How to Ravish a Rake

by Vicky Dreiling

  Madame DuPont followed Patience to a dressing room for a fitting of a new gown. Once they were gone, Julianne turned to Amy. “I thought you were done with this scheme.”

  “I returned the money today.” She hugged her. “I felt so terrible putting you in the middle of my deception, and I could hardly bear to walk past my trunk, knowing the money was in there. I’ve learned my lesson about deceiving those you love.”

  Julianne smiled. “Do you love Will?”

  “I do, and he loves me.” Her arms tingled. “Against all odds, our marriage of convenience is a love match after all.”

  Julianne hugged her hard. “I am so glad for you. No one deserves happiness more.”

  “It is very freeing to be rid of those coins. Now all that remains is to tell him the truth.”

  “The only really terrible thing you did was to hide it. Focus on that,” Julianne said.

  “The only thing that troubles me is that he may find it hard to trust me again.”

  “Perhaps, but be forthcoming and over time his trust in you will be restored,” Julianne said.

  “Thank you,” Amy said.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” Julianne said. “I need your advice on the ribbon for this silk blond lace.” She laid the lace against a green satin. “What do you think?”

  Amy shook her head. “The lace is too frilly for satin.” As they walked about the shop, Amy advised Julianne about a different fabric that would work with the lace. “Red is a very good color for your dark hair. See how the white lace enhances the red silk.”

  “Oh, yes. I’m so fortunate to have a sister who gives me fashion advice,” Julianne said.

  Amy thought she was very fortunate to have sisters and brothers to add to her own small family. But most of all, she was fortunate to have a husband who loved her.

  The next afternoon, Amy was perusing fashion plates when the butler announced Lady Hunter. Amy frowned and almost told the butler to turn her away with the usual polite excuse of not being at home, but the woman’s persistence indicated that Lady Hunter would not be satisfied until she had Amy’s full attention. “Very well, please show her up.”

  Amy stood when Lady Hunter entered. “Please be seated.”

  After taking a chair, Amy came to the point. “Lady Hunter, this is the second time you have sought me out, even though we are not well acquainted. I sense you have a specific purpose.”

  To Amy’s shock, the woman tried to offer her a purse.

  “No, I will not take your money,” Amy said. “Why would you do this?”

  “You needn’t pretend with me. I know my husband benefited,” Lady Hunter said.

  Amy thought the woman deranged. “Lady Hunter, I believe you should go now.”

  “I know Darcett married you soon after my husband won twenty thousand pounds at his club,” Lady Hunter said. “I thought you would have need of money.”

  “I have no idea what you are talking about.” Amy stood. “Please leave.”

  “I knew it,” Lady Hunter said. “You have no idea. He married you after he lost twenty thousand to my husband.”

  Amy clutched the chair arms as she sat. “You must be joking.”

  Lady Hunter shook her head and pulled out a slip of paper. “I found Mr. Darcett’s vowel on my husband’s desk.”

  Oh, God. Amy’s hand shook. It was Will’s handwriting.

  “I am so sorry,” Lady Hunter said.

  Amy forced herself to meet the woman’s eyes. “I beg you to say nothing of this to anyone.”

  “I understand. Believe me, I understand,” Lady Hunter said.

  Amy kept her composure just long enough for Lady Hunter to leave and then she fled upstairs to her bedchamber. She refused to let herself cry. Instead, she called Anna in and said, “Have all of my belongings packed as quickly as possible.”

  The maid gasped. “Madame, surely—”

  “Just do it,” she cried. She was shaking all over as she sat at her desk to compose a letter to her parents. She wrote quickly and gave no explanations. But as she wrote the words, she suddenly slowed and set the pen aside.

  They had betrayed each other. Did one type of betrayal trump another? Was one sin worse than the next? She had kept secrets from her husband. He had apparently married her for her money so that he could pay the gambling debt.

