Mark absently rearranged the cutlery set out before him. ‘Yes, a woman. Damned if I like the idea, but she’s well placed with the ringleaders.’
‘You don’t think Penelope saw you with this woman?’
Mark’s head shot up. ‘Of course not. Do you think I’m an idiot? I took every precaution to ensure the mission was secret.’
‘Maybe she doesn’t like you keeping secrets. After all, aren’t you two supposed to be in love?’
What the hell was he doing, asking that sort of question? He didn’t believe in love. Damn Rosabella and her sentimental talk. He put up a hand when Mark opened his mouth to reply. ‘It’s none of my business. I came to ask for help.’
The door opened. ‘Mark? Oh!’ The lady of the house gasped. ‘I didn’t know you had company.’
Penelope looked from Mark to Garth and he was surprised to see the shadows in her pretty green eyes. And there were circles beneath, like bruises. All was not well. No wonder Mark looked so morose.
‘It’s only Garth,’ Mark said. ‘Come to ask a favour. I was about to tell him to go to hell.’
‘Didn’t you tell me once you owed Garth a great deal?’ she said quietly. ‘Wasn’t that the reason you insisted I accept him as your friend when we married?’
Good Lord, was she supporting him against her husband? Now there was trouble in the making. Garth shot to his feet. ‘Consider all debts paid in full.’
‘Wait,’ Penelope said. ‘There is something I have been wanting to tell you, Mark.’
Her husband shook his head, his mouth in a grim flat line. He was clearly dreading what she would say next.
‘If it wasn’t for Garth being his usual horrid self, I might have made a very serious mistake in Sussex. He didn’t just try to convince me to go home, he stood between me and another man.’ She twisted her hands together. ‘I was angry at you leaving me alone, Mark, and I might have done something I regretted for the rest of my life, but I didn’t, because of Garth.’
The tension in Mark’s shoulders eased. ‘What man?’
‘Nothing happened, Mark. It is over.’
Bloody hell, his friend had actually thought…despite his truthful denial. His word of honour. ‘I ought to put out your daylights,’ Garth said.
‘I won’t try to stop you,’ Mark said. ‘I’m sorry for thinking the worst.’
Wasn’t the worst what everyone thought? Even Rosabella, when he was trying to do the right thing. The fault of the reputation he’d carefully cultivated all these years. ‘No harm done.’ He stuck out a hand and they shook.
‘Did you find Mrs Travenor?’ Penelope asked. ‘I liked her, she was very kind. She has a wonderful voice, Mark. I couldn’t think why she dashed off to London that way, but I do hope she is all right.’ She looked at Garth expectantly.
Surprised, Garth stared back. He hadn’t expected her to care about anyone but herself. ‘She is why I am here. We are going to be married.’
If he had fired a pistol in the room, there wouldn’t have been as much shock on their faces.
‘Damn it, Garth,’ Mark said finally. ‘You certainly know how to surprise a fellow. Who is this woman?’
‘Where is she?’ Penelope asked at the same moment.
‘With me,’ Garth said. ‘To cut a long story short, she is not a widow, has never been married, and she’s a Cavendish. Pelham’s granddaughter. Not knowing any of that, I… Well, things got out of hand.’
‘You ruined her,’ Mark said bluntly.
Garth gazed at the fresco around the ceiling. ‘It is more complicated than that, but in the eyes of the world, yes.’
‘Oh, dear,’ Penelope said.
Garth paced around the breakfast table. ‘The thing is, if any word of this gets out, she will never be accepted in society. It will be bad enough that she is married to me.’
Mark raised his brows in tacit agreement.
‘She will need a respectable sponsor.’ He winced. ‘And I need somewhere for us to be married in a hurry.’
‘Why not ask her grandfather?’
‘He is not amenable to such an arrangement.’
Mark nodded. ‘Irascible old gentleman, Pelham. I’ve seen him in action in the House.’
‘Rosabella has two sisters and eventually she wants them to make a splash in society. I said I would help, but honestly, without some respectable female taking her under her wing, she doesn’t stand a chance. None of the old biddies will so much as glance at her if she is my wife.’
