by Aston, Alexa
“And no word to anyone,” Dalinda prompted.
“Of course not, my lady,” the footman reassured her. “I know how to keep my mouth closed.” He rushed from the room, closing the door behind him.
“You have a crown to give him?” he questioned his twin.
“That—and more. I will give you everything I have. You will need to purchase food on your way there. Pay for lodging. Give the blacksmith something for his trouble.”
“Blacksmith?” Anna asked, perplexed.
“Yes,” his sister said. “I overheard that a couple usually stops at the first place they reach stopping at Gretna Green. Supposedly, it is a blacksmith’s shop. They call elopements to Scotland marrying over the anvil and the blacksmith an anvil priest.”
“You are certain this is legal?” Anna asked nervously.
Both Dez and Dalinda nodded.
Anna’s eyes filled with tears as she gazed up at Dez. “Then I suppose we will be getting married in Gretna Green.”
Despite Dalinda’s presence, Dez bent and pressed his mouth to Anna’s for a long, tender kiss. He finally broke it.
“Pack a small valise,” he suggested. “Only your nightclothes and a change of clothing. Slip out of the house. I will be waiting out front at six tomorrow morning. We will make our way to the mail coach office from there.”
“Are you certain?” Anna asked. “This will change the course of our lives, Dez. No university or army for you.”
His hands framed her face. “Nothing matters except for us being together, Anna. You know it is what we both want.” He kissed her again. “Say you will marry me.”
She smiled through tears of happiness. “I will marry you, Desmond Bretton. A thousand times over. We will most likely be poor in worldly goods but we will always be rich in love.”
He pulled her to her feet and gave her a last hard, swift kiss.
“Go home. Act as natural as possible.”
Anna giggled nervously. “All right.”
Dez captured her hands in his. “It will be fine. I promise. Go.”
She nodded and stepped toward Dalinda. The two locked their arms around one another.
“The next time I see you, you will be Mrs. Desmond Bretton,” Dalinda said.
Anna smiled. “Mrs. Bretton. Anna Bretton. I like the sound of that.” She embraced Dalinda again. “Oh, however can I thank you? You have been as much a sister to me as Jessa.”
Dalinda blinked back tears. “And soon we will be sisters by marriage.” She kissed Anna’s cheek. “I will see you soon.”
“Your father may forbid it,” her friend warned.
Dalinda’s eyes lit with mischief. “When has that ever stopped me from doing anything?”
The two said their goodbyes and Anna left the drawing room. The moment the door closed, Dez opened his arms and enfolded Dalinda.
“Am I crazy to do this?” he asked his twin.
“Crazy—in love. I always thought the two of you were meant to be together,” she replied. “Let me go to my room and collect what I have. Stay here. I won’t be long.”
Dez paced the room as he waited, worried about what he was doing. He had always been impulsive, something his father said was Dez’s greatest character flaw. He knew it was the right thing, saving Anna from the fate of a horrible marriage to an old codger who would force himself on her night after night until he got her with child. If he could get her with child at his age. It didn’t lessen his worry, though, with the great unknown ahead of him and Anna. He wondered how he would support her. Where they might live. If Dalinda would be able to sneak away and see them.
His sister returned and handed over the monies she had.
“This is a great deal,” he said, startled by what she brought.
“I have something else,” she confided and withdrew something from her pocket, taking his hand and placing it in his palm.
Dez looked down and saw a gold band studded with diamonds. He raised his gaze to her, confused.
“What is this?”
“Our mother’s wedding band,” Dalinda confided. “Don’t ask how I came to possess it. But I thought it would be perfect to have Mama there on your wedding day and with you and Anna as you start your marriage.”
He wrapped her in a tight hug. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you.”
Chapter Two
Anna rose, nerves making her entire body tremble. She moved silently, washing and dressing in traveling clothes, which were easier to don versus her everyday gowns meant for the Season. She wound the lone braid she had slept in around and around, pinning it up as best she could. She had never been very good at doing her own hair. From now on, she would be solely responsible for it.
For everything.
Was she doing the right thing, running away with Dez?
Her heart screamed yes—but her mind still had doubts. Not only was she unsuitable to obtain any kind of job but she would be costing Dez his entire future. No university education. No long, worthwhile career in the army. Who knew what Dez was capable of? Did he know how to swing a hammer? Make a cabinet? Haul goods? She had seen him handle tack and groom his horse. Perhaps he could work in a stable. Or at Tattersall’s. Dez certainly knew a good deal about horseflesh.
But would the Earl of Torrington allow Tattersall’s to hire his rebellious son, where all of Torrington’s friends went at one point or another. Most likely, he’d wish Dez banished from London for disobeying him and wedding Anna.
As for her father, she didn’t want to imagine his reaction when he found her gone. He had always despised the fact that she and Jessa were females. Especially now, when her father counted upon receiving a goodly amount from Lord Needham in a reverse dowry, it would be unthinkable for him to lose the easy money he thought he could make from selling her into marriage with the viscount. That’s why she and Dez needed to escape London as soon as possible, wedding and consummating their union.
