Only a Viscount Will Do (To Marry a Rogue)

Home > Other > Only a Viscount Will Do (To Marry a Rogue) > Page 15
Only a Viscount Will Do (To Marry a Rogue) Page 15

by Tamara Gill


  “I will not. And for two reasons,” she said, holding up two fingers. “First, you have no choice. Second, I will sweeten the deal for you, even though you deserve no such appeasement.”

  He raised his brow. “How so?”

  “Well, I’m glad you asked.” He rolled his eyes and she sat back down. “The crime you committed, should I go to my brother about, would either see you at the end of a noose, or transported for life. Because of Amelia, and only because of your daughter, Victoria and I have agreed to hold what we know to ourselves. We will, and I can promise on my life, never break that promise of silence, but of course, it comes at a price.”

  Alice could see the muscle on his temple flex before he said, “And that fee is to help you with your cottage rebuilds.”

  “Yes.” She smiled and he glared. “But that’s not all. Gathering the only jewel in the bag was Mama’s brooch, Victoria and I worked out an approximate value of £1200. Does that seem correct?”

  …

  Callum stopped grinding his teeth. Lady Alice Worthingham was clever, but even this went beyond what he ever thought her capable of, and he had held her in high regard. Well, until she’d come up with the absurd notion she was spouting right at this moment. “That seems correct.”

  “Well, forgive my rudeness, but—”

  He scoffed and she paused. Forwardness, if not rudeness, was her second nature.

  “What?” she asked, looking at him like an innocent child and not the devil’s spawn she so obviously was.

  He waved her concern aside. Something told him whatever Lady Alice had to say, he needed his wits about him. “Nothing, please continue.”

  “What I was going to say was that your home seems in disrepair. You’re selling land, and you’re stealing items from wealthy land owners. Forgive me, my lord, but your pockets are to let.”

  “My financial situation is not your concern, Lady Alice.” He threw her a silencing stare, which of course, she ignored.

  “I find speaking frank and to the point is best, and Lord Arndel, by the state of your library, anyone can assume what I’ve just stated. But it is here that I think I can help.”

  “You cannot save everyone, my lady. Now,” he said standing, wanting the little minx out of his house. He’d had enough of being told what he already knew: that he was asset-rich but bloody broke. Not even able to keep his daughter safe from moneylenders hell bent on claiming their pound of flesh. “I think it best that you return to Dunsleigh.”

  “I don’t,” she said, not moving. “I will offer you a boon, and I think you should take the offer. I know you’ll not see it favorably, but again, should you refuse, I shall have to think again about keeping your secret safe. For my solution will help you and your daughter, who is my main concern in all this trouble you’ve brought upon your head.”

  With each word out of her mouth, no matter how consuming or exquisite, right at this moment, were he not a gentleman, he’d throw the Lady Alice Worthingham out on her perfectly shaped ass. If only the solution he was sure she was about to disclose was as easy as that.

  “I will, therefore, offer to pay you each week up until the equal value of the amount you stole. I’m sorry that money has caused you to act in such a way, but I believe you should swallow your pride, if not for yourself, most certainly for Amelia. No one need know of our arrangement. It’ll be between you and me.”

  You and me. The words pulled him from the red haze he was starting to see her through. As much as she was trying to help, the thought of charity, when he’d grown up with nothing but second-hand goods and, sometimes, a peer’s leftovers, made his fists clench at his side. He’d promised to find a way forward with this estate in the atrocious condition it had been left for him, but he’d be damned if he’d accept help from an interfering miss who thought too highly of herself. Not that her offer helped in the least. The moneylenders wanted the Duchess of Penworth’s brooch, the last trinket in a long line of beautiful jewels that had paid off his cousin’s debt.

  “Forgive me for being blunt and not a little rude, but get out. Now.”

  She gasped and for a moment, he regretted speaking to her so, not liking the hurt that flickered through her eyes. But she needed to leave. Immediately. Before he picked her up and placed her outside, preferably on a rose bush with thorns or a freshly laid horseshit patty.

