The Dowager’s lip trembled.
“But Robert said...”
Daisy interrupted. The quicker she convinced everyone that she was telling the truth, the sooner they would go away and she could get on with dying again.
“That we were going to have a child? Yes, I know. But I lost it.” She crossed her fingers beneath the blanket and silently asked God to forgive her.
Lady Caruthers gasped in distress.
“Daisy! How could you not have told me? Have you seen the doctor? Is everything well now?”
Daisy groaned inwardly. She had hoped to stop the questions, not elicit more.
“Of course, mother. I am fine.”
The Dowager’s voice shook as she spoke.
“We’re done for! I am going to be thrown onto the streets and become the laughing stock of the ton.”
Elizabeth drew in a sharp breath.
“This is hardly the time for thinking of yourself. Have you no compassion, Jane? Daisy lost her child!”
Feeling that things were getting out of hand, Daisy spoke again.
“It’s all right mother. I am quite over it. It happened before Robert died.”
Elizabeth blinked rapidly.
“And you said nothing to anyone? Why?”
Daisy pulled the blanket over her head, wishing she hadn’t begun digging the hole she now stood in.
“Because Robert wanted to keep up the charade.”
There was a short silence before her mother spoke again.
“But how were you going to disguise the fact that you are not enceinte?”
Daisy pulled the blanket back down and threw her forearm across her eyes as the light caused her to wince. Did this really have to be happening now? Clearly it did, for everyone stared at her. She had to give some explanation. But perhaps not the true one.
“I was going to admit the truth, of course, but Robert’s death wasn’t part of the plan and I needed to give myself time before admitting that there would be no heir.” Guilt struck her heart.
The Dowager looked as if she might swoon but Pierce shoved one of the stools behind her just in time. The woman gasped in shock and placed her hand on her chest.
“We’re all ruined! Ruined, I tell you. I won’t ever be able to hold my head high in public again...Unless...” Her expression suddenly brightened as she eyed Pierce shrewdly. “You may well have fathered a child last night! Thank goodness! All is not lost!” She turned back to Daisy. “The dates won’t matter. It is well known for a first child to be overdue.”
Lady Caruthers narrowed her eyes.
“Are you suggesting that my daughter lies?”
The Dowager nodded vigorously.
“Why not? Has she not been living a lie for the last few weeks? She seems to be able to do so with ease. If we can keep this, this ridiculous incident hushed up, no one will be any the wiser.” She flapped her hand about the room before continuing. “The child will have my son’s name. We can carry on as normal.”
Pierce glowered at the woman.
“No child of mine is going to take any other man’s name,” he said, quite forgetting that Daisy wasn’t expecting, and that his fathering any child with her, until this point in time, was quite impossible.
The Dowager waved his objections away.
“No one cares about your opinion, young man.”
“I do! And so will her father when he hears.” Lady Caruthers spoke up quickly and forcefully. “This footman has compromised my daughter.”
Pierce stared at the woman. Was that a gleam in her eye? Dear heavens, it was! The scheming matriarch had expectations on her mind. And Pierce wasn’t about to let her down. Instead of defending his own and Daisy’s honour, he instantly dropped to one knee beside the bed and grabbed her hand.
“I offer you my heart and my soul and everything between. Daisy, please say will you be mine from this day forth until the end of time. Will you marry me?”
Daisy didn’t answer. She clamped her hands over her ears as the Dowager instantly leapt to her feet, knocking the stool over in the process while she shrilled.
“You cannot do that! I need an heir.”
Elizabeth Caruthers faced the desperate woman.
“And I need to keep my daughter’s reputation intact. Half the staff saw what happened here today. This man has to marry her or she will be ruined forever.” She pointed at Pierce who remained on one knee.
Pierce took his gaze from Daisy and looked up at Elizabeth.
“I am aiming for that conclusion to the situation, my Lady, but even after my heartfelt proposal, your daughter is unforthcoming.”