Anna smiled. That would be what she lived for. She had always lived for Dez. To see a smile on his handsome face. To make him laugh. To listen to him talk about anything and everything. She had loved Desmond Bretton since before she could even remember. He was a part of her earliest memories. When he had finally kissed her last summer by the lake, it had been as a dream come true. They both knew, however, that their fathers controlled their destinies and had parted with the understanding that they would always care for one another but would need to go off and lead separate lives, wishing the best for one another.
Until yesterday. When Dez offered marriage. And Anna had been too weak to turn him down. She wanted Dez with a passion she could barely conceal. She wanted to kiss him. Hold him. Touch him. Have him touch her. They would be very poor but she hoped they could both find some kind of work. She was excellent at needlepoint. Perhaps she might become a seamstress. Wouldn’t it be ironic if she became a modiste and designed and sewed gowns for daughters of Polite Society who made their come-outs?
Bending, she retrieved the small valise she’d packed and slipped under her bed last night, not wanting her maid or anyone else to see it. She tiptoed across the room and out into the carpeted hall, where her steps were silent. Making her way downstairs, she crossed the foyer. A footman sat by the door, sound asleep. She didn’t want to wake him and have her plans discovered before she could even leave the house.
Instead, she went to the left and entered her father’s study. Pulling the curtain aside, she unlatched the window and pushed it open. She leaned out the window and placed her valise on the ground. Suddenly, Dez was there.
“Front door guarded?” he asked quietly and Anna nodded.
His hands captured her waist and he lifted her over the sill and to the ground before leaning in and pulling the window closed. She hoped it would stay shut. She didn’t feel any wind which might blow it open and alert others that something was amiss.
Dez picked up her valise and one of his own. “Come. I have a hansom cab waiting for us around the
corner. Don’t say anything.”
Anna merely nodded, her heart beating so rapidly she thought it might burst through her chest. They approached the cab and the driver nodded. Dez opened the door and placed their luggage inside before lifting her into the cab and then climbing in himself. The horse started up.
Dez threaded his fingers through hers and then gave her a soft kiss. Instead of calming her, it only made her heart race faster.
“The driver is dropping us a few blocks from our destination,” he revealed. “We’ll walk the rest of the way there.”
“Do you have the tickets?” she asked.
He patted his coat pocket. “Right here. Billy came home straightaway and gave them to me. I also have money from Dalinda.”
“I have a little, too. Not much but it’s better than nothing.”
“I love you, Anna,” Dez declared. “I have since I was a boy and I will go on loving you the rest of our lives. Now that I know we are lucky enough to spend the rest of our lives together, I cannot wait to see what our time as husband and wife will bring.”
Dez kissed her again, a long, deep, and very satisfying kiss. It tasted of his promise and what tomorrow would bring.
The vehicle slowed and came to a halt and he opened the door. Jumping out, he retrieved their valises and then Anna and paid the driver. They walked three blocks, having to dodge people hurrying to and fro. Anna found it hard to believe people were up and about at this time of the morning but the streets already seemed busy. They arrived at the mail coach office and she saw several carriages standing in the yard.
“Wait here with our bags,” Dez said, placing them at her feet. “I need to check on which is our coach and what time it leaves.”
“All right,” Anna said meekly, not wanting to be left in the middle of such hustle and bustle.
She’d never been left alone in the city before. She always had her maid accompanying her and, usually, Dalinda was in tow, as well. Or Mama and Papa went in the carriage with her, escorting her to the various ton events. Fear filled her.
“Quit being afraid,” she whispered under her breath.
She was on a public street. No one was going to accost her at a little past six in the morning.
Until a man stopped in front of her.
His coat had seen better days. He could certainly have used a haircut and shave. He grinned at her.
“Who have we here?” he asked, a lascivious look in his eyes.
Stiffening her spine, she replied, “I am a lady, sir, and we have not been introduced.”
“A lady, you say.” His eyes now gleamed and he took her elbow. “Why don’t you come along with me?” he suggested, his tone velvet but instilling fear in her.
“Unhand my wife.”
Both she and the stranger turned to see Dez standing there, fury on his face.
Immediately, the man released her elbow. “No harm done, my lord.” He shuffled off quickly.
Dez stepped to Anna, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Did he hurt you?”
“No,” she said unsteadily. “He frightened me, though. But I didn’t tell him my name.”
“Good girl.” He gave her shoulders a squeeze and released them. Lifting the bags, he said, “Our vehicle is this way,” using his head to point to his right. “Leaving in ten minutes.”
Anna fell into step with him. As they approached, she could already see a good number of people surrounding the coach and whispered, “Where will everyone sit?”
He shrugged. “I suppose a few will ride on top.”
“Don’t leave me, Dez,” she said, gripping his arm.
He smiled. “I won’t, Anna. I will never leave you. Even when we argue and you think me a blockhead and wish me gone from your sight, I will linger. I will be with you as we eat our meals. Tend to our children. Climb into our bed at night. You are stuck with me, Anna. For better or for worse.”
His assurances brought a calm to her. This man was her world. Without him, she was nothing.
“Thank you, Mr. Bretton.”
“You are welcome, Mrs. Bretton,” said Dez as he winked at her.
