Outwitting the Duke

by Deb Marlowe

  “If you came here to talk Laura out of marriage to me, or to offer me some other match, then you can be on your way.” He shot a defiant glance at his relatives over Laura’s head. “She is mine, and will be forever.”

  “Such rudeness would be intolerable were you not so completely mistaken in our intentions. Of course, that is your passion showing, Richard.” Grandmother rose. “Jonathan, I believe our work here is done. How shall we spend the rest of our day?”

  “I am sure one of our other relations is sorely in need of direction.” Danby stood, offering his sister his arm. “We’ll depart, then. Richard, when you are in better humor, come and see your mother and father. They have a right to know that you are engaged. Moreover, I think it would be better that your betrothed will be moved into a different house until you are wed. It would be highly indelicate for her to remain here.”

  Richard held Laura closer. “I will agree to that only if you request a special license from the archbishop.” He wasn’t going to wait a moment longer than absolutely necessary to marry his beloved.

  “My dear boy, I have a stack of them on my desk at home.” Danby offered Richard the sly smile he showed everyone when he knew he had won. “I hope to use most of them this Season. It’s time enough that affairs in our family settle down as they should.”

  He had been bested by the old man. A dawning sense of respect stole over Richard. “I hope you use them all, sir, and then have to request more.”

  Danby nodded, his eyes full of mischief. “I must say, I am sure the archbishop hates to hear from me. It seems all I ever do is request special licenses from him for my scatter-brained relations.”

  Grandmother smiled at Danby. “Well, we shall invite him to tea. That might make up for it, in some small measure.” She led Danby towards the door, but then paused and turned back. “You would be a fool indeed if you did not kiss her, Richard.”

  As soon as the door had closed behind his meddling relatives, Richard did just that.

  Chapter 10

  Laura sat by the window of her room in the Carew townhouse, pressing her forehead against the glass. Today was her wedding day. It was strange indeed to think of it thus. Marriage had never been something she contemplated for herself. And yet, Richard would have married her the day that he proposed, thanks to the special license Danby’s man of affairs was able to procure.

  Somehow it didn’t seem right to marry while Marguerite was ill, so they had postponed the wedding for a sennight to give her time to recover. Now, in just a few short moments, she would be taken in the Carew family carriage to St. George’s, where her betrothed would be waiting. It seemed an eternity since she had seen him, though they had only been apart for seven days.

  The door to her room opened, and Marguerite stood there, smiling. She was wearing the lavender frock Laura had made for her, and one of the Carew maids had brushed her hair until it shone in ripples down her back, and had caught it up in lavender bows on the sides of her head.

  “You look lovely,” Laura cried, patting the window seat beside her. “Come and sit with me. I feel quite lonely. Do you think it will be long until we leave?”

  “No.” The little girl curled up beside her, putting her head in Laura’s lap. “Are we going away?”

  “Only from this house,” Laura replied, gently stroking the waves of her hair. “We’ll go back to the captain’s home after the ceremony. Back to your own dear room, Marguerite. Perhaps later on, after the Season, we may journey to Derbyshire. Would you like that?” Of course, she was assuming that Richard was going to give up seafaring. They hadn’t really talked about it, though.

  Marguerite nodded. “As long as I don’t go away,” she murmured.

  “You won’t. I am certain of that.” She gave Marguerite a reassuring smile. “When the captain proposed to me, we had an understanding. This is more than a marriage between two people. We are a family.” She couldn’t tell Marguerite that there was still a slight possibility that Richard would go to sea. Why hadn’t she thought of this before? In the whirlwind of preparing for the marriage ceremony, she had neglected some rather obvious decisions.

  Marguerite clutched at Laura’s waist and fell silent. Laura continued to stroke her hair. It was vitally important that Marguerite know how important she was to this family that she and Richard were starting. She would never go away to school, or be sent anywhere unless she wished.

  “Marguerite! Where are you?” Lady Westchester’s voice echoed down the hall.

  “Ah, it must be close to time.” Laura gave Marguerite’s head a final pat and struggled to sit up.

  Richard’s mother paused in the doorway. “There you are! Wrinkling Laura’s skirt and mussing your hair.” Lady Westchester gave a rueful smile and opened her arms. “Come to me, you naughty girl. You and I will ride together in Danby’s carriage. You will love it. The horses are so lovely!”

