by Wendy Vella
“Have the Duke of Raven brought here at once!” Mr. Whitlock demanded, sending the footman who had obviously been lurking scurrying back out the door.
“I will of course wed her, I understand my duty,” Mr. Jackson said again, glaring at Emily.
Emily struggled to draw in a breath and gather her shattered thoughts. She then heard the thud of feet; seconds later her brothers appeared.
“Emily!” They ran to her side, ignoring everyone in the room. James grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. She knew only relief to be held by him this way. To feel his strength. “What has happened?”
“M-Mr. J-Jackson…” was all she could manage.
“Eden heard you, but we could not find you,” James whispered in her ear.
“Did you accost my sister, Jackson!” Max had summed up the situation with a look.
“She came with me willingly, Huntington. She only cried foul when Whitlock and his wife entered the room. Of course we will wed, as is expected, considering the circumstances. By the morning everyone will know what has transpired in this room.”
She couldn’t look at him, Mr. Jackson. Couldn’t bear to see his smug face.
“Max, no!”
Emily heard Essie’s cry, and looked up. Max was advancing on Jackson, fists raised.
“Let him do it!” James snarled, pulling Emily in closer. “And when he’s finished I’ll kill the bastard.”
Max smashed a fist into his face. Jackson stumbled back, and in seconds James had released her and picked him up. Shaking him hard, he roared at him, “You are a liar, you sniveling rodent. My sister would never seduce you. She’s kind and sweet, and would never sully herself with scum such as you!”
“Release him, James!” Devon Sinclair arrived with the rest of their family. “Now!”
Emily watched Dev prise Jackson from James’s hands, and then thrust him at Mr. Whitlock.
“Remove him now, or he will be lucky to walk again.”
“I demand retribution!” James roared.
“And you will have it, darling,” Eden said. “But not here.”
“I-I’ve offered to marry the girl,” Mr. Jackson stuttered. “Surely you must want that, c-considering her birth.”
Max growled softly, advancing on Jackson again. “You made the mistake in thinking we don’t care about our sister, Jackson. Believe me when I tell you in that you are sadly mistaken.”
Emily was shivering, her body wracked with shudders now as shock set in.
“B-but—”
“Remove him at once!”
Emily heard a scuffle of feet, as it was not often the Duke of Raven roared.
“Come, we will go home at once,” James said, his arm around her shoulders now.
“Let me walk,” Emily said. “I-I will not humiliate us further by being carried.” Stepping away from him, she approached Essie. “Please fix my hair.”
The women crowded around her, fussing, soothing, and trying to reassure her, but nothing could penetrate the ice that had taken up residence inside Emily.
“For God’s sake, Emily, we care nothing for that,” Max said.
“B-but I care.”
“No, she is right in this, it is for the best. We must show solidarity,” Lilly said, kissing Emily’s cheek. Eden hugged her hard.
“She is not part of society—”
“Word travels, Dev, as you very well know.”
She knew several looks were being shared, but Emily kept her eyes down and concentrated on not falling apart. She could do that later in her room, when no one was there to see.
“Chin up.” James took her hand and placed it on his. “This is my realm, sister, follow my lead.”
They walked out into the hall, and Emily did not make eye contact with anyone. Suddenly the hall was lined with several guests; no doubt they had already been informed of her disgrace.
“Duke, you have my sympathies,” one woman twittered as they drew near.
“I have no idea what for, Lady Blythe.”
“Oh well of course—”
James continued walking slowly, as if he had nothing better to do than stroll. Emily swallowed down the nausea.
“Not long now.” James held an arm around her waist as they descended a set of stairs, and then finally they had reached the front of the house. Emily released a long shaky breath, as James’s carriage was brought forward.
Emily was bundled inside with her brothers and Eden. Essie, Dev, and Lilly were behind.
“Tell us exactly what happened,” James said in a voice that made Emily flinch.
“If you roar at your sister, she will say nothing,” Eden said to her husband, who sat opposite Emily, looking like Lucifer.
“Tell us,” he said more gently. “Please.”
She tried, even opened her mouth, but all that came out was a sob. Dear Lord, it had happened. She had shamed her family, the one thing she had vowed never to do. It had not been her fault, she knew that, but still her shame was now theirs.
“I-I’m so s-sorry,” she whispered before giving in to the hot scald of tears she had been holding inside. Max pulled her into his arms, and there she stayed, weeping pathetically until she reached James’s house.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Cam walked slowly toward Max’s house. His head hurt from last night’s indulgence and as he’d not reached his bed until the ridiculously early hour of 4:00 a.m., fatigue was not helping matters.
He had introduced Wolf to his friends, and met some of his, and they had all gotten on exceedingly well... so well, the night had gone on a great deal longer than he’d planned.
After his argument with Emily, spending time with friends seemed a splendid way to rid his mind of her; however, to do that he’d drunk too much, and was now paying the price.
