A Rogue's Courtship: Clean Regency Romance Collection

by Madeline St. James

  I also wish to express my reassurance that I have already weathered the storm of scandal. It is only as bad as we make it out to be. The reason I sought your attention is because I hold very little regard of the opinions of those who deem it appropriate to judge the less fortunate. I hope that my letter helps to soothe your mind, because I mean every word of it. I am certain that you have been calling to question the decisions of the last few days, and I just want you to know how very much have missed you, Lady Claire. Even during our time at Madame Kingston’s, you were always my Lady. You showed me a kindness and graciousness that no other has. It was more honorable than any woman I have ever known. I am desperate to see you tonight, Claire. May we share many more nights listening to our thoughts and feelings rain down like the drops on the roof and wash away into the deep hours of the night.

  Always and forever truly yours,

  Marquess Christopher of Briarwood

  Claire clutched the letter to her chest and wept tears of joy. All of her misgivings were put to rest. His gentle way of coaxing her fears from her and easing each and every one in turn was one of the things she loved most about him. Claire grinned and hid her face in the pillow. She loved him. She knew she always had, but she never expressed it out loud before.

  Claire read the letter again, her smile deepening with each word. She assumed he left the letter with Lady Catherine or Sarah to deliver to her today, because it was exactly the reassurance she needed to make it through.

  She got out of bed and dressed for breakfast, carrying her letter and rose with her. When the time came to get ready that evening, she slipped the dress on and was sitting in her chair looking in the mirror trying to decide how to wear her hair. A set of calloused hands reached in front of her and picked up her brush and began drawing the long strokes out through the strands.

  “When they told me ye’d gone the way o’ Lord and Lady Desmond, I knew I couldn’ miss this, child.” Claire tilted her head back and looked up into the eyes of Madame Kingston. Her face was blurry through tears and she jumped up, whirling around to give the older woman a hug.

  “You came! How did you know? Who told you?” she cried. Madame Kingston laughed.

  “The Marquess came to me himself with a handwritten letter from Lady Catherine all but demanding my presence. Rose is here, too. She’s below stairs in the parlor waiting for ye.”

  Claire gaped and looked at her clothing. She had bathed and put on a simple but clean dress, and her hair was slicked back in a bun. Her face still held the wrinkles of hard work and time, and her teeth had the telltale look of a woman who couldn’t afford proper hygienic care, but Claire didn’t care about any of that. She hugged Madame Kingston again and let the tears fall freely.

  “I know I’m not yer ma’am,” she whispered softly in Claire’s hair.

  “Yes you are. My mother would have chosen you herself to take her place if she had a say in it.”

  When Claire pulled back, Madame Kingston wiped tears from her own eyes. “Aye, well next you know I’ll be seeing Rose married off and then I’ll have to not get attached to any of ye gits. All o’ my best workers are making something o’ themselves.”

  Claire laughed and Madame Kingston spun her back around by her shoulders and set her down, finishing her hair. When she was ready, Lady Catherine entered the room with a simple set of pearls for her to wear, and Claire got choked up all over again.

  “How can I ever thank any of you?” she whispered.

  “By getting downstairs and marrying the Marquess before your brother turns up,” Lady Catherine suggested. Claire and Madame Kingston grinned at her and made their way to the parlor.

  It was a simple ceremony, and they found a priest willing to perform the service so it was all legal. Claire had loved the intake of breath when Christopher saw her dress, and Madame Kingston escorted her to his arm. He choked up while saying his vows, and she on hers before they shared a kiss in front of their witnesses. They had little time to speak privately with one another, as Lady Catherine was making a spectacle of the party and keeping them the center of attention.

  “You like my dress?” she asked him. She was sure it was the height of fashion for the time, but she wasn’t sure how he would feel about it.

  “Honestly, I didn’t notice. I was looking at you. You are radiant,” he told her.

  They were just having the after service party when Sarah slipped in the room and ushered Lord Desmond over. Claire heard her whisper, “he’s here.”

  “Well then. By all means, invite him down.” Lord Desmond smiled. “Mr. Leonard, please accompany Sarah so that in the event he becomes enraged by the festivities, she has a chaperone to look after her.”

  Mr. Leonard nodded and followed her out. Claire linked her fingers through Christopher’s. He smiled down at her, then leaned in and kissed her forehead. “It will be alright,” he murmured. “Did you get my note?”

  “Yes, I did.” She smiled at him. She still felt the flutter of nerves in her stomach as she waited.

  The parlor door opened and brother walked in. Claire felt like shrinking back behind her husband. The fact that she’d just thought of Christopher as her husband gave her the fortitude to stand still and face her brother head on.

  “How dare you?!” Edward hissed. “You can’t do this. This marriage is illegal, I didn’t approve of it.”

  “Actually, you will find it entirely within the confines of the law. When you saw your family to ruin and you abandoned Claire to her own fate, you gave up that right.” The Baron Desmond was the one to speak up about it, and was downright jovial about the abject horror that crossed her brothers face.

