Married to the Marquess

by Rebecca Connolly

  Married

  to the

  Marquess

  by

  Rebecca Connolly

  Also by

  Rebecca Connolly

  An Arrangement of Sorts

  Coming Soon

  Secrets of a Spinster

  Also from

  Phase Publishing

  by

  Lady Jane Davis

  The Original Pink Collar Workers

  by

  Christopher Bailey

  Without Chance

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped” book.

  Text copyright © 2015 by Rebecca Connolly

  Cover art copyright © 2015 by Rebecca Connolly

  Cover art by Tugboat Design

  http://www.tugboatdesign.net

  All rights reserved. Published by Phase Publishing, LLC. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

  Phase Publishing, LLC first paperback edition

  December 2015

  ISBN 978-1-943048-05-2

  Library of Congress Control Number:

  Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file.

  Acknowledgements

  To Lori, for being one of my very first fans, for introducing music into my life, for our shared love of all things British and all things hot chocolate, and for your unfailing friendship and guidance all these years. For everything you are and everything you have ever been. Thanks, Mama R!

  And to Bewleys, Galaxy, and Cadbury, for being the most incredible hot chocolate on the other side of the sea and changing my life. We’ll always have the memories. And international shipping. Cheers!

  Thanks go out to Chris Bailey and the gang at Phase Publishing for making me look better than I am and keeping the dream going. Deborah Bradseth with Tugboat Design for yet another stellar cover that defies my imagination. Whitney Hinckley for your mad editing skills and actually enjoying the stuff I send. Ashley, Hannah, and Jordan for your excitement, keeping me sane, and loving me when I’m not. And for saying it’s okay to have more cheesecake.

  Thanks to my family for being with me on this journey and being fans, too. Love you!

  And thanks, of course, to my Musketeers. You can bill me for the therapy sessions at any time. I’ll send chocolate.

  Index

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  Hampshire, 1818

  Invariably, when one feels that one’s life cannot possibly get any bleaker, it does. Or, conversely, when one feels that one’s life is perfectly situated, something rather disastrous occurs to change that opinion rather quickly.

  Derek Chambers, Marquess of Whitlock, had been quite simply minding his own business one fine summer’s day when he was approached by his father and mother, the Duke and Duchess of Ashcombe, and informed that he was to be married in a week to the Honorable Katherine Bishop, daughter of the Viscount Dartwell. It was not such a shocking surprise, as he had known of his impending marriage from childhood when it had been arranged for him.

  It was a still rather dreadful prospect, despite his knowledge. His long-standing relationship and interaction with Katherine had done nothing to endear her to him by any stretch of even the most imaginative of imaginations. Poisonous reptiles have that effect on people.

  But he knew his duty to his family and their long heritage of well-made matches as far as standing, titles, and fortune went. It was quite simply the way things were done.

  So he had married Katherine, and for the last several years; he was never able to remember just how many as each year seemed a lifetime; they had lived blissfully apart, and only came together when forced. Aside from the occasional correspondence and the unfortunate meetings in London, which oftentimes felt like penance for a multitude of sins he had yet to commit, Derek could almost forget that he was even married at all.

  It was quite a wonderful arrangement of his otherwise rather depressing life.

  Being in such an arrangement also allowed him ample opportunity to spend as much time as he wished with his friends. At the moment, he was preparing for what was destined to be one of the greatest naps ever taken in the front drawing room of his friend Nathan’s estate, Beverton House. Nathan, the Earl of Beverton, and his new bride Moira were still on their honeymoon trip, and had entrusted the house and repairs to the watchful eyes of Colin Gerrard and himself. Their other compatriots, the ever charming Geoffrey Harris and the less than graceful Duncan Bray, were also around somewhere at present, as each had a strong aversion to being in London without the appropriate company.

  They had worked very hard this morning assisting the remaining tenants with their repairs, and Derek, for one, was absolutely exhausted. As fit as he thought himself, Nathan’s tenants were able to outwork him easily. Such strenuous physical labor was not something Derek was accustomed to, though he didn’t object to it. His father would have been furious and appalled had he knowledge of it. If he were to be perfectly honest with himself, Derek would have to admit that was part of the attraction.

  “D’you know, I think that Nate’s going to stay away forever and leave all of this mess to us to take care of,” Colin announced from his position on the sofa in the corner.

  Derek grinned and opened one eye to look at his friend. “What, you think he is intentionally prolonging this honeymoon trip purely to avoid all the work here for him to do?”

  “Exactly,” Colin said, pointing a finger and giving him a calculating look.

  A disbelieving snort escaped Derek as he settled himself deeper into his chair and adjusted his feet on the ottoman before him. “I doubt that very highly.”

