A Bachelor Still

by Rebecca Hagan Lee

“You can’t think this will be the end of it.”

  “No, it won’t be,” Daniel agreed. “Rothermere will seek his revenge. But we’ve stopped him for the time being and that will suffice until we come up with a permanent way to eliminate the threat.”

  “I saved Liana. But what of Caroline? I’m concerned about the younger sister,” Alex admitted. “I’m wondering if we should take Caroline with us when we leave for our wedding trip.”

  “You can,” Daniel told him. “But it won’t be much of a honeymoon for you if you do.”

  Alex shrugged. “It won’t be much of a honeymoon either way.”

  Daniel lifted an eyebrow in query.

  “I married her to save her from Rothermere, Daniel. Any one in my position would have done the same.”

  “Yet she’s about to begin her third season,” Daniel mused. “And no one has asked her father for her hand in marriage. Except Rothermere.”

  “Rothermere didn’t ask for her hand. He took advantage of McElreath’s weakness and twisted his arm to get what he wanted.”

  “Agreed,” Daniel said.

  “And she can hardly be faulted for that,” Alex reminded him.

  “Also agreed.”

  “Or the fact that none of the young men of her age and acquaintance were willing to take on her father’s debts in order to take her to wife.”

  “You were,” Daniel pointed out.

  “As a favor to her mother and to you.” He met Daniel’s unflinching gaze. “And I’ve no intention of exacting payment for that favor by fulfilling my mother’s fondest dream and bedding her to secure a Courtland heir. I can’t bed her. She’s Colin’s sister. It’s just not done.”

  Daniel shook his head and gave a little chuckle. “You just took her to wife, Alex. In front of God, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of St. Michael’s, her parents, your mother and a church full of witnesses, all to save her from a man who preys on innocents. You’re married. As married as you are ever going to be. You’d better bed her. As soon as possible.”

  “And what sort of friend and colleague would I be if I ruined my blood brother’s sister?”

  “What kind of husband will you be if word gets out that you won’t take your wife to bed?” Daniel shot back. “And trust me, word like that will get out.”

  “How?”

  “You’ve lived in a household filled with domestics all your life and you can ask that question?” Daniel shook his head, then raked his fingers through his hair to smooth it back into place. “Servants talk, Alex. Laundresses talk. Duchesses and mothers and daughters talk. Sisters talk. You refuse to bed your wife and everyone will hear about it. That will be a bigger scandal than her aborted wedding to Rothermere and her subsequent wedding to you. And may heaven help her when Rothermere gets wind of it.”

  Alex heaved a sigh. “What do you think Colin will say when he learns I’ve involved his sister in such a scandal? What will it do to our friendship or to our joint venture?” He leveled his gaze at his friend. “Have you thought of that?”

  “No, I haven’t,” Daniel admitted. “I’ve been too busy scrambling up the sides of buildings housebreaking in the dead of night, calling out solicitors and making arrangements for dozens of necessary services in order to alleviate this crisis. I haven’t had the time or inclination to think about the next one.”

  “Think about it,” Alex advised. “Napoleon may be safely ensconced on Elba, but his followers are not. They are making plans for something big. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know there is more at stake here than saving Liana from Rothermere.”

  “Not to Liana,” Daniel retorted. “Or to Lady McElreath.”

  “That may be. But it doesn’t change the fact that I’ve involved Colin’s sister in a juicy scandal and rushed her to the altar to boot. She won’t be able to secure an annulment from the church once the danger is over unless I refrain from taking what should be reserved for the man she eventually marries.”

  “You think making her your marchioness is wrong?”

  “I gave her no more choice in the matter than Rothermere or her father did,” Alex admitted. “That was wrong.”

  “Unlike Rothermere, she repeated her vows to you without a peep of protest.”

  “Because she was overwhelmed by everything that’s happened. She fainted dead away. And what bride wouldn’t? Two weddings in one morning…”

  “I disagree. I don’t think she minded at all or that Colin will, either. Unless, you insist on protecting her by humiliating her.”