  Marguerite gave her ladyship a sunny smile and sat up. Lady Westchester hurried over and took her hand, clucking in disapproval as she eyed Laura’s silk gown. “For mercy’s sake, Laura, shake out your skirts. I know this is a private, family affair but you still must look your best.”

  Laura smiled and rose from her place at the window, smoothing her skirt. Lady Westchester had wanted an elaborate ceremony and wanted to invite the ton—even though the wedding was taking place so very quickly. She had capitulated only when Richard threatened to set sail in the Marie Elise with both Laura and Marguerite on board, having the ceremony performed with a gang of his sailors.

  Perhaps that wasn’t a joke, though. Were they going to accompany him on his journeys? Butterflies settled in her stomach. There was nothing to do but wait. She must remain calm. Surely, she could work everything out with Richard once they had some privacy.

  “Shall I come along with you?” She took one last glance in the mirror. It was strange indeed to see herself wearing any color but gray. This gown, a pale pink, made her appear so different than she always pictured herself. With her chestnut hair arranged in the Grecian manner and bound with a matching pink ribbon, she looked almost pretty.

  “No, you shall ride along with me in my carriage,” the dowager marchioness announced from the doorway. Lady Westchester nodded at her mother-in-law and spirited Marguerite out of the room. “We shall be right behind you, Jane,” she called as their footsteps echoed down the hallway.

  “Now, my dear.” The dowager came into the room and closed the door. “You look beautiful. Are you nervous?”

  “A little,” she admitted with a laugh. “But mostly, I am ready to see Richard again. I miss him so much.”

  The older woman gave a small smile. “Then I shan’t keep you long. I did want to give you a present before you went to the church, though.” She held out a narrow leather-bound box. “Open it.”

  Laura pried the clasp open and gasped as she gazed inside. A necklace of perfectly matched pearls glowed against the dark velvet lining. “Oh, my.” It was all she could think of to say.

  “This is not one of the family heirlooms,” her ladyship admitted, pulling the string of pearls from its box. “My husband gave me these on our last anniversary before his passing. I know Richard will be giving you many gifts, but I wanted you to have these.”

  “Are you certain?” Laura didn’t know what to do. She had never really been given a gift before—certainly nothing this fine. She didn’t want to offend the dowager by refusing, but it seemed too much to accept.

  “Of course.” Her ladyship clasped the strand around Laura’s neck. “I was right, they set off that gown to perfection, and compliment your complexion. Well, shall we go?”

  “I don’t know what to say.” Laura gazed at herself in the mirror. “It is almost as if I don’t know who I am anymore.”

  “You are going to be Lord Richard Carew’s wife, and the closest thing Marguerite has known to a mother, and you are a part of our family now.” The dowager gave her a rare, bracing smile. “Come, now. Knowing Richard, he is climbing the w
alls of St. George’s, ready to be done, ready for you to all be one little family again. It’s cruel indeed to keep him waiting.”

  Laura nodded, and grasped the small nosegay of pink rosebuds that Helen and Frances had made for her that morning.

  She was going to belong to a family at last. Somehow, that thought wasn’t as daunting as it might have been, had Richard Carew not entered her life. With the dashing captain by her side, she was ready to embark on an adventure, no matter where it took her. On the high seas or in a London townhouse, it made no difference.

  Richard could not take his eyes off his lovely bride. He was right, a new gown suited her perfectly. His only mistake was in not forcing her to purchase or make something pretty for herself the moment he’d first mentioned it.

  The quiet little ceremony finished before he knew what was happening. Only when Marguerite jumped up and down, tossing rose petals at them, did he realize that he could claim Laura as his in truth. He tempered the flood of his passions before kissing her—after all, one could only be so romantic with one’s entire family watching.

  The rest of the morning passed in a haze, with only his mounting desire to be done with ceremony and be able to bring his family home at last to stay. As the wedding breakfast drew to a close, he took Laura aside.

  “Do you think we could leave soon? I have something I want to show you two.”

  She glanced around the room. “I think so. Things are quieting down. Are you ready to go home?”

  “Yes, but with one stop along the way.” He grinned. “Let’s take our leave. I’ve been busy this past week, arranging a surprise.”

  “Very well, we shall say our goodbyes.”

