Ambersley (Lords of London)

by Amy Atwell

  Derek’s jaw tightened. “She didn’t come alone. Aunt Bess and Harry are here.”

  Johanna froze as Rosalie raised her brows. “Is that so, Johanna? I was told you arrived three nights ago on horseback. And we both know the Coatsworths are in Tunbridge Wells.”

  “What’s this?” Derek succeeded in pushing himself to a sitting position with, it appeared, much effort.

  The chit shook with suppressed emotion as she explained herself to him. “Aunt Bess’s cousin died and they went to the funeral, but I stayed in London. When Lady Vaughan told me you were ill, I came immediately, as was my duty.”

  “Your duty,” Derek said slowly.

  Rosalie’s eyes narrowed on them. “I suppose you felt it was your duty to crawl into bed with him, too.”

  “I didn’t—” Johanna began.

  “Enough!” Derek commanded.

  Rosalie pursed her lips at the way he always protected his precious heiress. A pity she hadn’t been able to convince him to murder that boy Johnny on the dueling field.

  “Decidedly enough,” she said. “But for one thing, Johanna. Whatever have you done with poor Lord Worthing?” Pleasure surged through Rosalie as she watched the chit blush crimson before her head fell forward and hid her face.

  “Worthing? What’s this?” Derek looked back and forth between her and the chit. Oh, yes, she’d agitated him.

  “Did you not know?” Rosalie made no effort to hide her condescension. “Dr. Wardlaw returned to London and told me the oddest story that he’d been ejected from Ambersley by the Marquess of Worthing and an impudent servant boy who claimed to be the duke’s ward. They arrived unannounced in the wee hours of the morning. Tell me, Johanna, did you leave Worthing in sated slumber then come here to awaken Derek?”

  Johanna raised her head but, instead of the frightened child she anticipated, the eyes of an angry tigress blazed back at her. “Do not insult him so. Lord Worthing has been nothing but good and kind to me. Even now he’s gone to fetch Harry and Aunt Bess. The staff will tell you he left nearly as soon as he delivered me here.”

  “Oh, of course, Paget and the rest will tell any story you ask of them.” She spoke to Johanna but watched Derek from the corner of his eye. His jaw tightened as the chit argued Worthing’s defense. That long rivalry might prove as tragic as the bare heel of Achilles. If nothing else, she could count on Derek to ensure the girl never married the marquess.

  Derek contemplated Johanna with stony eyes. “Worthing brought you here in the dead of night alone?”

  The chit took a step toward him but something, perhaps his icy demeanor, made her hesitate.

  Mistake.

  “I was already disguised as Johnny. Worthing caught me sneaking away from the Brindles’ house. I would have come on my own, but he provided me safe escort. I’m indebted to him.”

  “How indebted?” Derek’s voice had taken on a decided edge.

  “Now, Derek, don’t blame the child,” Rosalie said. “Mayhap she had no scheme in mind when she involved him in her little escapade. But if Worthing knows her secret, he may try to force your hand. He may have an eye to her fortune.”

  “Worthing’s never courted me,” Johanna protested.

  “Now, he need not.” Rosalie couldn’t be happier with the way the girl had played into her hands. “Worthing could create a scandal the Vaughans haven’t known since Derek’s mother—” She covered her lips, but let the thought hang without apology.

  He flinched at her barb.

  Now was the moment to strike.

  She looked at his implacable face and dredged up that beseeching tone she’d used all too often with him over the years. “We must rally around Johanna now. I don’t think she’s any idea how disastrously she’s endangered the whole family. What can one expect after the upbringing she’s had? And I hate to see Worthing take advantage of her so.” Especially when he has no need of her fortune.

  Derek’s eyes narrowed and slid sideways to meet her gaze briefly. “And what do you propose?”

  “Curtis will marry her.”

  “What?” Johanna cast beseeching eyes at Derek. Did she expect him to defend her? How quaint.

  Rosalie held her breath while Derek contemplated the suggestion. “Curtis and Johanna.”

  “Her fortune will secure the entire Vaughan family, yet the scandal will be kept one step removed from the Ambersley title,” she explained. “I’ll let it be known she left the Brindles to visit us in Harley Street. All we need do is silence Worthing.”

  Derek’s lips flattened in a grim line. “I’ll handle Worthing. And I’ll secure a special license. But Johanna will wed me and no other.”

  Victory slipped from Rosalie’s grasp and she clawed to regain it. “You? No, you’re to offer for the Sumner chit. Think of the scandal—”

  “’Tis my scandal, so I shall marry her.” Perspiration beaded Derek’s now-flushed face. “No need for Curtis to clean up my mess.”

  Johanna trembled. She’d gone so white, it looked as if she might faint. “Derek, you don’t need to do this.”

  He eyed her coldly. “Did Worthing compromise you?”

  “No.” She responded as if he’d bitten her.

  “Then I will marry you.” Fury welled up within him, for this wasn’t how he’d planned to win Johanna’s hand. Yet, cornered as he was, he wouldn’t allow the opportunity to slip through his fingers.

