Several ladies across the street were openly staring, obviously interested in her and Lord Bradford returning in an old coach. Not Nathanial’s normal transport. Add to that, the fact that Lord Bradford wasn’t wearing a shirt under his Jacket. It must really be confusing.
Shaking it off, she reached up to help Bradford.
His brow furrowed at her outstretched hand as he totally ignored it and made his own way down from the box. Her insides tightened up. Couldn’t the man even acknowledge that she might be able to help?
Once he was down, still ignoring her, he turned to speak to John the stable boy.
“Take the coach around to the Caldwell’s mews in back. Tell them I sent you. They will care for the horses and see that you are fed. Here,” he added, tossing up a small bag of coins. “This should cover the day. And if you ever wish to work in a larger stable, see my man at Basingstoke. We can always use someone who knows horses like you do.”
The boy smiled back, his face bright with joy. “Yes, M’Lord. Yes, Basingstoke. I will M’lord.”
Olivia watched the exchange, at first a little perturbed at being delayed. But then it was so typical of Bradford. He always treated everyone fairly, she had to admit that to herself. While he had so many flaws. Unfairness or class snobbery was not among them.
Once the coachman had been taken care of, Bradford turned to look at her, his eyebrow rose, as if asking her why she was still there and not inside with her family. Olivia sighed heavily as she bit back a sharp retort. Be nicer, she reminded herself.
“Shall we?” Bradford asked her as he bowed slightly and held out a hand for her to go first.
Olivia swallowed. The adventure was about to come to an end. The sense of regret surprised her. While she was truly overjoyed to have escaped. Still, something was about to be lost.
No sooner had she begun up the steps when the front door was opened by their butler, Benson.
His face erupted with a large smile. “Miss Olivia, you are home.”
She smiled at his warm welcome. “Yes, Benson. I do apologize for returning late, I was unavoidably detained.”
He continued to smile at her then turned to Lord Bradford and dipped his head. “Well done, Sir. Well done, indeed.”
Bradford acknowledged the compliment then put a hand on the small of her back. Silently encouraging her. The gentle gesture moved her. Even now, he was concerned for her wellbeing.
“Olivia?” someone yelled from inside the house.
Taking a deep breath, Olivia stepped inside to be greeted by a whirlwind of hugs and tears. Amanda, first. The warmth of her hug reminded Olivia of just how worried she had been for her friend. To be put in that spot all because someone wanted money from Nathanial. It wasn’t fair and yet Amanda’s only concern had been her safety.
Next, was a quick embrace from Lady Alice, heavy with child.
“You came back?” Olivia said to her sister-in-law, surprised at how much it meant to her that Alice had braved a rough carriage ride at a time like this.
“Of course,” Alice said as she pulled her into another embrace. “Nathanial balked and stormed for a while, but when he realized he had no choice in the matter he settled down.”
Olivia glanced over her shoulder at Bradford, wondering if he had heard Alice. Perhaps he might learn something.
“How are you, really?” Alice asked, obviously wondering the same thing everyone else was wondering. Had she been misused by those men?
“I’m fine,” she said, reassuring everyone.
A collective sigh of relief washed over the group.
“It is my turn,” Nathanial said as he held out his arms for her. Olivia sighed heavily as she fell into her brother’s embrace. She was safe, finally, she could relax.
“I must say,” Lord Warwick said as he pounded Bradford on the back. “You were right. How you knew I will never know, but you were right, thank God.”
“Careful, My Lord,” Olivia said to Lord Warwick as she pulled away from Nathanial. “Lord Bradford has been wounded.” Then addressing their butler, she said, “Benson, please send for a Doctor. I am fairly confident he will need to correct what little I could do to care for the wound.”
Lord Bradford held up a hand. “I am fine, it is nothing serious.”
She frowned at him, silently reminding him that in matters such as this he should just do what he was told. Turning to Benson, she nodded towards the door. The butler had long ago learned not to dismiss Miss Olivia when she gave him that look. Turning, he hurried off to do as instructed.