  “I have to do what I think is best, Daniel.”

  “I’d agree if I thought you were using logic instead of emotion in your rationale,” Sussex told him. “But I think you’re making a mistake. I think the best way to protect your bride is to make her your wife in truth.”

  “Daniel…”

  Sussex held up his hand in a gesture of surrender. “Just think about it.”

  Alex nodded.

  “And don’t worry about the younger McElreath girl. Miranda and I will extend an invitation for Lady McElreath and her daughter to visit us while you’re away.”

  “McElreath may not allow it.”

  “I’m a duke.” Daniel shot Alex a meaningful look. “He’ll allow it. Because he dare not refuse. The only people who defy me or refuse my invitations or advice are the people I love. The Earl of McElreath isn’t one of them.”

  “His heir is.”

  “Yes, and as such, I’ll write to him and explain the circumstances surrounding your marriage to his sister.”

  Alex shook his head. “No. I’ll do it. He has a right to hear the news from me.”

  “Colin will understand,” Daniel assured him. “You’ll see.”

  “Maybe,” Alex conceded. “But only if he’s aware of Rothermere’s machinations and his particular form of entertainment. And most of London isn’t. Or would believe it of a gentleman if they were.”

  “Most of London may choose not to believe such a thing of a gentleman, but I guarantee they’ve heard the rumors. I’ll wager even your innocent bride had heard the rumors.” He glanced around. “Why else would she fight so hard to keep from becoming the Marchioness of Rothermere? And speaking of brides, I’ve kept you away from yours long enough.” He nodded toward Liana, who was deep in conversation with his wife. “I think it’s time we rejoined her and the rest of your wedding guests.”

  * * *

  Watching as her husband pulled Courtland to the side for a private word, Miranda Sussex took the opportunity to speak with the bride. “Oh, Liana, you made a beautiful bride! I’m so pleased for you!”

  “Thank you, Your Grace, for the loan of the dress and the jewelry and everything else you did.”

  “Not ‘Your Grace’,” Miranda told her. “Except on formal occasions. My friends call me Miranda. And I just know we’re going to be friends. The dearest of friends.” She smiled at Liana. “Practically family. Daniel and I feel the same way about Alex as we do Colin and Gillian. And the dress and the jewelry aren’t on loan. They are yours to keep.”

  Liana gasped, then looked at the duchess of Sussex. “But the note… I thought you gave it to me to wear for my wedding.”

  “It was Alex’s idea,” the duchess confided in a low voice. “He was afraid you might not accept the necklace or the earrings if you knew they were from him—that they are part of the Marchioness of Courtland’s collection. Alex feared you might think his gifts too much to accept from a man you hardly knew—and he was concerned that your father might be tempted to—appropriate—them for his own use if he knew they were yours instead of on loan from a duke and duchess.”

  Liana winced at the truth in the duchess’s words.

  “As for the dress,” Miranda continued, “we had seamstresses working day and night for two days to complete it.”

  “But the color…” Liana sputtered. “It’s the perfect shade of green to compliment your hair and coloring. I’ve seen you wear emerald green on several occasions. I tho
ught…”

  “I know what you thought.” Miranda grinned. “You assumed I’d had one of my gowns made over for you. But the truth is that Alex asked me to arrange for my seamstress to create a wedding dress for you. The color suits you as much as it does me and I don’t feel comfortable accepting thanks for something I didn’t do. Alex specified the color of your gown and I think you should know he wanted to match the color of your eyes when he did so.”

  “He did?” Liana couldn’t have been more surprised if the duchess had told her Lord Courtland had selected the fabric and sewn the dress himself. “He remembered the color of my eyes?”

  “Of course he did,” Miranda said. “Daniel and I only added your gloves, purse, and fan as our gifts. The rest was all your new husband’s doing. His wedding gift to you.”

  Liana blanched. “But I’ve nothing to give him.”

  Miranda started to reply, but was interrupted when Daniel called her name. “Miranda, my love, Lord and Lady Courtland have guests waiting.”

