Aidan accepted the locket. “Is this the one Miss Nelson lost to the Foyles?”
A smile uncurled, reaching the baron’s mouth. “She told you of her adventures? That is good.” Intense sadness crossed the man’s countenance. “That means my sister trusts you.” Aidan heard the unspoken phrase, More than she did me. “Mr. Soames attended a local fair and came across this piece. He sent for me, and I claimed it stolen. After all, images of my parents were easily recognizable in the neighborhood. The Foyles would not say where or when they had met Mercy, but finding this piece provided me the hope of her success. She should wear it on her wedding day. I hope you will share it with her on your journey to Derbyshire.”
“I will indeed, Nelson. Your sister will be ecstatic to have it in her possession again, but would you not prefer to return it to Mercy yourself?”
“No, it is better if it comes from you. I was the reason she lost it. I would prefer my sister concentrate on the happiness of knowing our mother’s presence at her wedding than the chaotic world Mercy escaped and survived.”
*
Aidan surreptitiously watched Mercy as she readjusted her bonnet’s ribbon. He pretended to look out the coach’s window, but his eyes could not get enough of the lady’s countenance. He did not think it possible to feel complete contentment and lust at the same time, but he did. The hope of spring rested in that delightful dimple he had yet to explore properly. “You look quite fetching, my Dear,” he said invitingly.
As if she read his thoughts, she blushed. “So does my maid,” she teased. “I presented her with an equaling fetching yellow gown and bonnet.”
Aidan’s lips twitched in amusement. She would truly be a perfect match for him. “That gesture is most generous of you; however, I hope you warned the girl not to wear the gown where Sir Lesley might see it. I cannot imagine the baronet would not be pleased to know you thought so little of the frock.”
Mercy said seriously, “Until the past week, I had always thought Sir Lesley conniving and manipulative, but the baronet was as much a victim as was I. I felt empathy for his lost of face.”
Aidan was not so sympathetic. The baronet had permitted his son too much swagger. When he thought on how close he had come to losing her today, a shiver of cold ran up Aidan’s spine. If he had not knocked Mercy to the ground, the bullet, which had sped past his ear, would have lodged in her heart. He meant to see Mathias Trent fully punished for the man’s many crimes. Aidan said, “I have asked your brother to join us in Derbyshire.”
She said softly, “Is Derby our destination, my Lord?”
Aidan chuckled, “I suppose we should have discussed our journey in more detail. The mad rush to reach you in time precipitated my speedy negotiations with your brother.” Every part of his body ached to forget this conversation and just know her intimately again, but Aidan meant to begin their marriage in complete honesty.
Mercy said tentatively, “I am honored by your devotion to my safety, my Lord, but did the mad rush, as you term it, also precipitate an omission of a proper proposal?” Although her voice held a quiver of nervousness lacing her words, Miss Nelson’s eyes spoke a challenge.
Aidan swallowed the bubble of happiness threatening to escape. The lady would bring a hoydenish mix of elegance to his life. “I would think my ‘mad rush’ would be declaration enough of my affections,” he countered.
Her chin rose in defiance. “Even so, a girl would prefer to be asked. A man should not take a woman for granted, my Lord.”
Aidan teased, “They are merely words, Miss Nelson.” As he spoke, he shifted from the rear-facing seat to sit beside her. “And I doubt you would refuse my hand.”
She petulantly looked away. “Do you consider yourself such a great catch, Lord Lexford? My, I never realized your vanity.”
He caught her chin to turn it in his direction. “You of all people know I have no call for either vanity or pride. My historic family has been shaken to its core, but what I have to offer is my true regard for you. For your loyalty. Your creativity and your boldness. Your beautiful smile and your expressive eyes. I wish to spend my life with you by my side. You would do me a great honor, if you would accept my hand in marriage.”
A single tear ran down her cheek. “That was so beautiful,” the lady said with a sigh of admiration. “I shall remember the moment forever.”
Aidan’s brow rose in curiosity. “Was that a yes?’
