What a Reckless Rogue Needs

by Vicky Dreiling

  “I must write and thank her.”

  “Before I left, I realized I wanted to give you a gift, your heart’s desire, and while there is nothing tangible, your name is clear, and Mrs. Norcliffe assured me that you will be able to attend your sister’s debut ball.”

  Her face crumpled.

  “Oh, no, please don’t cry.”

  “I’m a watering pot today,” she said, “but they are happy tears.”

  He blotted her face again.

  She lifted on her toes and hugged him hard.

  “I know it means the world to you.”

  “You mean the world to me,” she said.

  He raised her hands and kissed the backs of them. Then he knelt on one knee. “It isn’t my first proposal, but this one will hopefully be a little more romantic.”

  She blinked back the moisture in her eyes.

  “Angeline, I love you dearly. You are unique, funny, and a very talented pretend courtesan.”

  She laughed.

  “But I cannot allow any other pretend men to enjoy your charms, because I want them all for myself.”

  She smiled. “I think you’re man enough for me.”

  “Whew,” he said, pretending to wipe a sheen of moisture off his forehead. “Now, I didn’t prepare, but I know what I want to say. I will promise to smite any mice in the attic, and make wild, passionate love to you. Most of all, I promise to love and cherish you always. I beg you to spend a lifetime with me laughing and loving. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes, I will marry you.”

  “Oh, thank God.”

  She laughed again. “Stand up, silly. I promised you kisses upon your return.”

  He stood and kissed her gently on the lips, and then the kiss caught fire. He opened her mouth and tasted her. She felt at last that she had welcomed him with no reserve and no fears. “I love you, Colin.”

  He rubbed noses with her. “I know. Who else would defend me to my father?”

  “Do you think our families will be surprised?”

  “No,” he said. “Oh, one reason I’m late is I paid a visit to the archbishop. We will marry by special license.”

  “Oh, that should impress Mrs. Quimby.”

  His chest shook with laughter. “I had better ask your father’s permission. My father assured me that Wycoff would probably want to kill me, but he’s a bad shot so the odds are with me.”

  The duke stopped outside the door. “Ravenshire, you’re home. Take your hands off my daughter.”

  “Papa, your timing is excellent,” she said.

  “Wycoff, I wish to marry your daughter. Will you give your blessing?”

  “Hmmm.” Wycoff looked at his daughter. “Are you sure you want him? He’s not like a fish; you can’t throw him back.”

  “Yes, Papa, I’m sure I want him.”

  He cleared his throat. “Well, then, you have my blessing.”

  “Excellent.” Colin shook Wycoff’s hand and then he picked up Angeline, and she shrieked.

  Naturally footsteps followed. They turned to find their families invading the drawing room. Everyone exchanged hugs and congratulations. The marquess requested a bottle of champagne and said the girls could have a tiny bit. Margaret took Angeline aside and showed her the ruby bracelet and confessed she’d won the wager with Chadwick, who apparently had doubts about Colin and Angeline getting married.

  In the midst of the celebration, the twins set Hercules down in the drawing room. He had a sealed letter in his mouth.

  The marquess picked up the dog and set him at Colin’s feet. “Drop it, Hercules,” he said.

  Colin bent down. The dog sank his teeth into the letter and growled.

  “Drop it, Hercules,” the marquess said.

  The dog whined and the letter fell with a slight clink.

  Colin grasped the letter, broke the seal, and a key fell out. He picked it up and looked at the letter.

  Son,

  I finally figured out a way. When all else fails, bribery usually works. May you and Angeline be happy always at Sommerall.

  I’m proud of you.

  Colin swallowed hard and showed it to Angeline. When her eyes welled, he put his arm around her. “You’re not crying over an old house, are you?”

  “No, I’m crying sentimental tears, because today is magical.”

  He leaned down and said, “No, you are.” Colin squared his shoulders. “Father, I’ve been wondering about the Faradays.”

