A Deal with a Duke

by Christie Kelley

  Part of him wanted this elopement more than he wished to admit. He lifted his head and stared down at her. Marrying her now would only be easier on him. Her mother and sister would have no ability to talk Louisa out of marriage. “I suppose we do not need any additional gossip.”

  “Besides, your daughter deserves to see her father married,” she reminded him.

  “You are right,” he admitted. “We shall have to face the gossip and objections together.”

  She smiled. “We can always retire to Northwood Park until the gossip fades from us to someone else. Perhaps Emma will reject Bolton and cause a scandal. Tessa had her turn. It’s our turn now.”

  Harry laughed. “I highly doubt Miss Emma will ever have more than a slight bit of gossip attached to her name. Any man with half a brain will see that she would make a beautiful wife.”

  “True, but I want more than that for her.”

  “Give her time. She’s young still.”

  “Bolton is never going to be the right man for her.”

  Staring into her eyes, he knew he had to tell her the truth. God, he hated causing her more pain.

  “What is wrong, Harry?”

  “Simon and I discovered who paid Collingwood.”

  “Who?”

  He wanted to look away, but instead, he said it quickly as if that would lessen her pain. “Your mother.”

  Her mouth gaped as she sat up and stared down at him. “Mamma?”

  He nodded. “We broke into Collingwood’s study and found two letters detailing the offer of five thousand pounds to marry you.”

  “Five thousand?” Louisa’s shoulders relaxed as she smiled at him. “It has to be a forgery, Harry. Mamma doesn’t have that kind of money. She lives off what Tessa and Lord Hammond give her.”

  Harry eased off the bed and pulled his waistcoat off the floor where she’d tossed it. After handing the letters to her, he waited. Sitting naked on his bed with her hair down to her shoulders, she looked incredibly vulnerable as she stared at the handwriting on the letter.

  “It’s her handwriting,” she muttered.

  He waited for her to come to terms with the idea that her mother had attempted to bribe a man to take Louisa off her hands. Louisa covered her mouth with her hand as she read. Her lashes fluttered as if to keep the tears at bay. One lone tear fell down her cheek followed quickly by another. Returning to the bed, he brought her into his arms.

  “Did you read the one from two days ago?” she whispered in an aching tone. Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “She was arranging my abduction by Collingwood to Gretna Green. She said she would invent a story that I went to visit Collingwood and his mother at his estate and that after a week we two decided to marry by special license. All Collingwood would need to do was take me back to Hertfordshire after marrying him at Gretna to make the story plausible. Oh my God, she even gave him the name of a man who would marry us without my permission!”

  Tears tracked down her cheek to his chest as he held her. “Shh, darling. It’s over now. You and I will marry, and she will never be able to hurt you again.”

  She nodded slowly. “Damn her, Harry. I used to blame everything that happened on my father. Now, I don’t know what to think.”

  He wanted to take her pain away. See her smile. “Perhaps you should talk to your father. Write to him.”

  “I need to confront her.” She wiped away her tears and looked up at him with a fire in her blue eyes. “I want her to understand that I know and will use it against her if she tries to interfere with our marriage.”

  Smiling, he reached out and caressed her cheek. “You are my little fighter.”

  “Tomorrow, we will see her together. I will let her know that we are marrying and about the letters.” She moved back into his arms. “But right now, I want to be with the man I love.”

  Chapter 26

  THE NEXT DAY, THEY pulled up to her mother’s house. Louisa’s hand trembled as she reached for Harry’s assistance disembarking the carriage. She wondered if she could have faced this without him by her side. For the past seven years, she’d blamed her father for what had happened, until now.

  “Come along. After we speak to your mother, I must get a special license.”

  “Very well.” Louisa and Harry climbed the steps together.

  Davis opened the door with a look of shock. “Miss Drake, you have returned...and with His Grace.”

  “Where is my mother?”

  “In the salon with Mrs. Raynerson and Miss Emma.”