  She gathered up her gloves, pulling them on vigorously while glaring at him. He marveled at her courage. Even in the face of his temper, she had a backbone. Callum couldn’t help but adore her more for it. “Think about my offer. All of what I offer.” She walked to the door and paused. “Work in Ashford commences tomorrow. I’ll be there from nine.”

  Callum held up his hand, not wanting to hear another word. No gentleman should swear in front of a woman, but that was all he wished to do. “Good day, Lady Alice.” Not that she was acting like one.

  She curtsied. “Good day, my lord.”

  “Daddy?”

  Alice stopped on the threshold and looked up to where his daughter stood at the top of the stairs.

  Callum sighed, gesturing for his daughter to come down. “Amelia, this is Lady Alice Worthingham, the Duke of Penworth’s sister. Lady Alice, this is my daughter, Miss Amelia Arndel.”

  Alice dipped into a curtsy and so, too, did Amelia. Callum smiled, knowing she’d been practicing for such situations for months. He winked at his daughter.

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Miss Amelia. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  Callum frowned, knowing Alice was lying to save his own rude ass at not telling anyone of his daughter’s existence. Why he had not, he doubted he’d ever fathom. It wasn’t like he was ashamed of her. He loved Amelia more than life itself, but perhaps he’d wished to keep her safe from people who would view her differently for not having been born a peer.

  “You have?” Amelia clasped Callum’s hand. “Papa, you told her ladyship about me? How exciting.”

  Alice chuckled. “He did and he told me you’re doing very well in your studies.”

  Something in Callum’s chest thumped hard at how kind Alice was being toward his daughter. And what a spectacular liar she was. And what a total ass he’d been.

  “I am, my lady. I’m studying very hard and learning all my letters and I can count now up to one hundred.”

  “That’s wonderful. How very proud your father must be.”

  Callum swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. “I’m always proud of my poppet, no matter what she does.”

  Amelia smiled up at him and Callum lifted her up. Alice eyed them a moment, before she turned back toward the door.

  “Alas, I must go, but thank you for seeing me today, my lord. And Amelia?”

  “Yes,” his daughter said, her eyes bright with expectation.

  “I think we’re going to be great friends, and so would you mind calling me Alice? Titles are so tiresome sometimes, don’t you agree?”

  “I would love to call you Alice. Thank you, my lady.”

  Alice chuckled at his daughter’s lapse already. “I will call again, Amelia, and we’ll have tea. All young ladies need to learn such etiquette if they’re to host afternoons in Town when they’re older.”

  Amelia turned to Callum. “Can Alice teach me, Papa? Please say yes?”

  “Of course,” he said, nodding to the woman wiggling under his skin more each day. What a truly remarkable soul Alice was, even if she was a meddler at times. “Thank you for the offer.”

  “It’s no trouble. Amelia and I will have a jolly good time. I’m sure of it.”

  The footman opened the door and Alice turned to leave. “Think about my offer, Lord Arndel.”

  He glared at her departing figure, all good humor going at the reminder. “Good day, my lady, and thank you again for coming.”

  She waved a hand over her head but didn’t reply.

  Unable to control his ire, Callum slammed the front door before she reached the second step. He strode back into his library, h
is footsteps like the drum of a war march before the battle. Various servants stopped to see what the ruckus was about, but with a steely glare, they soon went back to their employment.

  He placed Amelia down on the chair before his desk, before pouring himself a whisky, swirling the golden liquid in the crystal glass before downing it in one swallow. How dare she expect him to heel to her rules? He would never, under any circumstances, be blackmailed again. Callum would sooner walk down the main thoroughfare of Mayfair naked before doing as she asked.

  “Papa, Lady Alice had the loveliest gown I’ve ever seen. Did you see?”

  Arndel looked up, having forgotten his daughter was in the room with him. He smiled and, picking her up, sat down with her on his lap.

  “I must admit I didn’t notice her ladyship’s gown.” Liar, he had noticed her attire, right down to the delicate fichu that sat across her chest that attempted to conceal the delicacies hidden beneath. He tweaked her button nose when she gave him a disbelieving stare.