‘I’ll do it,’ Penelope said.
Mark looked at her askance.
‘Please, Mark. We both owe Stanford our gratitude.’
‘Where is she now? Blackheath?’
Garth’s discreet little town house, recently vacant. ‘Not the kind of place one takes a prospective wife,’ he said, recalling what had happened when Kit took Sylvia there. ‘She is here in town.’
‘With your mother?’
‘God, no.’
‘Perhaps you could enlist Lady Stanford’s help?’ Mark said. ‘She is well in with all the old biddies.’
Garth wouldn’t ask her for a bandage if his life’s blood was draining out on the floor. He shook his head. ‘She would never agree.’
Penelope said nothing, she just gazed at her husband with those big green eyes of hers, eyes that seemed to melt her husband, but left Garth feeling cold.
He wasn’t going to force his friend into helping him. ‘I’ll leave you to finish your breakfast in peace.’
‘No. Wait,’ Mark said. ‘We can help. Lord knows, I owe you. Again. But whatever we do, I will not have a breath of scandal attached to my wife.’
‘More scandal,’ she said with a tired little smile, but she lifted her chin and squared her shoulders.
Garth wondered if there wasn’t more to the green-eyed miss than he’d first thought. ‘There is one slight problem.’
They both looked at him. ‘The people at Lady Keswick’s house party are going to recognise her.’
Mark looked grim. ‘Wonderful. The same people who saw Penelope there. All we can do is brazen it out.’
While he sensed disharmony between this newly married pair, they seemed to have come to some sort of truce and were prepared to come to his aid. For Rosabella’s sake, he wasn’t going to delve any deeper. ‘I am in your debt. Here is what I need.’
Chapter Thirteen
Rosa sat in the small drawing room upstairs, reading while she waited for Garth to return. A knock on the door to the street made her lift her head, listening for the sound of his voice, but he’d said he wouldn’t be back until dinner time. It must be a caller. A visitor for Garth. The butler would send them away. A few moments later, the butler arrived at the door. ‘Lady Smythe to see you, my lady.’
‘Me?’ Rosa glanced down at her one and only shabby gown collected from her old lodgings by a footman. ‘Please tell her I am not at home.’
‘Oh, dear,’ said a gentle voice behind the butler. ‘Didn’t Stanford tell you he’d asked me to call?’ She glanced at the butler, who swiftly withdrew. ‘He asked me to come and talk to you about the wedding arrangements.’
The heat of embarrassment scorched her cheeks. She laughed, albeit uncomfortably. ‘He left before I awoke this morning. I had no idea he planned to discuss my circumstances with you.’
‘Oh, I see.’
‘Please sit down. Would you like tea?’
‘No, thank you. I cannot stay long. I have several more calls to make this afternoon. He plans for you to be married at my house. Do you have a date?’
‘Not as yet. It is extraordinarily generous of you to take such a personal interest in my predicament.’
‘Not at all. Stanford is my husband’s best friend.’
‘The last time I saw Stanford and your husband they were at daggers drawn. Or rather, fists raised?’
A brief smile tilted Penelope’s lips. ‘I gather it is what male best friends do. I hope we will also become friends and behave with far more
civility.’
An offer of friendship? Rosa could barely believe her ears. She smiled. ‘You are too kind.’
‘Not at all. I would count it an honour to befriend the woman who captured Lord Stanford.’
Captured. Almost as bad as tricked. ‘It was a mistake.’
‘I wasn’t criticising. It was more…admiration.’ She smiled her sweet smile. ‘About the wedding. Are there family members you wish to invite?’
She would love to invite her sisters, but the headmistress would not allow them to leave until all the debts were settled and that would take a few days. Garth wanted the ceremony to take place right away.
Also, her sisters were still hoping she would find the will. She didn’t yet have the heart to tell them that it didn’t exist and she had married instead. She shook her head. ‘No one.’
‘Who will give you away? Stanford said your grandfather is in town.’