  Louisa blew out a breath. She’d hoped she would be able to speak to Mamma alone. She opened the door to the salon and plastered a smile on her face.

  “I’m home.”

  Her mother rose slowly from her chair. “Louisa, where have you been? Emma said you went to Tessa’s house last night, which I believed until Tessa arrived wishing to speak with you.”

  Louisa glanced over at Tessa who gave her a slight shrug as if to say, you should have told me. Time for the truth and the dressing-down she would receive.

  “I was with Harry.”

  Tessa, Emma, and her mother finally noticed him standing behind her. “Your Grace,” all three said with a curtsy.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Drake, Mrs. Raynerson, and Miss Emma,” he said flatly.

  Mamma recovered first. “What do you mean you were with the duke?”

  Louisa tilted her head and leveled her mother a smug smile. “I am certain you know exactly what I mean, Mamma.”

  Her mother gasped. Tessa smiled. Emma giggled.

  Mamma’s cheeks flushed. “That is most dreadful, Louisa! But I’m certain we can keep the talk to a minimum once you marry Collingwood.”

  “Mamma!” Louisa had no idea how she could feel shocked after all she’d learned, but the thought that her mother would still expect her to marry Collingwood was beyond the pale. “I’m afraid that is impossible now.”

  “You didn’t elope with the duke? You couldn’t have!”

  Louisa laughed lightly. “No, we haven’t wed...yet.”

  “Yet?” Tessa asked with an encouraging smile.

  “Yes.” Louisa pulled a piece of paper from her reticule and smiled over at Harry. “You see, today is the duke’s thirtieth birthday. And seven years ago, we made a deal stating if I reached the age of twenty-five and him thirty, and we were both unmarried, we would wed each other.”

  Louisa let out an exaggerated sigh. “If I don’t marry him, he will tell the gossipmongers that I refused to marry him. Imagine the gossip if it was known that I had rejected a viscount, a gentleman, and now a duke. Poor Emma would never be able to marry.”

  Tessa’s lips twitched as she attempted to hold back inevitable laughter.

  “Madam, I am arranging for a special license this afternoon,” Harry said to her mother. “We will marry in a fortnight to give your daughter time to have a gown made fitting a duchess.”

  Her mother’s eyes widened and then fluttered as if she might faint. She sank back into a chair.

  Emma broke the tension by saying, “Oh Louisa, I am so happy for you.”

  “You won’t be when your engagement is broken because of this scandal.” Her mother had found her voice again. Her mother picked up a fan and waved it in front of her face. “This is too much, Louisa. Look where your impulsiveness has gotten you now!”

  “She landed a duke, Madam,” Harry said bluntly. “Most mothers would be quite proud of that fact. Being that you wanted nothing more for your daughters than money and a title, I should think you would be quite pleased.”

  “I have never been so insulted in my own home. I must ask you to leave now.”

  Louisa smiled over at Harry with a wink. “He can leave, but it will not stop the marriage, Mamma.”

  He reached over and brought her hand to his lips. “I will call on you tomorrow. Let me know if you are staying with your sister.” He turned and bowed to Tessa and her mother. “Good day, ladies.”

  Louisa watched him leave un
til the door closed behind him. She knew the real objections would start now. But her focus turned toward her oldest sister.

  “Tessa, are you all right with this? I know any gossip will involve your name more than anyone else.”

  “I am happy for you, Louisa.” Tessa smiled over at her. “I married those men to give you and Emma a chance to marry for love. I glad you found it.”

  “Think of what his father did,” Mamma said in a low tone. “He ruined this family.”

  “And what did you do, Mamma? I know all about it, though I doubt you wish to wash your dirty linen in front of Tessa and Emma.”

  Tessa and Emma shared a shocked look.

  “I only ever did what was best for my daughters,” she retorted.

  “Oh? Collingwood was the best for me?” Louisa shook her head slowly. “You were so certain your scheme would work.”

  Her mother straightened her spine. “Perhaps it’s best if you both leave so Louisa and I may speak in private.”

