by Gill, Tamara
Suzanna’s axis tilted.
Her hands slid to his buttocks and she squeezed. Sweat pooled upon his skin. She rubbed where her fingernails bit into his skin and kissed his neck and his chest.
“Marry me, Suzanna.” Royce sought her lips and teased her with small beckoning kisses. “Please…”
To ask her at such a time was unfair, and yet all Suzanna could think was yes. How could a sane modern woman live without a husband like him? He was gentle, kind, and brought her body to life whenever he was present.
To walk away from such passion would surely be a mistake. Royce may not love her yet or more truthfully, she may not believe in his love at this very moment; but in time, with the sort of passion that sparked between them whenever they were together love was not impossible.
She gazed up at him, his sensual movements pushing her towards a cliff she couldn’t climb fast enough. She saw hunger, passion, and fear in the window to his soul.
His fingers flexed against her bottom, and he rocked into her deep and hard. “Yes,” she moaned. His movements threw her over an edge, and she fell into a void of utter bliss.
He allowed her to catch her breath before he asked, “Yes, you will marry me? Or yes, you’re enjoying what we’re doing on this desk?”
Suzanna smiled, but didn’t reply to his teasing. Royce groaned and kissed the arch of her neck, sending tingles to race across her skin. He pushed within her, his body tensing, his own release as powerful as hers.
He untangled them and came to lie beside her, his hand cupping his head as he gazed at her. Suzanna clasped his cheek and ran her fingers against the short stubble on his jaw before letting her hand drop to her side. “I will marry you, Lord Danning.”
His smile lit a spark within her soul extinguished twelve months ago. How strange life was. For months she had denied her feelings, kept them hidden under anger, and intentions of revenge.
But forgiveness and love trumped blame and hate. Soon she would be his wife. Lady Danning.
She grinned. The masquerade ball had been a magical evening indeed.
Chapter Nine
Suzanna floated down the staircase in her brother’s Mayfair home, unable to shift the smile from her lips. After making love with Royce, all her concerns and worries seemed to have vanished. He had asked for her hand and wished to marry her.
And she had said yes.
Suzanna hugged the wonder of it to herself and smiled at the footman who held open the breakfast room door. Thoughts of their forthcoming wedding day overran her mind. Since she had lain with him, the sooner they wed the better, just in case a little Lord Danning was already growing in her womb.
Love and longing filled her mind, and Suzanna couldn’t wait to start the new life offered to her last night. After they had left the sanctuary of the small room, Royce had assured her he would call on her brother this morning to formally ask for her hand.
Suzanna frowned down at the eggs she was piling on her plate. Henry would react badly to the news. It was no secret he loathed Royce due to his previous treatment of her. But as she had seen fit to forgive it left her brother with no reason for ill will.
“Leave some for me. Have an appetite this morning, do you?” Henry came to stand beside her and looked over the sideboard.
Heat bloomed on Suzanna’s cheeks, and she hastily added a slice of toast to her plate before sitting at the table. “Balls always leave me starved the morning after.” Suzanna sipped her tea. “Do you have any plans this morning, Henry?”
Henry settled at the head of the table, and gave her a searching look. “I had a letter early this morning from Lord Danning. Seems he wants to meet with me at my earliest convenience. He should arrive at eleven.”
Suzanna feigned surprise and nodded. “Do you know what about?” Butterflies took flight in her stomach at the thought.
“No. Not yet. But I’m sure I will soon enough.” Henry cleared his throat. “Lord Danning has also asked for you to be present, Suzanna. Should I be worried about what is to be discussed in my library?”
Unable or perhaps unwilling to lie to her dearest brother, Suzanna shrugged lest she say anything that could throw her brother into an early temper. Such a reaction would be soon upon them once Royce formally asked for her hand, followed by her acceptance of such a request.
Silence settled between them like a cloak of doom. Henry was no fool and from the scowl upon his face, he appeared well aware of what was to come.
