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

by Hutton, Callie

  “My goodness. I take it she was not one to easily forgive.”

  Carter shook his head. “I guess not.”

  They entered the park and began their slow ride. Carter had picked a good time because there were some vehicles and strollers about, but the usual crowds who filled the park in the warmer weather were still most likely lounging in their beds.

  Within a few minutes, however, they were approached by two carriages. Mrs. Silverstein and her daughter rode in one and nodded in their direction. The second carriage held Lady Edwards-Hughes, along with two other ladies Lottie didn’t know.

  Lady Edwards-Hughes waved them down. Carter placed his hand on hers resting in her lap. “Be at ease, sweetheart.” He smiled at the ladies. “Good morning, ladies. Beautiful day for a ride, is it not?”

  The second woman in the carriage, who apparently knew Carter looked him in the eye. “I understand you married recently, Mr. Westbrooke?”

  “Yes. I did. In fact, allow me to present to you ladies my wife, Mrs. Westbrooke.”

  He turned to Lottie. “May I make known to you Lady Edwards-Hughes, Mrs. Edward Turner, and Mrs. Gregory Cooper.”

  Lottie already knew Lady Edwards-Hughes through one of her students but did not know the other two. She smiled and nodded her head. “Good morning, ladies. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

  The one who had been introduced as Mrs. Cooper raised a quizzing glass and stared at her. “Why don’t I know you, gel? Are you from London?”

  “No, ma’am. I live here in Bath.”

  She harrumphed. “You must have been hiding.”

  Although Lottie’s heart was pounding, and she could feel the perspiration on her upper lip, so far none of the ladies either knew who she was or didn’t care. That last part was highly unlikely since women were known to love the sound of a scandal.

  “You must bring your lovely new wife to dinner one evening, Mr. Westbrooke. I will send a note around.” Lady Edwards-Hughes tapped her driver with her parasol and the carriage moved forward.

  Carter turned to her with a bright smile on his face. “That went rather well, wouldn’t you say?”

  Lottie followed the carriage with her eyes. “Yes. It did go well.” She turned back to Carter. “Not that I am looking for trouble, but I have a feeling Lady Edwards-Hughes will ‘forget’ to send around a note. Once she makes known to her circle of friends who your new wife is, she will no doubt be told about my scandalous background.”

  Carter took in a deep breath as their carriage moved forward again. “Lottie you must stop this. You do not have a scandalous background. You have been nothing but a proper, upstanding, honorable young lady. You are not your mother.”

  They remained silent for the rest of the carriage ride, except for a few comments on the budding flowers. Carter took the carriage from the park to Milsom Street where they left it at a public mews and began their stroll.

  They visited a few of the shops. Lottie bought a new hat and pair of gloves that Carter insisted she absolutely must have. She rather enjoyed purchasing things and not watching her money dwindle.

  “I believe it is time for luncheon, my dear. Shall we proceed to Sally Lunn’s?”

  It was less than a ten-minute walk from the Milsom street shops to North Parade Passage where Sally Lunn’s was located. Lottie was still on edge every time someone approached them and spoke with Carter, but so far no one screamed ‘harlot’ at her. Was it possible that no one in Bath really cared that the well-known solicitor and businessman, son of the Earl of Huntingdon, and brother to the Viscount Hastings married the daughter of a courtesan?

  As much as she would have loved to think that, she remained on guard.

  “Westbrooke, come join us.” A man waved to them as they entered the restaurant. He sat at a table big enough for six, but only two other men sat with him.

  Lottie immediately stiffened and stopped in her tracks. “No. I don’t think we should join them.”

  Carter wrapped his arm around her waist and moved her forward. “These are friends of mine from Harrow.”

  “Oh, no.” She shook her head, feeling as though he was dragging her toward her death.

  “They are nice men. You have nothing to worry about.”

  Lottie took a deep breath and allowed him to lead her to the table. The three men stood as they arrived. “Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to my wife, Mrs. Lottie Westbrooke.”