  “I didn’t abandon her. She walked out.”

  “Yes, I understand that. But in accordance with the law, it is the duty of the man of the house to provide enough supporting evidence that he could sustain that household financially on behalf of the women under his care. That certainly did not occur, so she was given free reign to take her personal care under her own consideration by law.”

  “You call being a whore an acceptable state of personal care?” He whirled on the Baron and the rest of the household was left to watch the fiasco unfold. The Baron didn’t seem deterred. For some reason, the debate seemed to spur him into a previously unseen fit of liveliness and fervor.

  “I think we have Madame Kingston in our presence, who will testify to the fact that Lady Claire was a cook under her employ.”

  Claire almost gasped. She looked at Madame Kingston, whose lips were twitching. Never had Claire seen such an eclectic group of people working together for the benefit of one within her status.

  “I know for a fact she was a who-”

  “My good man, I will kindly ask you, a vagrant, to refrain from using such language in my house. You are in the presence of a Baron, as well as two Lords and several Ladies. All of whom, including your sister, outrank you by reputation and status. If you continue to be so crass, you will be removed from my house, and not be granted the privilege of seeing your sister so happily wedded.” The Baron’s words sent chills down Claire’s spine. She had no doubt he yielded power far greater than the mere ability to have Edward removed from the house. The question was, would Edward see the thinly veiled threat for what it was? He apparently had a modicum of sense because he switched tactics.

  “No dower was agreed upon,” he whined. The Baron smiled and gestured to Mr. Leonard, who stepped forward and handed Edward a small bag with coin in it.

  “I thought perhaps you might be offended by this grievous mistake. There is double what negotiations might have been on her behalf without your kind interference. It functions as a reminder that she is indeed a rose amongst all the finest women in the ton. I do hope you will forgive such an oversight in the wake of this wedding. You wouldn’t want to spoil her happy day. Would you, Edward?” The Baron’s tone was powerful and commanding. Edward looked at Claire like she was a mule to be weighed and paid for by the measurements of her weight. She hated to see
the Baron give her brother any money. It would be gone before the end of the week, and then he was sure to create another scheme to obtain more.

  “Yes, of course, my Lord.” Her brother seemed satisfied for the moment as he palmed the bag.

  As if sensing her concerns, the Baron continued. “Now that it is settled and there are several witnesses here to bear testimony that you have agreed to this sum for Lady Claire’s dower, I would also like to point out that she is now known as the Marchioness of Briarwood. She is no longer obligated to you in anyway in duty or financial stability.”

  Edward’s grin faded. “What do you mean?” He looked at her with seething fury, but she kept her mouth shut and let the Baron handle this. No one else seemed keen to stop him now that he was happily on his way to bringing about the downfall of her brother’s glee.

  “Well, these witnesses would agree that is all that was done on behalf of the dower. Had you wished to negotiate a contract, that would have been prudent of you to do so before the agreement was made. Now, I am afraid it is too late. You will have to be satisfied with what you have obtained there.”

  The color drained from her brother’s face before it turned purple. “I want a contract! I didn’t know I was entitled to such.”

  “My, my. This is a predicament, Mr. Bonnefant. You seemed so informed about the necessity of a dower, how was I to assume you weren’t aware that a contractual agreement was also an avenue for you to explore?”

  Her brother looked livid. “How was I to know there was such a thing as a contractual agreement? You assumed I knew!” His tone was accusatory, and the Baron sat up and leaned toward him. A part of Claire, as much as she hated her brother, wished he would shut up because he was only making things worse for himself.

  “I do hope you aren’t questioning my intelligence and comprehension of matters of legality. I would be willing to forgive your ignorance, but you were unable to maintain a proper estate and all of the responsibilities that accompany it, including the brotherly duties you had to ensure your sister’s welfare. I would think a young Lord such as yourself would have been aware that the fate of her future was in what should have been your capable hands.” The Baron sat back as Edward resembled a fish out of water, sucking air in and out. When he did not respond, the Baron continued. “I see. Well, I of course wouldn’t want to call to question your capabilities as a man who is aware of his rights and responsibilities, so I have taken the precaution of inviting an unbiased opinion to assess the matter of your sister’s marriage.” With these words, Mr. Leonard opened the parlor door, and in walked the Duchess of Cambridge.

  Chapter 10

  “Duchess!” the Baron exclaimed. He rose to his feet slowly as the Duchess took in the company within the parlor and raised an eyebrow. “I’m so pleased you received my missive!” His jubilance would have been infectious, were it not for the look of utter shock on everyone’s faces. Even Christopher looked concerned.

  “Lord Desmond, I trust there is an excellent explanation for you to have summoned my presence amongst harlots and vagrants?”

  “Ah, yes. Of course, Duchess. However, may I first present to you the Marquess and Marchioness of Briarwood?” He gestured to Christopher and Claire, who bowed instantly. The Duchess’s calculating eyes began to roam the room as she began piecing together the events.

