Redemption for the Rakish Earl

by Jilian Rouge

  Alex softly asked Rafe, “Without making a fuss, please find Alistair and tell him to quietly call Aunt Aida and my mother in here. Explain to him what has happened if you must, but the idea is to refrain from causing a panic amongst our guests.”

  Rafe looked at him dubiously but said nothing and ran off to find the Ravenscroft butler. Rue stood there staring after both Christian and Amelia on the floor, rendered mute by the suddenness of it all. It was too much to take in, and Alex rushed to her side before she crumpled to the floor.

  Alex caught her in his arms, hoisting her up, and carried her to the settee, where he lay her down. “Are you alright, love?” he murmured, as he sat next to her, their faces close. He was inspecting her closely as though looking for damage.”

  “Me? What about you?” she asked, her voice strong and normal. “I should be asking you the same thing!”

  “I’m alright,” he assured her. “Just lay quiet and we’ll have this whole mess sorted out.” Then, regretfully, he said, “Suffice it to say that it may take some time before I get around to marrying you. I had hopes for a short engagement, but with Cousin Amelia,” he paused. “There will be much to do.”

  “With everything that’s happened tonight, I understand,” she said. He reached out to cup her cheek, and she rubbed her cheek against his hand, aching for Alex, for Christian, and poor Amelia. She found comfort in Alex’s touch and she closed her eyes, savoring its heat and gentleness.

  The sounds of Rafe arriving back with more people had Alex briefly resting his forehead against Rue’s before kissing her on the top of her head and easing away. Reluctantly, he rose from the settee, forcing himself to leave her side, but his duties as the head of the family urgently beckoned. Fortified by the promise in Rue’s smile, he steeled himself for the difficult time ahead, firm in the knowledge that he had chosen a woman who understood his love and responsibility for his family.

  25

  A Few Days Later

  From a pew in the back of the church, Rue kept a watchful eye on Alex, who stood with his mother to one side and Christian on the other. In the past few days, there was no time for even the shortest of moments to spare alone with Alex, and she missed him terribly.

  The ball had been cut short once it had been discovered that there had been an accident. Alex, Rafe, and Christian were instrumental in keeping the details of the accident to a minimum, and thereby reducing the amount of speculation surrounding it. Only the obscurest of details were released for the peace of mind of the relatives who were in attendance, and with the ball prematurely over and done, everyone deemed it prudent to return to their homes posthaste.

  Certain that there was no place for her at Ravenscroft while a funeral was being arranged, Rue left for home, accompanied by Ernest and Georgie. The siblings had no desire to return to the City until Rue no longer had need of them, but Rue assured them both that they could stay with her as long as they liked. Ernest also made it very clear that he would not leave until he received the full story of what had happened.

  Tying in the details to which neither Montagu was privy, Rue had informed them of how Amelia was behind everything: the notes, Ulysses’ saddle, her fall down the stairs, everything. Leading up to Amelia’s key reason for her actions, Rue had unhappily disclosed the tale of Amelia’s unnatural obsession with Christian, earning the poor dead woman their pity.

  The day of the funeral mass for Miss Amelia Stanhope was spared no expense, in large part due to Alex’s generosity. Flowers were in plentiful abundance within the little church, the sight of them and their fragrance lent a lighter air to the otherwise somber mood. Glancing at Christian, Rue’s heart grew heavy at the sight of him trying his best to console his openly weeping mother. She was uncertain whether or not Mrs. Stanhope was aware of the circumstances surrounding Amelia’s death, but it broke her heart to see a mother deep in her pain and her grief for her lost child.

  Soon, the pallbearers were called upon to carry out Amelia’s casket, and the family were to follow close behind. As Alex turned to exit his row, Rue caught his eye fleetingly, and she tried to pour as much comfort and love into that one glance meant just for him. Alex shot her a sorrowful smile, one that spoke of regret for his aunt and both of his cousins, and it was all Rue could do not to rush to his side. They were in public, and she had only to be patient before she and Alex could resume being an engaged couple together.

  From the little Anthropshire Anglican church, a small procession proceeded a short distance, down a sloping hill towards the nearby graveyard. Rue and her father hung back towards the end of the procession, neither of them particularly close to the deceased, but were present out of respect for Alex. More prayers were said after the pallbearers helped lower Amelia’s casket carefully into the freshly dug grave. Weeping began anew among some of the gathered mourners as Mrs. Stanhope and Christian said their final farewells.

  Rue silently offered up a prayer for Amelia and her surviving family, hoping for peace for Amelia and comfort for her brother and mother she’d left behind. Once the priest uttered his final ‘amen’ over Amelia’s grave, the crowd began its somber exit from the tiny graveyard, eager to seek the shelter of their own homes and lives. As Rue’s father led her by the arm, Alex shot her a meaningful, hopeful glance her way, as if to say, Soon, I will come to you. She acknowledged his look with gestures of her own, a hand upraised and a subtle nod of her head. No words were exchanged between them, only a chasm of feeling and longing for the other palpable enough to reach one another.

