With His Ring (Brides of Bath Book 2) (13 page)

"Of course I like children. They're such
helpless creatures."

"And you've agreed to help the most
helpless."

"Yes, but having the responsibility of
raising one is something altogether different. 'Tis much easier to
empty one's pockets."

"Does the boy have a family?"

"Mr. Willowby's clerk said he had no father.
His mother cleans the building where Willowby's offices are
housed."

He watched her slim little face as she
thoughtfully nodded. "You must introduce me to the boy."

"As you like." Gregory lifted the curtain
and saw Appleton a distance of half a mile behind on the level
country road. He had gained considerably on the twins, who were but
two specks on the horizon.

"Did you ask your step-mother to our
wedding?" Glee asked.

How had she guessed? He had kept his dislike
of Aurora as concealed as a grave. "I did not."

Glee's eyes narrowed. "A more beastly woman
I've never met! I declare, I don't know how you tolerated life
under that woman's roof."

"Another thing on which you and I
agree."

"Why do you allow her to remain mistress at
Sutton Hall?"

"Only until you come, my dear."

"It will be my pleasure to usurp the woman,
for knowing your amiability, I surmise that she has always been the
evil step-mother."

A feeling of warmth and contentment mingled
with Glee's rose water fragrance rushed over him. "You exaggerate
my amiability, I'm afraid. Where Aurora is concerned, I've been no
saint."

"But you could have been no more than a babe
when she had to take the place of your mother. You could hardly
have been mean spirited then."

"I suppose not." He shifted his weight and
stretched out his long legs. Glee's questioning made him
uncomfortable.

"Did she always show so marked a partiality
toward Jonathan?"

"Who can blame her? Jonathan was her very
own flesh and blood. Not the progeny of a dead woman whom she
envied excessively."

"She was jealous of your mother?"

He smiled as if he had been asked to recall
a humorous event. "She had every portrait of my mother—indeed
everything that indicated my mother had ever lived at Sutton
Hall—removed when she married my father. I only knew of my mother's
loveliness from the servants. Aurora could never bring herself to
utter my mother's name. She vengefully referred to her predecessor
as
your mother
. I think, more than anything, it was to
remind me that she was
not
my mother."

"So she was never affectionate to you," Glee
said sorrowfully.

He gave a bitter laugh. "Hardly."

"Yet she was affectionate with
Jonathan?"

He continued to smile. "He was, is,
unquestionably the light of her life. She was forever lamenting
that our father's lands would not go to him, since he was the
good
son."

"She said that in your presence?" Glee asked
incredulously.

"Every day."

"So you determined to show her how truly bad
you could be."

He chuckled. "Something like that."

"I vow, I detest the woman excessively!" She
turned to him, "I don't see how you could be close to
Jonathan."

"I wouldn't call it close. Naturally, I love
him. He's my little brother."

"Did he resent that you—and not he—was first
born?"

Gregory shrugged. "I don't think so. At
least not until later when he began to fear I would squander away
Sutton Hall. Then he rather aligned himself with his mother. Also,
being a pinch penny, he heartily disapproves of the manner in which
I spend money, or to quote him, the manner in which I waste
money."

"I don't see how he could not be jealous of
you. You're far more handsome and personable. You excel in sport.
And you control the purse strings. It's only natural he would
resent you."

No woman—not even Carlotta, who professed to
love him—had ever taken such an interest in his forlorn youth. Nor
had anyone before ever guessed the extent of his childhood
suffering. Yet, his slim wife who wasn't much more than a child
herself, displayed uncanny understanding of human nature. "Resent
isn't the right word. There's always been some degree of jealousy,
which was only natural. I was bigger and stronger and faster—all
things he envied. I daresay there's not a younger brother in the
kingdom who hasn't envied his older brother at one time or
another."

She smiled wistfully. "Or younger sister. I
used to lament that I couldn't be blonde and blue-eyed like my
beautiful sister. But I've always loved her fiercely."

