by Reid, Stacy
“I’m pleased you are here, Evie,” he said carefully, his gaze watchful.
“Why am I here?” she asked without preamble.
A silence fell, throbbing with undertones of tension. “Richard—”
“Marry me.”
Her eyes widened. A few weeks ago, his words would have brought such delight to her heart. Instead, a quiver of pain arrowed through her chest. She tilted her head, farther up, holding his gaze. “I am not with child.”
“I’m glad,” he said gruffly, tugging at his cravat, the uncharacteristic nervous gesture relieving some of her tension.
“I would never want you to doubt my sincerity or the reason I want you. I love you,” he said simply, but with such wealth of emotion he rendered her speechless.
An almost unbearable ache twisted through her soul. “Richard, I—”
“I fell in love with you six years ago, in that garden, but never as much as I love you now,” he whispered. “I’ve long known the strength and purity of your honor, and I’ve been a damned fool in shying from the love burning in my soul for you. Since I met you, Evie, it has always been you. If you cannot forgive the hurt I have caused you, step away from me, turn left, walk down the corridor, and open the first door on the right. Wolverton will be waiting to discreetly escort you home. There will be no speculation or scandal. It will be as if you were never here.”
His throat worked. “But if you love me still, and can find it in your heart to forgive me for being a damn fool, turn right, walk out to the terrace outside and follow the lantern lit pathway.”
A lantern lit pathway? “What is out there?”
“Our future,” he said hoarsely. “You, me, them…us.”
The soft words burned into her, stirring sweet hope, but also pain and doubt. “How could I marry you, Richard, when you think so low of me? You believe me to be shallow and inconstant. If we marry, you will watch me with cold eyes, waiting for the day I will falter to then confirm your belief in my frailty. And I will be hurt on some days; I am human.” Her voice was ragged with emotion. “What woman would be happy with the thought of her family’s reputation and honor always being called into question? There are days their barbs will strike, perhaps when I am excluded from social events, I will sigh in regret or even feel the prick of anger at their callousness. I will feel hurt when my mother lashes out, and when friends turn from me. I cannot anticipate the hurt I will feel when you judge me for it, especially when I know in my soul nothing can separate me from the love I feel for you. I don’t need to hide behind you as you protect me from the cruel world out there, but I do need to walk beside you, and I am not sure if you know that I am capable.”
He reached for her, and she stumbled back, knowing that if he touched her, she would crumble. They stared at each other for painful minutes, before Evie turned toward the corridor. His hands caught her around the waist, and then his forehead pressed into her back.
Oh God, he is kneeling.
“Evie, don’t… Please, I’ve been a colossal fool, my actions were driven by fear of losing you. I wanted to protect you when I simply needed to give you my unreserved trust. I know your strength, your honor, and kindness. Each moment when I’ve been alone, I only needed to think of you and the world righted. Your fortitude was never in doubt when you rebelled at sixteen to forge your own future instead of succumbing to your mother’s demands. I know now that all this time you waited for me, every suitor you rejected was for me…for us. Even when the scandal sheets and cartoons vilified me…jeered at our friendship, you stood strong, a gentle force that had no hope of being broken or persuaded away, but I didn’t want to see it, I didn’t want to trust in what was right before my eyes. You’ve been prodded by society and your parents to flee my presence, but you never wavered. I tried to push you away, and you crafted a plan to ensnare my heart, and you caught me soundly. Aurelia’s actions had devastated me, but you, my love, have the power to undo me. Having almost lost you made me realize living in a world without you is unfathomable. I’ve faltered,” he admitted gruffly.
“When their swords cleaved deep, and I brewed with disgust and anger, I turned to you. It has always been you. Whenever the world got too bleak, too dark, I would find a reason to ensure our paths crossed, and a smile from you would beat it all into submission. When you falter I’ll be there without judgment or fears you’ll wilt. I’ll understand when the burden gets heavy, and I’ll hold you, and worship you, until all that is dark and uncertain flees. I cannot promise I won’t slay those who attempt to hurt you, I’ll break all who try, but I’ll be with you every step of the way. Evie, I love you. I do not want you behind me, my love, but by my side always.”
A whirlpool of emotions gripped her—pain and anguish, colliding with joy, desire, and love. The words she’d wanted to hear from his lips for six years had finally come forth. He was on his knees baring himself to her, and never had she seen him so vulnerable. Tears blurred her vision.
She turned to him, and he rose, then she walked toward the terrace doors. A harsh breath of relief issued from him. She strolled ahead, then down the steps and outside onto the lawns. Her steps slowed, and she gazed in wonderment at the hundreds of lanterns lighting the pathway, directing her through the winding maze of gardens. After several twists, she rounded a corner and slowed, her heart lodging in her throat.
The guests she’d wondered about were seated under a very large and beautifully decorated gazebo. Evie doubted fifty people were present, but some of the most influential people in society were there. Her gaze skipped to the left where she spied Mrs. Cranston and several children. As if controlled by another, her feet propelled her forward. The guests surged to their feet, and she faltered. At the front of the gazebo, a bishop waited…along with Emily, dressed in a beautiful white ballgown. Evie sobbed and laughed when Emily waved at her, hopping on her stocking-clad feet. The imp had lost her shoes. Her eyes widened upon seeing her parents and her brother. How? When had they arrived?
