Air left her lungs with a whoosh. “He took it?”
Her father smirked again, no doubt at the shaky tenor in her voice. “Of course he took it. Did you expect any better from a man like that?”
She blinked as the truth hit her. Yes. Yes, she had. “But we are married.” The inane words escaped through numb lips, but what she really meant was, but we are partners, but he promised me, but I thought he cared about me…
All those thoughts and more made it impossible to fight back when her father started up again in that overbearing tone of his which allowed for no arguments. “This is what will happen, daughter of mine. The Cleveland fop will get this marriage annulled and you will not fight it. As soon as it’s done, you’re to be married to the man of my choosing without a word of complaint, is that understood?”
He turned to her and at last her temper came to life. It had been stunned into submission for a moment there but she managed to push aside thoughts of Jed and his betrayal long enough to come to her senses.
She narrowed her eyes at her father, the man she’d so long abhorred but obeyed. The man who thought so little of her he’d sell her off in the name of profit. “I will never marry that man.”
Her father straightened at the harsh conviction in her voice. For all her friends and family knew of her temper, her father had never been at the brunt of it.
She’d been too scared in the face of his cruelty.
But now that fear was nothing compared to her outrage. Her hurt. Her overwhelming feeling that her insides had been scooped up and deposited on the floor at her feet once she’d learned that Jed had left her for money.
He wouldn’t. He couldn’t. Something in her screamed that her father lied. There was no way Jed would knowingly hurt her like this.
She shook her head slightly at the thought. There was time enough to sort through what Jed had or had not done. For now, she had her father to contend with. On her own. For the first time she felt her anger rise to the challenge.
What did she have to lose?
“You may have handled Jed, but I will not go along willingly,” she said. “I will tell all who will listen that I’ve been ruined.” She clenched her fists at her side, hoping he heard the conviction in her voice. “If your crony still wants a ruined bride, I will run. This is not Medieval times, Father. You cannot force me into marriage.”
His eyes widened at her tone. She had done it. A bolt of stunned joy left her reeling at her own actions. She had done it. She’d finally fought back against her father. It felt as though something unlocked inside her and was set free. Something she hadn’t even known was there until this trip with Jed. Not until he’d made her see herself in a different light. It was amazing what a shift of perspective could do. For a moment she let herself revel in this newfound confidence, a surge of gratitude overwhelming her as she thought of the way Jed looked at her, the way he treated her—as an equal, as a friend. As a strong lady with intellect and honor. He was the first man to treat her like she was worthy and it had helped her to see it in herself. She might not know what had become of him today, but for now she was grateful. And for a brief moment she experienced something she’d never felt before—triumph.
Until her father laughed.
It was a cold, humorless sound and it sent chills throughout her body. “Are you really so stupid?” he sneered. It wasn’t disdain in his voice, but something closer to hatred. What had she ever done to make him despise her so?
She raised her chin despite his words. She would not back down. Not now and not ever again. “You cannot force me,” she said again, more as a reminder to herself than for him.
He laughed again. “You think not?”
She didn’t answer but even her silence seemed to make him angrier. He nearly trembled with it as his cruel smile twitched and quivered with barely concealed rage. “I have spent a lifetime working for success, the fruits of which you and your sister enjoy every day with this roof over your head and the gowns that you wear.”
His voice was too calm, so cold it sent shivers through her. But it was his eyes, hard and dangerous, that left her bones frozen with terror.
“Do you really think I’d let you ruin my hard work with one of your feminine notions of romance?” he sneered. “What use would you be to me as a spinster?”
“But I am not a spinster,” she managed. “I have married and—”
“You have defied me.” The words were clipped and filled with all the anger he felt. And now she knew why. It wasn’t about the business deal she’d thwarted—not entirely, at least. It was that she’d had the audacity to go against his wishes, something no one had ever done before as far as she knew.
No one would dare.
“I will not stand for it,” he said. “You will marry properly or you will be disowned.”
“Then I will be disowned,” she shot back, her chin tilting up and her hands clenching, preparing for a physical blow. He trembled with it, and she knew she was pushing him to his limit. It had been years since he’d struck her but if ever there was a time he would lose control, it was now in the face of her shocking defiance.
He did not hit her. Instead he continued talking as if she had not interrupted. “Then it will be Mary who weds.”
Those words landed as squarely as a punch. She nearly doubled over as her own naiveté left her winded. She could not quite catch her breath as she realized how idiotic she had been not to see it.
