The Courtesan’s Daughter and the Gentleman: The Merry Misfits of Bath ~ Book Two

by Hutton, Callie

  “Yes. No public wedding. Just us and witnesses.”

  “That is fine with me, but I must warn you I have no intention of waiting for banns to be called. I will have Berkshire apply to the Archbishop of Canterbury for a special license for us.”

  “What is that?”

  “It will allow us to marry without the three weeks of calling banns. We can also be married anywhere, not necessarily in a church.”

  She closed her eyes and smiled. “That’s perfect.”

  Carter took her hands in his. “Do you wish to discuss your mother with me?”

  She immediately pulled away and crossed her arms over her middle. “No.” She chewed on her lip for a minute, then said, “But I think since you are taking a chance on public denigration you have the right to know. Although, you must understand that I knew nothing of my mother’s . . . occupation, until last year.”

  As much as he wanted to pull her back into his arms, he allowed her the free space that she evidently needed.

  “Mama was a wonderful mother all my life. I spent my very early years with a lovely family in the country, the Stevens. They were an older couple with one grown son, and they all shamelessly doted on me. Mama said they were friends of hers and she wanted me to enjoy the country air. Since she needed to be in London, she preferred to have me live with them.

  “She visited me quite often, bringing me presents and taking me out for what we called ‘adventures.’ That involved picnics, flower picking, even taking over Mrs. Stevens kitchen to bake bread, make jam from fruit we picked, and preparing one of Mama’s favorites—pickled vegetables.”

  Carter immediately noticed the change in Lottie. The glow on her face and excitement in her eyes told him this break with her mother was probably slowly eating her away.

  “Then when I turned ten years of age, she enrolled me in a private girls’ boarding school outside of Paris. Amazingly enough, Mama made the trip to the school at least twice a month to visit with me. We had wonderful times then, also. We saw much of Paris, visited all the lovely tourist sites and ate delicious food.”

  Her voice slowly died away and she looked over at him. “Why would she do that? I just don’t understand.”

  “When you learned of her situation, did you ask her why?” His heart was breaking at the look on her face. He had a feeling she had not told anyone all of this. Not even her best friends.

  She shook her head. “No. I just ranted and yelled and acted very much like a child, I’m afraid.”

  “Then you left.”

  “Yes. That same night I hired a hackney and stayed in a hotel for two nights until I decided to come to Bath.”

  She rubbed her arms as if she had suddenly caught a chill. “I didn’t have quite enough to set up a household with the money I had saved from my salary as a teacher the last two years at the school, so Mama gave me money to move, but I paid her back every penny.”

  He knew in his heart Lottie would never be at peace until she faced her mother once again. Right now, he was more concerned with getting her to Berkshire’s house, applying for the special license and getting married.

  A short wedding trip would give them time to separate themselves from any scandal that was starting in Bath. It would also provide him the opportunity to ease his wife into the marriage bed.

  Always the optimist, he was certain it would all work out. What he wanted more than anything was to hear from Lottie’s lips that she loved him as much as he loved her. It would take time, he was sure, but time was all he had once she was legally his.

  “We have arrived, sweetheart.” Carter pushed the curtain aside and looked out the window as they rolled to a stop in front of the Berkshire townhouse. The door to the carriage opened and he stepped out and turned to help Lottie down.

  “Lottie! Oh, thank heavens he caught you in time.” Lady Berkshire hurried down the steps, her arms out, ready to embrace her friend.

  Both women were in tears as they hugged, and Carter grinned up at Berkshire who watched his wife with the same look of love, which Carter was certain was on his face, too.

  11

  Lottie entered the breakfast room at Berkshire townhouse to join Addie, Lord Berkshire, and Lady Pamela enjoying food that smelled wonderful.

  “Pamela!” Lottie rushed forward as Pamela rose from her seat to embrace her.

  Pamela hugged her tightly, then leaned back to look at her. “How d-dare you th-th-think you had to leave your h-home and fr-friends. Don’t you know we all l-love you and will st-stand by you no m-matter what?”

