Lud, what madness was this? He wanted to shake her, yet she was giving him his freedom. Why did he care what she did once she was out of his life?
Hell, she was correct. This marriage was a mistake. Richard knew if he did not distance himself from her, and soon, he would find himself fully besotted.
Resolve settled firmly in the pit of his stomach. Free her. Now. “Then we are in agreement,” he said flatly. “Tomorrow we shall send you off to London, and I will return to Beckwith Hall to await news of your engagement. I will then contact a solicitor and see if I can arrange for an annulment. If the marriage does come to light, I will make myself the villain. It is the least I can do for you—and your father.”
Richard thought he saw a flicker of sadness pass through her eyes but could not be certain. Her stoic expression had not changed.
Damn. He was a villain. The bad judgment he’d displayed since she’d arrived at his door on that first night had gotten them into this fix. He’d do anything he could to right his wrong, with no damage to her reputation.
Brenna nodded. “Thank you.”
Brenna managed to keep her emotions in check through the rest of the evening and breakfast the next morning. When they reached the outskirts of London, she reclaimed Brontes. Richard sent the coach off and helped her mount.
She looked down at him from the saddle, memorizing the lines of his face, the crinkles around his eyes, his dusty coat. Years from now when she looked back on her adventure to Scotland, she wanted to remember him, not as the rigid stranger standing before her now but as the man who’d taken her innocence in one glorious night of passion and who was, for one brief moment, her husband.
“How will you explain your absence when asked?” he pressed.
“The story about an unplanned visit to my ailing Aunt Primrose should suffice to satisfy the gossips.” Brenna tightened her hands on the reins. “You need not concern yourself any further. I will be fine.”
Richard nodded. “Be well, Brenna.”
“You as well.” With those last words, her marriage to her highwayman-stranger was over.
He released his hold on Brontes, and Brenna turned the horse toward home. She nudged the mare into a slow lope and did not look back, even once, as tears flowed freely down her face.
Chapter Ten
I demand an accounting of every minute that you’ve been away, young lady. You cannot disappear and expect to reappear without a good explanation for your absence. You stole Brontes and ran away from the courtesan school,” Father said, his eyes boring into her. “This is an outrage. Simon and I searched everywhere for you.”
Brenna winced and glanced toward the closed parlor door. She wondered how many servants had heard the exchange and wasn’t certain Father’s upraised voice couldn’t be heard all the way to Cheapside either. Her face flamed knowing the conversation was less than private.
Mother stood nearby, clearly torn between husband and child. Yet Brenna knew she’d not interfere.
“As I explained a few minutes ago, I went off to visit Aunt Primrose to collect my thoughts and whittle down my list of potential mates. And I did just that,” Brenna said. She held out her hastily written list with the names of every unattached man she knew, having crossed off the most unsuitable. “I thought you wanted me to select a suitable suitor?”
“You were to stay in Cheapside, where Eva could guide you,” he countered. “Your mother was frantic with worry.”
Brenna turned to her mother. “I am sorry.” She bit her trembling lip. “It was not my intention to worry you, Mother. As usual, I was not thinking clearly.”
Since returning late last evening and discovering that her parents were with Eva and the duke, Brenna had sequestered herself in her room to make her suitors list, eating very little and avoiding contact with anyone save Tippy. She suspected it would take time to repair an injured heart and was thankful this confrontation had been avoided until she had a few hours’ rest and a chance to collect her jumbled emotions.
So she would tell no one the truth of her adventure and battle to drag herself out of her melancholia.
Lying to her parents would be harder to reconcile in her mind.
Father was not about to let the matter rest. “How can I be certain you did not get into some sort of mischief? You sneak out of the courtesan school in the middle of the night, steal Brontes, and then tell me it was all for a few days of quiet in the countryside? And you expect me to believe such hogwash?”
Mother placed her hand on Father’s sleeve. “She has returned unharmed, Walter. Can we not leave it at that?”
