Her Devilish Marquess

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “I don’t know.” Ethan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “From what I hear, ladies have a hard time forgetting what Derek looks like without his shirt on.”

  “Yes, but last night he threw food at Lady Cadwalader, of all people.”

  “Maybe if he removes her wig next time, people will forget about the shirt.”

  Derek’s eyes grew wide. “Lady Cadwalader wears a wig?”

  Christopher nodded. “She has less hair than her husband, and you can almost see your reflection on his head.”

  Derek shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”

  “It’s true,” Christopher insisted. “The Tittletattle never lies.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say that,” Ethan replied.

  “It’s true,” Christopher said. “The Tittletattle is one of the most reliable sources we have. If you want to know what’s really going on, you go there to find out.”

  Ethan chuckled. “I think it’s amusing you believe that.”

  Logan ran in from the other room and came over to them. “Oh good! I was hoping you’d come by today,” he told Derek. “I win the bet,” he told the other gentlemen.

  “And I lost,” Christopher mused, along with some of the gentlemen who started paying Logan. He looked at Derek. “I thought for sure you wouldn’t come here because of Warren.”

  “Yes, I’m surprised, too,” Ethan admitted. “Especially after you made such a fuss over your wife being friends with Malcolm Jasper.”

  “As it turns out,” Derek explained, “my wife fully supported me last night.”

  Ethan’s eyebrows rose. “She did?”

  Derek nodded. “In fact, that’s why I’m here. I’m not going to let the Ton tell me what I can and can’t say anymore. From now on, I’m going to say exactly what I want.”

  Logan cheered. “I knew he’d say that, too! Pay up, gentlemen.”

  Ethan frowned. “Didn’t you say something about promising your wife you weren’t going to place any more bets?”

  Logan shot him a pointed look. “It’s not a bet when it’s a sure thing. It’s only a bet if you have a chance of losing.”

  “Hmm…” Christopher dug out his money and handed it to him. “I lost.”

  “Because you refused to believe in your friend. I, however, never doubted him.” Logan collected the rest of the money and grinned at Derek. “Thank you, my lord.”

  If it hadn’t been Logan who’d been so quick to come to his defense last night, Derek might have been insulted. But as it was, he decided one good turn deserved another. He grinned in return. “You’re welcome.”

  “I suppose losing the money was worth it,” Christopher said. “The important thing is, you came here today.”

  “Yes,” Ethan agreed. “Will you be coming by more often, or is this a rare occurrence?”

  “I’m going to be coming here more often,” Derek promised them.

  “Good!” they both replied in unison.

  “It’ll be nice to have some support when Warren starts rambling on about decency and other nonsense,” Christopher said.

  “Is he here?” Derek asked, glancing at the other room.

  “Not at the moment,” Ethan replied, “but you’ll have time to deal with him later. Every time he comes in, he gives one of his sermons on how we should better ourselves.”

  “It’s worse than sitting through church,” Christopher added. “Why didn’t he become a vicar?”

  “Good question,” Ethan quipped. “At any rate, why don’t you join us in a game of cards?”

  “Sure,” Derek replied. “It sounds like fun.” And it did. Better yet, he’d get the pleasure of knowing he’d be able to sit back and enjoy each time he came here in the future.

  ***

  “Of all the balls I missed, it had to be the most exciting one,” Regan bemoaned the next afternoon as she set the Tittletattle in front of Danette upon her arrival at Danette’s townhouse.

  Danette only glanced at the scandalsheets where the headline, Lord Dodsworth Compares the Ton to Rats, was in big, bold letters. She dipped a sugar cube into her tea and stirred it with a spoon. “I don’t know if I’d say he compared the entire Ton to rats. It was mostly aimed at Lord and Lady Cadwalader and Lord Riggley.”

  Regan plopped down next to Danette on the settee and groaned. “What I wouldn’t have given to see him say that to Lady Cadwalader! She annoys me the most. Always thinking she’s better than everyone else. Tell me,” she faced Danette, looking her squarely in the eye, “what did she look like when he flung the cheese at her?”

  “I wasn’t close enough to see her face, but she did shriek as she frantically tried to get it off of her.”

  “Oh, how I wish I’d been there! It’s simply not fair I missed it.”

  “Well, you were there to see my husband take off his shirt at the Duke of Rumsey’s ball,” Danette teased as she picked up her cup.

  “You get to see him without his shirt every night. That is,” she added with a twinkle in her eye, “if you do your wifely duty every night.”

  Despite the heat rising in her cheeks, Danette took a long sip of her tea, purposely making her curious friend wait until she answered her. “I have seen him without all of his clothes every night since we married. However, the lady’s time hindered us from taking full advantage of the bed for a few of those days. You’ll be happy to know I have been faithful to my duties on all the other ones.”

  “Then I don’t have to tell you how wonderful he looks without his shirt.”

  “No, you don’t. But you’ll never know how wonderful he feels.”

