A Sanguine Gem (A Marsden Romance Book 3)

by Dawn Brower

  "I did." His response barely a decibel above a whisper.

  Noah raised his eyebrow in query over his response. "It didn't go well?"

  "No, it went just fine. The only problem is—she never once said she loved me."

  "I thought you believed she does. Did something happen to change your mind about that?"

  "No. Yes. I don't know. I have doubts. She may still care about me, but I'm worried that she doesn't love me anymore. I may very well have destroyed my chances two years ago."

  "Because when she professed her love you ran away like a scared little school boy?" A rumble of laughter echoed through the room as Noah held his chest while it rumbled.

  "Don't make fun of me. You would have too."

  "On the contrary, I married the love of my life as soon as I found her." Sadness laced Noah's voice.

  "I know. I can't imagine your pain when you lost her. I think my heart stopped beating when I saw Gemma in danger that night. I don't know what I would do if she died. Thank the Lord that didn't happen. I'm sorry I made light of your feelings. I know more than anyone how much you loved Rubina. I hoped you could find someone else, not to replace her, but to at least fill a bit of the hole in your heart."

  "I don't think that is possible. She filled it to the brim, and when I lost her she left an empty shell. No one could ever truly fill that gap. I will probably marry again someday, but never again for love. I would like children though so when I think I can stomach it I will attempt to find someone at least bearable to live with."

  Liam understood what his friend was feeling more than he wanted to. It just wasn't fair that Rubina died and left him alone. Not entirely alone, but some things just didn't measure up to the person you loved most in the world.

  "I hope soon. I'd like our children to grow up as friends."

  "I can't make any promises."

  "I don't expect you, too. Just expressing my own selfish desires." Liam smiled.

  "You are not selfish. I hope things work out with you and Gemma. That is part of the reason I am here."

  "I don't understand."

  "I just had an extensive meeting with the constable regarding Alfie."

  "Really? I didn't know that it all hadn't been settled already. What did you discuss with him? Do I need to go and talk with him as well?"

  "We had a lengthy discourse on the merits of stripping him of his title and shipping him off to a penal colony for the rest of his miserable life. The constable agreed. Alfie is no longer known as the Earl of Devon. That honor will befall to your firstborn son."

  "My own son is going to outrank me?" Liam asked. "That's as ironic as it is incredible."

  "He considered just bestowing the title on you but believed this was a better option. Once you inherit your father's title—hopefully sometime in the very distant future—you can change the succession rules to have it go to your second son. The paperwork is all being drawn up. There is some obscure rule in the line of succession with the Earl's title that allows it. The entailment on your title ends when you inherit it. That allows for you to make the necessary changes."

  "What if I only have one son? This seems all a bit crazy."

  "Then you don't need to make any changes. You can just let him inherit both. I'm just explaining all of your options. With the Earl of Devon's title, all of the properties entailed come under your control as Gemma's husband. It's not pretty though, as Alfie beggared the estates in a short time. You are going to have to work some miracles to make them profitable again."

  "That's astounding. I don't have words for that. Gemma will be relieved her ancestral home is going to remain in her family. I can't wait to tell her the good news."

  "You also can move into the country house if you wish to do so. As the guardian of the estate, it's your right to oversee personally all of its operations. That very well could take some personal and immediate attention."

  "We may do that after the season is over. It's a busy time of the year for Marsden Shipping. I still need to finalize the merger with RandCo. Speaking of personal attention, I think I'm going to have to travel to South Carolina to meet with him to iron out some of the final details."

  "Have you discussed that with Gemma?"

  "No, I am not positive I need to go yet. I owe her a wedding trip, perhaps this can double as one. I know she wants to visit Lily so she shouldn’t be adverse to the idea. I'm hoping that if she doesn't love me now by the end of the trip she will."

  "If you want my opinion, you are overthinking it a bit. Just sit down and ask her. What are you afraid of?"

  What was he afraid of? He feared she'd come out and say point blank that she didn't love him anymore. Lust was an equally powerful emotion. Maybe that was all she had left to offer him. Liam's worst fear was losing Gemma before he ever had her. He scrubbed his face with his hands—what a bloody fool he was. How could he ever believe she still loved him? Perhaps she cared. Could that be enough for their marriage to work? Liam didn't know if he wanted to find out the answers to these questions. He might not like what Gemma had to say.

  No, talking to her wasn't an option yet. He would give her time to acclimate to her new life and allow her the necessary space to love him freely. When she was ready to tell him of her own love, she would. He just had to pray she would open up to him—express her innermost feelings. Liam trusted her with the truth of his love. He had to trust her to come to him with her own. It would be one of the most difficult things he'd ever done. Gemma deserved the patience to come to terms with her emotions. She'd been brave enough once, and he was the one that ruined it in the beginning. He would give her the time she needed.

  "She just needs time. I owe her that much."

  "I can see your point. I hope you get the outcome you are looking for. In the meantime, I have a few things I need to do before tonight. I will see you at dinner later this evening."

  Liam frowned, how had he let that slip his mind? He had a lot to get done before his parents and their friends descended upon them for dinner.

