She nearly spat her coffee across the table as his words shattered her false sense of serenity. “We have not even posted the banns.”
“No need. I obtained a special license. We could be wed as soon as today if we like.” He lifted one shoulder in a half shrug and then sipped his tea.
“I see.” Though she really didn’t. When she had agreed to marry him, she’d assumed she’d have time to adjust to the notion—weeks, possibly even months to prepare. Clearly that was not to be the case. “I haven’t had time to buy a trousseau, or even a dress.”
“Do you not have something suitable in your closet?” He seemed truly flummoxed by her statement.
“You’re quite right. I shall make do with what I have. After all, this is no love match.”
She took another sip of her coffee and tamped down her unruly and unwelcome disappointment. It may not be a union born of love, but if she was to be forced into marriage, she had at least thought she would get to enjoy some of the usual customs.
Cooper sat still for a few moments, shifted in his chair, and then released a long, slow breath. “Is marriage to me such an awful prospect?”
She didn’t bother to resist the urge to snort. “Marriage, as I said a few days ago, is a gilded cage. With the utterance of a few words and the stroke of a pen, I become chattel. Barely more important than the chair you currently occupy, in the eyes of the law.”
“But have I ever treated you in such a way in the entire time of our acquaintance, or during our more intimate relationship?” There was a distinct strain in his voice, something that indicated that this was important to him.
She considered their history. “Other than occasionally being prone to hauling me about like a sack of grain, no. You have generally been respectful, if a bit high-handed. But that does not change the facts in the eyes of the law.”
“So you’ll punish me for our country’s legal failings?” His voice was a bit hard, edging toward bitter.
“Men just like you—all privileged—fill parliament. They decide things like women not being able to own property or vote. Perhaps you are not solely to blame, but your kind are. Who else should I hold responsible?”
He growled a little and rose, tossing his napkin beside his plate.
She bit her lip, almost regretting being honest with him. “If it helps at all, it’s not just you. I’d feel the same about marriage to any man.”
“It does not help in the slightest.” He strode toward the door but stopped without looking back at her. “We shall wed in four days. See a seamstress about a dress and send the bill to my address. Whatever it costs, just have the damned thing by then so we can marry.”
And then he stormed from the house, the front door slamming shut with a resounding thud heard throughout the house.
Emily flinched but refused to cry. Whatever small connection she’d had with Cooper seemed to have been severed. And, if she were honest, it was mostly of her doing.
The question was, what—if anything—was she going to do about it?
Emily walked into Madame Le Fleur’s with Aunt Hortense in tow and smiled at the shop girl who was straightening the design portfolios and dusting.
She immediately stopped and curtsied. “Good morning, my lady.”
“Good morning. Is Madame Le Fleur in today?” She ignored the slow roll her stomach took. The proprietor of the shop was one of the most exclusive—and expensive—modistes in London.
“I shall see if she is available.” The girl scurried into the back of the shop.
A few moments later, the ostentatious shop owner and another more circumspect woman greeted her. “I am Madame Le Fleur.” The woman with yellow-blonde hair and bright green eyes smiled as she spoke in a heavy and very fake French accent. Then she indicated the woman by her side. “And this is my assistant, Mrs. Keeling.”
“A pleasure. I am Lady Emmaline Winterburn, and this is my Aunt Hortense. My brother is Lord Dunmere.” She nodded regally.
“How may we assist you, my lady?” The modiste wasted no time.
Emily’s lips tilted up on the right side in a wry half smile. “It seems I am to be married—in four days.”
The modiste gasped as though this was an unusual announcement. Emily was quite certain this was all to bolster the price she—or, more correctly, Cooper—would pay for Madame Le Fleur’s services.
“Non! This is impossible!” She pressed one beringed hand to her breast.
Emily resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the woman’s dramatics. “I am afraid it is true. My fiancé proves impatient. Regardless, I require a new gown for the occasion. I’ve been told you are the best, and my future husband can afford just that.”