  Being away from Rue was a hardship, especially knowing what it was like to have her near after starving for her for nine long years, to the point of Alex seriously considering storming over to her father’s house and kidnapping her. As it was, he was in the midst of overseeing provisions for the costs imbued by Amelia’s funeral, his way of shouldering the burden from Aunt Aida and Christian. Although Christian protested and insisted that he could cover the costs, it made Alex feel better about doing this as the head of the Carruthers family.

  Alex’s own insistence stemmed partly from his own guilt for Cousin Amelia’s death. While he knew it was no one’s fault that Amelia had died the way she had, he plagued himself with the different outcomes that would have still seen Amelia alive if he had done something a little differently. It was fortunate that the incident was seen for what it was: an accident. Although if it weren’t for Christian’s quick thinking, he would have surely bungled the explanation for the shot of a pistol that all of the guests had heard from the ballroom.

  Christian had lied to both the magistrate and Doctor Prynne that his sister had tripped on the library’s Aubusson carpet during a disagreement with Rue and in so doing had dislodged the pistol sitting on top of the desk. The very same pistol that Alex had left out for Alistair to be cleaned had discharged as it fell from its perch. Not able to catch herself in time, Amelia had fallen awkwardly, causing her to strike her head, splitting her skull open. But it was the breaking of her neck, that killed her instantly.

  After Amelia’s body had been taken away that same evening of her demise, he and Christian had a moment to themselves to go over what had happened. While alone in his study, he had asked Christian to provide him with the details he had missed that led to that evening’s outcome.

  With head hung low and eyes rimmed red from weeping, Christian had related all in a torrent of details:

  Christian began, “When we were younger, I didn’t understand that Amelia’s attentiveness was more than was deemed acceptable. I loved my sister, but only as a brother should and had thought that was how she expressed her love for me. But as I grew older and spent more time away from home during those summers spent here instead, I realized that her behavior was peculiar around me.

  “Then one day, I believe it was a few weeks before you had left for London, Alex, that Amelia made an, ahem, advance towards me. While I gently castigated her for it, setting her aside from me, I told her in clear terms that I will only ever love her as
my sister and nothing more. I remember her smiling at me with tears in her eyes, telling me that she only wanted me to be happy, and she would personally see to it that I would be.

  “If you are wondering why I wasn’t more firm with her, you have to understand my sister’s condition. While she was in perfect health physically, my mother and I have had to treat her gently all of her life. There was no telling when Amelia would flare into one of her episodes of trying to harm herself, whether it be scratching at or cutting herself to draw blood. Oftentimes, she would run away, but luckily, she did not venture further than Ravenscroft lands. She was not well, and we did our best to keep her happy so as not to bring about another episode.

  “It’s why I hadn’t discouraged her feelings for me at first. As long as it was harmless, I allowed her to continue as she was. But once I rebuked her for sneaking into my bed and threw her out of my bedchamber, she suddenly concentrated her energies into encouraging me to take a wife. She had heard me talk admirably of Rue often enough, given that I was infatuated with her back then that Amelia had put it into my head to take Rue as my wife. In fact, she was adamant about it.

  “I didn’t question Amelia’s sudden obsession with Rue, not when I had come to think it wasn’t a bad idea, after all. And with you gone so long, the idea had already taken root. I knew how the both of you felt for the other, even if either of you weren’t aware of it then, but I also began seeing my marriage to Rue as an escape of sorts from Amelia’s reach. Only I know I didn’t love Rue as you did, and a love like the one you and Rue share was something I had aspired to have for myself. I had only been thinking of finally escaping this dependency Amelia had for me, but by marrying Rue I would have cost myself my own chance to find love.”

  Alex had no words for Christian as his cousin concluded his tale. He had no idea his cousins had suffered for so long without telling him, but with Amelia newly buried in the cold ground, he didn’t think it judicious to say he would have helped in some way if he had known. But of course, with the time he had been gone, he couldn’t certainly say that he would have had the time or inclination to do so.

  So, he remained silent on that score, and thanked Christian for his honesty. Alex was also tremendously grateful that the majority of their houseguests at the time were family from one branch or another, and none of them thought to question the validity of their story. The Carruthers family protected their own, and Aida Stanhope who had married into the family was family enough for them to shield her from further hurt.

  While he held much regret and pity for poor Cousin Amelia, Alex knew that anything he might have done differently would still have had the same outcome. She still would have been obsessed with Christian’s marriage to Rue, and she still would have gone to extreme measures to foster that same obsession.

