The Last Man in London

by Emma V. Leech

  Dinah blanched, fear sliding down her spine and making her shiver as Mr Grubber smiled wider.

  “It has come to my attention,” he said, sounding extremely pleased with himself. “That you … are no longer engaged.”

  Dinah was quite certain that all the air had left her lungs in a rush as her chest felt tight and she couldn’t seem to draw a breath. She put up her chin, knowing she must brazen it out as best she could.

  “What of it, Mr Grubber?” she demanded. “Engagements are broken on occasion, there was nothing in my grandfather’s will that stipulated I had to marry, only to be engaged to a man of worth before my twenty-first birthday.”

  Mr Grubber just smiled wider, which was more unsettling than anything else the obnoxious man could do or say. “Ah, but if you faked that engagement, and I reckon it shouldn’t be so hard to prove you did … I think that money won’t be in your possession for much longer.”

  Dinah just stared at him. She was trembling now, the tremors running through her and making her legs feel as though they might not hold her. Clutching at the doorjamb, she held his knowing gaze with one of disgust.

  “If you think, for one moment, that I would have anything to do with you just for the sake of keeping my hands on that money …” she began, and then paused as her poor terrified heart leapt to her throat.

  A curricle turned into the street, moving towards the house at breakneck speed and pulling up with a flourish as a familiar figure leapt down. The children that spent a deal of time playing in the road all ran towards the glossy horses, clamouring to be the one who held the reins, as they well knew the owner was a generous tipper.

  “Ben!” Dinah exclaimed, wondering why she felt so relieved as his large figure pushed through the gate and towards her door. He had made his feelings clear enough last night surely, but still her stupid heart soared at the sight of him.

  Ben strode towards her, a look of determination on his face, which was arrested by the sight of Mr Grubber on her doorstep.

  “What the devil are you doing here?” Ben demanded of him, sounding utterly furious and looking like he wanted to murder the man.

  Mr Grubber quailed a little, suddenly looking rather less smug than he had.

  “He’s come to threaten me,” Dinah said, the words a little breathless as she wondered why on earth Ben would call on her at all. “Because we’re no longer engaged.”

  “It’s true,” Mr Grubber said, finding something of a backbone at last and sneering at Ben. “Don’t deny it.” He held out one finger, wagging it in a manner that Ben seemed to take exception to. In fact, Dinah rather wondered if he might rip the offending digit from the man’s hand, his expression was so furious.

  “Balderdash!”

  Mr Grubber dropped his hand, blinking in surprise. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean balderdash,” Ben retorted. “We are engaged.”

  Dinah sucked in a breath, realising she looked every bit as astonished as Mr Grubber.

  “Aren’t we.” Ben turned to stare at her, a rather strange look in his eyes, but she noticed it wasn’t a question he’d posed. Surely, he couldn’t mean to carry on this farce just to save her from this odious man’s meddling?

  “A-are we?” Dinah stammered, not entirely certain as to what was going on. She clutched harder at the doorjamb, really a little concerned at how much longer she could remain standing.

  “Well, are you or not?” Mr Grubber demanded, looking intensely irritated now.

  “Shut up!” Ben snapped, pushing past him so hard that the man stumbled back and fell into a rose bush. “As far as I’m concerned, the engagement was never broken,” Ben said, as Dinah’s heart beat faster than she thought was healthy. What was he saying? There was a strangely vulnerable look in his eyes that made her want to throw her arms about his neck, but she wouldn’t allow herself to believe it … not yet. “I never wanted to break the engagement at all, Dinah. I want to marry you,” he said, pulling out a slightly rumpled piece of paper and unfolding it to show her. “It’s a special licence,” he added, his voice a little rough now. He cleared his throat, a tinge of colour appearing high in his cheeks that seemed totally out of character as he stammered a little and pull at his cravat with his free hand. “So, if … if … if you think that perhaps …”

  He didn’t get to say anything else as Dinah threw her arms around his neck.

  “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

  “Oh, thank God,” Ben said, his voice sounding rather unsteady as his arms went about her.

