Anger stirred within James. He was not a child. He would only tolerate so much of a berating from even his own father before he would speak to defend both himself and Leah.
“Leah was desperate not to marry Guy. Her family forced her into accepting his suit,” said James.
His anger threatened to boil over. His honor was being called into question, and he was not going to stand for it. Hugh may not like what he heard from his son, but James was determined he was going to hear it.
His father accepted the cup of tea offered to him by Sir Geoffrey. He blew cool air over the lip of the cup before taking a sip. He then set it down. James refused the tea he was offered.
“And you travelled alone with her all this way, to ensure her safety?” replied Hugh.
“Yes. I did. I felt honor-bound to ensure that not only was Leah saved from having to marry a man who is a vile, debauched monster, but that she was safely delivered into the hands of someone in her family who did care for her. I regret nothing that I have done to help her,” he replied.
Hugh looked to Sir Geoffrey. “Good. I am glad to have heard it firsthand from my son. James did exactly what I would have expected of him. So, Sir Geoffrey, I am in complete agreement with your proposal. There really is no other option.”
James chanced a look at Hugh and then turned his attention to Sir Geoffrey.
Leah’s grandfather was slowly nodding his head. “Do you have the license?”
James quickly looked back to Hugh. The air whooshed out of his lungs as he saw his father produce a document from out of his jacket. The document was closed with an official Church of England seal.
License. Bishops tended to handle only one type of license—an ordinary marriage license. But since neither he nor Leah had been resident at Mopus Manor long enough to be able to avail themselves of church banns or an ordinary marriage license, that meant Sir Geoffrey could only be referring to the other type of marriage license.
A special license.
James swallowed deep. Little wonder his father had come dressed in his bishop’s cape. He had visited the Archbishop of Canterbury before leaving London and had secured a special license. James dreaded to think how much money and favors that had cost his father. He now understood Hugh’s filthy mood.
“Yes. It cost me not only a pretty penny, but I am going to be indebted to the Archbishop of Canterbury for the foreseeable future, thanks to the efforts of my son,” replied Hugh.
It would take a long time for James to be able to pay his father back. The favors his father had called in, he would likely never be able to repay. His father’s financial support of his painting career had been generous enough. He was humbled by the thought of all that his father had gone through in order to save the honor of both his son and his future daughter-in-law.
“Well then, all that needs to be done in order for the wedding to take place is for this young man to convince my granddaughter that he will make her a fine husband,” said Sir Geoffrey. He downed the rest of his cup of tea. “I shall leave the two of you to talk and eat.”
At the thought of Leah becoming his wife, James’s heart filled with an odd mixture of joy and guilt. Joy over the fact that he and Leah would be wed—guilt over his fear that she may not want him.
It was only after Sir Geoffrey had left the room that Hugh appeared to relax somewhat. James stood quietly waiting. His father had just travelled more than two hundred and fifty miles along less-than-stellar roads in order to meet with his son—a fact that James knew would test his love. “I didn’t want to say too much about Guy while Sir Geoffrey was still here, and I am grateful that he had the discretion to leave us alone. Guy was obviously angry over what happened with Leah, but it was your betrayal which truly knocked him for six.”
James raked his fingers through his hair. His father was right; he had betrayed Guy. The moment he had fallen in love with Leah, James had broken all the bonds of friendship. But now knowing what he did about Guy, and his wicked plans for Leah, any sense of guilt James may have once had over betraying his former best friend was long gone. He would protect the woman he loved, and Guy Dannon could go to the devil.
“I love her. I began to have feelings for Leah some time ago; it was part of the reason why I agreed to go to Derbyshire with Caroline and Francis. I was hoping that time away from her would cure me of that ailment. Instead, being apart and missing her only made it worse,” he replied.
His father crossed the floor and placed a hand on James’s shoulder. “You have to be honest with yourself and the rest of the world over what has happened. If you wish my full support for your marriage to Leah, I shall expect nothing less than that from you.”
James met Hugh’s gaze. “Guy Dannon was going to use Leah to seduce other men in order to further his political ambitions. He can claim I betrayed him all he likes, but he is the one who was prepared to betray the innocence of a young woman in order to satisfy his lust for power. And Tobias Shepherd was prepared to let him do it. As I said before, I regret nothing that I have done since that day in London and I would do it all again if I had to.”
Hugh nodded. “Good. The son I raised to be an honest man has not failed me. You must have known where this would all lead to in the end. I just hope you are prepared to withstand the ramifications of your actions once you and Leah return to London. This has been quite the scandal.”
“I will protect what is mine,” replied James.
“Then marry her. Put Leah forever out of the reach of her father. Make it certain that Tobias Shepherd can never hurt her again. You and Leah must stand before me and God today and become man and wife.”
James’s thoughts drifted back to the conversation that he and Leah had shared the previous afternoon. For a moment, she had let him hold her hand, and at the time he had seen it as an encouraging sign of progress. Now he knew he was going to have to rely upon that tenuous moment of connection to get her agreement for them to marry.
