“Maura?” her mother called.
Maura turned to her. She was still in a daze from all that had happened.
Matilda frowned. “What has happened?”
Maura pulled in a breath and turned to Julius. His gaze was waiting for her, true and unwavering. He said nothing, instead deciding to lift an expectant brow. She wanted to fuss at him. He’d been the one to pull her into this marriage.
She was married. The thought made her cheeks warm. Everything would change for her.
She took a step back, closer to Julius, who took her hand.
Lord and Lady Foxridge’s gaze dropped to where Julius held her.
“We’re married,” Maura said.
“You’re married?” Matilda became living bewilderment. “When? How did this happen?” She turned to Adrian for help. She’d always done so in the past.
The vicar approached then. “I’ll be taking my leave, my lord. We’ll… finish the rest of this in the morning.” Then he bowed again and left.
Maura’s parents watched him go and then they looked at her once more.
Lorena chose that moment to approach, saving the moment. “Uncle Adrian!”
Adrian turned to her and managed to find a grin for his only niece. “Lorena.” Even her name always sounded more exotic when Maura’s father said it. They hugged then Adrian began to speak Spanish once more.
Lorena shook her head and laughed. “I still don’t understand you, tio.”
He laughed. It was their private little joke. He touched her shoulder. “Sabrina.” He tsked. “You must do better.”
Emmett approached, introducing himself as Lorena’s husband while his clever wife moved on to Matilda, greeting her aunt and then the other Spinsters and Men of Nashwood came. Adrian was soon pulled into conversation with the men. Lorenzo and Natalia quickly became family, as there was a small discussion of Spanish heritage between the three. Lorenzo and Natalia’s mother had been from Spain as well.
Julius backed away and took Maura with him before he said, “I didn’t know your father was Spanish.”
He watched her lick her lips, her gaze still on the activity at the door. “He’s English as well. His father was the English Ambassador for Spain. He met my grandmother, a Spanish lady, while he was there. My baptismal name is hers.”
“Your grandmother still lives?” he asked.
She looked at him and nodded. “From what I know, yes, though it has been many years since I’ve seen her or been to Spain.”
“Would you like to go?”
Her eyes rounded, an adorable expression with her tangled hair and kiss-swollen lips. He couldn’t wait to undress her, tangle his limbs with hers, push himself deep between her folds. And now he could. Every damned night if he wished.
“Would I like to go to Spain?” She seemed excited by the idea, but then her smile fell. “Will you be coming with me?”
“Of course.” He touched her cheek. “We’ll go for our wedding trip. I find myself quite enthralled by you when you speak Spanish.” Maura never ceased to amaze him. If he’d had any understanding of the tongue, he’d have demanded that she only speak it around him. At first, he’d decided to give her time with her parents alone, but her voice… that sweet exotic murmuring had called to him.
Maura’s lashes lowered, and her lips turned up.
“Lord Darvess,” Maura’s father said as he approached. “It seems that you married my daughter in haste. I admit, I’d have enjoyed being present for the special occasion.” The new baron’s gaze fell to Maura with quiet reproach.
Julius placed a hand at her back. “Well, what’s done is done. As of today, she is my marchioness and under my protection.”
Her father looked puzzled and then nearly amused. “Am I to assume that this was done so that I would not send Maura back to Bedlam?”
“Among other reasons,” Julius replied. Like the fact that he hadn’t lasted an entire day in agreement to Natalia’s bargain. Maura was his, and he’d not have to witness her flirt with another man ever again.
“Well, then I hope you are happy with your suit,” Lord Foxridge said. “Since I no longer have any plans to send Maura back to Bedlam.”
The entire foyer went quiet at his announcement.
Julius stiffened and narrowed his gaze. “Since when?”
“Since a few days ago.” Maura’s father looked at his daughter. “We must speak, hija.”
* * *
chapter 41
* * *
Julius followed Maura into Morris’s study. Her father gave him a look, but he gave the baron one back. As far as he was concerned, Maura was still his wife and that meant he could go wherever she went. Also, he’d sworn to protect her and still wasn’t sure if he liked Maura’s father.
No, that wasn’t right. He knew he didn’t like that man. Anyone who’d exposed her to harm would never be counted as someone Julius admired.
Matilda came into the study as well, along with Lorena and Emmett. The door was closed behind Lorenzo and Natalia, the final members of this new family.
Maura hadn’t looked at him since her father’s announcement in the foyer and he wondered at her thoughts. The vicar had yet to get their signatures on a marriage license and though they’d spoken vows, they’d yet to consummate the marriage. Would Maura try to dissolve the marriage now that there was nothing to fear from her father? She could try, but he’d never let her go. He’d told her that just before he’d sworn to take her as his wife. He knew that by all appearances, he’d only married her to keep her out of Bedlam, but now that the deed was done, Julius had no intentions of letting go of someone he counted as his own.
In the study, he allowed Maura to step away and move to a chair, but he was much too restless to sit himself. The men all remained standing as the women sat. Matilda went to one side of Maura and Natalia to the other, taking Maura’s hand in support. Though Natalia had smiled when being introduced to Adrian Shaw, she now watched him with suspicion.
