With His Ring (Brides of Bath Book 2) (8 page)

"What makes you think something is
wrong?"

"Your actions. I've never known you to
prefer a tearoom to my bed."

The serving lady brought their tea and set
it and two cups and saucers on the table.

Gregory's heart pounded. He would have to
tell her. "I have some news to share."

Her lashes lifted seductively to reveal
lavender eyes wide with fear.

"I'm afraid it's not very good news, my
dear." Had he ever called Carlotta
my dear
before? He
fleetingly thought of Glee. Whom he had called
my love
. In
both instances, his words were far from the truth. "First, I shall
tell you about my father's disappointing will. I get nothing,
unless. . ."

"Unless what?" Carlotta asked, not able to
remove her frightened gaze from him.

"Unless I'm married on my twenty-fifth
birthday."

Now a smile hitched across her exotically
beautiful face.

He frowned. "I'm to marry Glee
Pembroke."

An anguished gasp broke from her throat.
"No! You can't!" Her eyes quickly filled with tears which began to
spill down her ivory cheeks. She did nothing to check them. "Why
can't you marry me? You said yourself we suit very well. And best
of all, you don't want children, and I abhor the sniveling brats.
Don't you see that Pembroke child can never love you in the ways I
have?"

He was stunned over her hatred of children.
After all, she had a child of her own. It was fortunate the poor
lad did not reside with his mother.

Then Gregory remembered Carlotta's question.
Why had he never considered marrying Carlotta? She was the most
compatible bed partner he had ever possessed. She was beautiful and
of good birth. And without a doubt, she loved him.

The thing of it was that he honestly had
never wanted to marry any woman. His aversion to matrimony had been
schooled by years of staunch avowal.

Had he to make his decision over again,
though, he would still choose Glee Pembroke over Carlotta Ennis.
Even if Glee proved to be a cold fish in bed. Now why had he gone
and thought about Glee in bed? Hadn't he firmly decided he would
never touch her? Resisting Glee's charms could prove most
difficult, he realized as he remembered the intensity of their
farewell kiss. Oddly, it had stirred him in ways Carlotta's kisses
never had.

His reasons for deciding on marrying Glee
had nothing to do with sex and nothing to do with her nobility of
birth but everything to do with William Jefferson and others of his
ilk. Throwing Glee to the likes of them was akin to coaxing lambs
to slaughter.

Unlike the innocent Glee, Carlotta could
easily handle herself—with or without his protection. Though he
clearly meant to settle her well.

How could he explain all this to Carlotta?
"I have made it clear to Miss Pembroke that our marriage is to be a
marriage in name only. I have no intentions of relinquishing my
ties to you, my lovely Carlotta." He picked up her icy hand and
brushed his lips across it.

Still, her tears flowed unchecked. Now that
the tea had steeped, she poured it into their cups, but instead of
drinking hers, she wrapped her hands around the cup for warmth.
"Why her?" she asked in a low voice not devoid of pain.

He shrugged.

"It's because I bring shame now that I've
allowed myself to become your mistress. You've lost all respect for
me. And now---" she broke off, sobbing, "you've lost your desire
for me."

"No, that's not it at all!" he protested.
"I'm here today with you. Would I be doing that if I were ashamed
of you?"

"You're throwing me crumbs to assuage your
conscience."

He shook his head vigorously, though her
words rang true. His big hand covered hers. He felt the warmth from
the steaming cup. "You must understand how important you are to
me," he said.

She laughed a bitter laugh. "All you want is
my compliant body because your wife won't be able to satisfy
you."

"There's much more to you than a compliant
body, Carlotta," he said in a deep, low voice.

Her long black lashes lowered. "Why couldn't
you have asked me?"

He shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

"I never thought you would be so snobbish
that you would marry for rank."

"I'm not marrying Miss Pembroke for her
family's rank," he protested angrily.

"Then why? She's a mere child—and not the
innocent you think her. What can she do for you?"

