"So I have to say, in my most humble opinion, I really do think we should marry. When Howell finds out his little plot to kill poor Stephen hasn't worked, he'll be back. We need to circumvent him. And we're not just doing it for ourselves for the passion we feel, you know. There's so much more at stake, as Stephen said. Just think how wonderful it will be to see your brother happy. Your whole family."
"I'm would be prostituting myself, and you'd be allowing me! How can you wish me to marry you for such mercenary reasons?" she fired back bitterly.
"I don't! I'm merely itemising the practical considerations. If you really loathe and despise me, dear, then I urge you by all means to say no," he said bravely, though the words nearly choked him.
She raised her chin proudly. "I don't think I want to hear all the logical reasons for us marrying. I don't wish to be reminded of my father's arrangement with Howell. If I'm now a free woman, I can be free to marry for love."
"Are you so sure ours would not be a love match?" he asked huskily. "We already have so much fire between us. I don't know what love is, I freely admit it. I thought I was in love with a woman once, long ago," he said with a sigh. "Long before I ever met you, and became a rake. At the time, I thought she was the whole world to me. Sadly, in the end, all I felt was odium, and relief when it ended."
"I see," she said, struck with a pang of bitter jealousy, but also relieved too that all his raking had not resulted in any more lasting attachment, if his words were to be believed.
"By contrast, the mere thought of you leaving me is so devastating it's like all the light and warmth is being sucked from the room."
She started at his harsh tone, and risked looking into his incredible eyes. "But why? Why on earth would you want to wed the impoverished daughter of your father's enemy? For revenge? To get me in your power and make me pay?" she challenged.
He took a deep breath to steady his voice, and shook his head gently. "I swear to you, no. I have to admit I have certain special considerations as well even beyond my own wishes. However, one of them is not to get revenge for something which isn't your fault. My primary consideration now is what my mother wants and needs. I would do anything for her. I am an only child now, with the passing of the last of my four brothers, and though I've tried my best, I find I am unequal to certain tasks, and am a mere man in these matters, which are much more the provenance of women."
"Well, there are many male doctors, and no female, to my knowledge," she pointed out, stepping away from his seductive nearness.
"True, but again, I am talking about empathy, a knowledge of the heart, if you will, rather than just your impressive knowledge of herbs and medicines. If you wed me, I will not only get a wonderful and lovely wife who shares my own tastes, and one who is well brought up and thus a fine addition to my household. I would also get a whole new family of a brother and sisters. And a nurse as well if you are willing. Or willing to teach a couple of members of staff and myself if you do not wish to-"
"No," she said quickly, "I do wish to help, more than anything. I really do want to try to make a difference to your poor mother. Ease your burden. That's why I came. And now that I'm here, well, I can see how hard this has all been for you. I am sorry for the loss of your brothers, and your father. I know my own father had some part to play in it, however, so I have no wish to make things worse for you."
He smiled wanly. "You won't. Perhaps together we can work to find the truth. Someone wanted to destroy my father. Your father was a mere pawn in the game. They knew he would do his duty to expose the supposed fraud once the papers were given to him. Except that the papers were false, I'm sure of it."
"I see. Well, we can try, but I don't know how much use I'll be, and we certainly don't have to marry in order to-"
He ignored his last words and pressed on, "Thank you for being willing to try. So, by helping her you'll help me. That will make me fall more in love with you than I already am."
"You can't possibly-" She shook her head, unwilling to believe the words she had always longer to hear. "This is all going to fall to pieces. Then I'm going to have a husband raking all about Town-"
He put his hand on his heart somberly. "I give you my solemn oath. I have never been unfaithful. One woman, one at a time. No false promises. And with the way you and I make love, why would I ever even try to find someone else?"
She waved a gloved hand impatiently. "Men like variety. They don't want steak and potatoes every night, as I overheard Howell once say."
He shook his head. "I always knew he was a damned fool, but that just proves it. You can have variety with hundreds of different sexual positions, different practices. And the most powerful sexual organ in both bodies can be the mind. If you were mine, Isolde, nothing would tempt me away, let alone mere money."
"The mind?" she laughed, settling back on the sofa despite her tenseness, once again becoming captivated with all Randall said and did.
He drew up the chair they had been making love upon, and sat on it now in front of her. He risked taking one hand, and she permitted the liberty.
"Yes, the romance, the whole thrill of getting to know the other person, their likes and dislikes. Sharing fantasies and dreams. I've never had it myself, but I know my parents did.
"I want to know what it's like to have someone so in tune to my emotions and needs that they can finish my sentences. You know what I want in bed without me even having to say a word. I feel sure that can extend to all the other things we share.
"Maybe it's because of your second sight. Perhaps it's because we really are made for each other. I don't know." He shrugged.
