He followed to the door, just watching. The brothers all around her, she looked happy, determined. He wondered what had happened with the statuary hall situation. Had she spoken with Henry? Damen would be such a better man in her life. She would always know of his undying devotion, of his gratitude for gifting him with legitimacy. She would never have to doubt his loyalty. He refused to be the lying scum his father was. A brief image of Giorgia entered his mind, which he slammed shut.
And then Tabitha came rushing out, her face red, tears falling down her cheeks.
He stepped in her path.
“Oh, Damen, I’m sorry, I must leave. I must get to my room.”
“Come, have a drink of wine.”
He led her to a darkened corner, convinced her to meet him for a stargazing activity and handed her a marked stem glass filled with wine.
She brought it to her lips, at first tasting it.
He worried she would place it back on the tray, but a determined glint lit her eye and she downed the rest of the contents in several swallows.
They talked for several minutes more, she tried to change her mind, but in the end, as she started to sway on her feet, she determined to join him.
As soon as she headed up the stairs, he took off at a run to the stables, readied the carriage, and threw his trunk on top. He nodded to the men he had hired and then he waited.
Within minutes, she had found him and climbed into the carriage.
He had to approach his proposal carefully. With the laudanum in partial effect, Tabitha would feel safe and happy, comforted by him.
But when he bared his soul, when he declared his love, she shook her head. “I can’t marry you, Damen.”
Nothing he could say, no amount of reminders of Henry’s tryst with Lady Summers would sway her. Just as she was about to nod off, to go completely unconscious, he rapped on the roof and the driver took off at breakneck speed. He had no choice. If she wouldn’t come willingly, he would convince her in other ways.
They travelled for an hour before she began to wake. She pretended to sleep, but he saw her breathing change.
“You’re awake.”
She opened her eyes. She gripped her head and tried to sit up. “Damen, why are you doing this?”
“The laudanum will make you dizzy. I do apologize for that.”
“You gave me laudanum?” Her eyes widened in fear. She hid the shaking of her hands in her skirts.
Damen felt for her, but she had nothing to fear from him. He planned to care for her. “You were so upset about Henry. I wanted to calm you.”
He gestured at his attire. “Today I will become legitimate.” He had changed clothes while she slept, putting on a cravat and shiny Hessians. He looked the perfect English gentleman.
She wrinkled her eyes. “What are you talking about? Where are we going? Damen, take me back. You don’t want to do this. They will only catch you and—”
“They will never find us.” He smiled in confidence. “Until there is nothing more they can do.”
“Then you don’t know my brothers.” She clenched her fists together. “Or Henry.”
“That pompous do-nothing.”
She gasped.
“Do you think your precious Henry loves you? Do you think he even cares? He had years with you, not once taking note of what was right before his eyes.”
She swallowed.
“I am a noble, you know. My mother is a viscontessa. Rare in Italy. My grandfather, a conte in the kingdom of Sardinia.” He sat back, even more self-satisfied. “So all these airs everyone puts on are not necessary with me. I myself come from titled blood.”
“Then why are you a servant?”
He clenched his fists. “And that is the question, isn’t it?”
He picked an imaginary bit of lint off his jacket. “My mother fell in love and was seduced by a lying English rat!” His mouth sneered with venom. “And his promises, his lies, of taking her to be his duchess produced an heir.”
She gasped.
“Me. The heir who was never recognized, because the rat never made good on his promises, and my mother was left to hide in shame.” He ground his teeth then relaxed.
“Through the help of some family friends, a home was found for me here in England with a good servant family.”
His one regret was that he might no longer spend time with them, as a noble. “And a place for me to be gainfully employed.” He cleared his throat. “My mother never claimed me either and went on to marry a viscount in Italy, presumably her new husband none the wiser. She sends me letters, but that is all.”
Tabitha didn’t respond. He wondered what she was thinking.
“When I approached my father, he paid me to stay quiet and offered education, employment as a barrister, solicitor even, or a position in his home, possibly a steward.” He punched the cushion beside him and Tabitha’s eyes widened. “But not family. He withheld the strength of his name, his title.”
He leaned forward, eyes sincere. “And so I am left an island between nations, families full of titles for generations back, and no legitimacy of my own.” He grinned. “Until today.”
“No.” She didn’t even pause to take a moment to consider all that he offered. “I won’t do it. Damen—”
“Stand and deliver!” The shout startled them. Damen filled with fear. He must not let anyone stop them.
He leaned his head out the window and shouted, “Just barrel him down.” His voice sounded commanding to his own ears, but his heart clenched. The roads were narrow, the cliff face steep, and the man up ahead held a gun.
Tabitha peeked out the window, then gasped and ducked down on her carriage bench.
A swerve brought the carriage up on two wheels. Tabitha screamed. Gunshots sounded, and the carriage began an incline. The horses burst into faster speed than even before. The road opened up on one side and Damen felt a little more relief. The other side dropped off sharply to their right.
