Loving the Wrong Lord

by Bethany M. Sefchick

  Too many boats crowded each other now. Too thick of a rope for the rowers to manage. Boats too close together, drifting ever closer to each other. Too close. All of the signs were quickly pointing to a disaster, so Josie wasn’t surprised when disaster did strike – and cast all of her hopes for the future into serious peril.

  Phin felt the jarring impact as the boats slammed into one another. It rattled his skull and made his teeth ache. Then he felt the second impact, this one harder than the first, as his boat hit the finish line rope, spun backward and careened into another boat. Then came the cold that sunk into the depths of his bones as his small craft tipped over, spilling him into the lake.

  He had known that putting so many boats in the water at the same time was a risk. He had suggested a series of preliminary races, but some of the gentlemen had been preening like peacocks in a desperate attempt to snare a particular lady’s attention.

  There had been arguments and, at one point, light fisticuffs. In the end, Phin had relented and stuffed the lake full of boats, simply to be done with things. Too many boats, as it happened.

  At first, Phin wasn’t worried that his boat had tipped over. He was a strong swimmer, and though the water was cold, he wasn’t far from the shore. That was, however, before his boot caught in something hidden below the water’s surface. This section of the lake had once been part of a copse of trees and a thicket of bushes at the far edge of the lake where there was an underground spring that fed the entire area. His father had cut down all of that when he had hired workers to expand the lake.

  Except his father had also been frugal in some ways, Phin remembered, and though the gardener had suggested that the roots and stumps be removed as well for future safety, his father had simply allowed them to remain, saying they would bother no one and the church could use the money more.

  Now, Phin was caught in one of the roots, and he couldn’t get loose. Although he was a strong swimmer, as long as his foot remained tangled, there wasn’t much he could do.

  He also wasn’t quite at the surface of the water, so the best he could do was surge upward to gulp some air every few moments before being tugged back down again by whatever had him caught.

  More than that, his body was now tiring, the cold water sapping his strength quickly. He could have dived below the surface and worked to free himself, but his vision was getting a bit dim around the edges, and the water was already quite murky from him splashing about, kicking up debris as he did so.

  Still, each time he broke the surface, Phin heard the shouts of the assembled guests and hoped that someone was working to free him. And yet, to his growing horror, no one was.

  Then, he felt it. A small hand tugging on his foot. Fighting to keep his eyes open, Phin looked down and there, just below him in the increasingly murky water, was Josie looking more like a water sprite than a fairy just then. Why she was there, and not someone else was a bit of a mystery, but his brain was a bit foggy just then, and nothing was making sense.

  He couldn’t even tell what she was doing and if he could have? He might have told her to stop. Assuming he could draw breath, which, just then, he couldn’t.

  However, she must have been doing something because, finally, she gave him a small push, and he discovered he was free.

  With a hard shove of his feet, he shot to the surface but not before reaching down to grab Josie’s hand. While he could barely see, what he could see below him was nothing more than a cloud of white, indicating that she had jumped into the lake fully clothed. He remembered Cilla doing the same as a child and how that had very nearly led to disaster.

  Ladies’ gowns were heavy and became waterlogged quickly. The water was cold, and even he, a strong swimmer, was struggling. Between the gown and cold, she would sink to the bottom faster than he would.

  No. He would not surface without Josie.

  When he finally broke the water’s surface, Phin drew in a large gulp of air as numerous hands reached for him. He could hear voices calling his name – both male and female. However, his only concern was for the woman who had leaped fully clothed into the lake and saved his life.

  “Josie,” he managed to gasp as hands he thought might belong to Eli hauled him to shore. “Where…where is she?”

  “Safe,” a voice said that might have been Snowly’s. “Sutton and Warwick have her. They went into the lake after you, but she beat them to it. She’s a quick thing.”

  Something in Phin relaxed at Eli’s words. “Accident.” Damn it all, but he wished he could speak more than one or two words at a time.

  “Something like that,” Eli agreed gravely. “But that is for later. Let’s get you both back to the house first, hmm?”

  Then, Phin started to cough, the lake water he had inhaled finally being expelled from his body. He wanted to question Eli further, but he was also desperate to breathe freely again. Perhaps the other man was right. Get back to the manor house, see to Josie, get warm and dry and then? Try to sort out exactly what happened. Assuming it even mattered.

  As Phin began to drift off, strong arms lifted him up, and someone that smelled suspiciously like his sister’s familiar vanilla and lemon scent slapped him across the face and commanded him to stay awake. Phin did his best. However, he was drifting in a haze, unable to focus on much except for his chattering teeth.

  Then, he saw Josie. Sutton was on one side of her and Warwick on the other. She was dirty and bedraggled, but she was still alive, thank God! The two men were helping her along the path that led back to the house. But at least she was upright and on her own two feet. She wasn’t being carried as he was. If nothing else, that was a blessing.

  And then, despite his sister’s commands to stay awake, Phin found himself drifting off into a blissful sleep.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “I cannot believe that you need to have a woman save you! Good God, man! That must be the height of embarrassment! How will you ever be able to live with yourself?”

