The Viscount and the Vixen

by Lorraine Heath

  “He’ll be disappointed if it’s a girl,” Portia said quietly.

  “I doubt it,” he assured her. “Did you not see the attention he gave Allie?”

  She looked up at him. “Will you be disappointed?”

  As long as she didn’t die, he’d be pleased. “Why would I be disappointed when it means we’d just have to try all the harder?”

  She smiled as a blush crept up her cheeks. “Will you be going to the mines?”

  “How are you feeling?”

  She seemed surprised by his question. He’d noticed during breakfast that she merely nibbled on a piece of toast and sipped her tea.

  “The queasiness comes and goes, although I think I shall lie down for a while.”

  “I can stay—”

  “No. No sense in that when there’s nothing you can do. I’m not ill, Locksley. This will all pass.”

  He was torn between wishing her pregnancy would pass quickly and that it would take forever. The distraction of the mines would be welcomed, would occupy his thoughts so he could ward off all the worst-case scenarios that fought to intrude on his peace of mind.

  Chapter 19

  May arrived with weather warmer than usual. Portia couldn’t bear the thought of cleaning rooms when she could enjoy the sun warming her face. Kneeling, inhaling deeply, she took satisfaction in the fragrance of freshly turned earth. Except for a brief respite for lunch, she’d spent the day working on bringing the garden back to life. The next time they had guests, she wanted to be able to invite them for tea on the terrace. So earlier that morning, once Locksley left for the mines, she had gone into the village, visited with those who had gorgeous flowers blooming, and asked for some cuttings from their favorite plants. She’d never been the beneficiary of such generosity from strangers, and she’d left feeling as though she were accepted by the villagers, as though she truly belonged here. Then when she returned to Havisham she set the servants to work.

  The footmen and stable boys were making great progress hacking at the brambles and overgrowth. The maids were pulling up the unwanted vegetation. The marquess, bless him, was turning over the soil with a shovel, creating a narrow path that lined the terrace. She was following along behind him, on her knees, using a trowel to prepare a place for each cutting and potted plant, carefully setting it into its new home, and gently filling in the hole. She did hope they would survive.

  “How do you know about gardening?” Marsden asked, taking a break from his toils and resting an elbow on the shovel.

  “My mother. The only time she ever seemed truly happy was when she was in the garden. Sometimes she would let me help when she was planting or pruning.”

  “My Linnie loved flowers.”

  Although she wore a wide-brimmed straw hat to shade her face, she raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she glanced up at him. “Based upon what you’ve told me of her, I’m not surprised. I imagine these gardens were beautiful once.”

  He crouched beside her. “They were. I shouldn’t have let them go. She’ll be pleased to see you’re bringing them back. But we must hire a gardener. This area is massive. We can’t have you doing all the work, and those servants are going to grumble about these labors if you keep them at it too long.”

  “Maybe once the plants are flourishing we’ll hire someone.”

  “No need to wait. It’s not as though we can’t afford it.”

  She wasn’t quite certain his words were true. It had been a few weeks since she’d learned the truth, since she watched Locksley return in the evenings and noted the dejected slump of his shoulders. His bath always seemed to refresh him, and there was never any evidence of his worry when he joined her for the evening. He assured her that they weren’t beggars but she suspected they’d find themselves in a spot of bother if they didn’t watch their spending. “I’ll discuss it with Locksley,” she said, hoping to steer Marsden away from the topic of their finances.

  “I like that the two of you talk things over. Linnie and I decided everything together. She was my partner in all ways. She would—”

  Bells began pealing.

  “Christ,” Marsden muttered, shooting to his feet with a speed that astonished Portia.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  The maids lifted their skirts and began running away from the manor in the direction that Locksley went each morning. The footmen, still holding on to their shovels, followed on their heels. Trepidation sliced through Portia and she pushed herself up. “What is it?”

  “John, ready a carriage!” Marsden shouted at the coachman.

  Portia grabbed the marquess’s arm and asked again, more forcefully, “What is it? What’s happened?”

  “There’s been an accident at the mines.”

  Riding in the carriage with the marquess at the reins, Portia arrived at the mines to discover her worse fear realized: Locksley was one of the ones trapped when a ceiling collapsed.

  The marquess had charged into the fray—into the mine—to assist, which terrified her, although she understood his need to be of service. She could do little more than offer water to the workers who periodically emerged to rest for a bit while others, refreshed, took their place. She paced alongside the other women, wrung her hands, and whenever gruesome thoughts of the worst possible outcome hovered at the back of her mind, she fervently squashed them.

  Locksley had traveled the world, had no doubt been in far more dangerous situations and emerged unscathed. He would survive this.

  “Not to worry, m’lady,” Cullie said, standing beside her. “The workers wouldn’t still be in the tunnel if there was no hope.”

  “It could collapse further, taking them all.”

  “Aye, but we mustn’t think like that, and I’ve never known you to see the dark side of things. Shall I go in and see if I can determine what sort of progress has been made?”

