The Wedding Bargain

by Victoria Alexander

  Five days? It would be a lifetime. She changed positions on the seat and heaved a heartfelt sigh.

  “Do you plan on making those pathetic sounds for the rest of the journey?” Laurie said pleasantly. “Or are they simply an accompaniment to your inability to sit still for more than a minute at a time?”

  “Yes,” she snapped, regretting her tone at once. He, of all people, did not deserve her ire. “I'm sorry. I'm rather--” She wrung her hands together. “I have a bit of difficulty being in a closed carriage in the rain.”

  He scoffed. “Bit of difficulty?”

  “I feel…trapped. Actually, with the noise of the rain on the roof, I feel as though”--she cringed to herself at just how ridiculous it sounded--“I'm being buried alive.” She'd never told anyone except Cynthia about this and waited for the inevitable laughter.

  “And that's why you insist on all the windows being open,” he said slowly.

  “It helps.” She shrugged and forced a laugh. “It's a ridiculous fear, I know. Not like heights or snakes or--”

  “I don't think it's ridiculous at all,” he said quietly. “I suspect we all have absurd fears of one kind or another.”

  “Not Max.”

  “Even Max. Max is terrified of failing.”

  “Terrified? I knew he disliked failure…” She sighed once more and shifted yet again.

  “Pandora, I must admit, I'm rather confused.” He was silent for a moment, as if choosing his words. “When you told me your plan, I thought it made sense in terms of winning the game with Max. And it was clear to me something had happened between the two of you. Your usual, oh, spirit was noticeably absent. Why, you were almost nice to me.”

  “Was I?”

  “It was quite unnerving.” She could hear the grin in his voice. Was the man trying to cheer her up? She really had misjudged him.

  She laughed softly. “Forgive me.”

  He sighed in an exaggerated manner. “I shall do my best.” He leaned forward and his tone sobered. “Joking aside, Pandora, the question I can't figure out is, why?”

  “To win the game, of course,” she said lightly.

  “I don't believe you.”

  “It's true. I want to win. I don't want to marry him simply as his reward for victory.” Her voice caught and she forced a firm tone. “You reminded me of it yourself. All those years ago, I declared I wouldn't marry without love. My feelings haven't changed.”

  “Do you love him?”

  She hesitated. She hadn't said it aloud. Not to anyone. She wasn't certain she could. “It's of no significance. He doesn't love me. I've given him every opportunity to tell me and he hasn't.”

  “Even so, he--”

  “Our bargain is the only thing that matters to him.” Her anger returned and she welcomed it. Her voice hardened. “All he wants is victory and he'll do anything he has to do to achieve it. Anything at all.”

  “Come now, I can't imagine Max--”

  “Really?” Fury swept through her and the words she'd kept pent up inside tumbled free. “You can't imagine Max saying, ‘Now, you have to marry me’? Or, ‘The game is over, now you have no choice’? Or, ‘Marriage is the only way to salvage your honor.’ Or, ‘You're ruined now and I ru--’” She sucked in a shocked breath and clapped her hand over her mouth.

  “Oh, well, that explains a great deal,” he said slowly.

  “Bloody hell.” She groaned and doubled over to bury her face in her hands. “I am such a fool.”

  “These things, um, happen.”

  She jerked upright. “Not to me. And there has been a fair amount of opportunity through the years.”

  He paused for a long moment, as if deciding what to say next. Finally he drew a deep breath. “He does love you. He told me.”

  Her heart stilled. “Are you certain?”

  “I don't think he's ever lied to me. In addition, he's already acquired the golden apples for the last test.”

  She wanted to believe him. “Why didn't he tell me?”

  “Why didn't you tell him?” Laurie said pointedly.

  A hundred thoughts ran through her head most of them centering on the morning in the stables. Maybe she hadn't been wrong about his loving her, after all? Maybe it was more than just a need to win on his part? Maybe…

  “He loves me,” she said softly. She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Max loves me. And I love him. She sank back in the seat and grinned like an idiot. Like a complete and total fool. Like a stupid, impulsive--

  She jerked upright in her seat. “Good Lord, Laurie, we have to go back. At once. Before Max learns of this.”

