Princess Charming

by Nicole Jordan

  “Certainly it matters,” Maura asserted. “But I promise you, Deering’s threat will never come to pass. My friends mean to lend you their patronage. If the entire Wilde family is seen to support you, Deering will find it difficult to bring about your ruination. In fact, Skye and Katharine have offered to take you about society so that you may meet some eligible gentlemen.”

  “Oh, that would be famous!” Lucy exclaimed, while Hannah professed, “Mama will be vastly relieved.”

  And so will I, Maura thought, grateful to her friends.

  Although, she added to herself, it would mean yet another reason to be indebted to Ash and his family, not just for protecting her stepsisters, but for averting a possible murder. For if Deering dared to harm Hannah or Lucy, she would strangle him with her bare hands or shoot him with her pistol, and then she truly would be thrown in prison and hanged, this time for slaying a nobleman rather than merely stealing back her stallion.

  While Maura was consoling her stepsisters, Ash was conferring with Quinn in the library. By then, the Wilde family council had disbanded, with Skye and Kate repairing to the drawing room to attend to their correspondence, Jack to return to his own home, and Uncle Cornelius to prepare for an appointment with a colleague.

  Quinn remained behind to discuss possible ways to take down the viscount.

  “You would have the most leverage over Deering,” Quinn suggested, “if you could reveal him as a cheat as well as a liar. When he played against Collyer, were the cards actually marked, and if so, who marked them? If it was Deering, he might attempt to cheat in the future, given high enough stakes. If you were to play him at cards, you could contrive to expose him.”

  “An excellent notion,” Ash said with a thoughtful nod. “I’m glad you occasionally put that brilliant mind of yours to good use.”

  Quinn smiled. “Let me know if you need assistance against him. I would relish the opportunity.”

  “At some point I may require your help, but for now, I hope to let Miss Collyer orchestrate his defeat as much as possible. She has a large score to settle with Deering and needs the satisfaction of routing him herself.”

  “That I can understand,” Quinn said. “What confounds me is how easily you allowed yourself to be caught up in Kate’s preposterous theory. Only a few days ago you were bent on making your own destiny.”

  “I still am,” Ash contended.

  “Have you determined if she is your true love?”

  Ash hesitated. “I don’t yet know.”

  His cousin’s amused blue eyes held a hint of mockery—a cynicism that was not unexpected. Of all the Wilde cousins, Quinn was the least likely to believe in such unproven possibilities as lovers who were fated to be together.

  But given his closeness with his cousin, Ash felt the need to expound. “I imagine I will know in short order. Although it seems longer, it has only been three days since we embarked on this endeavor together. Our betrothal should prove a good test.” He paused another moment. “I do feel something for her, I admit. But pray, don’t tell Kate or I’ll mill you down.”

  Quinn returned a pained grin. “I wouldn’t dream of it, for it would only encourage her matchmaking.” Rising from the table, he gave a friendly squeeze to Ash’s shoulder. “But pray remember, my own freedom depends upon your success or failure. Kate will hound the rest of us unmercifully if you end up losing your heart to your legendary lover.”

  His cousin’s assertion left Ash pondering his ever more complex feelings for Maura. Admittedly, his carefree bachelor’s existence had begun to lose its flavor. He had no wish to wind up like his Uncle Cornelius, alone and unloved but for his relations’ children.

  Furthermore, Ash was willing to concede that he had never wanted a woman more than the honey-haired vixen who had invaded his life so profoundly this past week. His admiration for her had grown even more. Maura was courageous, smart, resourceful, passionate, and sensual as the devil, yet at the same time comfortable and familiar. She would easily fit into his family, with their bonds of loyalty and affection and repartee.

  But that didn’t mean he was prepared to take the enormous step of marrying Maura, or ready to risk turning his heart over to her.

  On the other hand, his desire for her was increasing by the minute, and having Maura living in his house only a few corridors away would prove a grave challenge to his honor and, even more, to his sorely strained willpower.

