by Meara Platt
Is this what The Book of Love was warning them about?
He reached out to caress her cheek when she sat beside his bed. “Taking you as my wife is the best decision I’ve ever made,” he insisted. “If you were the target, then I’m more determined than ever to get the ceremony performed immediately. I want the right to remain beside you, to protect you night and day. I don’t care if I have to break a thousand ribs to do it.”
Her eyes rounded in horror. “Oh, Ronan! What if you did break another one while lunging to protect me?”
“I didn’t. Believe me, I would have felt it.”
Could she trust him to tell her the truth about his injuries? He was intent on exchanging vows with her today. What if he was holding on by sheer force of stubbornness and determination?
Her eyes began to tear, and her chin wobbled.
He groaned. “Don’t cry, Queen Pea. I couldn’t bear it if you did.”
“Promise me, nothing else is broken.”
“I would be howling if it were,” he said, cupping her chin. “I promise you, I’m in the same mangled condition as I was before the rock was thrown. We’ll figure out who did this. Joshua’s already contacted Homer Barrow, the Bow Street runner who was so helpful to your cousins in Oxford and again to Holly when she was in danger. Anyway, I’ve been giving it thought, and I have my suspicions about the identity of the culprit.”
She stared at him, trying to remain sensible and not to melt in response to his touch. But his words startled her. “You do? Who do you think did this?”
“Wainscott.”
Was he speaking out of jealousy, or was there substance to the claim? “Why? What possible motive could he have?”
“Lady Alexandra and her parents live right next door. Or have you forgotten already?”
She blushed. “I had put it out of my mind. It merely... I wasn’t thinking of Gerald or them any longer.”
“I’m glad. But I suspect Alexandra’s father tore up their betrothal contract in front of Wainscott shortly before that rock came flying through this window. It is also likely Lord Balliwick threatened to have him shot if he ever came near his daughter again. Wainscott must have stormed out angrily.”
“But he’s already seduced a duke’s daughter if the gossip rags are to be believed. And when my sisters and cousins were fussing over me earlier in Heather’s room, my cousin, Honey, confirmed it was true.”
“Did she now?”
“Yes. Honey said that she saw Lady Withnall earlier today, and Lady Withnall confirmed Gerald was trying to worm his way into this duke’s family by seducing his daughter. He actually had this poor girl in a carriage on their way to Gretna Green, but the duke caught up to them in time and foiled his plans. Lady Withnall wouldn’t tell Honey who the poor girl was.”
Ronan began to laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“Queen Pea, you are making my head spin with all these details. I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to put my breeches on for our wedding.”
Despite their situation, she couldn’t help but join him in a chuckle. “Must you? Am I complaining about you lying naked in this bed? I think you look perfect as you are.” She leaned closer, eager to learn more about why he thought her former beau was the culprit. “Why would Gerald ever bother with me? I’m the nobody he originally tossed over for Balliwick’s daughter.”
“You’re an angel, and he’s a fool for ever giving you up.” Ronan frowned as he took her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. “I’ve told you before. Wainscott will end up with nothing. He has overplayed his hand. Sheer greed did him in. He had an earl’s daughter - a bird in the hand - but he wanted more. He went after this mysterious duke’s daughter and got caught. Now that Lord Balliwick has learned of it, all hope of Wainscott’s ever patching things up with Lady Alexandra is destroyed.”
“What if this duke’s daughter is now with child? I know he tried this with Lady Alexandra...having seen them first hand when I caught them in the act.”
“This duke is now going to do everything he can to suppress the scandal. He’ll buy off everyone who might talk and will never allow Wainscott within a hundred miles of his daughter. I know it is harsh, but if there is a babe...assuming it survives to term...it will be given over to a family or to an orphanage. If the babe is fortunate, the duke will provide for him or her. But that’s the best to be hoped for.”
Her heart lurched in dismay. “That’s awful. It would tear me apart to give up a child.”