  “But—”

  Derek cut her off, afraid she would convince him to release her. “You said it was your duty to come to me when I was ill. You gave no regard to the cost. Now it’s my duty to marry you. I’ll brook no argument.”

  Bravado abandoned Johanna, and she crossed her arms before her. “I never meant for this to happen,” she stammered.

  “Nor did I,” Derek conceded with a tired sigh.

  “I’m sorry,” Johanna whispered before fleeing the room.

  Rosalie watched her go and barely tempered a tight smile. “Poor child. She seemed upset. Shall I go after her?”

  “Leave her be,” Derek said bitterly. “You’ve done enough for one night.”

  “You cannot mean to marry her.”

  “I do.”

  “You’ve denied Curtis his title, and now you’ll deny him a wealthy bride?” With the chit was gone, Rosalie unleashed her frustrations.

  “Curtis denied himself the title by exercising dangerously poor judgment.”

  “Don’t you dare marry her and try to keep Curtis from his title—”

  “I warn you, Rosalie, do not dictate to me.” Derek slumped back against his pillows. “I shall marry Johanna, and nothing you say shall dissuade me from it.”

  He’d always been a stubborn, proud man. But then it occurred to Rosalie that perhaps she could persuade Johanna against such a marriage.

  “Very well, I’ll leave you to your sleep, my lord.” She gathered her gloves and left his room, closing the door behind her. She whispered a brief prayer that Derek Vaughan would simply die.

  Alone, Derek closed his eyes. Guilt preyed upon him for he felt like a thief stealing Johanna from under Worthing’s nose, but if the man had wanted to press his advantage, he’d still be here, laying his claim. Whether she believed she loved the marquess Derek couldn’t say, but he did know that she’d said she favored Worthing, and she’d turned to him when she needed help. Meanwhile, she felt a duty to Derek, as if she’d never overcome being one of his servants.

  Clearly, given a choice of husbands, Johanna would choose Worthing. That, and his stepmother’s machinations, had prompted Derek to claim Johanna at once. He’d long since admitted he wanted her at any cost, but this…

  Visions of her haunted him. Johanna, padding to the fireplace in the white shirt. Johanna, her brow quirked, daring him to feed himself. Johanna, lying across his chest with passion lighting her eyes. Johanna, standing defiantly nose to nose with his stepmother. Johanna, beaten and retreating from him, her life in ruins.

  Some day, Derek swore, he would make
it up to her.

  Chapter 18

  In the relative safety of her chamber, Johanna paced in agitation. The bed offered no respite, for she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep now that the pre-dawn sky had turned pale blue. How she missed the moon.

  Opening the armoire, she discovered her things had been unpacked, and Mrs. North had considerately found a moment during the past few days to press her gown. She slid the linen shirt off only to clutch it to her face when another wave of tears threatened. Stoically, she laid the shirt aside and pulled on her stockings and chemise. When her bedroom door opened, she shielded herself with the sprigged muslin.

  “I’m so glad you brought something ladylike with you.” Lady Vaughan prowled into the room. “Pity, I would have thought everything you owned was pure silk. Well, there’s no accounting for taste, I suppose.” She closed the door silently behind her.

  Johanna backed against the bed and kept a wary eye on the older woman.

  “I thought we should have a little chat, just you and I.”

  Johanna had never trusted the woman’s feline smile. “I don’t think we’ve anything further to discuss, my lady. It appears everything is settled.”

  “Tut, tut, child. Don’t be bitter.” Lady Vaughan stepped forward and motioned to Johanna’s dress.

  As little as she appreciated the older woman’s help, Johanna desperately wanted to be clothed. She presented Lady Vaughan with her back.

  Lady Vaughan spoke her mind while she laced Johanna’s stays. “You and I are both women of the world. We see what we want, and we take it. I can see it all through your eyes. Derek was on the verge of offering for Charis Sumner, and you didn’t want to lose Ambersley. And we both know Charis would not have welcomed you here, ward or no. She’s neither a clever girl nor a fool. Am I right, thus?”

  Johanna fought for composure. As a child, she’d always feared Lady Vaughan. Though she was no longer the helpless son of the gardener, she shivered at her memories. “I came to help Derek because he’s my guardian and my friend, nothing more. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, dear. I understand completely. Stick to that story. Most people would believe it—I’m sure Elizabeth and Harry Coatsworth will. Of course, I caught you atop Derek, and I needed no imagination to see where both of you were headed. Tell me, Johanna, are you still a virgin?”

  “I—I, how... yes, yes.” Johanna finally sputtered.

  “Why, how pretty you are when you blush. And I don’t believe you could feign that outraged look, so you must be telling the truth.” Finished with the laces, Lady Vaughan helped drop the dress over her head. “My dear, I’m interested in your welfare. You think you are gaining a title, land and security. Did you know Derek is not truly a Vaughan?”

  Johanna turned to regard the older woman’s pursed lips. “What do you mean?”

  Her services no longer needed, Lady Vaughan stepped back and ran a hand along the footboard of the four-poster bed. “You’re aware of his mother’s notorious history—liaisons made public, murder, hanging.”

  “Yes, Derek has no secrets from me.” Even as a child, she’d been privy to the gossip at Ambersley about the new duke and his tragic family history.

