by Lydia Dare
Not that he’d given her a choice that fateful evening.
Lady Sophia continued, “…What a leap of faith it must have been for her to marry you. To leave her father, her home, her fortune. And when you look at all that, ask yourself how she’s feeling now that you’ve put her back on this pedestal that she’s been trying to jump down from her whole life.” The lady sighed heavily. “Imagine that you’ve been groomed for greatness. For respectability. Imagine what it’s like to be locked up in that little box your whole life. And imagine what it might feel like when you find someone who’ll let you out. Who’ll love you for the kindness in your heart. For the future you can have together. You’re more than she ever hoped she’d find.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Wes interrupted. And she didn’t. The lady knew nothing of the past sennight.
“I know what it’s like for your life to change in an instant.”
“It’s not the same thing.”
“Certainly it’s not,” she scoffed. “But I’ve known Maddie most of my life. And I can see that you’re so busy wallowing in your own self-pity that you don’t see the truth that’s staring you in the face. Maddie gave up her fortune. She gave up her family. She gave it all up. For you. You’d be a fool to give up on her now. I thought you Hadley men were made of sterner stuff.” She sniffed, raising her nose in the air. “And although you and your brothers are quite disrespectable, I have no doubt about your intellect. You’re smart, the lot of you. I think you like wreaking havoc. I think you like being scandalous.”
“It’s not your place to make a determination about this,” Wes scolded. But what if she was right?
“Would you like to make something of yourself? To be worthy of her?”
Wes snorted. He’d like nothing more.
“Then let me do what I was hired for. Let me teach you to be respectable.”
“Do you have any idea how difficult a task you have, my lady? The Hadleys have more to overcome than the average family.”
She waved a breezy hand in the air. “Posh,” she scoffed. “You know how to dance. How to respect the social niceties. You know how to be respectable. You’re just not.” She narrowed her eyes at Wes. “Do you have a way to support her?”
Wes avoided her gaze. He’d spent hours of their wedding night asking himself that same question. “I have some ideas,” he mumbled.
“Ideas aren’t worth anything until you put them into motion,” Lady Sophia said. “This is the question, Mr. Hadley—can you pull yourself together soon enough? Before her father finds some way to dissolve your union? Can you come up with a plan so you can afford her? Can you make yourself into someone she and her father can respect? That, Mr. Hadley, is up to you.”
“Well said,” Cait added softly.
Lady Sophia smiled at her, then turned her attention back to Wes. “I’m here if you need my guidance, Mr. Hadley. Now I believe there is an unruly viscount awaiting me in the music room.” She nodded quickly at Wes, then disappeared from the nursery as quickly as she’d arrived.
“Cait,” Wes started.
But she didn’t listen. She laid a hand on his forearm and squeezed. “I kent I liked her. She’ll give yer brother a run for his money.” She laughed lightly. “I canna wait ta watch it all.”
Wes almost swallowed his tongue. Lady Sophia and one of his brothers? Certainly not Gray. Archer? Wes laughed out loud. Cait was right: that would be something to watch. But his mind went right back to the problem at hand. Could he make himself worthy of Madeline? And if by some miracle he was able to, would she have him? “I had a business idea occur to me in Scotland. I suppose I should go talk it over with Archer and Gray.”
Cait grinned. “I have a feelin’ that idea will be a great success.” She waved him toward the door. “Go on,” she urged. “Hurry, though, before Madeline gives up on ye.”
Wes descended the steps in search of his brothers. Lady Sophia had mentioned the music room, hadn’t she?
He started in that direction and heard the lady singing, “Oh, once I had thyme of my own. And in my own garden it grew. I used to know the place…”
Before he could reach the music-room doors, Gray came up from behind Wes and clapped a hand to his back. “Archer’s in hell in there. Let’s go the other way,” he whispered.
“…where my thyme it did grow. But now it’s covered with rue, with rue. But now it’s covered with rue…”
“What is she doing?” Wes kept his voice low as well.
