by Rose Gordon
“What about all that other sentimental rubbish? Do you enjoy writing ridiculous poetry and spouting it in front of a room full of people in hopes of gaining the girl’s affections?”
Paul blinked. Spout poetry? No, thank you. “Not all men do that. My brother didn’t.”
“Your brother had a title,” John reminded him.
“Thank you for reminding me,” Paul said with a grimace.
“Come now, Paul, why chase a woman when there is one who is already perfectly willing?” John asked encouragingly.
“Willing?” Paul echoed. To his memory, Liberty was willing to yell at him. Or willing to unman him. And perhaps even willing to make him look a fool. Not, willing to marry him.
“Yes, willing,” John assured him. “I know your past few encounters with her weren’t very positive, but trust me when I tell you, Liberty does have a heart of gold somewhere in there.”
A heart of gold? He didn’t even think she had one made of flesh buried in her chest. “John, I’m sorry. If there were any other way I could help you I would, but as you said yourself, who knows what might ensue if we have to share a house.”
John sighed and leaned against the squabs, a look of defeat on his face. “Do you happen to have the time, Paul?”
Paul’s fingers ran over his gold pocket watch that was sitting in his coat pocket. “No, I’m sorry I don’t.”
“I thought you always had a pocket watch with you?” John said skeptically, favoring him with a questing glance.
“I do. I did. What I mean to say is, I have the watch with me, but unfortunately it no longer works,” Paul said evenly.
“Take it to Philip Michaels on Bond Street. He’s the best jeweler in town,” John suggested.
Paul shook his head. “Already did. He said it was irreparable and offered to buy it to sell the gemstones and melt the gold.”
John chuckled. “I can imagine what you told him to do with suggestion.”
“You bet I did,” Paul said with a rueful grin. He had no desire to even think about the jeweler’s suggestion. The watch held too much sentimental value for him. As for him still carrying it around, well, old habits die hard, and every morning he found himself shoving the old, busted thing in his pocket, nonetheless.
“Sorry to hear that,” John said casually. “It was a mighty fine watch. Had a crest on the outside, did it not?”
“Yes, sir.”
“An earl?”
“Duke,” Paul said tightly. “My mother’s father was the Duke of Charlton.”
“Fascinating,” John said passively. “I suppose the time is of no importance. Surely it cannot be too late. Do you mind if we run an errand real quick?”
Paul nodded.
“Good, because I already told your coachman where to take me before I climbed in.”
Paul smiled. That was a typical John move. “Where are we going?”
“The office for the Daily News. I have an article for them,” John said easily.
“You do?” Paul asked idly. Since when did John start writing articles for the paper?
“Yes.” John pulled out a piece of vellum from inside his breast pocket. “I wanted to drop this off for Lady Algen to run in her next prattling and tattling column,” he said excitedly.
Paul laughed. “I believe it’s called Tattle and Prattle. But I like your description better. Why are you giving that woman gossip? Don’t you think she finds enough on her own?”
John shrugged. “I just thought to give her the follow up to last week’s article.”
“The follow up? Last week’s article? Do you make it a habit to read that column every week?”
“No, no. I just thought to amuse the readers of London with another juicy story, that’s all. Would you like to know the title?” John asked with a teasing smile.
“Not particularly,” Paul muttered.
“Too bad. I’m going to tell you anyway. It’s called, A Vicar’s Seduction, A Father’s Tale. Does that sound catchy or what?
“Or what!” Paul exclaimed. “What did you write,” he demanded, reaching for the paper.
John quickly shoved the paper under his bottom and shot a smug smile at Paul. “Now, I have another article here,” he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out another piece of vellum, “this one is announcement of the marriage of Mr. Paul Grimes to Miss Liberty Banks.” He willingly gave the sheet to Paul before looking out the window and asking, “It appears we’re only a block away. Which paper will I be bringing in with me?”
