The Rebel Wife: Book Four in the Regency Romps Series

by Elizabeth Bramwell

  “I’d be lying if I said I wanted you to win. I’m too selfish for that. But I mean it when I say this. Good luck, Kate, and make the best damn shot of your life. For Arthur’s sake.”

  Kate nodded. “We will compete again at Darlington Park.”

  Bella’s lips kicked up in a half smile. “I’m the better shot with a crossbow.”

  “On that, you will have no argument from me,” replied Kate, and walked up to the velvet line.

  She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, willing herself to ignore the chaotic cheers and shouts of all the people around her. She forced herself to forget Arthur, to forget how much rode on the outcome of this one shot. To forget Alex and everything she had already lost.

  “Kate!”

  The voice pierced her consciousness, even through the din of the crowd. She opened her eyes and turned to the direction it had come from.

  Alex stood beside his mother, who had a restraining hand placed firmly on his coat. Arthur stood beside him, looking sick to his core, with Helena clung to him as though she was afraid he would fall.

  “Kate,” she saw rather than heard Alex say, even as Sarah gently pushed him backwards. His expression was unreadable.

  The pain in Kate’s heart exploded within her, as everything their marriage could have been hit home. The way her brother looked at Bella. The way Loughcroft had an arm around his brave wife as she tried to conceal her disappointment at losing. The way Gloucester embraced the eccentricities of the woman he had chosen to marry and had cheered Abby on even as she lost.

  Kate raised her pistol toward the target, but she did not look, did not aim. Her eyes, her heart, were all for Duke she had married.

  She pulled the trigger, and the shot rang out through Berkeley Square.

  The crowd went wild.

  *

  His wife looked like a goddess.

  Alex could barely breathe as her gaze met his, her arm stretched out to the side as she took her shot without so much as a glance at the target.

  The bullet ripped through the wafer, and every spectator began to call and scream and cheer and shout at the same moment.

  “She did it!” screeched Helena, jumping up and down on the spot.

  “Good God,” said Arthur, staggering backwards as his sister gripped his arm, pulling her with him in her ecstatic celebrations. “Good God!”

  “Kate!” Alex shouted, trying to reach her, but his mother’s grip was firm on his arm.

  “Let her have this moment, Alex,” she growled at him. “You can punish her disobedience later, but for God’s sake, let her have this triumph at least!”

  Alex froze at his mother’s words.

  “Why would I punish her?”

  “We heard your threat,” his mother replied, her scowl dark enough to make him consider taking a step backwards. “Out of everything you have done, Alex, I had never before been ashamed of you. I am now.”

  She may as well have slapped him. He knew a small impulse to argue with her but squashed it before it could fully form.

  “I know, and I was wrong,” he said, keeping her gaze locked with his own. “I do not deserve a wife like Kate, I do not deserve a woman who can take on the whole world single-handedly if those she loves are at risk. But I promise you with every fibre of who I am, that I am going to do my damnedest to become the type of man who deserves her.”

  His mother hesitated. “You have a lot to prove.”

  “I know,” he replied, easing her hand away from his chest. “I have a lot to prove to all of you.”

  She let him go, her eyes wet with unshed tears. He moved forward, trying to push through the crowds of bodies that stood between him and his wife.

  He watched Kate swallowed up by a large, cheering group of the Ton’s members, Colbourne and Gloucester close by as her personal guards.

  “Kate!” he shouted. “Katie!”

  But the ocean of people between them thickened, the currents carrying them further apart until she disappeared from his view.

  Thirteen

  Kate slipped away at the earliest moment, begging Lord Pocklington to take her home before the crowds utterly overwhelmed her. He understood, hurrying her to his carriage and sending her off with his driver while he stayed behind to commiserate with Bella.

  “Is everything well, your Grace?” asked Jones as she rushed in through the front door.

  “Perfectly,” she replied as she removed her hat and gloves. “But do be an absolute dear and tell everyone who calls that I am not at home. I don’t think I can take any more excitement.”

