Emma remained relatively quiet as she helped Louisa dress into her underclothes. “I do wish I could fix your hair, but it’s always so difficult.”
“Emma, are you certain you still want us to marry?”
“Yes, I do. This has opened my eyes to just how dominated Bolton is by his mother. I could never marry him at this point.”
“I shall do everything in my power to find you a good man,” Louisa stated firmly.
A light rap on the door was followed by Tessa’s announcement, “Louisa, there is a maid here who says Worthington sent her to do your hair. It’s all very odd to me.”
“I am here, miss. If Mrs. Raynerson would allow me inside your bedchamber,” a voice called from the hall.
“Lily?”
“Yes, miss, that’s me.” She pushed passed Tessa with a scowl. “Go along then, Mrs. Raynerson. I shall have Miss Drake all set in no time.”
“Louisa?” Tessa asked, staring at Lily with a confused look on her face.
“Lily assisted me when I was at Northwood Park.” Louisa smiled over at the young woman. “She is the only person who has ever been able to get my hair to stay in place.”
“All ladies out of the room so I can get her hair dressed.” Lily waved Emma and Tessa out the door. “Phew, now show me your gown.”
Louisa rose and then held up the gown to her body, allowing Lily to determine the best style for her hair. The brash maid spent the next hour arranging Louisa’s hair to perfection and guaranteed it would stay put until the duke removed her hairpins tonight. Once her hair was done, Lily assisted her in the gown.
She heard voices downstairs and assumed a few people might have arrived early. But as her mother’s loud voice came closer, Louisa suspected there was a problem already.
“You cannot go in there! You shouldn’t even be here!” Mamma shouted.
“I will see my daughter on her wedding day,” a low voice grumbled.
“Oh, no!” Louisa exclaimed as her father strode into the room, as best he could with a slight limp. “What are you doing here?”
Her father stopped and stared at her for a long moment. “Oh my, Louisa, whoever called you the plainest of the Drake sisters must have been blind.”
He walked forward and attempted to take her hand in his, but she pulled it away. He acknowledged the slight with a nod. “I cannot believe you hooked a duke.”
“Hooked a duke?” she repeated in disbelief. When Tessa finally admitted that their father was alive two years ago, she’d said he hadn’t wanted to go along with Mamma’s plan for Tessa to have a Season but eventually succumbed to her pressure. “Papa, I thought you were different. I thought you didn’t care about such things.”
“What father wouldn’t want to see his daughter become a duchess?” He sank into a chair by the fire and held out his hands as if chilled by the weather.
Seeing his gnarled aged hands, Louisa forced herself to sit and hear his side of the story. He deserved that much. “What happened, Papa?”
He stared at the fire. “You know what a stubborn woman your mother is when she gets an idea in her head.”
Louisa knew all too well. “Yes, but you are her husband and should have taken control.”
A loud snort sounded from the threshold. “Because that would work so well with you.”
Louisa and her father rose to face Harry.
“Your Grace, this is my father, Mr. Drake.”
“Your Grace,” her father said with a bow.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Drake. Thank you for giving me your consent to marry your daughter.”
“Of course.”
“Wait,” Louisa said, glancing between then both. “When could you possibly have given your approval?”
“His Grace sent an express explaining the situation but still desiring my approval, which I gave gladly.”
Harry had still felt the need to get approval even though no father would deny a duke his daughter’s hand. It touched her heart that he wanted to be proper when their relationship had never followed the conventions of Society.
“Would you like me to leave so you can continue your conversation?” Harry asked.
“You might as well stay. If not, I will only tell you what was said tonight.” Louisa returned to her seat while Harry sat on the end of the bed.
Her father cleared his throat and continued, “As I was saying your mother is a bit headstrong. She convinced me that one Season for Tessa would end in an advantageous marriage, thereby providing you and Emma the same chance. While your mother had her Season at seventeen, I had no thought to the costs involved. Suddenly the bills started to come in for the lease, and the new clothing for everyone, including you and Emma since you might be invited to some small gatherings.”
“Oh, Papa,” Louisa cried. “You should have stopped it.”
“I couldn’t,” he replied, staring into the fireplace. “Before the Season even began, I had creditors asking for their money. Now, I realize that most people ignore the bills until the marriage occurs, but I had no knowledge of this world.”
“Ignoring bills is the norm for the quality,” Harry commented with a shake of his head.
“True, but I wasn’t one of them,” her father added. “They believed I should pay immediately. I didn’t know what to do, so I started taking money from the bank.” He hung his head low. “I knew it was wrong but felt my life was out of control.”
Louisa glanced over at Harry, who looked away. “I wish I had known.”
“When they arrested me, your mother and sister thought it best to tell you and Emma that I had died. Your mother went to her uncle’s home, and you know the rest of the story.”
The only thing that had saved him from the noose had been Tessa swift marriage to Langley, and her payments to the bank. Louisa’s eyes welled with tears. “I am dreadfully sorry for what happened, Papa.”
“I know, sweetling. But no tears. It is your wedding day, and you should be happy.”
Louisa looked at Harry, who was smiling at her. “I am. I’m marrying my dearest friend who I love more than I ever thought possible.”
“Will you let me give you away?” her father asked softly. “I never had the chance with Tessa, but I would be honored to give you to such a gentleman.”
She nodded. “I understand, but please give me a few minutes to think things over.”
“Of course.” Her father rose slowly from his chair. “I will wait downstairs and try my best not to torment your mother.”
Harry bowed to her and started to leave with her father.
“Har—Your Grace, please stay for a moment.”
He glanced at her father, who only shrugged. “Of course, Miss Drake.”