  Dinah had buried her face in his neck, so overwhelmed that she hardly knew what to say or do, but she forced herself to look up, finding Ben staring at her with such a look in his eyes that her poor abused heart seemed to stutter in her chest.

  “Forgive me for taking so long,” he said as Dinah laughed, though it was a rather strangled sound as a sob welled in her throat at the same time.

  “What’s goin’ on?”

  They both looked around to see Joe staring at Mr Grubber, who was still trying to break free of the rose bush which entangled him. His gaze turned to Dinah and Ben with curiosity.

  “Oh, Joe!” Dinah exclaimed, blinking back tears and not entirely sure if she was laughing or crying. “Ben asked me to marry him.”

  Joe snorted, looking thoroughly underwhelmed in the circumstances and giving Ben a dark look. “Well, you took your own sweet time,” he muttered in disgust. “Thought I was gonna ‘ave to come an’ fetch you.”

  Dinah gaped in astonishment while Ben cleared his throat and looked rather guilty.

  “Do you mean to say you knew?” Dinah exclaimed, staring at Joe in outrage, but her beloved guardian just rolled his eyes at her. “It’s been as clear as the nose on ye face that the fool’s been in love wiv you for bleedin’ weeks,” Joe replied, his tone scathing. “I just didn’t expect ‘im to take so long to find ‘is balls, is all.”

  Ben made a startled sound, but to Dinah’s surprise, he didn’t appear to feel the need to defend himself.

  “Well,” Joe said, grinning a little now. “All’s well as ends well, I reckon. Welcome to the family, my lord.”

  Dinah gave a little laugh as emotion snagged in her throat and Ben took Joe’s proffered hand, shaking it warmly.

  “I really think you might call me Ben now,” he said, but Joe’s eyes grew sombre and he shook his head.

  “Nah, lad. Won’t fadge. You’ll ‘ave enough trials afore you, I reckon. No need to make things worse for yourself.”

  Dinah frowned, concerned by Joe’s words, but they were all distracted as Mr Grubber attempted to free himself from the thorns that had him held fast. There was the sound of tearing cloth and the solicitor staggered forward, landing on his knees before them.

  “Would …” he rasped, sounding angry and out of breath. “Would someone please tell me what the devil is going on?”

  Ben looked down at him from his superior height, with all the contempt that one of his breeding could bring to bear. It impressed Dinah. “None of your damn business,” he said, his tone clipped and cold as he escorted Dinah inside the house. He turned on the threshold only to add, “You will receive a copy of the marriage certificate in due course.” Dinah felt he took great satisfaction in then slamming the door in Mr Grubber’s outraged face.

  Chapter 25

  “Wherein Joe holds up a happy event.”

  Ben closed the door on the little parlour as Joe was kind enough to mutter about putting the kettle on and made himself scarce. He turned to find Dinah standing by the mantelpiece, looking a little shy and quite adorably flustered. Something in his heart lurched, making him feel rather unsteady, as though the ground had shifted beneath his feet. All at once, he felt a little flustered himself. He thought perhaps he could be forgiven as he’d never asked a woman to marry him before. It was a rather terrifying experience.

  He opened his mouth, expecting to find something witty and urbane, or possibly even flirtatious, but all of his sophistication seemed to have
deserted him.

  “Hello,” he said instead, grinning like a fool. He suspected the expression would be glued to his face for some time to come.

  Dinah put a hand to her mouth, smothering a laugh, and he chuckled. All at once, her smile faltered a little.

  “Oh, Ben,” she said, the words somewhat breathless. “You … you do really want to marry me, don’t you?” she asked, a tremble of doubt in the words that made him give a sound of incredulity.

  He crossed the room and hauled her into his arms and kissed her, relieved as her reaction was every bit as desperate as his. Her slender arms coiled around his neck, pulling him as close to her as possible. When he felt he’d made his point, he drew back a little.

  “Any other ridiculous questions?” he demanded, his voice rather rough now, heavy with the desire burning through him. “Because I’ll have them all now, please, get it over with.”

