Convenient Proposal to the Lady

by Julia Justiss

  After reassuring her, he turned to the Earl. Despicable Denbry might be, and obviously no match for Tawny’s pugilistic prowess, for he’d made no move to try to return the punch, but Alyssa had to allow he was no coward. Knowing his adversary could best him if he chose, he stood his ground, rather than trying to flee.

  ‘As for you,’ Tawny said, ‘if even a whisper of scandal about this emerges, I’ll know who’s responsible. And when I track you down, I will have forgotten I’m a gentleman who only fights fair.’

  ‘Given your breeding, you could have no idea what it means to be a gentleman.’

  ‘If it is breeding that tells, you’d better question your mother about her activities nine months before your birth,’ Tawny shot back.

  ‘Enjoyable as it would be to stand here, trading insults, I believe I will depart.’ Straightening his cravat and using a handkerchief to mop at the cut on his chin, he said, ‘How fitting that you felt such concern about safeguarding Lady Alyssa’s reputation. Since you’re now going to have an opportunity to do so in truth.’ With that parting shot, Denbry strolled out of the room.

  A moment later, they heard the click of a key turning in the lock.

  Tawny walked over to try the door, finding it had indeed been locked from the outside.

  ‘What does he hope to achieve by that?’ Alyssa asked. ‘Unless he means to tell the innkeeper that his “sister” feigned an illness to sneak away to an assignation.’

  ‘If he does, we’ll say your cousin has a warped sense of humour. You just need to look suitably ill when I escort you back down the stairs.’

  ‘How do we get back down the stairs? Pound on the door, until someone comes to release us?’

  Tawny went to look out the window. ‘This room overlooks the fields, rather than the main road or stable yard. It would probably be better if I climbed down and came up to fetch you, then went back to report that you’d somehow locked yourself in.’

  ‘Yes, that would probably be wiser.’

  The full significance of what Mr Tawny had done for her was just beginning to register in her still-sluggish brain. ‘It appears you’ve prevented ruination after all, Mr Tawny. I’m not so sure I want to thank you for that, but I do very much appreciate the sense of honour that led you to continue watching out for me, no matter how much you disapproved of my scheme.’

  ‘Denbry will take himself off now, his acolytes in tow, so I don’t think you’ll have any further trouble with them. Though I’m certainly not sorry to have prevented your ruin, perhaps I can make up for my unwelcome intervention by helping you think of a way to convince your father to release your funds.’

  Her relief, now that Denbry had departed, the charming smile that accompanied Tawny’s remark and the sudden realisation that they were alone in a bedchamber, with her still reclining on the bed and him a few steps away, prompted a resurgence of the simmering desire he triggered in her whenever he came near. A desire that urged her to invite him down into her arms.

  She struggled to banish it. If Tawny, rather than Denbry, had been the one to propose the ravishing, she would have been tempted to acquiesce. Will had been torn from her before she’d had to the chance to sample more than a few torrid kisses. Once she obtained her aunt’s funds and withdrew from society, it was unlikely she’d ever have another chance to seduce—or be seduced by—a gentleman whose intelligence, honour and kindness she admired as much as did Ben Tawny’s.

  Inviting him on to the bed would be too dangerous—she didn’t want to risk conceiving a bastard. But surely she could invite a kiss.

  ‘My rescuer deserves my thanks, whether or not I wanted to be rescued.’ Rising, she started to walk towards him, then swayed, as dizziness suddenly returned. ‘Sorry,’ she said, clutching the side of the bed. ‘It seems I’m not fully recovered yet.’

  Tawny came over to steady her. His warm hands on her shoulders instantly catapulted desire from languor to urgent need, her already swimming senses engulfed by the power of his nearness. She leaned into him, all her being focused on one aim.

  She’d have that parting kiss—if he wanted it as much as she did. Willing him to act on the sensual connection between them, she angled her face up—and waited.

  ‘This makes it all worthwhile,’ he murmured. And leaned down to claim her mouth.

  His lips were gentle, tender. A wave of grief and regret for all she’d lost was soon swamped by an overwhelming need that had her moaning deep in her throat as she clutched his shoulders and pressed closer.

