The Viscount's Runaway Bride (Marriage by Bargain Book 1)
Page 19
Celia sipped her drink and nibbled the crumpet in silence until they heard footsteps approaching the room. She set the cup and remaining crumpet down and joined Anthony in standing up.
A middle-aged and well-dressed lady entered first. She had to be Damara’s mother. The resemblance between the two was striking. The middle-aged gentleman following was handsome in his own right, too. But when Anthony met his gaze, he got the feeling that her father wasn’t all that pleased to see him.
“Our butler said you married Damara,” Lady Ganzel told Anthony.
“Yes, I did,” Anthony replied.
He waited for either Damara’s mother or father to sit, but they remained standing. Not feeling at liberty to sit since they weren’t, he decided to stay on his feet.
“We thought Lord Comwright was going to marry her,” Damara’s mother said.
“He didn’t,” Anthony replied. “I met her while she was still betrothed to him. She married me instead.”
“Well,” her mother began, “I hope you’re not here to bring her back.”
“Or demand her dowry since Lord Comwright took it,” Damara’s father added.
Celia frowned. “I don’t understand. Aren’t you upset she married someone else when she was supposed to marry Lord Comwright?”
“Who are you? His mistress?” Damara’s father asked Celia, gesturing to Anthony.
Celia gagged and looked at Anthony. “Hardly! I’m his sister.”
“Then what do you care if he married Damara?” her father asked.
“That wasn’t the point of my question,” Celia replied. “I’m merely curious as to why you aren’t upset that my brother is the reason your daughter didn’t marry the gentleman you had arranged for her to be with.”
Damara’s mother shrugged. “Why should we care who Damara married as long as she’s married?”
“I would care if my daughter married someone other than the gentleman I had selected for her,” Celia replied.
“Then care when it’s your daughter,” the mother said. “But since Damara’s not your daughter, it’s not your concern.”
“And you’re not getting any money from us,” Damara’s father spoke up, his attention going back to Anthony. “If you want the dowry, you’ll have to go to Lord Comwright for it.”
“I’m not here for the money,” Anthony said.
“Then you can’t bring her back,” Damara’s mother told him. “She’s your burden now. We did our part. Now it’s time to do yours. Marriage is forever, you know.”
“Right,” Damara’s father agreed.
“I don’t understand any of this,” Celia said, glancing from one parent to the other.
“Young lady,” the father began, narrowing his eyes at her, “if you listened instead of inserting your thoughts into the conversation, then perhaps you would understand what’s going on around you.”
Anthony’s eyes widened, and Celia looked as if she’d been slapped. “You’re talking to my sister,” Anthony said. “Despite what you seem to think, she’s an intelligent lady. Her confusion stems from that fact that you’re not concerned about your daughter’s welfare.”
“Why should we care?” the father asked. “She couldn’t inherit a title, and it was because of her my wife had a difficult labor that made her unable to conceive again.”
Anthony glanced over at his sister, wondering if she believed Damara now, and by the way her expression fell, he knew she did. Maybe if she had known their own parents better, she wouldn’t have been so surprised by the way Damara’s parents were acting. Their own parents, after all, had been more interested in satisfying their pleasures rather than raising their children, leaving both him and Celia to the care of their grandparents.
Being older, Anthony remembered their parents better than Celia did. Their grandparents hadn’t had the heart to say anything negative about their parents. And Anthony, not wishing to upset Celia, had kept what he knew to himself. Perhaps he’d done her a disservice without realizing it. She’d been led to believe their parents had been busy with missionary work, a much nobler venture than what they’d actually been doing.
The few times their parents had visited them, they had showered him and Celia with affection. Anthony supposed they’d made those token visits for the sake of appeasing their guilt.
Anthony turned his attention back to Damara’s parents. “I love Damara. She’s the best thing that’s happened to me. Her place is with me. It’s not here. I don’t want any money from you, and I’m not trying to return her to you.” Before he said anything he might end up regretting later, he tucked his hand around Celia’s elbow. “I just wanted you to know she’s safe and that she’ll be taken care of for the rest of her life.”
Her parents, predictably, didn’t seem affected by his words, but he’d felt the need to say them, to let them know that even if they didn’t value their daughter, someone did.
“Come,” he told Celia. “We’ve wasted enough time here.”
As he escorted Celia out of the room, Damara’s father called out, “We hope you don’t make these visits a regular occurrence.”
“We won’t,” he replied, not bothering to glance back at them. “This is the last time you’ll see us.”
It took all of his willpower to say a polite good-bye to the butler on their way out. The only real solace he had was knowing that Celia had seen the situation for herself.
They went into the carriage, and Anthony sat next to his sister in silence. He stared out the small window on his side, and Celia, who hadn’t bothered picking her book back up, stared out the window on her side. Each one, it seemed, would be spending most of the trip back lost in their own thoughts.
