The Earl's Stolen Bride (Marriage by Deceit Book 4)

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “If I’d waited a year for her hand, then would you have?”

  Before he could reply, Chloe and her mother came up to the doorway.

  “Are we interrupting anything?” Mrs. Boyle asked, poking her head into the room, her wide smile a startling contrast to her husband’s stern expression.

  “No,” Orlando said, rising to his feet. “We were finished talking.”

  Orlando had nothing else he wanted to ask her father, nor was he inclined to spend another moment alone with him. He went over to Chloe and placed his hand on the small of her back. The action was to comfort him more than it was to comfort her. Had it not been for her agreeing to elope with him, he doubted he’d ever had the chance to be with her.

  “By the look on your face, I can tell you and Chloe had a pleasant visit,” Mr. Boyle told his wife.

  “We did,” her mother replied. “Lord Reddington makes her happy. The match is a good one.” She glanced at Orlando and Chloe and smiled. “We should head on to our cottage before it gets too late in the day.”

  “You won’t be staying?” Orlando asked, not necessarily because he wanted to but because it was the proper thing to do.

  “I’m afraid we can’t,” her mother replied. “We must get something from the cottage then return to London. We could come by here on our way back.”

  Orlando nodded. “You’re more than welcome.”

  “Splendid.” She walked up to Chloe and cupped her face in her hands. “Give the matter we discussed some thought, all right?”

  “I will, Mother,” Chloe said, her voice so soft Orlando almost didn’t hear it.

  It was then that he realized Chloe wasn’t smiling. If he guessed right, something was bothering her. He’d have to wait until her parents left before finding out what that something was.

  “If you won’t stay the night,” Orlando spoke up, “then I insist you have something to eat before you leave.”

  “That’s very nice of you to offer,” her mother replied. “We’ll be happy to, thank you.”

  “I’ll tell Cook to prepare something at once. In the meantime, I need to change into more suitable attire.”

  He got ready to leave when Chloe said, “I should change, too.”

  “Chloe,” her father called out, “if you don’t mind, I’d like a chance to spend a few moments with you. Your mother has had you all to herself. I’m feeling rather neglected.”

  “Oh, well…” Chloe glanced at Orlando, and he sensed her discomfort.

  “I can stay if you wish,” Orlando offered.

  Her father frowned, an indication that he had no desire to spend any time with him, but it was Chloe who protested.

  “There’s no need,” Chloe replied. “I’d like time to talk to him.”

  Though he didn’t believe her, he had no choice but to nod and head out of the room. Maybe she’d tell him what was bothering her after her parents left. He could tell she wasn’t about to do so while they were still here, and they were undoubtedly used to getting their way.

  The poor thing probably had to do their bidding her entire life. She couldn’t even pick the gentleman she wanted to marry without doing it in secret. It must have taken a lot of courage for her to run off with him the way she had.

  He couldn’t be surprised. He had expected some unpleasant consequences to their hasty marriage. But he had sincerely believed the biggest hurdle was going to be the Ton. He had no idea her parents would choose to keep the matter private. It was much easier to oppose a group of busybodies who had nothing better to do than mind others’ businesses than it was to oppose her parents. He had the sinking sensation that some very unpleasant surprises were in store for him and Chloe.

  Chapter Nine

  All through the late lunch, Chloe tried to keep up with her parents’ cheerful conversation. Her mother was especially talkative, but that was how she was when she was uncomfortable. Her father was the quieter of the two, but during the meal, even he made it a point to add something. And Chloe was playing along, as she always had in the past when there was something going on her parents didn’t like.

  When her parents were finally leaving, she breathed a sigh of relief. Before her mother got into the carriage, she hugged her and whispered, “Consider what I said about keeping your marriage a secret until next year, my dear. Your father and I will return in three days, and you can tell us what you want to do then.”

  Then her mother patted her on the back, waved to Orlando in the most cheerful fashion, and got into the carriage to sit next to her father. Chloe forced herself to smile and wished her parents a pleasant trip to the cottage. They could have stayed here for the night and leave in the morning, but they hadn’t because they wanted her to have time to talk to Orlando alone. They knew Orlando wouldn’t listen to them, but there was a good chance he’d listen to her.

  She was dreading this. She had three days until she had to talk to him, but she didn’t know if she could keep the matter to herself for that long. As much as she wanted to pretend nothing was wrong, he cared about her so much he’d pick up on it.

  Once her parents rode off in the carriage, she turned to him. The sooner she got this over with, the better. “I need to talk to you, and I don’t expect it’ll be all that pleasant.”

  He took her hand in his and gave her a reassuring smile. “Whatever it is, we can work through it.”

  He wouldn’t be smiling once she told him what her mother wanted. Gathering up her courage, she led him to the drawing room. Whether he’d want to be with her after their talk was debatable. If he didn’t, she wouldn’t blame him. He might even want to go to another room or take a walk, anything to get away from her. But she had to get this over with.

  She waited until he shut the doors to the drawing room before she sat on the settee. “Will you sit with me?” Even if it was for a few moments, she wanted to be close to him.