She launched herself in Aidan’s arms. “Of course, it is a yes. I have never been happier.” She offered her mouth, and Aidan took great pleasure in tasting her again. She pressed her body to him, and heat rose quickly. Her eyes fluttered closed; her lips parted, and their tongues began a passionate dance. It pleased him to know he had taught her to kiss so keenly. He sank into the kiss, pulling her to him.
As his lust grew, with great difficulty, Aidan set her from him. He gasped for breath, but it was the best he had felt since those carefree childhood days of playing with Aylene in his mother’s chambers. It was as if the shadows, which had haunted him forever, had disappeared in the mid day sun. “We should…we should wait…wait for the vows,” he stammered. When she frowned, he added, “I want us to come to the marriage bed with all our secrets in the open. Many details were revealed in your absence from Lexington Arms. I must tell you all, and we must set a new path. There are secrets, which would destroy Aaron and the viscountship.” Aidan gazed at her intently, awaiting her response.
“I would do whatever is necessary to protect Master Aaron. The boy is quite dear to me. I would be honored and grateful to have a say in the boy’s future. Without us to stand in his stead, the world would have the child suffer for his parents’ sins.”
Returning to the backward-facing seat, he said, “Then we should have at it.” For the next half hour he told her of how Mrs. Babcock’s death had hurried his learning the truth. Like peeling away the layers of an onion, Aidan had laid his history at her feet. “When we marry, we must continue the ruse. You are still my cousin, and I am the second son of Arlen Kimbolt. Aaron is my nephew and first in line as the heir until we produce legitimate heirs to the title. When we exit this coach, those are the parameters of our lives.”
Aidan had felt nothing but awkwardness in discussing his family with her. He hoped she understood how much he required her to place her trust in him–how often he had prayed for someone to accept him as he was. No feigned cordiality. No being everyone’s friend. Simply recognizing him: Aidan Kimbolt, a man of eight and twenty, who meant to bring fame to his family’s name as a breeder of fine horses. As a man of great passions.
Reeling from his revelations, she sat stunned for several seconds. She twisted her hands together. “I have a confession, my Lord. I discovered Lady Cassandra’s diary, but I feared what was within would bring you grief. I asked Mr. Hill to destroy it. Can you forgive me?”
Aidan’s eyes narrowed. “Is this your answer to my revelations? A plea for forgiveness?” There went that little flip of doubt in his chest again.
This time, it was she who moved to sit on the bench beside him. She met his gaze and answered with complete sincerity. “Did you truly think I would deny you, my Lord? Do you not understand, Aidan? I love you most dearly. So dearly my only concern is I have disappointed you.”
“You love me?” He blinked in surprise.
“Surely, you realize I could not have…” Mercy blushed thoroughly. She paused as though seeking strength. “You wish to know if I can live within the strictures you have described. As I assisted in creating the myth, I assure you I am your servant. I see no impediment. You were born to be the viscount, and you will define the title. We will think of Andrew as your brother and Aaron as your nephew. The boy will make a great cousin for our children.” Again a flush rose to her cheeks. “We will play our roles so well no one will question our children’s rights to the title.”
He pulled her close and held her to him. “I have loved you from the first moment I held your hand,” he whispered against her hair, and Aidan
meant it. He kissed her slowly and quite thoroughly. A future was finally within reach.
Inhaling her essence, Aidan set her away for a second time. “I have one last confession. This one will bring you grief, but you must learn it before we arrive in Derbyshire.”
Her bottom lip trembled, but she said, “Then tell me quick.”
Aidan cleared his throat. “Until today, I had thought you aware of your sister’s good fortune in marrying Lord Godown. It was my failure in not understanding how desperate were your circumstances.”
Mercy said softly, “I should have trusted you with my identity. Geoffrey had taught me to fear my choices.”
“You have learned of Lady Godown’s survival,” he began.
“Oh, yes,” she said anxiously. “Please say after we marry we may call upon my sister. It would be the greatest of gifts, my Lord.”
Aidan caught her hand. “If I could give you your sister’s company, I would readily agree.” Aidan hesitated, very serious. “Do you not recall my speaking of the marquis and the attacks upon his being?” He did not pause to give her time to answer. His remark was meant only to prompt her memory. “The marquis and his wife have argued. Lord Godown has chosen to send the marquise to one of his lesser properties to await the birth of a child.”