“Another reason why I love you. I have no doubt you would fight with all your heart and soul to protect our children. But the point I am trying to make is about Wainscott. As he left Alexandra’s house, he must have known he’d just lost everything. Then he saw our families gathered in the parlor, perhaps heard that you and I were planning to marry today, and so he hurled that rock.”
“Out of spite?”
Ronan shrugged. “Or out of frustration. Anger. Yes, spite.”
“It seems farfetched. How would he know to hit this exact window?”
“He may have known you and Heather were staying here and been watching you all along. I don’t know. But it’s a place to start the investigation. I’d go next door myself and ask questions, but...” He glanced down at himself. “I doubt the Earl of Balliwick will appreciate a naked sea captain knocking at his door just now.”
In spite of her misery, Dahlia managed a smile. “Perhaps Joshua can walk over there later.”
“I’ll ask him. If it’s any consolation, I doubt Wainscott will bother you again. If he has any sense, he’s riding out of London as we speak. Surely, he has to know the Braydens will come after him if he remains in town.”
She nodded. “I think there is something I must do now.”
He arched an eyebrow. “What, Queen Pea?”
“Our families need to be reassured. I’ve been crying on and off this past hour, questioning whether we ought to go through with this rushed farce of a wedding. But loving you is no farce. I don’t want anyone doubting my love for you.”
“Or mine for you.”
She rose and eased her hand out of his grasp. “I’ll be back in a little while. Are you hungry? I’ll bring up some broth and fish for you.”
“Sounds delicious. Just one thing,” he said as she was about to leave.
“What is it?”
He cast her a rakish grin. “Whatever you do, don’t smile.”
She walked out, laughing and shaking her head. Of course, this is how he always teased her. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling, and that smile stayed on her lips while she told her family how much she loved Ronan and thanked them for being with them despite the chaos of the day. “Once we are settled in our new home, we will have a proper party. Ronan will be wearing clothes, I promise you.”
Everyone laughed.
“He already has his suspicions about who threw that rock. Joshua, he’ll talk to you about it later. He believes it is not something likely to happen again. In any event, nothing can lessen our love for each other. Ronan is on the mend, and this is a happy day. Please do not walk on eggshells around us. And now I must feed that gorgeous wildebeest before he melts away to nothing. We are getting married as soon as Robbie and Finn return with the minister.”
She felt good when everyone began to cheer.
Heather ran over and hugged her. “You and Holly are both so brave. She with that deranged man who was stalking her, and now you with a rock-hurling fiend. I wish I was as brave as both of you. But I’m not. I just hope my wedding will be dull and uneventful.”
Dahlia groaned inwardly as her sister began to sniffle. “Heather, don’t start crying. I won’t allow it.”
“I can’t help it. I’m going to miss you and Holly so much. You’ll be marrying Ronan, and then I’ll be all alone.”
Dahlia had gone out of her way to be cheerful. Yes, her sister needed a little more time to come into her own. “Our family is too large. You will never be on your own
.”
“It isn’t the same. You’ll both have husbands, and I won’t.”
Oh, heavens! Was Heather bent on making the same mistake she almost made with Gerald? “Don’t talk like that.” She cast her Aunt Sophie a pleading glance.
Her aunt came over and took Heather in hand. “My dear, you’ll know when the time is right for you. Don’t rush into anything because you are eager to be a bride. You don’t even have a beau yet.”
“But Lady Withnall said I’ve already met the man I’m going to marry.”
Dahlia tried not to lose patience with her sister. “Yes, but he hasn’t made his feelings known to you. In the meanwhile, you’ll have a line of gentlemen eager to pursue you. Enjoy your season. Take time to sort out your feelings.”
“And read that book. I will get it next, won’t I?”
“Yes. Heather, please. Don’t leap into marriage because Holly and I will be married. I haven’t even had my wedding ceremony yet.” She shook her head and sighed. “We’ll talk about it later. All right? Just let me get through this day.”
