Her Sudden Groom (Groom Series, BOOK 1)

by Rose Gordon

  “The very one,” he said with a nostalgic grin. He put her things down on the bed before going to a small table in the back corner that was covered with little items she couldn’t distinguish from where she stood.

  “Am I right to assume this is your room?” She fingered a mercury thermometer.

  “No. It’s our room.”

  Her heart squeezed and she looked away.

  Watson Estate was huge. By her guess, there had to be at least sixty bedchambers. She couldn’t help but wonder why they were sharing one. Not that it mattered overmuch. She was rather excited at the prospect of spending all night with Alex. It just seemed odd. The house was so big and yet his mother, the baroness, was in a room smaller than this one, and the two of them were sharing one.

  “Will that be all right, Caro?” He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her flush against his hard body and nuzzled the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder.

  “Yes,” she breathed. A wicked thought crept into her head. “I just hope we have enough time tonight for that chess rematch.”

  He groaned and parted his lips against her skin.

  Loving that she had him just as lust-fogged for her as she was for him, she wanted to push him a bit further. She pressed her bottom against his erection. “Yes, with all this science equipment for me to explore, we may not even make it to bed.”

  He froze. “We’re leaving. We’ll go find another room,” he said raggedly, picking her up.

  She squirmed in his hold. “Put me down! Put me down!”

  He put her feet down on the ground, not releasing her. “You weren’t serious, were you?”

  She turned in his hold to face him. “About which part? Putting me down? Yes. Spending the night exploring your science equipment?” She rolled her eyes up to look at the ceiling and tapped her fingernail against her teeth.

  “I’ve got some science equipment you can spend the night exploring,” he muttered, pressing said equipment into her soft stomach.

  She nearly lost her calm, reserved, mock-contemplative composure at his gesture. “My, my, Mr. Banks, and here I was under the impression you always had science on the brain.”

  “I do,” he conceded. “Tonight we’ll study some. The main topics I have in mind include some physical science and biology. Perhaps, after we get more comfortable with each other, we can test a few laws of physics.”

  “You’re incorrigible.”

  He smiled. “I do believe you’re jesting again.”

  She shook her head. “I’d hope so. I was rather obvious about it.”

  His look was hard to interpret. He wasn’t angry or offended, but he wasn’t smiling, either. His right hand left her back and came around to rest on her side, the heel of his hand pushing against her breast. “I can’t wait to get you alone tonight,” he said before his lips descended on hers.

  Why wait? She wanted to say the words aloud, but didn’t want to seem too forward. She knew what would happen tonight. She was looking forward to sharing her body with Alex—knowing him and letting him know her in every way possible.

  The pressure of his lips spurred hers into action, and she pressed hers to his the same way, allowing his to move over and between hers. He licked the seam of her lips the same way he’d licked her lower lip at their wedding. When his tongue flicked the corner of her mouth, she gasped. Taking advantage of her parted lips, Alex’s tongue sought entry into her mouth and swept the inside of her cheeks before withdrawing.

  She sighed at the absence of his tongue, and his hand moved to cover her breast, leading her nipple to harden in response. “Alex,” she murmured, arching into his hand like the wanton she always seemed to transform into while in Alex’s presence.

  He pulled his lips from hers. “Later. I promise.”

  She swallowed and chastised herself for the flicker of disappointment that had shot through her when he’d pulled away. “A—all right,” she stammered, pulling out of his arms.

  Barely a second later, two maids came in carrying a few simple morning gowns. Caroline blinked and sighed. There was no use fighting it. Regina had probably insisted they bring her those gowns to wear until her things arrived. Caroline shook her head and shot Alex a grateful look. He must have heard them coming and stopped touching her so as not to embarrass her in front of the staff. What a thoughtful gentleman he was. She reached for his hand and gave it a light squeeze. She couldn’t have asked for a better husband.