Suzanna steeled herself. It wasn’t as if Henry was going to marry Royce and live with him. She was. So surely her brother would see past his own hatred of the man and let her be. Perhaps one day, even be happy for her.
She hoped.
***
By the time Royce arrived, Suzanna’s nerves were frazzled and taut as a harp’s string. Henry had chosen not to quiz her on the purpose of his lordship’s visit, yet with a sinking feeling she knew there was no need. Her brother was no simpleton and no doubt had already worded his rejection of Lord Danning’s suit to his sister.
At the sound of a knock on the library door, Suzanna turned. “Lord Danning to see you Mr. March,” the butler said.
“Come forward, Lord Danning,” Henry replied, his voice devoid of warmth.
Silently she watched as Royce was announced by the butler. He moved across the room, and at Henry’s curt gesture, seated himself beside her in front of Henry’s desk. Dressed in a morning suit, Lord Danning had an air of elegance and ease. But his hands clasped tightly at his sides betrayed the disquiet running through him.
Danning’s wink and knowing smile nudged some of her apprehension away before her brother’s brisk cold welcome brought her back to reality.
Suzanna braced herself for the imminent question.
“You wished to see us, Lord Danning?” Henry gestured for him to begin and made a point of looking disinterested in the Viscount’s presence.
“I’ve come here this morning, March, to formally ask for Suzanna’s hand in marriage. A request I believe your sister is happy to receive and agree.”
Henry nodded, his eyes as cold as ice chips. Without moving his gaze from his lordship he asked, “Is this correct, Suzanna? You wish to marry Lord Danning?”
Suzanna looked at the two men she loved most in her life and wondered how she could make them allies instead of enemies, yet all the while she knew her next words would only increase her brother’s animosity. “Yes. I wish to marry Lord Danning.”
Suzanna met Royce’s gaze and smiled. She blinked back tears from the overwhelming love blossoming in her chest as Royce clasped her fingers and kissed her hand.
Henry laughed. “I will not allow it. Frankly I’m surprised I allowed such a low-life cad as Lord Danning to enter our home. I will neither grant my blessing nor allow my sister to marry you, my lord. Now,” Henry said, standing, “this interview is over. You may leave.”
Suzanna frowned. “Henry, don’t be so rude. I’m of age. Please do not make me marry Lord Danning without your approval. For I will. You know I will,” she said, meeting his cold stare with one of her own.
“You will not, for I believe Lord Danning has not been as honest with you as he should. Would you care to enlighten my sister as to why you wish to marry her or should I?”
“Henry, I know not of what you speak but please stop this nonsense and be happy for me,” Suzanna pleaded.
“Well, Danning?” Henry said, ignoring her.
“I love Suzanna; what more is there to say?” Royce smiled over to her but the light in his blue orbs had dimmed. Dread clawed at Suzanna’s innards.
“Since you’re unwilling to be truthful, allow me,” Henry said meeting her gaze. “I had hoped to spare you this pain, Suzanna. I truly did. I tried to warn you. But, I would never willingly hurt you and what I’m about to disclose I fear will hurt you immensely.”
He threw down his quill. “It was one of the reasons why I welcomed your moving in a completely different set to Lord Danning and his calibre o
f friends for I hoped you would meet a man worthy of your heart. But,” he sighed, “it seems my wish has not been granted.”
“Say what you will, Henry,” Suzanna said, all hope of her brother and Royce becoming friends fading to an impossible dream.
“At the beginning of last year’s season, I attended a gambling den in the bowels of East London where I had the opportune delight, I would say, of playing Lord Danning’s younger brother in a game of cards.”
“Now what started out as a simple game of Piquet soon turned into a game of high stakes.” Henry stood and marched to the window, his gaze on the street for a time. “I won, of course, George Durnham’s inebriation and lack of concentration enabled me to win a sizable fortune from him. Of course, he signed a vowel, and I thought to receive payment in a week or two.”