  Tessa glanced between Louisa and Mamma and finally said, “As you wish. Louisa, you are more than welcome to stay with me should you prefer it.”

  Louisa nodded. “Thank you. I will have Mary pack my bags.”

  As soon as her sisters departed, her mother asked, “Just what is it you believe I have done, Louisa?”

  Louisa sat in the chair across from her and then crossed her arms over her chest. “Where did you come up with the five thousand, Mamma?”

  Her mother blanched before replying, “Five thousand? What are you talking about? Did Worthington put some mad idea into your head?”

  “Why would you think Harry would say something? Collingwood courted me for weeks. Perhaps he mentioned something in passing.”

  “Collingwood? That fool. He needed the mon...”

  “I believe the word is money, Mamma. Yes, Collingwood needed the five thousand that you promised him. Although, I am not sure how he assumed you would come about that amount of money.” Louisa watched her mother’s face contort as if trying to determine an excuse or lie.

  “What are you accusing me of, Louisa?” Her mother finally demanded.

  “I would just like to hear the truth from you. Why would you suggest Collingwood abduct me in the middle of Hyde Park, thereby ruining my reputation and putting Emma’s marriage to Bolton at risk?”

  Her mother rose and glared down at her. “If the fool had kept his mouth shut, everything would have been fine.”

  Louisa stood, allowing her to glare down at her mother. “Why, Mamma?”

  “Emma loves Bolton. I could tell you were getting too close to Worthington. Lady Bolton would never allow our name to be associated with his again. I was trying to protect you and Emma.”

  “Protect me?” Louisa shouted. “Protect me from a man who loves me. A man who I love. I will marry Harry, Mamma.”

  “Louisa, think about what this will do to your sisters. Poor Emma might be rejected by a viscount. That will ruin her.”

  “Mamma, my marrying a duke will not ruin Emma’s chances with Bolton or any other man. I fear word getting out that you planned your daughter’s abduction, will have a far bigger impact on Emma’s reputation.”

  “No one would believe you,” she said with a hint of bravado.

  Louisa pulled out the letters from her reticule. “No? I do believe most people will believe your letters.”

  “Please don’t say a word,” she whispered, looking suddenly vulnerable.

  Louisa shook her head as a devious thought came to mind. “It is not me you have to worry about. It’s Collingwood. I’d suggest you pay him some, if not all, of the money you promised him to keep him quiet.”

  “Hammond will be furious with me,” Mamma mumbled, twisting her handkerchief.

  Louisa’s assumption about Hammond being involved with the money was correct. “Yes, I expect he will. And I will be staying with Tessa until the wedding.”

  HARRY FACED HIS OWN grueling interrogation when he arrived home. After spending some time with Charlotte, Daphne finally arranged to catch him alone.

  “Absolutely not, Harry.”

  “What now, Daphne?”

  She sank into the chair across from his desk in the study. “Do you think I haven’t heard the rumors that Miss Drake was here last night and that you intend to marry her?”

  “It’s not a rumor.”

  “What do you mean?” A scowl darkened her face.

  “I have every intention of marrying Miss Drake. I have a special license already.”

  Daphne’s mouth gaped. “How could you possibly have arranged that so quickly?”

  Harry laughed. “I’m a duke. The archbishop was rather pleased to hear I would be marrying again.”

  “I cannot bear that family, Harry. Her mother wanted nothing but to better themselves at our expense. At least the eldest Drake sister didn’t marry Father. But I won’t stand for that middle sister to marry you just to better their social position. If not for them, our father would still be alive. For all we know, Tessa urged him to get the poison for her husbands so she could marry Father.”

  “Daphne, I know you loved our father. As did I. But you forget, he also murdered my wife in this very house. He was mad. Tessa had nothing to do with the murders and neither did Louisa.”

  “But—”

  “Mrs. Drake did not want Louisa to marry me.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because she was more concerned with Emma marrying Bolton than Louisa’s happiness.” He explained what they knew about her mother’s schemes to keep them apart.

  “But why would you want to marry her?”