  A half-hour later, they were finally ensconced in Richard’s carriage. Laura sat across from him, and Marguerite, still recovering from her fever, and overwhelmed with the events of the day, lolled against her.

  He gave discreet directions to his coachman, and they set off through the streets of London. When they did not make the usual turn into Lincoln’s Inn Fields, but continued going south, Laura sat up.

  “Where on earth are we going?”

  He smiled. “You’ll see.” Of course, he had planned to give Laura many gifts, including a few pieces of jewelry he had obtained during his time in the West Indies. This present, however, was different. This was a gift they could all share as a family.

  As they drew close to the River Thames, where so many ships had come in for repairs and such, Marguerite sat up as well. She sniffed the air. “The boat?” She looked at him with tears in her eyes. “The boat?”

  “Yes, ma petite, the boat. Or as close to it as we can get.” Why did she look so dismayed? He gave her a warm smile. “It has been some time since we have seen it.”

  The carriage stopped and Richard helped them both alight. Laura looked around her in bewilderment, and to be honest, it was a rather confusing mess even to him. Men ran here and there, shouting orders, general uproar everywhere. Maybe this wasn’t his best idea, after all. Laura looked completely nonplussed, and tears were still shining in Marguerite’s eyes.

  “I brought you two here because for me, this is where it all began.” He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “You see, the Marie Elise is moored downriver, and you could take one of these little boats down there to see her. If you did, you would see that she is being fitted for a voyage, but she has a new captain.”

  He waited, hoping that Laura would understand, even if Marguerite didn’t. He had proposed to Laura and decided to make this family before he ever finished his sailing career. Over the week, he had taken measures to put another man in command. This way, they would never be separated again.

  “Does this mean—you are staying in London? We are staying in London?” Laura looked up at him, her eyes sparkling.

  “Yes, it does.” He gathered them both close. “I never want to be parted from you two again. This week has been agony.”

  Marguerite squirmed away from his embrace, dancing ecstatically around them both. It was the liveliest he had ever seen her. He grinned, and held Laura closer.

  “Oh, I am so glad,” she breathed. “I realized this morning that we didn’t really say anything about it. I told myself that I would merely embark on this journey with you—no matter where it led.”

  “My darling,” he murmured, tightening his embrace. “The best gift I can think of for the three of us is a home of our own, and no wandering. I’ve been to the ends of the earth and my desire to seek new adventures on the seven seas is well and truly gone. You’ve never had a proper home, and neither has Marguerite. Well, you created a lovely haven for us, and we shall avail ourselves of it, at least until we tire of the city and want a country place to rest.”

  Marguerite stopped her dance with an utterly unexpected whoop of delight.

  “Now, let us take full advantage of this place we call home,” he said, holding out his hand to Marguerite. “Come along, daughter of mine. I am famished. A wedding breakfast is no occasion for eating properly. Let’s see what old Bonnay has cooked for us.”

  This was the first time he had ever referred to Marguerite as anything other than his ward, and it felt strangely right. She was not his daughter by blood, but by nature. With Laura and Marguerite by his side, he was ready to start the next big adventure of his life--even if it was a rather sedate journey compared to his exploits on the high seas.

  About Lily George

  “Romance author Lily George drew up devouring the books in her mother's bookstore, and wrote for three hours each night after her family went to sleep. But she never dreamed that anyone would actually want to read her writing until she came up with the plot for her first inspirational Regency romance, Captain of Her Heart.

  Lily's characters often represent the flip side of the Regency era. Instead of lords and ladies, George's characters are commoners--hardworking, plain-spoken individuals who often face insurmountable obstacles in their pursuits of love.”

  Connect with Lily

  @LilyGeorge2

  LilyGeorgeAuthor

  www.lilygeorge.com

  Also by Lily George

  Danby Family Series

  A Summons From Danby Castle

  The Duke’s Christmas Greetings

  * * *

  Love Inspired Historicals

  Captain of Her Heart

  The Temporary Betrothal

  Healing the Soldier’s Heart

  A Rumored Engagement

  The Nanny Arrangement

  A Practical Partnership

  Once More a Family

  * * *

  A Most Suitable Match

  Epilogue

  Evading the Duke

  Evading the Duke

  Thwarting the Duke

  Thwarting the Duke

  Dismissing the Duke

  Dismissing the Duke