It's not what she can do for me as much
as what I can do for her.
Why had Carlotta maligned Glee? He
didn't like it above half. He picked up his cup a downed his tea in
one gulp. "We can talk on this from now until doomsday, but it
won't change the fact that I've offered for Glee, she accepted, and
the bans have been posted. There's nothing we can say or do now
that will change anything."

Carlotta shot him a puzzled glance. "You
want to marry her, don't you?"

"For God's sake, Carlotta, I've never wanted
to marry
any
woman. You know that. Now, drink your tea."

She shook her head. "I no longer want it."
Her eyes flashing in anger, she picked up her cup and slung its
contents at him.

His temper scorching, he scooted back his
chair and stood up. "I suggest we leave," he uttered in a voice
shaking with anger.

They strolled silently along Cheap Street
and turned onto Milsom. Her tears had finally stopped. When they
got to her door on Queen Street, she turned to him. "This will be
goodbye, Gregory," she said.

His brows lowered.

"I will use what little pride I have left to
sever my illicit ties to you," she said. "I shan't allow you to
slake your hunger in my bed." Her voice broke on the last few
words, then she opened the door and entered, slamming the door in
Gregory's face.

* * *

Glee would never know how she made it to
Queen Square. Her heart raced, and she felt as if the blood had
drained from her body.
Blanks and Carlotta!
It made her sick
to think of the beautiful widow lying within his arms, allowing
Blanks to love her like he would never love Glee.

And there was no way Glee could ever compete
with Carlotta and her buxom beauty. How sadly she compared to
Blanks's mistress.
Blanks's mistress
. The thought was rather
like a dagger to the heart.

Since her refusal to allow Glee to cross the
street to meet Blanks, Diana had not uttered a word. Even when a
passing horse kicked water on her pink gown.

Finally, Glee broke the silence. "She's his
mistress, isn't she?"

"A young maiden is not supposed to know of
such things," Diana recited.

"Oh, but I do know," Glee said
forlornly.

Diana's glance shifted sympathetically to
Glee.

"Why couldn't it have been a woman from the
lower classes?" Glee mused aloud.

"Or one with a wart on her nose?" Diana
added.

Glee tried to summon a laugh. Sweet heaven,
she had known Blanks kept mistresses, but never had she supposed
such a woman would come from her own class. Or be so very
beautiful.

When they got to the Harrison's house, Glee
moved through the lavish ground floor chambers completely without
emotion. When she was informed all the tasteful furnishings were to
be included, she made no comment for her every thought was on
Blanks.

Upstairs, she viewed the mistress's and
master's chambers and dressing rooms, still without comment. When
she beheld the olive green bed in the master's chamber, she
realized this is where Blanks would sleep. Just steps from her own
bed. With a dull pain in her heart, she wondered if she would ever
share the bed with the man she loved.

When the tour of the house was concluded,
she said, "I shall tell my husband-to-be to purchase this house."
My husband-to-be
. At least she would have something Carlotta
would never have. His name.

And hopefully she would one day have his
heart—if her battle strategies were successful.

Chapter 7

What a black day it had been for Gregory.
First, the unpleasantness with Carlotta, which left him feeling
bloody low. Then the unwelcome missive he had received from Glee
informing him she had come to Bath a day early. And now at the
Upper Assembly Rooms, he was being besieged with well-wishers
offering felicitations upon his upcoming nuptials. Since Glee had
decided on the Harrison house earlier in the day, word had spread
through the city like leaves scattering on the wind.

Gregory's stomach knotted when he saw
Jefferson—a devilish smile on his face—strolling across the
ballroom floor toward him.

"I say, Blankenship, quite a conquest you've
made with Sedgewick's beautiful sister."

Gregory's eyes swept over Jefferson. Why had
he never before noticed how dandified the man was with his colorful
waistcoats and elaborately tied cravat? "I am a most fortunate
man," Gregory responded.

Jefferson clapped a hand on Gregory's
shoulder. "And I was foolish enough to believe you would never be
caught in parson's mousetrap." He leaned closer and spoke in a
hoarse whisper. "I must suppose you've compromised the lady."

