The Duke's Bride: Book 5 (The Clearbrooks)

by Teresa McCarthy

  “I want a baby,” Jane said, her blue gaze clinging to his.

  Roderick dropped her hands as if they were on fire. “We’ve had his conversation before. I do not wish to have it again.”

  Pain lanced through her, but she was determined to have this out with him. “You don’t love me, do you?”

  His face hardened. “Why the devil would you ask such a foolish thing?”

  “Why?” she replied, her voice rising. “Because you don’t want to touch me anymore. That’s why. Are you afraid you may give me a child that you don’t want?”

  She thought she caught a flash of vulnerability in his gaze, but his dark scowl told her otherwise.

  “That’s it exactly,” he replied sternly. “I do not want you carrying any more babies. Do I make myself perfectly clear? It’s too dangerous.”

  “And that is your answer then?” she asked coolly.

  “I am a duke, if you have forgotten. My edict stands.”

  Ooooh, she wished she had Agatha’s parasol in hand. “Your edict makes no sense. I want a baby. You don’t even want to try again. Is it too dangerous for you or me? I won’t die, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

  He set his jaw. “No baby, madam. My answer is final.”

  She stiffened in outrage. “You are insufferable!”

  He pursed his lips, as if waiting for her to calm down. “Besides,” he finally said, in an almost soothing manner. “The way Marcus and Milli were acting at their wedding last week, I can only imagine there is going to be a baby soon. We won’t have to worry about an heir.”

  He smiled at her as if that solved all their problems. The oaf!

  “An heir?” she shrieked. “What if Milli has a girl, then what?”

  “She can try for a boy,” he snapped, irritated. “Or Elizabeth and Stephen can try, or Briana and Clayton.”

  “And not us?” she asked, her heart in her throat.

  His face seemed to soften. “We can work through this Jane. You will see.”

  Work through this! He had no idea what he was saying!

  “No, I think you will see, Your Grace. If you do not wish to live as a married couple, I am no longer going to live with you at all.”

  His gray eyes glittered with fury, and she realized the carriage had stopped. “What the devil are you saying?” he said in an ominously low tone.

  She lifted her gaze and pulled her shawl about her, ready to depart. She could not fail to catch the way his gaze strayed over her body. So, he was not immune to her after all. But if he was trying to be noble, so be it! “I am saying that I will be leaving Bath first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Roderick’s laugh was without humor. “You believe you could hide from me?”

  Jane’s brows went up. “Hide? I will not be hiding. I will be staying with Agatha at Hemmingly Hall.”

  “I forbid it.”

  She waved her hand in the air. “Forbid away, Your Grace. But you will not imprison me. I will do what I have to do.”

  A dull ache lodged in her heart. No longer could she allow this animosity to go on between them. Their child deserved better from the both of them. She had no idea what the future held, but she could not stay near him and continue this charade.

  He looked toward the Paxton mansion, then back to her, his eyes as hard as steel. “Argyle best not approach you today or any other day.”

  “What in the world are you talking about? The captain is my friend.”

  “That man is infatuated with you, and I won’t have it.”

  Jane clenched her teeth, trying to curtail her anger. “You won’t have it? Any more edicts? You might as well have your say now, for soon, I will be gone.”

  He combed a frustrated hand through his hair. “I have no wish for it to be like this, Jane. We are married. We should be able to come to an agreement.”

  Her heart climbed to her throat as she watched his annoyance turn to something more vulnerable. He never let anyone but her see this susceptible side of him. She loved this man so much. It hurt to go against his wishes.

  “I am going to have a baby, Roderick,” she said softly, touching his arm.

  His head snapped up. “No! You are not!”

  She smiled and threw her hands to her hips. “I am going to have a baby. Are you even listening to what I am saying?”

  He swore and grabbed her shoulders in a gentle but firm embrace. “You are not going to have a baby, Jane. I thought I made that perfectly clear.”