  She’d just opened her lips to the tentative probing of his tongue when, with a fierce oath, he thrust her away.

  With an incoherent protest, she opened her eyes—to find him gazing at the door, his expression grim. Before she could ask what was wrong, a strident female voice cried, ‘Lady Alyssa! What is the meaning of this?’

  Chapter Five

  Dismay extinguishing ardour, Ben watched the two ladies rush into the room with a sense of detachment, as if this farce were being played out on a London theatre—not on the stage of his life, where the curtain had just rung down on the current act. When it rose again, he was going to be forced to play a very different part from the one he’d envisioned.

  And there was absolutely nothing he could do to prevent it.

  So that was what Denbry had meant with his parting remark about safeguarding Lady Alyssa’s reputation. Before he left Dornton Manor, the Earl must have tipped off the ladies to the impending elopement, knowing once the ‘lovers’ were discovered, Lady Alyssa’s family would insist the shame of her seduction be concealed by marriage.

  ‘My darling child, what have you done?’ cried the female who must be her mother. ‘What are you doing at this inn—and who is that man?’

  ‘I think it’s rather obvious what she—and he—were doing, as we interrupted them in mid-embrace!’ the other lady proclaimed. ‘Shocking behaviour! If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it of you!’

  Her eyes reflecting consternation as profound as his, after whispering ‘I’m sorry!,’ Lady Alyssa turned to face the women. ‘Mama, Lady Fulton, you must let me explain. Things are not as they appear.’

  ‘Before you explain anything, we must get you out of this common inn, before the world and all his brother sees you—and your reputation is shredded beyond mending!’ Lady Fulton exclaimed. Confirming Ben’s suspicions, she added, ‘Thank heavens, having spent so much time in your company, Lord Denbry suspected something was afoot and warned us in time!’

  ‘Did he really?’ Lady Alyssa said drily.

  ‘Come along this instant. And you, whoever you are,’ Lady Fulton said, glaring at him, ‘had better present yourself at Dornton Manor immediately!’

  ‘Benedict Tawny,’ he said with a bow. ‘There will be time for explanations later, but first, let me inform you quickly that the innkeeper was told Lady Alyssa was the sister of the gentleman who brought her here and had been taken ill on the road after leaving Dornton. If you ladies support that story, explaining that you’ve come to escort her back to the manor, she should be able to leave here with no aspersions cast on her honour.’

  ‘As long as neither of you came rushing in, claiming elopement,’ Lady Alyssa added.

  ‘Of course we wouldn’t be so foolish,’ Lady Aldermont said. ‘We hoped to arrive in time to prevent one!’

  ‘Then, Lady Alyssa, if you would play the invalid, I suggest all of you return to Dornton,’ Ben said. ‘I’ll pay the shot and join you shortly.’

  ‘Thank heavens you can do something useful,’ Lady Fulton said acidly, giving him a glance that informed him she still viewed him as a vile seducer. ‘That’s not the end of this, though! I expect to see you at Dornton Manor within the hour!’

  Ben bowed. ‘I will be there.’

  ‘No!’ Lady Alyssa cried in furious
protest. ‘It’s unthinkable that you should incur any blame in this! Return to London! I’ll sort it out.’

  Ben suppressed a sigh. Obviously, she hadn’t yet realised there could be no ‘sorting out’. Not for a man who really was a gentleman.

  ‘You must know that’s not possible now,’ he said gently. ‘I’ll see you at Dornton later.’ He managed to dredge up a smile—as if his life hadn’t just been thrown off course right before his eyes with the speed of a runaway carriage. ‘Make sure you are a convincing invalid. Ladies, you’d best get on the road.’

  When Lady Alyssa opened her lips again, he held out a hand to forestall further argument. ‘Indulge me on this, please. Go with your mother and Lady Fulton. We’ll sort it out at Dornton.’

  ‘But this is insufferable!’ Her cheeks pink with anger and vexation, her eyes bright with distress, she stood motionless, staring at him. Finally, yielding to the plea on his face, she marched to the bedside chair, tossed her cloak about her shoulders and jammed the bonnet on her head.