  Liana followed the duchess’s gaze and saw that Alex and the duke and the two churchmen were standing near the door that led to the walled garden.

  “One moment, darling.” Miranda smiled at her husband, then reached inside her reticule and pulled out a small box, beautifully wrapped in white vellum paper and tied with silver ribbons, and pressed it into Liana’s hand. “I have something for you.” Leaning close to Liana’s ear, she added, “With the wedding following so closely on the heels of the announcement in the paper, I thought you might not have an opportunity to go shopping for a gift for your groom. I took the liberty of doing so on your behalf…”

  Liana’s relief was palpable. Tears sparkled in her eyes when she realized what the duchess had done. “Oh, Your Grace…”

  “Miranda,” Miranda said firmly.

  “Miranda,” Liana repeated. “I don’t how to thank you.”

  “They’re from Mr. Dalrymple, the jeweler on Bond Street.”

  “Bond Street? However did you manage?” Liana asked, knowing ladies were not allowed to patronize the shops on Bond Street, where a number of fashionable gentleman’s clubs were located.

  “There’s a ladies’ entrance on Sackville Street between the confectionary and the linen draper’s. If these are not to your liking or if you wish to select something more personal, feel free to return them. Mr. Dalrymple will be happy to exchange them for something else.” The Duchess of Sussex gave Liana another quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “What are friends for if not to help when help is needed?”

  Liana gazed down at the box in her hand as Miranda melted into the crush of wedding guests waiting patiently for the Marquess of Courtland to escort his bride into the walled garden, where a glorious feast of a wedding breakfast had been set out to accommodate them and their guests.

  Alex turned from a brief exchange with his uncle to find Liana holding a gift box. “What’s that?”

  “A wedding gift,” Liana answered.

  “From the duke and duchess?”

  Liana shook her head. “No.”

  Alex was clearly puzzled. He didn’t recall seeing any gifts, but someone had apparently thought to bring one. “Your mother?”

  “No.”

  “My mother?”

  “No.”

  “Then who?”

  Liana smiled. “Me.”

  Alex lifted an eyebrow in query.

  “It’s a wedding gift from me to you.” Liana offered him the box.

  Alex took it, making no attempt to hide his pleasure at receiving a gift. “You’re giving me a wedding gift?”

  Liana nodded. “Why shouldn’t I? After all you did for me?”

  “I didn’t expect…” He looked down at her.

  “Neither did I,” Liana said softly. “But I hoped.” There was an undercurrent of emotion in her reply. Her emerald green eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

  “How?”

  She gave him a mysterious look and a smile worthy of Leonardo’s Mona Lisa. “In much the same way I received a wedding gown and a fortune in emeralds from you, I suspect.”

  Alex laughed. “You’re not going to tell me your secrets, are you?”

  Liana loved the sound of his laughter and the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled or laughed. “Are you going to tell me yours?”

  He studied her, wondering how much, if anything, she knew about her brother’s involvement in the Free Fellows League. Wondered if she believed, like most of London, that he and Sussex and Barclay had become friends with Avon, Grantham, and Shepherdston from Barclay’s time at the Knightsguild School for Gentlemen and through their club memberships and their business arrangements with financier Lord Robert Mayhew. Or if she knew Colin’s friendship with him and the others was far more involved. Alex shook his head. “No.”

  “I suppose a man should keep a bit of mystery about himself—even from his wife,” she said. “As a precaution.”

  He furrowed his brow. “A precaution? From what?”

  “Contempt.” Liana met his gaze. “I’ve heard it said that familiarity breeds it. And being married guarantees a certain familiarity.”

  “I never took you for a cynic.”

  “I’m not.”

  “We’ve been married less than an hour and you’re already worried about me finding you contemptible.”

  “It’s possible.” Unable to hold his gaze any longer, she quickly glanced down at the toes of her slippers.

  Alex placed his finger beneath her chin and tilted her face so he could see the expression on it. “No, it isn’t.”

  “Be practical,” she told him.