  The old butler smiled at her. “Very good. If you would excuse my presumption, your Grace, but may I enquire as to whether you won the little competition?”

  She paused halfway through unbuttoning her pelisse to look at Jones, who had a hopeful smile on his usually stoic features.

  “I did indeed,” she replied, and despite the tumbling emotions of her heart, she felt like laughing as her old retainer gave an almost imperceptible nod toward her.

  “Excellent news, your Grace. I shall enjoy claiming my winnings from Lord Sefton’s valet on the next occasion of our meeting. He backed Lady Colbourne, I believe.”

  “It was a close thing,” admitted Kate as she handed him her pelisse. “My sister-in-law is an excellent shot.”

  “But not as excellent as your Grace, if you forgive me for saying so,” replied Jones with a small bow.

  “Thank you,” was the only response she could think of. “Jones, please be so good as to bring me a glass of wine in the book room?”

  “Immediately, your Grace,” replied the butler.

  Kate settled herself into her favourite chair in front of the book room fireplace, tucking her feet up beneath her skirts like she had when she was still a young bride. The wine helped settle her nerves, but her mind kept straying back to Alex and the look on his face.

  Had he been angry? Upset? Enraged?

  Did he understand that there was no choice but to take part after Arthur had made such a ridiculous bet to get rid of Eugenia?

  Did he understand that even without Arthur, she would still have taken part?

  She took another gulp of wine.

  “Out of my way, Jones, I need to speak with my wife!”

  Kate started as she heard her husband’s voice echo down the hallway. She leapt out of her seat, the empty wine glass tumbling to the floor. Her hands immediately going to check that both her dress and her hair remained impeccable. She took a deep breath and called upon every reserve she had as a Duchess to present herself as cool, competent, and utterly unrepentant.

  “Lexborough,” she said, as the door to the book room flew open and her handsome husband stormed in.

  “I asked you to call me Alex,” he said, striding toward her.

  She had no time to respond. Within a moment she found herself tight in his arms as he kissed her with a thoroughness and a passion that made her toes curl.

  Alex finally pulled away, leaving her blinking with surprise. He dropped to one knee before her, taking her hands tightly into his.

  “Katie, my darling, wonderful, beautiful wife; will you ever forgive me for being such an incompetent ass of a husband?”

  The question surprised a giggle out of her, which he evidently took as a good sign.

  “I know I’ve made plenty of mistakes,” he continued, his grip on her hands firm, “and Lord alone knows I’ve been a selfish bore. All I can do is beg your forgiveness and ask for another chance. Katie my darling, will you give me a chance to make everything right? To be the husband you imagined I was, rather than the poor imitation you were given?”

  Kate choked on a sob and withdrew her hands. “But you are leaving me again! How can I trust you, when everything you have done is about leaving me at the first opportune moment?”

  Alex stood, reaching for her even as she stepped back. He paused, eyeing her with evident confusion.

  “Leaving you? Why would you think such a thing?
”

  Kate lifted her chin. “I know that my brother blocked the sale of the Northumberland property unless he felt you were treating me with the honour and respect that is my due as your wife and a Duchess. Not long after I tell Duncan to stop his interference, I discover that you are partnering with Mr Rumble to begin a new excavation. How am I supposed to believe you wish to make another start with me when you are already planning a way to escape?”

  He shook his head and uttered a little laugh. Kate pulled her hands away from his. “Do not mock me, sir!”

  “I’m not mocking you, I swear it,” he began, stepping back toward her and placing his hands on her shoulders. “Katie, I find that I never want to leave your side again, so long as I live.”

  She had no chance to respond. The door to the book room was flung open again, making them both jump as Helena, a tiny storm of fury in a spencer and muslin skirts, flounced into the room.

  “Don’t you even dare shout at Katie,” she declared, walking up to Alex and pushing her stunned brother away. “She is ten times the person you are, you know, and I am only sorry it took me so long to realise it.”