  “Congratulations. I’m sure your father will be most interested to hear of your good news,” she murmured to Christopher. He smiled pleasantly enough, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

  “Thank you, your Grace,” he responded. She didn’t bother to look at Claire, but turned her attention to Lady Catherine and Lord Desmond, well as Lord and Lady Bradford.

  “Well, this is an interesting gathering,” she remarked.

  “Your Grace, you were expressing to me how vexed you were that the start of the Season was rather boring for your tastes, and there was no one of worth to notice. I thought to myself, how might I best entertain her Grace? What better way to do so than to offer you the opportunity to cast judgment on a most auspicious event such as this wedding.” His own lips twitched as he gave her a bow of formality.

  Claire suddenly realized what the game was. He was playing to her penchant for drama in order to win them favor. By inviting the Duchess to bear witness to the entire scandal, she would be given the juiciest bit of detail. She could spin the tale as she saw fit. It was a clever, risky gamble.

  The Duchess moved to the sofa opposite the Baron and sat down. Edward eyed her suspiciously, although she paid him no attention. She also didn’t even spare a glance at Madame Kingston or Rose, but listened raptly as Baron Desmond outlined the events of the evening.

  “So you can see, your Grace, we are at a loss for how to proceed,” he added as he concluded his explanation. “I assumed the young man, under the instruction of his late father would have been aware of his rights to a contract regarding negotiations of his sister’s marriage. But he is claiming he had no such knowledge of those duties. So we have called you to pass judgement on the entire ordeal.”

  The Duchess sipped her tea which Sarah had brought in. Her lips twitched. Claire caught Catherine’s eye and saw that her own lips were twitching. Everyone was waiting with bated breath to find out whose side was was going to fall on. After a moment, she set her teacup down. “I must say, my Lord. You certainly aren’t without ways to entertain me. If you’ve paid the dower and he’s agreed upon it, he should have known his right to negotiate a contract for future annuities. It is his own loss if he lacked the discipline to educate himself on such matters.”

  “I-” Edward stepped forward, prepared to argue, but she waved her hand at him.

  “I don’t think the vagrant was about to disrespect me by arguing with my final decision, so I will continue.” Edward’s fists curled but not even he was foolish enough to try and speak against a Duchess more than once. “I find it amusing that whenever scandal breaks it is always intertwined with this social circle.”

  “We endeavor to please you, your Grace,” the Baron quipped.

  “Don’t be cheeky with me,” she commanded, although she was certainly delighted to be in the midst of so much drama. Claire realized with a sinking feeling that she probably wasn’t going to like what she heard next. She was right.

  “I believe it prudent that as I have witnessed such events, that I personally write to Lord Briarwood to congratulate him on the nuptials. I will, of course, outline the details of the events and the persons involved so that when the news does break, he won’t be caught unawares.”

  “Of course, Duchess. We would be most delighted to have the favor of your hand when informing the ton.” The Baron raised his cup to her and the Duchess couldn’t suppress her look of triumph any longer.

  “Of course,” Christopher echoed. Claire felt this was some sort of silent agreement that by her word, Christopher and herself wouldn’t be shunned from society, but they were certain to be involved in a family scandal spun by the Duchess herself.

  Claire was anxious for her to leave. She felt mentally and emotionally drained, excluding the anxiety of her wedding night. She may have already laid with a man, but those men were not Christopher. Their interactions would carry a level of intimacy that Claire had never known.

  It wasn’t long before the Duchess grew bored and took her leave. Edward stared at her menacingly, and the Baron rose with the aid of Mr. Leonard. “I trust you will not darken my doorstep again, Mr. Bonnefant. You’ve been paid far more than you deserve. You should be ashamed of yourself for the pain and suffering you have caused your sister. She may have well been a woman of ill-repute, but she has my favor over a worthless vagrant such as yourself.”

  Edward didn’t say another word, but turned and left. Claire wondered if they would ever see him again. It was possible, but it wouldn’t matter anymore. Claire retired that night to her room with Christopher, and waited as he refreshed himself in his guest chambers. She paced her room anxiously awaiting his arrival. When he finally
did enter her chambers, the fluttering in her stomach was almost too much to bear.

  “Calm yourself, my Lady. We are not rushed to pursue any action within the marriage bed, and to be truthful, I have no wish to pressure you into such a state of anxiety.”

  “I thank you for that,” she replied earnestly. “But if anyone found out, the marriage could be annulled. It would be recourse for your family or my brother to…”

  “And how would it be proven? By now, the Duchess has ensured the ton is aware of who you are and where you came from. My entire family will know by the morrow. There is nothing to stop it now. Do not let the rage and disdain of others convince you that anything can be done to ruin this marriage now.” Claire stopped pacing and he stood in front of her, stroking her cheek. “How I have longed to see you again, and feel you in my arms. Perhaps we can spend this night like we used to, talking and holding one another?”