  “Excellent idea.” He reached up and rapped on the carriage roof.

  “Fortunately, Peters is not supposed to give Max my note until tomorrow.”

  “Your note?” Laurie said uneasily. “Ah yes, I had forgotten about your note.”

  “We can be back before he even knows we've gone.” She couldn't wait to return. To Max. The man who loved her. The man she loved. “Why isn't the driver turning this thing around?” She pounded on the ceiling.

  “Patience, Pandora.” Laurie laughed.

  “I have no patience, Laurie. Not now.” She moved to the window and leaned out. Rain drenched her almost at once, but she didn't care. “Driver,” she yelled, to be heard above the rain. “We need to go back. Now! Immediately!”

  Without warning the carriage turned sharply, throwing her across the aisle onto Laurie's seat. For an instant she wondered if they'd tip over. Another abrupt move tossed her once again, this time onto his lap.

  They stared, face to face, mere inches apart.

  “Pandora?” His lips were a breath away from hers.

  “Yes, Laurie.” He didn't want to kiss her, did he?

  “Do you feel anything whatsoever for me?”

  She drew a deep breath. She had no desire to hurt him, but…“No. And you?”

  “Nothing,” he said, with a fair amount of relief.

  “Nothing at all?” Why was she just a touch disappointed? “Not even a bit of lust?”

  “Always a bit of lust.” He grinned.

  “Good.” She grinned back and returned to her seat.

  If Max was willing, she'd call off the game at once. She'd marry him tomorrow, if he wished. After all, she was ruined and he had ruined her.

  And she couldn't wait until he ruined her again.

  Chapter 23

  The Final Play

  “Where is she?” Max stepped into the Effington foyer and shook his arms in a futile attempt to rid himself of the water on his sodden greatcoat. Droplets of rain flew in a wide arc around him.

  The pudgy apple-cheeked woman who'd opened the door--the housekeeper, probably--stared at him as if he'd lost his mind.

  “Well?” he snapped and pulled off his gloves, realizing between his impatience and his drenched appearance he probably looked quite mad.

  The woman's eyes widened. “She who, my lord?”

  He drew a deep breath and forced a measure of calm to his voice. There was no need to take out his anxieties on the poor woman. She already appeared scared half to death. “My apologies…?”

  “Mrs. Barnes.” She bobbed a curtsey and reached for his gloves.

  He passed his gloves to her, slipped off his coat, and handed it to her as well. “Thank you. Now then.” He had wasted enough time on pleasantries. “Miss Effington. Is she in?”

  Mrs. Barnes' brows knitted together. “I'm not sure I can say, my lord. I can check with Peters…” She glanced around as if expecting him to peer out from behind a column any minute.

  “Please do. It's urgent I speak with her.” He smiled to soften the sharpness of his tone.

  She nodded and hurried off, vanishing into the shadowed recesses of the house.

  Max paced across the circular foyer, then back, and again. He couldn't start for Bath without making certain she had already left. It was always possible her plans had gone awry or Laurie had managed to convince her to abandon wh
atever she had in mind--although he suspected his hopes were unrealistic. He'd had more than his share of luck regarding Pandora and her blasted game already and he doubted his good fortune would hold.

  How could she run away from him? The question had pounded through his mind since he'd first understood the meaning of Laurie's message. Was she so angry she hadn't stopped to consider the consequences of her actions? Her reputation would be destroyed, her name synonymous with scandal. A scandal she would never live down.

  Or perhaps it wasn't anger at all? Maybe she was simply determined to win for reasons beyond those of simple competition. Could it be the idea of marriage to him was so repellant she was desperate to avoid it? Would she rather face the future disgraced and dishonored than face it with him? Regardless of any bargain between them, he would never force marriage on Pandora against her will. But he had thought, no, he had been certain she loved him. And he had further believed she was enjoying the game as much as he was. An odd sort of courtship granted, but a courtship, nonetheless. Was he wrong?