  “Why? It’s not as though he’s made an effort to be here with all of this work.”

  Derek leveled a knowing look at him. “Have you seen the way those two look at each other? They’re taking their time, all right, but not to avoid work here.”

  Colin snickered and shook his head. “Point taken, but you forget he was gone for two weeks before Moira ever came storming back.”

  “Yes, but he was with Moira most of that time,” Derek pointed out, gesturing with his hands slightly. “You can hardly blame him. Would you want to spend time with us when you could spend time with her?”

  “I still think he’s avoiding work,” Colin muttered as he shifted his position grumpily.

  “Oh, come off it. You’re not still upset that Moira called you a frog, are you?”

  “A toad!” Colin cried, waving a finger in protest. “A toad, Derek, not a frog.”

  “And the difference there is…?”

  Colin sniffed in a rather indignant manner. “Well, if you don’t know, then I am not going to tell you.” He sighed moodily and folded his arms. “I fail to see why any of us have to bother with wives an
yway.”

  “Are you truly complaining because Nathan got himself a wife, and now he is slightly less available than before?” Derek asked in disbelief. “I’ve never seen him happier than he is now, and you must admit that Moira has done that for him.”

  “You’ve got a wife, and it’s hardly done any wonders for you.”

  Derek glowered. “What I’ve got is a bad case of some horrible growth that no physician can remove. That is not a wife.”

  Colin laughed out loud. “Oh, come on, Derek. You have got to admit that Katherine is pretty enough.”

  “For what? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and woe unto any man that beholdeth that tyrannical hag, for they will not only turn to stone, but a gargoyle to boot.”

  Colin was laughing too hard to make any further comment, and Derek found himself smiling a touch to himself. Katherine had but two purposes in life; producing the heir to the dukedom, and driving Derek’s sanity to its breaking point and beyond. He shuddered at the very thought of the first, and the second… well, he shuddered a bit at that, too. He rather liked his sanity as it was.

  To be perfectly fair and honest, Katherine was the perfect marchioness, and would be the perfect duchess one day. She knew every single detail of the estates, knew the names of every family under their care, and kept a very neat and careful tally of every item or detail that would require his direct attention.

  Her letters every month were brusque and formal, rather business-like, and undeniably cold. He could almost smell her disapproval oozing in every ink stroke. Not that he was lax in his duties, for he was quick to respond to anything that was required of him, and, as was evidenced by his recent activities, he had no qualms about getting his hands dirty as the case required.

  The problem was that Katherine despised him as much as he loathed her. She disapproved of everything he did and made no secret about it. While he was being insulting and demeaning of her here, she would be doing the exact same thing with her friends in London.

  If she had any friends.

  He couldn’t have said if she did.

  He doubted it.

  A resounding knock came at the door, and both men craned their necks ever so slightly to try to get a glimpse of the arrival. Rosemont, Nathan’s rather smart butler, soon came into the room. “My lord Whitlock, there is a rider here with an urgent missive for you.”

  Derek groaned and rubbed at his eyes with one hand. “Bring him in here, then, Rosemont.”

  “Very good, sir,” he said with a quick bow.

  In short order, the rider, who was rather windswept and breathless at the moment, came before Derek and handed over the letter.

  “How far have you come?” Derek asked as he looked up at the young man.

  “From London, sir.”

  Derek made a noise of discontent as he saw the seal on the back of the letter. It was his own. A letter from Katherine, then. That was odd, as her letters always came very promptly on the fifth of each month. Today was the seventeenth. “Cursed old bat,” he muttered as he broke the seal.

  “Oh, is it from your wife?” Colin asked, grinning from his lounging position.

  Derek threw a vicious glare his way. He opened the letter and quickly perused the remarkably short note in Katherine’s very neat hand.

  To the Marquess of Whitlock:

  Dear Sir,

  A situation has arisen that requires your attention and attendance for the sake of propriety and appearance. It is a matter of some urgency. I therefore must insist upon your immediate presence in London. I shall expect you to arrive by the twenty-second day of this month.

  May this letter find you well,

  Lady Whitlock

  Derek snorted, rolled the letter into a ball, and tossed it rather accurately into the fire. He was most certainly not going to come all the way out to London just because she told him to, and was most especially not going to do so without knowing exactly why he was going. If she didn’t think to put the reason into a letter, it couldn’t have been so imperative as to actually require his immediate attention.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Derek, why do you even read them if you’re just going to toss them into the fire?” Colin asked, watching him with interest and amusement.