Rosa lifted her chin, the old anger at her only living relative swiftly heating her blood. It was partly Grandfather’s fault she was in this predicament. ‘No.’
‘Then leave it to Mark.’ She beamed. ‘Another of Stanford’s friends can serve as groomsman.’
‘Won’t it all seem terribly odd to the ton?’
Penelope waved an airy hand. ‘We’ll pass it off as a great romance. My husband is very well thought of in political circles and in society. If he approves of the match, many others will follow. Perhaps not those with the highest of insteps. It may be some time before you receive tickets to Almack’s, if ever, but you will hardly care about that once you have a husband.’
‘I will be seeking husbands for my sisters.’
‘Yes, of course.’ She seemed a little nonplussed, then tipped her head and tapped her bottom lip. ‘But not this year, I think. The Season is almost over. You will have lots of time to prove you are the very best of ton over the next few months. You must do exactly as I tell you and we can bring it off. Stanford, too.’
Did Garth account for the note of doubt in her voice? ‘I will do everything I can to live up to your expectations. I am very grateful.’
Penelope took her hand. ‘You were kind to me at Lady Keswick’s house. I am more than happy to return the favour. I really do hope we will become the best of friends.’
‘Me, too.’ For the first time in a long time, Rosa felt as if her feet were on solid ground, no more threats of prison hanging over her, the prospect of a good future for her sisters and now a friend. ‘I will never be able to thank you and Lord Smythe enough.’
Penelope hesitated. ‘There is one more thing I want to say. I am not quite sure how to put it.’
Rosa felt a prickle of wariness across her shoulders. ‘If we are to be friends, I would like you to feel free to speak your mind.’
‘Stanford is not the steadiest of men. No one was more surprised than my husband at his intention to marry.’
Rosa’s spine stiffened.
‘Not that you aren’t lovely enough to turn any man’s head,’ the other woman said. ‘Oh, dear, I am making a pickle of this. What I mean is, you should not have to marry out of necessity, if you do not like to do so.’
Rosa stared at her. ‘You think I shouldn’t marry him?’
Penelope took a quick breath. ‘Stanford is a hard man to know. He has rarely stayed with the same woman more than a month or two and has very few good friends. He lets no one close. Even my husband agrees he is not good marriage material. If you want to change your mind, I will help you find an alternative.’
The words confirmed her fears. But marriage to Garth truly was her best hope for her sisters. She’d learned work in the theatre was sporadic. Only the principals made a good living. Everyone else scraped by. It was too late for second thoughts. Another payment to the moneylender was due at the end of the week and Stanford would help her only if they were married.
It wasn’t a love match. She’d given up on those dreams, but she did have hope they could make a go of it.
‘I appreciate your offer,’ she said. ‘But I think this is best.’
The other woman took her hand. ‘I hope so. I married my husband for love and it has been a rocky road. Perhaps your way is better.’
She looked so sad, Rosa couldn’t help herself and put an arm around her shoulders. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’
Penelope sniffed. ‘Things are better. I should not have spoken of what I saw. A wife should turn a blind eye to such things or risk looking a fool. I am sure everything is going to be fine. I just wish he would be honest with me, so I know where I stand.’
‘If ever you need someone to talk to, I am here.’
With a brave smile, Penelope rose. ‘You see, already we are friends. I will take my leave now and look forward to seeing you on your wedding day. Have Stanford let me know the moment he has a date arranged.’
‘I will.’
She escorted her new friend to the front door and watched her climb into her carriage, feeling more than a little breathless. She really was going to be married. To a man she hardly knew, and of whom no one, not even his friends, had a good opinion.
Could she accept his intention to do as he pleased after the wedding? She didn’t feel very accepting.
She went back up to the drawing room. She read a few more lines of her book when another knock sounded on the street door.
‘Not more callers,’ Rosabella muttered. She ran to the window, peeped out just in time to see a footman loaded down with packages entering the house.
Voices echoed in the hall below and a second or so later Garth strolled in with a smile, his gaze seeking her out. ‘I went shopping.’