The woman preened for a moment at the compliment and then looked at Emily. She stepped up to her and cupped her breasts, then ran her hands down her waist, spanning the distance across, and then she stepped back and looked up and down one last time. “Did you intend to follow the Queen’s example and wear white?”
“That is unnecessary.” And likely inappropriate, if she were asked. “Something in a pale blue or green would be just as good as white.”
The modiste leaned over to Mrs. Keeling, and the two whispered furiously for a moment, completely ignoring Emily and her aunt. After a few exchanged comments, Madam Le Fleur looked back at Emily. “I may have a few dresses that you could select from. But I shall have to inconvenience another customer, so it will not come cheaply.”
“You may send the bill to the Earl of Brougham. He will be happy to pay whatever the cost is to have me suitably attired in time for our wedding.”
Savage satisfaction filled her as she followed the now-eager modiste into her back room. Cooper would learn that while her hand could be forced, her will was not to be trifled with.
Chapter 16
August 1861
Emily stood still as Madame Le Fleur’s assistant, Mrs. Keeling, poked and prodded her for the final touches on the gown. Her wedding gown. Her hair was coiffed, her cheeks pink with a becoming blush—as she was assured all brides should look—and butterflies danced in her belly. A knock on the door sounded, sending said butterflies into a frenzy. She took a deep breath as Mrs. Peppers cracked the door open and then swung it wide to reveal her brother standing on the other side.
“You look lovely, Em.” Arthur beamed at her.
She couldn’t help but smile at him, especially when he called her Em. Things had been so tense between them since their parents’ death, when their world had begun to crumble. Things had only grown worse of late with his reckless gambling and outrageous debts. But regardless of all the strife, he was still her brother, and with Aunt Hortense, her only family. She blinked back tears, certain they would destroy the effect of her hair and the bit of makeup she had allowed. “Thank you.”
He held out a hand to her. “Are you about ready? Everyone is waiting downstairs.”
She nodded as the butterflies suddenly clumped together and turned to lead. Downstairs, her gilded cage awaited.
Mrs. Keeling rose from where she’d been kneeling. “I’m finished, my lady. You do look lovely in that gown.”
“Thank you, for everything.” Emily pressed a kiss to the older woman’s cheek. She had been a steadying influence the past few days as she worked diligently on the pale green Alençon lace gown.
The assistant smiled, handed her a small posy, and patted her hand before stepping away.
Emily crossed to where her brother waited, and then took his hand. They started down the hallway and he tucked her hand under his arm. “I know things have been strained lately, but I love you. You’re my sister and all the family I have in the world. You know I wouldn’t have pushed for you to marry if I didn’t believe it was the best thing for you.”
She let his words sink in as they descended the stairs. “Yes, I know you believe this is for the best.” She just wished she could believe it, too. “And I know you love me, come what may, because I love you, too, and I shall always be there f
or you.”
She squeezed his arm and smiled as she once more held back her tears. She wasn’t sure if they were joyous or those of worry and fear. She’d never been much of a crier.
Crossing the foyer of Arthur’s house—it was no longer hers as well—they entered the front salon. It was the room with the wide windows that allowed the rare London sunshine to pour in. There, standing in the brilliant glow, was Cooper. His golden locks shone like a halo in the sunlight as he and the parson waited for her. Aunt Hortense hovered nearby, standing as witness for Emily, and Arthur would serve as witness for Cooper. A few of Cooper’s friends also sat waiting to see the happy event. She recognized Wolf and Lord and Lady Stonemere, but not the other two men standing with them. Although one of them looked vaguely familiar.
She and Arthur walked into the room and crossed to where her fiancé waited. The clergyman droned through the ceremony as Emily struggled to keep her feet firmly planted where they were. Doubts of all kind swirled through her. Would he be the same man she had met at The Market? Would he change, turning into a typical ton husband who ignored his wife and dallied on the side at will?
