Loving the Marquess

by Suzanna Medeiros

  As the new Marchioness of Overlea, the duties of overseeing the household now fell on her. However, since Lady Overlea hadn’t expected her back from her honeymoon so soon, the menus were already set for the week and there wasn’t much to be done. The dowager promised to go over Louisa’s new duties with her soon, but she had already promised Catherine, who was having the time of her life learning about the exotic plants housed in the conservatory, that she would spend the morning with her.

  With nothing better to do, Louisa decided to explore the house on her own. It was late morning and she was in the gallery examining the long line of Manning ancestors when Sommers found her and informed her that she had guests. He presented the calling card to her and she groaned inwardly when she saw it belonged to Elizabeth Manning, Edward Manning’s mother.

  Dreading the encounter, she made her way to the drawing room and found Nicholas’s aunt and his cousin Mary seated on the settee. They were deep in conversation, but their voices were too low for her to overhear what they were saying. She watched them from the hallway, undetected, for a few moments. From the impatient expression on the older woman’s face, she knew this was not going to be a friendly call. Both these women had expected Nicholas to offer for his cousin. Still, she was now part of the Manning family and would no doubt see them often. This first meeting would be an awkward one. Neither had attended the Overlea ball and the last time she’d seen them was to take measurements for the morning dress she’d been commissioned to make for Mary. Still, she hoped that once they got past this first meeting everything would be fine.

  She took a deep breath and entered the room.

  “My lady,” she said, dropping a brief curtsey before turning to the younger woman. “Miss Manning. What a pleasant surprise.”

  Elizabeth Manning pinned her with a gaze that was far from cordial. Mary’s expression, however, was impossible to read. Elizabeth stood as Louisa moved into the room.

  “My daughter and I are here to wish you well on your new marriage. Had we known the ball my mother-in-law recently hosted was in honor of my dear nephew’s marriage, we would have declined the invitation that took us away from home.”

  Louisa could tell the woman’s words were insincere but thanked her nonetheless.

  “We do have a request to make of you,” Elizabeth continued. “In the past, Lady Overlea has allowed us to take cuttings from some of her plants. Since you are now in charge of the household, I thought I should apply to you first before taking any more samples. I fear some of the more exotic plants just don’t do very well without the extra sun you get here in your conservatory, but Mary does love the plants so we keep trying.”

  “Oh, of course,” Louisa said, rushing to reassure her. “But there is no need to be so formal. We are, after all, now family.”

  “I am glad you think so,” Elizabeth Manning replied with a smile that was not at all genuine. She turned to her daughter. “Please be a dear, Mary, and get the plants. If you see your grandmother, perhaps you could coax her to join us for a visit.”

  “Yes, Mama,” Mary said, her eyes lowered as she hurried from the room.

  Elizabeth waited for her daughter to leave before dropping her mask of civility. Louisa searched for something to say to relieve the tense atmosphere. “The weather has been surprisingly warm for this time of year. I wonder if we will have a late winter.”

  The expression on Elizabeth’s face was one of contempt. “I should congratulate you on managing to ensnare my nephew.”

  Louisa was shocked at the other woman’s open hostility. She’d known that Nicholas’s aunt would resent the fact that he had chosen to marry her, but she hadn’t expected to be insulted so openly.

  “I did not ensnare Nicholas,” she said, doing her best to keep her tone even. “In fact, no one was more surprised than I when he asked me to marry him.”

  “I find that difficult to believe.” When Louisa didn’t reply, she continued. “When is the baby due?”

  The audacity of the question stunned her. Abandoning her attempt to pacify the older woman, she straightened and replied with more force than she’d thought herself capable of.

  “That is none of your concern.”

  A gleam entered Elizabeth’s eye. “I see I am correct.”

  Her gaze traveled to Louisa’s stomach, but the loose style of her dress would easily hide an early pregnancy. Louisa chafed under the other woman’s scrutiny, resenting the implication she was a conniving woman who had trapped Nicholas into marrying her.

  “If you must know, I am not with child.”

  The very last thing Louisa wanted to think about was the question of the future heir to the marquisate. If Nicholas persisted in his desire not to have a true marriage, it was inevitable that she would never have a child. That thought brought with it a pang of grief.

  Louisa hadn’t heard Nicholas’s grandmother enter the drawing room until Elizabeth’s gaze strayed to the doorway.

  “It is good to see you again, Elizabeth,” Lady Overlea said as she crossed the room to greet her daughter-in-law. She turned to Louisa then. “Are you still feeling unwell, my dear? I hope that headache isn’t still plaguing you.”

  It took her a moment to realize Lady Overlea was speaking to her. She must have overheard part of her conversation with Elizabeth and was giving her an excuse to leave. She could have hugged her. Instead, she raised a hand to her temple.

  “I’m afraid so,” she said.

  “Well, I’m sure Elizabeth will understand if you go and rest. We’ll entertain each other in your absence.”

  Louisa pressed a kiss to Lady Overlea’s cheek and said her goodbyes to Nicholas’s aunt before leaving the drawing room. Before seeking refuge in her bedroom, she headed for the library. A good book was just the distraction she needed at the moment.

