Secret Brides [3] Secrets of a Scandalous Marriage

by Valerie Bowman

  “Neither do I,” Jordan replied with a grin.

  Lily winked at her sister and brother-in-law. “It’s just that … I’m planning to invite Kate to Colton House for Christmas too.”

  Jordan whistled. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

  Lily pushed up her chin. “Why, the poor woman has nowhere else to go. She’s still an outcast to the ton, and she has no family. She may be free now, but she’s got no one. We cannot leave her alone on Christmas.”

  Devon lifted his glass. “I, for one, applaud the idea, Lily.”

  Lily widened her eyes. “You do?”

  “Yes. You’re right. Kate’s got nowhere else to go. But I do think you should tell Medford.”

  Lily fluttered her hand in the air. “I disagree. I think it may be best for both of them if they don’t know ahead of time.”

  “I have to agree with Lily,” Annie said, reaching across the table to nab another plum tart. “Both might decline the invitation if they know the other is likely to arrive.”

  “And shouldn’t that be their choice?” Jordan asked his wife.

  “Ordinarily, yes,” Annie agreed with a resolute nod. “But this is a special situation.” She turned her attention back to her sister. “Oh, Lily, do you truly think Kate will come?”

  Lily shrugged one shoulder. “I hope so. And I don’t see why not. Where else will she go?”

  Devon crossed his arms over his chest and regarded his wife down the length of his nose. “Why exactly do you think Medford wouldn’t want to see Kate?”

  Lily gave her husband a sly smile. “Oh, I’ve every reason to believe Medford wants to see Kate. I just wonder if Kate wants to see Medford. And Medford’s too blasted stubborn to admit he wants to see her. You heard what he said tonight.”

  “So you intend to trick Kate into it? Besides, how do you know she doesn’t want to see him?” Devon continued.

  Lily plucked a plum off the top of the tart she’d been eating and popped it into her mouth. “You heard James. She left his house voluntarily and returned to the prison without saying good-bye. She refused the money he sent her. There is obviously something amiss between the two of them.”

  Jordan grinned and arched a brow. “And you two intend to get to the bottom of it, don’t you?” He looked back and forth between his sister-in-law and his wife.

  “Precisely,” Lily replied with a smile.

  Annie poked at her tart with her fork. “I think it’s an excellent idea. Obviously, what this delicate situation calls for is a Christmastide house party.”

  Jordan winked at her. “Remember, darling. House parties can get people into a great deal of trouble. We ended up married after one.”

  Annie gave her husband a knowing smile. “Exactly why one is necessary, my dear.”

  Devon leaned back in his chair. “Far be it from me to argue with the two most determined matchmakers in the country. But I would just caution you both. Be careful, ladies. Medford hasn’t been in a mood lately to be trifled with.”

  Lily crossed her arms over her chest. “Who’s trifling? We’re attempting to help him.”

  “Help him how?” Devon arched a brow.

  “Why, by placing him and Kate back together in the same house, of course. It’s obvious to anyone they have feelings for each other.”

  Devon gave her a skeptical look. “Be careful, my love. There’s more than just the murder trial separating those two.”

  CHAPTER 31

  Kate arrived in the country at Colton House bright and early on Christmas Eve. She’d been staying at a hotel in London for the past two nights after her release from prison. The lord chancellor had seen to it that she received her dower money post haste.

  Thankfully, there had been no angry mobs waiting for her when she’d left the Tower. Only Mr. Abernathy and a hired coach, waiting to take her wherever she wished to go. The city may have accepted the fact that she wasn’t guilty, but she still couldn’t return to her husband’s property, for more reasons than one. Even given her acquittal, she wouldn’t be welcomed by her mother-in-law. And Oliver, George’s cousin, would have taken over the properties by now or at least would do so soon. She wasn’t about to go live in the dower house with her hateful mother-in-law. And most importantly, she was free. Free not only from the Tower, but from her old life. And she refused to go back to Markingham Abbey and become a prisoner of another sort again. No, she would make her own way in the world now, somehow.