Lord Bradford’s shoulders slumped in defeat as he yelled after the butler, “Send word to Evans my butler and have him inform my mother that I have returned. I imagine she may have been concerned.”
Benson bowed slightly, then left to finish his assigned tasks.
Bradford glanced at Nathanial and rolled his eyes. Nathanial just laughed. “What happened?” he asked. “Did you kill them or will I have to?”
“Not if I get ’em first,” Jocko said as he pulled Olivia into his arms. “You all right, Miss?” he asked her, wanting her to look him in the eye and tell him the truth. When she did, the old Breton visibly relaxed.
“Well boy?” he asked Lord Bradford. “Answer the man, did you kill them or am I going to have to find them and wring their necks.”
Bradford glanced down at his feet for a moment and slowly shook his head. “No, I only wounded one, he might succumb later. The other two got away. It was either that or leave Olivia by the side of the road and pursue her attackers. I thought it best to remain with her.”
“Wise choice,” Nathanial said as he nodded his approval.
“Yes, the correct decision,” Warwick added.
Jocko held his stare for a long moment, his lips turned down in a frightful frown. At last, though, he reluctantly nodded. “Yes, that was the best move.”
Olivia watched as Bradford straightened up as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The man had truly been worried that he had made the wrong decision, she suddenly realized with a shock. All this time, it had probably been eating at his insides and she had not even been aware.
Men, she would never understand them.
As the group moved into the parlor, a thousand questions were asked and a hundred hugs given. Olivia sighed with pure contentment. She was home. The most important people in her world were safe and happy.
As they entered the study, Lady Weston, Alice’s mother, used her cane to slowly stand up.
“You’re home,” she said as she closely examined her.
Olivia’s insides tightened into a small ball of worry. Lady Weston did not look pleased with her return. A fact that surprised her, she and the older woman had always gotten on so well. She would have thought she would have been overjoyed. Instead, she looked as if she had just eaten a basket of lemons.
“Welcome home, my dear,” the older woman said as she took her hands and gave them a welcoming squeeze. “I am so happy you are safe.”
Olivia searched the other woman’s face with interest. Something bad was going to happen. She just knew it. But before she could explore her concerns, she was pulled into a dozen different conversations. What had happened? Why? They wanted to know every detail.
As she told them, she looked across the room and caught Bradford studying her, a glass of whiskey in his hand, a serious frown on his brow. Lady Weston continued to frown as well. What was wrong? she wondered.
At last the questions were answered and the room finally began to settle down to some kind of normal.
It was at this moment that Lady Weston stepped forward. She leaned heavily on her cane as she gave Olivia a sad look of condolence.
“I am afraid we have an issue yet to be dealt with,” she said with a firm resignation.
Everyone stopped talking and looked at Lady Weston with expectation.
“Unfortunately, Miss Olivia is compromised.” The old woman said.
Amanda gasped, Alice shook her head,
“Mother, now is not the time.”
“Yes, it is,” Lady Weston said forcibly. “The sooner we deal with it, the better. And don’t tell me that no one will ever know. This is London. Everyone will know before they sit down to dinner. If they don’t already. Between Caldwell’s inquiries. Your rush back to this house even in your condition,” she said, addressing Lady Alice. “The servants have told everyone up and down the street by now. Neighbors saw them enter the house. No, believe me, everyone knows what happened.”
“Really Lady Weston,” Nathanial said. “I can assure you…”
“No, you can’t,” the old woman replied. “You can buy a lot of things, Caldwell. But you cannot buy a young woman’s reputation. Of course, it is not Olivia’s fault. But that does not change the fact that she was abducted and taken from her family. People are monsters, so of course, they will assume the worse. Even more so in this case because it will remove Olivia from the field and can be used against you in business.”
Everyone in the room continued to stare at her, the mood suddenly oppressive and heavy.
