A Reluctant Bride (The Shelley Sisters Book 1)

by Jess Michaels

  “The matter at hand,” he said slowly and succinctly, “is my marriage contract, Mr. Shelley. Finding Anne will not fix this. I would not accept her as a bride now that I know her nature and how objectionable she finds the engagement.”

  Thomasina gasped and the gaze that flashed to him held more of that fascinating and captivating anger. He found himself wanting to provoke it just to watch it burn in her eyes.

  “Sir, please you must reconsider,” Shelley said. “If you do not marry Anne, you will damage all our reputations. I have plans for the other girls, you see, and—”

  Thomasina caught her breath and her hands gripped in fists at her sides, all the proof Jasper needed that she did not want to be part of her father’s schemes.

  Which meant she might agree to be party to his own.

  “I don’t care about your plans,” he interrupted. “I am the injured party here, sir. You ought to have brought your daughter under some kind of control years ago, rather than let her be so wild.”

  Shelley pursed his lips. “Fine. Then what do you suggest. Money, I suppose. To make up for her lost dowry?”

  Jasper flinched, for the words, spoken under the guise of recompense, certainly hit the mark Shelley likely intended. They starkly reminded Jasper that he needed the funds. That this marriage was not something he could end so easily. Others depended on him too much.

  “No, money will not fix it either,” he murmured, and found himself looking toward Thomasina once more. “When you and I first met and discussed the idea of uniting our families, you made it clear I would have a pick of any of your three daughters.”

  Shelley tilted his head. “And you made it clear you did not care which one you were given.”

  “So you gave me the one most likely to destroy your own future. Thank you for that,” Jasper said. “Well, now I think the solution is clear, don’t you?”

  Juliana Shelley took a long step forward. “Wait…are you—are you suggesting you would merely replace Anne with one of us?”

  He arched a brow at her. “Indeed, I am. After all, I made a bargain to marry a Shelley sister. Marry one I shall.”

  Mr. Shelley’s eyes were wide as saucers. “My lord—”

  “The wedding is on, sir,” Jasper said, forcing his tone to be hard as nails, unbendable as cold steel. “And since Miss Thomasina Shelley was so eager to take her sister’s place at the ball tonight, I see no reason why she should not do so permanently.”

  Thomasina stared at Harcourt, mouth agape, her hands tingling and her knees shaking. All this had to be a dream. Or a nightmare. It couldn’t be true, it couldn’t be real.

  And yet everything around her felt too sharp and present to be anything but real.

  “You wish—you wish to marry me?” she managed to whisper.

  He met her stare, unreadable as always, and shrugged one shoulder slightly. “I wish to marry a Shelley sister, Miss Thomasina.”

  She ought not to have felt a sting at that response, for she knew he didn’t truly care for her. Right now he didn’t even like her. And yet she did feel it, a sharp tug on the heart that made her eyes fill with tears she immediately blinked away. She hadn’t earned those. She refused to let them fall.

  “Lord Harcourt,” her father said, stepping forward. “This is incredibly unorthodox. How could we ever explain that you were publicly meant to marry Anne and now you are linking yourself to Thomasina?”

  Harcourt’s lips thinned. “I am not arguing that there will not be a scandal at such an action. I abhor that it has come to this, but it seems like it would be an easier thing to explain than that Anne ran away a week before our nuptials with some man whose full name you do not even know.”

  Mr. Shelley stroked his chin and Thomasina could see that he was considering the request. Already looking for ways to make it work for his own plans. He wanted a connection to Harcourt’s title as much as Harcourt wanted his money. They were the match, in truth. It had nothing to do with her or Anne or Juliana.

  But as she watched them talk, hardly hearing their words, hardly hearing Juliana’s interjections that they should not be hasty or punish Thomasina for Anne’s bad behavior, she couldn’t help but watch Harcourt. He was so very handsome. Before this, she had liked him so much. Too much. His face had haunted her dreams, waking her with the sheets twisted around her and her body tingling.

