by Rue Allyn
The idea of lying with the baron made her stomach turn. Most likely he was as repulsed by her as she was by him. But would the earl fall for the ruse?
The baron cleared his throat. “Well?”
“All right. The marriage will be in name only. I shall return to live here as soon as the earl has gone to London.” It would be easy to fool the earl and a simple solution to her problems. Unease settled in her stomach. Wouldn’t it?
The baron took her hand and kissed the back of it. “It is settled then. I shall tell the earl you have consented to be my wife and urge him to apply for special license so we might be wed as soon as the banns are read.”
Prying her fingers from his grip, she shook her head. “First you must draw up the agreement and specify the amount of allowance you will settle on me.”
He was quiet for a moment. “All the better, I shall tell the earl I want your dowry to remain in your hands. It alone is more than enough to keep you for the rest of your days.”
The little voice in her head warned her to stop and consider the arrangement with due care and attention but she silenced the cries. “All right. See it is so.”
• • •
“There you are.”
Delilah turned her head in the direction of the earl’s advance. “I was taking in the last of the summer sunshine.”
His footsteps ceased and the air cooled as his form blocked the sunlight from her upturned face. “I just spoke with Baron March. Is it true?”
She kept her voice calm and unconcerned. “Is what true?”
Exasperation clipped his speech. “Have you accepted his suit then?”
“Will it prevent you from throwing another insipid dinner party?”
“Most assuredly.”
“Then yes, as a matter of fact, I did.” Try as she might she couldn’t force a sincere smile to her lips.
“I see.”
Puzzled, she analyzed the strain in his voice. He did not seem very pleased. Is this not what he wanted? After all, he was assigned to see her wed.
Before she could draw any conclusions he continued. “The baron has asked a special license be procured, so you may wed in two weeks’ time. Is this what you want?”
Her stomach twisted into knots, yet she forced her lips to form the words she must. “Yes. It is.”
A minute passed until a bird’s lone call broke the awkward silence. Did she miss his exit? She listened close. No, though very faint she could detect shallow breathing and the familiar minty scent of him. Why didn’t he say something? “My lord?”
He cleared his throat. “Very well. I shall see to the details right away.” The sharpness in his quiet statement gave her pause. He was not happy with her choice. This time his steps were heavy as they receded toward the house. Should she call him back and inquire why he was not pleased? She shook her head. What did she care? Soon she would be rid of him and her life would be as it was before. It was what she wanted since he barged into her music room she told herself.
It occurred to her that she failed to ask if he found the reason for the missing supplies and livestock yet. How was she to solve the mystery on her own? Perhaps the baron might assist her. On the other hand, if the baron took the bulk of her fortune, would it not be his problem to deal with? Why did things seem so complicated and … grim?
Chapter Thirteen
“Miss Daysland?”
Delilah sighed, her hands poised over the keys on the pianoforte. “I am practicing, Teresa.”
“I am sorry to interrupt, miss, but Lord Frost sent me to summon you to the study.”
Delilah thumped her fingers down in a discorded position on the keys, the horrible notes fitting her sour mood. “Whatever for?”
“No idea, miss.”
It was time to lay down the rules of her house as they were to the earl. The constant interruption of her routine was getting on her nerves. Had she not done as he wanted and accepted a suit? What could he want with her now? She rubbed her temples and stood. I should be happy to have found a way to remain at Westpoint, so why am I so cross? I got what I wanted. The earl will soon be gone from my door and I will be left in peace. Alone. Perhaps alone was not exactly what I wanted …
“Miss, shall I tell him you are indisposed?”
“No, Teresa, there is no need.” Delilah marched from the room, her back ramrod straight, running her fingers along the wall to guide her way. As she neared the study the baron’s voice carried from within. She paused a few steps from the door.
“Six weeks, Frost? That seems a rather long courtship for two people who have known each other since childhood. I was thinking more along the lines of a few days at most.”
“Dare you question the king’s law? It will be two weeks at least before the banns are read anyway.”
The baron grunted. “Fine, I shall wait two weeks to have the marriage performed.”
“What is your hurry, March?”
“The woman has accepted my suit and it seems a waste of time to play at courtship,” the baron whined.
“Courtship is not play.”
“I … you know what I mean. It smacks of a way for you to avoid the inevitable, Frost. You are not harboring feelings for Miss Daysland, are you?”
“No, do not be absurd.”
Delilah clenched her fists. The earl’s answer was far too quick, as if he couldn’t be smitten with one of her ilk.
“I would just like you to show some affection for the girl, March. Make her feel as if you hold her in your esteem at the very least. You do care for her?”
“Of course I do. Would I offer marriage if I did not think highly of her? Why, she is my dearest childhood friend.”
Dearest childhood friend? The total amount of times we have even conversed with each other I can count on the fingers of one hand. Clearing her throat, she stepped into the room. Two chairs scraped across the floor. She couldn’t help but note the irony of them rising every time she entered a room. What was the point when she couldn’t see the gesture anyway? “My lord, I am fast getting tired of having my practice interrupted by your whims. Unless there is something urgent requiring my attention I prefer to be left undisturbed.”