“I will speak to her and explain the situation. We have discussed some matters already, so this won’t come as a complete surprise to her. Can I ask, have we your blessing for this marriage?” he replied.
For the first time since his arrival, the hard look on Hugh Radley’s face eased. The lines of his frown softened. It was with an overwhelming sense of relief that James found his father’s arms suddenly wrapped around him. “Of course, you have my blessing. Your whole family will be overjoyed at hearing of your marriage. Your mother sends her love, and your sisters cannot wait to welcome Leah into the family. Now for goodness sake, go and tell that girl that you love her, and you want her for your wife,” said Hugh.
James sent a silent prayer of thanks to heaven for the long and loving marriage of his parents. His parents had taught him to believe in love. And with love came sacrifice. He was going to offer up his heart to Leah, lay all his secrets and desires open to her in the honest hope that she would accept him. He would have to trust to his faith in love that in time she might come to feel the same for him.
Hugh gave him one last friendly pat on the back before releasing him. Taking James’s face in his hands, he leaned in. “If you love her, then make her your wife. It will keep her forever out of that blackguard’s reach. And once you have done that, then you and I will sit down and have a long talk about your plans for the future. You will have a wife to support.”
James nodded. He would have that difficult discussion with his father, but it would not be until after he and Leah were wed and returned to London.
He would have a wife, and between them, they would find a way for him to keep his life’s passion alive.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Leah couldn’t remain in the house a minute longer while she waited for the men to finish their meeting. It made her blood boil to know that she had been deliberately excluded from the discussion. They were talking about her future, yet no one had thought to include her in the conversation.
“Bloody men,” she grumbled. After grabbing a wo
olen shawl, she wrapped it about her and stomped off down to the beach.
As soon as she stepped out of the low shrubs which dotted the dunes and onto the beach proper, she began to walk. The tide was still on its way out and the sand was waterlogged in parts, which made walking a difficult proposition at times. Keeping to the higher, slightly drier parts of the beach, she made her way toward the sea cave.
James’s father had come all the way to Cornwall, which set her nerves on edge. People didn’t make the journey from London without serious purpose, especially not the Bishop of London. Whatever Hugh Radley had to say, she was not expecting to like it.
If the surface of the beach had been firmer, she would have made better progress. But with her feet constantly sinking into the soft sand, she had barely made it a hundred yards from the cliff path before James called her name.
She stopped and waited for him. There was no point in delaying the inevitable news. Good, bad, or a mix of the two, she would have to deal with whatever her grandfather and the two Radley men had decided. Not that she was considering any of it to be a fait accompli, but having already fled from her family, she knew her options were now somewhat limited.
James finally caught up with her. His face frustratingly gave her no clue as to what had happened or been decided in her grandfather’s study.
“Well?” she snapped.
He hesitated for a moment, and Leah felt a rising mix of anger and panic well up inside her. When he reached out and touched her arm, she flinched and stepped back.
“It’s not bad news,” he said.
Leah held his gaze. She had a life’s experience of being constantly told what to think and do. She hoped that James, knowing enough of her recent history, would not be so foolish as to try and attempt to persuade her to accept something which he knew she would find unpalatable. There would be no more going quietly along with plans that were against her wishes, of that she was most definitely determined.
He offered her his arm. “Let us go somewhere and talk. A windy beach is not the place for this discussion. Come back with me to the manor.”
The place James had in mind turned out to be his painting studio at the bottom of the garden. It, of course, made sense. It was away from the main house, private, and secluded. They would not be disturbed.
And no one will hear me when I get riled up and start yelling.
Leah followed him inside and closed the door behind her. James offered her a seat, but she was too tense to consider sitting down. Her preference would be to pace the floor, but in the cramped space there was not the room.
“Why is your father here?” she asked.
He met her gaze. “He has a special marriage license which he procured at great expense and trouble from the Archbishop of Canterbury. It has our names on it,” he replied.
Leah slumped down in the wicker chair near the door. She clasped her hands together. Her fingers twined and twisted around one another.
“And what did you tell your father and my grandfather?” she asked.
James knelt before Leah. He took her hands in his before untangling her fingers and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.
She looked down at his signet ring, a tear coming to her eye when she remembered having worn it when they were pretending to be married. No one was pretending any more, and it filled her with sadness.
“I told them I would talk to you,” he said.
Her head shot up. “As in, you would talk me into marrying you because you have no other option. Your father would not have come all this way if he didn’t think you would need to be convinced of what to do. That is not fair to you, James,” she said.
He shook his head. “I told them I would talk to you and seek your opinion. Leah, I have never tried to force you into doing anything, and I am not about to start now. Especially not when it comes to the serious matter of marriage.”
Her gaze dropped back to her hands. She had been in a similar position once before with Guy, trusting his words that he would ask her first before speaking to her father, and then having to deal with an unwelcome betrothal. “Are you saying you will give me a choice?”