  And tonight…tonight when he had held her so close, when his mouth had swung toward hers on the terrace, she had hated herself for wanting to take what should be Anne’s. Now she was being offered the chance to do just that and no one could dare hate her for it.

  “I’ll do it,” she said, but her voice didn’t rise above the din of the other’s conversation. She cleared her throat and said it louder and with more conviction. “I’ll do it, do you hear me?”

  That stopped them all and three faces turned to stare at her in shock. Well, her father and Juliana looked shocked. Harcourt looked…dangerous. His gaze swept over her and a tiny smile tilted the corner of his lips. She’d never seen such an expression on his usually serious face before. Like he was…wicked.

  She shivered as sensations she couldn’t control raced through her body and fought to keep her expression calm.

  “Thomasina,” Juliana said, stepping up to take her hand. “You do not have to do this. Anne’s mistakes are Anne’s.”

  Thomasina squeezed her sister’s fingers and held her gaze for a moment, for she knew Juliana would sense her peace with this decision if she allowed it. That was one of the lovely benefits of being triplets, that connection of the heart they shared. Juliana’s expression softened.

  “I did play a part in this,” Thomasina said. “Lord Harcourt is right about that. So I must atone for what I did. If I do not, all of us will suffer for Anne’s bad decisions. This will make it easiest for everyone.”

  Harcourt stared at her, his eyes searching her. Then he shook his head. “Always so pleasing, Thomasina.”

  She frowned, for though his words were not insulting, they didn’t sound much like a compliment either.

  He jerked his gaze away and now looked at her father. “We are finished for tonight. I have nothing left to say to you. We can alter the written agreement together tomorrow and arrange for a special license. Your money and my influence should make that no trouble. Good evening.”

  He said nothing else, but pivoted on his heel and exited the room. Once he was gone, Thomasina took a long breath and realized she hadn’t done so in the entire time he’d been near. He stole the air from the room when he was in it.

  Mr. Shelley turned to her, his gaze narrowing. “What a pickle you and your sister have gotten us all into. We are very lucky that Harcourt has agreed to take any of you after this nonsense. Good night.”

  He stomped out and once he was gone, Juliana looked at her. Thomasina shrugged in response to the question Juliana hadn’t asked, and her sister sighed as she moved to the parlor door and quietly shut it.

  “Thomasina,” Juliana whispered.

  “I know you are disappointed in me,” Thomasina said softly. “And I know I have helped create yet another mess for you to manage. I’m sorry about that.”

  “Anne created a mess,” Juliana said with a frown. “And I’m sure she would be far less apologetic about it if she were here. Selfish, selfish Anne.”

  As Juliana paced away, Thomasina watched her with concern. “Anne follows her heart. Often it is my favorite thing about her. In this case, I hope it isn’t a mistake, for I have no idea who this man is that she’s marrying.”

  Juliana turned. “Yes, her impulsiveness…well, it is frightening. I fear this will convince Father to abandon her entirely, despite the danger she might have put herself in.”

  “I agree.” Thomasina shivered. “If she is not a benefit, he might see her as a detriment, better left to be cut away.”

  “I will talk to Father again about seeking her out and finding out who this man she ran away with is. Perhaps you will press Harcourt to do th
e same.”

  Thomasina’s breath caught. “Me, talk to Harcourt about it?”

  “Well, yes,” Juliana said with a humorless chuckle. “You are apparently his fiancée now and will be his wife in a week if he and Father have their way. Oh, Thomasina, is this truly what you want? Or is it just your way to make everyone happy?”

  Thomasina hesitated. She had never spoken to anyone about the very wrong feelings she’d been having toward Harcourt. The idea of admitting her attraction to him all along made her feel a little sick to her stomach. So instead she shrugged. “I am not so silly as our sister, to not recognize a good match when I see it. If it also accomplishes alleviation of this terrible situation, then it seems like it’s a good outcome for everyone involved.”