Paul exhaled deeply. And unfortunately, it hadn’t done a thing for his anger. “This one,” he said tersely, handing John back the wedding announcement. “I’ll marry her. But I have two conditions for you.”
“I’m listening,” John said with a happy smile.
“First, I want the seven thousand pounds you mentioned earlier.”
“Done,” John said quickly.
“I want it in cash, John, no funny business,” he said with a hard stare.
“Fine,” he agreed heartily. “I’ll give it to you in cash. I’ll even bring it to the wedding if you’d like. I’ll even put it in a bag and set it on the floor right next to Liberty so you can glance at it periodically throughout the service,” he joked with an easy smile.
Paul chuckled. It seemed now that he’d agreed to take that hoyden off his hands, John had resumed his normal personality. “That will not be necessary,” he assured him. “However, for my second condition, I want your promise that if things are miserable between Liberty and me, you’ll take her back to America with you and Carolina after Brooke has her baby.”
John’s smile slipped. “Take her back to America?” he repeated, his tone full of disappointment.
“Yes.”
“That won’t be for at least six months. What if she is with child by then?” John asked, his head cocked and eyes full of interest.
“Sir, if she finds herself with child, you’ll be taking her back with you for sure,” Paul said tonelessly.
John’s body stiffened and his face looked like it had just turned to marble. “Perhaps, I misjudged your character,” he said uneasily.
“No, you didn’t,” Paul denied softly. “If it were my child, I wouldn’t let a stream separate us. However, if there’s a child, it won’t be mine. I don’t plan to have that sort of marriage with Liberty. This is not a love match, it’s a business arrangement,” he explained in his defense.
“I see,” John said, shaking his head. “You do realize that the majority of marriages are not love matches, and yet they still seem to produce children?”
“I’m aware of that. I even know how babies are made, so please do not feel the need to have ‘the talk’ with me, my father took care of that many years ago,” Paul quipped. “The fact is, I have no desire to take my clothes off in her presence.”
“Shy?” John teased.
If he and John hadn’t known each other for so long, Paul would have taken offense or been irritated at the very least. But as it was, they’d known each other well, so well in fact, they could talk to each other about just about anything, and probably already had. “No. I’m not shy. I have nothing to be shy about,” Paul said proudly. When John laughed at his declaration, he added, “She’s already attempted to decrease my chance of procreation with her elbow, taken my clothes and made me chase her naked around a room, and expressed interest in seeing a rapier remove what I consider to be a vital piece of my anatomy. I have no desire to find out what might happen if I willingly take my clothes off in her presence.”
John laughed softly. “You might change your mind, you know?”
“I doubt it,” Paul muttered.
John didn’t respond. He was out of the carriage and running up the stairs in a flash. Paul shook his head. John was probably just trying to ensure Paul would go through with it. Once the announcement ran in the paper, there was no backing out. Paul removed his spectacles and rubbed his green eyes until he saw stars.
If his watch worke
d he’d know how long John stayed inside the building, but if he had to hazard a guess, he’d say it had been about thirty minutes already. More than enough time to drop off the marriage announcement, he thought.
Leaning over to draw back the curtains to see if the footsteps he heard were John’s, his eyes fell on the piece of vellum John had shoved under himself after he’d wisely judged that Paul wouldn’t reach under another man to retrieve a piece of paper. A part of him wanted to snatch up the paper and read what John had written. He knew it had to be about the day Liberty fell into the ice and Paul was caught bathing her.
Finally, curiosity got the better of him, and he picked it up. Quickly, he had it unfolded and read the paper so fast his brain barely comprehended what his eyes were seeing.
Paul,
I imagine by now you’re done seething about what you agreed to do only to be seething again now that you’ve unfolded what you thought to be an article bound for the gossip column and found a letter to you from me. However, you must know that I would never have spread gossip about you around town either by speaking it or having it printed. I’m merely a concerned father who is willing to go to great lengths to save my daughter from a life of ridicule, even if it’s her own fault. Please forgive me.
