by Vikki Vaught
His mind turned to the happenings of yesterday. Who would take a shot at him? Was their intent evil, or was it possibly an accident? A poacher perhaps. That must be what happened. He would have Adams look into it. After all, there would be no reason for someone to want his demise.
Mary wiggled beside him and opened her eyes. They widened. “You’re awake. How do you feel this morning?”
Not wanting to worry her, he kept the true level of his pain hidden. “While my head still hurts, it’s much better than last night.”
She sat up. “Goodness, I need to get up and go change my gown. I would hate for Larken to see me in this state. Will you be all right if I leave you alone?”
“I’ll be fine.” He struggled to a sitting position, and while the sledgehammer was at work, he managed it better than he expected. “Go. I’m sure Larken will arrive any moment.”
“Well, if you’re sure.” She slipped out of bed, and after kissing him lightly on the lips, she dashed to the connecting door. If it would not have hurt, he would have laughed at her modesty. While his valet would have remained stoic if he had seen Mary, his innocent wife would have been mortified to have been caught in such a disheveled state. His sweet Mary was so endearing, it had his heart skipping a beat.
As soon as the door shut behind her, Larken came in. “Good morning, my lord. It’s good to see you so improved.”
“I’m feeling much better than yesterday. In fact,” he declared, “I’m deuced hungry. Please order me some breakfast.”
“Very good, sir. I’ll do so immediately.” He rang the bell, and a footman responded to the summons almost immediately. He must have been stationed outside his door. His valet sent the young man off to bring him food.
Urgently feeling the call of nature, he demanded, “Larken. Help me up. I need to empty my bladder.”
“Are you sure you’re up to that?” his valet inquired. “I can bring you a chamber pot.”
“Certainly not. I’m not an invalid. I just need your support getting up.” Larken sighed, but offered him a hand. Cortland grasped it, and swung his legs to the floor. His head spun for only a moment for a brief moment before everything righted itself again.
He stood and slowly made his way to the privacy screen, did his business, and when he came out from behind it, Larken helped him wash and change into a fresh nightshirt. By this time, the footman had returned, so he ate some toast and porridge, which thankfully stayed down. Although he normally loved the sausages, he left them alone, lest they turn his stomach. No use looking for trouble. Pushing the tray away, Larken took it.
After his valet set the tray aside, he said, “All right, my lord. I’ll just take a look at your wound and redress it. Is it causing you a great deal of discomfort?”
“It’s not too bad.” Larken removed the dressing and cleaned it then applied some type of ointment, which stung like the very devil. It was all he could do to keep from cursing.
His valet wiped his hands on a towel after finishing. “There you go, sir. I must say I’m surprised. There’s no swelling, and the wound already appears to be mending nicely.”
“That’s good to hear.” His valet continued to fuss about, straightening the bedcovers and the nightstand. “While I appreciate your concern, I would like to rest. I’ll ring for you when I need you.”
Larken’s brow shot up. “Are you sure you have no further need of me, sir?”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Mary breezed into the room, looking fresh and incredibly lovely. “As you can see, my wife has arrived and will keep me company.”
“Very good, my lord. I shall await your summons.” He bowed to his wife and exited the room.
“Good morning.” Her cheerful voice brought a smile to his face. “You look so much better today. I must admit, I feared you might not survive yesterday when Adams brought you to the house. I’m so relieved.”
He smiled. “I’m made of sterner stuff than that, my dear. The bullet only grazed me. I know from my battlefield experiences, head wounds bleed excessively. I feel immeasurably better already.”
She clasped her hands together against her breast, emphasizing the plump mounds. Even weak from the loss of blood the day before, his cock gave a twitch. “Thank goodness. Is there anything you need?”
Batting down his uncontrolled reaction, he told her, “I want to talk to Adams as soon as possible. Do you know if he saw anything?”
While plumping his pillows for him, her sweet jasmine scent floated around him, causing him to draw in a short breath.
After finishing her ministrations, she sank into the chair by his bed. “He didn’t say anything. We were more concerned over getting you help. I’ll send the footman to find him.” She went to the door and cracked it open, murmured something, then closed it again. “Harold will tell Mr. Adams you have need of him.”
His steward arrived soon after, but when questioned, Adams said he had not seen anything. He told them he had gone back to the field and searched the ground where they had heard the shot. Although he found a few footprints and followed them, he lost the trail. After some discussion, they all concluded it must have been a poacher. The steward would continue to ask around, but Cortland did not expect him to find anything.
Over the next few days, Mary entertained him while he convalesced. On the fourth day, the surgeon visited and told him he could return to his normal activities. Relieved, he dressed, and went to his study to handle the pile of correspondence that had accumulated.
He found a letter from Anissa, letting him know she had hired a governess for Aimee, and the woman would arrive on the twenty-third. Good Lord, that was today. He laid aside the rest of his correspondence and went to find Mary.
Before he returned to his study, the new governess arrived. He and Mary welcomed her to their home. Miss Allen was a thin, taller woman of middle years. Although her appearance screamed this was a woman who would have a firm hand, her smile told a different story. While her quarters were being prepared, she asked if she could see her charge, and they escorted her to the schoolroom.