“Is it not my place to know where my daughter has been and with whom?” he said to Mother. “How am I to know she was really with Primrose and not cavorting with pirates? She has made that threat, you know.”
Brenna sighed. “I assure you, there were no pirates.”
The weariness of the last week overwhelmed her. She dropped onto the settee. “I promise you, Father, that I will fulfill my duty, find an acceptable husband, and settle into my role as wife. I only ask that you give me time to comply with your wishes.”
Father shook his head. “You have sent me into an early graying, Daughter.” Brenna stood and walked to him.
“I will never again disappear. It was a mistake not to be repeated.” Brenna meant every word. She’d had enough adventure for a lifetime.
Her eyes filled as she silently begged for forgiveness, and Father finally pulled her into his arms. Mother wrapped her arms around them both. “I truly am sorry,” she said, and her voice caught.
After a moment, Father released her. “I spoke to Noelle this morning. She will be your chaperone while you husband hunt. Tomorrow you will attend the Wingate soiree, and whatever other parties and balls she has planned over the next month.”
“Yes, Father.”
He lifted her chin. “Do not look so glum, child. I am certain there is a man somewhere in London who will make you an excellent husband. You need only keep your mind open to the possibility.”
I am concerned about her, my love,” Kathleen said, as Walter helped her into the carriage. A ride in the country would give Walter time to settle his temper. “There was deep sadness in her eyes. Do you think something terrible has happened to her?”
Walter collected the reins from the groom. “I fear you are correct. Something has happened. I can feel it. She has matured in ways I did not expect when I sent her to this school. I just hope there will be no unwelcome repercussions from her missing week. I will despise having to hunt down and force a pirate to wed my daughter.”
Kathleen shot him a quelling stare. “Should that happen, we shall accept him peg leg, parrot, and all.” She closed her hand over his. “She is too much like you, my dearest husband. You are both thick skulled and stubborn. I would not get too comfortable with her new agreeable nature. I believe we have not seen the last of Brenna’s hijinks.”
You do look lovely, Cousin,” Noelle said, her left arm hooked through Brenna’s and her right, through that of her handsome husband, Gavin, as he led them into Wingate House. “Men will be slavering all over themselves to dance with you.”
The soiree was in full bloom as Gavin guided them through the doors and into the crush. He leaned in and took the women into his confidence. “Gossip has spread that Brenna is husband seeking. I may need some help to fight off the rogues and fortune hunters vying for her hand. I hope Simon and Laura are attending.”
Brenna forced a smile. Gavin was a charming rake, born in England but raised in America. He and Noelle were deeply in love despite a rather bumpy start to their romance. Brenna was envious of their happiness and that of Simon and Laura and Eva and her duke. Love matches, all.
Sadly, she would not be so blessed.
As if hearing Gavin’s comment, Simon and Laura appeared through the crowd. “There is my lovely sister.” Simon took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “No worse for her misadventure.”
Brenna pulled back her hand and
frowned. “If not for you and Father, I would not have felt the need to flee.”
He chuckled and took Laura’s hand. She was beautiful in a deep emerald gown. Beside Noelle in blue silk, the two women made her feel perfectly dowdy. Father had insisted she wear white for her first evening of husband hunting.
If only she did not already have one.
A sharp pain twisted in her gut. Richard. The man she both hated and missed dreadfully. If he’d given her some kindness, offered her even a hint of hope that he could feel the slightest bit of affection for her, she’d have gone off to Beckwith Hall and spent the rest of her life learning to like sheep.
But he’d coldly cut her with his words and actions. He’d never feel more than disdain for having wed her.
Ire welled and with it a renewed determination to forget she’d ever met him. She’d find her perfect suitor, annul her marriage, and live happily ever after.
“Ah, but now you are back,” Simon remarked. “Have you set your attention on a certain man, or is the list yet to be whittled down to one?”