  She’d readily accepted Lily’s invitation to spend Christmas at Colton House, however. She needed a bit more time. Time and space to decide what she would do next, where she would go. Lily had sent Lord Colton’s coach to gather her and the horses made it back to the country estate just before a light snow began to fall.

  “Merry Christmas, Kate! Oh, we’re so happy you’ve come,” Lily said, hugging Kate as soon as she walked through the front doors.

  Kate pulled off her bonnet and allowed the butler to take her cloak before greeting her hostess with a wide smile. “Merry Christmas to you! And thank you so much for your kind invitation, Lily.”

  “Come with me,” Lily said, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her along. “Annie and Devon’s son, Justin, and I were in the salon singing Christmas carols. Devon and Jordan are off doing something. They wouldn’t tell us what. I suspect it has to do with Christmas presents.”

  Kate happily followed her friend, and just as they were moving through the foyer, a fox and a funny little striped gray and white animal ran past. Kate stopped and rubbed her eyes.

  “Oh that.” Lily fluttered a hand in the air. “That’s just Dash and Bandit. Don’t mind them.”

  Kate couldn’t suppress her laugh. “James said you were a bit … unconventional … but until this moment, I wasn’t entirely sure if he was jesting.”

  “I’m afraid he wasn’t,” Lily replied, shaking her head.

  Another laugh from Kate. “And here I was worried I wouldn’t be allowed to be a duchess with a pig.”

  “Nonsense,” Lily replied with a laugh. “I think a duchess with a pig sounds absolutely divine.”

  Lily took her by the arm again and they made their way down the corridor. “In addition to a fox and a raccoon-like dog, we also have a little boy and a variety of other dogs here at Colton House. I’m sure you’ll meet them all before long.”

  Kate squeezed her arm and Lily stopped. “Thank you again for your invitation, Lily. I don’t know what I’d do without you. You and Annie are my only friends.” She glanced away.

  “A temporary state, I’m sure,” Lily reassured her, with an encouraging smile. “I only hope you enjoy your Christmas with us.”

  Kate nodded. “Considering I’ve been convinced this would be my last Christmas and now it’s not, I’m sure to enjoy it immensely,” she replied with a shaky laugh.

  Annie came bounding out of the door to their left. “Ah, Justin said you’d come. He was watching from the landing.”

  Kate glanced up to see a handsome little boy of no more than five or six with dark curly hair and equally dark watchful eyes looking at her. “Is that Justin? He looks so much like his father.”

  “He does, doesn’t he?” Lily gestured for the boy to come downstairs. Justin made his way down the steps and bowed an adorable little bow to Kate. Kate’s heart melted. Oh how she wished she had a little boy of her own. The thought hit her out of nowhere, stealing her breath.

  “Justin, say ‘Merry Christmas’ to her grace, Duchess Kate,” Lily said.

  Kate shook her head frantically. “Oh no, no, no. Not Duchess Kate, just Kate.” She smiled at the boy.

  “Well, Kate then,” Lily amended, nodding to Justin to let him know it was all right.

  “Merry Christmas, Lady Kate,” Justin said, with another little formal bow.

  “A pleasure to meet you, Master Justin,” Kate replied, laughing. She swept a grand curtsy in front of him.

  The boy blushed beautifully, before turning to his stepmother. “Lily,
may I have a sweet?”

  Lily gave him a conspiratorial grin. “It depends. Have you been good?” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared down her nose at the boy, but the smile that lurked at the corners of her mouth belied the teasing nature of her remarks.

  Justin nodded earnestly. “Quite, quite good.”

  This time Lily nodded. “Then yes, you may have a sweet. Tell Cook I said so.”

  The boy scampered off and Lily watched him go with a bright, adoring look on her face. “Ah, he’s such a good boy. Such a dear. Far too intelligent for his years though, I’m afraid. Not much gets by him. The tutors tell Devon he’s a genius.”

  “Not to mention he’s adorable and extremely well behaved,” Kate said with a smile, a twinge of regret in her heart for the child she would never have.

  Lily and Annie each took one of Kate’s arms and led her into the salon on the left. They ushered her in, and Lily gestured to a seat on the sofa. “Tea will be served momentarily.”