  “Daphne, I love her.” Harry poured two brandies and handed one to his sister. “I have loved her for years. I raced off to India to give her time to realize that she loved me. Instead, I married a woman I didn’t truly love. At least not like I love Louisa.”

  “You went to India to get away from her?”

  “Yes. I never told a soul that. I loved her from almost the first time we met.” Harry sipped his brandy and let it warm his belly. He finally told her the entire story of their relationship. “I don’t suppose you will ever understand, but I cannot live without her any longer. I won’t live without her.”

  Daphne went silent and sipped her brandy. “I might understand more than you think. When I was nineteen, I met Lord Shipley. He was a rogue, to say the least, but the moment I saw him, I fell in love. We spoke of marriage but then...”

  Harry vaguely remembered even though he’d been at Eton at the time. Shipley’s brother had been there when the accident happened to make Tom the new earl. “The carriage accident.”

  Daphne nodded. “He was on his way to speak to his grandmother. He wanted her approval before speaking with Father. After that, I didn’t care who I married so I accepted Radley.” She looked over at him. “Please do not think ill of Radley. I have come to love him, perhaps not as strongly as Shipley, but we have a good marriage. I finally told him about Shipley. So, I do understand.”

  “But can you accept her?”

  “For you, I suppose I must try. At least you know your daughter adores her.” Daphne raised her glass. “Congratulations, Harry. Have you told Charlotte yet?”

  “Told me what, Aunt Radley?” a small voice sounded from the threshold.

  “What are you about, Charlotte?” Harry asked with a smile.

  “Nurse brought me down to say goodnight. What are you going to tell me?” She scrambled up on Harry’s lap.

  “I am getting married. You will have a new mother.”

  Her eyes widened. “Who, Papa? Is it Miss Drake? Please say it is her!”

  He kissed her forehead. “It is,” he whispered in her ear.

  Charlotte clapped her hands and bounced on his leg. “Yay!”

  “Would you like to pay a call on Miss Drake with me tomorrow?”

  “Yes!”

  “Then off to bed, poppet. I love you.” He kissed her cheek.

  “I love you too.” She g
ave him a wet kiss to the cheek. “Goodnight, Papa.” She climbed off his lap. “Goodnight, Aunt Radley.”

  “Goodnight, dear,” Daphne said, rubbing her slightly rounded belly. “I do so hope this is a girl.”

  “Me too, Daphne.” And he hoped Louisa might already be with child. He wanted brothers and sisters for Charlotte. A large family filled with love for Louisa.

  THE FORTNIGHT PASSED in a blur to Louisa. She awoke on Friday praying nothing would go wrong today. She’d barely seen Harry the past ten days as Tessa had kept her busy with fittings for the gown and other assorted clothes she would need when married. Even though only family had been invited, Tessa insisted a new dress was required to marry a duke. Her stomach roiled, nervous with the thought of becoming a duchess.

  Yesterday had been a trying day. Bolton broke off the engagement, stating Louisa’s transgressions had tarnished Emma's reputation. Poor Emma had been heartbroken by his disloyalty. As much as Mamma thought they should sue Bolton for breach, Raynerson and Tessa talked her out of it, hinting it would only keep the family name embroiled in scandal even longer. Only Louisa knew her mother’s desire to sue Bolton had to do with the money to pay Collingwood.

  She wanted this wedding over, so she could start her new life. She and Harry had agreed only family would be invited to the wedding and after they would have a small family breakfast before departing for Worth Hall. After a fortnight there, given Harry’s estate business was complete, they would return for the rest of the Season.

  “Louisa, are you awake?” Emma asked from the hall.

  “Yes, come in.”

  Emma’s usual enthusiasm had waned with her jilting. “I came over early to help you dress.”

  “I would love that.” Louisa tossed off the coverlet. She walked over to the ice blue silk the dressmaker completed in only a few days once she heard it was to be worn by a duchess. It was a simple design with no flounce or ribbons. Tessa had called it elegant enough for a duchess.