“Expecting him to sit through a musical performance and feign interest and keep his temper.” Gray rolled his eyes.
“…The rue it is a flourishing thing. It flourishes by day and night…”
Wes bit back a smile. “Problem is, I need to speak with Archer. And you, too.”
“Should we save him then?”
“…So beware a young man’s flattering tongue. He will steal your thyme away, away…”
Wes could certainly use his older brother’s goodwill. “We’d better.”
He stepped into the music room to find Lady Sophia standing beside the piano, her hands clasped in front of her as she continued singing. “…He will steal your thyme away…”
Wes cleared his through. “I beg your forgiveness, my lady. But I seek an audience with my brother.”
Archer leapt to his feet like a dog who had just been saved from taking a bath.“I really must speak with my brother, Lady Sophia. I’m sure you understand.”
The lady pursed her lips. “You do realize that this sort of behavior is exactly why I’m here.”
Wes smiled at Lady Sophia. “You asked if I could afford my wife. I am hoping to answer yes to your question, my lady. But I will need an audience with Radbourne in order to do so.”
“You are using my affection for Maddie against me, Mr. Hadley, aren’t you?”
He nodded in agreement. “I suppose I am.”
“Very well, you may have his lordship for half an hour. Then I will expect all three of you to meet me back in this room.”
Wes didn’t even have time to thank Lady Sophia for her indulgence because Archer grabbed his arm and dragged him into the corridor. “I owe you,” he hissed.
“I’m glad you think so,” Wes replied. “Because I truly do need to speak with both of you.” He made his way to Cait’s pristine white parlor, and after his brothers joined him, Wes firmly closed the door behind them. They’d have to whisper to keep Dash from overhearing their conversation, but no one else would be able to hear them from this spot.
“I must say,” Archer began drolly, “you certainly do know how to make a mess of things. Lady Madeline?” He shook his head in awe. “I didn’t think you had it in you, pup.”
“We only have half an hour, Archer. Will you shut up and listen?”
His brother bristled at the comment, but he gestured for Wes to continue with a wave of his arm. “By all means.”
Now that he had both Gray and Archer’s attention, Wes wasn’t quite sure how to tell them about his idea. He knew Dash would be opposed, but he didn’t know anything about any other business. “What do you think about opening a gambling establishment?”
Gray’s eyes widened and he dropped onto the settee behind him.
Archer smirked. “I think that between your elopement and opening a gaming hell, Dash will be too busy with you to pay any attention to me.”
Gray coughed into his fist.
Wes glared at his older brother. “Just consider my proposal, will you?”
Archer sighed. “All right. Tell me, why do you want to operate a gaming hell?”
“I don’t know how to do anything else,” Wes admitted. “In my mind I know Madeline is better off without me, and I know Hythe will do everything in his power to dissolve our marriage. But he might not be successful. And in my heart…” Wes shrugged and felt like a green lad, so open, vulnerable, exposed. “I’ll always love her. But I can’t provide for her. My income is quite pitiful, as you well know. S
o what options are open to me? Can you see me as a country vicar?”
Gray chortled.
Wes scowled at him. “Neither can I.”
“There are a million options between being a vicar and running a gaming hell.”
“Something in trade.” Wes agreed with a nod of his head. “But I know nothing of shipping or of being a merchant. I do know gambling and I know gamblers. And you know as well as I, luck comes and goes, but the fellow who owns the tables always makes money.”
Archer’s brow creased as though he was seriously considering the possibility for the first time. “And you think this is the way to go about winning her? I can’t see Hythe happy with his daughter married to the proprietor of a gaming hell.”
“I wish you wouldn’t call it that. I don’t want the place to be smarmy. More…”
“Upscale?” Gray provided.
“Exactly.” Wes smiled at his twin. “Upscale. Something the three of us can do together. Increase each of our fortunes.”
“And if Hythe is successful at dissolving your union?” Archer asked.