  She stood between Alex and Katie, hands on her hips and a mulish glare on her face.

  “I’m sorry it took me so long as well,” replied Alex, his face solemn. Helena, looking a touch confused, cocked her head to one side. Kate had to press her lips together firmly to keep from smiling.

  “Well. I suppose you are not completely stupid in that case,” said Helena with a shrug, “but you are still an ogre, and a brute, and… and… well, you don’t deserve Katie, not when she is willing to give up everything and be exiled just to save Arthur, who is quite as big an idiot as you.”

  “You are very right,” said Alex, clasping his hands behind his back and hanging his head with mock shame. “Especially about Arthur.”

  Helena glared and crossed her arms over her chest. “You are mocking me, which is an exceptionally cruel thing to do when you ruined my life only last night. However, I am determined not to speak of that, for I am going to model myself on Katie from now on and not be as selfish as my brothers.”

  “A very good idea,” said Alex. Kate had to look away to keep from laughing, even though she had never loved Helena quite as much as she did in that moment.

  Her sister-in-law looked triumphant at Alex’s words.

  “In which case, it is my pleasure to inform you, my dear brother, that since you have exiled Kate to Darlington Park, I am going to go with her to keep her company! So there!”

  Alex nodded, his face grave. “That is indeed a great sacrifice for you.”

  Helena lifted her chin. “It is, isn’t it? But it will so be for everyone else as well, for we are all to go into exile with her.”

  Kate glanced at Alex’s face, almost losing her composure at the expression of utter confusion on his face.

  “Everyone?”

  His sister looked smug. “Yes, for Mama invited the Colbournes, the Loughcrofts, the Gloucesters, the Fitzburghs, the Pocklingtons and the Snowleys, not to mention the Delbys and Cottinghams. She may have invited a few more since I left, but she told me to come and ask Katie if she wanted to add the Putney and Standish families, or if that might be a few too many.”

  “The more the merrier,” declared Kate, unable to keep her brain from starting to assign bedrooms, devise entertainments, or put together menus for the plethora of incoming guests.

  “Capital!” declared Helena, although her glare never left Alex. “I shall go and tell Mama at once, so she can invite them directly. As you can see, dear brother, that although you may attempt to ruin the lives of the women in this family, we will not let you.”

  And with that declaration, she flounced out of the room with the same determination with which she had entered.

  Alex looked up at Kate with a confused smile. “Would you mind explaining to me what just happened, and exactly how I’ve ruined Helena’s life?”

  Kate felt the good mood brought in by Helena begin to drain away.

  “By taking Mr Rumble away with you on your new excavation,” she told him, her hands balling into fists. “I know you meant well by your actions, but to separate them in such a way has quite broken her heart.”

  “She doesn’t seem particularly heartbroken,” he replied, looking at the door.

  “That’s because you don’t know her in the least,” snapped Kate, angry on Helena’s behalf. The girl had been holding herself together with pure force of will, and Kate had never been more proud.

  Alex winced. “I’m sorry; you are correct. I don’t know her, and I plan to change that.”

  Kate let out a puff of pure frustration. “And how do you intend to do that when you are off digging in another part of the country? She will never consent to go with you, so do not even attempt it. She will come to the house party at Darlington with your mother and I.”

  “But I’m not going off to dig in another part of the country!” said Alex, moving back toward her. “Kate, I tried to tell your brother to stuff his ultimatum the moment he made it because I’d already discovered that my intelligent, enigmatic, enchanting wife was of far greater interest than some ruins in Northumberland. I told Pocklington at our ball last night that I was withdrawing my bid for the land – and he was dashed irritated about it, let me tell you!”

  Kate’s pulse thundered in her ears. She did not resist as Alex pulled her tightly against him and placed a delicate kiss on her brow.

  “You aren’t leaving?” she whispered, hating how hopeful she sounded.

  He kissed her forehead again.

  “Katie, if you will have me there, I shall never leave your side again.”