“I forgot all about the money he owed me until the night he started to spout off in Whites how he believed my sister had a tendre for his brother, and what a fool she was to think herself equal to such a match.” Henry’s eyes narrowed on Royce. “I should not have allowed the little fool to vex me, yet he did; and so I challenged him to a second game of cards. All or nothing. It was a challenge no gambling enthusiast could refuse.”
Royce’s hands clenched in his lap.
“I triumphed again over George Durnham. His lordship’s brother wrote another vowel at my agreement. It was only when I received word of Lord Danning’s cold and callous treatment of you that I demanded payment in full. For too long we’ve been shadows in the ton due to our family’s heritage. The opportunity arose and I seized our revenge.”
“Henry, what happened between me and Lord Danning was all a misunderstanding. Why do you continue to bring...?”
“Let me finish, Suzanna.”
She remained silent and looked to Royce for support only to see him scowling at her brother.
“I demanded payment. Money I knew neither Lord Danning nor his brother had. For months I have been pulling the noose tighter about their necks. I am within my rights to obtain the money owed to me.” Henry shrugged. “That the viscount’s family has fallen on hard times is not my concern. But now as the head of the family and knowing Lord Danning wishes to marry my heiress sister, that,” Henry said, striding back to the desk, and leaning over it, “concerns me greatly.”
Suzanna was stunned into silence, not knowing how to react to such news. Her brother, for all his faults, was not normally a revengeful person. Yet after many months of snubs and exclusion from Lord Danning’s set, perhaps her even-tempered brother had been pushed too far. As for Royce being out of funds, this was a shocking revelation. Not that she cared if he were poor, but more because he had hidden it from her.
An awful thought crawled into her mind. All the dances, the teasing remarks, and stolen kisses were an act and a way for Royce to make her fall in love with him so she’d marry him. And she had done exactly that—fallen for a man who was only after one thing.
Her wealth.
Suzanna met Lord Danning’s gaze. “Are you penniless?”
He reached for her hand, and Suzanna pulled away. He ran a hand through his hair and glared at her brother. “For years I have been trying to stop my brother from gambling and living a life of ill repute. But, alas, such actions were of no use. He continued to live a life well beyond his means.”
“To keep the family name from being tarnished, I paid all the debts he accumulated. I continued to pay his bills and living expenses wherever they arose, here in England or on the continent. But the sum he owed your brother was too much. I could not pay it. I myself am to blame also. I have a tendency to love horseflesh, racing, and carriages. Not to mention my estate in Rome costs a fortune to upkeep while remaining empty for years on end. I admit I have not been wise with the Danning fortune.”
“I’ve sold everything not entailed but it has barely dented the debt.” Lord Danning sat forward in his chair and faced her. Suzanna looked at the floor, unable to look at him.
“I requested an extension from your brother, asking for time and received a curt and immovable refusal from his solicitor.”
Suzanna looked at Henry and noted the hardened look of a man hell-bent on revenge. Bile rose in her throat.
“It is true, Suzanna,” Lord Danning continued, “I was advised at the beginning of the season to marry an heiress. And it is exactly what I set out to do until I saw you back in London and looking as delightful as ever. I fell in love with you again.” Lord Danning stood and lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “The night I shunned you was the night I found out my brother owed your brother a sum I knew I could not pay. I was in a temper and lashed out. You just happened to be the unfortunate person to encounter me at such an importune time. I apologized for my behaviour and ill humour before, and I will do so again. You did not deserve it.”
Suzanna swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked back tears.
“Yet you still lie, Lord Danning. For months you have been gloating over the love my sister has held for you. Do not deny this. I imagine the idea of my own family’s money paying off your debt to me filled your heart with selfish glee.”
“Money and debt aside, you have never liked me, March, and out-maneuvering you was not my aim. My financial situation did not change how I feel. I welcomed Suzanna’s love and nothing in my past changes the fact I love her in return.”
Suzanna looked from one to the other, not knowing whom to believe, nor wanting to listen to any more of this sordid story.