When she met Aimee, she immediately engaged the child by telling stories of her travels. It turned out Miss Allen’s father had been a colonel in the army, and she had lived in several exotic places. Aimee quickly became enthralled, and even Gerrard had asked questions. Once all seemed well, Cortland excused himself and returned to his study to peruse the rest of his mail. The last letter had the seal of the Earl of Melton affixed to it. He broke the piece of wax and began to read.
Hardesty,
You have caused me a great deal of trouble. I had offered my daughter’s hand in marriage to the Marquess of Worthington, and he is furious that I had to withdraw the offer. He is not a man who likes to be crossed.
He immediately demanded I pay a debt I owed him, one that I would not have had to pay if my daughter had married the man as I had planned. The amount of five hundred pounds has put a strain on my purse. Not only was this an expense I had not expected to have to make, I have also had to pay that useless runner.
While I do not condone my daughter’s behavior, what is done cannot be undone. You can expect me to arrive at your estate on the twenty-fourth. We can discuss settlements at that time. My sister will be accompanying me. Evidently, you charmed her. Be assured that will not happen with me. While you may be a viscount, that is well below a marquess. Tell my daughter her younger brothers received a visit from me when I was not happy.
Melton
Cortland dropped the letter on his desk. While there was no doubt the earl was not pleased, overall he seemed to be accepting it better than he had expected. Damn. Tomorrow was the twenty-fourth. That did not give them any time to prepare for his visit.
Mary’s father could be right regarding the marquess. Undoubtedly, the man was displeased that Mary had gotten away. Could he be behind the shooting? To be safe, perhaps he should hire a few guards. If he was dead, then her father would happily give Mary to the dastardly man. No doubt th
e marquess could hire less than scrupulous men, more than willing to commit murder for the right price.
Knowing Mary would want to know he had heard from her father, he had Wallis ask her to join him immediately. While he waited for her, he wrote a letter to Anissa thanking her for finding Miss Allen.
The door opened and Mary entered. “Wallis said you wanted to see me right away. Is there a problem?”
He stood and went to her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ve received word from your father. He, along with your aunt, will be here tomorrow afternoon. I wanted you to know, so you can prepare for their arrival.”
She gave him a worried glance. “Is he terribly angry?”
He patted her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. “While the tone of his letter was certainly not warm, it was civil. Would you like to read it?”
“Yes, please.” He handed it to her, and she took a seat. Her expression changed to alarm as she read to the end. Her face grew pale and her hands shook.
What was in the letter that had caused her such distress? He rushed to her. “My dear, what is wrong. Did I miss something?”
She met his gaze as she whispered, “He has taken his anger out on my brothers, Michael and Charles. I w-was afraid t-this would happen. He…he knows that hurting them is worse for me than if he hit me.”
He crouched beside her and pulled her hands into his. Hers were icy cold. He began to rub them. “Has your father hit you and your brothers in the past?”
A tear rolled down her cheek. “Many times. Me, mostly. He rarely hit Ben, since he was his heir, but when he did go after him, I would divert his attention to me. Because of his asthma, he has always been a touch frail. He has no compunction when it comes to Michael and Charles. Oh, Lord, what have I done?”
He pulled her to him and led her to the sofa, then he sat and pulled her on his lap. “You haven’t done anything. If we had not married, you would now be the wife of the Marquess of Worthington. With you no longer around, your father could have still taken his anger out on your brothers whenever he wanted. You would not have been there to protect them, even if you had done your father’s bidding. At least you’re safe from his wrath and that dastardly marquess.”
She buried her head against his shoulder. “I can’t bear to think of the pain he has inflicted on them. If I were a man, I would keep them safe.”
Lifting her chin, he said, “But, you are not, and I am eternally grateful for that. I’ll talk to your father and ask him if the boys can visit us for the holidays. I don’t think he would do them any real harm while they’re at school. If they are with us over Christmas, they should be safe until they can return to the safety of their school.”
“Oh, could you? I would feel so much better if I could see them. I just pray my father will agree. Could we invite Ben as well?”
“Of course.” He hugged her close, and she melted into his arms. While relieved she seemed to have complete faith in his persuasive abilities, he prayed he could follow through and convince her father to allow the visit.
Surely when the earl finds out I will return much of her dowry, he will let them visit.
****
Mary spent the rest of the day meeting with Mrs. Hadley and deciding on which rooms to use for her father and her aunt. She had a difficult time fighting the overwhelming fear at seeing her father after her fall from grace, at least in his eyes. It did not matter that she had married a viscount, a man whose position in society should have been more than acceptable. Her father’s plans had been thwarted, and he had to be livid.
She would have to be very careful he did not have an opportunity to speak with her without others around. At the very least, he would probably shake her, digging his fingers into her arms, but if he lost control as he often did, it could be worse. Then Cortland would feel he had to defend her. She shivered at what that could entail.
She took Cortland’s aunt into her confidence, asking her to never leave her alone with her father. Although Marjorie was taken aback to learn they had eloped, she assured Mary that she understood, when she learned what the earl had intended. Marjorie had heard of the man’s notoriety, and even applauded her for finding a way to avoid the dreadful marquess.