  “Annie,” Alex called. “Would you please hang the gowns on the dressing screen and put this...” He picked up the package the nightrail was in and looked at Caroline to finish for him.

  “Just leave it there.” There really wasn’t another place to put it, and she certainly didn’t want the maid to unwrap it in front of Alex.

  Annie looked at Caroline uncertainly. “Do what the lady said,” Alex said for her. “Shall we go down and wait for dinner?”

  “That would be wonderful.”

  Caroline blinked when her eyes landed on the baron sitting in the drawing room. He was far sicker than she had originally surmised. Of course she’d seen him lying abed last week, and earlier she’d seen him weakly sway his wife and at her wedding, but just now he looked so tired and worn out she could hardly believe he was joining them. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Death couldn’t be too much longer away for him. She rubbed Alex’s arm, trying to convey her sympathy at having to watch his father die in such a cruel way. She’d been fortunate not to witness such a thing with her mother or her aunt and uncle, so she didn’t know what she could do or say to make it better. She did know, though, he needed support now and he’d need it later. That was something she could give him in abundance.

  “Good to see you, gel,” Edward said, nodding to her as she came in. His eyes still held their mischievous spark, despite his illness.

  Caroline felt a slight tug on her heart. She’d forever admire this man. He was dying, but he wasn’t going to let it keep him away from the things and people he loved. He’d attended their wedding—he’d even made what would be considered a vulgar joke at the end—with nary a complaint or a pessimistic word. He’d come to dinner and even dressed for the occasion. All the while, he looked like he should be in bed with his blankets up to his chin and his eyes closed while being read Bible verses.

  “It’s good to see you, too,” she replied with a sweet smile.

  “Is it? Well then, I suppose you’d like to eat dinner next to me instead of my son?” he asked with a cheeky grin. “But, I had better decline. For as much as I’d love that arrangement, I doubt my wife would approve.”

  “Neither would Caroline’s husband.” Alex put a possessive hand on the small of her back.

  She looked up at Alex and smiled. He may only be playing his father’s game, but she still liked that he was pretending to be possessive of her.

  The butler came in then and announced dinner was ready. The meal was as excellent as the company. It may seem odd to some—all right, to most—to eat their evening meal on their first married night with their family members, but Caroline wouldn’t have preferred it any other way.

  The circumstances couldn’t have been changed unless they’d either ridden to London to stay at Alex’s bachelor’s quarters or gone to Bath and stayed at Dog and Fox, which was rumored to be the worst inn in England. The truth was, neither of those were options with how sick Edward was, nor was ignoring the other inhabitants of the house. This was still Edward and Regina’s home, too, and avoiding them or asking them to go elsewhere was not going to happen as long as Caroline had breath in her body.

  After dinner, Alex’s father dismissed the servants from the dining room after Regina asked a footman to retrieve the post, saying now was a good time to read it since the whole family was here. Apparently a letter had arrived from Alex’s brothers earlier that day, along with some sort of package.

  Caroline sat quietly and listened intently as Regina read the letter from Henry and Elij
ah aloud.

  It would seem Henry and Elijah had recently received their mother’s missive and would be coming home shortly. Caroline would never admit it aloud, but she was actually excited to meet them, despite the circumstances that would bring them here. What would they be like? One, or both, of them obviously had to have a sense of humor or else they wouldn’t have carved Alex’s name into the pink pall mall mallet.

  “May I ask something?” she interrupted, trying to think of something—anything—to get her mind off the pink mallet story. “Why didn’t Edwina come today?”

  “She wanted to,” Regina said quietly. “We wouldn’t allow her to.”

  Caroline went still. She didn’t understand why her parents would keep her from coming to her brother’s wedding. Then suddenly she knew. Regina and her mother had gone to school together, the same school Edwina attended currently. Likely Edwina had heard rumors about the promiscuous girl who had once attended and was forced leave because she got with child. Alex’s parents probably didn’t wish to expose Edwina to censure from the other girls due to her newly formed connection.