He had told her in the carriage that they were to act as if they were already married, addressing each other as husband and wife. Dez said it would help smooth things along on the road as they traveled to Scotland. She knew what they now did was scandalous and agreed to treat him as her husband and call him thus. In only a few days’ time, they would be actual husband and wife.
What were a few days of a white lie to strangers?
*
Getting out of the city had taken longer than Dez wanted. It amazed him how much traffic stacked up at such an early hour. Glancing out the window, though, he saw various delivery wagons and knew shops and businesses must be restocking before opening for the day. Once they left London, though, they definitely picked up speed. Anna told him no rain had come for two days, which was a surprise in itself being that it was spring in England. It helped them move faster with the roads dry. A muddy road always slowed a coach and the vehicle could become easily bogged down. A heavy rain would also hamper them, making it almost impossible for a driver to see. He prayed good weather would hold at least for a day or two, putting distance between them and the city.
He had done his part, greeting his father after Torrington arrived from his club, Ham alongside him. His brother barely glanced at him before heading up the stairs to dress for dinner. Dez had accompanied the earl to his study and answered a barrage of questions regarding his final term at Eton and then he had told his father of plans to visit a friend in the country for a week or two. As expected, the older man didn’t even appear to be listening and merely nodded in assent. At least he had laid the groundwork so that Torrington wouldn’t suspect him to be involved in Anna’s escape from London and the very old Viscount Needham.
The mail coach began to slow and Dez figured it was stopping again for a fresh team of horses. They had already stopped once to exchange their exhausted team for a new one. As before, no one was allowed to disembark from the carriage since the hostlers prided themselves on changing out a mail coach team in under three minutes. The coachman had told them as they boarded this morning that the third stop would be long enough to purchase food to eat. They wouldn’t have to do so this first time because Dalinda had packed them sandwiches and apples, knowing they needed to save every pound they could. Dez would retrieve the food from his valise the next time the coach stopped.
He looked down at Anna’s hand nestled in his and couldn’t help but smile. Yes, he knew they had a very rocky road ahead of them. He hadn’t the faintest idea what they would do to earn a living but he couldn’t help but think their love would get them through difficult times. He realized he had lied to himself, thinking he wanted the best for Anna, having her wed another man. No, he was selfish to his core because he wanted Anna Browning all to himself. He couldn’t wait for them to be man and wife, not only in name, but by consummating their marriage. He was wise enough to realize even being married wasn’t enough. He had to breach Anna’s maidenhead and make love to her in order for all legalities to be settled.
The coach had barely started up again when he heard a thunderous noise. Fear trickled through him. Anna must have sensed it because she gripped his hand. He glanced at her.
“It’s all right, love,” he reassured.
She wet her lips nervously, nodding. Trusting him.
Dez looked out the window and saw the carriage come up beside theirs. He grew hot and dizzy when he saw it.
It was his family’s carriage.
How?
Only Dalinda had known of their plans to make for Gretna Green. Well, his twin and Billy, the footman. He couldn’t imagine Billy betraying him—yet the Torrington crest on the carriage that now pulled ahead of them was proof that one of two people had betrayed them. Billy had to be the weak link. Dalinda would have rather been beaten and starved than divulge where he and Anna had gone.
The horses began slowly and D
ez met Anna’s gaze. She had bitten her lip so hard that he saw the blood.
“He’s won,” she said dully.
Then she grabbed the lapels of his coat and yanked him toward her for a searing kiss. He tasted her sweetness and the copper of her blood. The kiss went on until the mail coach came to a complete stop. Anna broke the kiss.
“I will always, always love you, Dez. My heart is yours.”
“I love you,” he echoed. “Until the end of time, Anna. And beyond.”
The passengers stirred in the crowded interior, murmuring about why the coach had stopped. The door opened, slamming against the carriage, and Dez saw Ham standing in the opening. His brother spotted him and sneered.
“Get out!” he commanded. “The both of you.”
To her credit, Anna rose, her head held high. Dez didn’t want Ham’s hands touching her and he stepped in front of her, forcing his brother to move aside as he jumped down. Reaching up, he brought Anna to the ground.
Immediately, Ham spun him around and slammed his fist into his face. Dez saw stars as he stumbled back against the carriage. Then Lord Shelton was there, grabbing Anna and dragging her away. Dez watched, his eyes blurring with tears as the viscount forced her inside his carriage and climbed up after her. The coachman took off.
He blinked and saw Ham motioning him. Reluctantly, he followed his brother back to the Torrington carriage, where the door was opened. Both the footman and driver avoided looking at Dez as he mounted the steps and entered the vehicle.
Sitting opposite his father, he clenched his jaw, not wanting to speak. Ham sat next to their father, a smug smile on his face.
Acting more bravely than he felt, Dez turned his gaze upon the earl, who sat stone still, his face brick red in anger. Their gazes locked as the carriage pulled away. Neither spoke. He continued staring steadily at the man he despised, a sick feeling building within him as he worried what would happen to Anna.
After some minutes, his brother said, “You thought you were so clever, telling Father of your visit to a friend. You were foolish to involve a servant in your schemes, Desmond.”