  Regan giggled. “Why, Danette, I can’t believe you’re talking in such a way. Next thing I know, you’ll tell me you’ve chosen to stop looking for something bad to happen to you all the time.”

  Danette finished her tea then set the cup on the table in front of them. “As a matter of fact, I have. Last night taught me you and my mother are right. No good comes from being afraid of the next bad thing that might happen. I’m better off focusing on what’s good instead.” Danette couldn’t be sure, but she thought her friend’s eyes grew twice their normal size. She chuckled. “I know. I can hardly believe it either. But it’s true. Last night, I realized trying to please the wrong people isn’t worth it. I’d rather please the right people.”

  Regan groaned. “How I wish I’d been there. Last night’s ball will be one people will talk about for years to come, and I missed it. Melissa came over and told me what happened and brought over the Tittletattle, but it’s not the same as seeing it. I was especially touched to learn that Logan stood up in front of the entire room and said some nice things about her and Malcolm’s father.”

  “Yes, he did.” In fact, Danette suspected it was Logan taking the opportunity to defend Derek that helped gather the support from half the room. But there was no proving it, of course. “Did Malcolm hear about what happened?”

  “He did. Melissa wanted to tell him, too, because it involved their father.”

  “Did it change the way Malcolm thinks about Logan?”

  Regan shrugged. “I know what Logan said surprised him a great deal because he’s been in a state of shock ever since. The poor dear seems to be having a difficult time adjusting to all of this. First, there’s the thing with Warren, and now the events that happened last night only added to his dilemma. Malcolm’s been oddly quiet about the matter, but he feels like he has to make a difficult choice between his friendship with Warren and what he believes is the right thing to do.”

  “That’s not an easy place to be.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  Danette caught sight of Derek from the window as he came up the steps of the townhouse. “My darling husband is coming, but don’t expect him to take off his shirt.”

  Regan chuckled. “I like this new side of you, Danette. Even if I wasn’t there to see all the wonderful things Derek did to upset Lady Cadwalader, I’m so glad to see you this way. I’ll have to thank your husband on my way out.”
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  “You’re leaving?”

  “Yes.” She got up and retrieved the Tittletattle. “I don’t want to deprive your husband of a chance to have you rip off his shirt and have your way with him.”

  Danette almost told her friend she’d already done that last night, but Regan would only tell her to do it again today. So, instead, she rose up from the settee and, on impulse, gave her friend a hug.

  “What was that for?” Regan asked when the hug ended.

  “For talking me into getting married even though I fought you on it.”

  “If your friends can’t talk you into doing something you don’t want to do, then who can?”

  Danette laughed at her joke and walked with her to the doorway of the drawing room just as Derek came into the townhouse.

  “You, my lord, are a legend in the making,” Regan told him, showing him the Tittletattle. “Two entire pages dedicated to you and how brave you are. I wish I’d been there to see it. All I can say is that I’m thrilled I know someone who knows how to upset Lady Cadwalader as well as you do. I never did care for her ever since she made it a point to embarrass my first husband in front of everyone. So on his behalf, I thank you for giving the rat what she had coming to her.”

  Derek seemed pleased by her praise. “To be fair, I wasn’t only directing the words to her. There were three others, one in particular, I was upset with.”

  “I’m sure they deserved it,” Regan replied. “Malcolm and I will send you two an invitation for another dinner party in a couple days. In the meantime, don’t do anything exciting unless I’m there to see it.”

  Danette couldn’t help but chuckle as Derek promised her he wouldn’t.

  After Regan left, Derek turned to her. “I’m glad I didn’t cause any problems between you and your friend.”

  “Regan loves all things scandalous,” Danette assured him.

  “Well, Malcolm might not have been as amused by what I did last night,” he replied.

  “I think Regan is slowly getting Malcolm to see things her way.” She closed the gap between them and kissed him. “I wouldn’t worry about him.”

  Smiling, he put his hand on the small of her back and returned her kiss. “Even so, it’s nice to see that I haven’t done anything to harm your friendship with her.”

  “No, you haven’t. My friend heartily approves of you. In fact, she recommended I thank you for what you did last night by taking your shirt off and having my way with you.”

  His eyebrows rose in interest. “Oh?”

  “I almost told her I already did that last night, but,” she added when she detected the disappointment in his eyes, “I see no reason why I can’t do so again. It wasn’t as if I didn’t enjoy myself.”

  The spark returned to his eyes, and he shot her a mischievous grin. “I certainly don’t mind being thanked more than once.”

  With a giggle, she took his hand and led him to the stairs, “Then come with me.”

  And he did as she wished.

  Up to now, Helena, Melissa, and Chloe’s matchmaking has made some of the finest love matches in all of London. But this time, their match might not end in a happily ever after….

  Coming Soon!

  The Earl’s Wallflower Bride

  (Marriage by Arrangement: Book 3)

  Warren Beaufort, the Earl of Steinbeck, prides himself on having the best of the best. From his furnishings in his townhouse to his clothes, he chooses everything with the intention of impressing others. And more than that, he has amassed a fortune that is the envy of many in London.