  Dinah gave a huff of laughter that sounded just a bit indignant. “Well,” she said, staring up at him. “You’ll have to forgive me for feeling a little overwhelmed and … and confused. You walked out on me that night, and then I hear nothing from you, and then last night you were so angry.”

  “Of course I was angry,” he said in frustration, wondering if she really had no notion of what she’d put him through. “I didn’t want to break the bloody engagement in the first place, Dinah. I just needed a bit of time, but then …” He broke off as he saw tears welling in her eyes. That was done now. “Then last night, I … I was so jealous, love. Joe had implied that maybe you’d been unhappy, too, and I’d begun to hope, but … when I saw you with Sherringham...” He shook his head as his throat felt strangely tight.

  “Oh, Ben,” she said, shaking her head. “How could you believe I’d ever want anyone else?”

  “Because you never said otherwise,” he retorted, looking a little affronted. “How the devil was I to know how you felt?”

  A flash of temper showed in her eyes and Ben wondered if he might have been better served to kiss her again, instead of wittering on and putting his foot in his mouth.

  “The last night you were here, I felt I made my feelings perfectly clear,” she said, her voice rather hard.

  Ben frowned, as guilt warred with his need to tell the truth. “I … I wanted to believe it, love, only …”

  “Only?” she repeated, a dangerous note to her voice that didn’t escape him.

  He sucked in a breath, deciding he’d best stick to honesty from now on. Hiding his feelings had certainly gotten him nowhere to date.

  “Only … you’re not the first woman to offer themselves to me. It doesn’t mean that they give a damn on the whole, Dinah. They want the title and the money, not me.”

  Dinah sucked in a breath and he hurried on.

  “I only ran because I realised that I was in love with you,” he said, realising that he’d never said the words until now. “I didn’t want to have just one night, I … I wanted it to be special, to be right, and … if I hadn’t run, then I wouldn’t have been able to make myself stop.”

  Her face softened at his words and he let out a breath, relieved that he’d done it right this time. “You’ve no idea what you do to me, Dinah. You’ve turned my world upside down and inside out.”

  He saw the anxiety slide into her face at his words and pulled her closer to him.

  “And I’ve never been gladder about anything,” he added, meaning it.

  “But your family, Ben,” she whispered, clutching at his lapels. “They’ll cut you off. People will cut you in the street, you’ll be laughed at, gossiped about …”

  “I don’t care,” he said, the words easy to say now that he knew the strength of them had been tested. Nearly losing Dinah had been the worst thing he had ever lived through, nothing could hurt more than that. “You mean more than anything else.”

  She gasped, wonder in her eyes as she stared at him.

  “So, then,” he said, knowing he could not wait any longer. “Can we go and get married now?”

  Dinah gave a startled laugh, blinking back tears. “Now?” she echoed, wiping her eyes.

  “Of course now!” he retorted, wondering how much longer he could wait before he dragged her off to a quiet room and had his wicked way with her. “I’ve been up all bloody night, begging various relations of Tommy’s to give me a special licence and trying to make them believe I’m a reformed character who wants to settle down and repent his sordid way of life.” The words did not convey the amount of grovelling they had forced him to submit to, or the interminable lectures on the dangers of allowing the devil into his life. He was getting married today if it was the last thing he did. “If you think I went to all the effort just to have to wait for days more …”

  “No! No! I don’t want to wait either,” she said, laughing now. “But at least let me go and change my gown.”

  Ben bent his head and kissed her, delighted as she opened her mouth to him with a little sigh of pleasure.

  “Only,” he murmured against her lips as he forced himself to break the kiss. “If you are exceedingly fast. For I warn you now, my patience is in tatters and it may force me to drag you to the church in your stockings and stays.”

  Dinah snorted, wriggling in his grasp. “Then you had best let me go, my lord,” she said with asperity. “Or we shan’t move from this spot and our scandalous reputations will grow to new heights.”

  Ben chuckled and gave her one last, lingering kiss, before allowing her to escape his clutches.

  ***

  The next hours were a blur. Dinah dressed in haste, not caring overly much what she wore, only that she not do anything to embarrass Ben. Mary was all of a twitter with the excitement, and all her fingers turned to thumbs, which didn’t help, but worst of all was Joe.