  “I hope she calls again. I would love to take tea with a real lady. She has lovely hair.” Amelia sighed and Callum smiled. Alice did have lovely long locks, and he wished he’d managed to feel them the day they’d kissed. Not that that would ever happen again. ’Twas a shame, for no matter his lies to her, Lady Alice’s untutored lips had been delightful. Another lie he’d told.

  His daughter looked up at him, her normally perfect forehead furrowed in confusion. “Do all gentlemen slam doors after their guests have left? Nanny says gentlemen should always open the doors for ladies and bow in farewell, or perhaps even kiss their hand, so long as the lady has a glove on.”

  Guilt rolled through him at the thought of his crass, ungentlemanlike behavior. That his daughter had been privy to it made it even worse. He ought to be taken outside and horse whipped. “I apologize for what you witnessed, Amelia. I shouldn’t have slammed the door behind Lady Alice. I was angry and upset over something we had discussed earlier, but even so, that is no excuse. I will be sure to apologize to her next I see her.” Arndel inwardly shook his head at his own actions. What was I thinking? The woman, vexing as she was, held his little angel’s future in the palm of her hand. He would be wise to think over her offer and meet her in Ashford on the morn, for he could never bear to lose or leave his precious girl.

  “Papa, are you angry with me?”

  “Of course not. What makes you ask such a thing?” he asked, pushing a lock of hair away from her eyes and meeting her gaze.

  His daughter’s little hand rubbed against his face and tried to pull his lips into a smile. “You look mad at me.”

  “Never at you, pet. I was thinking of how terribly I’ve acted. I promise it shall never happen again.” And it would not. If there was one thing Callum honored, it was his word to his daughter.

  “Will you allow me to ride Whiskers today? Nanny said I was free to play for an hour or two.”

  For all the years he would live, Callum would forever marvel at how changeable children and their thoughts could be. He hugged her for a moment, before swinging her up into his arms and onto his shoulders, eliciting a squeal of excitement from her.

  “Well, we had better make the most of our time and get out to the stables straight away. And, when we return, would you like to have lunch in the dining room with me? I’ll be all alone, otherwise.”

  “Oh, yes please, can I? I should practice, Papa, since I’m going to be a lady when I grow up, exactly the same as Lady Alice.”

  Callum walked toward the back of the house, ensuring his daughter didn’t hit her head on the door threshold as they headed toward the stable. Her future was paramount, and, if for a time, he had to please the esteemed Worthingham daughter, then so be it. He would bow to her decree and ensure the little lady atop his shoulders was forever free of scandal. As for his cousin’s debt and the final jewel that was due, well, he could only hope the sale of his horses and the money that would bring would be payment enough for the moneylenders.

  To work for Alice for some weeks would be no hardship. Callum could only hope he could withstand the company of the little minx without strangling her…or kissing the hell out of her.

  Chapter Eleven

  The carriage pulled up before the cottages in Ashford and Alice jumped down, not waiting for her driver to open the door. Already she could hear the hammering of wood and nails, and as she stared at the buildings, a cart full of timber rumbled down the road and stopped before the houses. The air smelled of pine and she breathed deep, liking the scent and all that it meant for the houses before her. New roofs, walls, and furniture. Wonderful things.

  She watched the few men who worked. Scaffolding was being placed along the front of the dwellings and already some men were working on the roof, pulling down the leaking thatch roofing to be replaced with the new slate tiles Alice had chosen.

  A man stepped outside and spoke with the cart driver, and it took Alice a moment to recognize him. Joy, unlike she’d ever known, shot through her and she couldn’t stop the smile that bloomed on her face. Lord Arndel turned and nodded in welcome. Alice stared like a besotted fool. Dressed in laboring clothing that was the polar opposite to what he normally would wear, the sight left her speechless.