  "All right. Thanks again for the information. I will contact the solicitors to see what needs to be done with the Earl of Devon's estate. I'll see you later tonight." Liam nodded.

  Noah left the room, while Liam went back to his stacks of paperwork. He had to make a dent in it before the evening progressed. The amount of work would only double once he got his hands on the necessary information regarding his new responsibilities. Gemma would be happy to have her family estate back under their control. The extra effort needed to make it solvent would be worth all of his time to make her happy.

  "Excuse me sir, but you have a missive from your father," Pemberly said as he entered the room.

  "Bring it here. I might as well see what he wants."

  Pemberly handed him the letter and left the room.

  Once alone, Liam opened the note and let out a sigh of irritation. His father demanded his attention immediately. After pondering his instructions for several minutes, he stood up and adjusted his jacket as he strolled out of the room.

  "Pemberly I need my horse brought around. I feel like riding and father needs to see me right away."

  "It's already been brought around sir. I thought it might be important."

  "Very good. Pemberly, I don't know what I would do without you."

  "I'm glad to be of service, sir."

  Liam walked out his front door. As soon as he descended the steps someone knocked him down from behind and shoved him into an awaiting carriage. All Liam could think before the world went black was: who the hell is trying to kill me now?

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Gemma found it funny how the things least planned for could spring up at the most inopportune time, much like a marriage of convenience, or inconvenience depending on the point of view in question. For Gemma, marrying Liam had been an inconvenience at the time. Her mindset had since changed, but that didn't negate her original feelings.

  Switching, rewinding, and rethinking her position did not come
easy to her.

  Yes, right now, she could be the happiest wife in England and wouldn't change her circumstances for anything. There was only one problem. She still had yet to tell Liam that she never stopped loving him. The time just—well, just didn't feel right. So she had kept her lips sealed tight and left him in the dark. Perhaps it could be perceived as cruel, and Gemma generally didn't have a mean bone in her body. In this instance, maliciousness held no place in her heart. Even though Liam had told her he loved her, she still had doubts.

  She wanted everything to work between them, which was why she continued to plan the surprise for the dinner party. In fact, she had a small meeting scheduled with Liam’s father in a few minutes to iron out some of the details. Gemma decided that they needed time away to just be with each other. No hassles or stress-inducing activities allowed. It would just be the two of them for six whole weeks.

  Gemma currently stood in the middle of the sitting room at Marsden House. She couldn't sit still and had taken her anxiety out on the rug. A path would probably be worn in the carpet from her frequent pacing back and forth in front of the window. It had been a while since she'd been in this particular room—a smile formed on her face at the memory. Ah yes, when Lily plotted to run away from home. She missed her best friend and could benefit from her advice. Gemma had a feeling she was making things much more difficult than then needed to be.

  She shouldn't have anything to worry about...

  When Gemma had helped Lily, she had not counted on the wrath of her friend’s father, Viscount Torrington. She'd never had a reason to meet him much. All she'd know about the man was what Lily had told her. Now he was her father-in-law, and she was seeking him out for his assistance. Gemma did learn one thing from helping her best friend run away. Because of that instance, she both feared the viscount and respected him for the care he demonstrated for his daughter. That didn't stop her from standing up for herself. She didn't let anyone bully her anymore.

  "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Gemma. Would you like to come to my study so we can discuss this in detail?"

  Gemma looked over to see Viscount Torrington standing in the doorway of the sitting room. He leaned against the door frame with his hands folded across his chest. His steely blue eyes watched her as he awaited her response.

  "Certainly."

  The viscount turned on his heels and sauntered out of the room. Gemma picked up the pace and hurried to follow him to his study. Once inside, he took a seat behind his big burgundy desk and leaned back in his chair. She sat down in a chair in front of his desk, her back straight and her posture perfect with her hands folded in her lap. No matter how nervous she was, she refused to let it show in his presence. The viscount reminded her of a predator waiting for its prey to show its weakness. Once that disadvantage was revealed, he would strike the killing blow or, in this instance, get her to cave to his will.

  "So I began the arrangements you asked me to do. I have my ship prepared for you to set sail to South Carolina. I cleared Liam's calendar for the next six weeks. You will be free to go on an extended wedding trip and visit Lily. I do have a few things I want you to take her and my new grandson. I’ve included a letter which explains everything to her. I will make sure it is loaded on the ship for you to take with you."

  "Oh, that is wonderful. Thank you so much for your help. I couldn't have pulled any of this off without your help."

  "I did it for Liam. The boy is besotted with you, and I think this time will be good for you both. Not that I don't like you, but I wouldn't have done this if I didn't know he would want it to happen. Plus I was going to ship the stuff to Lily anyway and this is easier. I can rest assured you and Liam will make sure it arrives to her safely."

  Gemma tilted her head and studied Viscount Torrington. He acted all tough on the outside and no doubt he was whenever the situation required it, but she suspected he was soft on the inside—at least with anything concerning his family. The rest of them, he would stomp out of existence if necessary. No matter, the man was still a force to be reckoned with.