I honestly do believe the two of you are a good match. You and Liberty both might not see it now (and to be honest, nobody else may, either), but I do. Just be patient and give her time. I’m certain you’ll soon develop a great esteem for her.
You need not wait for my return from inside the Daily News office. I shall take a hack home. I should hate for you to disappoint Liberty by having to cry off the wedding due to being locked up in the London Tower because of murdering your soon-to-be farther-in-law in your carriage.
Oh, and if it helps, you’re not the first unsuspecting soul I’ve trapped. Ask Townson about his fruitless three hour wait in my brother’s study.
John
Paul should be furious. But for some bizarre reason, he wasn’t. He’d already resigned himself to the fact he’d be marrying Liberty. And because of that, her father’s schemes didn’t really bother him. In fact, he almost found it humorous. Almost.
Chapter 6
It was too late in the day to travel back home. And for obvious reasons, he wasn't going to accept an invitation to stay with the Banks family tonight. Not that one had been issued, but he was certain one would be if he were to stop by their house, like he knew John was expecting him to do after reading that infuriating scrap of paper. Instead, Paul decided to make a quick stop at the Earl of Townson’s townhouse.
The earl, Andrew Black, was a great gentleman in Paul’s opinion. At first glance he appeared intimidating with his unusual height and a body similar to that of a tree trunk. He wasn’t an overly attractive man on the whole. His nose was a bit off and like Paul, his skin was darker than normal which made his dark blue eyes only stand out more. But it wasn’t merely his looks that made him intimidating to some. He had a tendency to raise his brow as a way of asking a question, and Paul had witnessed more than one man squirm in his seat at the gesture.
Andrew made a mistake eight months earlier by purposely getting caught in a scandalous situation with the beautiful Brooke Banks, Liberty’s eldest sister. Since then, he’d done more than his fair share to prove himself worthy of Brooke. As for the love and devotion those two showed toward each other, well, it was enough to make a man sick.
“Good afternoon, Paul,” the earl said, coming into the drawing room.
“Townson,” Paul greeted.
“Andrew,” he corrected, taking a seat behind his huge oak desk.
“Andrew,” Paul repeated.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” Andrew said jovially.
“Good news travels fast I see,” Paul muttered as he unceremoniously plopped into one of Andrew’s plush chairs.
Andrew looked slightly bewildered. “Pardon me?”
Paul waved a hand dismissively. “I’m just rather surprised you already heard the news, that’s all.”
“Already heard? Whatever do you mean? All London has been in shock for days about it,” Andrew said easily.
Andrew must have assumed that Paul knew of Lady Algen’s article sooner than today and had agreed to marry Liberty earlier in the week. It was of no account now. “The paper was inaccurate in their report,” Paul said lamely. “Of course you already knew that since you know neither of us would wish to seduce the other.”
“Oh, I wasn’t talking about that. I knew that was false. I was congratulating you on the announcement in the paper about your engagement,” Andrew said, shuffling through a pile of old newspapers on his desk. When he found what he was looking for, he pulled it out of the stack and handed it to Paul. “See,” he said, jabbing a finger at a little paragraph in the newspaper that declared for all and sundry that Mr. Paul Grimes and Miss Liberty Banks were engaged.
“Well, I’ll be,” Paul muttered. “He tricked me twice, that little rascal. I’ll get him for this.”
Andrew chucked. “Welcome to the family, it happens to all of us I’m afraid.”
“Yes, I hear he left you waiting for his nonexistent return,” Paul teased.
“Exactly so,” Andrew said, shaking his head. “I was so furious with him, I vowed the whole ride back to London I’d tear his head off with my bare hands for that.”
“I see that you didn’t,” Paul remarked, setting the paper down.
“No,” Andrew said with a smile. “It’s probably best that I didn’t anyway. It certainly wouldn’t have helped me in my fight to win my wife back.”