  Caroline’s face burned with shame and embarrassment like she’d never known before. “I see.”

  “No, you don’t,” Regina countered, not unkindly.

  Edward placed his hand on his wife’s then glanced from Alex to Caroline. He coughed and wiped his mouth. “I know what you’re thinking, gel. But that’s not the reason.” His eyes bored into her, sending her an unspoken message declaring he did, indeed, know what she was thinking. “I’m the one who denied Edwina the choice to come today. She’s particularly sensitive and I was afraid if she came, she wouldn’t go back.”

  Caroline understood his words and another round of embarrassment passed through her. She’d been selfish thinking she was the reason Edwina wasn’t allowed to attend, when in reality it had been because they were trying to protect Edwina by keeping her from seeing her father in such a state. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.

  “No need,” Edward told her with a smile. “You’ll get to meet her soon enough, I expect.”

  She nodded sadly.

  “Well, enough of that talk,” Regina chirped. “Edwina may not have been able to come, but she did send a wedding present.” She turned to her side and picked up a small package with a little note attached to the twine and held it out to Caroline.

  Caroline’s fingers reached out took the package from her mother-in-law.

  “Open it,” Alex encouraged.

  “I can’t.” Caroline stared at the little card attached to the twine.

  “Sure you can,” Alex said, reaching for it. “Here, I’ll show you how.”

  She moved her hands—and the package—just in time to escape his grasp. “Here, read this.” She handed him the notecard attached to the top. “She addressed it to me specifically and told me to open it in private. I intend to do that very thing.”

  “Oh, Edward, what have you done?” Regina put her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking.

  Caroline’s eyebrows snapped together. “What’s going on?” she asked of no one in particular.

  Nobody answered her. They were all too busy avoiding eye contact and if she wasn’t mistaken she’d swear both Alex and his mother appeared to be on the verge of laughter.

  Caroline pursed her lips. Truly, what could they possibly find so funny?

  Alex shook his head and tried his best to wipe the grin off his face and replace it with a serious look. He wasn’t very successful, however. “That book,” he said, pointing to the package she’d already deduced was a book, “is not something any gently bred young lady should ever lay eyes on.”

  Caroline’s eyes went wide and she couldn’t decide whether to drop the offending package or grip it all the tighter. “How do you know?”

  Alex shrugged. “It’s just a guess.”

  “A good one, I’d wager,” his mother added, wiping her watering eyes.

  “Open it,” Edward prompted. He chuckled when Caroline shook her head violently.

  “Oh stop, Edward. You’re embarrassing her. She probably had no idea what she was getting herself into by marrying Alex,” Regina said in her defense.

  “Exactly,” Alex agreed. “But it’s too late now. You’ve already vowed to love, honor, and cherish me—and coincidentally my unscrupulous family—until death do we part.”

  She smiled at his words. That was a task she’d gladly do. However, she still had one concern. Well, not a concern really, because it might explain why the family seemed so accepting of her and her mother’s scandalous past. “How exactly did Edwina get this book to send to me in the first place?” she asked carefully. Or as carefully as one could when they were practically accusing someone’s daughter of being a trollop.

  No offense seemed to be taken though.

  “Actually, I highly doubt she ever even came in contact with it,” Edward said proudly. “No, though she’s got her papa’s unusual humor, she probably paid a servant handsomely to buy it for her and attach her note before sending it here.”

  Everyone seemed to accept his suggestion either because they believed it or didn’t wish to entertain the notion of Edwina not being the proper young lady they thought she was. Caroline didn’t know which, and she wasn’t going to press.

  Suddenly, Alex and his mother started chuckling again. She stared at them both. “What’s so amusing?” she demanded, perturbed.

  “You,” Alex said as if that explained everything.

  “What he means to say,” his mother intoned, holding her napkin in such a way her grin was mostly hidden, “is that the dubious look on your face is absolutely hysterical.”

  Caroline looked to a shrugging, innocent-looking Edward. “What are they talking about?”