  “Oh, what about them?” the marquess said.

  “They took your bribe so willingly.”

  “I made them an offer they could not refuse.”

  “Father, who the devil are they, really?”

  “Traveling actors,” he said.

  Angeline gasped. “No!”

  The marquess shrugged. “I was desperate and had to do something. By the way, Lady Angeline, Mrs. Faraday, the actress, bid me to apologize to you. Apparently, she thought you were living in sin with my son.”

  “I’ll be damned,” Colin said.

  “Colin, we do not use that sort of language,” Margaret said.

  “Pardon me,” Colin said. He noted that Bianca and Bernadette lit up like the lanterns at Vauxhall. He figured he’d just added to the twin’s colorful vocabularies.

  A fortnight later

  “Are you nervous, Angie?” Penny asked.

  “No, not really, but I am so happy that you agreed to attend me.”

  “I’m honored,” Penny said, “but I will miss you, Angie.”

  “You know that you can always visit us. The twins are nearby. Best of all, this spring you will make your debut, and everyone will be there.” Including me, all because of Colin.

  Marie finished styling her hair. “You look beautiful, my lady.”

  “Thank you, Marie.”

  Her mother came inside the room. “You are not dressed yet.”

  “Mama, Angie insisted I must dress first,” Penny said.

  “You have always loved your sister, Angeline.”

  “Who would not love Penelope?”

  “My lady, shall we dress you?” Marie said.

  A tap sounded at the door. Margaret peeked inside. “May we come in?”

  “Of course,” Angeline said.

  The twins sat on the bed and watched as Marie tightened the strings of the stays and smoothed them out over the petticoat. Then she stepped inside the beautiful white gown with yards of lace and rosettes on the hem. Her mother clasped her own pearl necklace on Angeline. Then she donned her slippers. “Well?”

  Her mother carefully hugged her. “I am so very happy for you. No one deserves it more.”

  “Thank you, Mama.”

  Another knock sounded. Margaret opened the door. The duke stood there. “It is time, Daughter.”

  She took her father’s arm. He escorted her down the stairs and into the waiting carriage. Her mother and Penny followed inside. The carriage rolled off, and Angeline inhaled. “Oh, goodness, I have butterflies in my stomach.”

  “That is normal,” her mother said.

  The duke looked at Angeline. “You have always been beautiful, but you are even more so today.”

  The carriage arrived quickly. Her arms were a little shaky as her father escorted her down the aisle. Colin’s friend Harry nudged him. Colin turned to watch her, and she knew she would never forget the look of love in his eyes.

  At last Angeline stood beside him. Her little sister held her posy, and Harry winked at him.

  The familiar words of the ceremony washed over Colin. Not long ago, his life had seemed so aimless, but standing in this church beside the woman who would be his wife from this day forward, he knew that there was a purpose to all things. Even before he took the marriage vows, he had sworn that he would never take her for granted, and he would tell her that he loved her every single day of their lives together.

  Then it was time to repeat the vows. He slid the ring over her slender finger and looked into her eyes. “With this ring I thee we
d, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow.”

  Reverend Quimby said, “For as much as Angeline and Colin have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth either to the other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a ring, and by joining of hands: I pronounce that they be man and wife together, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”

  Deerfield

  There was much rejoicing at the wedding breakfast. Angeline ate very little because she still had butterflies in her stomach. Colin made up for it by eating two slices of cake. Bellingham and his wife attended. Three times Bell had to grab his son, who tried to pull Hercules’s curly tail.

  The footmen circulated with glasses of champagne. Bianca and Bernadette got scolded after Margaret found them draining two glasses of champagne. The marquess was worried that they held their liquor like a man. He confessed to Colin that it didn’t bode well. Colin advised him to have locks installed on the sideboard.

  Penny took a slice of cake to Harry. When Angeline remembered Penny asking about kissing boys, she steered her sister away from Harry and took her aside. “He’s too old for you, and he’s a rake.”