“Then I’ll have something to focus on and throw myself into.”
“I’m tired of being one of the penniless Hadleys,” Gray said from his spot on the settee. “I would never have thought of this, Wes. But I do like the sound of it.”
Archer smirked. “And I can just imagine Lady Sophia’s reaction. How on earth will she make gentlemen out of gambling proprietors? She’ll be so disgusted by the idea that she’ll wash her hands of us, and I’ll never have to sit through another faux musicale.”
“Cait said it would be successful,” Wes tossed in.
“You told Cait?” Gray’s voice rose an octave. “Are you mad?”
Well, he hadn’t really told her, and he wasn’t certain how to explain his bizarre conversation with their sister-in-law. “She went toe to toe with Dash for me.”
“She always does.” Archer rubbed his chin. “I still wouldn’t have told her.”
“Cait can be trusted.”
“You’d better hope so,” Archer replied. “Because I don’t intend to say one word to Dash about any of this, not until things are set in motion in any event.”
That meant he was in. Wes smiled at his brother. With Archer’s new fortune, he didn’t have to participate in this venture, but it warmed Wes’ heart that his brother was willing to do so anyway.
“In fact,” Archer continued, “I have the perfect plot of land in mind.”
“You do?” Gray asked.
Archer nodded. “I own a nice spot in Sunbury along the Thames. We could ferry fellows in from London. Charge for rooms. Provide entertainment.”
A plot of land Wes was certain Archer had obtained from the late Lord Postwick. “I’m guessing Lady Sophia won’t be happy about the location, among other things.”
A flash of something crossed Archer’s face but it was gone just as fast. “I can’t imagine that she would.”
“What would she care about that?” Gray asked, completely bewildered.
Archer growled low in his throat. “We haven’t been gone half an hour yet. What could she possibly want now?”
And then Wes noticed the soft essence of violets. How interesting that Archer was so attuned to Lady Sophia’s scent. A soft knock at the door heralded her formal arrival.
“Go away,” Archer groused.
But Wes strode to the door and opened it, revealing their tutor in the flesh. “My lady,” he said.
Lady Sophia swept into the room, holding a ledger in her hands. “We have work to do.”
“You gave us half an hour reprieve from your presence, or have you forgotten?” Archer grumbled.
“No.” She shook her head. “I said you needed to be back in the music room in half an hour. It’s not the same thing.” She tapped her ledger with her fingers.
“What the devil is that?” Gray asked, his eyebrows drawing together.
Wes was almost afraid to ask himself.
“A listing I put together of all the exhibits at the British Museum.” She perched on the edge of the settee. “I’d like for you all to be familiar with each and every piece.”
“Why on earth would we want to do that?” Archer asked, cursing beneath his breath.
“Because it will show Lord Eynsford and others how cultured you’ve become, my lord.”
Archer snorted. “Cultured? You are destined for failure, Lady Sophia. We are Hadleys. Culture is not a word in our vocabularies.”
“Then you’d better learn it,” she said primly. “I’m to make gentlemen out of you, and gentlemen know a thing or two about art and culture.”
“They know more about gambling,” Gray muttered under his breath, only loud enough for his brothers to hear.
Archer laughed.
“Something amusing, Lord Radbourne?” Lady Sophia lifted one imperious brow in his direction.
“I find a great number of things amusing, my lady.”
She smiled at him, though there was an icy chill behind her eyes. “I am so relieved to hear it. When conversing with a lady, you should always strive to engage her with witty conversation.”
“I’ve never had a problem engaging a woman, sweetheart. And I’ve never heard any complaints.” Archer let his gaze roam down Lady Sophia’s body, and for the first time ever, that made Wes more than uncomfortable. He felt a sudden urge to protect the lady.
“She’s trying to help us,” Wes said placatingly.
Archer smirked. “But we’re just fine the way we are.”