  She stopped abruptly on the threshold when she found Lord Kerrick in the room. He was seated in an armchair, reading. Apparently he’d had the same idea. He glanced up at her arrival and smiled.

  “Lady Overlea,” he said, closing the book and placing it on the table beside him. “I was hoping for an opportunity to speak with you.”

  She was tempted to use her excuse of a headache and leave, but there was something in his expression that made her stay.

  He rose but didn’t approach her. She left the door open before moving farther into the room.

  “Nicholas spoke to you?”

  It would appear there was nowhere she could go to hide from this painful subject.

  “Last night,” she said.

  He sighed. “From your expression I take it the discussion didn’t go well.”

  Louisa found it impossible to gauge the intent behind Lord Kerrick’s words. “How would you have expected such a conversation to go?”

  “Well, I imagine you’d have thrown something at him. Or perhaps kicked him.”

  Louisa couldn’t help but smile at his words.

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “Are you considering his suggestion?”

  Her stomach dropped at the question. “I’m sorry to disappoint you. The only man with whom I will…” Her voice faltered as heat flooded her cheeks. “I intend to remain faithful to my wedding vows.”

  Was that relief on Lord Kerrick’s face?

  “Good for you!”

  She was well and truly confused. “I thought you wanted to…” She floundered for words.

  A look of horror crossed his face. “Good God, no. Despite what Nicholas told you, and despite what he may want to believe, I think he would kill me if we followed through with this scheme of his. And, I must add, I am relieved he has chosen so well for his wife.”

  Much as she wanted to, she wasn’t sure she could believe him. “You are wrong. My husband seems very eager for me to conceive a child with someone else. With you.”

  She couldn’t believe she was standing there, discussing such an intimate thing with a stranger. The entire situation in which she found herself was ridiculous. Rushed int
o a marriage with someone she barely knew, someone she very much wanted to get to know better, but who apparently didn’t want her. She’d been surprised by the intensity of the emotions that overwhelmed her when Nicholas kissed her. It had come as a blow to her to realize he didn’t feel even a little of what she did. If he did, he wouldn’t have been able to suggest she become intimate with someone else.

  “I can’t believe we are having this conversation,” she said, covering her hot cheeks with her hands.

  The smile on Lord Kerrick’s face was a kind one. “I felt the same way when he first told me. And now that I’ve met you…” He shook his head. “Nicholas is a bigger fool than I’d thought possible.”

  Louisa turned away from him before continuing.

  “It is obvious he feels nothing for me.”

  Lord Kerrick came up behind her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and turned her gently to face him. When he spoke, his voice was soft but firm.

  “I don’t think that’s true.”

  “It must be. He must have chosen me to be his wife because he knew he would have no difficultly allowing me to do this thing.”

  She hated that she was discussing this with Lord Kerrick. Given the difficult position Nicholas had put them both in, however, she had no choice.

  “I’ve seen the way your husband looks at you. I believe he may care for you more than he’d like to admit.”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head.

  “Yes,” he said, more firmly. “There is a way to find out for sure.”

  Louisa wasn’t sure she liked the gleam in his eyes, but the promise in his words was too much for her to resist.

  “How?” she asked, unable to keep the hint of hope, however foolish, from her voice.

  She watched as Lord Kerrick walked to the doorway. He glanced quickly into the hall before closing the door firmly and turning to answer her question.

  “We give him what he thinks he wants.”

  She didn’t know what she’d expected, but it hadn’t been those words. She shook her head. “No. Absolutely not.”

  “Of course not,” he said with an exaggerated shudder. “I have grown rather fond of my hide. And even if Nicholas allowed me to keep it afterward, I am certain I would no longer be welcome here.”

  “Then what exactly do you propose?”

  “It’s quite simple. We will both act the part he wants us to play.” When he saw her negative reaction to that suggestion, he hastened to add, “Not to the end he has chosen. No, I won’t do that to him. Only enough to make him think we are going along with his plan. If he asks me again for my decision, I will tell them that I am willing to proceed if you also agree to it. Since we both know that will never happen, it wouldn’t be a lie.”

  “And I?”

  “You can tell him what you choose. Either that you cannot decide until you get to know me better, or you can choose not to discuss the subject at all.”

  She was still unsure. “What would such a pretense gain us?”

  “When your stubborn husband sees us growing closer, when he believes you and I will fall in line with his plans, I think his true feelings for you will come out. Nicholas may be playing it cool at the moment, but he won’t be able to keep his jealousy at bay. I have no doubt that his true feelings will come to the surface. I just hope he doesn’t come to hate me too much when they do.”

  For the first time since Nicholas had rebuffed her on their wedding night, Louisa felt a real spark of hope. Was Lord Kerrick correct? He did know her husband better than she. Was it possible that he was not as indifferent to her as he would have her believe? She remembered again the kisses they’d shared. How close they’d come to consummating their marriage the morning after their wedding night. If there was even the slightest chance Lord Kerrick’s plan would lead to her husband realizing he wanted what she did, a real marriage, she knew she had to go along with it.