She stared. He had been so dismissive of her gifts before. What could have happened to change his mind?
"All I do know, my dear, is that I can't let you walk out of my life. Not without being sure that I haven't already found within you what I've been looking for the whole of it."
She stared at him incredulously. "But you said you didn't believe-"
He blew out a ragged breath. "All right. I have a confession to make. About your vision. I lied, Isolde."
Her eyes widened, and a finger of fear stroked down her back. "But you said-"
He held up one hand to forestall her. "I'll talk to you about the rest one day soon, I promise. It's too hard now, and time is pressing. For the moment, please believe me when I say I need you to complete me, to save me from myself.
"Please, darling, I'm getting down on bended knee." He did so now, a most splendid sight in his blue silk dressing gown. The vision of his handsome eyes glowing with desire made her mouth go dry.
"I'm begging you to consider my proposal, Miss Drake. I give you my word of honour, I shall never give you cause to repine. I know we've met in the most extraordinary circumstances, but you can trust me, I swear. We shall have my solicitors call, and make whatever settlement you want, so long as you'll be mine."
She gazed his earnest expression and stroked his cheek, sorely tempted at his incredible offer. He was the most remarkable man, one any female of her acquaintance would kill to possess. But she just couldn't yield herself up to so shadowy a man.
"It's too much, too sudden," she whispered.
"I know, but we're running out of time," he said, kissing the hand that he held. "You and I both know what we did last night. Howell saw us. There can be no mistaking that. If a child were to result, it would go even harder with you.
"Howell has manipulated you all. He sent you here to be ruined, and that poor lad to be killed in a duel. It's unconscionable. I really do want to help, and no, it is not charity. It is true that your family are in dire distress financially due to your affairs being mishandled, but I can help sort it out, me and my men of business.
"But we're running out of time, both in terms of your reputation, and that poor girl Fanny and her family, who are also being manipulated. Your brother is going to lose the girl he loves if we don't make some sort of intervention on his behalf. None of this has to happen if you'll just say yes.
"
"We can't," she said tearfully, trying to ignore the powerful feelings budding within her as he caressed her face.
He got off his knees to sit beside her on the sofa, and looped one arm loosely around her waist. "We can, Isolde. Please."
She sighed, but did not draw away. Once again, the magnetic attraction between them was actually bringing her head down to rest on his broad shoulder. "It wouldn't be fair to you. You're giving up so much, offering us the most generous terms, and I have nothing to give you in return."
"It would be fair to both of us," he urged softly, delighted at how she was cuddling up to him like a small, trusting kitten. "Your lovely self is all I want or need. Your help with Mother would be an added gift."
"I mustn't be selfish," she sniffed.
"Never that, my treasure," Randall reassured her, reveling in the sensations of but acute lust, and the most tender treasuring. "You're all things kind and generous in the world. But I must be selfish, my dear girl. I just can't help it. I want you, want you so much, Isolde." He bent his head now to kiss her, and she thawed for a brief moment.
Then she pulled away from his questing lips. "No, I can't let you make such a sacrifice. I know you're only doing this because you fear Howell's revenge against me and think I have no other choices."
"It won't be a sacrifice at all, believe me," he said vehemently, shaking his head. "I would give up far more than a bit of money and some of my time to win your love. Our marriage will be paradise on earth, just as it was last night."
She quirked one brow. "Adam and Eve lost their paradise. They fell prey to temptation. Are you trying to tell me the rakish leopard has changed its spots?"
He put his hand on his heart. "It will be paradise with us, Isolde, I swear. I will never ever be tempted to stray if it meant losing all we have together. If it meant hurting you, or you leaving me."
She gazed at him, her cornflower eyes sparkling with a welter of emotions. "What if we find we've made a mistake, if our marriage turns to Hell?"
He shuddered, but shook his head. "It won't. I won't let it. I promise."
She sighed. "I'm still not sure."
He flashed her a boyish grin. "I could always take you back upstairs to make you sure."
She gave a slow answering smile of her own. "That would be cheating."
"All is fair in love and war."
She looked at him narrowly then. "This isn't war to you, is it?"
Randall stood up, trying to avoid her gaze. "What would make you think that?"
Isolde saw she had hit the mark then. "The matter between my father and yours, for one. And I know what you said about Howell, but rakes like you don't have very much respect for women. They use them, then cast them aside. How do I know you're not pursuing me for some hidden reason? Manipulating me in some way to punish me later?"
Randall's lapis eyes widened in horror at the very thought. "No, I swear it. I can't blame you for what happened. Yes, I am out for revenge. If your father were alive I would ask him where he had got such damning documentation which he held up for all to see, to ruin the father I loved and admired.