  She shook her head. “No need to put more people at risk. Besides, those coming out would surely share news if there was news to share.”

  “They’re a stoic lot, not wanting to raise or dash hopes, so they keep their thoughts to themselves. But if I was to prod them—”

  “No, let them concentrate on their tasks.”

  “This waiting drives me blooming crazy, though.”

  Portia released a small laugh. “Me as well.”

  “You shouldn’t be here, m’lady, not in your condition.”

  “I’m not doing anything other than standing around. At the residence I’d merely pace and wear a hole in the carpeting.” And worry all the more. She didn’t know why she felt that being here would somehow alter the outcome. Perhaps that was the reason Locksley worked in the mines. It was much easier to be present and involved than merely waiting at a distance for word of success.

  A commotion at the mouth of the tunnel caught her attention. A group of men, covered in filth and grime, barely identifiable, staggered out. Yet she recognized one of them by the breadth of his shoulders, the way he held himself. He might be shoveling dirt with the best of them, but every pore of his body screamed noble birth.

  Before she’d given it any thought, she was racing to him. He turned and those green eyes landed on her. Then he grinned, his smile white and bright in that dirt-covered face. He held out his arms and she leaped at him. He caught her and spun her around.

  “You’re alive! You’re safe,” she cried.

  “We found more tin, Portia. More tin.” Then his mouth was on hers, hungry and greedy, passionate and so full of life. He smelled of the earth, rich and dark.

  When he pulled back, she plowed her hands through his hair, watching as dirt scattered on the wind. “I thought there was an accident.”

  “There was, but we found the vein just before the collapse. We know it’s there now. We’ll know where to go after it.”

  “Isn’t that dangerous?”

  “We’ll buttress it better.” Then he was kissing her again.

  Locke sank down into the hot water. Trapped inside the m
ine, surrounded by darkness, thoughts of Portia had provided a light for his soul as he’d encouraged the other five men entombed with him to work to dig themselves out. He’d never contemplated not finding freedom, never considered death as an avenue for escape, because it would have kept him from her. When he’d come out of the mine and seen her rushing toward him, the joy that had spiraled through him had been unsettling. She was coming to mean too much, and yet he couldn’t quite push back the emotions, no matter how dangerous or risky to his sanity they might be.

  Now hearing the door open, he glanced back over his shoulder. He shouldn’t be so grateful for Portia’s arrival, but damn if he wasn’t.

  “I thought you could use a drink,” she said as she handed him a glass filled with amber liquid.

  “Indeed I could.” He swallowed a good portion of it, welcomed the burning in his chest.

  Kneeling beside him, she took a cloth, dipped it in the water, rubbed soap over it.

  “Are you going to wash me?” he asked.

  She gave him a saucy smile. “I thought I might. Were you scared?”

  “Terrified.”

  Her eyes widened, and all he wanted was to drink them in. “Were you really?” she asked.

  Sighing, he wasn’t certain how to explain it. “I wasn’t afraid. To be honest, I was more disappointed in myself because I realized that if I didn’t make it out, I’d be leaving a great deal undone.”

  “I would have been so frightened.”

  “No, you wouldn’t have.” He trailed his finger around her face. “You would have been encouraging the others, leading them toward digging you out.”

  “You give me too much credit.” She began wiping the cloth over his chest.

  “I want to take you to London.”

  Her hand stilled, near his heart, and he wondered if she could hear it pounding. “Why?”

  “To introduce you into Society.”

  “That’s not necessary.”

  “You’re my wife. Surely you understood that we would go to London for the Season.”

  “You haven’t gone in years.”

  “Which is the reason we need to go. To reestablish ourselves, especially now that a child is on the way.”

  She began scrubbing his shoulders, his neck. “Can’t we wait until next year?”

  Most women adored London and the Season. He didn’t understand her reluctance. “What’s wrong with this year?”

  “I don’t know all the etiquette. I need to learn it.”

  “I’m certain you know enough to get by.” His friends’ visit had shown him that.

  “You have far more faith in me than I have in myself.”

  He did have an inordinate amount of confidence in her ability to handle herself among the upper crust. “I want to show you off,” he admitted.

  Leaning up, he kissed the corner of her mouth. “Now remove your clothes and join me in the tub.”

  Chapter 20

  A month later, as the coach rolled into London, Portia fought to keep her apprehension hidden. Long, slow, deep breaths had been the order of the journey. As well as a mantra commanding herself to relax. It was highly unlikely that she would cross paths with Montie, that he would discover she’d returned. And if he did, it was possible that he wouldn’t care after all these months. He’d no doubt forgotten all about her, moved on to someone else.

  He’d never been one to do without and he liked nothing more than a woman’s company. In order not to forgo pleasure, he’d have replaced Portia quickly enough. She was rather certain of that fact, as she no longer had any delusions regarding what she’d meant to him: nothing particularly special. In truth, Locksley made her feel more treasured than Montie ever had.

  “Where did you live?”