  She was about to tell him as much when she heard a noise at the library door. She started to turn to see who was about to enter when Lord Kerrick took a step closer to her and grasped her hands in his.

  When the door opened, he dropped her hand and took a step back. Worried one of the servants had seen Lord Kerrick holding her hands, Louisa turned to the door and was horrified to see her husband standing there.

  His face was an emotionless mask. He bowed briefly, apologized for interrupting, and left, closing the door behind him.

  She spun back to face Lord Kerrick. “You did that intentionally.”

  “I did,” he said. “If we are to force Nicholas to reveal his true feelings, we’re going to have to waken his jealousy.”

  She considered her husband’s lack of reaction and the hope she’d experienced just moments before dimmed. “He didn’t appear to mind.”

  “Oh, he was definitely surprised and not at all happy to see us together. I caught a flicker of it before he hid it.”

  “He was surprised because I told him I wouldn’t even consider this. And now he has seen the two of us together.”

  “Have faith. Nicholas is stubborn. He is hiding his feelings even from himself. I fear this may take a little time.”

  Louisa straightened her shoulders and nodded, resolved to follow Lord Kerrick’s plan.

  “Can I ask you for your permission to call you by your Christian name?”

  She was surprised by the request.

  “We don’t know each other that well—”

  “Yes, but I think it will annoy your husband.”

  She considered for a moment. “Are you sure?”

  “You have a choice, Lady Overlea. Sleep with me now and have done with it, send me away, or draw out the pretense. If you choose the first, I think we will both cement ourselves in your husband’s disfavor forever. With the second, Nicholas will continue to avoid you and you’ll never have a real marriage. Choose the third, however, and you may uncover the depth of his feelings for you. And with some luck, Nicholas will still be on speaking terms with me after it is done.”

  He was right. Of the three options open to her, there was only really one choice she could make. “When do we start?”

  “We already have. You should go now. Given your reaction when he approached you yesterday, Nicholas will expect you to feel guilty after being caught alone with me. It wouldn’t feel right if you remained here with me.”

  “I hope we are doing the right thing,” she said before turning to leave.

  “As do I,” Lord Kerrick replied.

  * * * * *

  Louisa was careful to keep her distance from Lord Kerrick for the rest of the day. In turn, Nicholas continued to avoid her. Of course, he’d been avoiding her for some time, so she had no way of knowing if his current behavior was due to the scene he’d witnessed in the library.

  Dinner was an awkward affair. Louisa hadn’t wanted to worry her sister with the truth about her and Nicholas’s relationship, but it was clear she sensed something was wrong. Catherine had always been intuitive, picking up on the mood of others very easily. She chattered on in a cheerful manner, though, no doubt in an attempt to raise the spirits of everyone else.

  Louisa said very little. Her gaze drifted to her husband, where he sat silently at the head of the table, for what felt like the hundredth time. She tried to guess his mood, but it was impossible. Contrary to what Lord Kerrick had suggested, he didn’t show any signs of being jealous. He appeared calm and collected.

  Lord Kerrick bantered back and forth with Catherine. Louisa could see the infatuation in her sister’s expression when she looked at him. Kerrick seemed to be enjoying himself, but he could very well be putting on a show for her husband. She glanced at Nicholas again and caught him looking at his friend, a frown on his face. His gaze turned to meet hers then and his expression returned to its impassive mask. The telltale sign of emotion had been so brief she wondered if she’d imagined it.

  After dinner she joined Catherine and the dowager marchioness in the drawing room. Nicholas and Lord Kerrick
remained behind, and Louisa couldn’t help but wonder if they were discussing her.

  As she had the previous evening, Catherine went immediately to the piano and began to play. They’d had a pianoforte in the cottage until last year, when they’d had to sell it after their father fell ill. At the time Catherine had said she didn’t mind, but seeing the joy on her face as she sat on the piano bench told Louisa that she had missed it very much.

  Louisa sat on a settee and took out a new handkerchief she planned to embroider. It had been years since she’d done any kind of needlework other than mending, and she was looking forward to the decorative work as a welcome change of pace. Nicholas’s grandmother sat next to her. They’d been listening in silence to Catherine’s playing for about a minute when Lady Overlea turned to her.

  “Is something amiss between you and my grandson?” Her voice was pitched low so Catherine wouldn’t overhear.

  Louisa’s hands stilled on the embroidery, and it was several moments before she could meet the older woman’s gaze.

  “It is not something I can discuss with you,” she said when she finally replied.

  Lady Overlea’s lips tightened into a thin line.

  “I will speak to my grandson and settle the matter.”

  “Oh, no, please do not trouble yourself,” she said, anxious to reassure the older woman. “It is merely a misunderstanding.”

  She didn’t think Nicholas would take well to his grandmother interfering in his romantic life.

  Lady Overlea looked at her. It was clear she was measuring her words when she spoke again. “You know of his illness?”

  She was about to admit she’d witnessed two episodes, but something stopped her. Nicholas’s grandmother wouldn’t have asked her question if he’d told her about those episodes, and Louisa guessed he was trying to shield her from any additional worry.