  She waited for Kate to take a seat on the sofa before she added, “Well, now, I nearly choked on my tart when Lord Medford told us the valet had killed the duke.”

  Annie curled up on the opposite side of the sofa and nodded emphatically to Kate. She clutched her chest. “Yes. If a man cannot trust his valet, whom can he trust?”

  “I never knew him well,” Kate admitted. “Tucker was always gone with George to London. It’s difficult to believe George intended to let him go. They’d been together for ages. Apparently, they’d had rows before. I’d heard the other servants whispering a time or two about Tucker’s awful temper but I’d never seen it myself.”

  Lily shook her head. “Just between us, I was always convinced Lady Bettina did it.”

  Annie bit her lip. “I wonder if Lady Bettina suspected the valet.”

  “I’ve thought about it all so much, and I’ll never make sense of any of it,” Kate replied. “I’m just glad to be free. Though I still cannot truly believe it. And please don’t think less of me for not wearing mourning clothes. I fear it would be entirely disingenuous of me, and with my reputation already in tatters, I fail to see the point.”

  “On the contrary, we don’t think less of you at all,” Lily said, patting her hand.

  “Absolutely not,” Annie added. “You’ll just have to put all that behind you now, start a new life.”

  Kate shook her head and glanced down at her lap. “I don’t know how. I have nothing. Nothing more than my life. Though, believe me, for that I am immensely thankful.”

  “Let us help you, Kate,” Lily said.

  Kate glanced up. “No. You’ve both done so much for me already. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you. After Christmas, I’ll find a way.”

  “You may stay as long as you like,” Lily said. “I hope you know that. Either here at Colton House or at our town house in London.”

  Kate pulled one of the light blue embroidered pillows from the sofa up to her chest. “I couldn’t take such advantage, Lily. I’m ever so thankful for the invitation to spend Christmas here, but after the new year, I think I shall go to the Continent. I’m no longer welcome in London, I realize that.”

  Lily squeezed her hand. “Whatever you decide, we’ll support you. And there’s no need to make a decision today.”

  Kate smiled at that. Letting the pillow drop to her lap, she reached out and squeezed both sisters’ hands simultaneously. “You’re both too good to me.” She bit the inside of her cheek to keep the tears from spilling from her eyes. Then she gave her head a hard shake. “So, tell me, how is Viscount Medford? I’ve made inquiries but … he hasn’t published the pamphlet yet, has he?”

  “No … he hasn’t,” Lily said, just before she and Annie exchanged glances. “But there is something we must tell you.”

  Kate’s smile faded. “What? He’s all right, isn’t he?” She pressed her hand to her chest.

  “Oh yes, he’s perfectly fine,” Lily hastened to say. “It’s just that … well … Lord Medford will be here for Christmas too.”

  Kate’s heart pounded. Her chest felt tight. The room tilted all of a sudden. She shouldn’t be surprised. Of course James was welcome here at his friends’ house. He always would be. She was the interloper. The stranger. “I should have guessed.”

  “You don’t mind, do you?” Lily asked quietly. “Please tell me you’re not upset.”

  Kate tried to laugh. “What sort of an ingrate would I be if I tried to tell you whom to invite to your own party?” She swallowed. “But I must say, I’m not sure he’ll be pleased to see me. I would hate to ruin his holiday.”

  Annie patted Kate’s hand. “No. No. Lord Medford has been worried about the same thing. He thinks you don’t want to see him.”

  Kate furrowed her brow. “Why would he think that?”

  Annie glanced at her. “Because you left his house and went back to the Tower and … He told us you returned the money he sent you.”

  Kate glanced at her hands folded in her lap. “I couldn’t take his money. His town house was destroyed because of me.”

  “Don’t worry. You’ll talk. I’m sure you two will sort it out.” Lily clapped her hands. “In the meantime, we can all just enjoy Christmas.”

  Kate sighed. “It’s fine, my friends. I shall not ruin your holidays with my histrionics. You’ve invited your friend Lord Medford to share the season with you, and I shall make no trouble for you. I should never have tried to put you in a position where you felt you had to choose.”