“I blame her,” he muttered. In a roundabout way it was her fault, so he was happy to lay the blame squarely at her feet.
Yawning, he walked up to the front door of Max and Essie’s house.
“Why,” he wondered aloud, “am I awake at 9:00 a.m.?”
Something had roused him. Restlessness, a burning sensation in his chest, which of course could have been from overimbibing last night, but it had been accompanied by a foul smell. It wasn’t fear; this was different. Unease, was all he could put it down to.
Knocking on the door, he hoped his sister was home. He wanted one of Essie’s powders to make him feel better. His gentle sister would see him right.
“Mr. Sinclair.”
“Good morning, George, is my sister at home?”
“She is, I shall tell her you have called, sir.”
“Thank you. I will be horizontal on the nearest piece of furniture. If you could direct her to me, I would be grateful.”
The man gave him a polished smile, as butlers were wont to do. “The Duke of Raven and Mr. Huntington are in the conservatory.” He walked away at a sedate pace.
Cam wandered into the house yawning. Lord, he needed sleep. Maybe Essie could give him something to help with that also, and perhaps a cool compress for his head. He headed in the direction of the conservatory; he would say hello to his brothers-in-law, then find a corner to crawl into.
As Cam approached he heard raised male voices. Pushing open the door, he found the brothers roaring at each other like two bulls. James stood on one side of a row of plants, and Max on the other.
“What the hell are you two yelling about?”
He’d never seen them like this, not like Cam and Dev, who rarely let a day pass without roaring at each other. Not so Max and James; they discussed matters robustly but never with raised voices.
“Well?” Cam said, louder this time, then winced.
They turned as one, and levelled him with looks that would fell an oak. He’d never thought them the same in appearance, but the look they were sending him was identical.
“I have a sore head, so please keep your voices down,” he said, strolling into the room.
“Go away,” Max sa
id, swinging back to look at his brother. “We have a problem that needs solving.”
“Excellent, I quite excel at problem solving... or at least I will once I have one of Essie’s potions to clear my head.”
“We have no time for this, Cam. This is serious.”
Max’s words put Cam instantly on guard. If he said something was serious, then it usually was that and more so.
“What has happened?”
“Emily,” James snarled.
“What about her?” The smell in his nostrils strengthened. Something was very wrong, and that it concerned Emily added to the scent.
“You haven’t heard?”
Cam shook his head at Max.
“You have not seen your family?”
“I think that’s fairly obvious considering I don’t know what you are talking about. I rose early and came here to see Essie. As yet I have encountered no one, or eaten,” he added, so Max would realize he needed to feed him.
James blew out a loud breath as he ran a hand through his hair in a very un-dukely way. His shoulders slumped.
“Tell me!” Cam demanded as the panic inside him grew.
“Emily was compromised by that soon-to-be-dead Jackson. Mr. Whitlock and his wife saw them together.”
“What! How is that possible? What the hell were you two doing? How was she compromised?”
“In the worst possible way. He found her alone, told her he’d take her back to us, but dragged her into a parlor.”
“You were meant to be there watching over her!”
“We could not follow her into the ladies’ retiring room!” James snapped.
“I should have stayed.”
“You could not have done more than us. James and I can care for our sister. According to that piece of scum Jackson, she accompanied him into the parlor willingly, and tried to seduce him.”
“I hope you made him pay for that statement!” Rage coursed through Cam’s veins.
Max’s smile was not pleasant.
“We paid him a visit last night, but he is hiding from us somewhere. His detailed version of what took place came to us in a letter this morning. A letter that outlined his wish to marry her.”
“No!”
“Yes, and Max is certain Jackson did this so he could marry into our family. Mine for the title and Max for his business contacts and wealth. He is shocked that we haven’t simply conceded and agreed to the marriage, because he believes that to us, Emily is worthless.”
Cam swore loudly.
“Yes.” Max sighed. “I turned Jackson away when he tried to buy into a venture of mine. He’s been trying ever since to insulate himself in my good graces, and sees Emily as his way to do that.”
“Did he hurt her?” Cam’s words were hoarse. The thought of Emily at the mercy of Jackson made him want to strike at something.
“No, she is unhurt physically, but I know she is hurting. I left the house before she rose, and did not discuss the matter fully last night as she was too upset to do so.”
“Bastard!” Cam yelled. “I’ll kill him.”
“We are her brothers. If there is any maiming or killing it will be us to do so,” Max stated grimly.
“The best course would be for her to marry.”
“What?” Cam shook his head at James’s words. “You would give your acceptance to a match between Emily and Jackson? Her life would be hell with him, especially as he attempted to abuse her just last night.”
“No! Christ, Cam, how could you believe I’d consent to that? I have not slept with worry and my head is not sitting on my shoulders right this morning, but I would never allow such a man near my sister.”
“In that I am relieved,” Cam said.
“But I do believe marriage to the right man will be good for Emily, and make this business with Jackson go away.”
Cam walked down a row to cool his spleen; coming back up the other side, he stood beside Max.
