The Irresistible Lady Behind The Mask (Historical Regency Romance)

by Emily Honeyfield

  She was more concerned with the terrible lie Hudson had sent to her father. Elope! As if she would ever do such a silly thing. Couldn’t her father see that wasn’t in her nature? She was a practical person not a dreamer!

  The man went on, not minding her sour disposition. “She talked me into looking at it from young lovers’ point of view that couldn’t wait to be together. I, reluctantly I might add, agreed with her although I still think it was sheer foolishness on both your parts when we could have had a grand wedding in London. You’re my only daughter, for Christ’s sakes! Even though I never thought I’d see you married, I didn’t plan that it would be somewhat in secret.”

  Tempest was lost for words. She didn’t even know where to begin to tell her father that Hudson was nothing but a liar and that he had kidnapped her from their home and was also forcing her to marry him.

  Eyeing her keenly, the man shocked her by asking, “I take it Hudson hasn’t tasted the goods before they were bought, has he?”

  Blushing fierily, she shook her head. He drew her closer and kissed both her cheeks. When he pulled away, he was smiling brightly with delight in his eyes.

  “That’s by the way,” he remarked. “Congratulations on your decision to marry one of the best men I know. Your mother would be pleased wherever she is, God rest her sweet soul.” He paused for a moment before he continued, “Hudson is a very fine man, industrious, and scandal-free. He will make a good husband, I can tell. Well, that’s if you keep that acidic tongue of yours to yourself.”

  As her father erroneously continued praising Hudson, his daughter didn’t have the heart to detract him from his delusions about his prospective son-in-law. Moreover, he looked so happy that she was getting married to Hudson, she couldn’t break his heart.

  Instead, she kept quiet and allowed him to continue to think the best about Hudson, not knowing he was marrying her just to get his greedy hands on his dying aunt’s wealth.

  “Send a maid to fetch that young chap of yours, will you? I need to speak to him right away,” the baron demanded.

  As Tempest turned to accede to his request, she hoped it was to tell Hudson that the wedding must take place in London. Then, she would have the opportunity to run away unlike this place that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.

  Hudson, as if expecting his summons, arrived immediately. Darting a curious glance at her, he strode into the room and exchanged pleasantries with her father. Sir George also congratulated him after chiding him for running away with his daughter. Hudson grinned and looked at her while she kept her face in a stony mask of displeasure.

  They all sat down to talk after a maid had come in to serve tea.

  Her father, after staring at both of them in silence that gnawed at her nerves, said calmly, “Since I’m here, and I have to return to London to handle some business, I demand you get married tomorrow!”

  Tempest jerked on the chair she was seated on in the drawing room.

  “But Papa, the wedding is three days away. There’s still so much to be done,” she protested, dashing a glance Hudson’s way to solicit for his support.

  “Bah!” The man waved a nonchalant hand. “That’s unnecessary. I’m here. The duke is here. That’s all we need. Then perhaps a few witnesses.”

  “My brothers and relations are already here,” Hudson supplied helpfully, earning himself a murderous look from his betrothed. Hudson grinned and winked at her.

  “Splendid!” her father remarked, rubbing his palms together with glee. “Would it be possible to get the local vicar here tomorrow?”

  “No!” Tempest quickly inserted before Hudson could say anything.

  Shaking his head at her, he turned to the baron, “Yes. He’s already aware of the arrangement. Informing him that the day had been moved closer wouldn’t cause any inconvenience for him. As a matter of fact, I’ll go and send word to him this minute!”

  “Do that,” her father commanded as Hudson pushed himself to his feet.

  Throwing an amused glance her way, Hudson hurried out of the room. She had wanted to use her wedding dress as an excuse but knew it wouldn’t fly. The dressmaker had showed up with a dress so lovely, Tempest had gazed lovingly at it for some seconds before she could say anything. The dress suited her perfectly.

  Her father departed from her presence to have a word with Hudson’s father, leaving her to ponder on her fate. All indications pointed at the fact that she would wed Hudson whether she liked it or not.

  When hours passed and there was nothing she could do to stop the wedding or at least, delay it, Tempest reluctantly resigned herself to fate. If she dared refuse to marry him, there was no telling what Hudson would do in his anger. He might just announce her secret to the whole world. Although he didn’t seem the type that would do so, she couldn’t take the risk.

  Although she hated the fact that she was marrying without her approval, a part of her leapt with joy at her decision to marry her childhood best friend. She squelched the feeling, afraid that she would mistakenly blurt it out when they were exchanging vows. Hudson didn’t need to know she was in love with him because it wouldn’t change anything.