  ‘Very well, I’m ready,’ she told her mother, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders to ‘support’ her. As she walked out, leaning against Lady Aldermont, she looked over her shoulder at him. ‘This isn’t finished yet!’

  Oh, yes, it is, Ben thought as they exited the room. Wiggle, squirm and protest all you like, there’s only one way out for us now.

  * * *

  Still wrapped in that curious sense of detachment, as if he were only an observer to the tragedy unfolding in his life, Ben descended to the taproom to pay the innkeeper. The hefty tip he added induced the man to send him off with hearty wishes that his ailing cousin soon recovered her health.

  Would that their position were so easy to fix.

  But after examining the situation from every angle as he followed them back to Dornton Manor, Ben could see only one honourable exit from this disaster.

  Both Lady Alyssa’s mother and her hostess had seen him embracing her in an upper chamber of a posting inn. Even if the story of her ‘being taken ill on the road’ managed to damp down any gossip in the village, those two ladies thought they were interrupting a seduction—a charge his kiss only reinforced.

  They could try—Lady Alyssa would probably insist on it—to explain the tangled web of wagers, courtships and botched elopement that had led to their being discovered alone together. They might even be able to have the innkeeper testify it was the Earl who hired the carriage Lady Alyssa arrived in. But with Denbry and Rossiter nowhere to be seen when they’d been discovered, and with neither of them likely to confess their parts in the scheme, such accusations were not provable and would probably sound ridiculous.

  Instead of trapping Lady Alyssa into the marriage Rossiter wanted, Denbry trapped Ben instead. And doubtless considered it a fine joke and a fitting revenge on the man who’d spoiled his wager.

  Of course, Ben could insist on standing by the truth, flatly deny he’d attempted to run away with Lady Alyssa and leave. But she’d still be ruined. With the guests at Dornton Manor agog at the sudden departure of Rossiter and Denbry and a plethora of gossiping servants, Lady Fulton and Lady Aldermont’s early-morning drive to the village to bring back Lady Alyssa was bound to come out.

  She’d be laughed at, pitied. Ruined.

  He thought about the small manor in which he’d grown up, his mother an outcast, known as a nobleman’s former mistress who’d borne a bastard. She’d been ostracised for that sin every day of her life.

  There might not be a bastard child involved, but ruination would isolate Lady Alyssa just as completely, in ways that she, for her whole life an accepted member of society, couldn’t possibly imagine. Having grave doubts about her ability to use scandal to convince her father to let her live independently, he hadn’t been able to square it with his conscience to leave while the scheme went forward, too worried that Denbry or Rossiter would somehow achieve her ruin. He certainly couldn’t walk away now that he was thought responsible for it.

  He couldn’t, wouldn’t let Lady Alyssa suffer as his mother had.

  So it appeared, like it or not, he was going to be married.

  Unless Lady Alyssa’s family believed ruin was preferable to having an earl’s daughter marry a viscount’s bastard son.

  That slender hope quickly died. Most likely, they would consider ruination worse.

  Having reached that unhappy conclusion, Ben tried for the rest of the ride to Dornton Manor to find a cheerful face and drum up some enthusiasm for a match he knew initially Lady Alyssa would oppose. She had a sharp eye and no tolerance for empty flattery, so if he wanted to be convincing, he’d have to pull up something that came from the heart.

  First, he likely face the gauntlet of Lady Aldermont and Lady Fulton.

  Once he’d turned his horse over to a groom and announced himself to the butler, he was immediately ushered to a small study near the kitchen entrance—probably to forestall his discovery by the other members of the house party. Instead of the ladies, however, it was Lord Fulton who came in to meet him.

  As soon as the door shut behind him, Lord Fulton exploded, ‘Damnation, man, why resort to some crack-brained elopement? Granted, your pedigree might be a bit...marred, but your father acknowledges you and you’ve built up a good reputation in Parliament. No need for anything so havey-cavey! With his daughter so long on the shelf, Lord Aldermont would almost certainly have given his permission for you to marry. I suppose a girl nowadays think it romantic to imagine herself a star-crossed lover, forbidden by her father to marry the unacceptable man she loves, but the chit should have had more sense!’