"But your father is gone now too, so the point is moot. Besides, as much as they were in political opposition to one another, they admired each other enormously. I know many of the vicious tabbies of the Ton will say the old man would spin in his grave to see me marry you, but when have they ever lacked for gossip. What matters is how we feel about this, and to protect you. And since my mother clearly likes you, then I am sure he would have been happy for us too."
Isolde sniffed and sighed. "Thank you for saying so, but-"
"My mother is now the only family I have left for whom I would hold any respect for their opinion upon our match. I'm confident she'll be thrilled, darling, so I have no reason to want revenge upon the lovely woman who has made me happy for the first time in so many years."
"But Randall, you're an intelligent man," she protested. "Surely you want to more time to think about this. A sensible chap would not make decisions like this based solely on, well, the stirrings of his amorous parts." She blushed furiously, but continued to direct her level gaze at him.
He met her gaze head on, unwaveringly. "I think I'm as good a judge of character as the next man. I like to weigh up the many different factors in a situation, and make a choice.
"It may not be the correct choice, true. But if I do make a mistake, I can usually always rectify it. Or, if I can't, I take the consequences like a man. You're a unique woman in my experience. I've never even come close to asking anyone to marry me before. One touch, one kiss from you and I was truly lost," he confessed.
"Oh, Randall-"
He caressed the length of her elegant back. "It's true. I had no idea there would be such consequences when I first touched you. But once I knew who you were and what had happened with Howell, I didn't stop myself, did I? I decided then and there, when he was menacing you, that you belonged safe and protected with me.
"When I asked you to stay, I did genuinely intend for you to just sleep with me, nothing more. But once you touched me, well, I didn't even have the control to try to stop what was happening between us, to try to prevent conception."
He stroked one arm up and down her shoulder apologetically. She gave him a timid smile, and snuggled back into him again, mesmerised once more by his deep masculine tone.
"We know what Howell wants. A duel with me, or at least being able to shred your reputation like a wet newspaper, Isolde, the better to force you into his bed. Have no doubt of that for an instant. I know what he's capable of. He was even prepared to let Stephen be killed to get what he wants."
She shuddered at that thought. It was true. If the two men had not been prepared to be so reasonable with one another, all of this could have ended very badly indeed.
"This may seem very sudden to you, madness, I know, but I'm of an age where I'd like to be married, settle down, have a good home. I think you, who have been so devastated by the loss of your father, would like those things as well, if not for yourself, then for your family."
She nodded. "Certainly a better home than any I would have had with the dissolute Chauncey, even in the days when he was prepared to offer honorable marriage."
"Nothing will happen to them if they are under my protection, I give you my word," he reassured her, his deft fingers slowly removing her bonnet. "They can stay in your home for as long as they like, and I shall never even ask for a dowry or settlement. There is no need to uproot them, and if we are married, we can all hold our heads high."
"Oh, I only wish we could-"
"If we look like a happy, loving family, no matter what Howell or Parkins say, the mud won't stick. They can all think that we have known each other for some time, had a secret understanding, and your father's death has caused us to move more quickly than we might otherwise have wished."
She twisted her gloved fingers in her lap. Randall took one hand and began to ease off the glove, then entwined her fingers with his own. "Poor Papa. I wish with all my heart he was still with us, but since that's impossible, you're right, I do have to think about what's best for them all. Howell manipulating us is not it."
"Aye, that is certainly true. I don't know where things stood before he died, or where they will in the future. But I promise you, darling, that your mother and sisters will be looked after as befitting their station. I will help your brother make his way in the world, send him to university, whatever he wishes." He now subtly went to work on the other glove.
"Finally, and completely honestly, Isolde, I've never met anyone I ever thought I could bear to spend a whole night with, let alone the rest of my life. Both my mind and my body tell me to marry you, before it's too late."
"And if I say no, these are not good enough reasons to wed?" she asked in exasperation, pulling away from him once more.
His voice was a sultry purr against her ear as he leaned forward to nuzzle her cheek. "Then I shall take you to our family estate out in the
country, to the master bedroom where my parents begot the five of us, and fill you over and over again while you beg me for more just as you did last night, until you quicken with my child. Then you shall have no choice but to marry me."
She sat up straight with a gasp. "You wouldn't dare."
His lapis eyes sparked in challenge. "Don't bet on it, love. Remember, a wager of mine was how all of this started, and I'm a very lucky man. And certainly were where you were concerned. The luckiest. I don't know when your next monthly ought to arrive, but the odds are in my favour that if we enjoy each other as thoroughly as we did last night and this morning, I can get you enceinte inside a few weeks. I shall certainly have a wonderful time trying. As I shall make sure you do too. Wonderful."
The Rakehell Regency Romance Collection #4 Page 14