  “Wife!” One of the men grinned in Carter’s direction. “So you got caught in the parson’s noose.”

  “Lottie, these reprobates are Mr. Collins, Mr. Wilkerson, and Lord Derby.”

  Her mouth dried as desert sand, Lottie merely nodded and smiled.

  “I say, Mrs. Westbrooke, you look familiar.” Lord Derby tilted his head, studying her.

  Lottie glanced at Carter who squeezed her hand. “Lottie’s mother is Mrs. Danforth.”

  All three men stared at her. “Yes. There is a strong resemblance,” Mr. Collins said. Then he looked over at Carter. “You are a brave man, Carter.”

  Lottie felt as though she would faint and squeezed Carter’s hand so hard, she was afraid she would break his bones. Then Lord Derby picked up his cup and saluted them. “And a very lucky one, from what I can see. Best wishes to both of you.”

  The other two men picked up their cups as well and wished them happiness. And that was the end of the conversation about their marriage and her mother. Lottie was still shaken by the time their food arrived and only picked at the meal, still waiting for some lewd comment to be made.

  But they all ate their meal, conversed about various subjects and parted ways.

  Shortly after dinner two days after their foray into town, Carter sat at his desk in his office, going over his books. He’d been quite pleased by the response—or lack of response—they’d had with the people they’d met the last couple of days.

  True to her word, Lady Edwards-Hughes sent around a note inviting him and Lottie to dinner the following week. As much of an optimist as he was, however, he still felt as though he were waiting for the next shoe to drop.

  On Saturday, he planned to bring Lottie, along with Pamela, Addie, and Berkshire to the Assembly, and then church the next morning. He wanted to announce their marriage to one and all so Lottie would not fret all the time.

  Milton tapped lightly on the door and opened at his bidding. “Sir, your brother, the Viscount Hastings has called.”

  Carter closed the book he’d been working on and stretched his cramped muscles. “Charles is here? Splendid! Show him in.” His brother must have taken the last train from London, so he would make sure to have a room prepared for him.

  Right behind Milton, Charles strode into the room. Carter was so happy to see his brother that he almost missed the derision on his face. Almost.

  “What brings you here, Charles?” Carter waved to the comfortable chairs near the fireplace where they both settled.

  Charles tugged on the cuffs of his jacket and leaned back, his foot resting on his bent knee. “I hear tell in London that my younger brother got married.”

  “You hear correctly. I hope you have come to wish me happy.”

  “Actually, dear brother, not exactly.”

  Carter felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. “And why is that?”

  Charles hopped up and leaned his arm on the fireplace mantle. “Because I am hoping I heard wrong. Did you or did you not marry Mrs. Danforth’s daughter?”

  The happiness at seeing his brother faded into rising anger. “I married a lovely woman named Miss Charlotte Danvers.”

  “Don’t play with me, brother. Did you marry that whore’s daughter?”

  Carter rose slowly, his heart pounding and his fist anxious to do some pounding on his brother. “I said I married Miss Charlotte Danvers. Who her family members are has nothing to do with my wife.”

  “Are you out of your mind, Carter?” Charles began to pace. “Do you have any idea what being associated with her will do to the fami
ly name? Before you jumped into marriage with the chit did you think about that at all?”

  Since Lottie was upstairs in the sitting room next to their bedchamber going over swatches of material for new drapes and bed coverings, the last thing he wanted to do was have her hear his brother. He walked over to the office door and closed it.

  “Whom I choose to marry is my own business. When you and Lizzie got caught half undressed in Lord Munthorpe’s library and had a hurry-up wedding, did I criticize you?”

  Charles turned and placed his hands on his hips. “I did not marry a light-skirt.”

  Before he even had a chance to think about it, Carter swung his fist at his brother and sent him flying, landing on the sofa. “My wife is no light-skirt. She is a gently-reared woman, the product of an exclusive girls’ school in France.”

