To Bed or to Wed (15 page)

“Actually, it’s not the first time, and this was tame compared to the other
instance when Nathan and I came together.”

“Please tell me you didn’t—?”

“No, but oh how wicked it was.” She squeezed his arm and stifled the urge to laugh at his consternation. “Brother dear, I took courage from your words and Oliver’s. If I want a thing to happen in my life, perhaps the best course of action is to precipitate it for myself.”

“I hope he marries you soon,” Felix whispered as they neared the salon. “I rather think you’d enjoy courting scandal as his mistress way too much.
The last thing our family needs is a cheeky courtesan in its ranks.”

Charlotte grinned but said nothing.
The marquess was a challenge and one she dearly wished to take up. He was a man who wouldn’t wilt beneath domesticity or marriage. All they required was time and the fortitude to see the complications through.

Never had she been so
delighted.

Chapter Nine

“Sanders, I cannot tell you how happy I am it’s Saturday,” Nathan mentioned to his butler a couple of days later as he accepted a cup of tea from the man. It was mid-morning and, to his knowledge, his sister was still abed. At least she wouldn’t badger him over the breakfast table. This, in turn, meant he had another day to ruminate on exactly how he would tell her Lady Sophia wasn’t his ideal and that Lady Charlotte was. No matter how he broke the news to his sister, there was sure to be an argument.

“Indeed, sir. The workaday world does tend to grate on the nerves at times,” Sanders replied. Nothing in his tone betrayed agreement or annoyance for he was still working even though it was the weekend.

“Yes, but today is the day I intend to do something to change my life for the best, my good man.” The marquess took a sip of his unsweetened tea, grimaced then added a fragment of sugar from the loaf. “It’s quite time for me to begin a courtship.”

“Ah, very good, sir. Shall I congratulate you now?”

“That would be premature, don’t you think?” Nathan grinned. “I shall announce the news when it’s ready.”

“Well, it’s about time.” Alexandra bustled into the room, clad in a black silk wrapper and her blonde hair bound in a thick braid. “Leave us, Sanders,” she ordered as she sat opposite Nathan at the table.

He stifled a groan as the butler shuffled out.
Damn and blast.
“Alexandra, what a surprise. I thought you’d sleep until at least early afternoon. You weren’t at home by the time I came in last night.”

“I stayed rather late at the Tremaines
’. However, I suspected you were plotting something I couldn’t quite put my finger on, so I made certain I’d be awake to catch you at it.” She commandeered the teapot, poured herself a cup then leveled a cold glare at him. “Have you decided to make an offer for Lady Sophia?”

“No.” For the better part of the last two days, the only woman on his mind had been Charlotte.
The time he spent in her arms was without equal, and he wanted even more of it. Beyond that, he wished to begin knowing her as a person apart from the heat. “As I’ve told you before, I have no plans to leg-shackle myself to the duke’s daughter.”

“But you seemed so content the night we went to the opera.” She narrowed her eyes. “When you excused yourself, where did you go?
I forgot to ask earlier.”

Nathan remained quiet. If he didn’t tell her, he could enjoy another few days of her complacency.

“Oh, good God.” Alexandra stood. Her hazel eyes flashed with anger. “You met the Darrington woman that night, didn’t you?” A flush rose into her face. “I thought I heard voices in the box next to ours, and I distinctly recall someone saying her name, but simply figured it was rude patrons who refused to whisper. Now it makes sense: your absence, your lifted mood, everything.”

“
Charlotte makes me happy. Wouldn’t you rather I pass the remainder of my life enjoying myself instead of suffering through a loveless marriage?” His gut clenched and the old feelings that assailed him just before a conflict left his blood cold.

“I want you to make an offer for Lady Sophia. You are obligated to do this for me. I don’t care how you feel about it.” Alexandra’s smile held more animosity than mirth. “I expect you to do your duty.”

“This is how I’m fulfilling my duty.” Nathan shot from his chair as a wave of rage swept through his body. “She is the one I want. She is the one I will marry. If all goes well, perhaps I’ll secure the line with the woman I’m halfway in love with. What else is there?”

“You don’t get to have it quite so easy, brother dear.” Alexandra planted her palms to the table and leaned forward. “I demand a life for a life. You failed to bring my husband back alive, so I refuse to let you tiptoe
off into a rose-scented fairy tale. This is your punishment.” Her glare rivaled his on a good day. “You will wed Lady Sophia. There is no other option. I don’t care if it’s not what you want. Be miserable. That’s your lot.”

“You
don’t control me, Alexandra.” Nathan curled one hand into a fist then pounded it on the table so hard, the tea service rattled. “In this, I have the final say.” He held his sister’s gaze, willing her to back down first. “I am the Marquess of Ravenhurst, and this is the end of the matter.”

Shock swept through him as he realized his words echoed some of the same his father had said to him long ago, but there was nothing for it.
Alexandra’s eyes went wide. Did she, too, recall those times from the past?
I will not be bossed by my sister.
Neither would he be controlled from the grave. Another shocked rocked him. Was her attitude and ruling by guilt what she inherited from their father? Perhaps she hadn’t escaped childhood unscathed at all. He shook his head. No matter. It was past time to finally see to his personal happiness. After everything he’d witnessed in his life, he deserved to welcome in something good.

Sanders cleared his throat at the door. “I beg your pardon, my lord, but the Duke of Amherst is here with Lady Sophia. His Grace is demanding to speak with you regarding a matter of some urgency.”