  “Leave him be, Haffley. I didn’t see you jumping into that lake to save him. Or anyone else doing a bloody thing when he didn’t immediately resurface.”

  “Seems she’s got good spirit and isn’t afraid of hard work. If you don’t wish to marry her, Fullbridge, care to hand her over to me? My hounds, mistresses, and I could use a woman like her about.”

  “Stuff it, Harlow. It does prove she’s not mad, like her father. Otherwise, she’d have let you die, like as not.”

  “She must be something of a hellcat between the sheets, as well. Or haven’t you worked up the nerve to find out yet, Phin?”

  “Enough, the lot of you! Can’t you see he’s red-faced enough as it is? Yes, it was embarrassing, but at least he’s alive. Would you rather he died?”

  Phin closed his eyes and prayed that his bickering friends would soon either just shut the bloody hell up or find something else to discuss. Though that last part was unlikely. After all, a duke being saved from drowning by a lady made for some of the juiciest gossip the ton had heard about in weeks. He also had no doubt that this little incident would be the subject of almost every gossip rag in London before noon tomorrow.

  It should bother him, and, in truth, it did. At least a little. However, it didn’t bother him enough that he was going to cease courting Josie. Yes, they were the “scandal du jour” but wasn’t that a good thing, in the end? Would that not make it easier for them to wed, which, in the hours following his little lake adventure, was what he had decided that he wanted?

  Phin wasn’t certain he loved Josie, though he did care for her, just as she did for him. After what he had gone through with Faith, Phin wasn’t even certain he was capable of love any longer. He did like Josie quite a bit, though, and he enjoyed her company – and her body. Thus, marrying her seemed like an excellent idea. Why prolong the matter? Why endure a lengthy courtship? Just marry her and be done with things. That was simple enough, wasn’t it?

  There was also no doubt in his mind that she would agree.

&n
bsp; Phin was also confident that even Philip would like her. After all, he was five and still liked turnips. He was not the pickiest of children. Also, as he had never known any sort of mother at all, any woman, provided she was not a gorgon, would probably be acceptable to him.

  Slowly, Phin began to slip away from the group of men who were still arguing about how “embarrassing” it was to be rescued by a female. Phin wouldn’t dispute that point. It was utterly mortifying, especially for a duke. He would, however, add that he was still alive, so he couldn’t be too overly upset about the matter.

  “Your grace. Finally. A moment alone.”

  Phin somehow managed to bite back the cruel words that were on the tip of his tongue. “Lady Margaretta. What can I do for you?”

  “Why nothing, your grace,” she purred. “At least not yet. Still, the house party ends tomorrow evening with your sister’s birthday celebration, and we have not yet had a chance to speak so much as once, let alone speak in private.”

  The hairs along the back of Phin’s neck tingled at this woman’s words. Whatever she desired, it likely did not bode well for him. “If you want nothing from me, then why should we speak? I do have a house full of guests, and, as I am certain you saw, I had a brush with death earlier today. So please forgive me if I am not following your rather twisted logic.”

  At that, Margaretta’s smile turned downright wicked. “I said I don’t want anything of you yet, though perhaps that isn’t quite true.”

  She placed a hand on his chest, which Phin promptly removed. Although they were partially hidden from the rest of the room behind a curtain, they were still visible from a certain angle. The last thing he wanted was to be trapped into a marriage with this harridan.

  “Speak plainly, Lady Margaretta,” Phin snapped as he swiped at his eyes in frustration. “I’ve no time for your silly games.”

  This was the side of Phin that so few ever saw. The side that was short-tempered and ill-mannered. The side of him that favored his mother. He had worked so hard to contain that part of himself over the years that it was little wonder Society believed that he treated women like glass and put them on pedestals.

  Perhaps it was time to allow that side of his personality to show, just a little. Then he might not seem like such a paragon – or caricature, depending on how one felt about him. It might make him seem, well, more human. Something he should have been all along.

  He had become a farce of a man. Some sort of mythical creature created by the press. It was time for that to end. It was time for him to be seen as just a man again. Starting now.

  The woman before him pinned him now with an icy stare as she licked her lips, and Phin quickly decided she was dangerous. Very dangerous. He would have to be on guard.

  “Very well. I wish to be a duchess. Specifically, I wish to be your duchess as you are the duke who has caught my fancy at the moment.” Lady Margaretta made that pronouncement as if he should be elated that he was her choice.

  Phin sniffed, more than a little irritated now. “I think what you mean is that I am the only wealthy duke that has not wished you to perdition or Hell as of yet.” He shook his head. “You won’t get your claws into me that easily, my lady. I will not be your fool. Nor will I be your husband.”

  “We shall see about that!” Lady Margaretta was incandescent with rage when only a moment ago, she had been sweet as sugar. Just like Faith. No thank you. “I have been trained from the cradle to be a duchess and a wealthy duchess at that! You will be my husband, Phineas Trew, and I shan’t take no for an answer!”

  With that, Margaretta turned on her heel and stormed out. Phin could only shake his head and watch her depart in a fury. Unfortunately, he also could not shake the sense of dread he felt at her words.