  Juliana stared at her a beat, two. Then she nodded. “If you say so. Now I should go speak to Father. Try to soothe his ruffled feathers, since I’m sure he’s crashing about his chamber drinking and cursing that he had daughters and not sons.”

  “Oof, I’m sorry that duty falls to you,” Thomasina said.

  Juliana’s smile faltered a fraction. “It always does. I am accustomed to it. Now go to bed if you can. There will be little rest for any of us for a while, I fear.”

  Juliana left the parlor and Thomasina sank into the nearest chair as her knees gave out at last. She covered her face with both hands. Twelve hours before she had been working on acceptance that Anne would marry Harcourt, and that would be the end of that.

  Now everything was turned on its head. And she had no idea if her terror was more powerful…or the joy that she ought not feel and which could not lead to anything good.

  Chapter 5

  Thomasina had not slept even a wink, and her body reminded her of that fact with every step as she walked through the long halls of Harcourt Heights. During the time they’d spent here, she had already developed an affection for the place. It was beautiful and the staff was nothing but kind to her and her family. But now she looked at it with a different eye. She would be lady of this house in less than a week.

  That thought made her a little dizzy, and she stopped at the entrance to a parlor and leaned on the doorframe to steady herself.

  “Are you well, Thomasina?”

  She jerked her head up at the voice that came behind her. Harcourt’s voice. Slowly, she pivoted to face him as heat crept into her cheeks. God, but he was handsome as he stood there, just a few feet behind her, dressed perfectly. He was always impeccable from the perfect knot on his cravat to the bright polish on his boots.

  “I-I am,” she said. Lied. And tried to smile.

  “You are up early,” he said.

  She shrugged. “It was difficult to sleep after all the excitement of last night,” she admitted, for there was no point in lying. Not anymore. “I hope you don’t mind that I decided to take myself on a small tour of the estate.”

  His gaze flitted over her face and then his expression softened just a fraction. “Why would I mind? It will be your home soon enough. You must be curious about it.”

  She nodded. “I am, I admit. Though I was already madly in love with it after all the weeks we’ve spent here preparing for the—” She cut herself off and dipped her head. Then she continued, “Still, it is different now that I know it shall be…it will be mine.”

  He seemed to ponder an answer to that statement, but then he merely extended an arm. “Shall I take you on a more guided excursion?”

  Her lips parted at the kind suggestion. One she could not have earned. But he didn’t seem to feel any kind of frustration in being forced to show her around. If anything, he looked a bit more relaxed than he normally did.

  “I would very much like that, thank you.” She reached for the crook of his elbow and hesitated for a moment. Once she touched him, she knew how her body would react. She only hoped she could hide it as she slid her fingers around the warmth of his hard bicep and tried to recall how to breathe again.

  He guided her into the room that she had not yet entered and said, “The house has been part of our legacy for twelve earls. This lake country used to have some importance when it came to invaders and the like, thanks to its position so close to the sea. It was established, as was our line, very early.”

  “You must be proud of that fact,” she said as she released his arm to regain purchase and walked around the parlor, looking at the decorations and furniture.

  He snorted out a laugh, and she faced him to find him looking at her incredulously. “You mustn’t sport with me. I know you are fully aware of the scandal that follows my family.”

  “As of late, I suppose there have been rumors,” she said carefully. “But that doesn’t erase the history of your family in total, does it?”

  He seemed to ponder that a moment. “Sometimes it feels like it does.”

  The words, said so quietly, were definitely a glimpse into his soul and for a moment she realized just how much weight this man had to bear. He was correct that she wasn’t unaware of the rumors to which he referred. His father had been a well-known libertine, his brother was whispered to be even worse. The brother had died in a duel, for heaven’s sake. Over an unpaid debt of honor, so the story went.

  And now Harcourt was trying to repair it all. Do the right thing. Her dowry would help him, and she felt a bit of pride in that, as well as her own responsibility to assist him if she could as their futures merged.