***
“Are you sure you don’t mind taking a walk in this park?” Iris asked Damara a day later.
Damara shook her head as she kept her pace even with Iris’. “No, I don’t mind. I know I was hesitant to be out here when you suggested it at your husband’s dinner party.”
And even now, Damara didn’t want to explain why she’d balked at the idea of walking in Hyde Park, especially in the late afternoon when so many people were around. Doing so would only lead to a discussion about Lord Comwright, and she didn’t feel like talking about him. Who knew if that would lead to talk of how she met him, which, in turn, would lead to her parents? She didn’t want to dwell on the past. She wanted to focus on the future.
Damara smiled at Iris. “I’m not used to a lot of people.” Which was true. “But you and I get along well, and I’m not here alone.”
Iris returned her smile. “I know how you feel. I don’t have an easy time with people, either. I feel like I don’t have anything interesting to say, especially to other ladies. Money is my favorite topic.”
“Well, there is a lot you can do with it.”
“Yes, that’s true. There is. But ladies would rather talk about how to spend it than how to save it.”
“Are you telling me you don’t like to spend it? Not even a little bit?”
Iris laughed. “Of course, I like to spend it. I just like to save it more than I like spending it.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that, Iris. If people can’t accept that about you, then you don’t need to spend time with them.”
“I thought you seemed like the type of lady who could be a good friend when we met,” Iris confided, “and as it turns out, I was right.”
“I didn’t have any friends while growing up. It’s nice to have someone to talk to while Anthony’s gone.”
“How much longer do you think that will be?”
“He should be back within five days.” At least she hoped so.
“Anthony’s a nice gentleman,” Iris replied with a smile. “Warren has nothing but respect for him.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
After a moment of silence passed between them, Iris said, “I’m not sure how much you know about my relationship with Celia, but I hope we can be friends even if she and I don’t get al
ong.”
Damara had wondered if Celia’s name would come up at some point during one of their conversations, and since Iris had mentioned her, now seemed to be a good time to address the issue. “I don’t care what Celia thinks about you. I like you, and that’s all that matters.”
Iris’ smile widened. “I’m glad to hear that. I know she’s your sister-in-law. I didn’t want to make things difficult for you by being friends with you.”
Touched by Iris’ concern for her, Damara’s heart warmed. Yes, Iris would make a wonderful friend. There was no doubt about it. “You won’t make things difficult,” she assured Iris. “It’s up to me to choose who I’m friends with, and I’m not going to let anyone else make that choice for me.”
In fact, that was why Damara had decided to decline Lady Eloise’s invitation in her group. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to be with Iris right now at Hyde Park, and there was no way she was going to shut herself off from such a good friend.
“I’m relieved,” Iris said. Then, with a teasing gleam in her eye, she added, “You really don’t mind if I talk about money?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Good because I’m excited about the captain’s upcoming voyage out to sea. I can’t decide what to do with my portion of the profits when they come in, and I think I’m exhausting poor Warren by going over my options again and again.”
“Ah, so you want to discuss spending money?”
“A little. But I’m also thinking of ways to invest, too.”
“Go on and tell me all about it,” Damara encouraged.
As the two continued their walk, Iris did just that.
***
Finally, four days later at 10:35pm, Anthony and Celia arrived at the townhouse. Damara was so excited to see Anthony again that she dropped the book she’d been reading and ran to the entryway to hug him.
Laughing, he gave her a long kiss and returned her hug. “I missed you so much,” he whispered.
“I missed you, too,” she replied. “I’m glad you’re back.”
“It’s good to be back.” He caressed her cheek and smiled at her. “I heard that when ladies are with child there’s a glow to their faces. Now I know it’s true.”
“That glow has something to do with you, too,” she replied. “I hope we won’t have to be separated again. I don’t like it when you’re gone.”
“That was the only time. I promise.”
Someone cleared her throat, and Damara glanced over at Celia, surprised the lady hadn’t left the entryway since the servants had already gone about their duties.
Damara let go of Anthony and turned to Celia. “I know you wanted Loretta to be your sister-in-law, and I understand why you’re disappointed that your brother married me instead. But-”
Damara didn’t get the chance to finish her next sentence because Celia embraced her and said, “I’m sorry, Damara. I had no idea parents could be so cruel. Then I met yours, and-and-” Her voice choked on a sob.
At first, Damara didn’t know how to respond, but after a moment, she put her arms around Celia and hugged her back.
“I’m sorry you had to grow up like that,” Celia whispered. “Now I know why you don’t want to talk about your past. It must be too painful to think about.”
“I’m just glad I found your brother when I did.”
“You want to know something?” Celia pulled away from her and wiped tears from her eyes. “I am, too. After all you went through, you deserve to be happy.”
“So you’re not upset with me?”
“Well, a part of me still wishes my brother had married Loretta,” Celia admitted. “But,” she smiled, “you two make a good couple, and you will be a good mother to my nephew or niece.”