  Deering was not at home when Ash called, so he continued on to White’s Club for Gentlemen where the viscount sometimes lunched. He found his quarry relaxing on a comfortable couch, perusing The Racing Chronicle.

  “Ah, just the man I was looking for,” Ash said easily. Upon settling in an adjacent chair, Ash proceeded to reveal the stallion’s current whereabouts.

  He had to give the viscount credit: Deering hid his anger tolerably well, responding merely with a cold stare. “I wondered how that she-devil managed to outwit my stablehands,” he muttered. “I should have known she had an accomplice.”

  “Oh, no, the theft was my doing entirely,” Ash claimed. “I had no difficulty at all seizing the horse from your stables. You really should have taken better care of your property, my friend.”

  His thinly veiled taunt had the desired effect, for Deering’s countenance darkened.

  “I advise you to let the matter rest now,” Ash suggested. “It looks better for you if I claim to have acquired the stallion as payment for a gaming debt than if the ton thinks you were bested by a mere young lady who was only reclaiming her rightful property. And did I mention,” he added with a pleasant smile, “that the she-devil, as you call her, has promised to be my wife?”

  He received enormous satisfaction when the viscount’s expression slowly turned livid.

  Even so, Deering sat in rigid silence for a long moment before finally gritting out, “It was unwise of you to ally yourself with her in this matter, Beaufort. You do not want to make an enemy of me.”

  “I could say the same of you,” Ash replied lightly. “In fact, allow me to be plain. Any action you take against my future bride I will consider to be a direct strike against me. And that extends to her young stepsisters as well. Do I make my meaning clear?”

  Deering’s fingers clenched on his newspaper so tightly that the page tore in two places.

  Content for now to leave his warning vague, Ash rose and sketched a casual bow before turning and striding away.

  He had not made an outright declaration of war, but he had no objection to employing all-out warfare if necessary. For he had every intention of forcing Deering to recant his previous lies in order to give Maura back her late father’s reputation.

  Although Maura had formed no precise expectations when she came to live with Ash, she learned in short order what it meant to be embraced by the Wilde family, who never did anything by half-measures. All his relations rallied around her and claimed her as one of their own, beginning that very evening. The cousins appeared en masse at two select ton functions, where the Marquis of Beaufort treated the cream of society to a firsthand display of his startling betrothal and his evident devotion to his lovely, if somewhat disgraced, fiancée.

  Naturally, rumors of Miss Collyer’s battle with Lord Deering simmered beneath the surface, but for the most part, she was absolved in the court of public opinion of committing any felony regarding her stallion’s sudden disappearance from the viscount’s stables.

  The cousins’ aunt by marriage, Lady Isabella Wilde, also joined in the campaign to close ranks around Maura. Late that night, only moments after the family returned to Ash’s home and gathered in the drawing room to discuss their next plans, the strikingly handsome raven-haired widow arrived like a fresh breeze and proved just as lively as Katharine had claimed.

  Lord Cornelius had fallen asleep again in one corner of the room, but Lady Isabella, upon hearing the rudimentary details about Maura’s plight and Ash’s objectives, roused her brother-in-law and insisted that he partake in the discussions.r />
  Jointly the Wildes decided to attend several more entertainments the following evening and over the next few days, so as to be seen about town. Isabella even prevailed upon Cornelius to accompany them, since constantly burying his nose in a book was not good for him.

  Thus it was that during the succeeding week, the entire clan set out to conquer the ton on Maura’s behalf and embarked upon a full-blown charm offensive—an endeavor at which she could only marvel. The delightfully infamous Wildes might be known for their amorous scandals, but it was fascinating to watch them win over their detractors with their bewitching appeal.

  Maura’s stepsisters also benefited hugely from their attentions. When Skye asked what challenges the girls faced in finding husbands, Maura answered honestly. “Given our tarnished family honor, it will be difficult without the added enticements of significant fortune or beauty. But Hannah has a voice like an angel, and Lucy plays the pianoforte with real artistry.”