  Charles rubbed his chin. “If you are so very proud of your wife, why did you not invite your family to the wedding? And when were you planning on telling Mother and Father? After the first child arrives in about six months?”

  Carter leaped on his brother and they went down, knocking furniture out of the way. They rolled around on the floor, the sound of flesh hitting flesh reverberating throughout the room.

  “Stop!” Lottie stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips, watching the two men in horror. “What is going on here?”

  Carter gave his brother one last punch to the jaw before climbing to his feet. He wiped the blood streaming from his nose. “Lottie, go back upstairs. This doesn’t concern you.”

  “Yes. It does,” Charles said from his position on the floor.

  “Would you mind introducing me to this gentleman you just engaged in fisticuffs with?” She walked farther into the room.

  Apparently, Lottie missed the ‘and obey’ part of the marriage ceremony when the vicar said, ‘love, honor, and obey.’

  “I am the Viscount Hastings.” Charles climbed to his feet and brushed his clothing off. “Your brother-in-law, I am sorry to say.”

  Carter leaped over the sofa, grabbed his brother by the throat and they both went down.

  Lottie stamped her foot. “Stop this. Stop this now!” She ran to a small table and picked up a vase, holding it in the air. “I shall smash both of you on the head with this.”

  Carter rolled off his brother and stood. He stumbled over to Lottie. “Dear heart, please go back upstairs.”

  She shook her head. “No. I want to know what’s going on in here. If this is your brother, why are you both rolling around on the floor, fighting like a couple of school boys?”

  Charles tugged on his jacket sleeves and looked over at Carter. “Are you going to tell her, or do I have to?”

  “Tell me what?” Lottie looked concerned, and Carter knew his brother was about to break her heart.

  He tried once more. “Lottie, this is between us. Please forget what you saw and go back upstairs.”

  “You’re starting to scare me,” she said. She looked over at Charles. “Say what my husband is reluctant to have me hear.”

  “Fine. I will do this because I love my brother. I love my entire family and frankly, him marrying you will cause a great deal of harm to our name.” He turned to Carter. “There. It’s been said. I’m sorry, Miss Danvers, but that’s what the situation is.”

  Lottie drew back as if she’d been slapped. “It’s Mrs. Westbrooke,” she muttered, then with her chin raised, made her way out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

  Carter turned on his brother. “Don’t ever come to my house again. You are not welcomed. And if Mother and Father feel the same way, that goes for them as well. I love my wife. She is a wonderful, kind, caring, intelligent woman.” He pushed Charles out of the way and made his way to the door. “You can see yourself out.”

  As expected, Lottie was sitting on the bed, staring at the wall. One lone tear tracked down her cheek. “I knew this would happen.”

  Carter sat next to her and took her hand. “My brother is a nodcock. He was always a hot-headed youth and never thinks things through before he opens his mouth.”

  Lottie wiped her cheek and shook her head. “No. Your brother was correct. I told you before we married that your family name would be besmirched.” She turned and smiled softly. “But I hate being right.”

  Carter wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. “You are not right. My brother doesn’t matter. Everyone here in Bath has been more than pleasant to both of us. He lives in London. We never need to see him again.”

  “And the rest of your family. Will you write them off that quickly, as well?”

  He tucked a curl behind her ear and cupped her chin. “You are my family now. We will have children and build a life for ourselves that we’re happy with. We don’t need anyone else.”

  Lottie closed her eyes and then pulled him in for a kiss that ended in an explosion of passion. They made love twice and finally fell into an exhausted sleep.

  Carter awoke at dawn the next morning and reached over to pull Lottie to him. The space alongside him was empty. And cold. A search of the house proved it to be empty, as well.

  His wife had left him.

  14

  Carter pounded on the Berkshire residence’s front door. He didn’t care if he woke the entire neighborhood. He was certain his wife had fled to Addie and he wanted, nay needed, to coax her back home.