"As I love Jonathan and he loves me." He
gave her a long look. "While I admit your sister is an
extraordinarily beautiful woman, I think you are even
prettier."

A smile slanted across his face as he
watched the color rise in her cheeks.

"Remember to say such flattering things when
we are in company. All of Bath will believe you in love with me,"
she said with a self-conscious laugh.

"It will take no effort for me to compliment
your beauty. It's as evident as the stars in the sky."

"Now you've gone and put me to the
blush."

"My blushing bride," he said with a
possessiveness he did not feel.

She looked up at him with hopeful eyes. "I
cannot believe I've known you all my life and am still learning
more about you. I think that's important for a husband and wife.
It's important, too, to be friends." She lowered her voice to a
soft murmur. "You'll always be my greatest friend, Blanks." Then
she squinted her eyes and declared, "And I must warn you I most
decidedly hate Aurora."

It seemed rather an odd thing to have a
woman for his champion. Only his nurse—who had never been foolish
enough to stand up to Aurora—had ever seen Aurora's injustice.
Would Glee still care so greatly for him when he left her childless
or when he slaked his hunger in the arms of another woman?

Chapter 11

When Appleton flew across Bath's Pulteney
Bridge before their carriage, Glee was far more concerned over the
hard-worked bays than she was over her husband's lost
five-and-twenty pounds. For in his quest to win, Blanks had ordered
the coachman to push them to their limit.

But after alighting from the carriage in
front of the new townhouse and examining the horses for herself,
Glee realized Blanks knew his horses' limits far better than she
did. They were heavily lathered but other than that appeared to be
unharmed. She removed her gloves and stroked each of their nuzzles,
murmuring softly to them.

Once the coachman took them off through the
dusk to the mews, she turned to her husband and Appleton with
merriment on her face. By this time the twins had ridden up and
were dismounting. "You gentlemen must do us the honor of being the
first to dine with us at our new home. I'm sure the staff Blanks
has procured will be able to assemble a humble meal," she said.
Appleton's puzzled gaze shifted to Blanks. Color rose in Glee's
face for she knew Appleton feared he would be intruding on their
wedding night.

"Yes, do," Blanks assured his friends.

"Very kind of you, Miss--I mean, Mrs.
Blankenship," Appleton said. "We'll return to our lodgings and hope
to make ourselves presentable. Should be back in an hour."

"We'll be delighted," she said happily. "And
you must call me Glee for I shall now address you by your Christian
name."

"Don't see how I could call you that,"
Appleton said. Though she would far rather have been alone all
night with Blanks, surrounding herself with his friends and
becoming one of them was part of her battle plan.

Blanks came to stand beside her and draped
his arm around her as they watched his friends ride back in the
direction of Bath Abbey. Then Blanks turned toward the townhouse
and opened the door for her.

A man Glee assumed was the butler came
rushing forth, a worried look on his face until he recognized
Blanks. "Good evening, Mr. Blankenship."

Blanks nodded stiffly, then glanced at Glee.
"My dear, I should like to present your new butler to you." He shot
a glance at the middle-aged man whose skin was very white and whose
hair was very black. "Hampton."

Hampton bowed to Glee. "I am pleased to make
your acquaintance, Mrs. Blankenship. I shall tell the housekeeper
you are here."

But he had no need to do so because a
capable looking woman who appeared to be a decade older than Glee
came climbing up from the basement, a smile on her face as she
greeted Glee with a curtsey. "I'm your housekeeper. My name's Mrs.
Roberts, and I shall be most happy to show you all I have
discovered about your new house, though I daresay you're fatigued
from the journey."

"Tomorrow will be soon enough," Glee said,
trying not to sound too authoritarian. "I'm afraid I've got a
demanding request for tonight, though. We will need dinner for five
as we've invited a few of Mr. Blankenship's friends over, but we
don't expect anything fancy."

"Oh, that will be no problem. Mr.
Blankenship told me you'd be returning tonight, so we've a fine
meal prepared. Three more will be no inconvenience whatsoever."