  “Because the witch would know if I didn’t read them,” Derek said defensively. He settled back into his seat, and looked up at the rider, who looked more than slightly shocked at his actions. “Tell Katherine that I will come down when I want to, and not when she demands it.”

  “If you please, my lord,” the rider said with the barest hint of a stammer. “I know she probably didn’t mention it in the letter, but I happen to know that her mother, Lady Dartwell, passed away just last night.”

  Derek’s feet skidded off of the ottoman he was resting them on. “She what?”

  The rider nodded. “Lady Penelope, sir. She had been quite ill for some time and she finally passed last night.”

  “How do you know this?”

  The man’s cheeks colored ever so slightly. “I happen to be acquainted with a maid in that house, sir, and she told me herself.”

  He swore under his breath. Now he had to go. “But why didn’t Katherine say so?” Of all the cursed things that could have happened, it had to be a death in the family. Not that he was remorseful, for he was really looking forward to a world without his mother-in-law in it, but there was no way he could avoid going to London to support his wife.

  “From what I can tell, sir, she knew how you felt about her mother and she didn’t want you to come. But she knew she could not refuse to send for you, as is proper.”

  He groaned and pushed off of the chair. “Yes, yes, all right, I’ll come.”

  “But Derek, if she doesn’t want you there and you don’t want to be there and you didn’t like her mother anyway…” Colin began, scrambling from the sofa.

  “Shut it, Colin,” he growled as he removed himself from the room. “She’s my wife, whether anybody likes it or not, and her mother has just died. What sort of lout would I look like if I didn’t show up?”

  “The sort of lout every man of sense is!”

  “Begging your pardon, milord,” the rider interrupted as he followed them. “Should I tell her ladyship you are coming?”

  Derek thought for a moment. “No. Let us leave it for a surprise, shall we?” He grinned and jogged lightly up the stairs. “Pay the man, Colin, and Rosemont, if you would see he gets some food, and then see if one of the carriages can be prepared and sent out front?”

  “Of course, my lord.”

  Colin rolled his eyes and paid the man from his pocket. The rider looked confused, but took the coins. “The marquess never carries coin,” Colin explained. “He has a bizarre aversion to his pockets jingling.” He clapped the rider on the back, and indicated he follow Rosemont down the hall to the kitchens. Then Colin dashed up the stairs after Derek.

  “Derek! Why are you going to surprise her? I thought you said Katherine hates surprises!”

  “She does,” he heard from the bedroom Derek had been using. Then Derek’s head appeared with a wild grin. “That’s the whole idea!”

  Out of the library nearby came Duncan, who looked perplexed as to the commotion. “What’s the fuss, Colin?”

  “Someone needs to stop him!” Colin cried, flinging out a desperate hand. “Derek is going to London to be with Katherine!”

  Duncan came out of the room entirely and stared at Derek in disbelief. “What? Why?”

  “What’s going on?” Geoff’s voice asked as he came up the stairs behind them.

  “Derek is going to see Katherine,” Duncan said, still looking dazed.

  Geoff’s face became a mixture of horror and revulsion as he looked to Derek. “What? Why?”

  Derek glowered at the lot of them, then waved at a passing servant. “Grab some more of the staff and have my things packed as soon as possible, would you? I need to depart quickly.”

  The footman nodded instantly. “Of course, m
y lord.” He moved off in search of more servants, leaving the men alone again.

  “You’re really going to the viper’s lair?” Duncan asked, looking worried and unconvinced.

  “Yes, I am. And don’t worry, I have appropriate medicines,” he retorted as he brushed passed them for the stairs.

  “They don’t make Katherine medicine,” Colin insisted as he followed. “I know, I checked.”

  Geoff sniggered into his hand behind them and Duncan grinned, but Derek only shook his head. “I should probably punch you, but since I know the truth, I won’t.”

  “What if this is all a trick on Katherine’s part, knowing how you despise London?” Duncan asked.

  Derek stopped suddenly and all three men behind him came to an abrupt halt as they crashed into each other. “I never considered that,” he muttered, his brow furrowing. “She is the devil incarnate. It wouldn’t be surprising if she were to be conniving as a fox.”

  “But if her mother died…” Colin trailed off, confused that for once he was sounding like the voice of reason.

  “Yes, you’re right,” Derek said with a nod, moving once more. “Even Katherine wouldn’t kill her own mother just to swindle me. I think she rather liked that biddy.”

  “What if she is using all of this just as an excuse to get you to come to her?” Geoff brought up as he followed Derek and the others outside.

  Derek turned with a sardonically quirked brow. “You really think my wife is that desperate for my company, Geoff?”

  Colin and Duncan snickered as Geoff flushed a little.