  *****

  It was her wedding day!

  Tempest didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. All the while the maids prepared her for the ceremony, she had swayed between joy and discomfiture, and now that the hour was at hand, she didn’t know which emotion to settle for.

  However, an hour later, Tempest couldn’t help being thrilled at the simplicity of the wedding. She had expected pageantry and fanfare from all the outrageous preparations she heard from her maid. At first, she had thought it was because her father had insisted they be married promptly, but she later realised that it had all been a teasing game to Hudson. He had made it look as if the whole world was being invited to the wedding with various activities arranged for the day. She wouldn’t have been surprised if there had been a jousting match from what she heard.

  However, it was only a few family and friends in attendance, and the wedding hadn’t even taken up to twenty minutes before the local vicar declared them man and wife.

  Hudson had turned away immediately to accept congratulations from his father and brother. Her father had also hugged and kissed her cheeks. The duke, too, had also smiled lovingly at her and welcomed her into the family as well as his brothers. A few relations present also hugged and kissed her cheeks. Valerie had offered stilted congratulations to her. Tempest wondered what she was still doing there knowing her plans had failed. She wished as her father departed that he would take Valerie along with him, but the chit said she would stay for a few days and enjoy the fresh country air.

  Tempest glanced over at her husband in the large room as he sipped from his glass of champagne and spoke to one of his brothers. Looking devilishly handsome in a beautifully tailored gold jacket, white shirt, gold brocade waistcoat, and black trousers, Tempest couldn’t believe she had gone through with the ceremony and married him. As if he felt her eyes on him, he turned in her direction and offered her a warm smile, his eyes filled with promise.

  Tempest blushed and hastily lowered her eyes, pretending to be intent on the conversation of the old women surrounding her. When Tempest finally listened to what the women were talking about, she blushed a fiery red. Why they were talking to her about her wedding night and what she should expect was beyond her.

  Were such things conventional? Of course she knew what happened between a man and a woman in their bedchambers; she didn’t need the women to spell it out to her and quite bluntly, too. When the women began discussing her having Hudson’s heir, Tempest acknowledged that she couldn’t take it anymore.

  Her wedding had been simple and beautiful, not in the least what she expected, but she wouldn’t pretend that things were fine between her and Hudson. Moreover, she was beginning to feel caged.

  With a small smile playing at her lips, she excused herself from the women. The hair at her nape stood as she walked away from the room, and she
knew intuitively that Hudson’s eyes were boring a hole in her back.

  Tempest was just about to summon her maid to help her out of her lovely wedding dress when Judith showed up.

  “Oh, Judith, thank goodness you’re here. Help me out of this dress. Have a care for it because it’s absolutely exquisite,” she demanded as she began to remove the pins that had held her hair in place with soft tendrils cupping her face.

  “Mrs Danvers,” Judith said with euphoria in her voice, “I think you’ve forgotten.”

  Tempest turned to look at her with stunned eyes; her hand paused in midair as she tried to reach for a pin.

  “Forgotten what?”

  Judith giggled. “Your affairs were removed to the master bedroom which is to be your room, too. While the ceremony was going on downstairs, Mr Hudson requested that your things be moved to his bedchamber because he doesn’t like the idea of separate rooms.”

  For the first time in a long while, Tempest was at loss for what to say.

  Blushing, Judith lowered her eyes and added, “He also told me to inform you not to take off your dress just yet because he’d be up shortly.”

  Hearing those lustful words so incensed Tempest that she reached for the back of the dress and tried to work at the buttons, determined to tear the dress off her if she couldn’t.

  “Oh,” she exclaimed when buttons flew everywhere in her haste to get herself out of the dress.

  Judith’s eyes enlarged with disconcertment. Tempest was sorry to see such a lovely dress ruined, but she would be damned if she allowed that licentious husband of hers to touch her tonight!

  Chapter 25

  As Hudson climbed up the stairs and crossed the red-carpeted hallway, his heart made thuds in rhythm with his steps. Uncertain why he was so nervous when this was the night he had been waiting for in a long while, he made his way to his bedchamber where he hoped to God that Tempest would be waiting for him.

  Although he was truly wedded to the beautiful but obstinate woman, the day still felt surreal to him. He felt as if he would suddenly wake up and realise it was all a dream.

  Nervousness hadn’t been one of the emotions he had experienced that afternoon, a few hours to his wedding, so he couldn’t quite understand why he couldn’t shake off the trepidation rolling up his spine.