  After what Amelia had confessed to them in the library, he had no doubt that Amelia had thought spying on them was justified by her need to protect Christian’s vested interest in Rue. And while he did not relish the idea of his cousin observing he and Rue during an intimate moment, he understood in some small way Amelia’s ruthlessness in doing everything she could to get what she wanted. He himself practiced that same kind of fervor in his business dealings; if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been as successful or as rich.

  While the past several days required his full attention and energies on his familial obligations, Alex saved a good amount of thinking for Rue. He missed her dreadfully, but there was nothing either of them could do about it without causing a scandal. But by the time they post the banns necessary to make their marriage legal, it would already be three long months before she would officially be his.

  An idea formed suddenly in his mind, one that would shorten the amount of time until Rue was finally his and in his bed every night. As his countess, he would not stand for either of them maintaining separate bedchambers when he had had enough of any kind of separation between them. Nine years was long enough, and he didn’t need or desire any further physical barriers keeping her from him.

  All he required was the chance to convince Rue to agree with his idea, and it wouldn’t be much longer before he could keep her with him for all of their natural lives.

  26

  The Abelard Estate, The Parlor

  Since the funeral, Rue had not heard from Alex, and it had been several days since then that she had last seen him. By then, Rue’s father had proclaimed that he was tired of her moping about the house with a perpetual hangdog expression and threatened to turn her out just to avoid her self-pitying sighs and looks. Her father was all bluster, and she knew that his threats were devoid of any real intent since he adored his only child and daughter.

  The morning grew late, already melting into the afternoon, and she still could not find diversion enough to keep her mind from worrying about Alex. He had not sent word at all, and she half worried that he was so engrossed with family matters that there would be no time left for her at all. Music had always had the ability to calm her when she was out of sorts, and the pianoforte that was her late mother’s beckoned her to tickle its keys.

  With the calming effects of Chopin’s Nocturne in E flat, Rue was able to lose herself in the bars of its sweeping, upward lifts, the melody sweet and haunting at the same time. With eyes closed, she let the feel of the keys guide her onwards through the song, allowing herself the freedom to slow or rush the tempo in certain places for dramatic effect. Nearing the end of the composition, she improvised elaborately with the trills that signaled its climactic ending.

  As the last note thrummed in the air, she released the keys in a graceful sweep and was immediately startled by a pair of hands settling firmly on top of her shoulders. Her eyes opened suddenly in alarm and with a screech she slammed her hands against the keys with a discordant noise.

  Whirling on the piano stool, she found herself face to face with the very source of her worry these past several days. Alex smiled wickedly at her, his body stooped over so that their faces were in close proximity. Pecking a quick kiss on her nose before straightening, Alex laughingly apologized, “Sorry. It wasn’t my intent to startle you.”

  Blowing out a breath with puffed cheeks, Rue replied dryly, “I rather think that I would have reacted the same way if you had chosen to jump out and yell boo at me.” Grabbing hold of both his hands, she said meaningfully, “I’m just so glad you are here, Alex.”

  Using their clasped hands as leverage to help her to a stand, Alex gathered her into an embrace, his arms clasping her tightly to him. In her hair, he whispered back, “God, I’ve missed you.”

  With their arms encircling each other, they remained unmoving for a long, drawn out moment, relishing the feel of their bodies warm and solid against the other. It wasn’t long before Alex slid his lips slowly along the shell of her ear, then across the curve of her cheek. When their noses slid alongside each other, his lips slid further down to land squarely on her lips. Heat engulfed her at the impassioned pressure of his lips against hers, and their kiss quickly morphed into a fervent expression of a natural, basic desire. A desire that made her ache and would soon have them rolling around on the parlor floor for anyone to catch them.

  But before they could progress further than was appropriate and too soon for Rue’s liking, Alex pulled back to look her intently in the eye. Rue shudderingly drew in a breath at the wealth of emotion she caught in his own gaze, certain that her own expression mirrored his in that same instant.

  Alex simply said, “Come away with me now, Rue.”

  Rue tilted her head at him questioningly. “Come with you where?” she asked. With the servants at their chores milling about the house and with her father also somewhere nearby, she hoped he didn’t mean to venture to her bedchamber. Given that their kiss had incited both of their passions, she was hoping that he meant to continue in a more comfortable venue.

  “To Gretna Green,” he said directly. At her frown, he explained, “I had given it some thought, and I think it would alleviate the problem o
f waiting too long for you to finally become my wife. Hundreds of couples have done the same thing to dispense with the need for banns being read at church, and we can join their number. Have your maid pack you a light trunk and we can be away before anyone misses us.”

  Frowning even deeper, she scuttled backwards to face him fully. “Are you mad? Why Scotland and not here in Anthropshire?”

  Taken aback by Rue’s obvious resistance to his idea, he blinked. “Is it the lack of a lavish wedding with all of Society’s trappings that has you opposed to my idea?” With his brows knit and sporting a frown of his own, Rue realized too late to her horror that she sounded as though she preferred the idea of a big wedding over leaping at the first chance to be with him forever.