  She stomped her foot on the carriage floor, wishing more than ever for Agatha’s parasol. “You do not understand. I am going to have a baby. In a few months—”

  He didn’t let her finish. “We are not going to try again. That’s final!” He dropped his hands and threw open the door, signaling for the footmen to let down the steps. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes roving over her in a sweet caress that made her blood race.

  “However,” he cleared his throat, “the more I think about it, the more I believe it might be a good idea for you to travel to Hemmingly.”

  Her eyes widened in confusion. “What?”

  “I have business in France. I may be away for a good amount of time. I am thinking, uh, about buying some land.”

  She felt as if he had slapped her. “I am not stupid. That sounds like a fanciful story to cover the real purpose of your mission.”

  He looked shocked.

  She glared at him, not ready to go into detail about all she knew about his secret dealings with Whitehall. “And what exactly is a good amount of time?”

  “Anywhere from weeks to months.”

  “That’s it then? You won’t even listen to what I have to say?”

  He took her hand and helped her out of the carriage. “I am the duke. And your husband. Something you seem to have forgotten lately. You will do as I say, Jane. I cannot worry about you while I am away.”

  She jerked from his hold. She may love him, but she would not bow to his demands. “And what if I do not wish to do as you say?”

  She was pushing him, but she didn’t care. What could he do to her? He would never beat her. He could do nothing.

  He actually grinned, but those gray eyes were calculating, issuing a firm warning. “Hemmingly is a good place for you right now. Jared will be going with me to France, so Emily and the children can stay with you as well.”

  Too stunned to speak, she let him escort her up the steps of the Paxton mansion. Music floated on a cool breeze while candlelight flickered through the tall windows. As they walked into the mansion, the conversation of the crowd drifted their way while doubts and fears assailed her.

  Jared was going with him? It was all too secretive for her. But she knew he would tell her nothing.

  “I believe you wished you never married me,” she mumbled, nodding politely to a couple a few feet away who could not hear her.

  Her husband leaned toward her ear, the warmth of his breath sending chills down her spine. “Perhaps, my dear, it would have been better if we had not married at all. Is that what you’re saying?”

  She looked up, feeling a knife twisting pain turn in her stomach.

  His face was grim as his gaze strayed to the low cut of her gown. “I have seen you with Captain Argyle. James positively drools over you. I saw that his carriage was a few behind ours. Stay away from him if you wish to keep the poor devil alive.”

  Her lips parted in disbelief. “You are a fool if you think so little of me or him.”

  He said nothing as they greeted their host and moved on. She stiffened when his hand went to her back.

  With a curt glare, she turned to him. “You are not on my list of people I like at the moment.”

  His devastating smile stabbed her heart. “You may not like me, sweetheart, but I intend to keep you safe, no matter what I have to do. You have my word on that.”

  Jane returned his smile because people were looking. “You are an arrogant, pompous duke,” she said sweetly. “And tonight, I am going to stay far away f
rom you. You have my word on that.” She fluttered her lashes at him, smiled wider, and departed from his side with the air of a queen.

  Chapter Five

  Roderick stood in stony silence beneath one of the huge chandeliers in the Paxton ballroom. He should be dancing with his wife. What the devil had happened in that carriage ride?

  A wave of uneasiness washed over him as he moved along the periphery of the crowd, barely listening to the waltz playing in the background. He could still smell a distinct perfume that clung to his jacket. It was Jane’s.

  He grimaced. Jane, the girl with the eyes as blue and clear as a summer sky. Jane, the woman with the warm, gentle voice that could melt his heart. Jane, the lover with her soft, tantalizing form and quiet touch. Jane, the wife who hated him right now.

  He bumped into a potted plant and cursed. Thunderation, he had to stop letting his emotions get the best of him. But Jupiter and Zeus, he couldn’t help it. He was a man. But more than that, he was her husband, by Jove. He had to keep her safe, even if it meant keeping her safe from him.