Time. She needed time to figure out what her heart and mind were warring about. Did Lord Danning love her or her money? That her brother would seek such revenge on any man was a sobering thought. This was certainly not the way they had been raised.
Time.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. But her heart still raced. “Lord Danning, in light of what has been said this day, I’m sorry but I cannot marry you.”
Henry smiled. “I guess you should be leaving as it appears your business with our family is over, Lord Danning.”
“Shut up, Henry,” Suzanna snapped.
Lord Danning clasped her shoulders. “Don’t do this, Suzanna. If you believe I would marry you only for your money we can have the marriage settlement signed over to you. In fact, shun your family’s wealth and marry me as penniless as I am. But do not refuse to be my wife. I love you—only you and not your money.”
Suzanna bit her lip, her mind a whir of thoughts. She shook her head. “I cannot. I need time to think. I’m sorry.”
Without a backward glance, she fled the room. The despair on Lord Danning’s face broke her heart. Yet was it the pain of losing her or a pain brought out by the fact he no longer stood to inherit her thousands of pounds?
That she could not answer.
Chapter Ten
Months passed, and with it came the end of the 1811 season. Suzanna gratefully farewelled it and welcomed the fact she no longer had to attend parties and balls, pretending to be happy with her lot in life.
She was not.
If truthful with herself, she was terribly depressed and not at all sure she had made the correct decision with Lord Danning just twelve weeks ago.
Her brother continued to carry on as if nothing out of the ordinary had passed between them. It vexed her greatly. For all of Lord Danning’s faults, he had made no fewer mistakes than her brother. Both, she’d decided, were as bad as the other. Revenge and tempers were two traits men should never combine; it only made for unhappy endings.
Her situation was a prime example.
Suzanna flopped onto the settee and sighed. Warmth from the fire warmed her skin, yet the unfulfilled desire to see Lord Danning again, to talk to him, left her cold and empty.
Strange, but Lord Danning for the final weeks of the season had not been about in society. Suzanna had made quiet inquiries as to his whereabouts and was told he’d travelled abroad for the sale of one of his properties. Yet an inkling inside told her that this was an untruth and it gnawed at her c
onscience.
Where was he?
“Suzanna? Breakfast is ready. Are you not joining me?”
Suzanna looked up at her brother, noting the time. “I didn’t hear the gong.” She stood to join him. “Lost in thought, that is all.” She walked to the door and paused on the threshold. “Henry, have you seen or heard from Lord Danning over the last few weeks?”
Her brother started and then shook his head while holding out his arm for her to take. “No. Why would I care what Lord Danning is about?”
His tone held a nervous, guilt-ridden tinge and all of Suzanna’s fears surfaced.
“You know something. Where is he, Henry? I demand you tell me at once.” Suzanna paused in the foyer and slid her hand from his arm. Her brother kept his face averted and refused to meet her gaze. What did he know?
“Where the blackguard deserves to be.”
Suzanna stood, shocked, and watched her retreating brother’s back before she collected her thoughts and ran after him, pulling him to a stop inside the breakfast room.
“Tell me what you set out to achieve has not come to fruition?” Suzanna braced herself for a truth she couldn’t comprehend nor believe possible from a much-loved brother.
“Lord Danning is currently serving time in Marshalsea Prison. I suppose I should give the wretch credit for not fleeing England like his brother, doing the correct thing by his creditors, and paying for his crime. Of course, while he is in prison, I’ll never see the money rightfully owed to me by his sibling.”
Had Suzanna not tried so very hard to convert herself into a lady these last few months, she could well box her brother about the ears at this very moment. As it was, it took all her control for her next words not to be shrieked like a banshee.
“Lord Danning is serving time...in prison. How could you, Henry?” Suzanna stormed from the room and yelled for the footman to have the coach brought around immediately.
Not one more second would she allow Royce to suffer the hell of living in a prison. Her mind whirred as to what her actions meant, but also, as a woman, how she could go about freeing his lordship.