  He glared in the direction the housekeeper had disappeared. What was taking the woman so long? Surely determining Pandora's presence in the house was a matter both easy and quick. With every minute that passed, she could be farther and farther away from him.

  At least his luck still held in one respect: she'd picked Laurie instead of some other man to accompany her on this farce. Laurie was like a brother to him. Max trusted him with his very life.

  But he could he trust him with Pandora??

  He stopped dead in the center of the foyer. Damnation, where had that come from? Aside from everything else, Laurie was in love with Miss Weatherly.

  Still, he couldn't ignore Laurie's failure to tell him about his relationship with Pandora. Oh, certainly it had occurred during that period when Max had hidden himself away in the country. And it was not inconceivable that Laurie would neglect to mention it through the years. But why didn't he say something when he first noticed Max's interest in Pandora? Or when Max and Pandora had agreed to their game? Or even at the ball, when Laurie had encouraged Max to tell Pandora he loved her?

  Unless…Laurie loved her himself?

  No. It was a ridiculous idea. Max forced it from his mind. Laurie never would have left him a message if he truly intended to marry Pandora. The very thought was absurd. Laurie didn't even like Pandora. His suspicions were prompted by nothing more than jealousy.

  He blew a long breath and shook his head in disbelief. He'd never experienced so much as a twinge of jealousy before.

  Not jealousy, and not…fear. Oh, he'd known fear on the battlefield. Only a fool wouldn't. But his fate was in his own hands then. Now he was…helpless.

  Damn love, anyway. Everything with Pandora had been proceeding so nicely until he realized winning her heart was far more important than winning her hand.

  The door flew open and Peters stepped inside, accompanied by a gust of wind and a spray of rain. “Good evening, my lord.”

  “Peters,” Max said with relief. Now he would get some answers. “Can you explain what is--”

  “My lord.” Peters stepped toward him, ignoring the rivulets pouring off his drenched clothing to puddle on the marble tiled flooring. “I was sent to deliver a message to you from Lady Harold. She wished for me to relate the information exactly as she prepared it.” Peters cleared his throat. “My dear Lord Trent.” Peters drew a deep breath and expelled it all at once. “Wehavebeenabductedby-GreekconspiratorsdeterminedtoreturnGreek-treasurestoGreecetheyhaveMissWeatherlytoo.”

  “Peters,” Max snapped, holding out his hands to ward off any further efforts at a narrative he only vaguely understood. “Is this about Miss Effington?”

  “No, my lord.”

  “She is my only concern right now. Where is she?”

  “I'm not precisely certain, my lord.” Peters paused as if debating his next words. “She did, however, ask me to deliver a letter to you--”

  “Excellent. May I have it?”

  The butler's brow furrowed. “I'm not to bring it until tomorrow.”

  Max bit back a sharp reply and forced himself to remain calm. “But I am here now and it scarcely matters whether I get it today or tomorrow.”

  “She was very insistent on that point, my lord,” Peters said stubbornly.

  “Nonetheless.” Max's jaw tightened and he struggled to maintain a reasonable tone. “I'm certain even Miss Effington would see the logic of giving me the note now, thus saving both of us time and effort that could be better spent elsewhere.”

  Peters studied him carefully. “Miss Effington's happiness has long been a concern of myself and the rest of the staff.”

  Max met his gaze with a direct unflinching stare. “That's exactly what I want as well, Peters.”

  Peters nodded slowly. He stepped to a nar row table, opened a drawer, pulled out a folded paper, and handed it to him.

  “Thank you, Peters.” Max stared at the note in his hand, not at all sure, now that he had it, that he wished to read it. “I gather this means she isn't here.”

  “No, my lord,” Peters said quietly.

  “I see.” What words had she left for him? He didn't really belive she intended to marry Laurie, although he couldn't dismiss the possibility entirely. No doubt everything in her note was designed to make him want to turn away from her forever. Falsehoods, probably, one and all. Still, was he strong enough to read them? Was he truly her hero? Or just a man in love?

  A pounding sounded outside. At once Max slipped the note into his waistcoat. Peters started toward the door, but before he could reach the handle, it was flung open with a force helped by the winds. Pandora nearly flew into the foyer.

