Lord Weirlane

by Gianna Thomas

  “No, I suspect he will not,” she commented with a twist to her mouth. “Gossip has it, he is planning to remarry and probably will not want his only child underfoot while he tries again for a male heir…But why will she refuse you?”

  “She feels I betrayed her and our friendship.” He sighed, reliving his pain, and closed his eyes. “And I did, though not wittingly…I came very close to killing Damien for what he’d done. I did warn him if he ever breathed a word of what he did or what happened, I would call him out and would shoot to kill no matter the consequences.”

  “Well, you better hope your friend,” his mother sneered, “doesn’t say anything. All the more reason to not delay marrying Catherine. You protected her as a child. Now you get to protect her as a husband. It’s time to grow up, Crispin.”

  Dismay showed on his face, then he nodded in agreement. It was time to put childish behavior behind him and quit playing games with people’s lives.

  “Crispin, when I married your father, it was not a love match. In time, I learned to love him and all the fine qualities he had and his concern for others’ welfare. Catherine has many fine qualities. See that you pay attention to them, and you can learn to love her as well…It is time for the Duke of Weirlane to take up his responsibility, Your Grace.” She spat the title at him.

  With that last comment, she arose from the sofa, executed a deep curtsey to him, and exited the room with her head held high and her son’s jaw hanging open.

  Chapter IV

  The third day after speaking with his mother and having his solicitor draw up marriage settlement papers, Crispin headed toward his estate—Weirlane Keep—that bordered the Benton property. Catherine’s father was the Earl of Compton, a greedy, grasping individual who always looked to increase his wealth. However, he was not a very wise man, so he could only claim moderate wealth but hoped to increase it substantially by essentially selling Catherine to the highest bidder.

  Two of the libertines from Lady Meriweather’s house party had already approached him: one had offered £5000 and the other £10,000. Compton had hesitated because the highest bidder was in trade and could do nothing to improve the earl’s status in society. Then the Duke of Weirlane showed up and offered £30,000 and was promptly accepted. Crispin didn’t tell Compton the money would go to Catherine not him.

  Without telling the earl the settlement papers had already been drawn up, the duke made arrangements to meet with him again in two days. Crispin hoped by that time he would have gotten up enough nerve to even speak to Catherine. If she never spoke to him again, he wouldn’t be surprised. She needed to know, though, that marrying him was the best thing for both of them. Convincing her might be nigh on impossible.

  ***

  As soon as the duke left, Compton ordered his daughter to his study. He was in a good mood for two reasons: Weirlane would pay him £30,000 for Catherine, and she would be out of his life permanently in a fortnight. He actually had a smile on his face rather than a scowl when she came through the door. Hesitantly, she approached his desk.

  “Sit down, Catherine. I have some good news for you.”

  Catherine sat on the edge of the chair with misgivings concerning any news her father would have for her.

  “Catherine, the Duke of Weirlane has asked for your hand in marriage, and I have assented.”

  “Father, I don’t want to marry the duke.”

  His smile vanished in an instant as he barked out, “And why, pray tell, would you not want to marry him?”

  Loathe to tell him that her reason for not marrying Crispin was because he had seduced her, Catherine hesitated then said, “I, I…he doesn’t love me.” She flushed and looked down at her hands in her lap, unable to face her father.

  He laughed derisively and said, “Love? You have to be bamming me. Where does love enter in when you could marry a duke with the power that Weirlane has?” With a snarl, he continued, “You stupid chit. You will marry Weirlane. I am remarrying in a matter of days, and she and I both want you out of here for good. Your insipid mother only had the ability to breed dead babes and you.”

  He spat the last at her, and she blanched as she realized the father she had tried to love hated her, and something inside of her broke. Losing her mother two years ago had put her under a tremendous strain of trying to please her father and run his household. She now knew for certain that all her efforts were for naught. Her father would give her no peace until she agreed to marry Crispin, and she would acquiesce as she usually did in order to keep him assuaged.

  Catherine was also unaware her father thought he was selling her to the duke for a large amount of money and would never let her refuse the powerful peer. But, no matter. She knew her father. Once he pursued a goal, he never stopped until he attained it. And if it concerned her, she knew he would hound her until she said ‘yes.’ After what happened at the house party, she had no fight left in her, so she gave up the struggle.

  Catherine sighed in resignation and whispered, “Very well, I will marry Crispin.”

  “Speak up, gel. What did you say?” he demanded.

  Her head snapped up, and she glared at him and spoke her reply louder. “I said that I will marry him. Are you satisfied?”

  For a moment, he was nonplussed at the formidable woman, glaring at him, who had fire in her eyes. But it didn’t last long. “Well, that’s better. I’ll tell the duke he needs to get a special license, and I will have you out of here within a fortnight.” Truth to tell, he was getting impatient about moving his mistress in with him but needed to do so with her as his wife. He didn’t want the servants bandying about the neighborhood concerning his lack of the marriage bonds. He would wed the moment his daughter married the duke.

  Taking a last look at her, he sneered, “Buck up, gel. You’ll be bedded by a duke. Now go, I’ll waste no more time on you.” Flipping his hand toward the door, he motioned for her to leave.

