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

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Chloe’s face warmed. “I would if my mother didn’t have so many people coming over to see me or if she didn’t come over so she could take me to see them. I assumed when I became a widow I would get bored since widows aren’t supposed to do much, but the opposite has proven true.” She paused and smiled at her friend. “Enough about me. How is your business doing since you married? Do you still find time to help young ladies secure betrothals?”

  “I do. I love helping them, and Camden fully supports me.”

  “That’s wonderful.”

  “It is. I don’t think many gentlemen would allow their wives such liberties. It’s nice he doesn’t feel threatened by the fact that more people know who I am than who he is. My first husband never would have allowed it.”

  After a moment of silence, Chloe took another sip of the soothing liquid then set the cup down.

  “Is that all you’re drinking?” Helena asked.

  She shrugged. “I’m not all that thirsty.” And besides, if she drank too much, it might upset her stomach again. Better to just have a couple sips and be done with it.

  “Are you feeling all right?”

  “I feel fine. Well, a little tired, but it’s hard to sleep when Orlando’s not with me. Not that I get much sleep when he’s around either.” Chloe chuckled. “I must be boring you with all this talk about Orlando.”

  “No, you’re not boring me at all.”

  “Even so, we should talk more about you. You said you have a client coming by soon. What do you think about her?”

  “To be honest, I’m surprised she insisted on finding someone so late in the Season. Most young ladies and gentlemen have already secured betrothals or have decided to wait until next year to try again.”

  “So she wants to marry this year?”

  “Yes, but I can’t really say more than that. I try to keep the reasons my clients wish to marry a secret unless they decide to tell everyone, and this particular lady has chosen not to disclose her wishes to anyone but me.”

  “I understand. There’s no need to tell me then.”

  “I do, however, have something to tell you.”

  Interest piqued, Chloe leaned forward. “This sounds good.”

  “It is. The other day Camden told me it was a shame there is no place people can go to have marriages arranged for them. His thinking was that it’d be nice if someone had a place to go to where they could be paired up with someone who shared similar interests.”

  “That would save people a lot of trouble if they had to get married in a hurry.”

  “That’s what I thought. So then I wondered how I might be able to do something like this. And I think I know how I can do it. If I write out a list of questions, people can answer them. I’ll take their responses and pair them up.”

  “Do they have to marry the person you select?”

  “No. It’s possible they might sound good together in their answers but not be compatible when they meet. In that case, I would pick another client for them. I’d also continue offering my services for those who’d rather meet people at balls. But at least this way, those who don’t feel confident in social situations have another way to make a possible love match.”

  “I love the idea, Helena! I think you’ll have a lot of interest in it.”

  “I think so, too, which makes me think I might not be able to do it all myself. I’ll need some help.” She looked at Chloe expectantly

  Chloe’s eyes widened, and she pointed to herself. “Me? You want me to help you?”

  “Only if you’re comfortable with the idea. I’m only one pair of eyes. It’d be nice if I had someone else look over the answers to get a second opinion on whether I’m choosing the couples wisely or not.”

  “I don’t know how much I can do since I’m still in mourning.”

  “I won’t be doing this until next Season. It’s too late to do anything new this year. But if you’re interested in doing it then, I’d be delighted. You’ll get paid, of course.”

  Chloe drummed her fingers as she considered the possibility. It would be a fun diversion, but would Orlando be all right with it? She thought over everything she’d learned about him. She couldn’t imagine him telling her not to do it. From what she’d gathered about him, he might even encourage her.

  But then, there was her mother. Oh dear. She must not forget about her mother. “Helena, does Lady Cadwalader approve of what you do?”

  Helena’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why should it matter what Lady Cadwalader thinks?”

  “It doesn’t, really, but my mother is sensitive to what Lady Cadwalader, and others like her, have to say.” Her shoulders slumped. “I suppose that means I shouldn’t do it.”

  “I have no idea if Lady Cadwalader approves of what I do or not. She’s never said anything to me, and I’ve never asked her.”

  “Nor should you ask her. It’s not her business what you do or don’t do. I just don’t know if I can do it with you because my mother might give me grief over it. I’ll have to ask her.”

  Helena looked as if she was ready to say something, but then she shut her mouth and nodded her acceptance.

  Embarrassed, Chloe picked up her cup and took another sip of tea. Helena didn’t have to say what was on her mind. She already knew. Helena was giving her the same look Orlando had when she said she had to visit Mrs. Harvey.

  Why couldn’t she break free of the need to please her parents? Why did she have to let them dictate so much for her? The only thing they hadn’t had a decision in was her marrying Orlando.

  Helena reached over and gave her hand a reassuring pat. “I won’t start until next Season. You can give me your answer then.”

  Chloe smiled. “I act more like a little girl than a grown lady.”

  “I know how your parents are. I let them talk me into having you marry Lord Hawkins.” In a lower voice, she added, “They have a way of convincing you their way is the right way.”

  “One thing I enjoyed most about being at Orlando’s estate was that for the first time in my life, I was free to be who I truly was. It was wonderful.”

  “He’s good for you,” Helena commented.