“Alas, I have not picked a favorite, though Lord Chester has already been cut.” A real smile tugged her mouth. “I have thwarted your dismal attempt to trap that man in the yoke. Who I choose can be no worse than him.”
Simon shrugged. “I still think he is an excellent choice.”
Laura grimaced. “If you were female, would you wish to be chained to that sop?” She didn’t wait for an answer. His face showed his answer. “I thought not. Now leave your sister be. She will make her own decision.”
With a warm smile for her sister-in-law, Brenna nodded. “Though you have the compassion of a vulture and the sense of an ox, you did manage to ensnare me a delightful new sister. How she fell in love with you will never be explained to my satisfaction.”
Noelle and Gavin laughed, and Simon glared. Laura squeezed his arm. “It was his determination. He wore me down until I could do nothing but agree to marry him. He is most persuasive.”
Though Laura teased, Brenna knew Laura and Simon loved each other dearly. They were a perfect match.
With her new resolve in place, and the distraction of her family to lift her spirits, the gray lens Brenna had been looking through since leaving Scotland cleared. She was done with Richard Ellerby, Viscount Ashwood. Forever.
“Lady Brenna. Aren’t you a welcome sight?” Lord Manning came to stand before her. Tall and thin, he was a pleasant companion, and Brenna always enjoyed his company. Though he did not send her heart fluttering, he was the perfect man to start her evening on a good foot.
“My Lord. You look dashing this evening,” Brenna said, taking his arm. “Is that a new coat?”
She led him away from her family, casting a frown over her shoulder at her brother. Simon grinned. For the rest of the evening, she’d keep her mind open and look at each man she met with new eyes. There had to be someone better than Lord Chester—or Lord Ashwood, for that matter—out there for her. And she’d do her level best to find him.
Lord Manning kept their conversation lively as he claimed the first dance, and after him, Brenna danced and laughed with a string of men. None were an immediate fit for her in either temperament or humor, but she did manage to find something pleasant about each.
The evening aged before the American, Jace Jones, claimed a dance. He was a friend of Simon’s and a handsome, if slightly forward, gentleman. And an outrageous flirt.
“Simon told me you were husband hunting, beautiful Brenna,” he said, taking her into his arms. “I would throw my hat in but fear I am not quite ready to be leg shackled. Though if I were, you’d be at the top of my list.”
Brenna waited until they were away from prying ears before she said tartly, “As if I would settle on you, Mister Jones. You are positively barbaric.”
He chuckled. “And in trade. Even if you were to fall desperately in love with me, Gavin already has the gossips atwitter with his shipping business. A second American businessman in the Harrington family would be too much for society to withstand. They will eject you all from the lords and ladies club.”
“So true.” Brenna smiled at his droll wit. “Thank goodness I’m in no danger of giving my heart to you. I would hate to give up my life of leisure for the hardships of toiling in your business ventures. Remind me again what you do?”
The music died. He eased her to a stop. “It would bore you. I think I shall depart now so that you may find more interesting and marriage-minded company.” He bowed and left her.
Brenna watched him disappear into the crowd. She had met him a few times and found him charming. However, as with her brother, he enjoyed sparring with her in a brotherly manner. After the emotional upheaval of Richard, she was searching for a man less likely to prick her temper. So she mentally crossed Mister Jones off her list.
“Lady Harrington.” The droll voice drifted over, and Brenna hid a wince. Mister Everhart. She turned and pasted on a smile.
“Mister Everhart.” The man was nothing if not persistent. He was attractive enough to intrigue women but poor enough to send all but the dimmest running behind their mother’s skirts. He was a fortune hunter of the highest order, and Brenna would not be ensnared.
She cocked up a brow and looked around him. “What? No wife? I thought you had Miss Tolson hooked?”