  Poor Pamela was in a frenzy for her stutter to be so bad when surrounded by friends. Lottie felt guilty for her friend’s distress. She hugged her once again. “I know. I should have known better. But I was so . . .”

  “Why don’t you sit and have some breakfast?” Addie waved to the chair across from her. “I find, since my morning sickness has passed, I am ravenous all day. If this keeps up, I will hardly make it through the doorway when it’s time for this child to be born.”

  Addie had told her the night before that she and Lord Berkshire were expecting their first child in about five months. In her concern for Lottie the night she visited and told her she was leaving Bath, Addie had kept quiet about the baby because she didn’t want to speak of her joy while Lottie was so upset.

  “Isn’t it w-wonderful, Lottie? We’re g-going to be aunts!” Pamela beamed at Addie.

  Lottie was indeed happy for Addie and Berkshire. At the same time, she thought it was quite brave of them to have another child when Berkshire’s young son, Michael was deaf. Would this new baby have the same affliction?

  Of course, if they engaged in the activity that married couples engaged in, another child was almost guaranteed.

  That brought her thoughts back to her own situation. She’d spent a good part of the night tossing and turning, afraid that her feelings toward Carter were almost as strong as his toward her. Was it fair of her to marry him when he was sure to have some pain because of his choice?

  Then she realized he was a grown man, knowledgeable of the world, and if he didn’t care about her background, then she needed to stop worrying about it. She smiled thinking Carter’s optimistic attitude toward life was rubbing off on her.

  “Yes. That is exciting,” Lottie said in answer to Pamela’s question. “I plan to spoil the little darling shamelessly.”

  Pamela grinned at Lottie. “Except you might have one of your own one day.”

  “One certainly hopes so.” Carter entered the dining room and walked over to Lottie, kissing her on the cheek. “Good morning, my love.”

  The fluttering in her stomach started up and she could feel the blush beginning in her toes and ending at her hairline. “Good morning, to you as well.”

  Addie and Pamela exchanged amused glances, which only deepened her blush.

  Lottie reached for the platter of eggs in the middle of the table and placed one on her plate, along with a slice of toast and stewed tomatoes.

  Carter and Berkshire became involved in a conversation about one of their business ventures, which helped Lottie to calm down and eat her breakfast.

  “We must go shopping for a new dress for your wedding.” Addie took her last sip of tea and placed the cup on the saucer.

  “Yes. You d-definitely need a new dress.” Pamela’s eyes shone with excitement. It didn’t appear that she felt left out, with one of her friends married and expecting a baby and her other friend getting ready for her wedding. After all, they had all promised each other that they were not considering marriage any longer and wanted the freedom of independent lives.

  With Pamela’s beauty and talent, Lottie never understood why she remained single so long. Of course, her stutter and crippling shyness didn’t help, but she was a smart, witty woman. Who sang like an angel.

  “I believe as soon as you are through with breakfast, we should all go to Madame LeBlanc’s shop and have her make something wonderful for you,” Addie said.

  Cart
er covered Lottie’s hand with his. “There is no time for making dresses, my love. Once Berkshire gets the special license, I intend for us to be married right away.”

  “What’s the hurry?” Addie asked.

  Carter squeezed Lottie’s hand. “With Lord Sterling being rejected, I have every reason to believe he will resort to nastiness and spread the word about Mrs. Danforth.”

  Lottie sucked in a breath, hearing her mother’s name so easily slip from Carter’s lips. She quickly looked around the table. No one gasped or even reacted to his statement. Of course not, they were her friends. She had to keep reminding herself of that. In fact, she should have told Addie and Pamela about her mother a long time ago.

  “We can still visit with Madame LeBlanc. She has several already made-up dresses, and some of them are really quite nice. I was in her shop only a week ago and was quite surprised with the amount and variety of offerings she has.”