Julius’s lips twitched. His cousin rarely disappointed him. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall where he could see everyone clearly.
Adrian Shaw paced, and Julius was mildly surprised that the papers that had mentioned him hadn’t also included a portrait of his likeness. He was a handsome man. He could see some of him in Maura.
Adrian then took a chair and sat across from Maura. Leaning forward, he said, “I’ve decided that it is time I remained home. No more traveling. I’ve had my fun, but my priority should have been to my family. I’ve let you down on that account, hija, but I will not do so again.” He turned to look at his wife, the other person he’d let down before turning back to Maura. “Yet, before I retire from my hunt, I would like to find one more item.”
Maura frowned. “What?”
“You know what it is,” her father said.
Maura thought for a moment and then whispered, “El Hombre Dorado.”
Natalia and Lorenzo’s eyes widened.
“You’re speaking about that golden man again?” Anger made Julius tighten his fist. “Was that not the object that started all the misfortune in your family?”
Adrian glared but couldn’t seem to hold it. “What do you know about this?”
Julius lifted a brow. “I know there’s the ghost of a man haunting my wife in an effort to find that thing.” And he knew he wanted Maura nowhere near it.
The baron turned to Maura and started to speak in Spanish.
Julius cut in. “English, if you would.” It wasn’t a question but a demand. He’d walk right out of this room with his wife in hand if need be.
Maura’s father sighed and turned to his daughter. “I’m surprised you’ve told him so much about you.” That was what he said, but what Julius heard was the baron’s surprise that Julius knew the truth and had still married Maura.
Maura turned to Julius then and he couldn’t read her expression, but he liked her words. “I trust him.”
Julius turned to the baron to keep
himself from crossing the room and kissing his marchioness. “What does Maura have to do with your silly hunt?”
The baron turned to him and spoke in a way that said he’d rather not address him at all. “I may have found it. I met Maura’s mother while hunting for it years ago. There were writings that said her family, the Lawrences, held a vast treasure.” He turned to his wife. “I never found it, but I did manage to find something vastly better.”
Mathilda smiled. She was the treasure. Julius’s mother-in-law turned to him then. “Maura found the Lawrence treasure a few years ago, don’t you remember?”
Julius did remember. “I remember.”
Lorena said, “But the treasure didn’t originally belong to the Lawrences, but the Cullips.” Lorena’s father, the Duke of Valdeston, had lived across from Lorena’s mother, Constance Lawrence all his life. Their love for one another had started in childhood, but even before then, the families had always been friends. The Dukes of Valdeston had always been known for their madness, which sometimes skipped a generation. One of the saner ones had been wise enough to hide his wealth with the Lawrence family, keeping it behind a wall so that his son, who was set to be a madman, would never find it. Years passed, and the treasure became rumor until Maura found it. “So, what is this about?”
“After another visit to Spain this year, I found further confirmation that the statue is somewhere within the Valdeston/Lawrence treasure room.” Foxridge turned to Maura. “I’d like you to come back with me to London and see if you overlooked something in the Lawrence home.” He smiled. “You’ve obviously inherited your talents from me, hija. I was very proud when I heard that you found what I’d spent a good portion of my life looking for.”
Maura smiled at her father. “I know. I received your letter.”
Her father took her hand. “We can do this final hunt… together.”
“No.”
Everyone turned to Julius as the shout of that one word.
“You’ll not get her involved in this again. It’s caused her enough trouble. Ten years of, it if I recall.” Julius shook his head and narrowed his gaze at the baron, even though everything within him wanted to beat the man to a bloody pulp. He swung his gaze away to look at Maura. “Come, Maura.”
Maura stared at Julius and then turned to her father, who was still gripping her hands.
“Catalina,” her father urged.
Julius took a step.
Maura stood and let go of her father’s hands before she moved to Julius.
Julius let out his own sigh of relief.
She didn’t meet his eyes, but when she reached his side, she turned to her father and with a sad look said, “I’m sorry.”
* * *
chapter 42
* * *
Maura remained silent as Julius walked her up the stairs but him taking her arm and leading her away from her room forced her to speak. “Where are we going?”
He looked down at her, his brows pinched together. “My room.”
Blood pressed at her temples as her worry grew. Would he want to consummate their marriage now? She wasn’t ready, and neither was she in the mood. She was still amazed by all that had happened.
And then she had another thought. What if he didn’t wish to consummate their marriage at all? What if he wanted it annulled? He’d claimed to have other reasons for marrying her, but Maura knew he’d not have done it at all had he not feared she’d be returned to Bedlam. If he rejected her now, Maura would never be able to stand in his presence again or even that of her friends. She’d be too embarrassed. Too hurt. She’d barely had time to adjust to being his wife before it would all be taken away from her.
He opened his door and ushered her inside.