  “He’s ever so witty,” Penny said. “I know he’s too old, but a girl can look.”

  Someone dropped cake on the floor, and Hercules gobbled it up. Mrs. Quimby asked every single guest if they had made the acquaintance of Baron Overton. Mr. and Mrs. Faraday congratulated Colin and Angeline and said they had never had a finer time as actors.

  The celebration lasted for hours, but as the autumn sun started to set, Colin took Angeline’s hands, and she thought she might melt on the spot from the way he looked at her. They said good-bye to all their friends and family, and then they took the carriage six miles to their home, Sommerall House.

  There was a chilly breeze as they hurried to the door. Colin unlocked the door, picked her up, and carried her over the threshold. Then he slid her down his body. “Welcome home, my wife.”

  She cupped his face. “My husband.”

  They removed their wraps and walked up the familiar stairs. A fire was burning in the bedchamber where they had made love that rainy night. Someone, probably Margaret, had put the servants to work. The covers were turned down, and there was a bottle of wine.

  He removed her stunning gown and all the rest of her clothing. Then he laid her on the sheets gently as if she were made of the finest crystal. After he shed his own clothes, he joined her in the bed and turned on his side. “Tonight is our first night as a married couple. I don’t want to think what my life might have turned out like if not for you. Now I have my family and yours and ours together. All because of you, my beautiful Angeline.”

  She rose over him. “Lay back, Husband.”

  “Why?”

  “I want to take advantage of you.”

  “Help,” he said in a mocking meek voice.

  In the next moment, he gasped for real as she used her tongue on him. “Have mercy, Wife.”

  Her only response was a wicked laugh.

  Epilogue

  London, spring 1822

  At Angeline’s request, Mrs. Norcliffe delayed the ball for Angeline’s return to society in deference of the debuts for Penelope, Bianca, and Bernadette. Colin looked into his wife’s shining eyes and thought she was even more beautiful. She did look as if she were glowing within. Now and then she placed her hand over her slightly rounded belly.

  Colin leaned down. “Is she kicking?”

  “He is stretching and pushing as if he thinks he can get out.”

  “She is anxious to make her debut, but it is too soon,” he said.

  Angeline shook her head. “Every other man in the world wants a boy, except you.”

  “I really don’t care, love. I just want you and the babe to be healthy.”

  “We are,” she said. Then she grabbed his forearm. “Look, a boy asked Penelope to dance.”

  He frowned. “Do her slippers have red stripes?”

  “Yes, they were mine, but they fit her.”

  “Aren’t those a bit…fast?”

  “This from a reformed rake?”

  He laughed. “By the by, are you planning to take all the walls down at Sommerall?”

  She snorted. “Be careful or I will.”

  “There they go, queuing up for the dance,” he said. “Shall we walk closer?”

  “Yes, please,” she said.

  He escorted her, setting his hand protectively over her belly whenever they moved through a particularly dense part of the crowd. Angeline saw a number of matrons smiling at him. They sat in chairs on the sideline because her back tended to ache if she stood too long. He held her hand and gave her his handkerchief when her eyes grew misty.

  “This is the best gift you could ever give me,” she said.

  “Most women want jewels and furs.”

  “Those women don’t understand that the best gift in life is love.”

  His heart turned over once again, and he figured he was the luckiest man in the ballroom tonight.

  With the recent loss of his beloved uncle, Harry Norcliffe, the Duke of Granfield, has no desire to participate in a dancing competition. But one look at his beautiful partner causes the nobleman to change his tune…

  Please turn the page for a preview of

  What a Devilish Duke Desires.

  Chapter One

  White’s, London 1822

  Three months after his uncle’s death, Harry Norcliffe, the Duke of Granfield, needed to find his way back to his old life, which had disappeared under a mountain of grief. His uncle Hugh had been his father figure for as long as he could remember, and life at the farm in Wiltshire would never be the same without him.