Elizabeth Caruthers took hold of her daughter’s other hand and pulled it away from her head.
“For once in your life please do as I ask. Say yes. It is the only way.”
Daisy closed her eyes again.
“Argh! Anything! If only everyone will go away.” She wrenched her hand from her mother’s grasp and pulled the pillow over her head again.
Pierce grunted and brushed the dust from his knees as he stood up.
“Hardly the romantic response I was hoping for, but I’ll take it as a yes.” He faced Lady Caruthers and bent over her hand. “I’ll petition for a special licence today.” Knowing that Daisy would now be in good hands, Pierce turned to leave the cottage. And immediately came face to face with the Dowager.
“Oh no you won’t! My daughter in law is in full mourning. She cannot marry for at least a year. Besides, I want another doctor to look at her. With all this fainting and fatigue, I feel that there must have been some mistake. She might still be carrying my heir.” She braced her hands on her formidable hips.
“I can absolutely guarantee that I’m not!” Daisy asserted from beneath the pillow.
Elizabeth took hold of the woman’s arm and spun her around.
“Jane, please! I am sure Daisy knows her own body, and you of all people must understand that Daisy’s reputation must take precedence over any mourning period. She will be married in the morning whether you like it or not!”
Jane gaped at her companion.
“To her footman! Have you lost all sense of reason? You cannot possibly want this patched up marriage to some nobody!”
“Nobody? I say! That’s a bit harsh.” Pierce objected, but the women ignored him.
Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest.
“I most certainly do want them to marry. The sooner the better after the scene we interrupted. I suspect Armstrong has already run back to the hall with all the details. I have to quash the scandal before news of it spreads. If that means marriage to Pier... er, to Everard, then so be it.”
The Dowager stamped her foot.
“But I need an heir. After what your daughter has confessed, and this footman’s enthusiastic passion, her own lack of morals may be my only hope.”
Pierce glanced from one woman to the other, unable to believe his ears. It was as if he and Daisy were not in the room. But as they carried on arguing with one another he suddenly felt a small hand slip into his. He glanced down. A now fully dressed Daisy peered up at him from bleary eyes.
“Save me,” she mouthed at him.
He glanced at the two older women. Neither was giving way to the other’s opinion, or interested in what went on around them.
And the horses remained outside. A quick escape was just the thing. He gripped the small hand tightly, opened the cottage door, and sneaked out, pulling Daisy along beside him.
Chapter Thirteen
Wedded Bliss
The vicar coughed into the silence as her mother elbowed her in her back.
“I do,” Daisy mumbled reluctantly. Blah, blah, blah! The man’s voice droned on.
She could barely remember the events of the evening before. After eventually retuning from the woodcutters cottage, everything had passed in a blur. She could recall her mother being almost beside herself with excitement as she selected a dress from Daisy’s wardrobe and had Mary find some extra la
ce to attach to the collar and cuffs.
Then there had been a flurry of packing. Gowns, nightdresses, underwear, and shoes had all disappeared into a trunk. The Dowager Duchess hadn’t helped at all. She had stomped around Portland Hall talking to herself, exclaiming odd words at intervals, Scandalous! Harlot! The footman indeed! While berating anyone who dared cross her path.
All Daisy wanted was to be left in peace and to go back to bed.
Her mother had called it a hangover and had assured her daughter that it would soon be gone while giving her fresh lemonade to drink. Daisy called it a near death experience as she vomited back the lemonade, quite sure that the nightmare was never going to end. Especially not now as she stood beside the bringer of all her woes.
Pierce Trenchard.
The man she had loved all her life.
And also the man who was now forced into marrying her, merely because she couldn’t hold her drink. Was this really happening, or was it all part of a horrible dream? Had it only been a day since she had ridden Bernadette out into the storm?