  Annie and Lily exchanged glances. “Thank you for understanding.”

  Kate stood up and hastily smoothed out her skirts. “Would you mind, terribly, if I go lie down for a bit, I’m just exhausted and—”

  “Say no more,” Lily said, ringing for a servant. “I’ll have one of the maids show you to your room immediately.”

  * * *

  After Kate left, Annie turned to Lily, her arms crossed over her chest, a catlike smile on her face. “One part down. At least, we’ve got her to agree to be in the same room with him.”

  CHAPTER 32

  The snow was falling steadily by the time James arrived at Colton House. The sun had just begun to set across the Surrey countryside, and the sky was turning dark. It was speckled with the white snowflakes that wandered to the earth like fat little clouds.

  James brushed through the front doors of the manor, a cold wind sweeping in with him. He shook the snow off his hat and coat and stomped his boots before turning to greet Lily with a present under his arm. Themis, whom he’d brought with him, gave a hard shake to rid her fur of the excess snow, then she quickly bounded after Bandit and Leo who had materialized from the hallway.

  “Aren’t they having a grand time already?” he said with a laugh, as the dogs raced away.

  “Obviously they are in the Christmas spirit,” Lily replied, hugging her friend. “Merry Christmas, James.”

  “Merry Christmas, Lily.” He returned her smile as best he could, but he couldn’t think of the last time he’d been so melancholy on Christmas. He’d told himself during the entire ride to Colton House that it had absolutely nothing to do with Kate. Why, he hadn’t even known the woman two weeks ago, and in two more he’d have completely forgotten about her. Wouldn’t he? Oh blast, even as he had the thought, he knew it wasn’t true.

  Where was Kate tonight? Who was she celebrating Christmas with? Surely Mr. Abernathy had seen to it that she had someplace to go. Blast it. James should have seen to it that she wasn’t alone, only she’d made it quite clear that her association with him was at an end.

  “Come into the library, Medford,” Lily said, pulling him from his thoughts. “Devon and Jordan are there having drinks.”

  He arched a brow. “Of course they are.”

  Lily returned his look. “Don’t act so smug. Devon told me he found you drinking at the club not so long ago.”

  Medford rolled his eyes and followed Lily down the hall, the present still tucked under his arm. “Hmm.
Now that you mention it, a drink sounds perfect.”

  Lily led him down the marble hallway to the library. The large mahogany doors swung open to reveal Colton and Ashbourne relaxing in large leather chairs, both imbibing. Across from them, curled up on the sofa, Annie had her nose buried in a book. A fire crackled in the huge hearth across the room, and mistletoe hung above the doorway.

  Colton stepped forward immediately and pulled his wife into his arms for a kiss. “Just ensuring you didn’t do it, Medford,” he said with a smug look in James’s direction.

  James shook his head. “You’re funny when you’re drunk, Colton.” Then to the room at large he added, “Merry Christmas, everyone.”

  Ashbourne raised his glass. “Ah, Medford, finally here.”

  “Better late than never,” James replied.

  Ashbourne sighed. “I suppose.”

  Colton stepped over and shook James’s hand. “Merry Christmas, Medford. Good to see you, old chap.”

  “I’m not sure I believe the good part, Colton. And your wife informs me that you’ve been telling her my secrets.”

  Colton shrugged. “If you’re going to go drinking in public…”

  “As if drinking at the club is such a scandal,” James replied.

  “Not for me it isn’t.” Colton cracked a smile. “But for you it’s nearly front-page news.”

  James ignored that. “Where’s Justin?”

  “He’s in his room, preparing to make way for all of his new Christmas gifts.”

  “Ah, perfect, this will do nicely, then.” James pulled the present from under his arm and handed it to Colton. Then he turned to Annie. “What are you reading there, Countess? Hannah More again?”

  Annie sprang up from the settee and came to hug him. “Oh God, no. No more Hannah More. I only read that drivel before I was married. I’m much more interested in love stories these days. I’m finding Emma positively delightful. Though I do so wonder which lady wrote it. It wasn’t you, was it, Lily?”

  Lily snorted. “Hardly. I retired my quill after Secrets of a Wedding Night.”