Her father closed the door. “Five minutes,” he said from the hall.
Louisa smiled at Harry. “I do believe we are being watched by my dead father.” She walked into his arms and pressed her cheek to his chest. “I have missed you the past few days.”
“I’ve missed you too.” He pressed a kiss on her head. “You look beautiful, love. Like a duchess.”
“Oh, I am going to be a dreadful duchess,” she said with a shake of her head. “Mother tells everyone she is a widow of a London banker, yet, my dead father is most definitely alive. My sister is on husband number four after the deaths of the first three due to your father, who committed suicide. My youngest sister was just jilted by a viscount.” She looked up at him with a watery smile. “Are you certain this is a good idea?”
Louisa suddenly clutched her stomach and ran to the basin expelling the tea and toast she’d eaten earlier.
Harry approached her silently and poured a glass of water.
She took a few slow sips, praying she could manage to keep it down.
He then pulled her up against him, caressing her cheek. “I do believe that may be an indication that yes, we must do this no matter our own insecurities.”
“No,” she said, slowly comprehending what he meant. “It cannot b
e. I am only a few days late. It is nerves.”
“Perhaps, but I am not willing to take that chance.” He turned her back in his arms and walked her to a chair. “Besides, I don’t care about any of those reasons you gave me. The only thing that matters is you will be my wife, my love, and at some point, the mother of my children. I love you, Louisa. And as long as we love each other, the rest will work out.”
“You must have the most dreadful luck to be stuck with the plain Drake sister,” she said with a smile. “But this sister loves you more than she ever thought possible.”
“What are you going to do about your father?” he asked in a hesitant tone.
“I wish I knew.” She sighed. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt too much to let him give me away. I’d told Raynerson that he could give me away, but I’m sure he will understand. Everyone here is family. Oh my, what about your sister?”
“She will find out at some point. There’s no better day than today.”
“Assuming she doesn’t make a scene during the ceremony.”
“She would never set out to purposely ruin someone. And she will come to love you, Louisa.”
“If you say so,” she muttered unconvinced that his sister would ever be anything but cordial to her. And only because of Harry.
“We have used our allotted five minutes. Shall we go get married?”
“Only if you’re certain.”
“Louisa, what else can go wrong?”
Louisa shook her head. “How could you say that after everything that has happened?”
He smiled at her. “There is nothing else. Because even if something happens, we have each other and will get through it...for the rest of our lives.”
Epilogue
Christmas 1820
EMMA SAT IN THE SALON of Northwood Park after arriving home from church. Being Harry and Louisa’s first Christmas, and she heavy with child, it had been decided that the family would spend it at Northwood Park. Since the wedding and her jilting by Bolton, Emma’s life had been anything but pleasant. Even the few invitations to balls had only been to appease the duke or his sister.
Emma’s life was over. She might as well don a spinster cap and be done with it.
But at least her sisters were happy. Much to Louisa’s surprise, she was with child during her wedding ceremony. Unfortunately, just like Tessa, Louisa spent the first three months with dreadful morning sickness. Hopefully, she would have an easy delivery as Tessa had.
“Emma, would you hold Jane?” Tessa asked as she walked into the room, holding her six-month-old daughter.
“I will!” Charlotte shouted. “I’m almost five now, Aunt Raynerson!”
Tessa laughed. “Let Emma hold her first. You will get a lot of practice in a few weeks.”
“But I love babies, Aunt Raynerson.”
Tessa placed her daughter in Emma’s arms. “I know you do, Charlotte. And you are very good with Jane, too. But let your Aunt Emma hold her first.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Emma looked down at Jane and smiled at her. She pressed her lips together to keep anyone from seeing her lip tremble. Covertly, Emma wiped a tear away. At this point, she knew she was bound for spinsterhood with her reputation and that of her family now on all the gossipmongers’ tongues.
Louisa had tried to introduce her to a few fine gentlemen during the Season as she’d promised. Perhaps it had been too soon after Bolton’s betrayal because not one suited Emma. Most of Society ignored her. A woman rejected by a gentleman of high standing was considered damaged goods.
But she had already decided her New Year’s resolution. If she were bound to have this reputation after being jilted by Bolton, she was going to deserve it. She was tired of always being the “good” sister. After her adventures with Louisa, it was time Emma had a few escapades of her own.
“Happy Christmas,” a deep voice sounded from the hall. Simon Kingsley entered the room with an armful of presents for everyone.
Her stomach clenched with the sight of the vile man. Emma still couldn’t abide him. She would never forget how she walked into his office to see him with that woman on his lap.
“Happy Christmas, Miss Drake,” he said as he walked by her with a smile.
“Happy Christmas, Mr. Kingsley.” She promptly decided to ignore him for the rest of the day. Watching how happy her sisters were with their husbands was becoming most difficult, indeed.
A stab of envy struck her. She’d been the perfect sister. The one everyone said would end up as a viscountess or higher. She’d never done anything to damage her or her family’s reputation, and what did that get her? Thrown over by a viscount and now her family’s reputation was in question because of it.
Louisa had gone unescorted to at least two of Harry’s homes. And yet, Louisa not only married a duke, but they had fallen madly in love with each other.
Maybe she should try a scandal. Or maybe a few. Odds were, she wouldn’t fall in love, but perhaps she might have a little well-needed fun in her life.
Ruination.
That was what she needed. And as soon as the Season started, she had every intention of ruining herself for good.
Award winning author Christie Kelley writes Regency set historical romances from her home in Maryland. When not writing, she is usually in the garden, fixing something around the house and surrounded by her two sons and two Siberian cats.
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Also by Christie Kelley
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