Her eyes closed in despair, and Aidan could feel the tension break over him. Tears pricked at her lashes. “Grace is to be a mother? To be with child and to be banished from her home…oh, my poor Grace!” Mercy pleaded, “Do you know of this property? May we journey there to bring Grace comfort? My sister should not face motherhood alone.”
Aidan’s thumb stroked a line across her wrist, and he did not meet her eyes. “The story is quite complicated, but know your sister is not in Devon. She assisted the marquis in rescuing his aunts from the man you knew as Lord Spectre, but before Godown could dispense with Spectre and see to his elderly aunts’ well beings, your sister left her husband to find shelter for her and her child.”
Mercy’s expression displayed her confusion. “Your tale does not articulate the truth of Grace. My sister would be a devoted wife and mother,” she asserted. “Speak to me of Grace’s sin. What would cause the marquis to send her away?”
Aidan was uncomfortable discussing Godown’s personal life. “Spectre, whose real name is Benjamin Talbot, orchestrated several attacks upon Godown’s life. The marquis knew of your sister’s acquaintance with the man. Circumstances indicated Lady Godown had conspired against her husband. More importantly, Godown feared the child was not his.”
Tears crept down her cheeks. “Oh, my darling Grace! How could the marquis have ever doubted her? Grace would never perpetrate such a lie!”
Aidan admitted, “The evidence spoke of your sister’s connection to Spectre. Even I questioned her involvement.” A long silence followed. “For what it is worth, Lord Godown grieves for his wife’s absence. He searches for her everywhere.”
“The marquis deserves any pain he knows,” she said with a snit. “I briefly held kind thoughts regarding Lord Godown’s assistance with Geoffrey, but not if his doing so was at Grace’s detriment. Do you not understand, my Lord? Being with child will prevent Grace from earning a living. How will she and the babe survive?”
“I assure you, Lord Godown will never stop searching for his wife. Despite their contentious beginning, Godown adores his marquise. I have seen his affection written upon his face. Before I returned to Lexington Arms to discover you under my roof, I was quite jealous of Godown’s transformation,” he confessed.
Her tears flowed easily. “May we assist Lord Godown in his search? Keep whatever you offered in the marriage settlements for my pin money and use it to find Grace. I require nothing new. I shall gladly make due with the gowns I have at Lexington Arms. My sister is more important. Promise me it will be so, my Lord.”
“There is no need, my Dear. I will gladly make the offer to Godown. A man knows his obligations.”
She kissed his knuckles. “My family will never be easy, my Lord. If you wish to withdrawal, I would understand.” They both knew the not exactly comfortable, and never simple, ways of a fractured family.
Aidan gathered her to him. “Even if I did not hold you in great affection, there is the possibility of your carrying my child. We are bound to each other in spirit. The vows are only for the public announcement of that bond. A piece of paper cannot demand love or fidelity. Only trust and faith and affection can keep two together as one.”
*
It was well after dark when the coach entered the gate of Linton Park. Mercy had rested in his arms for the previous two hours. Her head had rocked forth and back upon his shoulder, and Aidan had gloried in the contentment of hearing her steady breath sliding in and out of her body. It was the oddest feeling to possess someone who returned his affection. Foolish as it sounded he wished to climb the gables of Linton Park and shout of his happiness.
“You must wake, my Dear,” he said as he shook her lightly. As Mercy’s eyes batted open and close, Aidan kissed her tenderly.
When he released her, she sighed deeply, and the knowledge she affected him as much as he did her went a long way in satisfying Aidan’s hunger for his betrothed. “Where are we?” she said sleepily.
Aidan smiled as he straightened his waistcoat and curate. “We will be at Linton Park in a matter of minutes.”
“Oh, my!” She slid to the other bench and began to rearrange her clothing. “What will your friends think of me? I am so disheveled.” She tucked strands of hair into her chignon.
Aidan smiled easily at her. “The only one you must please is seated in this carriage, and I believe you beyond beautiful.”