She stared around the room, her eyes hitting the large bed at its center and the twin fireplaces on either side. In addition to a sideboard that held brandy, there was a large wardrobe, a table, and a writing desk. A thick bear pelt took up the floor, likely killed by Morris during one of his trips on the Continent. “Why is your room so much larger than mine?”
He spoke in her ear. “Because I take up more space.”
That was true. Whenever he was near, she felt engulfed in his presence.
He moved her toward one of the fireplaces that dominated the wall. It was lit even though the hour was hardly past noon. After the day they’d had, she wasn’t surprised by how tired she was. The flames felt wonderful against her chilled skin. She turned and watched him toss his jacket to the floor. She continued to stare in fascination as he removed his cravat and undid the cuffs of his sleeves before he rolled them up and moved his hands to the fire.
They remained silent for a moment and then his gaze finally moved to her, reminding her that she’d been staring at him the entire time they’d been quiet. The fire brightened his gaze and brought focus on the hardness of his jaw and high cheekbone. “If you think I’ll annul our marriage, you’re wrong.”
She didn’t speak. At first. “You… wish to remain married?” To me? She didn’t add those words. She didn’t see the need.
“I made a vow to you, Maura. The Men of Nashwood always keep their vows.”
She’d heard that before but had never guessed Julius would be so honorable. It made her deeply rooted affection for him grow. He was a man who should have been completely ruined by his past and yet there he stood, strong, noble, and hers if she so chose it.
But was it at all right to keep him where he clearly didn’t wish to be?
“What are you thinking?” He’d only smiled at her when he’d offered to take her to Spain. Did he really wish to go with her? At the moment, he looked bothered.
“I…” She cleared her throat. “If you’d rather we…” She couldn’t even say ‘annulment.’ “If you’d rather we return to only being friends…”
“Did you not hear what I said?” He straightened and turned his body fully toward her. “You’re my wife. Mine. Forever.”
There was so much passion in those words. She only wished they’d been said with love.
“My father won’t return me to Bedlam,” she said. “You heard him. You no longer need to protect me.”
He glared at her and then turned away. “I’m not letting you go.”
She heard him and yet felt nothing but rejection from his actions and anger. She sighed. “I need to return to my room to change.” And rest.
“You look tired,” he said, without looking at her. “You may rest here.”
She touched her face. She hadn’t known her exhaustion was visible, but then she recalled how horrible a state she was in. “I think it best I go to my rooms. My night rail is there.”
He moved then, away from her and across the room. He went to his dresser and pulled out a shirt. “If you must sleep in something, you can sleep in this.” He returned to her and finally met her eyes as he held out his own garment.
She looked down at the white linen and then returned her gaze to him.
He spoke again. “I planned to have a servant move your things here later, but I can have it done immediately if you wish.”
She took the shirt from him. “This will do.” For some reason, she liked the idea of sleeping in his clothes and if their marriage were to end, she would never have the opportunity again. She turned and glanced around the room. “There’s no screen.”
“I don’t need one.”
She looked over at him again. “But what if a footman comes in while you’re changing?”
He shrugged. “It’s never mattered to me before.”
She was surprised. “But what if your friends walked in while you were changing?”
He shrugged again. “I’ve nothing they don’t have themselves.”
She supposed him to be right. When a maid walked into her room while she was in the midst of changing, she only ever made an effort to be discreet. “Well, if you’re going to move my things here, I’ll need a screen, for I have things that neither the footmen nor your friends have.”
His lips twitched for the first time in an hour or so. “Indeed you do.” He turned his back to her and started for the side table while Maura decided to remove her dress.
She placed his shirt on the bed and then started at the buttons of her dress. She looked over to find Julius staring at her. He stood by the sideboard with a glass of brandy in hand.
She froze. “You plan to watch?”
He smiled then, his dimples on full display. Her heart tripped over itself with happiness.
* * *
chapter 43
* * *
“Of course, I plan to watch my wife remove her clothes.” There was amusement in Julius’s voice. “Nothing would please me more.” Then he rolled his eyes. “Well, there is one other thing that would please me more…”
She swallowed. “I’m… not ready to consummate the marriage.”
“I know you’re not, which is why I’m over here.” He sipped from his glass and then put it down before turning to her again. “I can help you if you wish. I know wet clothing can be difficult to remove.”
Her stomach flipped. She managed to nod and stiffened as he started toward her. Her eyes followed his every move until he positioned himself behind her.
He made quick work of her buttons, and Maura was reminded that this was not the first time he’d done this. That thought unnerved her.
The dress gaped, and she caught it before it could fall.
His voice seemed to dip. “Shall I untie your corset as well?”
“Yes, please.”
She heard the ribbon come undone, his deft fingers barely touching her. Then she heard him step away and watched him come around to stare at her front.
She opened her mouth.
“Don’t ask me to turn around,” he said, his gaze transfixed on her body. She noticed then that his breathing had changed. His nostrils flared. “Don’t ask it of me. If I can’t have all of you, at the moment, please allow your husband to have this.”
Maura’s Special Spinster’s Society (The Spinster’s Society) (A Regency Romance Book) Page 15