“No, I imagine killing your father-in-law is not a good way to get into good graces with one’s wife,” Paul mused. “However, I think you got off easy, Andrew.”
“How so?”
“You just had to sit in a room for three hours. I have to spend a lifetime married to someone who, for some unknown reason, hates me,” Paul said flatly.
Andrew laughed. “It’ll be all right, just give it time.”
“That’s what John thinks, too,” Paul said grumpily. “I just wish I knew why she detests me so much.”
“That, my friend, I don’t know. But I do know that given time, she’ll grow on you,” Andrew said, leaning back in his chair.
“You make her sound like a fungus,” Paul said dryly, twisting his lips in distaste.
“You speak of her like she’s one,” Andrew countered, raising his brow in a dare.
“No, I don’t,” Paul argued, slightly offended.
“Yes, you do. You sneer every time you talk about her, which isn’t often, I’ll grant you, but still. Perhaps if you try to think of her as someone you could come to care for, you’ll see things differently. You’ll see her differently,” he emphasized.
“I do see her differently,” Paul said hastily. “I believe I’m the only one who does.”
“Meaning?”
“What I mean is that I don’t see the drab mousy woman she projects to the rest of the world,” Paul said with a hint of disgust.
“And how do you see her?” Andrew asked patiently, folding his hands in his lap.
Paul shifted in his seat. This conversation was swiftly becoming more uncomfortable than the one he’d had with John in the carriage. “I see the woman she can be, I suppose. I’ve seen her smile a handful of times and I know how attractive she looks when she does so. But the problem is, she smiles very rarely, and never in my direction.”
“Then make her smile,” Andrew suggested easily.
Paul scowled. “You make it sound as if it’s as simple as breathing; when quite frankly, the only way for her to smile is if I were to stop breathing.”
“You’re crafty,” Andrew said confidently, shrugging. “You’ll think of something.”
Paul wished he shared Andrew’s confidence. He shook his head. “I’m not so sure of that. Apparently, I’m nothing if not predictable,” he muttered, tapping the toe of his boot on the floor.
“
What has that to do with anything?”
“It has nothing to do with our recent topic. But it has everything to do with why John ran that announcement in the paper earlier in the week.” Paul looked out the window and watched water drip off the end of a melting icicle. “I do wonder what John did when he ran into that building earlier,” Paul mused aloud.
“Perhaps he’ll tell you when you see him next,” Andrew suggested, taking to his feet.
Thinking he was about to be dismissed, Paul stood, too. “Thank you for the talk, Andrew. I may not have a great relationship with my future wife, but I do believe I enjoy the family she’s bringing me into.”
“Are you leaving, then?” Andrew asked curiously.
“I was about to.”
“Oh, well then, I guess you’ll have to wait for another time to ask John about his activities this afternoon,” Andrew whispered, pointing a finger to a door on the side of the room.
“Is he in there?” Paul mouthed to Andrew.
Andrew nodded quickly. With a hint of a smile, Paul stalked across the room, called a casual farewell to Andrew and opened the door of his study. Standing by the door, he pressed one finger to his lips and stomped his feet a few times, each step a little softer than the one before it.
Andrew must have caught on to what he was doing because he sent Paul a waving signal. Paul interpreted that to mean “shut the door”, which he did, then slipped behind a tall potted plant by the door. After the door was firmly shut, Andrew sat down in his chair again and said, “All right, John, you can come out now.”
“Thank goodness,” John said, stepping out of the closet. “Did you know you have a little spider problem in that closet? I do believe my right leg has not suffered so many insect bites since my older brother was experimenting with spiders when we were boys.” He shook his head and brushed a cobweb off his sleeve. “No matter. I’d gladly take a hundred spider bites in a dark closet rather than suffer the anger of Paul at this moment. The man is nearly impossible to deal with when he’s in a temper. It’s not often I’ve seen him that way, I admit. But I’ve seen enough to know Liberty better behave herself or a wolf will look like her best friend compared to him.”