  When he had kissed her earlier today, he had felt as if he had been in the desert for months, and had finally been given a few drops of water. It had been heaven.

  The taste of her had lit a raging fire inside him. In the carriage, he had wanted to taste those berry lips again. Her creamy skin enticed him. Her womanly curves tempted him. He yearned to crush his mouth against hers and—

  A sudden whack to his shin made him yelp. He turned and almost bopped the plump lady in the face, but luckily, he caught himself in time.

  “You, madam, were within inches of obtaining a black eye.”

  Agatha’s lips thinned in anger. “You, Your Grace, almost had two sore shins instead of one. However, I have controlled myself only because this is a ball, and I have no wish to make a spectacle.”

  Roderick realized too late that he had moved into a secluded corner while daydreaming. He stood behind a set of plants with a raging Agatha holding a parasol to his heart. A deadly scenario by his standards. And by Jove, he could not very well hit the woman!

  He plowed a frustrated hand through his blue-black hair. Hell’s bells, the entire evening was becoming one of the worst nights of his life, and it wasn’t over yet. “Miss Appleby, I believe you followed me on purpose.”

  The lady lifted a salt and pepper brow. “My, my, you are not only handsome, you are quite perceptive.” She rapped his calf with her parasol, and he jumped again, almost falling over another plant. “And pompous,” she continued, scowling at him. “And arrogant, and downright stupid.”

  Roderick crossed his hands over his wide chest and peered down at her. “Do not stop there, dear lady. I feel you have more to say. Out with it, woman.”

  She huffed. “Very well, if you insist. The carriage ride went very well, did it not? You conniving, wretched barbarian! You broke Jane’s heart!”

  The melody of a country dance floated to Roderick’s ears, making him all to aware of their setting. He glared at her. “I fail to see what business my marriage is to you.” The annoyance was evident in his cool tone. Yet the older lady seemed unaffected. Roderick thought her the most annoying female he had ever known. But he would not hurt her for the world.

  At that moment, she smiled at Lord Jason Yardley who peeked around the corner. As soon as the man departed, she struck like a cobra, hitting Roderick with that deuced parasol, directly in his left rib.

  “You imbecile,” she hissed. “How could you treat Jane the way you have?”

  Roderick clenched his teeth. He was no one’s whipping boy. “Jane is my wife, madam. A fact you seemed to have forgotten. She is my responsibility. I may treat her any way I see fit. What I do, I do for her own good. And you, madam, have just used a weapon against a peer of the realm.”

  “Goodness me, whatever was I thinking?” she said sarcastically as she tilted her head back to look at him.

  He raised a black brow as if she was nothing but a nuisance. But in reality, his annoyance was increasing. The only recourse he had was to lift the older lady and move her out of his way. Right now, he was seriously thinking about it.

  “Word from London is that you are barely seen together,” she ripped out.

  He released a grim chuckle. What had Jane told this woman? “My dear woman, I came with my wife in the carriage tonight. You can scarcely say we were not seen together.”

  The lady’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and something told him that Agatha would do anything to protect Jane. After all, she had been like a mother to her. If the woman’s anger had not been directed his way, it would have warmed his heart. Her connection to Whitehall was only known to a few. But what this lady could do with her parasol was nothing compared to what she had done to Napoleon and who knows whom else.

  “There is talk of a mistress,” she suggested bluntly. “Lady Trayton, to be precise.”

  Roderick’s head jerked. What the devil!

  Lady Trayton had been Miss Susan Wimble before she had married the late earl, a man who had been old enough to be her father. The female in question was an attractive, deceitful lady who had pulled the wool over his eyes years ago, and who later had moved on to Jared before the man had married Emily.

  His eyes blazed with fury as he looked down at Agatha. He had been true to Jane from the first time he met her.

  “Pure rubbish,” he said to the older lady, his face turning hard.