  Shocked to the core and white as a sheet, Catherine raced up to her bedchamber as fast as she could go. She fell on the bed and cried until she was exhausted. The reminder of what had happened to her all but crushed her spirit. She couldn’t marry the love of her life under these conditions. But she would, as her father would see to it.

  ***

  Two days later the Duke of Weirlane met with Lord Compton carrying the settlement papers his solicitor had drawn up. Catherine’s dowry would be put in a trust for her use should anything happen to the duke. The £30,000, discussed with Compton, would be added to Catherine’s trust. His Grace also had included the stipulation that she and any children would also receive a large allowance to ensure they had all their needs met. Also, all the duke’s unentailed properties—which were considerable—would be inherited by his wife and children. Lord Compton started to strenuously object until the duke glared at him.

  “Compton, I am aware of the fact you are wedding your mistress. I can also guess your continued suggestions about a special license and your lack of concern for your daughter’s welfare indicate you want her out of your life.” At this statement, with his fists on the earl’s desk, the duke leaned over and looked him in the eye and quietly said, “If I hear one word of disparagement about Catherine or learn you have hurt her in any way, I will see that the ton hears of where you met your wife and all her background. My investigator’s research has been very extensive also in regard to you as well.”

  Lord Compton stilled as he had found his future wife at the most impressive and expensive bordello in London. It didn’t bother him she had been a whore since the age of thirteen and young enough to be Catherine’s sister, but he was loathe to have the members of the prestigious ton apprised of that information. It would totally annihilate any social ambitions the two of them had for the future. So would any revelations about some of his own debauched activities for the last few years. What did bother him the most was the realization he had underestimated the young duke and that His Grace would be a formidable enemy if he wasn’t careful. And Lord Compton did
what he could to protect the important things in his life—his backside and his future wife—and he swallowed, then said, “I accept your settlement offer.”

  The duke gave him a predatory smile and said, “Excellent.” He was prepared to do what he must to protect Cat and to perdition with her grasping, hateful parent. Sitting back down, he and the earl proceeded to finish their business.

  ***

  When the last paper had been signed, Crispin stood and turned without another word to Catherine’s father and walked out of his study. Approaching a footman, he asked him to have Lady Catherine meet him in the library. When the man hesitated, he said, “I am the Duke of Weirlane, and Lady Catherine is my fiancée, and I need to speak with her.” Since Lord Compton seemed to have no objection, the footman acquiesced. After about a quarter hour, Catherine entered the library.

  “Cat, are you well?”

  “Am I well? No, I am not well. My father hates me and wants me out of the house within a fortnight, preferably less. And I am being forced to marry one whom I trusted but who seduced me and broke that trust.” Her bottom lip quivered, and tears ran down her face as she clasped her hands in her lap. She looked and felt miserable.

  Crispin knelt in front of her and took her hand in his. “Catherine, I didn’t seduce you.”

  “Then, why am I no longer a…an innocent?” Her voice dropped until it was only a whisper.

  “Oh, Catherine, I am so sorry. Both of us were drugged by a friend of mine at the party. It was an aphrodisiac designed to bring out lust in a person. Neither of us could control what happened.”

  “Crispin, I don’t want to marry you because you feel it’s the honorable thing to do. You don’t love me.”

  “Catherine, I may not love you, but I care about you and your welfare. You are not wanted here, and it may not be safe after he remarries. Marry me and let me give you something better. I care and my mother said she has always loved you and your mother. There are also my sisters who know and like you as well. You will be very welcome in my household, and I promise you will lack for nothing.”

  She knew he meant what he said, but all she could see was he didn’t love her. She would die a little each day living and bearing the children of one who just liked her. But she would also be a duchess. Will that be enough? Will he be faithful to me or will he still be with the women of London. I couldn’t bear it.

  “Cat, if you are worried I will leave you, I won’t…ever. You will be my wife, and you will be the only one I will ever be with again. I promise.”

  Then he took her hand and raised her up from the chair, and taking her chin in one hand, he gently kissed her. As he kissed her, he slipped his arms around her waist and gently pulled her a little closer. Running his tongue along her bottom lip, she gasped and opened to him. Even without Damien’s drug, she succumbed to the drug named Crispin. A tear escaped as she realized she would never be able to resist him. He had been in her blood for years, and she was addicted to him.

  Crispin’s body responded like lightning, and he had to let her go.

  “Cat, I’m getting a special license, and we can wed immediately. Would you prefer just my mother and siblings at our family chapel? We can have a wedding breakfast, if you wish, and invite a few friends or just have family. What would you like to do?”

  She laughed ruefully. “My father has already told me he will not attend. He’s not interested in anything having to do with me.”

  “I’m sorry, Cat. Some people just aren’t worth the effort to love.”

  “And you, Crispin? What about you?”

  That query caused him to bow his head, close his eyes, and bite his lower lip. Then he raised his head and looked her in the eye. “Catherine Benton, I am the lowest of the low, but I will do my best to make it up to you because you are worth it.”