The footman followed him in, deposited the packages on the floor and left. Rosa eyed the parcels. ‘What did you buy?’
‘Bride clothes. Er…items you will need until your trunk arrives from Lady Keswick’s. I persuaded your grandfather to drop her a note. He will let me know when they arrive.’
‘My grandfather? Why?’
‘To observe the proprieties, so to speak. Apparently he isn’t keen on another scandal. He agreed to have your things delivered to his house and forward them on. I could hardly have them sent directly here.’
‘What else did he say?’
‘He agreed to say nothing against our marriage, no matter what his private thoughts might be. And nothing against you.’
She stared up at him. ‘Did he say anything else?’ Such as I want to welcome my granddaughters back into the fold.
Garth shook his head. ‘He wasn’t pleased to see me.’ He looked haughtily down his nose. ‘He indicated he rather thought we deserved each other.’
A small smile at the thought of Grandfather and Stanford glaring at each other touched her lips. ‘I am glad he won’t object.’
‘He agreed to the return of the trunk and the desk, too. Glad to be rid of them.’
Well, that was something.
‘The Smythes have agreed we can be married at their house by special licence,’ he said. ‘Later they will hold a dinner party where you will be properly introduced to some members of the ton.’
‘I know. Lady Smythe left a few moments ago. She wants to know what day you have chosen.’
‘I’ll send round a note.’
‘Oh,’ she breathed. ‘Then you have a date.’
‘Wednesday.’ He patted his pocket. ‘I have the special licence and a cleric to do the deed.’
Four days hence. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ she asked.
An expression of resolve crossed his face, his shoulders seemed to straighten and he nodded. ‘Yes. I am sure.’ He glanced at the pile of parcels. ‘Aren’t you going to open them?’ He grinned like a boy caught in mischief. ‘I am sure you will like them.’
‘These are all for me?’
No one had bought her gifts since her mother died.
‘Mmm.’ He pushed two of them aside with his foot. ‘Those you might want to open in private.’
She eyed him askance. His dark
eyes danced and her tummy hopped. ‘Personal items.’
‘You really should not have spent your money on me,’ she said. ‘Not when you have the expense of my sisters and—’
He held up his hand. ‘Do you think I want my wife walking around in rags?’
‘Well, no, but—’
His mouth took on a stubborn line. ‘Don’t criticise before you see what I have brought.’
By rejecting his gift she’d insulted him, perhaps even hurt his feelings. Though it was hard to tell, for his mocking smile had returned and he sprawled carelessly on the nearby sofa as if he didn’t give a damn.
She smiled. ‘I’m sorry. Your generosity is appreciated, my lord. I merely didn’t want you to get into debt or anything when you have already done so much for me.’
He looked a little mollified. ‘A few kickshaws and gewgaws will not put me in the sponging house.’
She was glad to hear it. From what little she knew of the rakehells and bucks who lived in town, they more often than not found themselves in the River Tick.
He must have seen the doubt on her face. ‘Don’t give me that look. I’ve been dibs in tune for years. Haven’t spent a night in the King’s Bench since I gained the title. And besides, now I’m a peer, they can’t arrest me.’
But they could lose everything they owned. Wives and children could end up on the street. Many had since the end of the war with France.
Her hand flattened on her waist. Of course, she didn’t know yet whether or not she was with child. It could be at least a week or more before she knew.
She knelt on the floor to hide her sudden flush of embarrassment at the thought she might be carrying a child and undid the knots in the string. The paper parted to reveal a silk gown of the most beautiful shade of rose.
‘I thought you might wear that at the wedding.’
Her wedding. And his.
She lifted the gown from the paper and held it up. Silk roses, a deeper shade than the gown, decorated the sleeves and the festoon of silk above the deep hem of embroidered lace. Despite the intricate decoration, the gown was feather-light in her hands. An extraordinary dress. Striking. The deep colours perfect for her complexion. ‘It is lovely. Where on earth did you find such a beautiful gown at such short notice?’
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