“I am sorry,” Lady Weston continued, “but Olivia will receive no invitations to balls. She will not be cut directly, but she will not be included in our world. No mother wants an heir that might not be her son’s.”
“Mother,” Alice gasped.
Olivia’s heart lurched. Was it really all over. Was she to spend the rest of her life as a spinster all because someone she didn’t even know had tried to abduct her.
Lady Weston continued to frown. “I believe in telling the truth. And while Caldwell’s wealth might buy her a husband. It won’t be someone high in the ton. I’m sorry my dear. So, so sorry.”
“I don’t want a husband bought and paid for,” Olivia said. “If I wanted that, I could have had any of a dozen.”
The hollow sadness was finally beginning to sink in. Of course, she would find a way around this problem. But for the moment, she allowed herself to feel just how much things had changed. It wasn’t fair but deep in her heart she knew that Lady Weston was correct. The ton was ruthless and so judgmental. They ached to find any flaw, any weakness, especially for people like herself and her brother. Commoners who had tried to rise above their station in life.
“This is ridiculous,” Amanda said. “There is an entire world out there that does not revolve around the English aristocracy.”
“Yes,” Lady Weston said. “But that is no longer Olivia’s world. She has created a new world inside the ton. And it is always hard to go backwards. Those with titles will not accept her. They can’t risk the scandal. Those without titles will always be questioned. Did they marry such damaged goods for some of Caldwell’s money? It could be the only reason.”
Olivia felt her world shift under her feet. There was no solution. People would always assume the worst. There would be whispers and looks of doubt. She would always be an outsider.
And Lady Weston was right. She could no longer return to the world of Merchants and Bankers. There would always be the knowledge that she had failed in the ton and returned to their world. Again, the whispers, this time joined with looks of derision and happiness at her failure. In addition to which, she well knew that the English Middle class could be even more judgmental when it came to moral expectation.
No, her world was truly ruined.
Lord Bradford cleared his throat and stepped forward. “There is but one solution,” he said as he took another sip of his whiskey, “I will have to marry her.”
Chapter Nine
“WHAT?” Olivia yelled, unable to believe what she had just heard. Her mind frantically scrambled to understand.
The rest of the room froze. Only Lady Weston smiled slightly as she nodded.
Lord Bradford gave Olivia a quick look of apology then turned to Nathanial. “It is the only way,” he told her brother. “I thought about this while I raced after her last night. I well knew this could be a concern.”
“What?” Olivia said again, softer this time. “You were thinking about this and you didn’t discuss it with me.”
Lord Bradford sighed heavily, as if he were dealing with a less than intelligent person who needed things explained in detail.
“I thought it best not to deal with a problem until I knew for certain that it was a problem. I did have higher priorities at the time.”
Olivia’s brow furrowed in confusion. “No,” she said. “I’d rather die a lonely spinster.”
Lord Bradford winced. Amanda gasped at her sharp words. But Olivia didn’t care. This was her life they were talking about. She refused to be forced into marrying someone such as Lord Bradford. The man didn’t even like her. How could he think to marry her? Her insides quaked with fear.
The thought of spending the rest of her life being tied to a man that she knew despised her would destroy her soul. Especially this man.
“No,” she said as she slowly shook her head. “There must be a better way.”
The room grew quiet as each of them tried to come up with something better. Lord Bradford stood alone in the corner. Probably regretting his earlier proposal, she thought. Even now, the man must be desperately hoping that someone would come up with a better solution.
“You could do worse than marrying this one,” Jocko said with a nod to Lord Bradford.
Olivia almost gasped. Even Jocko had abandoned her.
No, she thought. How would that be any better than being a spinster? Besides, what of the wedding night? Suddenly, her stomach erupted with butterflies. Marriage would mean that she would be expected to perform wifely duties. In bed. In his bed.
