Tristan grinned. “All of them, I’m afraid. You know I can’t stay out of the rags for long.”
Hayden only shook his head. “Will you make any rounds before leaving Town?”
“That depends on whether anyone else shows up in the same fashion you did.”
“Unannounced and curious, you mean?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. Though you must admit, the rumor mill has been very busy since yesterday.”
“One needs only to sit in his club for a quarter of an hour to be privy to the latest gossip in Town.” Hayden put his hat on. “Let me know when you plan on coming back to London. Proper introductions for the new marchioness must be made.”
“It’ll be a long time before exception is made for my wife,” Tristan said.
“Not if I have a say.”
Hayden was a good friend, and had an enormous amount of power with his position. It went without saying that Hayden would find someone to hold a ball in his wife’s honor once Tristan gave the go-ahead. And it was a gesture that was greatly appreciated.
Hayden’s expression turned somber. “Will you see Jez before you’re off?”
“I hadn’t thought to pay my respects to anyone. Happenstance brought you to my doorstep this morning, old friend.”
Hayden nodded, not meeting Tristan’s gaze. “She’s been out of sorts, for lack of a better term. I’m worried about her.”
Tristan leaned his head back against the high back of his chair. “To be honest, I’ve been worried about her since the funeral. She’s not been her usual self, even considering the changes in her life. Her husband’s death should have been something to rejoice.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more. But that is obviously not the case.”
“I’ll stop by her house on my way out of Town. It’s the least I can do.”
“Are you sure you want to introduce your new wife in that fashion?”
Tristan rubbed at his forehead. “No. I’ll go on my own.”
“How do you plan to tell her of your success in keeping the young woman out of Warren’s clutches?”
“I daresay there was very little affection between the two of them.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the beginnings of a megrim. His head throbbed fiercely, but there was nothing to be done about it. Not with his bruised face—but how would he explain that to Jez? “I’ll tell her the truth, of course.”
Hayden rose from his chair. “I look forward to your return to London. I’d like to be properly introduced to the woman who finally caught up with you.”
Tristan tried to return his friend’s grin, but his face stiffened and he was forced to grimace instead. “You’ll like her. She has the same fire Jez once had.”
Hayden retrieved his walking cane. “I miss that fire and wonder if she’ll ever be her old self again. Don’t forget to call on her before you leave.”
“I wouldn’t dream of forgetting her. Though I’m liable to scare her off with the condition I’m in. I’m hardly fit company with blackened eyes and a broken nose. Hardly fit to make any rounds around London.”
“Somehow, I think Jez will find amusement in it.”
Tristan stood, shaking his head. Hayden made a good point. Perhaps Jez would not let him live this down.
He walked his friend to the door before heading upstairs to see his wife—who had not come down for breakfast this morning. The maid he’d sent up said she’d woken only a short while ago and had asked for tea to be brought to the bedchamber. She’d be free to roam the house today, but he had a rule about family meals being taken together when everyone was in residence. And she’d adhere to that rule. She had promised to obey him in her wedding vows. He’d hold her to those words for important things—family being of utmost importance to him.
He knocked on the chamber door and waited a spell before opening it since he wasn’t sure how she’d feel about him walking in unannounced. He couldn’t leave her alone all day. Yesterday’s business with her father was sure to have her glum, and he would not have a sorrowful bride.
He strode into the room intent on laying out the itinerary for the day.
Charlotte was in a state of undress. His sister had obviously loaned her a dressing robe, the one made from fine silk and trimmed with lace that he’d brought back from Paris a number of years ago. It was simple, elegant, and flattering on her figure. Her hair was down around her shoulders in a loose spill of curls, and a blue satin bandeau held it back from her forehead.
She was standing with her hands folded in front of her. Though it was obvious she’d been writing a letter because there was a tray with those accoutrements sitting on the end of the chaise and a smudge of ink between her fingers.
“You look well rested,” he noted.
She ducked her head. “As do you.”
“Hardly.” He laughed.
“You look much better than you did yesterday, my lord.”
“No need for formalities. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I just wanted to let you know our plans for the remainder of the day.”
“Your sister has been to see me. She said we would leave after luncheon, and stop at a posting inn around the dinner hour.”
Now what was he supposed to talk about with his new wife? “Very good, then. I didn’t mean to interrupt your letter writing.”
Charlotte blushed, as she turned to look at the evidence of her letter behind her. “I wanted to let Ariel know the truth. I feel terrible that I won’t see her before we leave.”
“What of when we are back in Town?”
“Will we come back for the little season?”
“I defer that decision to you.” He paused, thinking he should clarify his reasoning for leaving. She must think carefully about when would be the right time for her to be presented as the Marchioness of Castleigh. “Though I do believe that the longer we are absent the better it will be for your position in society on our return.”
She mulled on it a moment, clearly understanding what wasn’t said. “We’ll have to see how we manage in Birmingham.”
“We travel in two carriages. We should have some time to ourselves.”