  “I suspect you’re practical enough for the both of us.” Alex couldn’t say exactly why her cynicism stung—unless it was because he’d hoped she would continue to look at him the way she had when he’d walked into St. Bartholomew’s Chapel to rescue her. As if he were a knight in shining armor capable of working miracles and doing the impossible. Now, when she looked at him, his armor seemed to have lost some of its luster. How was it that he was more of a romantic than his bride?

  “Someone has to be.”

  “Someone is.” He quirked an eyebrow at her and gifted her with a devilish smile. “Don’t you like me, Liana? Even a little?”

  She responded with a shy smile. “Of course, I like you, my lord.” More than a little.

  He seemed to divine what she didn’t say. “The feeling is mutual,” he replied. “I don’t pretend to know what the future holds for us. But I promise you can trust me. I’m not like your father. I don’t drink or gamble to excess. You don’t have to worry about having a roof over your head or food on the table. Or that I’ll ever lift a hand to you. Or punish you for expressing an opinion. Despite the violence I displayed this morning, I am not generally a violent sort of man. You don’t have to fear me. Or address me as my lord. You share my title. As far as I’m concerned, that makes you my partner, not my property. I made vows to you and I’m a man of my word. I’ll take good care of you. I promise.”

  Liana wanted to believe him, wanted to believe his promises. She knew he was a good and honorable man, knew he was a man of his word, and that he would do his duty by her, but deep down inside she knew he could hurt her. He had married her out of kindness, to save her from Lord Rothermere. “Marriage is forever,” she said. “What if you discover I’m not the right sort of wife for you and that we made a mistake?”

  Alex traced the frown lines marring the soft skin of her forehead with the tip of his finger. “If that should come to pass, I promise you, we’ll work things out.”

  “How?”

  “I’ll banish you to the country.”

  Her mouth opened, forming a perfect O of surprise. “What?”

  “I’ll banish you to the country like Henry II did with Queen Eleanor. It’s the fair way to deal with an uncooperative wife. And I’ll only let you come to town at Easter and Christmas.” He smiled to show her he was teasing her, trying to lighten the mood. “Pleas
e, don’t worry, Little One, everything will work out. Smile. It’s your wedding day. People are watching.” He made a face and gave a mock shudder. “My mother is watching. Do you want her to come over and scold me for making my bride frown on our wedding day?”

  She shook her head.

  “Wise choice, my lady,” he continued in the light flirtatious tone that had won him the hearts of females since he was in leading strings. “But too late.” He glanced over at his mother and saw that she was making her way through the breakfast guests toward them. “Wave.”

  Liana did as he asked.

  “Your mother-in-law is a formidable woman. Frighteningly formidable. And you’d do best to learn that early in your relationship.”

  Liana laughed. “Along with my Debrett’s.”

  “Another wise choice, my lady,” Alex was glad she could laugh about her faux pas in not realizing the Archbishop of Canterbury was his mother’s uncle by marriage. “You never know when she might quiz you. But, never fear, I will help you.”

  “Because, of course, you’re an avid follower of the members and the rules and whims of society.”

  He liked the teasing note in Liana’s voice and the sparkle in her verdant eyes when she looked up at him. They were, it appeared, sharing a private joke. Although he was a product of it, Alexander Courtland had never made a secret of the fact that he despised the Marriage Mart, wouldn’t be caught dead at Almack’s, and had nothing but contempt for the bucks and dandies who spent hours every morning styling their hair or primping in looking glasses while attempting to master the most elaborate way to fashion a knot in a cravat. “No, because one should always know one’s relatives and enemies and whether or not they happen to be one and the same.”

  “Exactly so, Alexander.” The dowager Marquess of Courtland walked up and patted her son’s arm. “Your friends will always watch your back, your enemies will take the first opportunity to plunge a knife into it.” She paused. “What are you two doing over here? Your guests are waiting for you to sit down to breakfast.”

  “Liana wanted a private moment to give me a wedding present.” Alex showed his mother the wrapped package Liana had given him.