  Lady Margaretta was a sneaky sort, and she had nearly tricked several wealthy dukes into marrying her. They had only stopped her by being cruel to her. She had cried foul, of course, but she had quickly moved on to her next prospective husband, indicating that she hadn’t been overly hurt by their rejections.

  Phin had never been cruel to her. He had only ever been polite, and that, perhaps, had been the wrong way to handle her. Perhaps allowing a little bit more of the temper he’d inherited from his mother to show through might have been wise.

  In the years after Faith’s death – hell, even in the years before they had wed – Phin had shown one very specific side of himself to the world. He had done so at his father’s urging, believing that his father, who was a wise man, would know what was proper and appropriate for a duke. And his father had known – to a point. However, Phin’s father had also been blessed with a wife of strong opinions and an even stronger character. If someone got out of place? She was the one to remind them of their error and make certain they returned to where they belonged. Such things had not been handled by Phin’s father.

  No matter what happened, Phin’s mother had always looked out for his father and put his interests first. Everyone else? They came second.

  Phin had never had that. Faith had only ever watched out for herself. She put herself first and desired only what Phin could give her. It never occurred to her to watch out for his interests because she was too busy watching out for her own.

  Lady Margaretta would be the same.

  But not Josie. Never Josie.

  And just then, she was the person he wanted to see most in the world.

  So, with one last look around the ballroom to make certain she wasn’t there, Phin slipped out a side door and onto the terrace where he headed off in the direction of the hedgerow maze.

  Phin had mentioned to Josie the other day that it was a wonderful place to be lost if one didn’t wish to be found. He had a feeling that just then? Josie wished to be lost and not found. Though he did hope that she wouldn’t object to being found by him.

  Being out here alone was risky. Josie understood that. However, to her mind, it was even more risky mingling with the other party guests and having to face down the gossip about what she had done that day.

  Yes, she had behaved in a rather abominable, unladylike fashion. Though she also could not be sorry about the matter.

  Her heart had been in her throat when she had seen Phin’s boat collide with Lord Sutton’s. Sutton’s having been rammed by Lord Harlow’s first. Still, she hadn’t been worried. Not until Harlow, who seemed blissfully unaware of the havoc he was creating, had rammed Sutton’s craft again, causing it to catch the bow of Phin’s boat – which had been bobbing wildly in the water – and overturn it. Still, she had every confidence that Phin would surface immediately and simply walk to shore.

  Until he hadn’t.

  Then, Josie had heard Cilla mutter a curse and damn their father for not removing the tree roots and stumps when he had the lake enlarged years before. That was when Josie knew what no one else seemed to – Phin was likely snagged on something below the surface and, if his foot was caught? He wasn’t likely to surface. She had seen similar things back home far too often.

  She had tried calling out to the other gentleman thrashing about in the water, but they either hadn’t heard her or were ignoring her. She had tried getting word to Cilla, but Phin’s sister had already been in a panic over what was happening to her brother. Therefore, Josie had looked at Tabby, and the other woman had nodded, somehow knowing what Josie was planning. That was all the permission she had required.

  Leaping from her chair, Josie had run toward the lake’s edge and without even removing her slippers, dove straight in. It hadn’t taken her long to find Phin beneath the water, for he was thrashing about rather wildly. Doing so, unfortunately, had kicked up a great deal of muck and mud, making it difficult for her to see him clearly. Finally, however, she found his left foot – or more correctly – his left bootstrap – that had become tangled in a gnarled, rotting root.

  Had the water been warmer, Phin might have been able to free himself, but the frigid spring temperatures were draining even Josie’s strength, so she knew that they we
re doing far worse to Phin who had already exerted himself rowing across the lake.

  Finally, she had been able to free him, and they had emerged from the lake’s depths together – soaked to the bone, chilled to their very cores, and at the center of so much scandal and gossip that Josie had no idea how they would ever live this down.

  She might have saved Phin’s life, but she had also likely doomed both of them to be haunted by the incident forever. Well, in time, he would likely be forgiven for the embarrassment of having his life saved by a woman. Josie? Well, this would put her to shame for the rest of her life.

  Therefore, rather than facing a room full of people who would once again do nothing more than stare at her and whisper about her behind their fans, Josie had dressed for the evening and then fled to the safety of the hedgerow maze.

  Just as Phin had said, it was a wonderful place to become lost if you didn’t want to be found. And just then? Josie had no desire to be found.

  So, while the last rays of the spring sun had bathed Havenhurst’s grounds in golden light, Josie had wandered among the hedgerows. She had discovered all sorts of marvelous secrets hidden in the maze, including statuary, small follies, and even a stunning Roman-inspired mosaic.

  Now she had reached the center and, just as Phin had said, it was lovely, and well worth the time to seek it out.

  As promised, there was a lovely gazebo surrounded by flowers in the center of the clearing. There were more mosaics here as well, along with follies and statues. All of the things she had discovered while wandering the maze were here as well, only they all tied together to create a beautiful, peaceful sanctuary far away from the madness from the outside world.

  “I thought I might find you here. You were one of the few I thought clever enough to find the center.”