  Now that Lottie didn’t have to spend her money on moving to a new place, she had enough funds to buy something special for her wedding. She would take it from her own savings and put the money from Mama back in the bank. “Yes. That is a splendid idea.”

  Carter waved a piece of toast around. “Visit whatever shops you want and buy whatever you like and have the bills sent to me.”

  “No. I cannot do that.” Lottie shook her head. “I have money to pay for a dress.” She was starting to panic. This was real. She was going to be Carter’s wife, and for the rest of her life she would be under his control. Funny, how she’d never thought about that very much. She’d been so focused on not marrying at all that she never gave too much attention to the fact that her entire life was about to change.

  “My dear, you are my betrothed, and soon to be my wife. I am legally and morally responsible for your lodging, food, clothing, and whatever else you want. Redecorate our home, throw out the furniture and buy new if that is what you want. ‘Tis not just a requirement, but something I would love doing.”

  “Of course, Lottie. Mr. Westbrooke is right.” Addie smiled gently at her; maybe afraid Lottie would again refuse. Or perhaps sensing the anxiety the conversation was having on her friend.

  “I think at this point we can all drop the ‘Lord’ this and ‘Lady’ that and begin to use our given names.” Lord Berkshire looked around the table. “‘Tis quite awkward to call my wife’s best friends Mrs. Westbrooke and Lady Pamela.”

  Everyone nodded their agreement.

  “We must be off.” After eyeing Lottie’s plate, Addie stood and pushed her chair back. “There are numerous places we need to visit to get everything you will need for your wedding.” She winked at Lottie. “And your wedding night.”

  Again, Lottie blushed to the roots of her hair. She noticed a slight smile on Carter’s face, which she returned. She’d gone from suggesting they not consummate their marriage to eager anticipation of more of those feelings she’d experienced when Carter kissed her.

  Addie bent to kiss Berkshire—or as he wanted to be known, Grayson—on the top of his head. Feeling giddy and foolish, Lottie did the same to Carter. It felt good, actually.

  The three of them left the house and entered the Berkshire’s carriage, which waited for them outside. Shopping for clothes while she didn’t have to count pennies would be nice for a change.

  Pamela looked over at Lottie as the carriage rolled forward. “Lottie, I don’t want to upset you, but Addie preferred not to tell me about your mother and what the problem is. She said it would be your place to share that if you wanted to.”

  Lottie thought for a minute. “Since soon everyone in Bath will know, there is no reason for me to not tell you the entire story.”

  “I would like more information myself if you feel comfortable.” Addie eyed her with concern. “We certainly don’t want to spoil the fun of the day, but I think once everything is out in the open you will feel better.”

  “You are probably right. I felt a great deal of relief once Carter and I had a conversation about what to expect from those who will likely cause trouble.”

  It took the rest of the trip from Berkshire townhouse to the center of Bath, where the stores were they intended to visit, for Lottie to tell her best friends the story of why she had ended up in Bath and why she hid the information from them.

  Addie was right. She felt much better once the carriage rolled up to Madame LeBlanc’s shop and the three of them hurried to the door, arms linked, excited and chatting about a day of shopping.

  “I know you plan on paying a call on Sterling, which is exactly what I would do if it were Addie who had been subjected to the man’s outrageous behavior. Shall I go with you to prevent you from conducting your wedding in a jail cell?”

  “No. This is something I need to do myself. I can assure you I will remain in control and not kill the man.” Carter winked and left the dining room. “I think.”

  Since Sterling was one of the indulged nobility who lived off a tidy inheritance, which he was no doubt going through with eagerness, the man would most likely be in one of his clubs.

  Carter searched The People’s Club on Harrington Place and The Bath and Country Club at 21-22 Queens Square to no avail. He also tried a few of the lesser-known and newer clubs without any success.

  After a check of the Pump Room did not uncover the scoundrel, Carter directed his carriage driver to Sterling’s house on Woodland Place, assuming the wastrel was sleeping off a night’s revelry.