“It need not be a real marriage,” Lady Weston said as if reading her mind. “Many in the ton spend their lives apart. Coming together once or twice a year for some formal event. A public appearance. The rest of the time, living their own lives.”
“I am in no need of an heir,” Lord Bradford said to her. “So that need not be of a concern. Joseph or his sons can inherit.”
Olivia’s face drained of all warmth. He didn’t want her in his bed. How could they be talking like this? In the open. About something so personal. So private. Yet they treated it as if they were discussing a broodmare’s future prospects.
“No,” she said again, softer this time.
Nathanial slowly shook his head as he stepped forward. Resting both hands on her shoulder he looked deep into her eyes. “It is your choice,” he said warmly. “But, do not dismiss it too quickly. It might very well be the best option you have.”
She looked up at her brother and desperately wished her mother was still here. She would never force her into something like this.
Turning, she studied Lord Bradford and realized that half the women in Britain would love to be in her shoes. Handsome, rich, brave, dashing. Everything a woman could want. Yet, she just couldn’t see it. He hated her. Why was he doing this? Why had he put her in this position?
He didn’t put her in this position, she realized. Those men who had abducted her had. He was once again offering to rescue her. She couldn’t do that to him. She couldn’t ruin his life.
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
The room grew very silent. The soft crackle of the fire the only noise to let them know that time was passing.
No, she refused to do this. Turning to Bradford she studied him for a moment then said.
“Very well, I will marry you.”
The words had no sooner left her mouth than she realized what she had done. Her intention had been to refuse him again. Yet the words had seemed to pour out of her mouth without any kind of control. As if some deeply hidden part of her had spoken before she could stop it.
Amanda squealed and pulled her into a quick hug.
Lord Bradford nodded to her, placed his glass of whiskey on the mantle as he turned to leave.
“Where are you going?” Olivia snapped at him, suddenly terrified of being alone with her family.
He stopped, halfway out the door. “To get a special licens
e and to inform my mother. She is going to be rather surprised.” He hesitated for a moment. “Please send the doctor around when he arrives. And Saturday, I should think,” he asked Nathanial. “Here?”
Olivia stared at him, the man was treating her wedding as if he was organizing a card game.
Nathanial nodded, giving his friend a smirk. Warwick stepped up next to Bradford and draped an arm around his shoulders, being careful of his wound.
“I’ll walk with you,” he said. “We can make arrangements about your payment.”
Nathanial laughed.
Olivia frowned as she tried to figure out that last statement, but the two men departed and she felt her world grow a little emptier. How had this happened and what did it all mean? And why couldn’t Bradford have stayed a little longer to help her figure it all out?
.o0o.
The Fifth Earl of Bradford felt as if a mountain had fallen in on him. How had he gotten himself in this situation? The woman despised him and he had agreed to shackle himself to her for the rest of their lives. What had he been thinking?
Warwick chuckled as they walked towards the Earl’s house. “Tell me the truth, did you fall off your horse last night? Hit your head? Perhaps that explains it. You do realize what you have done, don’t you?”
Bradford shot him a frown then picked up his pace a little.
“You marrying Olivia Caldwell. You must be insane,” Warwick continued.
A sharp anger flared inside of Bradford as he stopped and turned to face Warwick, pulling him to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk.
“Listen, Warwick,” he said. “That young woman will soon be my wife. I will not have her disparaged in any way. Are we understood?”
Lord Warwick smiled widely and stepped back, holding up his hands in surrender. “You will hear nothing but high praises from me concerning Olivia Caldwell. I believe the woman to be of excellent character. Beautiful. And very intelligent.”
“Then why didn’t you offer to marry her?”
“Because the thought never occurred to me,” Lord Warwick said as they began walking again. “I find it more than strange that it occurred to you. It is not that I believe Miss Olivia lacking in any way. It is the thought of you two together. A more disjointed pair I cannot imagine.”
Catching A Rake (A Rake's Redemption Book 3) Page 6