Bollocks. Now what?
To the butler, he said, “Show them into the gold parlor. I’ll attend to them as soon as I’m able.”

Once Sanders had departed, Nathan glared at Alexandra. “Did you ask them to pay a visit?”

A cold smile curved her lips. “I’d hinted to Lady Sophia you seemed quite jaunty and that I suspected an announcement was in the offing. Yes, I was wrong about the reasoning, but now you cannot back out to their faces.” She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “I’m going upstairs to change. Once I join you in the parlor, I expect you to have had a change of heart, and for you to tell me the marriage contract between you and Lady Sophia will be drawn up soon so I can celebrate the happy news.”

“And if I don’t?”

She shrugged as if his twisted fate didn’t bother her in the least. “One little word to the right people can damage a woman’s reputation faster than if she’d showed up at Gunther’s with only a ribbon around her neck. It’s your choice.”

A muscle twitched in his jaw.
“Are you threatening Charlotte?”

“Do you think I can?” She cocked an eyebrow. “Whatever will you do? Sacrifice yourself to keep someone else safe, or take your chances?”

He stood rigid while Alexandra exited the room, her words chasing around his head:
expect you to have a change of heart.
Indeed, that’s exactly what had happened the night at the theater. He hadn’t expected to hint at marriage to Charlotte or her brother, and indeed hadn’t expected to fall so deep once he had her in his arms. But with Charlotte, nothing else seemed to matter except making her happy, which in turn, made him feel the same. He adored every part of her and would do anything to keep her.

For the first time in his life, Nathan made a decision selfishly,
one that wouldn’t benefit anyone else in his family or circle of acquaintances. The only woman he wanted was Charlotte. Anyone in the path of securing her hand could go to the devil for all he cared. There was nothing else anyone could do to make him afraid. He’d survived the worse of humanity. Telling off one duke wouldn’t be that difficult.

He strode from the morning room, down a short stretch of corridor then pushed into the gold parlor with as much noise as he could manage. His guests didn’t need manners. They didn’t need pretty words or a conversation that went in circles. He’d give them truth and honesty then ask them to leave.
Society and the consequences of him angering Amherst could go hang.

“Good morning, Lady Sophia. Amherst. What do I owe the honor of such an early morning call?” He attempted to inject levity into his voice, but
his tone sounded annoyed. After all, why lie about his state of mind if he didn’t plan to observe social conventions.

Amherst stood then slowly turned to face the
marquess. His once blond hair was nearly all silver now, but his back was ramrod straight and his hazel eyes still held sharp wit and vibrant life. “My daughter tells me that you and she have an arrangement for matrimony. It’s well past time to settle the talk and make it official.” His strong voice filled the small parlor.

Nathan swallowed against the rush of
bitter bile into his throat. “I apologize, but there must have been a misunderstanding, for Lady Sophia and I have never discussed the possibility of a union. Perhaps she and my sister have. If you want clarity, ask Alexandra, but this conversation has nothing to do with me.”

Lady Sophia gasped from her perch on one of the settees. “But it’s expected. You and I talked about it six months ago.”

There was that word again, expected.
I am not a prisoner any more. I’m under no orders to do anyone’s bidding.
If he clenched his jaw any tighter, his teeth would crack then fall out. “If we talked about anything remotely having to do with marriage, it was only in passing. I didn’t make you a promise.” This was as close as he’d come to being civilized. “Now, if there will be nothing else, I do have a very important call to make elsewhere in Mayfair.”

“Is it to that woman you were talking to the other day in front of the bakery? Is she your mistress?” Lady Sophia asked as she stood. Her eyes were wide and her bottom lip trembled.

“Who…?” Nathan frowned, trying to put a name and a face to the incident. “Oh, you must mean Miss Hawthorne. No, she is most certainly not my mistress, but she is a neighbor.” It crossed his mind to pretend he was having an affair with Miss Hawthorne merely to see the duke and his daughter out of his parlor, but he couldn’t do such damage to Miss Hawthorne’s reputation.

“Then where do you need to be?” Sophia pressed with a frown on her full lips.

“I… elsewhere.” He owed these people nothing. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and glared. He locked gazes with the duke and refused to say anything else.

They remained
thus for several quiet, tension-filled moments before Nathan broke. “Why would you think that woman was my mistress?”

Lady Sophia shrugged. “Your sister has told me you’ve recently been unfaithful to me. So, I merely assumed—”

“Perhaps you should inquire at the Swandon residence for his mistress,” Alexandra interrupted as she entered into the room, looking fresh and empowered in a tailored, navy gown. “The gossipmongers have linked his name with Lady Charlotte’s. I’ve seen them together enough to concur. You’d be wise to bring my brother up to scratch soon.”

“What? Is this true?” Amherst bellowed. “I swear, Ravenhurst, I should call you out with pistols at dawn
for leading my daughter on, you rogue.”

Nathan rolled his eyes. “This situation is a farce enough without you running to dramatics, Amherst.” It could be seen as a slight since the duke was higher in rank than he, but Nathan refused to apologize. It was outside of enough they were in his hom
e and making such outrageous accusations.

The duke glanced at his daughter then back to Nathan. “I don’t take kindly to men who go back on their word, especially to my daughter.” He drew himself up to his full height. “Whatever you ask as a dowry, I’ll gladly pay it
, and petition for a special license. Go on a wedding trip wherever you please. By the time you return, the talk will have died. But know this, I refuse to leave this house today without an agreement between us.”