Then the whole carriage tilted back as if climbing a rock, crashed down again and stopped, rocking forward and back as if swaying in the breeze.
“We’re on the axle.” Fear shook him. “Stay here,” he warned before he climbed out.
She followed immediately, dumb chit.
Damen grabbed her face, squeezing her cheeks until her mouth opened. “I said. Stay inside.” He pushed her back in and slammed the door. She would have to learn to obey.
He rushed to untether one of the horses. Their driver hung lifelessly from the top of the carriage. They must ride to Scotland. They could stop at an inn once they were a safe distance away and try to find new conveyance. But for now, distance from Yorkshire was of utmost importance.
He went back for Tabitha, grabbed her arm and dragged her with him, throwing her up on the horse. The other footman held the reins, and Damen prepared to hop up behind Tabitha on the horse.
But she kicked at the horses’ flank. She knew more about riding than he had given her credit for. And the horse bucked, and jumped, and twisted Damen’s foot in the stirrup, knocking him off balance. Then the animal took off at a gallop, knocking Damen to the ground. His head hit a rock. The last thing he saw before the world went dark was Tabitha’s hair, flying in the wind, as she crested the top of the hill.
11
Giorgia changed the cold compress on Damen’s brow. He had a huge bump on his forehead, and he hadn’t yet awoken. The doctor had suggested laudanum, and she was grateful it had gifted her time to board the ship, get situated in their room, and place him in their bed.
As soon as he awoke, she would request the captain marry them. She had explained their situation to him, and Damen’s mother had been present when they boarded the ship. The captain believed that on the way to their wedding, Damen had fallen from his horse and was knocked unconscious. And now they travelled in their cabin, unmarried. The captain was more than happy to oblige them, having previously been employed in a position with the church.
Damen’s eyes stirred. He s
quinted and then groaned.
A nervous thrill filled her. She was unsure of his reception.
His eyes cracked open. He eyed her for a moment, and then he smiled. “You’ve kidnapped me, then?”
She grinned back. “Indeed.”
“We are perfect for one another.” He sat up slowly and then groaned and grabbed his head. “Laudanum?”
“The very thing. Also, you did hit your head rather forcibly on a rock.”
He groaned again and fell back to the bed.
“They would have dragged you to the gallows. You are here at my mercy.”
He smirked. “I might like the sound of that.”
“The captain has been summoned to marry us.”
“If I must.”
“You must.”
He pulled her down to him with surprising strength. “Kiss me.”
She happily obliged, taking care with the bump on his head. She pressed her lips to his and forgot for a moment where they were. “Are you happy then?”
He eyed her for a moment. “I am. I realized in my sorry dream state that you didn’t do anything I wouldn’t have done.”
She nodded. “True.” Then she toyed with his fingers. “I would have told you. I wanted you to love me first.”
He nodded then brought her hand to his lips. “I do love you. In all your dishonest, conniving glory. I love you.”
She laughed. “You will love me even more when you hear my news.”
The captain knocked on their door.
Damen sat up further in the bed.
Then the captain performed a quick, but very official and legal marriage ceremony before he winked to them both and left.
“Now what is this news, wife?” Damen pulled her down beside him.
“Oh nothing, my lord.”
Damen stilled. “What?”
“Just that I never told you, the man who marries me becomes the equivalent of an English baron, in Italy.”
He lay very, very still. “So you have gifted me with a title? You were everything I ever wanted all along.”
She nodded and cuddled in with her head on his arm. “I wanted you to marry me for love before I told you.”
He burst out laughing and then clutched his head, wincing. “And so you kidnapped me and forced my hand?”
She joined him, her side hurting from her own laughter. “Yes, exactly.”
“I do love you, my lady. And I think we are just the most perfect pair I have ever seen. Heaven help our children. Especially this one.” He leaned down and whispered to her stomach. “We’ll make sure you never know the shame I have felt. You will grow to be a proper and respectable gentleman.” He looked up and with teary eyes, he said, “Thank you Giorgia. I love you, my wife.”
“I love you too.”
* * *
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Read all the books in this first collection of our Regency House Party. They can be enjoyed in any order:
The Unwanted Suitor
An Unlikely Courtship
Mistaken Identity
The Stable Master’s Daughter
Tabitha’s Folly
Damen’s Secret
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* * *
Tabitha’s Folly
Chapter One
Shocking Proposition
No one saw Tabitha standing in the doorway of her brother, Tauney’s, room.
James, the valet, lifted clothes out of Tauney’s trunks in large stacks instead of loading them in. Neat, color-coordinated piles of breeches and jackets decorated the bedding, and Tabitha’s worry increased.
She shook her head. “We are already so late.”
Tauney, only nine months her elder, finished giving animated instructions to James and then waved his hand in her direction. “Late. Psht. The party doesn’t even begin for two days.”
Of course he would refuse to understand. As the only girl in a family of four brothers, and his closest sibling, she felt responsible for him. She tried another tactic. “If we don’t leave now, we will have to delay our journey an extra day and stay at a local inn.”