  It took the butler a few minutes to answer the door once Carter dropped the knocker. The man was tall, old enough to be Sterling’s great-grandfather and half asleep, his eyes bleary and his hair standing on end. “Yes?”

  If this was the condition of the help, Carter imagined Sterling did not run the most organized and efficient household. “I am here to see Lord Sterling.”

  The man stood for a full minute just staring at him. About to lose his patience, Carter said, “May I come in and you fetch your master?”

  “His lordship never rises before two o’clock in the afternoon.”

  “Today it will be different. Either you wake his lordship up or I will find him and do it myself.”

  “This is most improper.” The man was having such a hard time standing up, Carter finally realized he was in his cups.

  “Never mind.” Carter nudged the man aside and entered the house. The rooms on either side of the entrance hall were littered with playing cards, empty glasses, several liquor bottles, and a few pairs of ladies’ fancy drawers.

  A table was turned upside down with a man curled up on it, clutching an empty bottle, snoring loudly.

  It didn’t take Carter long to assess what had happened the night before. Shaking his head in disgust, he climbed the stairs. “Sterling!”

  He began opening doors, waking several guests, most of them naked, with more than one bed filled with multiple people.

  “Sterling!”

  Carter began pounding on doors until finally a woman came out of one door, tying a belt around a man’s banyan. “Who are you? What do you want?”

  “I want Sterling.” Carter jerked his head toward where she stood. “Is he in there?”

  She yawned rather loud. A true lady. “Yes. But he’s sleeping.”

  “Not anymore.” He gently picked the woman up by her elbows and set her aside. “Go make coffee. Strong.”

  “I am not a servant!” She gasped.

  “Then find one.” He entered the room and closed the door. The curtains around the bed were closed and the drapes on the windows drawn.

  “Time to rise, Sterling.” Carter pulled back the drapes, allowing the bright sunlight to flood the room. Then he pulled the bed curtains back and stared at the lump of wasted human sprawled on the bed. Naked and smelling like a distillery.

  He gripped Sterling’s hair and pulled back so he could see his face. “Time to get up, Sterling.”

  Sterling’s eyes opened and he groaned. “You must be a bad dream.”

  “No. I am your wo
rst nightmare.” Carter let go of the man’s hair and walked to the dresser across the room. He picked up the half-full pitcher of water and dumped it on Sterling’s head.

  “What the blasted hell!” Sterling jumped up and shook his head, water splattering in every direction. “Is that you, Westbrooke? What are you doing in my bedchamber? Were you a guest last night? I don’t remember.” He groaned and held his head.

  “Yes. It is I, Mr. Carter Westbrooke. I have come to deliver a message to you that I expect will take some repeating before it enters your soused brain.”

  “Is this about that whore?”

  Carter’s fist flew, connecting with Sterling’s jaw. The man went down like a sack of flour.

  “That was your second mistake.”

  Sterling eyed him from his bed. “Get out of my house.”

  Carter rubbed his knuckles, anxious to deliver another blow to the man. “In case you were wondering what your first mistake was, it was accosting my betrothed on a public street and insulting her with an offer that doesn’t bear repeating.”

  “Your betrothed? Are you crazy man? She’s—”

  Carter wrapped his hand around Sterling’s neck and pulled him forward, punching him in his soft middle. “Never. Say. That. Word. Again.”

  Sterling doubled over and looked up at him. “Do you know about her mother?” He raised his hand up. “Don’t hit me again, or everything I drank last night will come up to greet us. I merely want to know if you are familiar with your future wife’s family?”

  “I know everything I need to know. But hear this, Sterling. If you so much as utter one single word about my wife, or her mother, or her aunts, sisters, cousins, or ancestors I will come back for you and I can assure you it won’t be pleasant.”

  Sterling straightened and stood long enough to collapse on his bed. He regarded Carter with amazement. “You love her.”

  “Just remember what I told you. If anyone offers an opinion to you about Miss Danvers, or solicits your opinion, you will say nothing except flattering things about her. You are to become her champion. Is that understood?”