  She’d not thought he could become any more handsome than he already was, and yet here was a man who would turn any young woman’s eye. Not that she was looking at him as a husband. After his atrocious behavior, his lordship would be lucky if they ended up as friends. Who am I fooling? She liked him. Surrey Bandit or no.

  He started toward her, and she sighed at the sight of his tan breeches and black knee-high boots that only accentuated his fine form. Alice ought to chastise herself for being so crass, but she did not. Her behavior was not that of a lady and she should be ashamed of herself, but she wasn’t.

  His lordship swiped off his hat and pushed back his unruly hair, that spiked a little, due to a sheen of sweat that covered his forehead. Her knees betrayed her and, for a moment, she fought not to faint.

  “Good morning, Lady Alice. I hope you’ve come to work hard.”

  The glint of amusement in his eyes made her smile. “You changed your mind? I didn’t think I would see you here today.”

  “I’ve conceded on a couple of your requests, but not all, and we’ll discuss those changes a little later over lunch. I’ve booked the private parlor at the inn for our use.”

  Alice nodded, excited at the thought of dining alone with his lordship. Well, other than the presence of her maid. “I look forward to it.”

  He ushered her into the first cottage, Benny’s old home, and headed to where the kitchen was located. They discussed at length the changes that would take place and going over the plans, decided the table could also be built into the house’s design to save more room and additional cost for the families who would call these cottages home.

  The builders nodded in understanding, but continued to work, every now and then talking to Callum and taking direction from him.

  “I see you’ve settled in quite successfully as foreman.”

  “I came early, before they arrived. I suppose they assumed I was the one they should listen to when they saw a lord dressed, ready for work, and giving orders before they’d strapped their tools to their belts.” He laughed. “It was a plan that seems to have worked.”

  They walked up the stairs and came to the children’s room. “I thought the beds would be best beside the window, two bunks on either side so they have a view and sunlight, of course.”

  “Bunks? What are those?” Alice had never heard of such a thing, but they sounded interesting, and if the item was helpful to the family, she was grateful for any suggestions or advice Lord Arndel could give her.

  “They’re beds that stack on top of one another. We had them as children, due to our house being only a small cottage, much like this one. Space was utilized well.”

  The thought of Arndel growing up in a cottage seemed at odds to where he now lived and the title he cl
aimed. “How is it that you grew up in such circumstances? You’re a viscount now, surely your upbringing had to have been better than this,” Alice said, waving her hands about the room.

  “My mama, God rest her soul, married for love, which meant she did not marry for money. My father was the third son of a vicar who couldn’t afford to send anyone other than his eldest to university. My father had to make his own way in the world. Mama’s family disowned her and cut her off without connections or funds when she married him.”

  Alice touched Lord Arndel’s arm as he seemed to grapple with saying such things out loud. “I’m so very sorry for her. That must have been very hard and upsetting to lose one’s family merely for loving someone not worthy in their eyes.”

  “Surprisingly, Mama bore it very easily, as I don’t believe the Arndels were very loving to begin with, so she missed only the finer things in life. My grandmother, who’s still alive, refuses to come to Kester House now because I’m a viscount. I wish Mama were alive to enjoy such theatrics. She would’ve relished having the upper hand on all the snobs.”

  Alice laughed. “I think I would’ve liked your mother, my lord.”

  He nodded in agreement, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “You remind me of her with your wild ways and spontaneity. And like my mother, you’re always trying to make other’s lives better. She did, too, although most of the time it was us taking charity and not the other way around.”

  They stood in silence for a moment, before Alice said, “So these beds, there would actually be two in total space, but four beds overall?”

  “That’s right,” he said. “And you could make it that the beds could hold yet another on top, making six beds in total. Of course, the higher beds are for the older children, with safety rails to keep them from falling off.”

  Alice pictured the beds in her mind’s eye and marveled at the ingenious use of space. It was brilliant. “I cannot wait to see them, and I know the families going into these cottages are going to burst with excitement at seeing what we’ve done for them.” Without thinking, Alice hugged Lord Arndel in thanks, excited about the future prospects of these homes and his help in achieving those dreams.

 

‹ Prev