“I begin to understand. You thought that meant writing together and he thought that meant marrying you and spending your dowry.”
She let one shoulder rise up as she nibbled her lip. “In the name of being honest, I wanted a man who wasn’t afraid of my views. Who wanted more than just my face or my dowry.”
“What about your curves? They’re lovely,” he said and then he leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss.
The kiss filled her with a deep ache but also soothed her jangled nerves. “Very funny. You know what I meant.”
Interestingly, this conversation was more honest than any she’d ever had. Mostly because it was filled with both emotion and intellect. Her views and her feelings. And Adam, the rake of all rakes, sat listening with rapt attention as she talked.
“I do,” he answered. “Hence the marriage clause that demanded conversation?”
Before she could answer, he kissed her again. They still had one hand laced together while the his other was wrapped about her waist. As his lips left hers, she softly replied, “Yes.”
“So what are your fears with these letters?” he asked.
She looked up at the ceiling. When had she ever been able to talk through a situation with anyone? “I was thinking. I never signed my real name. He figured it out, obviously. But…”
“You never admitted to being Lady Madeline Maddox in the letters or essays?”
She shook her head. “He could insinuate it, of course. The court of public opinion could hang me.”
He squeezed her waist. “How often does the London Standard issue come out?”
“Monthly,” she replied.
“Excellent. By then we’ll be married. You’ll no longer need to worry about the scandal affecting your marriage prospects. And, we could always retire to the country for a season. These things die down after a bit.”
Her heart swelled in the strangest way as he placed her hands on his chest. “That’s it? We just get married and ignore the rest of the world.”
He gave her a one-sided smile. “That is the thing about being a known rake. You get very comfortable not caring what society thinks.”
A giggle of happiness threatened to erupt from her chest. How delightful. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“You have other options. You could loudly proclaim them to be yours and start handing out pamphlets on the streets of London.”
If her heart had been swollen before, it threatened to burst from her chest. “You wouldn’t stop me?”
“I like that you want to change the world.” He kissed her again. Longer and fuller and she melted into him. “But that is a dangerous job. If you really want to make change, you might consider starting a house for women to seek shelter when they’ve nowhere else to go. I know it isn’t as loud. It doesn’t change others. But some changes begin small and grow as people see the effect of-—”
This time, she kissed him. Because this was the most delightful idea she’d ever heard. And the one man she wasn’t supposed to marry was the one man who seemed to understand exactly what she wished to accomplish.
He slanted her lips open and licked the seam with his tongue. She forgot that he was perfect and sweet. Instead, all she could remember was that he was deliciously wicked. Pressing closer, she slid the hand that had been pressing to his chest up around his neck. The kiss went on and on until she was breathless with want and then he finally eased back. He stroked his thumb along her swollen lips. “Do you think all of our conversations will end so satisfactorily?”
“End?” she asked pressing her lips to his one last time. “I thought we were just getting started.”
* * *
Adam made his way to Devon’s office for the second day in a row as he tried to calm his racing pulse. He should be worried about what Devon might say or do but all he could focus on was the sweet, tempting little minx who’d been perched in his lap. She was slowly but surely tying him into knots.
She was stunning and intelligent and fragile too. He could sense it and every male instinct in him said that he needed to keep her safe.
Which might prove difficult if she decided that passing out pamphlets was actually a good idea.
But he wouldn’t hold her back. Who was he to tell anyone to operate under the strict rule of society? He would, however, keep any harm from befalling her. It was one thing that he could give her, even if he wouldn’t give her his heart.
Knocking on the door, Devon’s gruff voice called to him. “Come in.”
Adam opened the door as Devon stood in greeting. He gave Adam a long look. “Let’s get down to business, shall we?”
“Of course,” Adam responded as they both sat.
“First, I want to know if Maddie has told you the whole story with Delaney.”
Charles Delaney. The bastard. He’d better not find that man alone in an alley. “I believe that she has.”
Devon gave a single nod. “Good. Does he pose an additional threat?”
Adam sat back in his chair. “I don’t know. It might be prudent to hire an investigator to see what we can learn about him. I’ve no idea how desperate he might have been but if he pushed an article into his publication then my guess is he was either very angry or desperate. Neither portends to a stable man who will act rationally.”
Bar stared at him across the desk, not saying a word for several seconds. “I can see that you’ve thought this through and that you’re taking my sister’s safety seriously.”
“Thank you,” Adam replied relaxing a bit. “One of the best things I could do would be to marry her as quickly as possible. Much as she doesn’t like such notions, she’s safest after we’re wed.”
“I agree. I’ve drawn up a provisional contract. Is there anything you’d like added?”
Adam gave a terse nod. “Dedicate one-third of her dowry to charitable causes of her choosing and another third to her own inheritance.”
“You’re only taking a third?” Devon’s eyebrows rose.
“I don’t need her money,” Adam’s hand slashed through the air. “The remaining third will be used to purchase a London home of her choosing.”
It was Bar’s turn to sit back in his chair. “Acquire a special license. I’ll consent to the match.”