  His life was nothing without her. In the short time they’d been married, he knew that in his heart. Hell, he was prepared to move to France and spend the rest of his life there if that was what it took to make her comfortable.

  He pounded once again, and the door was finally opened by Berkshire’s butler. “Good morning Penrose. Is his lordship up and about yet?”

  It was quite early, and Carter knew Berkshire would probably not be ready to receive company, but he was sure Lottie was here.

  “I’m afraid not, sir. If you will wait in the drawing room I will see if he can receive you.”

  Carter nodded and began to pace in the room. What he wanted to do was run up to the bedchamber floor and open every door until he found his wife. But good manners prevailed, and he waited.

  Within minutes Berkshire entered the room, tying the belt of his banyan. “What the devil is going on?”

  “Where’s my wife?”

  Berkshire stared at him. “Your wife? How the devil should I know where she is? Can’t you keep track of her?”

  Carter frowned. “Are you sure she’s not here?”

  Berkshire ran his fingers through his hair. “I must admit I do not do an inventory of residents before I retire each night, but as far as I know she is not here.”

  “Can you call Addie down so I can speak with her?”

  Berkshire’s brows rose. “You think my wife is hiding your wife?” He shook his head and walked toward the door. “Too bad it’s too early for a brandy.”

  About ten minutes later, Berkshire returned with Addie in tow. The woman must have come right from her bed since her hair was still down and she was wrapped in a dressing gown, a slight bulge in her middle. “What’s this about Lottie being missing?”

  Carter groaned at the sincerity in Addie’s words. “She’s not here?”

  “No. What happened?”

  “My arse of a brother came to my house last night and caused a ruckus about marrying Lottie. Unfortunately, he told her precisely why he was unhappy about the match. She was upset, but I thought she had calmed down. But this morning she was missing. I was sure she was here.”

  “Would she be at the train station again?” Addie said, covering her mouth with the back of her hand when she yawned.

  “Honestly, I was so certain she was here I never thought of where else she could be. But that is a very good idea.” Carter strode from the room. “If she does come here, don’t let her leave and send someone to fetch me.”

  It seemed to take the carriage forever to go the short distance from the Berkshire residence to the Bath Rail Station. Carter hopped out before it c
ame to a complete stop. He charged past the ticket booth, with the long queue waiting to buy tickets, after assessing each person.

  The platform was bustling again, porters everywhere loading and unloading luggage. Families were hugging and kissing and waving goodbye.

  “If you’re looking for me so you can hit me again, here I am.” Carter turned to see Charles standing in front of him. He had a split lip and a nasty black eye. Carter hadn’t bothered to even look in a mirror to assess the damage his brother had done to him. He assumed he looked the same.

  “Get out of my way.” Carter pushed Charles aside and continued his search.

  “Wait.” Charles grabbed his arm. “I want to apologize for what I said to your wife yesterday.”

  “Oh, do you now? How very nice. Unfortunately, my wife has disappeared.” Carter tapped his finger against his lips, tramping down the anger that was slowly building. The last thing he needed to do was get into another fight with his brother and end up in jail. “I wonder if what you said to her had anything to do with it?”

  “Do you think she’s here?” Charles looked around the throng.

  “No. I don’t think she’s here. That’s why I’m frantically looking around this blasted train station for her.” He gave his brother another shove. “Now, get out of my way.”

  “I want to help.”

  Carter looked, really looked at his brother. The man was a mess. Not only did he show the results of their altercation, but guilt was written all over his face, as well as signs of a night of dissipation. But with Lottie missing, he had no time for sympathy for Charles. “No. I don’t need your help.” With those words, he walked off and continued his search.

  After about an hour, Carter resigned himself to the fact that either Lottie had left on an earlier train, or she wasn’t here at all. He saw no more of his brother and left the station.

  On the ride home he considered everything again, and then realized he’d overlooked one thing. He tapped on the carriage ceiling.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Instead of home, take me back to Berkshire’s townhouse.”