  “Then we shall hold a musical evening,” Skye declared, “to showcase their talents and make them appear in the best possible light. Kate and I will invite some potential suitors, and demand that our brothers encourage their unattached friends to attend. And since the girls need to shine, I will have my dressmaker make them new gowns.”

  When Maura automatically protested, Skye sweetly cut her off. “Trust me, Maura, bringing Hannah and Lucy into favor will be the most effective way to protect them from Lord Deering.”

  Additionally, Skye arranged a shopping expedition to Bond Street to buy new accessories, with Ash footing the bill. Maura felt uncomfortable accepting such largesse, but her objections were swiftly overridden.

  “Nonsense, you can settle finances later,” Skye insisted, slipping her arm in Maura’s. “By now you should realize that our family sticks together. It has long been the Wildes against the world, and you are now an indispensable member of our clan.”

  Maura wasn’t as certain that she deserved such distinction, at least until the first evening after Isabella’s arrival, when the cousins met for dinner at Grosvenor Square before attending a gala event.

  They assembled in the drawing room first, and when they went in to dinner, Maura found herself seated on Ash’s right. Naturally, she felt a trifle nervous at the formal family gathering, yet she needn’t have worried, for she fit right in.

  She even managed to win Jack’s devotion when she agreed to privately sell him a yearling sired by Emperor, thus bypassing Tattersalls, where the premiere stock in England was bought and sold.

  Theatrically, Jack placed his hand over his heart while warning Ash. “I am in love with your betrothed already. If you don’t marry her, I will.”

  Maura had to laugh at his absurdity. But at least his enthusiastic response helped her decide upon a way to repay Ash.

  “I wish to reimburse you for all the expenses you have incurred this past week,” she murmured to Ash when his family’s attention was diverted by a tale Isabella was relating. “So I thought I might give you one of Emperor’s get. If you like, you may have your pick of any horse in my stables. I expect last year’s crop of foals will be spectacular.”

  “There is no need for such a lavish gift, but I will accept since you require it to salvage your outsized pride,” Ash said mildly, although his arch smile told her clearly that he was ragging her.

  It had indeed become a point of pride for her to prove that she wasn’t a penniless Cinderella in need of a prince’s charity and that she was determined to meet Ash measure for measure.

  Eventually the talk at the table turned to horses, and Isabella mentioned that one of her friends on the Mediterranean island of Cyrene, the Earl of Hawkhurst, possessed superb stables that even Maura might envy. “Hawk visits England occasionally in search of breeding stock. If you wish, I will give him your direction so that you might do business together.”

  Maura agreed readily. “My stable master would be very happy to speak to him. We are always looking to improve our breeding lines.”

  Then, when dinner was over, she learned about a unique custom in the Wilde family. Instead of the ladies repairing to the drawing room while the gentlemen enjoyed their port, they all remained at the table and shared fond stories about their parents in order to keep their memories alive. Maura found herself laughing at the tales, until they toasted each parent in turn in what was obviously a solemn ritual.

  Unexpectedly, she was taken off guard as an old memory of her own late family rushed up to swamp her, of her father and mother the last time they were together before her mother had taken ill with fever.

  Then even more unexpectedly, the Wilde cousins raised a glass to Noah Collyer. Emotion rose up in Maura’s chest and tightened her throat. Their consideration touched her deeply, yet it was knowing they had truly made her part of their clan that momentarily overwhelmed her.

  When she met Ash’s eyes and saw the tender sympathy there, she felt a sense of belonging she hadn’t felt since childhood.

  Maura managed a grateful smile before forcibly swallowing her threatening tears and rejoining the gaiety. Her wish to end her loneliness had been fulfilled in spades, and the feeling of belonging lingered. She couldn’t possibly be lonely when she had the love and acceptance of this extraordinary family surrounding her. It was beyond wonderful that she could claim this new connection, even if she also knew that the bond was fleeting and would remain only as long as her betrothal to Ash lasted.