Adam assessed the man in front of him. “I didn’t expect you to say that. If I’m honest, this wasn’t the conversation I anticipated at all.”
Bar shrugged. “Your past is your business so long as you can be a decent husband to my sister. She cares for you, I can tell, and you for her.”
Those words washed over Adam, filling him with a fuzzy warmth he hadn’t felt in ages. Forever maybe. How funny. He liked all of Maddie’s family. A great deal more than he’d ever expected. And he did hold a certain affection for her. That was true. “I’ll see that she is kept safe and that she is given every benefit of marriage.”
Bar’s eyes narrowed. “A happy marriage is the key to a happy life. Emily has convinced me of that.”
Adam didn’t answer. Happiness? He’d long ago given up on that. But maybe he could find a life filled with fun and intellectual discourse and the marriage bed would certainly sweeten the deal. It was the best he dared hope for.
Chapter Eleven
Maddie stood in front of the mirror, assessing her dress for the evening. Her pale blue gown caught the candlelight, the sheen of the silk shimmering as the light bounced off it. She pressed her folds down, silently chastising the dress for appearing happy.
She hadn’t seen Adam since he’d tossed out Charles, but she had received a missive from him, or her brother had.
Adam had acquired a license and they were to be married at the week’s end. Their engagement had been announced and while the hasty nature of the affair was surely raising eyebrows, she expected she’d be better received this evening at the Winchesters’ dinner party than she had at Almack’s. Becoming a countess meant society would welcome her back. It made her sick to her stomach.
But her soon-to-be husband
wished to make a public appearance. She failed to see the point, and if she’d seen him, she would have argued against this evening but she hadn’t.
Adding to her irritation was the fact that she had to sign the contracts today, but her brother hadn’t come home at the appointed time. So she was about to go out to announce an official engagement. She neither wanted to go nor was it actually official. How lovely.
A knock sounded at her door.
“Maddie,” Bar rumbled. “May I come in?”
“If you must.” she called back, frowning toward the door.
Bar walked in carrying a sheath of papers along with a quill and inkwell. “I’ve brought the contracts.”
“You can’t be serious.” She turned back to her reflection. “I waited all day for you and now I am completely ready to go to this dreadful affair.”
Bar quirked an eyebrow as he began depositing the items on her vanity. “You love social events.”
“Not anymore.” Maddie turned back to the mirror. Not for some time. “And certainly not after Almack’s. Dreadful business.” Then she spun back toward her brother. “But even before that, I realized I was just another slab of meat at the butcher that men were assessing, weighing, deciding if I was fit for purchase. How pretty is she? How good are her connections? How large is her dowry?”
One side of Bar’s mouth turned up matching the single eyebrow he’d raised. “Well, on that front you’ll be pleased with the contract then.” And he pointed at the papers. “Your groom-to-be has returned your entire dowry to you in one form or another.”
She took a half step back as her hands covered her heart. “I beg your pardon?”
“He’s put money aside for you to start a charity, money for a house in your name, money for a nest egg, in addition to a generous allowance that stays with you after his death. The man must be smitten.” Bar’s partial smile grew into a full one, stretching from ear to ear. “I assumed his rakish tendencies were thanks to his first fiancée, but I’d say this confirms it. He just needed the right woman to turn his outlook around.”
Maddie tried to take in that sentence. “His first fiancée?” She knew there had been another woman that he’d courted.
Bar nodded. “Nasty business.”
She slid her hands from her heart to her cheeks. They’d been so focused on her that she’d learned very little about him. She had no idea if what Bar said was true. Was he smitten with her?
There was only one way to find out. Crossing the room, she carefully drew the quill from the well. “What were you doing today that we couldn’t do this earlier? I’d hate to get ink on my dress.”
Bar cleared his throat. “My apologies. There was business that couldn’t wait.”
Maddie signed the contract. “Do brides usually agree to terms like this?”
“No.” Bar winked. “Your groom, however, insisted.”
She warmed from the inside out. It wasn’t true that she hadn’t learned anything about him. He was masculine, strong, kind and generous. But she’d amend that tonight and begin learning about his past. He had already bestowed several wonderful gifts on her, if she were to return the favor, she needed to learn about him.
With that in mind, she descended the stairs a quarter hour later, to find him at the bottom, waiting for her along with Emily.
“Where’s Harry?” she asked.
Bar grimaced. “He had a personal matter to attend to. I hope to see him back very soon.”
She had little time to wonder on what matter had pulled Harry away. Adam glanced up at her from the bottom of the stairs. Every time she saw him, it was as though she were seeing him for the first time, he took her breath away. His broad shoulders and tapered waist were accentuated by his perfectly cut coat. His dark blond hair was brushed back from his face in a devilishly handsome style that only highlighted his masculine features and full lips. But he didn’t look up as she came down.
Bar and Emily were with him, the former whispering in her fiancée’s ear. Adam in turn, stared at her brother as he frowned not speaking a word. How odd.
Bar stopped as soon Emily called up to her. “You look lovely, darling sister.”