Everhart grinned. “She is lovely, and devilishly rich. Sadly, her father ran me off at the end of a pistol. Something about empty pockets and few prospects.” He took her hand, tucked it under his arm, and led her in a stroll around the room. “Thankfully, Lady Brenna Harrington is still in need of a husband, and I am unattached.”
Brenna felt the weight of his charm. “Alas, I am already promised to another life. My father thinks I would make an excellent nun.”
“You?” He chuckled. “Tell me you are not taking vows? It will be a dark day indeed.” He led her past a group of debutantes, who giggled when he nodded to them.
“According to Father, the convent will be far superior to spinsterhood. And I have yet to find a man to interest me enough to marry.”
Before Brenna realized she’d just issued what he would see as a challenge, she was on the terrace. Unfortunately, the only other couple taking in the night air was some distance away.
Drat the long terrace. “I think we should return inside.” Brenna removed her hand. It wasn’t hers for long. Everhart reclaimed it quickly and drew her behind a column. “Mister Everhart. This is improper. Release me.”
Everhart grinned as he pulled her into his arms. “I must show you what you will miss if you don the habit.”
Brenna struggled, but it was too late. He kissed her.
The kiss was not unpleasant, though it was unwelcome. She managed to get her hands between them and push him back. Then, to prove her disinterest, she slapped him, too.
He jerked sideways.
His eyes flashed cold. Brenna shivered.
“If I wasn’t clear during our previous encounters, then that should make things clearer for you, Mister Everhart.” She flexed and closed her hand. “I am not interested in making you my husband. Now, if you will excuse me.”
She stalked back to the ballroom.
For the rest of the evening, Brenna avoided the man. She needn’t have worried he’d press his intentions. There were young women aplenty. In fact, he winked at her once as he squired a pretty thing past her. The man was a rogue. Had he been wealthy, and not so forward, she might have put him on her list…somewhere near the bottom, before tonight’s kiss. She’d seen a brief glimpse of something in his eyes that she could not dismiss from her mind. Something darker than the charming side of him wanted her to see. It was best to avoid him from now on.
By evening’s end, she’d collected the names of several nice men and accepted three offers to call. Though none of the three suitors were interesting enough to eject Richard from her heart, she kept her mind open to the possibility of finding love this season. Certainly there was someone appealing she hadn’t me
t yet?
“I am proud of you, Sister.” Simon helped her on with her cloak as the clock struck two. “You managed not to repel a single potential suitor with your sharp tongue. I shall consider the evening a success.”
Brenna sighed. She was too tired to squabble. “I made Father a promise. I intend to keep it.”
Laura took her arm. “Do not let His Lordship or your brother bully you. Love will come. Keep your heart open.”
As Simon led Brenna and Laura from the house, Brenna felt the return of gloom. How could she give her heart to anyone when it was already engaged?
Chapter Eleven
The school is so quiet,” Brenna said, taking a seat in the parlor. She smoothed out her simple russet gown and looked over at Lucy. “I can hear the dust motes swirling.”
Lucy poured tea. She was pretty in pale green. “The matching party was three days ago. The courtesans are all wed and gone. It’s as silent as a mausoleum around here without them.”
Brenna accepted a cup. She added sugar. “I’d forgotten about the matching party.” During her week with Richard, she’d thought of nothing beyond her own troubles. She turned her focus on the former courtesan. “Did you not find a husband?”
“I did.” Lucy added cream to her tea. “We married yesterday. I am now Mrs. Franklin Pruitt.”
Puzzled, Brenna frowned. “And he has abandoned you already? Surely your wedding night was not as horrid as all that?”
Lucy laughed. “We spent a wonderful night at the Ritz before he had to run off to Paris to take care of a business concern. I did not want to stay in his town house alone, so Miss Eva said I could stay here for the month he will be away.”
“A month?” Brenna said, aghast. “You are newly wed.”
“The trip was planned before the party. Franklin almost did not come to be matched. Yet I am pleased he did. He is handsome and charming and very sweet. I shall miss him dreadfully.”
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