  Reality returned the following day, however. The Wildes had spent another late evening dancing at a ball, so Maura rose rather late that morning. After breakfast, Ash invited her into his study for a private discussion. Clearly he hadn’t forgotten the main reason she was even betrothed to him.

  “We need to remain on the offensive against Deering,” Ash said at once, “so I’ve begun forming a plan. Pray tell me every detail you can recall leading up to the accusations of cheating against your father. You said Deering lured him to a gaming hell. Do you know the name of the club? And what card games they played?”

  Maura could scarcely bear to remember that terrible time, but she disciplined her emotions so that she could answer Ash’s questions dispassionately.

  “I believe the club was called Sutter’s, although I’m not sure of its location. But the game was vingt-un. I will never forget, since Papa and I used to play that when I was young.”

  “Do you know if the deck was actually marked, or did Deering only claim it to be so?”

  Maura frowned as she tried to remember. “At least some of the cards were marked. The ace of hearts was for certain. Papa said there was a small scratch in one corner. That ace had somehow fallen to the floor beside his chair, and he suspected that Deering planted it there. Why do you ask?”

  “Because if Deering cheated once, he will likely do so again. I intend to give him the opportunity by challenging him to a friendly game of cards.”

  The suggestion concerned Maura. “You realize he may accuse you of cheating?”

  Ash’s smile held a calculating relish. “I sincerely hope he tries, for I will be ready for him. If I can catch him in the act and expose his methods, it will go a long way toward proving your father’s innocence.”

  She wasn’t convinced Ash’s plan would work, though. “Why would Deering even play you?”

  “Because he wants the opportunity to win your stallion back.”

  “Won’t he be suspicious if you suddenly offer him his heart’s desire?”

  “I’ve come up with a reasonable answer for that,” Ash replied. “I’ll say that I want Emperor’s deed of sale to give you as a wedding gift. I expect he’ll believe that pretext readily enough.”

  Maura’s frown deepened as she tried to think through the various possibilities. “What if he doesn’t cheat when you play him?”

  “Then I might be forced to employ the same ignoble tactics he used against your father. I could fabricate a similar accusation against Deering in front of witnesses and offer to retract my charge if he does the sam
e against your late father. If need be, I’m willing to sink to his level and use underhanded means to gain a confession of guilt from him. However, it’s much more likely that he will repeat his previous success.”

  “You mean, he will cheat you the same way he did with my father?”

  “Yes,” Ash said. “I suspect Deering either marked the cards himself or relied on someone else at the club to do it for him, so he could deny culpability. Or he might have employed some trick such as mirrors to rig the game. I’ll enlist Jack to advise me what deceptions to watch for. Jack has spent a great deal of time in London gaming hells. He might even have played at Sutter’s. And unlike your father, I will be on my guard.”

  Maura nodded slowly in cautious approval. “I should have realized you would consider every angle. But what if Deering refuses your challenge altogether?”

  “Trust me, he won’t refuse. I’ll goad him into it if need be. When I am done, he’ll be angry enough to strike back at me, and angry men tend to be reckless.”

  “I would be delighted to help you goad him,” Maura muttered.

  “Oh, no, vixen,” Ash said quickly. “I don’t want to give him any new reason to retaliate against you. I want him directing his wrath at me instead.”

  Ash’s protectiveness still roused Maura’s exasperation, but his nonchalance actually worried her. “I don’t like the idea of you making yourself his target, either. It could be dangerous.”

  “I doubt it. Deering usually backs down when facing serious opposition. But given the prior animosity between you two, you need to remain as unthreatening as possible, even charming.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Charming? You may have noticed that charm is not my strong suit. And even if it were, I could not possibly be charming to that odious man.”

  Ash smiled in disagreement. “You have effortlessly charmed my entire family, sweetheart. Just last evening, Jack declared his love for you. You can do the same with Deering.”