You, me, them…us
His wonderful heat came closer. “I have the special license Wolverton had gotten for us.”
Oh!
She faced him.
A slight tremor went through his tautened frame, and his brilliant amber eyes burned through her, stripping away her fears and filling her heart with hope.
“Marry me, Evie, be my friend, my lover, my marchioness. It’ll be us against the weak-minded fools of society, but we’ll also have the love and support from those who matter.”
She could barely see him through a film of tears. “I’ve loved you from the beginning. I was only sixteen, but I knew with every part of me, I belonged to you. I’ll never be a hoyden,” she whispered with a shaky laugh, “but there is no force in society that can induce me away from your side. I love you beyond propriety and expectations. I’ll be your lover, your wife, and marchioness, for I love you quite desperately.”
With a groan of relief, he stepped closer and pulled her to him. She lifted her tear-filled eyes to his blurred face. He brushed his lips over hers, a fleeting touch of his breath passing from his lips to hers. As if he couldn’t help himself Richard kissed her tenderly again and again. A gasp sounded from behind and Evie did not care; they all believed or knew he’d already debauched her. They were already scandalous and outrageous. Each kiss went deeper, lingered longer. He pulled from her, and Evie smiled, happiness pounding through her with a dizzying effect. She’d gaze at him all night long if she could. “I love you, Richard,” she whispered achingly.
“And I you. I love you, Evie.”
Then her father was there, and she hugged him. “Oh, Papa,” she gasped. “You must have known.”
“I did, my dear child, I did,” he replied fondly.
“Mamma will not forgive you for keeping this from her.”
“Yes, but my nerves are better off for her not knowing in advance. And I daresay she will be in raptures at the generous settlement Lord Westfall made. Now let’s get you down that aisle
.”
Evie turned to see Richard had gone ahead, and she glided down the makeshift aisle with a beautiful trellis of flowers on each side. Before passing the children, she stopped and hugged them, laughing as they returned her embrace enthusiastically. She almost choked to see James had a knife showing from his waistband.
Evie made it to Richard’s side and faced him.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is an honorable estate…”
Epilogue
Six months later…
The slanting rays of the sun bathed Evie and Emily in a soft, warm glow as they ran toward a group of children and adults reposing on several blankets under the shade of a large oak tree. Their laughter flittered on the air, drawing the attention of several passersby, some smiling at their obvious joy, others frowning at the boisterous display. Richard strolled along the lanes of Hyde Park at a casual pace, watching his ladies with discreet protectiveness.
Since their marriage, several members of polite society had not been kind or accepting, and the cartoons illustrated in the scandal sheets in the first weeks had been terrible. Evie had been upset at their cruelty but had stood firm even when it became evident her popularity amongst the swains and ladies of the ton had dwindled. There had been one particular cartoon that had made her cry, and Richard had visited the publisher in the dark of night at the man’s townhouse and had outlined the man’s secrets and the manner in which Richard would make him regret his existence. Since then, the cartoons had been more favorable, until he and his marchioness dwindled from the pages. A few other lords had also learned it was prudent to rein in the malice of their wives and daughters at balls and musicales or suffer his displeasure. It hadn’t taken long for society to realize that while he was indifferent to the umbrage heaped upon his honor and reputation, he wouldn’t tolerate harm to his marchioness.
As if she felt his regard, Evie glanced in his direction, her face suffused with an intense love that always had his mouth drying. He was still somewhat stunned by the realization that Evie was his, and the completeness he felt each morning staring at her face. She bent slightly and spoke to Emily who nodded with enthusiasm before darting to the other children who fed the ducks swimming in the Serpentine lake. They were picnicking with their friends, the Duke and Duchess of Wolverton, who were out with their two girls and much too energetic twin boys, and the Earl and Countess of Blade and their lovely daughter who was only a few months old. And then there was his and Evie’s brood of eight.
She strolled to meet him, and his gaze unerringly went to the flat of her stomach. A surge of love and possessiveness scythed through his heart. It was only this morning she had informed him she was with child, and the children in a few months would be welcoming a brother or sister.
Evie reached his side and, without a care for their audience, brushed her lips against his in a fleeting kiss. Before she could retreat, he deepened their embrace, indulging in a quick sample of her unique flavor. Amusement rushed through him at the outraged gasps from a few ladies. Releasing Evie, she chuckled.
“Forever acting the notorious scoundrel, I see.”
“I simply follow where you lead, wife.”
Her mouth curved in a sublime smile while her bright green eyes grew sultry with a promise of how the rest of their day would unfold. She looped their hands together and tugged him toward their waiting party. He’d come to trust that the world could fall apart, and they’d still be one.
They paused as a coach came into view, heading toward their direction bearing the Salop’s ducal crest. The conveyance pulled to a halt. A footman rushed to open the door and lowered the steps. The Duke of Salop descended, an imposing man, his bearing regal with austere but handsome features.