  But for now, she saw the discomfort on his face. The expression that said he hadn’t wished to share so much. And to make him more comfortable, she shifted the subject.

  “You must be bored doing this again. Especially so soon after the last time,” she said, and reached out to take his arm as he guided her up the hall to the next doorway. They only peeked inside to look at yet another parlor.

  He glanced at her. “Last time?”

  She sucked in a breath as they entered the music room. “Oh, a lovely Broadwood grand!”

  He nodded. “Yes, my mother plays…or did some time ago.” He frowned and she noted that. She had not talked much to Lady Harcourt. The woman was often distant and separated herself from the party. But certainly they would talk soon. “Do you play?”

  “All accomplished ladies must play, or that was my father’s thought on it. We all learned under the tutelage of the odious Miss Bertha Granger, who rapped knuckles when one played the wrong note.”

  He smiled a little. “Did it have the desired effect?”

  “To make us good at it?” She shrugged. “Well, Juliana is a virtuoso, Anne despises it all and refuses to be any good at it, and I am somewhere in between. So mixed results.”

  He wrinkled his brow and then watched as she slid her fingers along the keys of the piano without pressing them. “What did you mean when you said I did this last time?” he asked.

  “With Anne,” she explained as she moved to the window and looked out at the estate grounds and the sea in the distance. A sense of peace overcame her, and she drew a long breath as she enjoyed the view.

  “Your sister made it very clear she had no interest in my estate,” he said, suddenly closer, and she turned to find he had moved on her and was now just an arm’s length away. “I never gave her a tour like this.”

  Her lips parted. “I—oh.”

  “But you seem to feel differently about the place,” he said, and stepped even closer to look out the window at her side. She made herself look again but the peaceful feeling fled when his body heat was curling around her and all she could feel was him.

  “I have been here nearly a month,” she said softly. “And I do very much love this estate. I love the sea views and the high hills. I love the house and all its hidden rooms and passageways. Anne adores London and all its excitements, and I certainly do not hate the city when I am there. But give me a country living and I could be happy all my days, I think.”

  “Happy all your days,” he repeated, his voice suddenly rough. “Then I grant you that wish, for I also enjoy the country a great deal and am here
more often than not.”

  She forced herself to glance up at him with a slight smile. “Well matched, then.”

  He was looking at her mouth now, not her eyes, and her body stirred as it had on the terrace. Only this time she had nothing to make her stop when it came to his kiss.

  But he didn’t kiss her. He took a long step back and said, “Perhaps you would like to see the library, though I assume you have visited there many times during your journey, as I believe you to be a great reader.”

  “I am,” she said, trying to calm her racing heart and maintain the light interaction that seemed to make him most comfortable. “But I never resist when it comes to a library. Please lead the way.”

  He did so, letting her ooh and ahh over the fine room, and even made recommendations amongst the books she hadn’t read before. A few more parlors and gathering spaces came next, and then he took her through a massive, carved door that led into what had to be his study, judging from the large desk facing the door and the papers and quills spread across it.

  “Oh, it has a lovely view of the garden,” she said as she moved to the huge picture window beside the desk.

  “Yes, when I remember to glance up from my work to look at it,” he said with a faint smile that faded immediately. “But I spend a great deal of time here, dealing with that scandal we discussed earlier.”

  “Well, you shall not be alone in it now, at least,” she said, turning away from the window and leaning back against the cool glass. “As your wife, I will take on your sorrows as well as your name. Perhaps I can be of some help in alleviating the troubles.”

  “I’m sure you can,” he muttered, his voice rough as he turned away and moved to the sideboard, where he fiddled with the bottles of liquor despite the early hour. He didn’t pour anything, but she could see he wished to. Was it because the thought of marrying her was so…unpleasant?

  She certainly hoped not.

  She moved toward him slowly and cleared her throat. “I had a question for you, actually. Something I would very much like to address.”