She’d thought that since her father did not seem to despise Mary as much as her, that meant she was safe from him. She’d thought he valued Mary’s prospects too much—had his hopes pinned to her marrying a peer. She’d thought those hopes would protect her sister from the sort of fate he’d had in store for her.
She couldn’t meet his eyes as she gasped for air. Hunched over as she was, she looked as she felt. Beaten. Defeated.
Broken.
She watched his shoes as he took a step toward her. “I expect to hear no complaints,” he continued in a far milder tone. He sounded like he always did now—certain of himself and of his control over his family. “You will wed on a date of my choosing and you will speak to no one of your ridiculous folly. Is that understood?”
She forced herself to straighten. Forced herself to meet her father’s cold gaze, though the smug hatred she saw there left her shaken. He was waiting for an answer and he would not let her leave without hearing her admit her defeat.
The words were sharp glass against her insides, scraping their way out of her mouth.
Everything in her rebelled. Do not do it. Do not give in.
But her mind knew better. It knew very well that she had no choice. Not really. There was no way she could sit back and watch her sweet, silly, joyful little sister be married off to her father’s ogre of a business partner, knowing it was all her fault.
“Yes,” she finally managed in a quiet but audible voice. “I understand.”
Chapter Eight
“What do you mean Miss Beaucraft is not at home?” Jed demanded.
Mrs. Cleveland. He had to bite his tongue to keep from calling her by her rightful title.
Now was not the time, and certainly not with this man. “You said the same yesterday,” Jed bit out. “And I know for certain Miss Beaucraft is here.” Something close to panic had his voice rising. He didn’t turn around but it was entirely possible that he was causing a scene here on the doorstep to the Beaucraft home.
It was a cold, frosty morning and too many days had passed since he’d left this same townhouse with a burning hatred for its master and a halfcocked plan.
He’d spent every moment away from this place desperate to return. He needed to explain, he had to make this right with Eliza. But he couldn’t, not until her father was satisfied that he’d gotten his way. So, Jed had ordered the annulment papers drawn up, and he’d signed them in front of her father. Only then would the old knave hand over the money he’d promised.
Her father had sent the papers back to h
im with her signature for him to file, and that was as close as he’d come to her these past few days. Waiting to be reunited with his wife had been torture, but it had been a necessity.
Never had he imagined that he’d be locked out when she was mere steps away from him.
“I know she is home,” he told the large, burly butler who blocked his path.
The giant remained silent, unimpressed by his knowledge.
Yes, this was definitely panic that made him feel as though he wanted to jump out of his skin. Desperation had him craning his neck for a glimpse past this fellow. “Just tell her that Mr. Cleveland insists on seeing her,” he said. “Tell her he can explain.”
“She is not at home, sir,” the man said again, his voice flat.
The bastard wasn’t even trying to be convincing with his lies. “I know she is in there. Just tell her—”
And then he saw it. Past the mountain of a man who blocked his way, he saw her on the landing. Or at least, he assumed it was her. He caught sight of a gown, and Mary, he knew, was still at Roxborough Manor, along with his family.
His family who would be growing worried by his prolonged absence. He’d told them he’d return days ago. To be fair, he and Eliza had expected this business with her father to be done quickly and then had planned to spill the news to his family and Mary shortly after.
But nothing had gone to plan upon their return.
He should never have left. He should never have left Eliza alone with that bloody tyrant of a father. His heart raced at the glimpse of her skirt and he found himself causing even more of a scene as he shouted past the guard who thought to keep him from his wife.
His potentially former wife?
His hopefully soon-to-be wife again.
Lord but this was a confusing state to dwell in. All he knew with any certainty was that he needed to see his wife, and he had to see her now.
“Eliza!” he shouted. “I must speak with you. I can explain!”
The skirt disappeared from his view. She was gone. She knew he was there and she didn’t want to see him. Disappointment cut through him fierce and painful. Had he really expected any different?
He’d known he was taking a chance on losing her trust the moment he’d walked out these very same doors. But he’d taken the risk.
For what he hoped was the last time in his life, he gambled. And this time he meant to win.
“I can explain,” he shouted again, though he wasn’t even certain she could hear him. The only response he got was the same bland look of disinterest from this great beast of a butler.
He started to back away, his mind already scrambling to come up with an alternative. He could climb up a trellis, perhaps. Or maybe sneak her a note.
Except that he saw no trellis. This house was a veritable fortress against would-be suitors who had hopes of climbing into windows.
And his best hope of a messenger who might give Eliza a note on his behalf was miles away at Roxborough Manor and had no idea that her sister had married let alone that her husband had abandoned her.