  Max's breath caught and he took a step toward her.

  Laurie followed close on Pandora's heels and struggled against the rain and wind to close the door behind them.

  “Peters.” Pandora stepped further into the room, then stopped. “Why, you're drenched.”

  “As are you, Miss.” Peters' tone was staid.

  “Is it still raining, then?” Max said, in a casual manner that belied the way his heart thudded in his chest at the sight of her. Or the relief sweeping through him at the knowledge that she was safe. Or the aching need to have her always by his side.

  “Max?” Her eyes widened and her gaze met his. A brilliant smile lit her face. “Max!”

  In less than an instant she was in his arms.

  “Hellion.” His lips crushed hers and he couldn't kiss her hard enough or hold her close enough to reassure himself she was real and sound and with him now.

  “Oh, Max.” Her arms were around his neck and all she wanted was to touch him and feel his warmth against her and his lips on hers. Regardless of any bargain, any game, she knew this was where she belonged, where she'd always belonged. “I had to come back. I couldn't leave you.”

  “You're rather wet, you know.” He grinned down at her.

  She laughed with the sheer joy of the look in his eyes. “Do you mind?”

  “Not at all.” Again his lips met hers and any doubts she might have had were swept aside by the rush of happiness surging through her.

  “She insisted on leaving the carriage windows open,” Laurie said wryly.

  Max pulled his lips from hers. His eyes narrowed and his gaze met hers, cool and considering. A chill skated up her spine. He released her in a deliberate manner and stepped back. “Did she?”

  Laurie shook his head. “She has some ridiculous fear about carriages in the rain.”

  “Does she?” Max's voice was cool, and a distinct sense of unease washed away the delight of a moment ago.

  “She does, indeed,” Laurie said slowly, staring at Max. Did he too notice Max's subtle change of attitude?

  Good Lord, did Max know of her scheme? Worse, did he think she truly intended to marry Laurie? Caution edged her voice. “Max?”

  Tension thickened the air. Max's gaze locked with Laurie's. Pandora held her breath.

  “I
think you and I have a few things to discuss.” Max's voice was level and unemotional. “About tonight and,” he paused, “mistakes of the past.”

  Mistakes of the past? She stifled a gasp. Max obviously knew about she and Laurie and what had happened years ago. And if he knew about that night, what was he thinking about this night? She reached out to lay her hand on Max's arm. “Max, let me ex--”

  Max cast a disdainful glance at her hand and she let it fall, his look a sting as sharp as any blow. His gaze returned to Laurie's.

  “Pandora, this is between Max and me.” Laurie's voice was calm and resigned. “And you're quite right, Max, such a talk is long overdue.”

  “If I may interrupt,” Peters said. “I believe there is a rather pressing issue that needs to be attended to.”

  “Bloody hell.” Max grit his teeth. “I'd forgotten.” Concern sounded in his voice. His gaze met hers and apprehension shone in his eyes. “Pandora, I'm not entirely certain of the details. Your parents--”

  “Harry and Grace?” Fear squeezed her stomach. “What's happened? What's wrong?”

  “It's hard to explain, but apparently they're missing.”

  “Missing?” Panic seized her and she fought to remain calm. “What do you mean, missing?”

  Max glanced at Peters and the butler sighed, then pulled a deep breath. “TheyhavebeenabductedbyGreekconspiratorsdetermin--”

  “Peters,” Max said sharply. “Do slow down and tell it in your own words.”

  Peters raised a brow. “As you wish, my lord.” He cleared his throat. “It seems Lord and Lady Harold have been abducted--”

  “Abducted?” Pandora shook her head in shocked disbelief. “Who would wish to abduct them?”

  “Greeks,” Max said with a puzzled expression. “I think.”

  “Greek conspirators, to be exact, my lord,” Peters said.

  “We have to find them,” Pandora said.

  “Conspiring to do what?” Laurie's brow furrowed in confusion.

  “We need to be off,” Pandora said, her voice ringing with urgency.