“Rest assured I deem your courtship something requiring urgent attention, Miss Daysland. Is that not right, March?”
“Well, yes, it is, I suppose.”
Delilah crossed her arms and scowled in the direction of the baron. “You do not sound at all convinced of this. Regardless, I see no point in it.”
“Well, I … ”
The earl interrupted. “Makes no matter, the king wishes a suitable courtship take place. I will give you two weeks to do so and appease his majesty, not a day less.”
It was all she could do to keep from groaning out loud. It was bad enough to marry the man but to suffer his companionship for two weeks beforehand? It did not sound as if the earl was willing to budge on the matter though, so she forced a smile to her lips. “Very well. How shall we go about it?”
The tension in the room was as thick as pea soup. A chair creaked and then the earl spoke up. “It is a lovely day outside; might I suggest you two get to know each other better during a short horseback ride? I can call upon the groom to have a mount ready for you in the time it takes you to change into riding attire.”
Despite her reluctance she nodded. “All right, I shall change and be back down shortly.”
• • •
Delilah frowned when the baron placed her hands on a saddle at eye level. “This is not Jester.”
“My spirited gelding cannot keep pace with one as slow as your guide beast. I thought you would not mind riding the mare here. I was assured by the groom she is a very tame and gentle creature.” Without waiting for her to accept, the baron cupped her foot in his hands and hoisted her aboard into a sidesaddle.
Once atop the animal Delilah arranged her riding skirt as best as she could. The groomsman passed her the reins as the baron settled in his own saddle beside her with a creak of
well-used leather. His mount pranced, its feet drumming a nervous bugle call on the courtyard cobblestones. The baron’s horse sidestepped into the mare, who threw up her head and shifted aside. Delilah grasped a handful of mane, afraid she might fall from the animal if it bolted. Much to her relief however, the animal moved ahead at a sedate walk.
“Are you comfortable, Miss Daysland?”
Tight-lipped she nodded. She was very uncomfortable on the unknown animal, with him, but she was not about to let him know, to show any weakness.
They rode in silence for a while until they crossed from the clip clop of the drive to the softer swish of the grassy fields. The scent of ripe apples, grass, and walnut trees wafted on the air. She inhaled a deep breath, appreciating what her senses relayed of the ride.
“Beautiful day, is it not, Miss Daysland?”
“I suppose.” She turned her head to listen for the groomsman. From the faint sound of his mount’s tread she gauged him to be many yards behind. “At least the earl did not see fit to accompany us.”
“Yes, quite. Though I fear his insistence on a long courtship is going to grow quite wearisome.”
As much as she desired to be wooed and courted by a man, she couldn’t agree more with Baron March. It was better to just get the whole sham over with. “As long as he does not insist on an engagement ball. I loathe crowds.” She sighed. “The whole idea of marriage is tiresome. I would give anything to avoid it.”
“You cannot back out now, my dear. I would not like to be cuckolded and made to look a fool.”
Something about his tone did not sit well with Delilah, yet she couldn’t put a finger on it. Perhaps she was imagining something sinister to his reply. Maybe the idea of someone trying to harm her was getting to her, feeding her paranoia.
The horses turned a corner. Whack! Before Delilah could wonder at the sound her mount bolted. Taken off guard, Delilah clutched the mare’s mane in effort to keep her balance and lost her stirrups, thanks to her unfamiliarity with a sidesaddle. With a shriek she clung to the horse’s neck to keep from falling. The reins were jerked from her hands. The mare stumbled and Delilah lost her precarious grip. She cringed in the brief moment she was suspended in nothingness, awaiting her body’s collision with the ground. Instead she was yanked backward by an unseen grip. Without standing on ceremony someone slung her across a horse’s sweaty shoulders.
“Are you all right, Miss Daysland?” the baron inquired, his voice calm despite her close call.
The horse came to a halt. The pounding of blood in her ears eased. Taking a shaky breath, she slid to the ground, her rubbery legs making it necessary to lean against the animal. “I think so. What happened?”
Hooves thundered toward them and gravel sprayed against her skirts. “I caught your mare, Miss Daysland. Appears someone hit her with a hunting arrow,” the groom panted. “I saw the fiend riding off at a gallop but could not close the gap to purse him on my slower mount.”
“Dear Lord! Who would do such a heinous thing?” the baron cried. “It is a good thing I was with you, my dear, else something terrible might have happened. Why, I saved you from a terrible fate.”
Delilah was about to point out the incident would never have happened if she was not riding an unfamiliar mount but decided it better not to look ungrateful for the baron’s assistance. “Yes, it was good you were here.”
“Help Miss Daysland back on, John, and be quick about it.”
“Perhaps I should not ride the mare back if she is injured.” At this point Delilah would rather walk back to the manor than chance another incident.
“No, no, the mare will be fine. It is a minor wound. John will lead her to be sure there is no other chance of an accident on the way home.”
Still shaking, Delilah submitted and the groom hoisted her back into the saddle. They started off again at a slow pace for home. Despite the groom’s hold on the now sedate mare, Delilah gripped the saddle with both hands.