The vicar carried on, and all she could think was that if it wasn’t a nightmare, Pierce must hate her. He had told her that he hadn’t wanted to marry the very lovely Angelique Lancer. He had been forced into that proposal and had only avoided the parson’s noose because, in a drunken commotion, Lucas had married the woman instead. But with no other possible groom in sight, Pierce wasn’t going to be able to avoid this one. The knot was tightening rapidly.
‘To love, honour, and obey this man...’
Huh! Did her mother have to keep nudging her in the back? Daisy mumbled the words after the vicar but kept the fingers of one hand crossed. Blast the vows. Over her dead body would she obey anyone ever again! She had done that once already and look where it had landed her. And him. She put all thoughts of Robert to the back of her mind. He wasn’t here. He couldn’t manipulate her any more.
The vicar said something else. Pierce lifted her hand and repeated his own vows as he slipped a ring onto her finger. She glanced up at him curiously. His voice was strong, warm, determined, and forceful. It sounded as though he meant every word. But that couldn’t possibly be true. He was only marrying her because her mother had insisted. And he being the honourable sort had complied with everything Lady Caruthers demanded.
Daisy thought of Pierce kneeling on the cottage floor. His pretty but ridiculous proposal. What had he been thinking? Why had he agreed to this debacle so readily? Most men would have been running for the door. In fact he had done exactly that, but only to rush and appeal for a marriage licence. Why hadn’t he taken such a golden opportunity to simply disappear? She suddenly had the ridiculous urge to giggle at the thought of Pierce making another hasty escape to avoid a set of leg shackles. Had expected him to.
But he hadn’t. Instead he had arrived back late that morning. Tired but triumphant and waving the relevant papers. Too shocked and still too ill to make any protest, Daisy had let her mother help her into her gown. Mary dressed her hair with flowers and a veil, and Bess thrust a bouquet in her hand. And now she was here. With a glittering ring on her finger and Pierce holding her hand.
She almost jumped as the vicar’s voice penetrated her foggy brain.
‘I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.’ The man beamed at them both.
Her veil was lifted away from her face. Pierce stood looking down at her, dark eyes brooding. He brushed a knuckle against her cheek and lowered his head.
“Chin up Daisy. I’m not that bad of a catch,” he whispered a moment before a kiss as light as a feather sent lightning bolts to her heart. And then, before she could even begin to enjoy the most wondrous sensation she had ever felt in her life, he was holding her arm and walking them back down the aisle past the tiny congregation made up of her mother, the Dowager, and a few of Portland Hall’s staff.
“I thought his name was Everard. Could have sworn the vicar said Trenchard. Wasn’t that the name of the man the authorities...” Jane Benedict’s voice reached Daisy’s ears and she suddenly felt sick again. She must have faltered because Pierce tightened his grip on her as her mother interrupted the Dowager’s words.
Elizabeth interrupted and patted her companion’s hand.
“Your mind is quite naturally on your son’s murderer, but you must have misheard, Jane. Perhaps you have wax in your ears. You should use...” Elizabeth was cut short in turn
“Hmph!” The older woman responded with her usual distain. “There is nothing wrong with my hearing. Never has been or will be, but there is quite an echo in that chapel.” She raised her gaze towards the rafters before narrowing her eyes at her friend. “Perhaps I did mishear the name, though I never heard the like of such a marriage before! Marrying while still in mourning. And to a footman, no less! I cannot believe you have agreed to such a scandalous match. And as for them remaining at Portland Hall...”
Elizabeth Caruthers huffed out a breath.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Jane. Daisy will return at a later date for the remainder of her belongings. For now they are travelling to a secret location. Until all the fuss dies down. It appears that Peter has a small property of his own in the country. He is full of surprises.” She smiled and waved as her daughter passed by.
The Dowager harrumphed again.
“He certainly is. And talking of surprises, I never heard of a footman gaining a special licence before either. Where did Daisy say he had come from? The continent somewhere? India, was it? They must have different customs over there. Marrying while still in mourning! Hurrumph!”