  With a nod, he settled next to her. “What was it you and your mother discussed?”

  At least he was getting to the point. This should have made her feel a little better, but it didn’t. There was still that looming sense of dread welling up within her. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she turned to face him.

  “Orlando, would you be willing to…”

  Her gaze met his, and she fell short of making the request. How could she ask him to do this when even she hated the idea? Alexander. She needed to think of Alexander.

  “My brother is sickly,” she began, her voice wavering ever so slightly. “He’s been that way since he was born. He’s required the attention of many physicians. I, um…that is, my father arranged my marriage with Lord Hawkins because Alexander was near death with the croup. We needed a physician who’d give him the best chance of recovery, and Dr. Harvey required more than we could pay.”

  “I’m familiar with Dr. Harvey and can pay his fees,” Orlando replied. “You don’t need to worry on that count.”

  “I’m not worried because of that. Lord Hawkins gave my father enough money to pay Dr. Harvey until Alexander’s an adult.”

  “Then what worries you?”

  “My mother said Dr. Harvey is a finicky gentleman. He doesn’t like scandals of any sort.” Unable to keep her gaze on his, she lowered it. “If there was a scandal in my family, my mother says he won’t keep taking care of Alexander.”

  “I’ll venture a guess as to what else your mother said. She said you should return to London and have nothing to do with me?”

  “She didn’t say I couldn’t have anything to do with you,” she replied, forcing herself to look him in the eye. “She only asked we keep our marriage a secret and be discreet when we see each other.”

  He snorted. “Be discreet when we see each other?”

  “It’s really not that bad when you think it through.” Before he could protest, she added, “It’ll only be while we’re in London. When this Season is over, I can come here with you, and we can be with each other all the time again. Then when it’s time for the next Season, you c
an court me once my mourning period is over and we can go through the wedding ceremony so everyone knows we’re married.”

  “You want to return to London and live in separate townhouses?”

  She tried to ignore the hurt in his eyes, but it was hard to when she didn’t like the arrangement any more than he did. “It’s not something I want. I just don’t see what choice we have with Alexander being as sick as he is. Marrying Lord Hawkins was something I did out of necessity. I wasn’t even sure if it would secure Dr. Harvey’s services or not since the wedding was rushed, but Lord Hawkins was friends with him and put in a good word for us. Dr. Harvey saved Alexander’s life.”

  A long moment passed between them, and when she dared a peak in his direction, she could see how conflicted he was about the matter. Who could blame him? Though she’d decided to go along with this ruse, she wished she could say no without risking harm to her brother. If she knew Alexander would be all right without Dr. Harvey’s assistance, she wouldn’t have any trouble telling her mother no. But she didn’t have that assurance, and because of that, she couldn’t bring herself to take the risk.

  “I don’t want to make things any more difficult for you than they already are,” Orlando whispered, taking her hand in his and squeezing it. “I love you. I was willing to wait to marry you next year. It was to my benefit you married me sooner. The least I can do is make things easier for you. We’ll do this for your brother’s sake.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes from his tenderness toward her. He cared about her—really cared about her—in a way no one ever had. “Thank you, Orlando.”

  “There’s nothing to thank me for.”

  He was wrong about that, but she decided not to press the issue. She leaned against him, taking comfort in his silent strength.

  “So when your parents take you to London, should I wait a few days before returning?” he asked.

  “It would probably be best.”

  “All right. Then I’ll do that.” He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll wait two days then come to London. I’m not sure how I’ll get word to you when I arrive since you’ll still be in mourning.”

  “Maybe you can have Toby give Regina the missive and Regina can give it to me. No one would be the wiser, though I suppose seeing each other will be the most difficult part of things.”

  “No doubt it’ll be a challenge. But,” he added, his tone lightening a bit, “it won’t be long before autumn, and we can come back here at that time. It’s already late August. We’ll probably only be apart for a month. I waited over a year for you. A month is manageable.”

  When he put it that way, it did seem easier to accept. “I’m sure we can find ways to be together until then. I’m not sure exactly what people mean by being discreet, but apparently, people manage to be together without others finding out.”

  With a chuckle, he rubbed her arm. “We’ll have to be creative, but yes, there’ll be a way.”

  She blinked back her tears and smiled at him. “I don’t understand why you’re so kind to me.”

  “I love you, Chloe. I would do anything for you.”

  “What did I ever do to inspire your devotion? I couldn’t have said or done anything that’d make me deserve all this.”

  “I don’t know how to explain it. My friend, Toby, didn’t understand how I could know you’re the one for me. But that’s really all there is to it. I know you’re the right one and no other lady will do.”

  “You’re so much unlike me. It seems my world is full of doubts.”

  “It’d be difficult to know what you want when you have others in your life telling you what you should want.”

  He was right, she supposed, and she knew the intelligent thing to do would be to push all the outside voices aside. Only then, could she truly tap into her heart’s desires.

  “Well,” Orlando began, rubbing her back, “if we are to have a couple more days left before you return to London, I suggest we enjoy them.”

  Returning his smile, she joined him as he rose to his feet. “You’re right. I’d like to put all of my duties behind me and focus on us.”