“Oh, I’m so horrid! Of course.” She allowed Aunt Sophie to scoot her away.
After issuing another quick thank you to everyone for their concern, Dahlia returned upstairs. Ronan must have found The Book of Love in the drawer of the night table, because he was reading it as she walked in.
He shut it and smiled at her. “I was bored. Probably not the right thing to say to the young woman I’m about to marry. But you were downstairs, and my mind was still racing. I thought I would read it again while you were gone.”
“Better put it away before Heather comes up here. She’s feeling as though she’s just lost her two sisters and is taking it hard. I don’t want her rushing into marriage simply because she does not wish to be left out. I want her to have the book...”
“But?”
“Something is holding me back. I don’t know, perhaps it is just my muddled head. I’ll think more clearly after we’re married.”
He cleared his throat. “I have a suggestion.”
She was eager to hear it. “About Heather and the book?”
He nodded. “Robbie wants to read it, too. He’s levelheaded and experienced.”
“A little too experienced,” she said with a frown.
“He’s honorable, Queen Pea. He would never take advantage of Heather. I’ll have his word on it, and he will never break that oath. You’re worried that she’ll be distracted by the wrong man, aren’t you?”
“Yes, it is my greatest fear. I don’t want her to lie to herself and force a love match where no love exists. I did this with Gerald, and I’m so afraid she learned nothing from my experience.”
“All the more reason to have her read the book with Robbie. He’ll watch over her and protect her from making a mistake.”
“Ronan, do you hear yourself? If they read it together, he’s going to fall in love with her. Isn’t this what happened to us? Not to mention, Holly and Joshua and Violet and Romulus. Same for Belle and Finn. Need I go on? We all fell in love over this book. Are you purposely matchmaking?”
“No, I’ll leave that plotting to you ladies. But you’ve just told me Heather is young and impressionable. She wants to leap into marriage because her two sisters will be married. Do you or do you not wish to stop her?”
“I do. How can I convince her the consequences will be disastrous?”
“She has to figure it out on her own. And while she does, Robbie will be there to protect her if she’s about to make a mistake. He’s an excellent judge of character. He will know to chase away the bounders and only allow the worthy men near. He will be vigilant and diligent, and no one will do a better job of looking out for her.”
Dahlia had to admit the idea had merit. “Having them read it together may not be such a bad idea. If she reads it on her own, she will miss the entire point of the book.”
He smiled at her. “So? What’s your verdict?”
“Robbie it is.”
A few minutes later, the very man in question strode in. “We found the minister. Are ye two lovebirds ready to get married?”
They both stared at him.
Robbie arched a wary eyebrow.
They continued to stare at him.
“What’s wrong with ye?” He glanced down at himself and checked his uniform. “Why are ye grinning at me like a pair of hyenas?”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Ronan was concerned Dahlia would be disappointed by their wedding ceremony, but to his surprise, she wasn’t. In truth, she appeared to be relishing his scandalous nakedness - no matter that he was wearing a banyan borrowed from Joshua and his vitals parts were securely covered.
Still, he wore nothing underneath that itchy robe.
It took him a moment to realize the source of her glee. She was looking forward to claiming the title of Most Shocking Farthingale Wedding.
Finally, at the appointed hour, and with much logistical planning, the immediate family members were permitted into his bedchamber. His mother, his brothers, their wives, and Dahlia’s sisters. Also permitted were Sophie and John Farthingale and Robbie. It took a bit of doing to fit them all in and leave space for Dahlia to make her grand entrance as the bride on the arm of her Uncle John.
The quiet affair had spun out of control, but it was to be expected considering the nature of their families. They were fourteen in all up in his room. More were downstairs. Cousins and their spouses who had stopped by out of concern for his injuries. But now they were staying to celebrate their wedding.
