Convenient Bride for the Soldier & the Major Meets His Match & Secret Lessons With the Rake (9781488021718)
Page 22
And today, so did she. It really was a shame that Frederick was not here to see it. He would be proud of her. Not that she wanted to make him proud. She had but to maintain her dignity and make a favourable impression until it was possible to escape. This invitation would lead to others. And none of them would be issued by people who wished to see the latest scandal from the Challenger family: a bride who had abandoned her husband within weeks of the wedding.
But that did not mean the Dowager was not curious. ‘Where is Mr Challenger tonight, my dear?’
I have no idea.
If she truly meant to moderate her behaviour, she must remember that one did not speak the truth in public. Nor did one put one’s true feelings, sadness, hurt, loss, out on display for the entertainment of the ton.
She smiled back at her hostess with bland indifference. ‘Not with me, unfortunately. But he did not want me to miss this gathering, for he knew how much I would enjoy it. And I must admit, there are advantages to marriage that I had not foreseen. When one is husband-hunting it is all chaperones and propriety, living in dread that the slightest infraction could mean ruin. One never comprehends the freedom of going to a party alone and without fear of offending.’
‘But it must be a shame to lose the interest of such a handsome man, so soon in one’s marriage. It is barely two months, since the wedding, is it not?’ The woman did everything but lick the cream from her whiskers.
The answer to her question was yes. It was devastating to suddenly be without a thing she had never known she’d wanted. But she would die before she admitted it. She reinforced her smile so that it stood as an impenetrable bulwark against nosy strangers. ‘One evening is hardly a loss of affection.’ She sighed theatrically. ‘I do miss him when we are apart, of course. But I do not want him to feel constrained by my presence. I have been told that a man cannot be happy living under a woman’s thumb.’ The Dowager’s husband had been notoriously henpecked—her comment raised a slight intake of disapproving breath. Since George had accompanied her words with the most naïve smile possible, the woman could not decide whether to take offence.
‘Of course, my dear. But you must be careful. From what I understand, there are places men go when out of a woman’s sight, that are not at all proper. I have been told there is a club on Jermyn Street and you cannot imagine the things that go on there.’
George could imagine it quite well, since she had seen it for herself. Perhaps, as she sat here, being the sort of wife that even a stickler like Major Challenger could be proud of, he was escorting a masked woman up the stairs to the little bedrooms on the first floor.
She took another sip of her wine and reminded herself that she did not care what he was doing.
Suddenly, a clanking and clattering arose from the music room that could hardly be called a melody. It sounded as if the poor pianoforte was being struck with a mallet. Slowly, the sound coalesced into something resembling a tune, accompanying a vocalist who was as enthusiastic as he was off-key.
The voice was most decidedly male.
O Georgie my dear, I would love you and wed you,
She laughed and replied: Then don’t say I misled you.
Sing fal the diddle-i-do,
Sing whack fal the diddle-i-day.
She was certain, the last time she’d heard the song, it had been about Sally. But now, unless the singer was serenading the Prince Regent, she had a horrible feeling that the words had been tailored to fit her.
‘Excuse me.’ She set the wine glass she had been holding on the nearest table and hurried to the music room to put a stop to the embarrassment from spreading to the gossip-eager hostess.
When she arrived in the room, it was just as she feared. Her husband was sitting at the pianoforte with the mynah bird perched on his shoulder like a pirate’s parrot, pounding out a song in her honour.
She hurried to his side. ‘Are you foxed?’ she whispered, trying not to draw any more attention to them than they were already getting.
‘Drunk in love,’ he announced, turning to the crowd that was forming as if to embrace them in his open arms.
She sniffed the air. ‘Your breath smells of brandy.’
‘Because I needed to steel my nerve,’ he whispered back, loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear. ‘I am not very good at this.’
‘Then why are you doing it?’
‘Because I want the world to know how I feel about you.’ He turned to the nearest people in the room. ‘I ask you, was any man in London as lucky as me? And did any squander that luck so foolishly?’