  “No, treacle,” he said, shaking his head with regret. “I done me best to raise you proper, as best I could, but now you’re startin’ a new life, jus’ as I always ‘oped you would an’ all. You don’t need me there, embarrassin’ you from the outset.”

  Dinah folded her arms, her expression just as obstinate as Joe’s. She couldn’t believe the man who had become her father in all but name would refuse to give her away.

  “Ben!” Dinah exclaimed, turning to him in desperation.

  To her intense relief, Ben got to his feet and walked over to Joe, who was sitting at the kitchen table, looking somewhat mutinous.

  “Now listen here, Joe,” he said, his voice full of impatience. “I know damn well that Dinah is every bit as stubborn as you are, you old thatch-gallows. But I tell you now, if you hold up this wedding by one more blasted minute, I’ll finish what you started the other night.”

  Joe looked up at him, a wicked glint in his eyes that made Dinah’s heart drop with trepidation. Damn him, the last thing Ben should have offered him was a good mill. Joe would be only too pleased to take him up on it.

  “You cheeky young pup,” Joe retorted, getting to his feet. “You only walked away from that turn up ‘cause I let you!”

  “You reckon?” Ben sounded every bit as indignant as Joe, but then, to Dinah’s intense relief, he seemed to remember himself and let out a breath. “Look, Joe, I’m quite ready to give you another round, any time you like, but do you think Dinah and I might get married first?”

  Joe snorted and rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “Aye, you’d best go and get that done, lad. Else she might decide you’re not worth the effort.”

  Ben grinned at him and then held out his hand. “The thing is, Joe, she doesn’t want to get married without you, and, well, neither do I.”

  The look on Joe’s face made Dinah’s throat feel tight and she felt glad she’d told Mary to make sure she had extra handkerchiefs packed in her reticule, she felt sure she would need them.

  “You do?” Joe replied, his voice gruff and somewhat incredulous as he stared at Ben’s proffered hand.

  “I do,” Ben replied, perfectly serious. “My family has never been too bothered with me
, Joe. I’m kind of surplus to requirements, you see.” He shrugged, smiling at Dinah as she moved to take his free hand. “So long as I didn’t rock the boat too hard, they ignored me for the most part. Now, though, I’m about to tip the boat over entirely, and … well, it would be good to know there are a few good people who stand in my corner.” Ben held his hand a little higher. “You said I was part of the family, didn’t you? It would be nice if this one was a bit more supportive than the one I’m leaving behind.”

  Joe fumbled about in his pockets and pulled out a large hanky. He wiped his eyes, blew his nose with vigour, and then stuffed it away again before taking a breath. Looking Ben in the eye, he took his hand and shook it so hard Ben winced a little.

  “Well, then,” he said, his voice sounding suspiciously uneven. “If you put it like that, I’d be proud to … Ben.”

  Ben grinned at him and let out a breath of relief. “Well, thank heavens for that,” he muttered. “Now for the love of God, please can we go and get married?”

  ***

  To Ben’s intense relief, Tommy had taken care of the details.

  They married in the rather splendid drawing room of the earl’s London residence, and Tommy had even remembered to supply a posy of white roses that made Dinah beam and blink hard. Tommy and Owen were witnesses, and if Owen was a little awkward and wide-eyed at being presented with Joe, Tommy made up for it.

  Joe had been obviously impressed and a little uncomfortable at being thrust into such illustrious company. Tommy greeted him with such genuine warmth, though, that he soon relaxed and looked a little less like he thought he was about to be accused of stealing the silver.

  The ceremony was mercifully brief, and Ben could recall little of it, too stunned to be there at all with the lovely vision of Dinah at her side. Her dress was a pale blue silk, simply cut and trimmed with lace, and as she looked up at him, repeating her marriage vows, Ben felt his chest swell with pride and love. With those overwhelming emotions came the realisation that he had, at last, grown up and figured out just what was important. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe there wouldn’t be problems to overcome, but he knew if he hadn’t married Dinah, he would have regretted it for the rest of his days. Everything else would sort itself out.