Then Adam’s gaze turned to her and the breathless heat in her belly turned molten as those brown eyes captured hers. How could her reaction to him be growing stronger?
“You do look…” he murmured, pausing as he held out his hand to her, “stunning.”
A blush crept into her cheeks as she placed her hand into his. He tucked her gloved fingers into his elbow and drew her close. She basked in the warmth that he radiated, the strength that he exuded.
They made their way out into the waiting carriage and began the short drive to the Winchesters’ dinner party. Adam sat across from her saying little, but his eyes devoured her in a way that made it hard to think or even breathe.
Drat. She needed to pull herself together. Being addled would not help her accomplish her goals.
* * *
Adam stared across the carriage at the woman who would be his in just a few short days. He wanted her more every time he saw her.
Tonight was going to be painful. He’d stayed away from Maddie because he could barely contain his desire. When he thought of the way he’d kissed her neck—in front of a chaperone, no less… He was damn lucky the match was even going to happen. Lucky? To be getting married? Had he really just said that?
They arrived at the dinner and he tucked her close to his body. This was not just about his growing need for her. He could only hope after he bedded her, it would recede because he would not be able to maintain detachment long in this state of constant arousal. Then things might get complicated with emotion. And he refused to let his heart get involved again.
In the past, whenever he’d craved a woman, getting her was the surest way to work the attraction out of system, so to speak. That’s what he needed to do here.
But regardless of that, he’d made a promise to keep her safe, and that he would do. Bar had been to the detective’s office this afternoon and what he’d learned about Mr. Delaney was troubling.
First, the man was in debt far exceeding any income he might bring in as an editor. The man had likely been waiting for a woman like Maddie to arrive at his door, or in this case, in his mailbox. Secondly, there had been no less than three former Mrs. Delaneys. All wealthy women, all who’d met some unfortunate demise before they’d been married nine months. At least one had been enceinte at the time of her death.
What was more, another had been a rushed marriage involving a special license and a tearful bride. The detective had managed to track down the priest who’d performed the ceremony. He’d reported that the father had insisted on the match, but the lady in question had been frightened out of her wits.
He clenched his fists at his sides. Adam couldn’t prove it, but he wondered if he’d inadvertently intercepted a nefarious plot by Delaney that evening in the garden to ruin Maddie. Maybe his first theory had been wrong and his second correct. Perhaps he didn’t rush an article in the paper at all. Maybe he’d been planning to publish it all along, he’d just expected to be the man who was with her.
How far would he have taken his advances? The priest’s story led him to believe he’d likely have gone all the way. He’d arranged to meet her in the darkest, most secluded section of the garden. Adam’s gut told him that Delaney hadn’t been planning a simple kiss.
Rage rattled in his chest even as Maddie’s hip brushed his. “Stay close to me tonight,” he whispered in her ear.
She gave a nod, as she smiled at him, she squeezed his arm. He let out a long breath to calm his racing thoughts. She was safe with him tonight and soon she’d be even safer tucked in his bed as his wife.
Chapter Twelve
Maddie twirled in Adam’s arms, enjoying herself far more than she had ever anticipated. His moves were powerful and precise, and they left no doubt to her, or anyone who watched them, that she was his.
She hadn’t expected to like t
hat feeling. She’d never enjoyed a man’s possessive overtures before. But that was what made him different. He was strong enough to leave room for her wants and opinions. “Tell me about yourself.” She smiled at him he turned her again.
“There isn’t much to tell.” He gave her another spin, making her stomach flutter about.
She clucked her tongue despite the excitement, determined to learn more about him. “What about your family?”
His mouth turned down. “My parents produced exactly one child, as was required of them. I have no siblings.”
“Your father is gone?” Of course he was. Adam had taken over the title of earl.
Adam shrugged. “He is. I suppose it’s been nearly five years.”
He supposed? Her insides twitched. Was family not important to him? Sure, her parents had been away for far too long, but her brothers loved her and cared for her—and she couldn’t fathom a life without her siblings. “My parents have been attending business in the Americas for nearly two and I miss them terribly. Has it been difficult for you not to have your father?”
He began turning in broader circles, working his way across the room. “I hardly saw him when he was alive.” She detected a hint of sadness in the low sweep of his voice, the tightening of his hand. “Any difficulty I had, I’d gotten over before the age of fifteen.”
She drew in a sharp breath. “You hardly saw him?”
He made it to the doors that lead out onto the veranda and pulled her from the house. “What are all these questions about?”
He put an arm about her back and began leading her down a dark path. “I want to get to know you.”
Adam stopped so suddenly, she almost collided with his chest. “You do know me. But if you insist on knowing about my parents then I’ll tell you this. I hardly saw either of them. A nanny raised me in an estate attached to the barony. A cursory title given me until I became the Earl of Kingsley. My father lived in his holdings in West Chester and my mother in London. They hated one another and could barely stand me. We were never together as a family that I recall, and they bore my company only occasionally.”
Taming a Wicked Rake Page 6