The air of detachment Gregory so carefully
cultivated crumbled as rage swept through him. He brought himself
face to face with the much smaller Jefferson. He grabbed
Jefferson's lapels and spoke in a guttural voice. "If you ever
again impugn Miss Pembroke—or even think about casting doubt on her
character—I swear, Jefferson, I'll call you out." His hands fisted,
he looked into Jefferson's pupils. "Have I made myself clear?"

Bravado replaced the fleeting look of fear
on Jefferson's face. "Of course I meant no offense." His glance
flicked across the room to Glee, who was being led onto the dance
floor by a gangly youth. "Miss Pembroke is quite above our touch,
you lucky devil."

"Devil is right!"

Gregory spun around to match the familiar
voice to the speaker, Timothy Appleton. Next to George, Appleton
was Gregory's oldest friend.

Jefferson excused himself, leaving Gregory
to Appleton's chastisement.

"Why, pray tell, am I a devil?" Gregory
asked.

"Because you failed to mention your
betrothal to me, one of your oldest and dearest friends."

"Oh, that." Gregory brushed a speck of lint
from his black coat. "'Tis three weeks off still, and I mean to
enjoy every last day of bachelorhood."

"You're as bad as George. Remember, he swore
off marriage until his thirtieth birthday, and he upped and married
at four and twenty. And now you," Appleton said forlornly. "What's
a fellow to do for pleasure anymore?"

A smile stretched across Gregory's face. "I
can think of any number of things."

"Fact is, it's never the same after one
weds. I long for the good old days. Oh, the times we've had,"
Appleton said wistfully. "Never was a chap more fun than George
when he was in his cups. Remember the night he stretched out and
went to sleep in front of Carlton House? And what about that trip
to Newmarket when Elvin lost all his money and donned his groom's
clothes to beg for dinner?"

"Melvin," Gregory corrected. Appleton was
forever getting the twins mixed up. "The things that meek fellow
will do when in his cups!"

Appleton sadly shook his head. "All the fun
will be gone once you're wed."

Gregory patted his friend's back. "Not at
all. Miss Pembroke assures me I can continue on as I always
have."

"That's exactly what Miss Moreland—before
she was Lady Sedgewick—said to Sedgewick. Look at him now. He's
lost all his desire for enjoying a rollicking good time." Appleton
shook his head. "Fail to understand what could be so amusing at a
country estate with no one for company but a wife and babe!"

"Nor do I," Gregory said. "I assure you, I
have no plans for my marriage to Miss Pembroke to change my
activities in any way."

This comment failed to elicit the desired
response in Appleton. "Can't understand why you're getting shackled
then at all. You were the last one I ever expected to marry.
Especially after all your avowed denials."

If only he could tell Appleton the truth.
But he could never allow his brother to learn the marriage was a
sham. "Have you not noticed Miss Pembroke's many excellent
qualities?" Gregory asked.

"Course I have. I know of half a dozen
blokes whose heart she broke. It's just that
you
have never
been attracted to
ladies
."

"At least not until I was ready to set up a
house and all that," Gregory defended.

"Never been so shocked as I was this
afternoon when Melvin informed me you was to wed. Thought he had
bats in his belfry. Told him so, too. Bet a pony he was wrong. So
of course I came straight away to your lodgings where Stanley
informed me you'd gone off to see Miss Pembroke at her hotel."

"Sorry I missed you," Gregory said, wishing
like anything he could get Appleton off the subject of his
nuptials. Demmed well wished
he
could get them out of his
mind too and thoroughly enjoy his last weeks of utter freedom. Why
did Glee have to come a day early? "Say, after I take Miss Pembroke
home from the assembly, what say you we descend upon Mrs. Starr's
gaming establishment?"

"I'm told the new dealer there's as fine a
looking bit of muslin as there is." Appleton winked. "Fair and
buxom."

"All the more reason to go," Gregory said
with a mischievous smile.

"Go where?" said one of the twins who now
joined them. Gregory was fairly certain the speaker was Elvin.
Though the two with their Roman noses and prematurely receding dark
hairlines looked exactly alike, their facial expressions differed
vastly. Melvin was excessively shy and reticent while exuberance
marked his brother's manner. The twin addressing them was
undoubtedly exuberant.