“Yes.”
“And what about you? Marriage is between two people. What do you say of this special license?” she replied.
A gentle smile appeared on his lips, at which a flicker of hope sparked in her heart. Was there a chance that he wanted her too, that perhaps that kiss had meant something to him? His fumbling post-kiss apology still gave her concern.
“I will accept your decision. I will not force you into a marriage you do not want,” he said.
She could sense he wanted to say more, but something was holding him back. Leah searched for an opening. “Do you believe in marriage without love?” she ventured.
Her words registered immediately on his face. James was shocked. Good. If he didn’t love her, then he would not press her into marrying him.
“I understand that it is a social necessity at times, but if you are asking me if I would willingly venture into such a hopeless union myself, the answer is no. I believe in love,” he replied.
She raised a hand to his face, and her fingers traced the stubble of his beard. She liked that since their arrival at Mopus Manor, James had stopped shaving every day. The touch of his day-old growth set her heart racing. It was time to risk it all. To allow her heart to finally speak its truth. She knew it was a gamble, but this was their future, and she would leave nothing on the table when it came to winning his love.
“So, if I told you that I was in love with you, what would you say?” she said.
James bowed his head and her heart sank. But when he looked up again, there were tears shining in his eyes. She left her hand cupping his jaw before brushing away a tear when the first one rolled down his cheek.
“I would tell you that you stole a little piece of my heart that day at the garden party. From that moment on, I slowly but irretrievably fell in love with you. I was so cut up about you marrying Guy that I took myself off to Derbyshire just to get away from hearing about the wedding. The reason I had the travel coach with me when I came to St George’s church, was because I intended to flee London as soon as the wedding service was over.”
He screwed his eyes shut, and more tears fell. “I would tell you that I betrayed my friend in order to make sure you escaped having to marry him. And I would tell you that I would do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant spending the rest of my life with you.”
It was a statement of love that went straight to her heart. There could only ever be one response to such a soul-deep declaration of devotion.
“I love you, James Radley. Will you marry me?”
Chapter Forty
She loved him. James moved swiftly to give Leah his full response. He rose up on his knees and leaning over her, speared his fingers into her hair. Holding her to him, he captured her lips in a searing kiss. There was nothing tender about the embrace as he plundered her mouth. Tongues tangled and teeth clashed. If Leah had wanted slow and easy, she was not going to get it. He could not hold back. His heart swelled as she met him stroke for stroke in the kiss. Her need was as great as his.
Weeks of pent-up frustration tore through James like wildfire. His only effort at restraint being that he kept his hands in her hair. He knew if he let them drop and allowed his fingers to roam, he would tear her gown open and ravish those full, plump breasts.
“Yes, I will marry you. And you will marry me,” he said. Not a request, nor a proposal. A command.
“I am yours,” she replied.
The battle between his cultured self and his primal needs reached its peak. His hands slipped from her hair and he roughly pushed her skirts up. He touched the naked, soft skin of her leg, then bent and placed a kiss on her inner thigh.
She opened her legs wider and he set his thumb to her slick, hot opening. He stroked her deep, and Leah groaned. “Have whatever you want, James. I am at your mercy. Take me,” she urged.
He l
ifted his face and lay his forehead gently against hers. His heart was beating at a fearsome rate. Desire for her coursed like fire through his veins, but he had to stop. “Believe me, it is taking all my strength not to pull you to the floor and make you mine here and now. But I will be damned if I am going to have held out all this time, only to cave to my base desires at the last and ruin you before you are my wife.”
He would go mad if he didn’t touch her. The sooner they were married the better.
By sheer force of willpower, James let his hands drop from her thighs. Sucking in deep breaths, he got to his feet. His heated blood still pulsed hard through his body. The look of disappointment on her face almost had him reaching for her a second time and giving in to temptation.
“Today. We get married today. The special license permits us to marry where and when we wish,” he said. He held out his hand and pulled her to her feet, forcing himself to ignore her soft mew of disappointment. Soon enough he would give her what she craved.
“It would seem a waste not to use that special license that your father went to so much trouble in order to procure. And yes, the sooner we get married the better, James Radley,” she replied.
James risked another kiss. This time, he lifted her chin and placed a soft, almost chaste one on Leah’s lips.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you too. You have no idea how much I have wanted to hear you say those three little words,” he replied.
“Come then. Let us go and speak to my father and Sir Geoffrey and tell them of our decision.”
“I seem to be developing a habit of marrying family members in odd places,” grumbled Hugh.
James gave his father a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “You shall have to make sure that any gentleman who offers for either Maggie or Claire’s hand in marriage agrees to be wed at St Paul’s cathedral.”
Hugh snorted. “Even London would be a good start. It is a pity your mother is not here today, but with the ongoing unpleasantness as a result of your behavior, she was adamant that someone stay with your sisters. We shall just have to have a celebration once you and your new bride return home.”
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