What a Reckless Rogue Needs Part 22

She lifted her chin. "Yes, of course."

He noted her resolute expression and figured she was embarra.s.sed. While he'd known her all of his life, he'd not really known her until they had begun work at Sommerall. He'd discovered she was proud and very sensitive, something she hid beneath a haughty mien.

Angeline said nothing as he led her up the stairs to the drawing room. When she started to sit in a chair, he shook his head. "Please, sit with me."

"Very well."

He took her hand in his. "I feel awful for dampening your enthusiasm."

She did not look at him. "There is no reason for you to feel awful."

"It's embarra.s.sing. I've asked you for a trial engagement, and yet all I have to offer is a house in need of repair that isn't in my possession and may never be."

She was silent for a long s.p.a.ce of time. "I've wanted to be positive for your sake all this time, but I became so enthused and sure that you would inherit." She looked at him. "I beg your pardon for making matters uncomfortable, but I think we are making a mistake."

"What do you mean?"

"We're doing this for all the wrong reasons."

"It wasn't so very long ago that you defended my father's and stepmother's marriage of convenience. Will you abandon our agreement to a trial engagement before it barely starts?"

"How can a marriage based on a property and restoring my reputation work?"

"Angeline, most marriages are based on convenience. You know it to be true, but you are looking for reasons to halt it. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think you're afraid. After what you've been through, it is perfectly understandable.

"I don't want to rush into this, even though we are clearly compatible in at least one respect," he said, smiling a little. "We've known each other all of our lives, but there is much we don't know. I want you to be honest with me, and I'll be honest with you. If at any point you decide that you do not want to move forward, you must tell me. This should not be about obligation, because it is a lifetime decision. Do you agree?"

"Yes," she said.

"If Agnes has completed her ch.o.r.es and you are ready, we should probably return to Deerfield."

Her silence on the drive back exasperated him. "Angeline, I would much rather you tell me what is troubling you than have you refuse to speak to me. It is frustrating. If I have offended you, then tell me."

"You haven't offended me."

"Then tell me what troubles you," he said.

"I know the reality of my situation, and still I find myself wishing I could change what happened."

He gathered her in his arms. She tried to push him away, but he hushed her. "Angeline, I won't deny that your circ.u.mstances were difficult, but the worst is over. All will be well."

"How can you say that to me? You asked for honesty, well, so do I. Don't tell me things will be fine when they clearly are not. My mother is deluded enough to think a party will restore my poor reputation, my father won't speak to me, and my little sister may not have a come-out ball because of me. Do not tell me that all will be well when you know what I face. At least respect me enough to do that."

"I do respect you," he said. "I respect you for refusing that b.a.s.t.a.r.d who tried to coerce you into intimacies. I respect you for holding your head up high at that ball where that b.a.s.t.a.r.d betrayed you, and I respect you for being a clever and caring woman. Every word is my honest opinion of you. If I think so highly of you, and I know Margaret does as well, then believe that you deserve happiness."

"Be honest. Do you feel obliged to make our temporary engagement a real one?" she asked. "Please don't lie to me."

"No, I do not feel obliged, and I hope you do not, either," he said. "To be honest, I think all of this is about your embarra.s.sment, but there is no reason for it. We agreed to a three-week courtship, one that is known only to us," he said. "It will be awkward if one or both of us decides at the end of three weeks that we don't suit, but that is the chance we take. You are free at any time to end it, and so am I. If that isn't acceptable, we should end it now. I am willing to go forward, but are you?"

"Yes, I am." Even though it worried her. What would happen after they married? They would not even be considering marriage if not for his father's decree and her need to restore her good reputation.

Angeline was afraid of what the future held in such a marriage, but she knew it would be the right thing to do for her family. She had only two choices: spinsterhood or a marriage of convenience. At least the latter afforded her a measure of respectability.

There were still three weeks for them to make this decision. She could not imagine that she would change her mind, because she owed it to her family and she wasn't likely to get another chance.

But it wasn't her decision alone. How would she feel if he told her that he had reconsidered and could not marry her? Dear G.o.d, what had they gotten themselves into?

Chapter Nine.