  At the unexpected question disturbing the quiet, she jerked her attention to her husband, who sat across from her. They’d spoken very little during the journey, which had suited her, as she’d used her time to mentally prepare for what awaited her here in the city. “Pardon?”

  “When you were in London where did you live?”

  “I never said I lived in London.”

  “But you traveled from London.”

  She’d forgotten how guarded she’d been with him when they first met, weighing every word, fearful she’d give too much away. It felt wrong now to revert to old habits. “Yes. But I didn’t live in London proper. I resided in a house on the outskirts. The lease ran out just before I moved to Havisham.”

  “Would you like us to drive by it?”

  “I have no desire to revisit old memories.” To risk being spotted by anyone who might know or recognize her.

  “Did you keep nothing from the residence?”

  “Not a thing.” Nothing had been hers to keep. “It’s all in the past, Locksley, which is where I prefer for it to remain. Naught is to be gained hashing over the situation or my silliness in taking a husband who would not see to my welfare in case of his death.”

  He sighed, glanced out the window. “After all this time, Portia, it seems you should call me Locke.”

  “It would imply an intimacy we do not share.”

  His gaze came to bear on her. “I put a child in your belly. A couple doesn’t get much more intimate than that.”

  She folded her hands over that belly, which was rounding. The new physician who had moved to the village speculated, based on her size, that twins were a possibility. “We might be physically intimate but we are not emotionally so. I think we can both agree to that.”

  Calling him Locke would make her feel closer to him, and she was striving to protect her heart.

  “People will find it odd,” he said.

  “When have you ever cared what people think?”

  He grinned. “Is that something you read in your gossip sheets?”

  She smiled at him. “I’m fairly certain I did. Will we see many people?”

  “I suspect so. Once word gets round that we’re in town, we’re certain to receive all manner of invitations. People will be anxious to meet my wife.”

  They would be. Everyone had a perverse curiosity regarding the Hellions, and the fact that Locksley hadn’t been to London in a good long while made people all the more inquisitive about him. “They’re certain to ask how we met. What will we say?”

  “That my father arranged the introduction and I couldn’t resist marrying you.”

  She laughed. “Clever. Not quite a lie.”

  “Not a lie at all. You tempted me the moment I opened the door.”

  He’d enticed her as well. As London shops passed by the window, she considered that she really should have gone after the mail coach. She wouldn’t be back in London if she had. Marsden never would have brought her here. She’d have remained safe at Havisham.

  “And how could I resist the charms of your set-downs?” he asked.

  How quickly the months had passed since that day. Had she known then how much she would come to care for him she’d have never married him. While her stomach tightened each time she thought of being in London, she wanted to make him proud, glad to have her at his side. Even as she prayed that being in the city wouldn’t provide the opportunity for him to discover the facts surrounding her, to come to despise her with every fiber of his being.

  Learning the truth would destroy him and the fragile bond between them. It would devastate her as well because she’d done the unthinkable. She’d come to love him.

  As the coach pulled through the gates and onto the drive that circled in front of a large residence, Portia realized she’d walked past the manor when she’d first come to London. She’d taken a tour of the nicer areas because she’d expected to be living in one of them shortly after her arrival in the city. What a silly young girl she’d been then. And how odd that her hopes had come to pass, just not in the manner or during the time in which she’d expected.

  The lawn was beautifully manicured; colorful flowers edged the pebbled drive lined by towering elms. The manor itself was tall and wid
e, lacking the turrets and spires that characterized Havisham.

  “It looks well maintained,” she said.

  “More so than Havisham. I don’t usually open all the rooms when I’m here but they’ve not been left to fall into disrepair. You’ll find the staff is small, only enough servants to see after the most minimal needs whether I’m away or here. You may, of course, hire additional staff.”

  “We’ll make do with a small staff.”

  “Portia—”

  She gave him a pointed look, cutting him off. “A small staff suits just fine. I don’t see the need to open everything up if we’re not going to be entertaining.”

  “We might.”

  Her stomach felt as though it had tumbled to the ground, but it was only the coach swaying to a stop. “What sort of entertaining?”

  “We’ll decide later, but for the babe’s sake, we need to ensure you are accepted by all of London.”

  Her world could not seem to stop spinning. “It seems a bit soon to be worrying about what we must do for the babe’s sake.” The irony of her words didn’t escape her, as it was something she worried about constantly, ever since she’d realized she was with child.

  “It’s never too early to put one’s best foot forward.”

  He was correct, of course. She pushed the overwhelming thoughts bombarding her aside. She’d won over his friends. What were a few hundred more?

  The door opened and a footman she didn’t recognize offered his hand to her while saying to Locksley, “Welcome home, my lord.”

  He handed her down. Locksley disembarked, extended his arm toward her. She closed her fingers around his sturdiness, grateful for it, knowing she’d be relying on it in the days and nights ahead. Oh, she should have given more thought to the fact that marriage to a younger man would mean returning to London and being part of Society.

  “At some point you’ll be introduced to the queen,” he said casually.

  She halted, her stomach roiling as it hadn’t in weeks now. “Why?”