  “It is not rubbish,” Agatha said in a hushed tone as the music died down. “You have hurt her, you big ape.”

  Big ape? He wanted to laugh. His chest shook, but he held back from actually voicing his amusement. “I vow Agatha, some day…”

  “Some day,” she snapped, “you will be sorry at the way you treated her. I don’t care what you are trying to do, but this is not the way to handle things.”

  “This,” he said firmly, “is between me and my wife.”

  “Your wife? You certainly don’t treat her like one. Or do you? Is this how an Englishman treats his wife, eh?” She paused, looking him up and down. “Or his property?”

  Roderick’s hands clenched by his sides. “I vow, if you were not a lady, I would call you out.”

  Agatha’s laugh was without humor. “I fail to see what killing me would do. You would still have your conscience to deal with, and I would say right now, you are not dealing with it very well at all. If this relates back to Cecile and your duty—”

  He flinched. “I am not going to discuss my relationship with my wife or my past...past women, to be precise. Do you have anything else you would like to say?”

  The strain between them turned icy.

  “Yes,” she finally replied, inspecting a plant beside him. “When you return home tonight, make mad love to her.”

  Roderick almost choked. “Hell and spitfire! I fail to see where my love life is your concern.”

  “Do not take that tone with me, young man.” The parasol struck again and he jumped. “I believed you loved her, you fool.”

  “I do love her,” he said between clenched teeth.

  “Then prove it.”

  “That, madam, is exactly what I am doing, whether you want to believe it or not.”

  Roderick gave her a quick bow, picked her up, and deposited her behind another potted plant. She stood there, mouth agape, her parasol limp by her side. He smiled and strode away as swiftly as possible, hoping he would not run into any other women in his family, and that included his wife, his sister, and his sisters-in-law. Luckily, his mother was too busy with Lord Bringston these days and he barely saw her. As a group, the women were a force to be reckoned with. Even though he had fought the worst enemies in all of England, just the thought of all those women in one room, fighting against him, made him shudder.

  Jane walked beside Emily as they waited out the set in the ballroom. Her friend looked beautiful in her delicate green gown with its French lace about the bodice. Before Jared had left for the card room, he couldn’t stop looking at his wife
.

  Jane felt her heart squeeze when she thought about Roderick and how they had left each other in such anger. She turned to smell the pink roses in the Chinese vase beside her and placed a hand on her stomach. Similar vases were scattered about the room, reminding her of the beauty of life. The fragrance from the flowers was sweet and wonderful just as her thoughts were for her child.

  Whatever Roderick said didn’t change the fact that she was determined to have this baby. Luckily, her gowns had hidden her condition, along with her body that appeared smaller than most women carrying a child at this time. But Agatha was right. She couldn’t hide her delicate situation forever.

  Emily handed her a glass of punch. “I cannot believe you haven’t told Roderick yet.”

  Jane took a sip of the cool liquid and frowned. “I tried. But he refused to listen. I know that sounds ridiculous, but before I could say another word about it, he mentioned he was going off to France to look for land.” She scoffed. “Of all things. Land? How stupid does he think I am? Something is obviously afoot. I know he was involved in reconnaissance during the war. And I also know that he still keeps in contact with Whitehall.”

  Emily’s violet eyes twinkled. “Sometimes, you are too smart for your own good, Jane. But if you must know, I am not happy that Jared is going either. Frankly, I don’t know everything, but it has something to do with Whitehall and the war.”

  “But the war’s over,” Jane said, frowning.

  “Yes, but there were things they did over there. Things I don’t want to know.”

  Jane gazed about the room as another waltz started up. “I know you had something to do with the war too, Emily. Things I shouldn’t know about. Agatha was involved as well.”

  Jane wasn’t surprised to hear her friend’s gasp. She laughed. “Do not try to deny it, Em. I lived with Agatha for many years. I tried not to interfere in her doings with Whitehall, but once in a while, things did slip. I know Briana was involved in things too.”