I
know very well who it is, but what has happened?"

Milli
pulled away. "Why, do you love her or something?"

Stephen's
lips twitched. "You are too young to ask such a question."

"But
my skin! Look at it! Doooooo something!" Odette's squeal continued to rise
in pitch. "Father said you had a way of healing even the sickest of
animals. Do something before I burst!"

"Take
this, Odette. It will make you feel so much better."

The
sound of Elizabeth's husky voice floated out the door, sending Stephen's head
snapping up. His glance swung back to Milli's guilty expression.
"Well?"