  “Of course, I can be myself around you, too. I don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate everything you’ve done for me as well.”

  “Friends accept each other, faults and all.”

  Picking up on her friend’s joke, Chloe pretended to gasp. “Faults?”

  Helena shrugged. “Not everyone can be perfect like I am.”

  “Oh, you’re a wicked one.” She laughed and added, “I suppose I should be grateful you choose to spend time with a lowly countess like me.”

  “You should be, but not because you’re a lowly countess. You should because I’m delightful company.”

  “You are. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “Probably wallow away in boredom.”

  “Camden’s definitely good for you, Helena. I don’t recall you joking so much before you married him.”

  “A good husband does wonders for the heart and soul.”

  “Indeed he does,” Chloe agreed then sipped more tea.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Why the glum face?” Toby asked as he entered Orlando’s den.

  Orlando glanced away from the cold fireplace. He checked the grandfather clock. Had an entire hour actually passed since he came in here to read a book? He straightened up in his chair and picked up the book resting on his lap.

  “I was reading,” Orlando said.

  Toby sat in the chair next to him. “I didn’t know there was a story written in the fireplace.”

  Despite his mood, Orlando’s lips curled up into a smile. “I wasn’t reading the fireplace. My mind wandered, that’s all. If you’d been home when I stopped by, I wouldn’t have had to resort to this.” He held up the book describing some dead gentleman’s life. Even now, he couldn’t bring himself to look at the title to remind himself of who that gentleman was. “If you ever have trouble sle
eping, read a biography.”

  “If I have trouble sleeping, I’ll listen to Regina’s mother.”

  “Why are you always giving the poor lady a difficult time?”

  “I don’t give her a difficult time. I stay out of her way as much as possible.”

  “But you complain a lot about her. One would swear she came from the very pit of hell itself.”

  “For all I know, she did.”

  Orlando snickered. “Your mother-in-law isn’t nearly as bad as mine. At least yours allowed you to be with your wife after you married her. Mine is doing everything possible to keep us apart.”

  “You disappeared for four days. How exactly is she succeeding in keeping you apart?”

  “I have to hide in Chloe’s bedchamber whenever I see her.”

  Toby’s eyes grew wide in mock horror. “How silly of me. You spent four days confined to her bedchamber. I’m sorry I underestimated the depth of your suffering.”

  Orlando tossed the book at his friend and laughed. “You say another word, and I’ll throw something else.”

  Letting out an indignant grunt, Toby picked the book up from the floor next to him and placed it on the table. “You know what you need? You need some brandy. And fortunately for you, you happen to have the good kind.”

  “I suppose you’re going to help yourself to some of it while you’re here?”

  “You’re supposing right.” Toby leapt out of the chair and went over to the decanter to pour them both some brandy. “Why don’t you go back to Chloe’s? Make a night of it in her bedchamber.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  “I don’t know how much I can get away with without getting caught. When I came back here, there was a missive waiting for me in the drawing room. Mr. Jasper wanted to talk to me about an investing opportunity. I had to meet him at White’s to explain where I’ve been. I ended up saying I had to visit an ailing friend in the country.”

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing until Mr. Robinson suggested I was with a mistress.”

  “Mr. Robinson likes to cause trouble. It makes him feel better about his own pitiful life.”

  “Well, it doesn’t help that other gentlemen seem to vanish for a couple of days to even weeks when they’re with their mistresses.”

  “Why should that bother you? Chloe knows you spent the time with her.”

  “Yes, but others don’t know that.”

  Toby came over to him and handed him his glass of brandy. Sitting down, he said, “But her parents know about the marriage.”

  “While that’s true, I don’t know if they should be informed when we’re together.”

  “Why not? Maybe it’ll keep the mother-in-law away.”

  “I doubt it. Sometimes I hope Chloe will tell me she’s expecting a child. I know it’s selfish, but I want others to know we’re married. I want her to be in this house with me. I want to be able to go out with her and do the things couples do. I don’t know what possibility there is of her getting a child, though, since I’ve had to use a blasted sheath every time we’ve been together since returning to London. She probably already had her lady’s time of month.”

  Toby held his hand up to stop him. “I don’t want to know the details.”

  “My point is, since she hasn’t already told me she’s with child, I’ve been thinking of forgetting to put the sheath on.”

  “You don’t think she’ll notice?”

  Orlando tapped the edge of his glass. “If I distract her enough, I don’t think she will.”

  Toby shook his head. “Can you really do that to someone you love?”

  No, no he couldn’t. As tempting as it was, he couldn’t bring himself to do that to her. Orlando gulped his brandy and set the glass down. “I hate it when you’re right.”

  “I know a year sounds like a long time, but it really isn’t.”

  “I’ve been trying to tell myself the same thing.” Orlando shot him a pointed look. “It’s not working. It only makes the time seem that much slower.”

  “You can’t let your impatience get the best of you. I know it’s hard since you tend to be impulsive, but you need to be sensible about these things.”

  “I know.”

  Toby sipped his brandy then gestured to him. “You need something to take your mind off Chloe. Want to go fox hunting?”