  Softly, she thanked him.

  “I leave for London today and should return in three days. Do you have a dress suitable for a wedding?”

  “No. My father has not allowed me to buy any new dresses for the past two years. I should go to London, but I doubt my father will allow me to purchase what I need.”

  “Do you have a lady’s maid?”

  “Only the young maid who accompanied me to the house party. You saw how ineffective she was as a chaperone.”

  “Could she accompany you to Town?”

  “Perhaps. My father doesn’t like her, and after we marry, he will probably let her go. Knowing him, he might not give her references, and it would be best if I take her with me to London.”

  “How long for you to pack?”

  “Why?”

  “I leave for London in two hours. Come with me, and you can stay with my mother and sisters until we marry. I want to get you away from here as soon as possible. Will you come?”

  She looked at him for a long minute, and he had not one clue as to her thoughts. Finally, she nodded. “I’ll let my father know I’m leaving today. But only after I’ve secured my mother’s jewelry. She inherited it from her family and promised it to me.”

  “I will see you in two hours.” And since he couldn’t resist, he gently kissed her again, giving her a promise of things to come and then hurried out the door.

  Immediately, she apprised her maid she was leaving and asked if she wished to go with her to London. Annie agreed as she also thought Lord Compton would not keep her on. After quickly packing her few belongings, she then helped Lady Catherine pack her trunks. Only one held clothing; the other held her books and other personal mementos from her mother and grandmother. Packing her things took little more time than Annie’s. When the footmen carried her trunks downstairs, her father came out of his study and inquired as to what was happening.

  “Annie is accompanying me to London today. Crispin is getting a special license, and I will not be returning.” Catherine had already said her goodbyes to the only two servants in the household who were loyal to her, and they were the housekeeper and cook. They had loved her mother and her both and hated to see her leave but wished her happy. Catherine promised to write as soon as she settled. There were a few tears with the servants. There were no tears for her father.

  In fact, her father smiled and wished her well. After all, she would not return, and he was pleased with the outcome. He would have everything he wanted except the £30,000, and although he was not happy with that, he would find another way. He would also have a duke in the family.

  “Goodbye, Father.” And she walked out the door without another word as Crispin’s coach came up the drive.

  Her father was more than a little irritated at the duke as Crispin demanded Catherine’s large dowry but without giving monies to her father. The Duke of Weirlane had informed Lord Compton he would not purchase Catherine, but he would marry her and the marriage settlements would be for the protection of Catherine and any children in case of his death. Lord Compton—inwardly infuriated he would not receive a farthing with Catherine’s marriage—decided the prestige of having a duke in the family was something he and his future wife could use quite to advantage. Their social life would receive a significant boost, and his mistress wife should be accepted. It must be said that Catherine’s father was not the smartest man in England—by any stretch of the imagination—if he thought the haut ton would find them acceptable.

  Chapter V

  The duchess and Crispin’s three sisters—Anna Marie, Susanna, and Jocelyn—all welcomed Catherine with open arms. His siblings loudly proclaimed their congratulations to their brother, but also questioned why he hadn’t said anything about courting Catherine. He put forth the tale they just wanted to be sure that is what each wanted, and Catherine went along with it also. And if the duchess knew differently, she wasn’t saying anything, even to her future daughter-in-law.

  The girls were very easy to be around and so friendly, that at the end of the first evening, Catherine cried for joy in the lovely bedchamber she had been given until she and the duke wed. Her future mother-in-law had also taken her aside a
nd told her how happy she was that her son had chosen her and how she had loved her mother.

  “I miss mama. The house was so empty when she passed. My father mourned her for a month, but only for appearances sake. He wore an armband, but took it off as soon as he could do so. What little bit of joy the estate had experienced disappeared when she died.”

  “I know, my dear. My heart broke when I heard the news. She was my best friend, and there has never been another like her since. I am delighted her lovely daughter will become a member of my household. My son made an excellent choice.”

  At the first kind words she had had from anyone in more than two years, aside from the two servants and Crispin, Catherine’s heart swelled with happiness, and she squeezed the duchess’ hand. Then her smile vanished and she said, “I’m just not sure he loves me.”

  “Catherine, is that important to you?”

  She looked at her hands in her lap and whispered, “Yes.”

  “Have you always loved him?”

  Catherine nodded. “Other than mama, he is the only one who ever cared enough and kept me safe.”

  “Don’t give up on him, Catherine. I suspect my son doesn’t know how he feels, but I do get the impression he wants you as his wife.”

  Catherine almost said, “Yes, he wants me in his bed,” but caught herself just in time. She didn’t want the duchess knowing why Crispin was willing to marry her. She would have been mortified if she had known that information had already been given to her future mother-in-law.

  ***

  The next day, they went shopping for Catherine’s trousseau. Although propriety wouldn’t allow them to put the purchases on the duke’s account, it would allow the duchess to give the gowns and all the accessories as gifts to her future daughter. The deceased duke had left his family extremely wealthy as he had loved them dearly and provided well. Practically everything he had owned outright with very little entailed, and that enabled him to leave considerable wealth to his beloved wife and children.