The valet rushed past them, at last packing clothing into Tauney’s trunks.
“The local inns. How dreadful.” Tauney grimaced. “Do you remember the last time we stayed in one?” His face was so comical, his mouth twisted in disgust. Tabitha couldn’t help but laugh.
“But that is exactly my point, though it wasn’t so bad.”
“For you. My valet had to sleep in the barn. He wasn’t even presentable when he came to help me get ready in the morning.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “He flicked hay off his person”—Tauney shuddered—“in my presence. It fell to the floor by my foot, and I had to train one eye on it while dressing so as to rid my room of it later.” He leaned closer. “Didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Good valets are difficult to find, you know.”
She often felt pity for his valet.
Her brother was of the opinion that since women spent so many hours concerned with their appearances, they would appreciate the same from men.
Tabitha couldn’t argue with that sentiment, especially if they smelled nice. The memory of a distinct earthy aroma warmed her. And she wondered if he had arrived. She turned to hide her blush.
She hurried down the stairs. If they were to avoid a war like Napoleon had never seen, she would need to make excuses for Tauney to her other brothers.
The balls on the billiards table cracked and rolled, making her smile. Memories of many a Christmas when their father was still alive, teaching the young Eastons how to play pool, brought a comforting sense of family and home.
She had three of the best men of the ton standing right here in her study. And one upstairs, who sometimes had feathers for brains.
“Well, where is he?” Edward, the eldest, frowned.
She laughed, “He has decided on a new color scheme.”
When the others groaned, she held up her hand, “But he has promised he is almost finished. I have to admit I am a bit excited to see what he and James accomplish.”
“Well I most certainly am not.” Edward’s frown deepened. “We promised the countess not to be late. She asked for our particular assistance in helping some of the ladies feel welcome.”
Julian humphed. “Of course she did. Trying to hitch us to a woman like all the other mothers in the ton. If it wasn’t for you, little sister, I would have stayed far away from this house party.” As handsome as Julian was, with many women vying for his hand, he naturally felt a bit stifled.
She could well understand the sentiment.
“Come now man, the hunt.” Oscar, the fun-loving Corinthian of the bunch, grinned. “You have yet to best me in the hunt.” He eyed his next shot. “This will not be the year of course.” He sent another ball in a blur across the table and then raised an eyebrow. “But I would think you’d be anxious to try.”
Julian took his turn, knocking in all four of the balls. With a satisfied grin, he said,
“This is the year, dear brother.”
“Ha-Ha!” Tabitha loved it when they puffed and bristled in fun. “Shall I make a wager?” She won all sorts of money from her brothers, especially when they were pitted against each other.
Julian laughed. “A wager she says! If the matrons could hear you now!”
“We’ve corrupted her.” Edward’s eyes held warmth, and she knew a part of him was secretly pleased. “I knew it would happen. What diam
ond talks as you do?”
Oscar, ever positive, added, “And yet she is a diamond. The books at Whites are filled with their own wagers as to who will win her hand.”
Every brother's face went ashen.
She blushed. “It’s not as if there is anything to worry about…” But how embarrassing to be discussed in such a manner.
Edward looked positively ill, loosening his cravat, and she began to wonder what had them so concerned.
“What could possibly go wrong?” She looked from face to face. A new sense of foreboding began in the back of her throat in a particular, pointed tightness.
After a silence no one filled, Edward finally said, “It wouldn’t hurt for each of you brothers to be looking for wives as well, wealthy ones.”
Julian pounded his brother's back. “Always the responsible one.” Then he turned to Tabitha. “You are the one we need to focus on this year, Tabby Cat.”
“Well, it certainly won’t help if you go around addressing me like that.”
“Why not? Your endearing nickname hasn’t turned Henry away.”
“Turned me away from what?”
Tabitha’s stomach flipped, and she whirled around to face the sixth member of their party.
With a sharp chiseled jawline and eyes sparkling in amusement, Henry filled the doorway. As a dear family friend, most of her childhood memories included Henry. But every time she saw him, a nervous energy coursed through her. She grinned up at him in welcome, but he was looking at Julian.
The brother with the honor of Henry’s attention jabbed a thumb in her direction. “Tabby thinks her nickname might not be the thing.” He winked.
She dipped her head to hide the blush. “Henry’s opinion doesn’t count.”
“Ho, Ho!” Julian nudged him. “Do you hear that? You don’t count.”
Henry winked at her. “I suppose she means because I am like a brother? Always present, even when you don’t want me.” His warm eyes twinkled at her.
She shrugged, looking away. He will never see. How can I make him see?
Julian shoved him playfully. “You’ve heard it often enough, and yet here you are.”
“Glutton for punishment.” He snatched away the stick and took a turn hitting a ball across the table. “And who says I am here for Tabby? Cook’s meat pie can’t be beat in any house.”
Damen's Secret: Novella (Regency House Party: Somerstone) Page 4