The voices faded as Pierce walked them through the church doors and out into the sunshine. He helped his bride up into the carriage and gave a grinning Andrews the signal to move on.
Daisy fell back into the corner and closed her eyes. Pierce sat beside her. He glanced at the stuffed bear sitting in the opposite seat and gave a smile as he picked it up and handed it to his wife.
His wife! Never had two words made him feel quite so happy. As if reading his mind, Daisy gave a small, shy smile as she cuddled her bear to her, but she clearly wasn’t thinking about their recent marriage vows.
“Thank you. Though I don’t think even the sight of my faithful companion can cure this headache.”
Pierce leaned closer and brushed a stray curl from her cheek. Though her words were not quite what he wanted to hear, she looked so content with the old toy that he couldn’t bring himself to be disappointed.
“Are you not feeling any better at all?”
She nodded gently, which she supposed was some improvement as she could now do so without feeling as though her head was about to drop off.
“A little, but I can honestly say that I never felt so awful in my life.”
Pierce put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him.
“Sorry, old girl. I had no idea alcohol would affect you so badly. I truly wouldn’t have given it to you had I known.”
Daisy sighed into his warmth.
“It was not your fault. I have a mouth in this head of mine and could have said no. I knew exactly how badly champagne affected me. Brandy could only be worse. Now I am paying for my own stupidity. And you are too,” she added quietly.
Pierce frowned down at her.
“How so? My head doesn’t hurt.”
Daisy gave a small smile.
“You know what I mean. You have been practically forced into this stupid charade of a marriage.”
Pierce ignored the stab to his heart.
“I have done nothing that I did not wish to do.” He pulled her even closer until her head rested in the crook of his neck. Her piled hair touched his cheek and he dipped his head to breathe in her wonderful scent, but she stiffened and shifted away.
“But you cannot have wanted this.” She glanced at the questioning line forming across his brow. “I mean that you must hate being tricked into marriage.” She looked down as she twisted her fingers in her lap.
Pierce t
ook hold of her hand and gripped it in his. The sapphire set band swivelled on her finger. He had chosen it because the stones matched the colour of her eyes. It was perhaps a size too big, but no matter. She was his! By fair means or foul, he had won her hand. Now he just had to conquer her heart.
“I was not tricked, but yes, I agree that circumstances played their part. And your mother too, but who can blame her. There was no alternative. You were caught as much as I, and you must feel even worse. So soon after...” He didn’t finish his thought. Though ruining her hadn’t been his plan, he was overjoyed at the outcome, but however happy he might feel, he couldn’t show it or bring up her dead husband on his wedding day. He squeezed her hand and sighed. “But it is done now. For better or worse. And we must make the best of it.”
Daisy rolled her eyes.
“Make the best of it? How? Where are we even going to live? You are accused of murder and on the run, and for the foreseeable future, I am ostracized from polite society. I am afraid I cannot see the best in any of it yet.”
Pierce sighed deeply.
“I will clear my name, Daisy, and you will once again hold your head up high. Have no fear of that.”
She turned to stare at the passing countryside.
“How?” She asked again. “No one seems to be looking for anyone else in regards to Robert’s death. And now you have married me, so soon after my husband’s demise, suspicions will be confirmed. There will be gossip of a love triangle in which Robert came out the worse.”
Pierce shook his head.
“But there was no love triangle. We both know that. I haven’t seen you, except in passing, in all the years since you married, and am innocent until proven guilty. Which cannot happen because I am not guilty of any crime.”
She waved her hand in dismissal.
“But others don’t know that. And tongues will wag. How many have found themselves at the end of a rope because of gossip rather than truth? Innocent until proven guilty means nothing. You’ll be convicted and hanged if we can’t find the true perpetrator of the crime, and we are as near to discovering that as we were three days ago.” A tear leaked from the corner of her eye.
A Fragile Chain of Daisies: Flowers of the Aristocracy (Untamed Regency Book 4) Page 16