She visibly swallowed. Did she think he’d seduce her in the carriage? Or did she just not want to be alone with him?
This was damnably awkward.
“I have an errand to run before we leave.” She opened her mouth as though she were going to ask what, then closed it. “You can ask what my plans are, Charlotte. Don’t make this uncomfortable between us. We were on such good terms before yesterday.”
“My life has changed very drastically over the last day.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “It can’t be changed now.”
“I don’t want it to be changed. I just want everything to be like it was before…”
Before they’d lain together or before they’d wed? Taking a few more steps in her direction, he brushed his lips over her cheek. “Today is to be your only day of reprieve from this family. You must dine with us at all meals; you cannot hide in our bedchamber for the rest of your days. You need to be a part of this family.”
Charlotte pulled away with a sharp glare in her eyes. “You don’t mean to dictate my routine? High-handedness was one of the reasons I reviled Mr. Warren. He assumed I’d keep my head ducked low and follow his rules unchallenged. I will kowtow to no one.”
Tristan narrowed his eyes. Was she really comparing him to that wretched man?
“I will not tell you how you should go about your day, but there are rules that must be adhered to in this house for the sake of the children.” He held up his forefinger. “One of those rules is that I dine with them, even though they are too young to be at the main table. The second is that activities are carried out in as normal a manner as possible for the children, and they will never be treated as though they are different from any other wellborn child.”
“You will set them up for failure if they think they have the same privileges other children of the peerage
have.”
“Ask me if I care, Char. My children have been my world for a long time, and I will not let anyone tell them they are not good enough.”
Charlotte blushed a deep scarlet. He hadn’t meant to chastise her, but life was complex where his children were concerned. They’d have a difficult-enough time when they were grown; it was only fair to let them enjoy life freely while they understood little of what hindrance their parentage would cause them when they were old enough to understand society’s strictures.
“I’m sorry. I thought…”
“You thought wrong. Don’t paint me with the same brush you use for Warren.” His jaw tightened as he took a calming breath. What would he do if she despised his children? “Not all men are created equal.”
“Please, I don’t want to quarrel.” Charlotte placed her hand on his arm. “This is difficult for me. Can’t you understand that?”
“And is it any easier for me? I admit I have been thinking about marriage longer than you have, but that doesn’t make this any less odd for me than it is for you. We’ll both have to make adjustments.”
“I just need time,” she pleaded.
“Time for what?” Would she look for reasons not to make their marriage work because she wasn’t sure how to deal with his children? “Do you want to mope about? To think through the consequences now that we are already married? I will say this one more time; you cannot hide in our bedchamber. You are now a part of this family and will participate in its activities.”
She drew back from him. “What of the adjustment for your children? Are you going to force my company on them?”
“You’ll find they are more forgiving and accepting than most grown men and women.”
Charlotte’s shoulders slumped as she released a long frustrated breath. “All I’m asking is that you give me the rest of the day to sort out my thoughts, Tristan.”
He nodded. “No more than today.” He put his fingers under her chin and gazed into her dark blue eyes. “We’ll have to share our chambers again soon. I don’t want anyone questioning the distance between us.”
She opened her mouth to protest.
“If it makes you more comfortable, I can sleep on the sofa. Now, I’m off to get ready to see Jez. She’s been hiding away at the Fallon residence these past few weeks, and I want to draw her out before she becomes a hermit.”
“Is she a close friend?” She squeezed her fists in the material of her dress.
“Yes. And before you let jealousy spark any thicker in your tone, you should know she’s like a sister to me. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”
He left her standing in the middle of the room as he went into his dressing room. He pulled a bell to call his valet up. If he dressed quickly enough, he’d have at least half an hour with Jez and he’d be home in time for luncheon with Charlotte and his children.
Charlotte followed him, standing at the threshold of his private dressing room. He should move his things out of here and into the other master bedroom. She would need a place to hang her dresses, and it wouldn’t be practical to share. He’d think on it when he returned home.
“I might not know you well yet, Tristan, but I do know you have one of the kindest hearts of any man I’ve ever known—and that includes my father.”
Dixon interrupted his response. Not that he knew precisely what he intended to say to her compliment. Charlotte retreated back to the bedchamber. He heard her scribbling out the rest of the note he’d stopped her from writing. Their first conversation since yesterday hadn’t turned out too badly.
* * *
Jez was in the garden. Why in bloody hell was she here? Tristan was positive she’d never pruned a rose in her life. The footman closed the door behind him and Jez stood up from the ground where she knelt and wiped the back of her gloved hand across her forehead, smearing dirt over her temples.
Her red hair was upswept, a wide purple bandeau tied around it, but strands of hair had escaped here and there. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her so ill presented, not even when she was under the weather. Why hadn’t he stopped by sooner? They attended a ball together a week ago, but apparently a lot could change in that time.
“What’s gotten into you, love? I’ve never seen you holding a pair of gardening shears for as long as I’ve known you.”