She glanced at his only friend who was married. Lord and Lady Stonemere looked happy together. Theo leaned in closely to her broad-shouldered husband, smiled up at his dark countenance, and Emily even noticed her slipping her small hand into his. When he squeezed the hand gently and lifted it for a kiss, Emily let a small glimmer of hope into her heart. Perhaps if Cooper’s friend behaved in such a manner with his wife, Cooper would not be so different?
The clergyman finally got to the important part of the vows. “Will you, Lady Emmaline Dorcas Winterburn, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, until death do you part?”
“I shall.” She answered without allowing herself to think further on the matter. What was done was done. Whether she wished for it or not, she had reaped what she’d sown.
“And will you, Lord Robert Bernard Cooper, Earl of Brougham, take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife, until death do you part?”
“I shall.” Cooper sounded almost relieved as he answered the pastor.
Emily wondered if he thought she might try to dash before the ceremony was over. Obviously, she had considered it, had even had to fight her body’s instinct to flee, but honor dictated she see her commitment through. She had agreed to marry him, if for her own reasons, and so she would do as promised. Had done so, in fact.
“You may kiss the bride.” The pastor grinned—a touch more salaciously than Emily would have liked.
Cooper placed a hand on each shoulder and pulled her closer. Then he merely placed his lips against hers and held there for a moment. When he released her, Emily’s doubts returned in full force. Was he already through with her? What was the saying about cows and milk? Was he no longer enamored of her? She blinked back tears once more, this time tears of fear that her marriage was over long before it had even started.
She turned with him to face their small party of guests while she fought hard to push a tremulous smile onto her lips. Her husband, on the other hand, grinned like a proud peacock.
After Cooper and Lord Stonemere embraced, which consisted of a manly back-slapping motion, the beaming couple turned to her and offered her their felicitations.
Emily kept her smile pasted on. “It is lovely that you both were able to come on such short notice.”
“Welcome to the family!” Theo blasted Emily with a smile and pulled her in with a hug. As the two embraced, she whispered, “If you can wait a few more moments, I shall steal you away for a moment alone so you can recover.”
Why she was surprised at Theo’s astuteness was a mystery. Her newest friend had proven to be full of wit and wisdom during their short acquaintance. Emily merely nodded as they pulled apart.
“Lady Brougham, please excuse my excitable wife. Her typically high spirits only grow stronger on such happy occasions.” Stonemere took Emily’s hand and bowed formally over it. “May you find as much happiness with Cooper as I have with my Theo.”
“Thank you, my lord,” Emily murmured.
Cooper drew her attention and gestured at the rest of his friends. “And you have met Wolf, of course, but this is Lord Lincolnshire and Lord Flintshire.”
Each in turn stepped up to greet her and wish her well. As soon as the last man had stepped away Theo followed through on her promise. “Excuse us, gentlemen, the ladies need a moment alone.”
Theo towed Emily behind her as she darted into the foyer, leaving a group of stupefied men in their wake.
“The study is across the hall,” Emily offered as Theo hesitated, clearly unsure of where to turn.
“Excellent!” Her friend tugged her over to the closed doors. They were tucked away from the men in a jiffy, but by the time the doors were firmly closed, Emily found herself laughing at Theo’s antics.
“Much better to see you laughing rather than on the verge of tears!” Theo grinned, obviously pleased.
“Well, you are a force to be reckoned with. How could I fail to laugh with you?” Emily smiled as she sat down to catch her breath.
Theo plopped down next to her in a heap of skirts. “Now, tell me at once why you were so sad today.”
Emily bit her lip, afraid to disparage Cooper to the wife of his friend.
“You must be truthful with me. You know I’ll not blindly side with Cooper. I haven’t yet, have I?”
Emily’s head spun. “No, of course not.”
“I remember the strain of my wedding day. It was quite strange, what with Stone walking about, looking like he wished nothing more than to beat me before the first day of marriage was done. It was a good thing it turns out I like a good spanking.” Theo winked and chuckled.