Wycoff was in better spirits after having bagged a bird. At dinner earlier, Colin had noted that Angeline had focused her attention on her father. When her father proposed a game of chess after his port, Angeline's face lit up like a dozen candles. He was glad to see her happiness and hoped it would last.

When the ladies withdrew, Wycoff and the marquess talked endlessly about the shooting today. Colin said nothing, as his thoughts were elsewhere. He wondered why so many had believed Brentmoor's ugly words about Angeline. Then he realized her mother's friends had given her bad advice. When the d.u.c.h.ess had taken her daughter to the Continent, she'd inadvertently signaled that her daughter had been guilty of Brentmoor's coa.r.s.e accusations. However, Colin realized that Brentmoor's return could well be advantageous. If enough high-ranking friends spread the word that she'd been falsely accused of something that had never happened, her good name could be restored. He could not be sure that others would champion her, but it was worth the effort.

He would say nothing for now, but it was important. The first time they had spoken about a marriage of convenience, she'd said that she felt obliged to accept his offer for the sake of her family, but she ought to have a choice. If she declined his offer of marriage, however, he would probably lose Sommerall. He wanted the property badly, but he was in danger of losing it. He remembered her words: We're doing this for all the wrong reasons. It was too easy to imagine the marriage souring, because it was based on his motivation to keep the property and her wish to help her family. But he could not let Sommerall fall into a stranger's hands. d.a.m.n it all, he had to figure out a way to ensure he gained possession.

"You are uncharacteristically silent," the marquess said to him.

"Just thinking."

"How to outwit me for Sommerall?"

Wycoff laughed. "Doesn't every bachelor have cold feet?"

"Right." Colin finished his port.

"You are in the doldrums," the marquess said. "By the by, how did you find things at Sommerall?"

Wycoff rose. "Finish your port, Chadwick. I promised Angeline a game of chess. She will no doubt trounce me."

"Tell my wife we'll be along shortly."

After Wycoff departed, the marquess poured both of them another port. "He is a sh.e.l.l of the man he used to be."

"Has he ever told you what happened?"

"He told me very little, but I suspect you know."

"Angeline told me in confidence." He sighed. "I figured she had no one to confide in, so I listened."

"How bad is it?"

"Did Margaret ever speak to the d.u.c.h.ess?" he asked.

"When it happened, she told Margaret how the vile man deceived them all, but the d.u.c.h.ess was understandably vexed at the time. I think their journey to Paris was a mistake. It only made it appear that Angeline was guilty of something."

"I agree." Colin sipped his port and set it aside. "It was very bad. She told me in confidence, but I will say this much. She's innocent of the disgusting claims that Brentmoor made."

"Son, what did he claim? I only ask because I've been racking my brains how to help her, but I can't if I don't know what I'm up against."

He told his father how Brentmoor had pressed her for intimacies and how they'd been seen kissing out of doors in a dark area. "He probably wanted to make sure she felt guilty enough to marry him. She admitted that she'd had doubts. After she cried off, he must have been bent on revenge. Her friend's brother revealed that Brentmoor claimed he'd lain with her multiple times."

"h.e.l.l," the marquess said.

"Others believed it because she'd been spotted in a compromising embrace with him in the unlit area of a garden. I might add he pressed her constantly. Of course she was seen, something he probably planned, to ensure she would feel too guilty not to marry him. She's innocent of everything."

"When the house party ends, I will contact friends," the marquess said. "We need supporters."

"I'll write to Harry. His mother is famous for her at-homes."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. I've heard it's nothing but t.i.ttle-tattle," the marquess said.

"Harry would do anything for me," he said. "As I recall, his mother is fond of Angeline. I'll see if I can pull in Bellingham. He's got more influence than anyone, except for you."

"Hah. But I agree. Bellingham is a brilliant politician. Ruthless son of a b.i.t.c.h, but he's loyal to those he respects. I've half a mind to start straightaway, but that would only raise questions."

"Agreed," Colin said. "After the house party, we can get support from friends. By the time the season begins, we will hopefully clear her name. Then we'll see the b.a.s.t.a.r.d drummed out of every club and blacken his name."

The marquess narrowed his eyes. "No offense, but why are you so h.e.l.l bent on this mission? The two of you have never been on the best of terms."

"It's a point of honor," he said. "And Brentmoor has none."