  “Damn it, Hudson. Are you human at all?” his brothers had rasped when they saw how unmoved he was by all that was going on around him even as he was told the local vicar had arrived.

  Flicking away imaginary lint from his shirt, he had stared at his brother with cool eyes and remarked, “I don’t know what you want me to be nervous about. I’m marrying the woman I have always desired to wed. So, I don’t see why I should be climbing walls and chewing my fingernails.”

  The brothers had recounted their own experiences which Hudson had been privy to. He had laughed heartily as they spoke. He had simply gulped down a glass of brandy and stepped out of the room.

  The only thing that had given him cause for concern was if Tempest would wear the wedding gown he had had made for her. In her defiance to being forced into marriage to him, he had feared that she might have decided to wear rags.

  Consequently, it had come as a thing of shock when she walked towards him in the garden attired in the glorious white lace dress with sparkling pearls. Never had he set eyes on a more beautiful woman. He had requested that a veil and a trail not be added to the dress which showed off his bride’s glorious hair and beautiful face.

  Hudson had felt a kick in his gut when she smiled shyly at him, holding her bouquet of white roses. It was at that point that fear had gripped him.

  Tempest was smiling at him! Good God, what did she have planned? With a racing heart, he had stood beside her, expecting catastrophe any minute. He had withheld his breath when it was time for her to say her vows. Expecting her to keep mute, she had shocked him into saying them with a loud, clear voice. As they were pronounced man and wife, she had turned to give him a dazzling smile.

  “But that was it,” he muttered tautly as he stood in front of the strong wooden door leading to his bedchamber.

  His wife had deigned to ignore him from then on. Even when he tried to catch her attention several times, she made him appear invisible. His brothers had noticed and ribbed him mercilessly about it.

  “I dare say that you might have to find your pleasures elsewhere tonight, old boy,” Rawdon had guffawed before tossing back his whisky.

  Hudson, undeterred had patiently watched her every move. When the guests departed, leaving a few people in the room, he had tried to talk to her, but she silently rebuffed him. He had decided to give her a few minutes to herself after she excused herself from the room. Now that the hour he had been waiting for had arrived, the knot in his chest refused to dissolve.

  Running his fingers through his hair and letting out a deep breath, he knocked on the door, something he had never done before now, and let himself in.

  Disappointment flowed through him when he saw his chamber was empty. Why had he thought that the obstinate woman who he had practically blackmailed into marriage would have acquiesced into sharing a bed chamber with him?

  A movement caught his eye, and he moved his body in the direction of the window. His wife was seating with a hip perched on the window and staring out at the cool spring night.

  She looked like an angel with her delectable body clad in velvet and her glorious mass of red hair cascading down her shoulders to rest at her waist. He had no idea that her hair was that long.

  Desire so strong hit him as he thought of her magnificent hair spread across the pillows as he looked down at her, filling her, giving her himself and taking from her as well.

  As if just noticing his presence as he took a step towards her, she whirled around.

  “Well, it’s about time,” she said, and joy lifted in his heart. So, she, too, was eager to consummate their marriage. That was surprising but pleasant.

  “I’m sorry; I had to use one of the guest rooms for my evening ablutions in order not to disturb you.” His voice was soft as he drew nearer to his bride.

  “That’s none of my business.”

  Her clipped words put his steps to a halt.

  What?

  That was when he noticed she was livid; her eyes were flaming. What had he just said to cause her to be ensconced in fury? Hudson was so astounded; he just stood there gaping at her.

  “What do you mean having my belongings removed to your chambers without my knowledge?”

  A hand snaked out to rub his chin. Were they going to argue about something so trivial on their wedding night when they ought to be giving each other pleasure?

  “I apologise, My Lady,” he responded swiftly to calm her frayed nerves.

  Unfortunately, she didn’t seem to be placated by his words. She thrust out her chin and a look of defiance entered her eyes.

  “You can’t begin to imagine my embarrassment. To be told by my maid that my room was no longer mine was in the least very humiliating.”

  Sighing, he replied, “I have apologised, Tempest. What more do you want from me. This is our wedding night. We shouldn’t be heard arguing.”

  Unperturbed, she replied, “I wouldn’t be here arguing with you if you had considered my feelings.”

  Grasping intuitively that Tempest was stalling for some reason, he grinned. His headstrong wife was perhaps aware of what would transpire between them in this very room.

  Seeking to calm down her nerves, he took a step forward to draw her into his arms, but she sidestepped him.