“Yes,” Anthony said, slipping his arm around Damara’s waist, “she will.” His gaze went to Damara. “Even if we have all girls, I’ll be happy.”
“I will, too,” Damara agreed.
“And if I happen to have a son, he’ll get the title, so all will be well,” Celia spoke up then looked at Damara. “Can we start over?”
Damara nodded. “I’d like that.”
“Thank you,” Celia replied.
The butler came up to them. “I notified Cook of your return. What shall I have him make?”
“Actually,” Celia began, “it’s been a tiring trip. I think I’ll just have tea and go to bed.”
The butler glanced over at Anthony.
“I think I’ll just go to bed,” Anthony said, giving Damara’s a waist a gentle squeeze to let her know what he had in mind.
Her cheeks warmed. She was glad he’d been subtle about it so no one else caught his meaning.
“In that case, I’ll see you two tomorrow morning,” Celia told them.
After wishing her a good night, Anthony led Damara up the stairs. Halfway up, he said, “I’ve never been happier to be in London. You’re the best thing in my life.”
She smiled. “You’re the best thing in my life, too.”
With a smile, he kissed her cheek then took her to bed.
There are three more books coming in this series!
The Rake’s Vow (Marriage by Bargain: Book 2)
Coming Early 2017!
Thaddeus (Tad) Darkin, the Duke of Lambeth, used to be a rake. In fact, before Lord Edon was scandalizing the Ton, Tad was the one everyone was talking about. Many gentlemen secretly wished they had his charm with the ladies. All reputable ladies were warned to stay as far from him as possible, which only made him all the more attractive. Then, after a tragic event, he took a vow of celibacy, promising he would never be intimate with another lady again. Over the years, this caused him to be the most sought-after single gentleman in all of London. And even though he doesn't want to marry, his steward left him in financial ruin, so whether he likes it or not, he must take a wife.
After being rejected by the gentleman she was hoping to marry, Miss Loretta Bachman is on a mission to save her reputation. She needs to marry someone who will impress the prestigious ladies in her social circle. So when she catches the leader of the group talking about the very handsome and hard-to-get Duke of Lambeth, she's determined to get him to marry her. All she needs is a little bargaining power, and fortunately for her, she happens to have the money he needs to save his estate.
Unfortunately, she doesn't learn about his vow of celibacy until it's too late to back out of the marriage. She might be a virgin, but she's in no way a prude, and remaining a virgin until her dying day isn't going to happen. What she needs is a plan. One way or another, she must get him to break his vow. But how is a lady who doesn't know the first thing about seducing a gentleman supposed to convince her husband to make their marriage the real deal?
***
Snaring An Earl (Marriage by Bargain: Book 3)
I don’t have a book cover or description for this yet, but this will be Celia’s book.
***
To Be Titled (Marriage by Bargain: Book 4)
I don’t have a title, book cover, or description for this one yet, but this will be Candace’s book.
All Books by Ruth Ann Nordin
(Chronological Order)
Regencies
Marriage by Scandal Series
The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife
A Most Unsuitable Earl
His Reluctant Lady
The Earl’s Scandalous Wife
Marriage by Deceit Series
The Earl’s Secret Bargain
Love Lessons With the Duke
Ruined by the Earl
The Earl’s Stolen Bride
Marriage by Arrangement Series
His Wicked Lady
Her Devilish Marquess
The Earl’s Wallflower Bride
Marriage by Bargain Series
The Viscount’s Runaway Bride
Standalone Regency
Her Counterfeit Husband
Historical Western Romances
Pioneer Series
Wagon Trail Bride
The Marriage Agreement
Nebraska Series
Her Heart’s Desire
A Bride for Tom
A Husband for Margaret
Eye of the Beholder
The Wrong Husband
Shotgun Groom
To Have and To Hold
His Redeeming Bride
Isaac’s Decision
Chance at Love Series
The Convenient Mail Order Bride
The Mistaken Mail Order Bride
The Accidental Mail Order Bride
South Dakota Series
Loving Eliza
Bid for a Bride
Bride of Second Chances
Montana Collection
Mitch’s Win
Boaz’s Wager
Patty’s Gamble
Native American Romance Series
Restoring Hope
A Chance In Time
Brave Beginnings
Bound by Honor, Bound by Love
Virginia Series
An Unlikely Place for Love
The Cold Wife
An Inconvenient Marriage
Romancing Adrienne
Standalone Historical Western Romances
Falling In Love With Her Husband
Kent Ashton’s Backstory
Catching Kent
His Convenient Wife
Meant To Be
The Mail Order Bride’s Deception
Contemporary Romances
Omaha Series
With This Ring, I Thee Dread
What Nathan Wants
Just Good Friends
Across the Stars Series
Suddenly a Bride
Runaway Bride