The bird squawked and flapped its wings as if to agree.
‘Shh,’ she scolded, wishing she had a treat to keep him busy.
Then she turned back to her husband. ‘You were most sensible,’ she whispered. ‘You put me off to keep me from making a disgrace of myself. But you are being foolish now.’
‘I did not put you off,’ he said, looking almost hurt. ‘You left me.’
‘You said you wanted me to go.’ For a moment, she had forgotten to moderate her voice. She lowered it. ‘It was for the best. We have known from the first that we did not suit. And that we would be parting after the niceties were observed.’
‘But not like this,’ he said. ‘Not in anger.’
‘I am not angry with you.’ It would be easier if she was. She would not feel so naked and exposed if she had anger to protect her.
‘Georgiana!’ the bird called, loud enough to draw people from the adjoining rooms.
‘Please take him out of here,’ she whispered to her husband.
But instead of removing the bird, Frederick reached into his pocket and produced a grape, tossing it to the mynah as a reward.
‘Please,’ she said. It did not matter how softly she talked. People were not just staring—they were filling the rows of chairs and watching them as if their argument were part of the performance.
‘You should be angry,’ he said. ‘I berated you over nothing.’
‘I disobeyed you,’ she said.
‘And you will do it again,’ he agreed, smiling as though he was looking forward to it.
‘I try,’ she insisted, more to herself than to him. ‘But I do not think it will be possible to please you.’ She had been trying harder than ever to be good. But the scene they were making was proof that her propriety had been but a temporary success.
‘Because I am judging you by the behaviour of women who are your inferiors,’ he said. ‘You have given me no reason to doubt. I have no right to control all aspects of your life.’
‘Some men might say otherwise,’ she countered. There was nothing particularly unusual about the notion that men had dominion over their wives. It was why she’d been in no rush to marry.
‘Then I hope that they have found women who will please them,’ he said. ‘I have come to believe that, while some men might want a wife that bends to their every whim, total submission is not what makes me happy.’
She looked at him doubtfully. ‘That is all well and good for you. But I must think about what will make me happy.’
‘Georgiana!’ the bird cried again, as if her objections outraged him. It earned him another grape.
Then Frederick gave her a hesitant smile. ‘I suppose it is too much to hope that I am the key to your happiness?’
Had she ever seen him hesitate? To see him in doubt over her was both shocking and flattering. She relaxed into him, letting her shoulder brush against his in a way that would hardly be noticed by the other guests. She had no intention of making this mortifying interlude worse with an improper display of affection. ‘Can we not discuss this at home, where it does not make a scandal?’
At this, he laughed. ‘You do not want me to make a scandal? How far we have come, if you must tell me not to embarrass us.’
‘Georgiana!’
Frederick was holding two grapes out to the bird now, not to quiet him, but to encourage him to speak.
George covered her face with her hands, overcome with embarrassment. ‘It does not matter if we have come far or not,’ she said in a whisper. ‘We must stop immediately.’
‘On one condition,’ he said, ignoring her embarrassment.
‘Anything,’ she agreed. ‘As long as we can go immediately after.’
‘Where are we going?’ he asked.
‘Wherever you like,’ she said.
‘Propriety and obedience as well?’ He reached out to lay a hand on her forehead. ‘Have you taken ill? Perhaps you are feverish, for your cheeks have gone quite red.’
She pushed his hand away, horrified. The other married couples in the room were not behaving in this manner. Frederick, if he was sober and in full possession of his faculties would not have approved.
‘I love you,’ the bird said.
‘Give him a grape,’ she moaned.
‘Not yet,’ Frederick said, holding the treat higher so he was sure the bird could see.
‘I love you, Georgiana! Love, you. Georgiana!’
‘Clever fellow,’ Frederick said, and tossed the grapes, one after the other, to the mynah.
‘When did he learn to do that?’ The last time she had felt so breathless, they had been lying in the grass together.