“And do you agree?”
“I do,” Max said. “I have not lived in society, and so care very little for it or its rules, but it’s my belief she will be happier married to someone she cares for. Emily says she has no wish to wed, but I believe she would be happier with her own family.
“No!” The thought of Emily married to someone made him go cold all over.
“You have no say in this, Sinclair.”
“She will have a miserable life away from her family. For Christ’s sake, James, I cannot believe you would sentence her to such purgatory.”
“It will not be purgatory if the man she marries is someone she respects, and one day even loves.”
“What man?”
“I don’t know!” James glared at Cam. “We will need to give it some thought.”
“I’ll marry her.” Cam cut James off.
He silenced them both with those words, and then wondered how the hell they had even found their way into his head, let alone out of his mouth. Did I really just say that?
“I beg your pardon?”
He looked across a large, leafy plant at James.
“I said I will marry her.”
“What? Why?”
I don’t know why. For some reason he had needed to speak the words. Perhaps he was still drunk?
Max, Cam noted, was staying silent. Glancing over, he wasn’t sure he liked the knowing look in his brother-in-law’s eyes.
“Because we will rub along all right, and I may as well marry her as anyone.” He lifted a hand as the brothers prepared to geld him. “What I meant was, I like Emily, and we will learn to live together. She will have her freedom with me, and access to her family and mine.”
“This is not a simple matter, Cam. I will not have Emily hurt, and you and she barely tolerate each other. If you wed, you will be exposed to each other constantly,” James said.
Strangely the thought was not an unpleasant one, which surely it should be.
“I have offered. If you do not wish to take up my offer, and instead wish her to live out her days away from you with another, then so be it.”
“You are not offering to take her to the park, Cam!” James snapped.
“I understand that, and do not treat me like a fool. I understand fully what I am suggesting, and as I have never wished to marry for love as others in my family have, then I will at least marry someone I can respect, and whose family I like... well, most of them,” he added, glaring at the brothers.
“I say yes,” Max said, finally entering the conversation.
“What?”
“James, we want her to wed because it will lessen the scandal, that much is clear. Why not have her do so to someone close to us? And of course there is also the matter that he is a Sinclair, so he will make sure she stays safe.”
James moaned loudly. “That blasted curse.”
“Exactly.”
“My investigations have turned up nothing further about that incident with the carriage,” James said.
“Mine either,” Max added. “Which either means they are waiting for another time to grab her, or she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
This time it was Cam who stayed silent. What the hell was he doing offering to marry Emily? Had he taken a knock to the head and not been aware of it? He had no wish to marry for many years yet.
“It is a very honorable, and selfless act, James, we should not lose sight of that fact. Cam will be giving up much also to wed our sister. There will be no more women in his future but Emily, because one thing I will not tolerate is you having dalliances.”
Cam was subjected to a look from both brothers. He withstood it.
Dear Christ. Was he ready for that? With Emily of all people, but something held him silent. Something told him to do this. Perhaps he was losing his sanity.
“He has money of his own now, and a town house, on the same street so we can watch over him—”
“I am not an infant,” Cam protested, “and quite capable of caring for my wife should I acquire one.”<
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“We cannot make this decision without first discussing the matter with Emily, and you need to also discuss the matter with your family, Cam. Only then will we agree,” James said.
Cam managed a nod, then left the house without a powder for his headache, as right at that moment that was the least of his problems. He’d intended to head for his brother’s, but instead he found himself turning the other way.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Cam walked a while, hoping the cool air would be bracing and clear his head. He had now committed to marrying Emily. Her brothers had heard him say the words, therefore he could not go back now. Did he want to?
The thought of a life with Emily was not an unpleasant one, if he was being totally honest. He liked her, for all they argued constantly. Could they be together until death do them part? Have children and raise them? The thought was a sobering one.
Cam had never believed himself someone who would fall deeply in love, which suggested he could marry Emily, as they did not and were not likely to ever enjoy a great passion... or were they? Something had definitely been growing inside him since that day she was abducted. An awareness of her that had strengthened. He’d also kissed her and enjoyed the experience hugely.
“But how do you feel about taking her to your bed?” he muttered. He found he liked the idea, although he wasn’t sure she felt the same way. In fact, he was fairly certain Emily would rebel against all advances.
As he was passing the Raven townhouse, he glanced to the entrance and saw a young boy lurking there.
“Can I help you?”
He leapt at least a foot in the air.
“Apologies,” Cam said, to which the now wide-eyed boy nodded. “Can I help you?”
“I’m to deliver a note to the household of the Duke of Raven?”
Small and narrow faced, he looked like any number of young boys running about London streets on any given day.
“To whom in the household?”
Directness, Cam found, was the best way to deal with children. Subtleties and indirect speech rarely worked. Children had not yet become jaded like adults.
The boy’s eyes shot left and right. Cam’s did the same, but he saw nothing but houses, a tree or two, and a street.