There was a pile of roses and other flowers in the center of her back garden. Some were in perfectly good condition, others gnarled, twisted, and dead.
“I am pulling out all the rot left in this house.”
So she was still purging herself of whatever reminders her husband had left behind. Tristan couldn’t blame her in the least; she’d had a hard life with that man—a life he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy.
“Can I help you? Or, better yet, can I fetch your gardener?”
Jez stabbed the shears deep into the ground, and smacked off the dirt encrusted on her gloves on the coveralls she’d donned to protect her … trousers? Since when did Jez wear men’s clothes? Too many firsts today were throwing him off balance.
“I think we should get you inside, have some lemonade brought to the drawing room.” He motioned with his hands toward the door. Jez only looked at him with her face screwed up tight.
“If you’re parched, lemonade can be served out here. Time is of the essence now, there’s too much to be done. I can’t stop yet.”
Jez picked up a towel, poured out some water, and washed off her face. She invited him to sit on the lawn furniture.
“What’s brought you by?”
“I wanted to tell you that I am leaving for the country—for an extended stay. I couldn’t leave without a proper good-bye.”
“Leaving?” she asked.
“In light of the events in my household that have unfolded these last few days, yes. It’s quite necessary, you see.”
She gave him a thorough look. “What events would drive you to the country in the middle of a Parliament session?”
Her question gave him pause. “You really don’t know?”
“I’ve not left the house for … a few days.”
Why had she hestitated in answering? How long had it been since she’d left the house? “Are you quite all right?” Since when did his friend not know the latest gossip?
“Believe it or not, I’m starting to feel more like my old self. I’m still not sure what I’ll do when I lose this house.” She looked around her with a frustrated sigh. “I asked Warren to put me up in the dowager house, but he refused. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“When did you speak with him?”
“He stopped by a few days ago, asked how I fared. He’s probably looking for signs of whether I’m increasing or not. He is anxious to take on the title.”
“He’ll be doing so without a wife,” Tristan informed Jez.
That got Jez’s attention, for she stared at him curiously, a slow grin forming on her lips. “The new Earl of Fallon won’t have an heir in the belly of a new bride? I take it you’ve succeeded where the Ponsley chit is concerned.”
“You might say that, but I wouldn’t be so callous about the situation. I married her instead.”
Jez wasn’t often shocked, but the way her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open ever so slightly, he knew he’d done just that—shocked her.
“When precisely did you have time to wed?” she asked in a rush.
“Only yesterday.” Tristan grinned, knowing full well that he’d have to explain himself in more detail. He hadn’t told Jez of his developing relationship with Lady Charlotte since that first ball—truth was, he hadn’t discussed it with anyone.
“Only yesterday? You make me feel as though I’ve been living under a rock.”
“Hastily done, it was.” There was a measure of pride with the revelation of his swift union.
“You didn’t waste time with the banns, I see.” Jez leaned back in the cushioned wicker chair. “It’s probably for the best. Ronnie is going to need a mother if she’s to be giv
en the opportunity to debut.”
“You know that is impossible.”
“All I know is that nothing is truly impossible. You could find her an impoverished lord. They’re always looking for an heiress. By the time she’s grown up, there will be more than a few titles her fortune could save.”
“She’s ten. Let’s not make haste with my daughter’s future.” Tristan tugged at his cravat, uncomfortable with the direction of their conversation. “Why don’t you join us in Birmingham, Jez?”
“Thank you, but rusticating is simply not my style,” she said drolly. “I have a house to clean my husband’s stench from. I daresay his evil has seeped into the very foundation.”
He hated to leave his friend—she was somehow … broken. After all the years of abuse she’d suffered, the endless excuses she’d had to make for the bruises on her arms, her neck, even her face on occasion, she’d always held her head high. Was she truly defeated now that she was free of the bonds of the horrid marriage she’d endured?
“It was worth asking. And if at any time you want to join me, I’d be more than happy to entertain you, introduce you to my wife. Ronnie would love to have you, too.” He reached over and took Jez’s hand; it was cool to the touch. “No worries if you can’t spare the time. While you’re here, though, you’ll have to keep Leo in line. He’s after that chaperone.”
Jez gave him a wide smile. “Leo has gone back to the countryside only this morning. He, too, has news to share.”
Had Leo taken Tristan’s advice and obtained a special license for when he found his missing chaperone?
“So Miss Camden did stay here with you. I thought the rumor balderdash when I heard it.”
Jez used her straw hat as a fan to cool her reddened cheeks and neck. “What a darling creature she is. She was here less than a week, and she kept me in high spirits with her tenacity and her verve for life.”
Had Miss Camden kept Jez on her feet as she had Tristan and Leo all those weeks ago at the Carleton dinner party? He smiled, knowing full well she probably had.
“You find that amusing,” she said.
“I do. I’m acquainted with her and find her charming beyond reason.” Tristan stood, needing to be on his way. “You don’t require an invitation if you feel the need for some solitude up north.”
Midnight Temptations With a Forbidden Lord Page 22