  “I’d like that, too.” He kissed her. “Would you like to try your hand at painting?”

  “I would.”

  Taking her hand in his, he led her to the room where he kept his painting supplies.

  ***

  Chloe moaned and gripped the sheet beneath her as Orlando thrust into her. She lifted her hips higher, working with him to establish a rhythm she’d quickly become accustomed to. She’d come close to something wonderful the last couple times they’d made love, but it seemed that the climax was just out of reach. This was the first time she began to believe it would actually happen.

  The tip of his erection continued stroking her core, and the sensitive area deep within her wanted more, demanded more. This was the area she needed to satisfy. Reaching for his behind, she aided him, guiding him to the angle that gave her the greatest pleasure. And then, just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, she reached the peak.

  She grew still and cried out, surprised it should be as intense as it was. She knew it was going to feel wonderful when it finally happened, but she had no idea it’d be this good. He continued moving inside her, an action which only heightened her state of bliss.

  He murmured her name between groans, but she could hardly focus on anything but how he was making her feel as wave after wave of pleasure crashed into her. It took a few moments before she was, once again, aware of what was happening around her.

  He leaned forward and kissed her cheek and then her neck. Her body tingled and she relaxed. Sighing in contentment, she pulled him closer to her.

  Making love to him was one of her favorite activities. She didn’t think she would’ve enjoyed this with Lord Hawkins. He’d been so formal, and even a bit aloof, in all the time she’d had anything to do with him. She imagined making love to him would have been the same way. There wouldn’t have been the wonderful feeling of being safe and cared for that she felt with Orlando. And that made her even happier he was the only one she’d ever shared this experience with.

  Orlando whispered her name and grew taut as his seed filled her. She held him, taking pleasure in knowing he found such joy in their being together. After a few seconds passed, he relaxed and settled beside her, drawing her into his arms.

  He kissed her. “I love you, Chloe.”

  “I love you, too.”

  A moment of silence passed before he whispered, “It’s going to be hard to stay away from you when we’re back in London. I got so used to having the pleasure of your company all the time. I don’t know what I’ll do with myself without you around.” When she opened her mouth to answer, he said, “I’m not trying to make you feel guilty for agreeing to your parents’ plan. I just wanted you to know that you’re every bit a part of me now. We’re completely united in heart and soul and mind.”

  He kissed her hand, and she grinned. “That’s lovely, Orlando.”

  “I find I’m thinking and saying a lot of lovely things ever since you came into my life. When I was a boy, my father and mother would talk about things the young gentlemen would do to impress ladies during the Season. I often wondered why gentlemen did such silly things. Now that I’m with you, I know.”

  “What kind of silly things did they do?”

  He chuckled. “Well, one stood outside a lady’s townhouse and sang to her.”

  “He did this in London where everyone could hear him?”

  “He did. He even had a bouquet of flowers in his arms.”

  “Is that considered scandalous?”

  “The Ton talked about it for months, but I think most people thought it was romantic. The lady married him, so it worked the way he’d hoped.” He gave her hip a playful squeeze. “Don’t expect me to do that. I can paint, but singing isn’t one of my gifts.”

  She kissed him. “I don’t mind. I prefer the portrait. Every time I look at it
, I’ll think of you.”

  “Good.”

  “So, tell me. What other silly things did you hear about?”

  “Hmm…I remember hearing about one who sent a series of poems to the lady he desired. He didn’t write them. He just copied the ones that made him think of her.”

  “That’s a sweet gesture.”

  “Yes, it was, and far more sensible than singing in front of everyone. As for another gentleman, he actually challenged the other suitor to a duel for the lady’s hand.”

  “Oh no!”

  “Oh yes.”

  “That doesn’t seem as romantic as the other two. It sounds rather foolish.”

  “I agree. As lovely as a lady might be, I can’t see risking a duel over her. What if she didn’t want to be with him? What if she wanted to be with the other gentleman instead? It’s not fair to take away her choice.”

  “Did she love the gentleman who called for the duel?”

  “I don’t know, but I suppose it doesn’t matter. He died, and she was so upset, she entered the nunnery.”

  “That’s horrible.”

  “It was. My mother thought the lady felt responsible for the death and wanted to atone for it.” He pulled her closer to him and kissed her. “I see I made you sad. How about this one? There was a gentleman who named a pig after the lady he loved.”

  She grimaced. “A pig?”

  “She was his prized sow. People came from all over to see her.”

  “I hope you never do that to me. I don’t think being named after a sow is a compliment.”

  “He meant it as such. That was his favorite pet.”

  “A pet? He had a sow for a pet?”

  “I’ve heard of stranger ones. One gentleman had a snake, and another had a bat.”

  She shivered. Who would want such disgusting creatures like snakes or bats? “All right. I relent. I suppose a sow isn’t so bad after all.”

  Chuckling, he kissed her again, but this time, the kiss turned into a deeper one. She melted in his arms, all thoughts of their conversation fleeing from her mind. He had the most peculiar tendency to make her forget everything else but him, and soon she was back in the moment of bliss where everything was perfect with the world.