  It wasn’t as good as being with Chloe, but it had been a while since he participated in the sport. With a shrug, he said, “All right. Let’s do it.”

  “Don’t get too excited.”

  Orlando chuckled as he rose to his feet. “I’m agreeing to go. Isn’t that enough?”

  Toby thought about it for a moment then nodded. “I suppose so.” He stood up and added, “You can always do what I do when I hunt. I pretend my mother-in-law is the fox.”

  “You’re an evil son-in-law, Toby.”

  “I’m not evil. I just know how to make the sport a little more enjoyable, that’s all.” Grinning, Toby headed out of the den.

  ***

  “I’m glad you came tonight,” Chloe whispered, tracing Orlando’s jaw with her finger as they rested in bed.

  There was a bit of stubble on it, but she didn’t mind. All it did was emphasize the fact that he was a gentleman. Last time he’d stayed here for four days and had grown a light beard. It was intriguing to see how different he looked when he wasn’t clean shaven.

  “I couldn’t stay away anymore,” he replied.

  “In two weeks we’ll leave London. Then we don’t have to spend so much time apart.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  She giggled as he gathered her into his arms and kissed her neck in a playful manner. “Oh, Orlando, everything is better when you’re with me.”

  “Two weeks. Two weeks, and we won’t have to sneak around anymore.”

  “It sounds wonderful.”

  She kissed him, and, feeling just a bit wicked, she retrieved the newly washed sheath from the table by the bed and rolled on top of him. He was already hard, and she thought it might be fun to put it on him for a change. She’d seen him do it enough to know the process. She glanced at him, wondering if he’d let her do it, and since he didn’t protest, she slipped it over his shaft then tightened the ribbon at the base to secure it.

  “Are you sure you want me to put it on?” he asked, surprising her since he’d waited until she was finished before he mentioned it.

  “We have to,” she replied.

  “No, we don’t.”

  “If we don’t, I could conceive a child. Then everyone will know we’re married so shortly after Lord Hawkins died, and Dr. Harvey won’t take care of Alexander anymore.”

  “Do we know for sure Dr. Harvey won’t see him anymore? That could have been something your mother said to scare you.”

  “I don’t know if she said it to scare me or not, but Alexander’s the healthiest he’s ever been and I don’t know if it’s worth the risk to find out. Do you?”

  Letting out a heavy sigh, he shook his head. “When you put it that way, no, it’s not. I wish I knew of a physician who has the same reputation Dr. Harvey does, but I don’t.”

  “Even if there was, he might only take patients from reputable families. I hate to admit it, but Lord Hawkins meant a lot to Dr. Harvey. The two were good friends, and the only reason Dr. Harvey agreed to care for Alexander was because of him.”

  “I understand.” He reached up and brushed her cheek with his thumb. “I’m sorry. I won’t make this harder on you than it has to be. I’ll wear the sheath.”

  “Maybe we don’t need it all the time,” she suggested, an idea coming to her. “I’m sure we can do things that don’t involve you entering me.”

  “You’d be willing to try something like wrapping your hand around me and bringing me to completion?”

  Her eyebrows raised in interest. “Would that work?”

  He chuckled. “It most definitely would. It wouldn’t be too much different from me touching you here.” He reached do
wn to the apex between her legs and teased the folds of her flesh before he slid a finger into her.

  Surprised by the sudden burst of pleasure the action brought, she gasped then let out a low moan.

  “Like that?” he teased.

  She nodded and shifted in order to take him deeper into her. There was an area in her core that felt particularly good whenever he stroked it with his penis, and now he was doing it with his finger. She reached down to take another one of his fingers into her when he stopped her.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “I think one is enough.”

  She laughed. Surely, he was joking. “I’m used to having you inside me, and you’re bigger than two fingers.”

  “Maybe if you’re on your back, it’ll be all right.”

  She shifted so he was no longer in her, an action that allowed her to better focus on what he was saying. “Orlando, it won’t hurt me if I’m not on my back. I’m sure I can do it in another position and be all right.”

  “I’m not sure, Chloe. Remember our wedding night? You were bleeding. I don’t want to do that to you again.”

  “You won’t.”

  “Did you know it was going to hurt the first time we were together?”

  “Well, no,” she slowly said. “But that didn’t last long, and I’ve been fine ever since.”

  “We can’t be sure it won’t happen again if you’re in another position.”

  Though she highly doubted it, she couldn’t successfully argue the point with him. “I’m willing to find out,” she finally said, offering him a suggestive smile.

  He didn’t respond right away, and she realized just how much he regretted the fact that her first time had hurt. He’d mentioned it before, of course, but she thought it was more along the lines of being concerned. Now she understood that what he actually felt was fear.

  Maybe this wasn’t the time to press the issue. She’d have to figure out something, but she didn’t have to figure it out tonight. And she didn’t want to worry about it at the moment, especially not when their time together was so limited. They’d have more time at his estate. Then, perhaps, she could ease him into trying something different. In the meantime, there were other things they could do, things that wouldn’t cause him any uncertainty. She leaned forward and kissed him.