  She knew it was true, and it hurt so much. He’d told he loved her. She bent over and wept. Why would he deceive her about his feelings? Or had he? She no longer could determine the truth about him. Her face crumpled, and her heart felt as if he’d thrust a dagger in it.

  Where did they go from here?

  Her first instinct had been to flee, but of course she could do no such a thing. She must confront him with her own betrayal and his.

  Will strolled inside the cottage with a posy of wildflowers behind his back. “Is Mrs. Darcett in the parlor?” he asked the butler.

  “No, sir. She’s kept upstairs most of the day.”

  He frowned and went upstairs, wondering if she was feeling poorly. When he knocked on her door, he heard rustling within. When she answered, he caught his breath. Her face was white and her eyes swollen. “Come in, Will.”

  “Oh, my God, what has happened?” When he tried to take Amy’s hands, she stepped back.

  “I had a visit from Lady Hunter today.”

  His neck prickled. “You know?”

  She went to her desk and retrieved a small piece of paper. Bile rose to his throat. It was his vowel.

  “I didn’t tell you because I knew you would think I had married you for the money.”

  “Didn’t you?”

  “You know that I tried to get us out of marrying after we were caught in the wine cellar.”

  “Nonetheless, you did not tell me that you paid a fortune—from the money I brought to the marriage—to cover a gambling debt.”

  “No, because we had to marry, and I didn’t want to be the cause of additional wounds.”

  “I have something to tell you, Will.”

  “Don’t leave me,” he said.

  “Do you remember the night your friends dined with us? And the discussion about trade? I lied by omission. I took compensation for my sketches, and do you want to know why? At first, I wanted to have the money as assurance in case I didn’t marry, and then when I learned we must marry, I kept it from you. And the reason is because I feared you would gamble and beggar us.”

  “I feel sick,” he said.

  “So do I, Will.”

  “I meant to tell you, because I didn’t want you to hear it from someone else,” he said. “I just wanted to wait for the right time.”

  “The right time would have been the day you proposed to me,” she said.

  His temper snapped. “And when were you planning to tell me that you were taking money for those sketches?” he said, his voice rising in anger.

  She gave him a bitter smile. “I just wanted to wait for the right time. I wasn’t even sure I should tell you, because you would ask why I did it. I knew it would cause a deep rift if I told you that I didn’t trust you. Given your reputation, I had every reason to doubt you.”

  “You sat calmly at dinner when Fordham mentioned trade,” he said. “You didn’t bat an eye. Worse, you trusted that dressmaker to keep your secret, but you didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth. If that had gotten out, you would have humiliated me and both of our families.”

  “I gave the money back to the dressmaker, because I felt guilty,” she said. “But what about that gaming debt, Will? How many people know? Do others think you purposely compromised me in that wine cellar to cover the debt?”

  He flinched.

  She turned and walked over to the desk chair to sit. “I can’t bear the mortification. How am I to hold my head up, when everyone is gossiping about me? I will be pitied. I’m not strong enough to face scandal again.”

  He knelt before her and took her hand. “Amy, we can weather this storm. We’ve faced difficulties before and
overcome them.”

  She looked at him and then she inhaled sharply. “Oh, my God. I just realized that night you tried to lead me into that dark music room, you meant to compromise me.”

  His heart stampeded. “Amy, I told you I was a selfish man. I felt awful afterward, and you forgave me.”

  “I didn’t know you did it because you wanted my fortune,” she cried. “You must have been elated when we were trapped in that wine cellar.”

  “You know I tried to get us out of that situation,” he said.

  Tears streaked down her face. “Was it an act? Did you simply make the effort, so that I wouldn’t put two and two together?”

  “No, I didn’t. I swear it.” God, this was going very badly. “Amy, I love you. We will work through this as we have previously.”

  She blotted her face with a handkerchief. “The problem is that I cannot trust you, and I daresay you cannot trust me. We both made a commitment, but the entire time, we were deceiving each other. How can we reconcile without trust? It is impossible.”

  “You know I’m a changed man because of you.”

  “Are you, Will?”