  One thing he lacks, however, is an heir. In order to get the heir, he’ll need a wife. The lady must either come from significant money or she must be extremely beautiful. It matters little to him which is the case as long as he benefits somehow from the match.

  Lady Iris, the Duke of Hartwell’s daughter, has money, but she lacks both grace and looks. One thing she does have, however, is the good sense to know a gentleman like Warren is all wrong for her, which is why she’s horrified to learn she’s been matched with him for marriage. But the Duchess of Ashbourne and her friends assure her that she and Warren have so much in common they are an ideal match.

  Having no way out of the marriage her father has arranged for her, she has no choice but to marry Warren. While she might have to give him the heir, she will never, under any circumstance, give him something far more precious…her heart.

  Reserve Your Copy Today!

  Already Available:

  His Wicked Lady (Marriage by Arrangement: Book 1)

  Mr. Malcolm Jasper prides himself on his immaculate reputation, and he’s decided it’s time to get married so he can start having children to leave a legacy to. Unfortunately for him, he happens to be paired with Lady Cantrell, a lady who thinks the rules of the Ton are made to be broken.

  Click here for more information

  ***

  Other Regencies by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Marriage by Scandal Series:

  The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife: Lord Roderick needs an heir, and the only way he’s going to get one is by finding a suitable young lady to marry. But one wrong move on his part has just betrothed him to a lady he believes tricked him into a scandal.

  A Most Unsuitable Earl: Lord Edon has done everything he can to avoid marriage, including building a reputation as London’s most notorious rake. His scheming mother, however, is so determined that he’ll find a good lady to marry, she’ll stop at nothing to find him one. And the lady she finally picks happens to be London’s most notorious wallflower, the ever-so-boring Lady Catherine.

  His Reluctant Lady: From the moment Mister Robinson meets Lady Richfield, he knows they are destined to be together. But it may take the threat of a scandal to convince the reluctant widow that marriage can be the most sensually and emotionally satisfying experience she’ll ever have.

  The Earl’s Scandalous Wife: Lord Clement, who others refer to as “the earl who can’t find a wife,” is about to find that scandals aren’t so bad when a lady kisses him at a ball.

  Marriage by Deception Series:

  The Earl’s Secret Bargain: Toby and Lord Pennella have just made a bet for the hand of Miss Regina Giles. The gentleman she chooses wins the loser’s estate. But things don’t go according to plan when Toby falls in love with her.

  Love Lessons with the Duke: Camden asks Helena to help him secure a bride in one month, but soon he realizes he’s in love with her and will do anything it takes to marry her, even if it involves a scandal.

  Ruined by the Earl: After losing all of his money in a reckless bet, Logan needs to marry a lady from a wealthy family–and fast. So he does the only thing he can think of and picks one at random to trick into marriage.

  The Earl’s Stolen Bride: Orlando Emmett, the Lord of Reddington, fell in love with Chloe as soon as he met her over a year ago. Unfortunately, she married Lord Hawkins before he could propose. Now, she’s a widow. And while he should honor the mourning period, he’s afraid if he doesn’t act fast, he might not get another chance to be her husband. So he plans a way to make sure he gets her before someone else can.

  A Standalone Regency Novel that is also Currently Available:

  Her Counterfeit Husband: When her abusive husband dies, the Duchess of Watkins plots a way to hide his death so his brother doesn’t get the title. Fate steps in and she comes upon a gentleman who looks just like her husband, and more than that, he doesn’t remember who he is. Has she just come across the best solution to her problem, or has she just made things much, much worse?

  All Other Books by Ruth Ann Nordin

  (Chronological Order)

  Historical Western Romance

  Pioneer Series

  Wagon Trail Bride

  Nebraska Romance Series

  Her Heart’s Desire

  A Bride for Tom

  A Husband for Margaret

  Eye of the Beholder

  The Wrong Husband

  Shotgun Groom

 
To Have and To Hold

  His Redeeming Bride

  Isaac’s Decision

  Chance at Love Series

  The Convenient Mail Order Bride

  South Dakota Series

  Loving Eliza

  Bid for a Bride

  Bride of Second Chances

  Montana Collection

  Mitch’s Win

  Boaz’s Wager

  Patty’s Gamble

  Native American Romance Series

  Restoring Hope

  Brave Beginnings

  Bound by Honor, Bound by Love

  A Chance In Time

  Virginia Series

  An Unlikely Place for Love

  The Cold Wife

  An Inconvenient Marriage

  Romancing Adrienne

  Historical Romance Anthologies (with Janet Syas Nitsick)

  Bride by Arrangement

  A Groom’s Promise

  Standalone Historical Western Romances

  Falling In Love With Her Husband

  Kent Ashton’s Backstory (Prequel to Catching Kent)

  Catching Kent

  His Convenient Wife

  Meant To Be

  The Mail Order Bride’s Deception

  Contemporary Romance