"Very good," Glee said. Then slipping her
arm through Blanks's, she added, "If you don't mind, my husband and
I will sweep through the house. It's our first home together, and
we're very excited."

Mrs. Roberts smiled and bowed her head. "I
hope you find everything in order." Then she disappeared back down
the stairs.

"Oh, Blanks, it's such a wonderful house!
And it's ours." She looked up at him, and his smile reached his
flashing dark eyes.

He patted her hand. "I must admit having a
townhouse—and a wife—is making me feel very old."

They walked along the marble foyer and
entered the morning room, which was bathed in pea green. "You're
still just four and twenty, and quite fancy free," she said,
walking through a door into Blanks's study.

"This is where we gentlemen will smoke after
dinner," he said.

She nodded up at him, unable to conceal her
pleasure at being here in their house, with her arm entwined with
her husband's. And she gave a silent prayer of thanks that she had
been granted the first part of her wish. Accomplishing the second
part was now up to her. She had to earn his love.

They strolled from the gentleman's study
across the foyer to the gold dining room. A fire had been started,
and the table was already covered with a white cloth. Glee saw that
a place was laid at each end of the long table. She made a mental
note to move hers next to Blanks. As they were leaving that room, a
footman carrying three more place settings entered the dining
chamber.

From the dining room, she and Blanks
strolled to the saloon. "As much as I like Mrs. Harrison's
furniture, I deplore the decoration of this room," Glee said.

He glanced around the vast chamber and with
a puzzled expression asked, "What's wrong with it?"

"The pastels will never do. They're so. .
.so insipid. I like bold colors, and they are all the rage in
decorating."

He patted her hand. "Then you'll have to
redecorate it."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Glee said
with a laugh.

"Shall we go upstairs?" he asked.

She nodded shyly. Their private chambers
were located on the next floor.

Holding hands, they silently climbed the
broad stairway. The first room they came to was Glee's study, where
a cabriolet-legged escritoire stood in its center. Sky blue walls
were barely distinguishable from the sky blue silk draperies.

"I daresay the blue has to go," Blanks said,
grinning. "Too pale for my wife."

Sweet heaven, but she loved those words!
My wife
. "I shall be forced to redecorate yet another room,"
she said with a laugh.

They went through a door in her study to her
sleeping chamber, which was also done in sky blue. Her cheeks hot,
Glee avoided looking at the focal point of the room: the bed. Then
Blanks disengaged his arm from hers and looked at her
seriously.

Her heart began to drum madly. Was he going
to kiss her? Carry her to the satin bed and make love to her? But,
of course, he wouldn't. Blanks was completely inflexible. If he
said he would not bed her, she could take his words for gospel. Oh
dear, what had she done—tying herself to a man who was dead-set
against taking his conjugal rights. What if she proved unable to
change him? Oh dear, she would not like that at all.

She watched him from beneath lowered lashes
and was surprised to see him remove money from his purse.

"It's time I give you the funds with which
to embark on your redecorating, my dear. Actually, the tradesmen
can send all the household bills to me, but you will need your own
money. Do you think you can manage on three hundred a quarter? Of
course, I'll take responsibility for the staff and household
purchases."

She was stunned. Three hundred pounds! 'Twas
more than she'd had at her disposal in her entire life. She leaped
to her tiptoes and flung her arms about his neck, kissing him on
the cheek. "It's most generous."

Seeing the somber look on his face, she fell
back to the soles of her feet. "I'm afraid you'll have to get used
to my affectionate outbursts. It's my nature. I hope I haven't
offended you."

A heartwarming smile leapt to his face even
as he stepped back from her. "What man would object to having a
beautiful woman kiss him?"

He might not object, but he certainly didn't
reciprocate. She would have to console herself with his declaration
of her beauty.

"If I remember correctly, your chambers can
be entered through that door," she said, pointing to a side wall of
her chamber.

He nodded.

"Would you mind if I have a look?" she
asked.

He stepped toward the door. "Not at
all."