Colin and his father returned to the drawing room. When Colin saw Angeline putting away the chess pieces, he poured himself a brandy and waited for her to finish before approaching her. He needed to speak to her about Sommerall and ensure she knew what to expect. It had become a daily journey for them, but he had to be realistic about the time they were spending there. As much as he enjoyed her company and the privacy Sommerall afforded them, he had to think about her first and foremost. She'd been through h.e.l.l, and the last thing they both needed was for their families to discover that they were spending time at Sommerall when there was nothing more they could do until and unless the marquess granted the property to Colin.

After she put the game away, he made himself wait for a moment so that he wouldn't appear so anxious. That was a very real issue for them. They had to be careful and make sure that they were not inadvertently creating expectations with their families.

He caught her eye, and then he walked over to the window seat that the twins and Penny had recently vacated. He swirled his brandy and stretched out his legs. A few minutes later, Angeline stopped to look at Margaret's needlework. Obviously she was commenting about it. He took a slow drink of brandy and waited. Not long after, she joined him on the window seat. "I a.s.sume you wish to speak to me," she said.

"Clever of you, but I'm not surprised."

"Do you wish to play backgammon?"

"No, I wish to talk without distractions."

She frowned. "This sounds ominous."

"It isn't, but we have no more business at Sommerall."

"What do you mean? There is much work to be done. It needs new carpets, new shutters, updated furnishings, painting, paper hangings, and a new runner for the stairs."

"I've no doubt that all you've mentioned needs attention," he said, "but I cannot spend a farthing on a property that I do not own and may never own. We have reached the limits of what can be done."

She looked at her clasped hands in her lap. "Well, I am disappointed, but I ought to have seen this coming. I've known all along about your father's decree. I still think he ought to cede the property to you, but I know it is none of my affair."

"I appreciate all that you've done so far, Angeline. I enjoyed your company there, but we will simply have to find other ways to talk about our engagement."

"We will have almost no privacy," she said. "If we go for a walk, the others will join us. If we decide to ride, everyone else will decide to come along. If we play a game indoors, others will stop to watch and comment. Even now we must speak under our breath so that no one hears us."

"We are fortunate to have had time alone. Now we must become inventive without appearing furtive."

"How are we to do that?"

"We have to rise very early. I'm no lark, but we will arrange to meet at six o'clock in the morning. It is the only time we can ensure privacy."

"It is better than nothing," she said. "I am disappointed about Sommerall. There is so much I wanted to accomplish there."

"Do you want to meet tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes, but where?" she said. "Never mind. I forgot Penny asked to stay with me tonight."

"Why does she want to sleep with you?"

"She likes to be near me. It started after we returned from Paris. She has begun to relax, now that she knows we will not leave England again, but when she grows anxious, she wants to sleep near me."

"Day after tomorrow, then, at six o'clock. No one will stir at that hour. I'll meet you at the back door. Then we'll walk out together."

"It feels as if we're sneaking off," she said.

"Don't think of it that way," he said. "We are just seeking privacy to talk."

After breakfast the next morning, the marquess turned to Colin. "You are not planning to journey to Sommerall today, are you?"

"No, I believe we have gone as far as we can at this point."

"I have a business issue I wish to discuss with you. Meet me in my study in a quarter of an hour," the marquess said.

"I will," Colin said. He wasn't sure what his father wanted, but he'd find out soon enough.

"We have yet to see your sketches, Angeline," Margaret said. "You must show us your plans."

"They are not really plans. The sketches are rather whimsical and impractical." She bit her lip.

Colin remembered her excitement and felt a bit badly about it.

Everyone rose and started filing out, but Colin held back with Angeline. "I wish we could spend time alone, but I have a duty."

"I'll take the girls and Hercules for a walk. We might as well enjoy the sunshine while it lasts," Angeline said.

Colin briefly touched her hand. "Perhaps we can ride this afternoon if you wish."

"I would be delighted," she said.

He hoped that they would not be shadowed by everyone else, but he resigned himself to the fact that their ride would likely be a group activity. They couldn't even go off by themselves without raising suspicion about their relationship. He wanted to keep it as private as possible, but it was far more difficult now that they no longer had Sommerall as their refuge.