No. No, they weren’t. Their unruly and unconventional upbringing had left Wes less than worthy of the woman he loved. By quite a long shot. “I want her help,” he said softly.
Lady Sophia smiled at him, and he could see the sweetness in her gaze. “You’ll make a fine husband for her.”
Wes wished he could be as certain as Lady Sophia was. If he learned everything there was about every object inside the British Museum, if he read The Times every morning to be knowledgeable of current events, if he was a master waltzer or fencer, would that really make the difference to Madeline? To Hythe? To himself? He would always be Weston Hadley.
Archer tsked at him. “Which will it be, Wes? Business ventures or artifacts in museums?”
“Business ventures?” Lady Sophia asked.
“I’m afraid our new business venture will take us far from Kent for a while, my lady,” Archer said with a superior gleam in his eye. “So perhaps you can instruct Lord Eynsford on the intimate goings-on at the British Museum in our absence.”
“This is the first I’ve heard of a business venture.” Lady Sophia frowned. “I’m certain I don’t have to tell you that gentlemen don’t dabble in business, my lord.”
“What do you think I’ve been trying to explain to you, my lady?” Archer winked at her. “We’re not gentlemen. We’re Hadleys.”
But that didn’t mean they couldn’t be better. Wes offered a conciliatory smile to the lady. “When we return from our trip, I’ll look forward to your instruction.” He’d look forward to doing anything that might make Madeline see him in a better light. But the Hadley brothers’ gambling business wouldn’t grow itself, and if Madeline was stuck with him, he needed to ensure that he could take care of her. That had to be more important than learning all the details about the Elgin Marbles, didn’t it?
Twenty-Seven
If Maddie wasn’t wearing gloves, she’d be biting her fingernails, which wasn’t like her at all. But she was such a bundle of nerves that she could barely sit still.
“Appear serene,” her grandmother ordered as their coach stopped on the circular drive before Eynsford Park. “You want him crawling back to you, Madeline. You don’t want him to have the upper hand.”
Maddie would be happy to have any hand at all. As it was, she had nothing. But if only she could catch Wes’ eye, she might see something in his depths that would confirm her deepest desire. He’d professed to her father that he was in love with her. She�
�d heard him with her very ears. He’d told her himself that he’d wanted her for years. Could all of that have disappeared because she hadn’t wanted him to scar her? To appease the duchess, Maddie nodded her head as serenely as she was able. “Of course, Grandmamma.”
“And keep your distance from Sophia. That gel is a bad influence on you.”
Somehow Maddie managed to keep from snorting. Her life had been turned inside out and upside down. How could Sophie’s influence possibly make things any worse?
The driver opened the coach door, helped the duchess alight from the conveyance, and then offered his hand to Maddie. She linked her arm with her grandmother’s, and together they strode down the white stone path to the grand front door that opened before either of them could knock.
Eynsford’s stoic butler bowed. “Your Grace, Lady Madeline.”
“Lady Eynsford should be expecting us,” the duchess replied regally.
“Of course, madam. Her ladyship is awaiting you in the white parlor. This way.” He led them just a short distance, then cleared his throat before a doorway. “The Duchess of Hythe and Lady Madeline have arrived, my lady.”
“Wonderful,” the marchioness gushed from inside the room. “Thank you, Price.”
The butler gestured Maddie and the duchess over the threshold, and at once, Maddie’s eyes flew around the room in hopes of finding her husband there. But he was not. Sophie, however, was. Her old friend smiled and gestured to the spot beside her on a white damask settee. Ignoring her grandmother’s directive, Maddie quickly crossed the floor and took the seat beside Sophie.
The duchess harrumphed but took a spot in a high-backed chair a few feet away.
Immediately, Sophie grasped Maddie’s hand and squeezed. “Are you all right? I’ve been so worried.”
Only some miracle kept tears from forming in Maddie’s eyes, but she refused to let them fall. When she did see Wes, she would not have tear-stained cheeks. “I am fine, all things considered.”