  “But what about your conversation with Mr Rumble? You invited him to work on an excavation with you!”

  “That is quite your fault, my darling,” he said with a rueful grin. “Ever since you told me about the possibility of a Roman fort on my own property I have been thinking about how to explore it further. Since it straddle’s the land owned by the Squire, it seemed natural to ask Jonathan Rumble to be involved.”

  His words sunk in. Her world began to spin once again.

  “You are going to dig at Darlington Park?”

  He put a finger beneath her chin, lifting her face gently until her eyes locked with his, their noses touching.

  “Only if you allow me to,” he murmured. “Katie, if the only way for me to prove to you that I want our marriage to work, that I want to spend the rest of my life being a husband worthy of you and a Duke worthy of my title, then I promise to give up this hobby of mine.”

  “But you love it so!” she exclaimed.

  “I love you much more,” he replied and thankfully began to kiss her before she started crying.

  “Katie! Katie, are you here? Where are you? Something terrible has happened!”

  Arthur was bellowing from the hallway. Alex released her with all the embarrassment of a man about to be caught kissing his own wife, throwing her a rueful smile just as his brother came into the room.

  “There you are! Oh, has Alex confessed to being an idiot unworthy of you?”

  “Naturally,” she replied, and smiled as her husband pressed his hands to his chest as though wounded by her words.

  “Good, nice to know he has a modicum of sense after all. Anyway, enough about the two of you. Katie – my life is ruined and dashed if you ain’t to blame!”

  She laughed before she could help herself. “What on earth have I done?”

  “You won the shooting competition!” he said, sounding utterly exasperated.

  She glanced at Alex, who just shrugged and shook his head.

  “But dearest, surely it is a good thing that you didn’t lose your entire fortune to Lord Sefton?”

  “It would be if that were the end of it,” said Arthur, looking increasingly harassed, “but it turns out that I laid a considerable sum on you to win with Brummell as well, not to mention a monkey with Colbourne, and a cool five thousand wi
th Lord Pocklington. Five thousand, for Heaven’s sake! I don’t even know when I did so! Apparently it’s all above water, though, as they’re all entered in the book at Waites’. It seems I’ve won a veritable fortune and a half!”

  “Good Lord, Arthur! It’s not like you to be so reckless!” she replied, feeling extremely glad that she had not known the extent of his betting before the competition.

  “Don’t I know it,” he said with a shake of his head.

  “I think both Katie and I are at a loss as to why this is a bad thing,” said Alex, giving voice to her confusion. “Could you enlighten us, dear brother?”

  “Because everyone knows I’m richer than Croesus!”

  “Oh dear,” said Kate, trying and failing to keep the laughter from her voice. Her brother-in-law did not see to notice.

  “Lady Fitzburgh,” said Arthur with real loathing, “is enchanted with my droll sense of humour and wonders if I am aware that her daughters appreciate it as well? Lady Delby, who I always believed a woman of sense, invites me to a small dinner so that I can get to know Lady Cordelia better – as though I haven’t been acquainted with Cordy for years! Lady Rothman wishes me to drive about the park with her daughter, while poor miss Juneberry and miss Hemsworth were practically thrown at me by their mamas!”

  “How terrible,” said Kate, before biting down hard on her lower lip.

  This time, Arthur was not fooled.

  “You may laugh, my dear, but I did not go to all this trouble to get rid of Eugenia only to be chased through London by every matchmaking mama in the city! I’m the richest bachelor in the country, and it’s all because you made that last shot! Dash it all, Katie, you’re supposed to be my friend!”

  “How unfortunate,” said Alex, doing a much better job and containing his mirth than Kate could. “I do, however, have a solution. You could retire to Darlington Park until the dust settles.”

  “Exile, you mean?” muttered Arthur.

  “Not at all, for we will be heading out that way shortly,” said Alex with deliberate cheer. “Kate has informed me that mother and Helena will be joining us. I suggest you pack up your bags immediately, and we could all journey up there together on the morrow.”