After dinner that evening, Cortland did not remain in the dining room to enjoy a glass of port. Instead, he returned to the drawing room with them. Her husband and aunt reminisced over the happy times they had shared when Cortland’s parents had still been alive. It was easy to see that they had been a close-knit family.
A part of her was envious that her husband had enjoyed such a carefree existence until he had gone to war. She prayed he could put the time he spent in captivity, and the torture he had endured, in the past and become the happy, contended man she caught glimpses of when he talked of his childhood and school days.
When he escorted her to their rooms, he asked if he could join her and, of course, she consented. There was nothing she wanted more than to be in his arms. Perhaps he would remain throughout the night if she asked him, just this once. She longed for the security of his arms around her. With the impending visit from the earl the next day looming ahead, she did not want to have time for the fear of what he could do to overwhelm her.
Cortland joined her within fifteen minutes. He spent a long time stroking her, igniting her passion, placing slow, soft kisses all over her body. She wanted the same freedom to explore him as well, but since he did not want to be touched, she refrained and reveled instead in the splendid desire stirring within her.
When he entered her, it almost felt spiritual. He did not hurry; instead, he set an even, leisurely pace that had her grabbing the sheets as she fought the overwhelming desire to run her hands down his back.
She wrapped her legs around his hips as she moved in perfect rhythm with his thrusts that increased in tempo as they both reached for release. The moment when her cries joined his, she flew to the heavens as powerful waves of blissful completion swept through her, and she lost the battle and wound her arms around his neck. While he stiffened slightly, he did not spurn her touch and even allowed her to tangle her fingers in his silky hair while they relaxed against each other.
After he withdrew from her, he cradled her in his arms, toying with her hair and kissing her forehead for quite some time. When he released her so he could go to his room, she implored, “Please, stay with me tonight. I dread seeing my father so much, I need you to hold me. I always feel so safe when I’m with you.”
He hesitated half in and half out of the bed. He must have seen how important this was to her, because he sighed and laid back against the pillows, then pulled her into his arms. “I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”
“Thank you, Cortland.” She burrowed her head into his shoulder, breathing in his scent, a touch of clean, masculine sweat and bergamot cologne intermingled together. She fought to keep her eyes open until she heard the even cadence of his breathing before allowing sleep to overtake her.
****
Cortland awoke and felt the weight of his wife’s head resting against his chest, her thick tresses draped across him. Realizing he had fallen asleep—again—in his wife’s bed, he barely kept himself from moaning aloud. Then he also noticed dawn had come and gone. He had slept deeply all night long, not a trace of a nightmare to mar it. Thank God. He glanced at Mary’s beautiful face and relaxed, enjoying the prospect of waking with her by his side.
If he could manage to go a few weeks without a nightmare, then perhaps he could allow this intimacy every night. She stirred, then raised her head. “You stayed. All night. Thank you. It feels marvelous to awaken with you. Did you sleep well?”
He smiled and kissed her forehead. “I did, but that doesn’t mean I plan to risk this every night. I will not put you in danger.”
She met his gaze. “You know, you have yet to have a single nightmare when we’ve slept together. Perhaps your mind relaxes so much when we are together, the dreams stay away. Have you thought of that?”
Could
that be the case? He just wished he could be sure. “Perhaps. But, I still don’t want to take a chance. If I can go a decent period of time and the nightmares stay away, then maybe I will believe they’re gone for good. If that happens, I’ll start sleeping with you each night. There is nothing I want more than that.”
She snuggled against him with an impish grin on her lovely face. “Good. I will pray that happens and look forward to having you with me nightly before too long.”
“As much as I enjoy being with you like this, I need to return to my bedchamber. Larken will be up to shave me and help me dress. I’m sure Ella will be here shortly as well.” He playfully brushed her nose with his finger, then climbed from the bed. “Will you join me for breakfast?”
She stretched as she sat up. “I believe I will. Since I didn’t eat very much last night, I’m looking forward to one of Cook’s full breakfasts.”
“Good, then I shall see you in half an hour.” He grabbed his robe, slipped it on over his nightshirt, and, grinning like a Cheshire cat, he strolled from the room.
After enjoying his morning meal with his wife, he spent the rest of it with Adams going over the ledgers. That afternoon, they finally made it to his tenant’s farm he’d planned to visit the day that poacher almost took his life.
He enjoyed meeting his new tenant and visiting with several of the ones he’d known while growing up. As he returned to the house, an elegant carriage was pulling under the portico. The earl had arrived. Thank God, he had made it to the house in time to greet him. He would not want Mary to have to welcome her father without him at her side.
He dismounted and handed the reins to the groom. He strode over to the coach just as the coachman lowered the steps and opened the door. A portly gentleman—obviously the earl—climbed out first, then extended his hand to his sister and helped her out.
When Lady Mildred saw him, she exclaimed, “Lord Hardesty. You are a naughty, naughty young man. I declare you spirited my niece away right under my very nose, but I suppose I’ll forgive you. Who am I to stand in the way of true love?”