  “Indeed.” There was that smile again, but Lady Vaughan’s eyes glittered like a serpent’s. “Did he tell you his mother foisted him upon Reginald Vaughan, that he’s not Reginald’s son at all, but the issue of that whore and one of her paramours?”

  Johanna inhaled sharply and only when dizziness assaulted her did she remember to breathe.

  “Derek learned the truth as a young man about your age. He was so disgusted by it, he quite rightfully left home—we thought never to return. But Reggie didn’t have the heart to disown the bastard, and now Derek’s usurped the dukedom that should belong to Reggie’s real son.”

  “No. I don’t believe you,” Johanna said. “Derek wouldn’t do such a thing.”

  “Oh, he had me fooled, too. Told me when he first arrived here that he merely meant to hold the title until Curtis came of age. Now he blatantly denies us.”

  Johanna tasted doubt, bitter as bile. “Harry would have told me.”

  Lady Vaughan chuckled. “Noble young Harry—he doesn’t know. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have traveled all the way to India to drag Derek back here after Reggie’s death. Derek never told him this black secret, just as he never revealed it to his young pet, Johnny. Tell me, did you not wonder why a duke would befriend a small boy of doubtful breeding?”

  In truth, she’d accepted Derek’s friendship as easily as his presence at Ambersley, so greatly had she idolized him as a child.

  “Guilt,” Lady Vaughan enunciated the word like a judgment. “Reggie did everything he could for that boy, and when Derek learned the horrid truth about his mother, he spurned Reggie’s generosity. How natural, then, to bestow fatherly attention on the next bastard he encountered.”

  Johanna put her fingers to her throbbing temples and sat upon the bed. “Why do you tell me all this?”

  “I’m sorry if it pains you, my dear, but I would hate to see your heart broken. I’m afraid Derek isn’t capable of loving anyone.”

  “I am well able to protect my heart, my lady.” Johanna met the woman’s gaze.

  Lady Vaughan nodded. “I’m pleased to hear it. Believe me when I say I want only the best for you. Derek needs your money because he knows he must one day hand Ambersley over to Curtis. When that happens, you’ll have neither this home nor the title. Society will shun Derek when they learn the truth of his parentage, of his charade as the duke, and as his wife, you’ll lose all your connections.”

  The picture she painted was as dark and muddy as charcoal on wet paper. Realizing she’d crumpled her fists into her skirt, Johanna tried to smooth the muslin.

  “That’s why I urge you to reconsider and wed Curtis.” Lady Vaughan stepped forward to pull Johanna’s nervous hands into her own. “Curtis will secure a special license, and I will help the two of you escape. Once you’re married, Derek cannot harm you.”

  Johanna looked up into the woman’s face, the blue eyes bright with hope but not a drop of sympathy. She slipped her fingers free. “I need to think on it.” Evasion was simpler and safer than refusal.

  Lady Vaughan straightened and folded her hands before her. “But, of course, my dear. This is all so sudden—you shouldn’t be pressed for an answer right away. You may send me word at the Dower House should you need me.” She sauntered toward the door but looked back over her shoulder. “There is one additional factor you might consider as you tally your options.”

  “Indeed?” More than anything, Johanna wished the woman would leave.

  “It’s obvious an attachment of sorts exists between you and Worthing. Should you marry Curtis, I can guarantee he could be persuaded to…ignore any discreet liaisons you may wish to enjoy.”

  Johanna rose to her feet, certain she couldn’t have heard right. “Are you suggesting—?’

  “For your safety, Johanna, I warn you not to make a cuckold of Derek. If you think to marry him and still enjoy Worthing’s attentions, you’re misguided. He’ll murder you before he allows you the liberties his mother exercised. Once wedded, he’ll control your fortune, and you’ll have no escape. Take that to heart.”

  “So, no matter whom I wed, I’m still a pawn,” she said.

  Lady Vaughan chuckled. “What, were you expecting love and happiness? Heavens, what sort of notions were they teaching you in that cottage across the way? You’re a lady now, and you’ll be judged by your fortune, your manners, even your clothing. No one will give a thought to your happiness, least of all your husband. Don’t despair—marriage will afford you much more freedom than you’ve had. The standards for a young matron are far more lenient than for a debutante.”

  Johanna’s brain whirled with all this information. While she’d given some thought to the possibility of marriage, she hadn’t contemplated these miserable details. She’d heard of husbands and wives who made children together
but lived practically as strangers within their house. Was that to be her lot?

  Lady Vaughan strolled to the door. “You have much to think upon, my dear. I’ll leave you alone to get what rest you can.” She opened the door, but threw back one last appraising look. “And Johanna, welcome to the family.”

  Johanna stood tall and proud until the older woman left. Only then did she bow her shoulders and retreat to the window. Perhaps the sight of the sunrise and the promise of a fresh day would restore her hope. She leaned her head on the glass and looked out over the manicured lawns and clipped hedges with their hundred hues of green. The sky was painted blue, and the rising sun washed it with rays of gold and pink. How could the world be so colorful, yet her future appear so bleak?