“The sooner you marry me, it appears, the better. I do not think this was an accident, Miss Daysland.”
The thought had crossed Delilah’s mind, too, though she remained reluctant to voice it. “You do not?”
“No. Lord Frost was the one who suggested a ride today to get us out of the manor. It also seems curious he should want to take so much time having me court you instead of just seeing the marriage done and returning to London, do you not think?”
She bit her lip. I did seem a strange coincidence, and the courtship was a bit too drawn out for one so eager to return to London. As the baron pointed out earlier, nothing was amiss until the earl arrived. Except perhaps for the thefts, although those could have been done since his coming, too. Her mind churned with the possibilities of his deceit and self-proclaimed innocence. There was naught she could do but stick to her normal routine and keep her wits about her until she wed the baron.
• • •
Delilah sensed him there when she entered the dining room. She allowed the footman to guide her to her seat without a word and place the linen napkin across her lap. Wine gurgled into the glass to the right of her plate before a bowl was placed before her. A smile curled her lips at the scent. Potato soup with tiny bits of salty bacon, thick cream, and wild onions. One of my favorites. Lord Frost interrupted her pleasure.
“Did you have an enjoyable ride with the baron today?”
She froze with her spoon halfway to her mouth. It appeared he did not know of the accident earlier in the day, or was pretending not to. Should she call his bluff, if in fact it was one? Undecided she answered. “I did not enjoy it, as a matter of fact.”
“Why not?” His silverware clinked against the edge of a bowl and then a short puff of air whistled through his lips.
“I do not like riding any horse other than Jester, for starters.” She blew on her own scoop of soup before savoring it.
“For starters? What else about the afternoon met with your disapproval? Was the baron forward or not solicitous of your needs?”
She set her spoon down. “On the contrary, Augustus was most attentive. In fact, he saved me from a horrible fall.”
His spoon clattered to the table. “What fall? What happened?”
“I was hoping you could tell me, my lord.” Her fingers twisted the napkin in her lap into a knot. Would he admit he injured her horse? That was doubtful, but he might quit trying to cause her distress if he knew she and the baron were onto his schemes.
“What are you talking about?”
With all the courage she could muster she explained. “Someone shot my mount with an arrow. The groom found the evidence. Augustus kept me from harm by scooping me off the horse when it bolted.”
“And you think I shot the animal?” He couldn’t have sounded more surprised if she accused him of killing his own child.
Doubt niggled at her mind. Maybe she was wrong. Or perhaps he was just a good actor. “Well, the baron was with me at the time, so it could not have been him.”
He snorted. “And the fact I was not there makes me your prime suspect?”
He did have a point. She shrugged.
“Bloody hell! Are you serious? I wondered why the king sent me out here to see you wed. It is obvious now. He sent me here to determine whether you are completely noddy.”
Her bottled anger uncorked, clawing its way to the surface. “Someone is trying to hurt me and you dare call me noddy? My life was not in peril until you showed up!” She cringed when his fist slammed into the table top, the vibration radiating with his own indignation.
“By all that is holy, I swear you are the stubbornest woman I have ever met. I try to tell you your servants are stealing from you, yet you refute the idea. Now someone, by your own admission, is trying to harm you, yet I am the villain?”
Scrambling to her feet she tossed her napkin, not caring if it landed on the table or the floor. “Now I am stubborn as well as noddy? Are there any other character flaws you would like to add? Since you see so many disparaging trait
s, it is a wonder you think to pawn me off on any man!”
His chair scraped across the floor. “Perhaps it would be best to speed up the nuptials for your safety.”
He stomped from the room and she winced as the front door slammed behind him, smothering an ungentlemanly profanity.
Delilah returned to her seat and stirred her soup absently. Was she being stubborn? Perhaps she should not have accused him of treachery, after all she didn’t have any firm evidence of such on his behalf, and most of the time he seemed solicitous of her needs. Her mind wandered back to reading on the lawn. She enjoyed the rousing sea tale and the rumble of his deep voice as he read to her. A smile tweaked the corners of her lips. He even changed his voice to fit each character in the book, something her father never did. It made immersing herself in the tale that much easier.
She shook the pleasant memory from her mind. The earl would be returning to London and she would be married to the baron in short order. There was no point in getting used to the earl’s companionship. The sooner she wed the better. The earl did not care for her; after all he did not bother to ask after her welfare or even that of the injured horse. Convincing her of her servants’ traitorous intents and marrying her off was all he cared about.
Chapter Fourteen
Delilah waved away her maid. “Enough of this, do whatever is acceptable and leave me be.”
Teresa heaved a sigh. “But Miss Daysland, you want everything to be perfect for the grand day. There are so many things to be done and mere days to complete the list.”
“Please.” A groan escaped her lips. Delilah fumbled for the cup of tea on the table beside her. “Teresa, you have been with me since I can remember, so may I confide in you?”
“Of course, miss, I would never betray your confidence.”
She smiled, knowing the truth of the maid’s words. There was no one more loyal than Teresa. “This marriage of mine is naught but an agreement between the baron and myself to further our own agendas.”
The maid giggled. “Isn’t that the way of most marriages, miss?”