  “I have no idea,” Edward said.

  Their laughter started again, louder this time. “Tell her, Alex,” Regina said between bursts of laughter.

  He shook his head. “I can’t.”

  “Good,” Edward murmured, then turned to Caroline with a wink. “Now, are you going to open that book or am I?”

  “Not now.” She brought it to her chest so he couldn’t grab it from her and open it in front of everyone. She would open it later. Preferably while she was hidden behind the dressing screen so nobody could see her face. She flushed. The book was extremely heavy and thick, presumably due to the many delicious pages that were bound between the covers, begging an innocent and curious girl to devour them like the wanton she couldn’t deny she was swiftly becoming.

  “Open it,” Alex encouraged again.

  She looked at him and resisted the urge to whack him upside the head with the book. She’d open it when she was ready to.

  Regina’s amusement died and she adopted a more serious look. “Caroline dear, that book is not what you think it is,” she said, a smile cracking her lips. “And, it’s not from who you think it is.”

  “All right,” Edward spoke up, throwing his hands up in the air. “I sent it. There, are you satisfied? Edwina is a good girl who would not bribe a servant to buy a naughty book.”

  Caroline didn’t know if she was relieved to hear that about Edwina or embarrassed that her new father-in-law had bought her a dirty book. Actually, the last prospect was just plain uncomfortable. She looked at Alex. He was still laughing. Not loudly. Actually, not at all, physically. It was just his eyes really. They were full of laughter.

  “Alex.” Caroline glanced at his parents with unease. “What’s going on?”

  His face suddenly transformed and he looked uncertain. “My father gave you a wedding present. And disguised it as being from Weenie,” he added a moment later.

  “Go on, open it, gel,” Edward said yet again.

  Now she was certain she didn’t want to. A naughty book from Edwina, a young girl who knew probably as much, if not less, than Caroline did about marital matters was one thing. A book from her father-in-law on the subject was quite another. “I can’t.” She handed it to him. He could have
it back and do with it what he wanted.

  “I’ll do the honors then,” Edward agreed, turning the package so the knot of twine faced him.

  Caroline’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. “Surely you don’t mean to—” She leapt from her seat as he broke the twine and tossed it on the floor.

  He grabbed hold of the edge of the paper and gave a mighty rip. Caroline clapped one hand over her eyes and the other over her mouth in horror as he continued to unwrap the package.

  Trying to be nonchalant, Caroline moved her fingers apart just a fraction. All right, she’d admit it, but only to herself—she was still curious as to what that book contained.

  “Here, gel,” Edward said, holding it out to her in a way that she couldn’t see the title. “I’ve marked the good parts for you.”

  She gasped.

  He chuckled and waved the book at her. “I see you peeking.”

  She grunted and lowered her hands, exposing her heated face to them. She quickly snatched the book and brought it to her chest, wrapping both arms around it to keep everyone else from seeing even a corner of it.

  “What’s the title?” Alex murmured, moving his hands to try and pull it from her grasp.

  She swayed away and shot him a crippling look that seemed to have no effect on him. “Please don’t, Alex,” she said quietly. Where had the sweet man who hadn’t wished to shame or embarrass her in front of their families or servants gone?

  All the humor in the room died and Regina came to her side. “We’re sorry, Caroline. We didn’t mean to embarrass you. You may not know this, but the Bankses are notorious for…” She trailed off. “Just look at the title.”

  Embarrassed she’d just ruined their fun by acting like a ninny, Caroline shot them all an apologetic look then relaxed her arms and let the book naturally fall with her arms until the title was in front of her. She blinked. “Good gracious,” she said, exacerbated. “You gave me the Bible?” A giggle passed her lips. They probably all thought she was a goose. She fingered a little slip of paper that poked out of the middle of the book. “I suppose this is where I’ll find the beginning of Song of Solomon,” she mused, flashing Edward a wry smile in hopes of recovering his joke.