Emily couldn’t help but grin at the other woman’s tale.
“Now, tell me what has you so worried on your wedding day.” Theo smiled encouragingly.
Emily hesitated a moment longer, but decided she liked this forthright woman. “Well, I suppose you have heard the rumors of how our marriage came to be. I had little choice in the matter. I was ruined by Cooper—and by extension, was required to marry him.” She left off the less savory description—marriage or prison.
Impossibly, Theo’s grin widened. “Stone told me it was a choice of marriage or prison. I, for one, am glad you chose marriage.”
Emily sat nonplussed for a moment, but then the door of the study cracked open and Arthur stuck his head in. “Will you be returning soon? The guests are hungry, and we cannot start breakfast without you.”
“Oh! Yes, Arthur. Just one moment more and Lady Stonemere and I shall rejoin everyone.” Emily smiled at her brother, and, for the first time that day, it felt genuine.
He closed the door, and she turned to the slightly taller woman. “I think we had best return before the men gobble up all the food without us.”
Theo sighed. “Very well, but you must come back for another visit. Marie and my sister have both asked after you since the gossip first made the rounds.”
Emily liked her immensely. “You can count on a visit from me. I have not had many friends in Society, and you have absolutely been a breath of fresh air.”
The two were still chuckling as they rejoined the wedding party, and suddenly, Emily didn’t feel so caged in. In fact, she was beginning to think perhaps life as Cooper’s wife wouldn’t be all bad.
Cooper paused a moment as his wife and Theo chatted happily during breakfast. In truth, it pleased him that they were getting along so well. The former would be an excellent influence on his little hellion. Theo could help Emily adjust to married life within Society, and perhaps smooth the way for their reconciliation.
The fear of losing her before he’d ever truly had her in his life plagued him. Especially when he knew there were shadows lurking all around them: his past sexual preferences, her secrets. Pitfalls lay in every direction.
Stone leaned toward him from his other side. “Have no fear of Theo saying anything untow
ard. She is pleased as punch to see you so happy. She would never say anything to ruin that for you.”
“I am pleased to see them getting along, but I can’t help but worry about that one night becoming a topic of discussion. Emily is aware that something occurred, but not the particulars.” Cooper admitted his concern even as he continued to try to dismiss it from his mind.
“The hardest lesson Theo and I had to learn was that keeping secrets from each other only made things harder. Heed my hard-learned lesson and be forthcoming with your new wife. She may just surprise you.” Stone returned to his breakfast without further comment.
Cooper was considering the advice given when the clinking of crystal commenced. Obeying the demands of their guests, he turned to his wife. “Is this tradition acceptable?”
Emily nodded. “I’m surprised they did not resort to such games sooner.”
He shrugged and then leaned in to kiss his wife. He’d only intended to brush his lips against hers, but she placed her hands on his shoulders and pressed closer until her heat invaded his skin and reminded him of how she felt in his arms. His hands slid to her lower back, and his tongue pushed past her closed lips until he swept into her mouth and tasted the sweetness of the champagne they’d been drinking.
The hoots and hollers of his friends reminded him they were not alone, and he withdrew from their kiss. As he pulled back, he saw the sleepy look of desire in Emily’s eyes. He couldn’t help the sense of satisfaction that came with the knowledge that though she may be angry with him, she still wanted him physically. And that was something he could work with.
Perhaps all was not lost in their marriage just yet.
Chapter 17
Cooper found himself eager for the wedding night as he changed his clothes and made himself ready for his bride. Stone’s suggestion returned to him—haunted him, really. But he couldn’t see giving Emily more reason to be angry with him at the moment. She had sufficient ammunition, and a rather sharp tongue as it was. If their wedding day had softened her to him in any capacity, he felt compelled to take advantage of that and see if they could find some common ground.
Taming His Hellion Countess Page 12