  Harry reached the door at the club, took a deep breath, and stepped inside the familiar hall. A servant appeared and bowed. “Welcome back, Your Grace.”

  “Thank you.” He’d yet to adjust to his new title and felt oddly like an imposter. As he divested himself of his hat, greatcoat, and gloves, he remembered thinking there would be changes, but he’d not been prepared for so many. Tonight, however, he looked forward to meeting up with his old friends.

  Harry strolled over to have a look at the betting book as he’d always done upon entering the club. Apparently Aubery had wagered Rollins a crown that it would rain on Tuesday. The frivolous bet reassured Harry that the world in London had gone on and so would he, despite the crushing loss of his uncle.

  He strolled through the ground floor, looking for his friends. The clink of glasses and silverware echoed from the upstairs dining room, and the fragrant aroma of beefsteak teased his senses. Now he wanted nothing more than to quaff down one too many brandies and have a few laughs with his old friends.

  He didn’t get far before Lords Fitzhugh and Castelle hailed him.

  “Congratulations, on the dukedom,” Castelle said, pumping his hand.

  “Congratulations, Granfield,” Fitzhugh said with emphasis.

  Several other acquaintances approached as well. Harry acknowledged their greetings with a nod, but he neither wanted nor appreciated their congratulations. He knew they meant well, but no title or fortune would ever make up for losing his uncle.

  Someone clapped him on the shoulder and said, “It’s the Devil himself.”

  Harry’s spirits lifted immediately upon seeing his friend Bellingham. “I suppose it takes one to know one,” he said, grinning.

  “Come, our old table is waiting, and there is someone I want you to see,” Bell said.

  The world seemed right again as he followed his friend upstairs to the dining room. When they reached the table, Colin stood and pounded him on the back. “Harry, it’s good to see you.”

  “And you. How is married life?”

  “Well, Angeline hasn’t thrown me out on my arse yet,” Colin said.

  “Oh, ho!” Harry said
, laughing.

  Bell motioned to Harry. “Do you remember this fellow?”

  Harry frowned. When recognition dawned, he was astounded. “Is that Justin?”

  Justin Davenport, the Earl of Chesfield, grinned as he extended his hand. “Pleased to see you, Harry.”

  “Good Lord.” Harry turned his attention to Bell. “He was a skinny cub the last time I saw him.”

  “He’s twenty-one now,” Bell said, “and six feet three inches tall.”

  “What are you feeding him?” Harry said.

  Bell laughed. “A great deal of beef.”

  Harry signaled the waiter to bring brandies. When they arrived, he looked at Bell. “I can’t believe you’re letting the sprig drink brandy.”

  “He’s of age and knows his limits. I wouldn’t have met his mother if not for that flask of brandy Justin hid very poorly,” Bell said.

  Justin laughed. “It wasn’t my brightest idea, Father.”

  “Fortunately, you’re past sowing wild oats.” Bell narrowed his eyes. “Correct?”

  Justin’s smile slanted to one side. “Am I supposed to answer that?”

  Everyone laughed.

  Three years ago, Bellingham had sworn to be a lifelong bachelor, but he’d fallen hard for Laura Davenport. All of them had been fond of the recalcitrant lad, but he was a grown man now. The devil, how had time flown by so quickly?

  After the waiter brought the brandies, Harry sipped his and regarded Colin over his glass. “What news do you have?”

  Colin’s expression turned a bit abashed. “I will be a father by late summer.”

  “Congratulations,” Harry said. Damn, his friends had become domesticated. He’d never thought he’d see the day. When he signaled the waiter again, Harry ordered beefsteak, potatoes, and cheesecake for his friends.

  “Harry, do you still keep rooms at the Albany?” Colin asked.

  “Yes, I still have my old rooms.” He’d found them rather comforting. After all of the events that had sent his world spinning, he appreciated the familiarity, including the shabby furnishings.