  “You know I am, and I know you are stronger because of our relationship as well. We’re married for as long as we shall live. I know it won’t be easy, but we’ve come this far. I don’t want to give you up.”

  “I’m sorry, Will. I think you had better go.”

  “I can’t leave you like this,” he said.

  “Will, I’m planning to write to my parents and make arrangements to go home.”

  “No!” He fisted his hands to hide the fact that they were shaking. “I won’t let you leave me.”

  She shook her head. “I just think that a marriage based on mistrust cannot thrive. We were never meant to be. Our marriage was based on an accident. I’m sorry, Will, but I don’t think we can get past this much deception and mistrust.”

  No. He refused to let her leave. “You’re my wife. We took vows. If you will give me the chance, I will make this up to you,” he said.

  “There’s been too much damage.”

  “What are you saying?” he said.

  “I will write to my parents tomorrow and make arrangements to return home. We will live separate lives just as you envisioned. You can travel with your friends, and I will live quietly in the country.”

  Will paced his room, trying to figure out how to save his marriage. He didn’t want to lose Amy. After everything they had been through, he refused to give up now, but he didn’t know what to do. All he knew was that he loved her too much to let her leave him. God, he’d spend the rest of his days worshiping the ground she walked on if she would only give him another chance.

  He was breathing hard and having trouble thinking, but he had to think.

  Will slumped on the edge of the bed. A familiar squeak sounded. He looked back at his pillow to find Poppet swishing her tail. She padded over to him and rubbed against his arm. “I don’t feel well right now, Poppet,” he said.

  The cat squeaked at him. Will held her on his lap and petted her. He thought about the day he’d taken Amy out for a picnic. He’d been like a green boy with his first girl. Then she’d told him that he’d taken on the identity of a bad boy at a young age and let it define him. He knew it was true. All those years, he’d taken on the role of the devil-may-care spare heir and tucked away his resentments toward his father. He’d wanted to avoid seeing the pain of his family after his father’s death and had done everything he could to keep his distance. Amy had been right. He’d been running from his family for years. If Hawk had not withheld his quarterly funds, Will knew he probably would never have come home.

  He’d never appreciated his family, because he didn’t want anyone to get close to him. For years, he’d wandered the Continent and had countless, temporary liaisons with women. Each time one of them started to express tender feelings, he’d walked away without an ounce of remorse for the way he’d treated them. He’d done it because he didn’t want to risk his own heart.

  Damn his sorry soul to hell. After he’d proposed to Amy, he’d planned to live separate lives. She didn’t know he’d meant to abandon her so that he could travel. But after they had married, she had insisted that they get to know each other, because she wanted more from him than a toss in bed. He’d fallen hard for her, and now his chest hurt like the devil.

  “I can’t do this alone, Poppet,” he said.

  He needed advice. He would have to swallow his pride, but he’d do whatever it took to win back his wife. Will set Poppet on the bed. She squeaked at him, but he ignored her and walked over to the pitcher. He poured cold water into the bowl and splashed his face. Then he walked out of his room, down the stairs, and had a groom bring round the curricle.

  He drove to Ashdown House and realized he’d forgotten his hat only when Jones, the fastidious butler, eyed him with distaste. “Is my brother at home?” he asked.

  “Yes, sir. He’s in the drawing room with everyone else.”

  Oh, Lord, he’d have to face the whole family. Will trudged through the great hall and saw Peter looking down at him from the landing. “Don’t even think about sliding down the banister,” he growled.

  Peter laughed and ran off.

  Will climbed the steps and opened the door to his mother’s drawing room. Sure enough, everyone was there, including Aunt Hester. They all stared at him.

  Hawk stood before the hearth and frowned. “Will, we’re holding a family meeting, but we didn’t want to disturb you and Amy. It’s only about Peter.”

  Aunt Hester adjusted the tall white feather in her ugly purple turban. “Peter pissed on the roses again.”

  “Oh, Hester,” the dowager countess said. “We do not use such language.”