“Your father,” she murmured, slanting Richard a surprised glance. “Are you curious?”
“Indifferent,” Richard said flatly, his eyes skimming beyond his father to his children in the distance.
Evie’s fingers sank into his arms, grounding him when he would have shifted in the opposite direction.
“It must have taken tremendous courage for him to approach you in public…given your reputation of being ruthless with those who’ve wronged you, my love.”
“I am still unmoved.”
“He is family,” she countered softly.
A peculiar jolt went through his heart before he iced over his emotions. The duke approached, and lords and ladies unashamedly lingered, their gazes rapt upon them.
“Westfall,” his father greeted. His cold golden eyes sliced to Evie who met his regard with open and unflinching curiosity.
“Lady Westfall,” the duke greeted, the warmth in his eyes too appreciative of her beauty.
She dipped into a quick but elegant curtsy. “Your Grace, how delightful to see you again,” she said warmly, as if the last time she had spoken to the man was last week and not more than two years.
His gaze slid to Richard. “A word in private.”
“No.”
Evie winced.
The duke studied Richard for several seconds in tense silence before he withdrew a letter from his coat pocket. He handed it to Richard.
“Once again scandal hovers over my family like a sharpened sword,” the duke murmured. “This was intercepted being delivered to your townhouse. Given the situation, I, of course, read it. It was not my intention to involve you, but my search has unearthed no clues.”
A search of what?
He snatched the letter and flipped it open.
Dearest Richard,
By the time you’ve received this letter, I will be long gone. I’ve entrusted my maid Sarah to see it reaches you only after I’ve safely crossed the border into the Highlands. I cannot tell you to where I’ve traveled, only know I did it to spare you and Mother my shame, and to spare myself Father’s disappointment and wrath. I fear I am with child and the scandal of it is too much for me to remain in London. I know Mamma would insist I flee to the country and give birth to my child in secret, only to give her up, and I could not bear the thought of that. There is a man…an earl, who is in need of a wife, who has gone about it in the most unorthodox fashion of advertising for her. It seems his reputation may even be more disreputable than yours, but I’ve informed him of my sorry plight, and he is willing to take me as his wife. I find such an action to be honorable. Perhaps two wounded souls may find succor together, so I’ve taken steps to decide my own future. When I’ve settled, I will write to you with news.
Faithfully,
Phoebe.
For precious moments, the only sound he heard was the pounding of his heart. He lifted his gaze and the fear and pain in his father’s eyes couldn’t be disguised.
“When did this happen?”
“It has been ten days.”
“My sister has been missing for ten days, and I am only now informed?”
Evie’s soft gasp echoed his distress.
“Your mother has been abed with worry. I believe your presence and your reassurance that you will bring Phoebe home will relieve her mind.” The duke turned and observed the small party in the distance. “I believe she would also like to meet her granddaughter.”
Then the duke whirled around and entered the equipage, which quickly pulled away.
“I will blister her backside when I find her,” Richard said gruffly, suppressing the cold fear knotting in his gut, his thoughts plotting ahead on the steps he would need to take to protect her against society, this earl who lured her to the Highlands, and the expectations of their parents.
“But you will find her,” Evie reassured him. “I know you will, and when you do, we will be there for her in every way that matters.” She squeezed his arms gently, offering her unwavering love and comfort.
“I will,” he promised. The scoundrel who stole her virtue and left her alone in her current circumstances would die. He would not compr
omise on that score. “Wait here,” he said to Evie, and then moved quickly to where their carriage was parked.
The footman stood to attention at his approach, promptly forgetting the giggling maid he’d been conversing with.
“My lord?”
“Take a message to the Sparrow. Take two other men with you as you’ll be going to the seedier side of town. At this time, he’ll be found at Jenny’s Inn. I have need of his service, and I expect a meeting within the next couple of hours.”
“Yes, my lord.” The footman rushed away to do his bidding.
Richard turned back to Evie, some of the cold tension dissipating as a plan of action formed. The Sparrow was a spy in the underworld, and he worked for Richard, seeking and ferreting any information he needed. It hardly mattered the man himself was a viscount; the Sparrow, too, stood on the fringes of polite society and made himself invaluable by commanding a band of children who were his network in the underworld. The man’s saving grace and the reason Richard had not slit his throat when he uncovered him was that the Sparrow cared for all his children and treated them well.
Evie slipped her fingers through his when he reached her side. “Is all well?”
“It will be,” he vowed.
Trust and compassion glowed in her eyes. “I know.”
The children waved in the distance, and with a light laugh, Evie tugged him toward the merriment. Halfway across the lawn, Emily ran over, tumbling into them indecorously. With a chuckle, Richard swung her into his arms, and she twisted and climbed up, settling along his shoulders.
“I’m happy, Papa,” Emily said with a gusty sigh.
He grabbed one of her hands resting atop his head and kissed her knuckles, which bore questionable stains. “I’m happy, too.”
She giggled infectiously, and Evie laughed. Nothing was perfect; nothing was without flaw. But this moment…it would be etched in Richard’s heart and memory for as long as he lived.