He supposed this was how their lives would be from now on. They each had large families with close bonds, and it was not unusual to have relations come by with regularity. “Ready, Queen Pea?”
The minister was horrified to find Ronan standing before him in bare feet and a black silk robe. Ronan did not know what the man had to complain about. He had shaved and wiped the unguent off his chest so the odor would not overpower everyone in the tightly packed room.
He’d reapply it later.
He had also authorized Finn to promise the minister a king’s ransom to perform the bedside ceremony, so it was going to get done no matter how much this man of the cloth disapproved. Of course, knowing Finn, he’d bartered the man down to nothing. “This is most irregular.”
Ronan did not care. “Is it lawful?”
“Why, yes,” the minister said with an indignant huff.
“Then get on with it.”
Dahlia’s smile and the look of love she cast him whenever glancing up at him, stole his breath away. He’d ruined her first gown, but this one was just as lovely, a pale lilac which brought out the violet swirls within the beautiful ocean colors of her eyes. Her hair was as she’d first styled it, drawn off her face and left to tumble in a silky waterfall down her back.
His heart swelled with the knowledge she would soon be his, just as he was permanently and irrevocably hers.
The minister had a dull, droning voice.
Ronan struggled to pay attention, and more than once had to stifle a yawn. But he snapped to attention as the end approached. “Captain Brayden, do you take Dahlia Farthingale to be your lawfully wedded wife...”
Ronan took Dahlia’s hand. “I do.”
The minister asked the same of Dahlia, and she responded with an “I do.”
The cheers were deafening as the minister proclaimed them husband and wife. Everyone straggled out of the room shortly afterward to join the rest of the family downstairs. “Most odd,” the minister grumbled on his way out.
Tynan grinned at him. “We’re giving you five minutes alone with your lovely wife, then we’ll be back to put you properly into bed. George will have our hides if you take a tumble and crack more ribs.”
“And ye’ll need that unguent back on yer chest,” Robbie remarked, wincing as he turned to Dahlia. “Yer uncle’s orders.”
“I know.” She blushed. “I’ve already been admonished not to...well, I’m to keep away from him for the next
two days and perhaps more.”
Ronan groaned. “All right. Everyone out. Not you, Queen Pea. I want you in my arms.”
His brothers and Robbie hurried out, shutting the door behind them.
He and Dahlia stood a moment, facing each other in silence.
From the laughter, the clink of glasses, and clatter of china downstairs, Ronan realized their families were about to partake of the wedding meal Holly’s cook had hurriedly prepared for the occasion. It felt odd not to be there with them, but there had been nothing normal about this past week or this day.
Dahlia must have understood what he was thinking. “Don’t you dare apologize to me about this wedding. I’ve married my hero. This is the happiest day of my life.”
“Mine, too, Queen Pea.” He held out his arms to her. “Care to share a kiss with your new husband?”
“I had better take advantage before you stink like moldy cheese again.”
She came into his arms, feeling so soft and sweet against him.
He ignored his aching rib cage and the fire in his chest.
He ignored his unsteady legs and the pain searing through his body merely for standing.
While he could not make love to her yet, there was nothing wrong with his lips, and he meant to use them to full advantage. His mouth captured hers, and he kissed her with all his heart, soul, and happiness.
He also kissed her with barely leashed passion and all the love a husband ought to hold for his wife.
The innocent ardor of her response affected him deeply. In the past, his kisses were meant for seduction. But this one was all about promise for their future, for the bonds of love that would strengthen between them over time. Of course, he still wanted to seduce her, to hear her soft, breathy moans of pleasure. But he also wanted to fall asleep holding her in his arms and wake to her warm body pressed to his.
“I love you, Queen Pea,” he said upon ending the kiss, for he no longer trusted his legs to hold him up. He released her and sat heavily on the bed.
“Oh, Ronan!” Her eyes reflected her concern. “You have beads of sweat along your forehead. Oh, I knew it. You’re in pain again.”