As the carriage rolled into the circle before the house, the manor’s door swung wide to reveal James Kerrington standing in the muted light of a lantern. The viscount’s presence surprised Aidan for he knew the Worthings had attended the dowager duchess’s engagement party. They must have departed immediately following the party’s conclusion. He had thought he would be required to plead with the Earl and Countess of Linworth for permission to use the Linton Chapel for his nuptials. Now, he supposed Worthing would extend his best wishes. When Swenton joined the viscount on the main stoop, Aidan breathed easier. His friend had not failed him.
The carriage rolled to a stop, and Aidan slid across the seat to loosen the door’s latch.
“It is you,” Worthing declared as he pulled open the coach’s door. “Ole Taylor recognized Lucifer in the seat, but the gatekeeper did not know the carriage.” Worthing glanced toward an obviously nervous Mercy. “I see you were successful in your quest.”
“Did you expect anything less,” Aidan said a bit tersely. He was not in the mood for the “Captain’s” jesting. “Assist the lady from the carriage, Worthing, and then I will make the proper introductions.”
Worthing chuckled. “As you wish, my Lord.” The viscount set down the steps and then extended his hand to Mercy. “Please accept the hand of a stranger, Miss,” he teased.
Aidan’s lady rose to the challenge, and in that moment, Aidan knew she had won over the viscount. “As I have my most loyal knight at my side, I shall venture into the unknown, my Lord.” She gracefully placed her hand in Kerrington’s to debark.
Aidan followed close behind her, and he overheard Worthing whisper, “I am handier with both a sword and a gun than is your deserving knight, my Dear.”
Mercy smiled up at the viscount. “Yet, my knight’s heart is true, my Lord, and yours belongs to another.”
Worthing barked out a laugh. “You will do quite nicely for Lord Lexford; welcome to the family.”
Aidan cleared his throat menacingly. “Please release my betrothed, Worthing.”
The viscount held tightly to Mercy’s hand. “I must think on your request, my Lord. You see, I am in a quandary. I hold a beautiful woman’s hand, and I was considering kissing the back of it.”
Aidan said through gritted teeth. “I would prefer you did not, my Lord.”
/> Worthing turned to Aidan and smiled widely. “And I would prefer you had not kissed my wife,” the viscount taunted.
Even in the dark shadows, Aidan was certain all could observe his embarrassment. He said, “When did you discover this particular fact?”
Worthing brought Mercy closer to his side. “Ella keeps no secrets from me,” he said seriously. “At least, not for very long. And that is my advice to you. Before you join your lives, commit to each other completely. Only then, will you know true happiness.” With that, the viscount handed off Mercy’s hand to Aidan.
Aidan’s brows tightened together before he slid his arm about her waist. “A hard lesson,” he said solemnly.
Worthing bowed. “The only kind to which you have ever adhered. Now, introduce me to your lady so we may retreat from the cold. The others await you inside.”
“What others?” Aidan said suspiciously.
Worthing shook his head in disbelief. “Only a fool would think we would permit you to open your life to your lady, and we would not be witnesses. All are within, excluding Fowler. The Duchess is suffering with the child she carries, but know the duke played his part. When Swenton attempted to claim a license in your name, the bishop denied the request. It took the considerable sway of a duke, a marquis, an earl, two viscounts, a baron, and a baronet to convince him.”
Aidan questioned, “Two viscounts?” The idea of their devotion shook Aidan’s composure.
“Lord Stafford joined our quest,” Worthing explained. “The viscount signed the license as if he were you. The man is quite daring.”
Aidan chuckled, “Although Godown would not agree, I have often thought Stafford would have made a good agent.” He brought the back of Mercy’s hand to his lips. “As Viscount Worthing suggests, we should meet our wedding guests, my Dear.”
*
They had stepped into a whirlwind. His friends and their ladies greeted them. Aidan could not recall a time when he had smiled so much. Miss Nelson had remained by his side throughout, and he was drunk upon the excitement. Swenton had explained in more detail how he had recruited the others to pressure the bishop into signing off on a special license. “When he entered the room to discover a gaggle of aristocrats seeking his understanding, the Bishop quickly changed his mind.”
Realm 05 - A Touch of Mercy Page 38