  ‘A star-crossed lover?’ Ben repeated, completely mystified.

  ‘I should have been more suspicious when Lady Alyssa cornered me in my library to ask about the Reform Bill! As if a female would have any interest or understanding of politics! But m’wife told me she had some proper suitors here, so until this happened, I didn’t recall that she’d asked about all four of you “Hadley’s Hellions”—and you in particular. I gave you a good character. Hah!’ he said with a snort. ‘It appears now I shouldn’t have. She must have been leading on those other men, just to throw her mother off the scent.’

  ‘She asked you about me?’

  ‘Didn’t I just say that?’ Lord Fulton replied irritably. ‘Now the deed’s done, we need to wrap it up as much as possible in clean linen. Fortunately, you weren’t daft enough to admit to the innkeeper that you were eloping, so we can squelch any gossip from the village. If you arrive today and we let it be known your father is a long-time friend of the Lambornnes, you can woo the girl and propose in the usual way. No one but her mother, my wife and I need know the truth. I’ll even pressure Aldermont to accept your offer, if that becomes necessary. Hardly a good match for an earl’s daughter, but under the circumstances, better than none. You do intend to offer for her?’ he asked, turning a stern eye on Ben.

  ‘Of course.’ There was no other acceptable answer, he thought on a wave of desolation.

  ‘Good. Didn’t think you were the sort to seduce a girl and then abandon her, even if you do have a reputation as a rake. We shall come out of this all right and tight, then. M’lady wife is laid upon her bed at present, recovering from the shock of it, so I’ll get the housekeeper to assign you to a room. You can join the rest of the party later today.’

  A knock sounded at the door, followed by the entrance of the butler. ‘I’m sorry, my lord, but upon being informed that Mr Tawny was with you, Lady Alyssa insisted on intruding.’

  Despite his efforts to block the doorway, the lady herself pushed in. ‘My lord, would you allow me to speak with Mr Tawny? Alone? I assure you, it is very important.’

  ‘Haven’t you had enough of closeting yourself alone with this gentleman, miss?’ Fulton retorted. ‘Your lover will be presented to the party later today. You’ll have plenty of opportunit
y to speak then.’

  ‘I shall speak to him now,’ Lady Alyssa said evenly. ‘Alone. Or, if you will not permit that, I shall pack my things and ride away with him.’

  Lord Fulton uttered an oath, followed by comments critical of her good sense and breeding, which Lady Alyssa, signalling Ben with a wave of her hand not to intervene, endured in silence. When her agitated host at last paused for breath, she said, ‘Will you leave so I may speak to him? Or should I call for a horse?’

  For several long moments, they stared at each other, Fulton irritated and discomposed, Lady Alyssa unflinching.

  At last, Fulton said, ‘Oh, very well! Since the damage is already done and he’s agreed to wed you, I’ll allow it. But don’t tell your mother or Lady Fulton.’

  ‘I shall not. Thank you, Lord Fulton.’ Nodding a dismissal as calmly as if this were her salon and he the intruder, Lady Alyssa waited for Lord Fulton to walk out.

  Which he did, after pausing on the threshold to give them both a black look. ‘Young people today! What happened to manners and breeding?’ Shutting the door with a decided slam, they heard him stomp down the hall.

  As soon as his footsteps faded, Lady Alyssa came to Ben. ‘I won’t let them do this to you.’

  For an instant, his spirits leapt with the wild hope that he might escape matrimony after all. But then reality intervened, plunging him back to earth.

  Summoning a smile, he said, ‘It’s beyond that, I’m afraid. I think we should rather be discussing how we’re going to make the best of this.’

  She stamped her foot, uttering an oath that shocked him. ‘I never thought you, of all people, would give in so...spinelessly! It’s beyond enduring that, after all the trouble you took to ensure my safety, you were the one trapped by the plot! As you well know, I am quite happy to be ruined. But I never meant to entangle you in it! If I could find Denbry now, I would shoot him!’