  Hester snorted.

  Grandmamma regarded him with concern and beckoned him to the sofa. He sat beside her, and she reached over to pat his hand. “What is wrong?” she shouted.

  He tried to control his breathing. “I need help.”

  Hawk’s jaw dropped. “Will, you know we will do whatever we can, but you must tell us what is wrong.”

  At first, pride made him hold his tongue, but pride would gain him nothing. He inhaled. “I really was a devil.” He told them everything, including his plan to compromise her. He thought they would rebuke him, but they all just gaped at him.

  “She is the one who told me that I’ve been running from my family all my life. I didn’t realize it. I just kept old resentments bottled up inside me and went about my selfish life. God, I’d even planned to abandon her so that I could travel. I thought we would live separate lives, but she insisted I court her. She wouldn’t let me run roughshod over her. I liked her, but little by little, I started to care. And then I fell in love with her.

  “She believes the trust is broken beyond repair, but I don’t want to give her up,” Will said. “And you might as well know she’s humiliated and believes she cannot face society again. Everyone thinks I married her for her fortune.” He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Will, we are not without influence,” Patience said. “Everyone in this room will dispel those rumors. We all know you were trapped accidentally, and you married her to avoid the scandal.”

  Will lifted his chin. “Is it possible?”

  “It’s more than possible,” Hawk said. “I know Boswood would vouch for you. Your misguided friends can dispute the gossip as well. I can’t believe the three of you cooked up such an idiotic fortune-hunting scheme.”

  “She saw through me,” Will said. “I ought to have known. From the first moment I met her, she let me know exactly what she thought of me, and it wasn’t positive.”

  Julianne stood with the babe on her hip. “Patience, will you please take Emma Rose to the nurse, and please ask her not to let the boys scalp what little hair Emma has. Marc, will you call for the carriage while I get my shawl?”

  Then Julianne smiled at Will. “I’m going to get ou
r girl.”

  He sighed. “She will probably refuse.”

  Julianne shook her head. “She won’t.”

  After Julianne left, Will paced the drawing room and kept looking at the clock. The low sound of conversation buzzed, but he paid no attention. He was edgy and restless. So he kept pacing. After thirty minutes, his hopes dwindled. Julianne had sounded confident, but Will feared Amy was adamant. He slumped in a chair, but he couldn’t sit still, so he got up and paced again.

  Another half hour passed, and the door opened. He spun around only to see his bewildered friends.

  Hawk glared at both of them and told them to be seated. “When Amy arrives, you will both claim responsibility for that scheme to compromise her,” Hawk said. “And then the pair of you are going to dispute all the gossip that Will married Amy for her money.”

  “Hawk, don’t blame them. I agreed to it,” Will said.

  “I don’t give a rat’s arse,” Hawk said. “Sorry for the vulgarity, Mama. Hope, pass the smelling salts to our mother.”

  “Oh, dear,” the dowager countess said as Hope held the vial for her.

  Bell frowned at Will. “Your wife knows about the gambling debt?”

  “Of course she does,” Hester said. “Why do you think we called you here?”

  Bell’s mouth curved just the slightest bit. “You must be the infamous Aunt Hester.”

  “I am indeed,” she said, looking him over. “If I were forty years younger, I’d have you leg-shackled in a week. In my day, I was quite talented at catching husbands.”

  “Oh, Hester, must you say such things?” the dowager countess said.

  Will looked at the clock. Another forty-five minutes had elapsed. He walked over to the window and clenched his jaw. Then he shut his eyes. I know you’re not interested in bargaining, Lord, but I swear I’ll get on my knees and beg if you’ll send her to me.

  After a while, soft footsteps padded over to him. “Will, come sit and have a cup of tea,” Harmony said.

  He shook his head, because he didn’t want anyone to see the anguish on his face.

  Will didn’t know how much time passed, but it seemed an age to him. The voices in the room were subdued, but he couldn’t focus on them. It was all he could do just to keep from falling apart.