‘Perhaps he taught himself,’ Frederick said. ‘Perhaps he misses you as much as I do.’
‘I miss you, too,’ she whispered.
‘And do you love me, as I do you?’
‘Yes. Oh, yes,’ she said, smiling.
‘Then let us go home,’ he said, standing and offering her his hand. ‘There is no telling what the bird is likely to say next.’
‘He was trained by a soldier,’ she agreed with a smile.
‘Yes, he was,’ Frederick said, pulling her close for a kiss.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781488021664
A Convenient Bride for the Soldier
Copyright © 2017 by Harlequin Books S.A.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Christine Merrill for her contribution to The Society of Wicked Gentlemen series.
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, M3B 3K9 Canada.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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The major must wed
Wastrel, rebel, layabout…just a few of the names Lord Becconsall has hidden his quick intellect and sharp wit behind over the years. Recently titled, ex-military and required to wed, Jack views ton ladies with a cynical eye… Until he falls upon—quite literally—Lady Harriet Inskip.
After years of being overlooked, Harriet cannot believe that Lord Becconsall is the only person to truly see her. But between his taunts and her fiery disposition, it’s soon clear that the major has finally met his match!
Brides for Bachelors
Eligible rakes walk down the aisle!
A friendship formed at Eton leads three bachelors through the trials of war, mystery and love!
A major, a marquess and a captain reunite in London to celebrate Britain’s peace with France only to find society life has many more exciting things in store for them! While they are thrown into a mystery of jewelry theft and fraud, they all find themselves unlikely suitors to some of the ton’s most captivating ladies! Will these eligible bachelors finally meet their matches?
The Major Meets His Match
Available now
Look for the next two in the trilogy.
Coming soon!
Author Note
Welcome to the first of the Brides for Bachelors trilogy.
I’m really excited about this trilogy, as it’s the first time I’ve written a series of stories with connecting heroes on purpose! I often get heroes or heroines from one story to walk across the pages of another just for fun. And sometimes a secondary character has taken root in my imagination and grown until I’ve had to give them their own story. But when I pitched the outline for The Major Meets His Match and described the opening scene, my lovely editor pointed out that the men involved all had stories of their own to tell, and why didn’t I think about writing a linked series from the outset? The minute she suggested this, it was as if a lightbulb went off in my head. I couldn’t wait to start writing them!
I do hope you enjoy this first in the miniseries as much as I enjoyed writing it, and will want to find out what happens to Major Jack Hesketh’s friends next.
PS: If you are already one of the group of readers who enjoy spotting heroes from my other stories wandering across the pages of books that aren’t theirs, then I hope you enjoy the cameo role I gave the hero of my very first publication from Harlequin…and have a little giggle at Aunt Susan’s predictions about the kind of bride he is likely to marry.
The Major Meets His Match
ANNIE BURROWS
Annie Burrows has been writing Regency romances for Harlequin since 2007. Her books have charmed readers worldwide, having been translated into nineteen different languages, and some have gone on to win the coveted Reviewers’ Choice award from CataRomance. For more information, or to contact the author, please visit annie-burrows.co.uk, or you can find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/annieburrowsuk.
Books by Annie Burrows
Harlequin Historical Romance
Regency Bachelors
Gift-Wrapped Governess
“Governess to Christmas Bride”
/> Lord Havelock’s List
The Debutante’s Daring Proposal
Brides of Waterloo
A Mistress for Major Bartlett
Stand-Alone Novels
One Candlelit Christmas
“The Rake’s Secret Son”
The Earl’s Untouched Bride
A Countess by Christmas
The Captain’s Christmas Bride
In Bed with the Duke
Once Upon a Regency Christmas
“Cinderella’s Perfect Christmas”
Harlequin Historical Undone! ebooks
Notorious Lord, Compromised Miss
His Wicked Christmas Wager
Visit the Author Profile page
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I am really grateful to Aidan for brainstorming with me when I got stuck with this one. And for reminding me what kind of heroine I first imagined in Lady Harriet.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One