  "I'm glad my plans work well with your own then. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement. When is the ship scheduled to set sail?"

  "You will leave in three days. It will give you time to finish packing and have your trunks loaded on the ship. Liam is capable of captaining the ship, so I am going to leave that in his hands. He has sailed enough to learn that area of the business and since he enjoys it, it seemed like a good idea. He doesn't get the chance to sail with the ships anymore."

  "Good. Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

  "No, that pretty much sums everything up. I sent a letter ahead to Lily, so she knows to expect you. They should be there to meet you when your ship sets anchor in Charleston Harbor."

  Gemma nodded. Everything was beginning to fall into place. The only thing that needed to be done was to tell Liam how much she loved him and that they are going to go on that wedding trip he promised her. Probably a bit sooner than he had planned, but that is what made it a surprise, she hoped that he liked it.

  "All right, then I will take your leave. I have a few things to do at home before tonight's dinner party."

  A half smile formed on his lips as he stared into her eyes. She didn't know what that smile meant, but she didn't think it was necessarily a good one.

  "Before you leave Pia wanted to talk to you."

  "Oh. I suppose I can wait and talk to her. How long do you think..."

  "Okay, I'm here. Sorry it took so long. Did you tell her yet?"

  Gemma looked as Lady Torrington came breezing in the room like a strong wind rolling over everything in its path.

  "Tell me what?" Gemma asked.

  "I've told her about the particulars concerning the ship, Lily's package, and how long they can expect to be gone."

  "Oh good, I can tell her the good news then." Lady Torrington smiled.

  "Good news?" Gemma asked raising her eyebrows. What were they up to?

  "Yes. I'm coming along with you."

  That wasn't exactly good news. Gemma adored Lady Torrington, but having her husband’s mother along could be a bit of a damper on the wedding trip.

  "With us?" The shock was evident in her voice.

  "Oh don't worry, I'm not going to get in the way of your personal time, but I thought when Liam is busy captaining the ship we could spend some time together. It's been a long time since you visited here, and I want to get to know you again."

  That didn't seem too bad, but still—

  "I suppose we can do that."

  What else could she say? Gemma couldn't be rude when they helped her out so much.

  "I haven't seen Lily in three years. I want to see her and my new grandson." Lady Torrington placed a hand across her chest, a soft smile filler her face. “It’s hard to believe my daughter is a mother now.”

  "You can also see that that package for Lily is safely in her care too," Viscount Torrington demanded.

  "Of course. I didn't expect you to deliver it personally.” Lady Torrington’s gaze flew between Gemma and the viscount. “Oh, I see Thor implied that you would. He didn't want to spoil the news for me. I wanted to tell you myself.”

  Gemma gulped down a lump in her throat and nodded. It would be an interesting journey, one now she wished she could avoid. She couldn’t believe they high jacked her wedding trip.

  "Well, I look forward to the trip. I know Lily will be happy to see you. The only thing she would like more is if her father came too… You aren't coming too, are you?"

  Viscount Torrington laughed when she looked over at him. He had been sitting quietly at his desk listening to their exchange. He had a very amused look on his face as he studied her. Gemma couldn't help but think they were planning something else. She didn't like the look on his face. He had a devious gleam in his eye that made them twinkle more than usual.

  "No, I can't leave right now. Someone has to stay back and take care of the business with Liam taking off. I want at least o
ne family member in England to see to any unforeseen issues. You can relax you won’t have to entertain both of us for the journey to South Carolina."

  "Oh good."

  Torrington's laughter echoed through the room.

  "Oh God, did I say that out loud?" Gemma asked.

  "I’m afraid you did. Don't worry, we understand how you feel. Now you need to get going. We will see you tonight at your dinner party."

  Gemma got up to leave. At the door, she stopped and glanced back at Liam's parents. They watched her, both wearing and identical mask of amusement as they waved goodbye to her. She started to question her idea to travel to see Lily. No, she wouldn't regret that. It would be good for her and Liam even if his mother tagged along for the trip. Plus there would be times when he’d be busy with captaining the ship and it would be nice to have someone to talk to. Gemma smiled as she exited the house and stepped into her awaiting carriage. Yes, everything was going well. Maybe not according to plan but definitely in the right direction.

  Tonight's dinner party would be a new beginning for her and Liam. After she talked to him privately, they could entertain their guests and plan for their voyage. Nothing would prevent her from having it all. No one would ever come between her and Liam. She refused to allow anything to stand in the way of her and Liam's bliss. The rest of the trip home, Gemma went over everything she had to complete before the evening's activities. The first thing on her agenda was to locate her husband and finally tell him the truth. All her fears, doubts, and, above all, the love that filled her heart…

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Liam woke up in a dark room. Rolling over to his side he could feel the hard exterior next to him and pulled himself up to a sitting position. Leaning his head back against the wall behind him he blinked several time in an attempt to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness. After several minutes, he could make out shadows of objects placed within the room. A desk and chair were located on the far side of the room. Directly underneath him, the surface descended down into softness as he pressed into it. Roaming his hands in front of him he realized he laid on top of a bed.