Guilt ate at him, even though he knew he’d done what he’d deemed best.
But had it been right?
Under the fierce glower of her father, it had seemed like a brilliant idea. Oh all right, perhaps not brilliant. But it had been an idea—the only idea he could come up with under the withering glare of that blasted tyrant.
Her father had shocked him with his cold offer. The financial equivalent of her dowry if he were to turn his back on her and their marriage. All Jed’s debts and money woes would disappear in an instant and all he had to do was tell the truth.
They had never consummated their marriage.
He’d thought to protest, of course he had. But as he’d sat there and pretended to consider the offer, several thoughts occurred to him at once.
He wanted to consummate the marriage. This was not a revelation as he’d spent the better part of the last fortnight with a desperate case of desire for his wife. But it was more than just physical desire. He wanted to make the marriage real in every sense of the word.
And it wasn’t just because she was his wife—he wanted her. Eliza. He could try to deny it all day and all night, but his heart would not be ignored. He might not deserve her, but he needed her. She filled a space within him he hadn’t known to be empty—a vital part that was buoyed by her strength and warmed by her loyal, honest heart, and brought to life by the wicked passion in her eyes.
He loved her. That was the simple truth of it.
Sadly, that realization had occurred while her father scowled down at him. Hardly a convenient time to be contemplating how exactly a woman he’d thought was a coldhearted shrew had become the love of his life.
But there it was. He loved her. She’d become his friend, and then she’d become his wife, and at some point along that journey, she’d become infinitely dear. A necessity in his life on par with water and air.
Odder yet was that this newfound, utterly life-transforming realization that he had fallen in love was followed just as quickly by a surge of rage so very intense, it nearly upended his typical easygoing demeanor.
For her father’s next words were ones no man wished to hear about the woman of his heart. “Come, Jed, do not be a fool. No one could believe you’d truly fallen in love with a woman like her,” he’d said with a sneer.
Jed had been too shocked to respond. He’d stared up wide-eyed at the man who was meant to love Eliza more than life itself, but who clearly held her in disdain.
Jed’s silence didn’t stop her father from continuing, insulting Jed’s wife and his honor with every word of mockery and disbelief. Then came the bribery, an offer made with such assurance that it was clear her father had no doubt as to the outcome.
“All your troubles will be forgotten,” the old man had said with a cocky smirk. “All you have to do in return is deny this farce of a marriage ever took place.”
When Jed didn’t immediately respond—indeed, he’d gone quite some time staring at his father-in-law in horrified shock—Beaucraft added a threat. “Might as well take the money, Cleveland, and make this easy on everyone. Otherwise you won’t see a penny and I’ll see to it that Eliza’s ruined…”
The threats had just kept coming, but that was the gist of it. Jed had stopped listening at that point. His shock and horror on Eliza’s behalf was starting to fade and it was alarmingly clear that Eliza had gambled and lost. She’d so badly wanted her freedom that she’d bet her father would love his pride more than her.
But it seemed he loved power even more than either of those factors. He wouldn’t let her go without a fight, that much was obvious. He would not tolerate losing control, over anything, Jed suspected, but most especially not his daughter.
While Jed could provide for her—hell, he wanted nothing more than to be the man to provide for her, and without a cent of her father’s money—he couldn’t give her the kind of independence she sought.
He’d seen it in the carriage when she spoke. He’d seen that restless ache. It wasn’t money she sought but freedom. He knew the feeling well. Everyone seemed to think he chafed under the weight of his debts, but it had long since ceased being solely about money for him. What no one seemed to realize was that wealth equaled power. It meant forging one’s own path. It meant being in control of one’s destiny.
That was what Eliza wanted and what she deserved. Such an intelligent, fiercely independent woman ought to have that freedom. She should have the right to choose how she wanted to live her life, and with whom.
And that was the very selfish crux of it, he realized.
He wanted her to choose him. Not because he was the lesser of two evils and not with the weight of business entanglements hanging over their heads.
He wanted to be her husband in more than name. And, less selfishly, he wanted her to have the freedom to choose what she wanted.
He could only hope it was him.
The answer came to him in a flash. He�
�d blinked up at the rotund, red-faced boor who spoke ill of his own beautiful, wickedly intelligent offspring and then he’d smiled.
Coming to his feet he’d stuck out a hand and accepted the offer with as much civility as he could manage. Meanwhile his mind churned with thoughts of how he could explain the change of plans to Eliza.
There was no way. Her father ushered him out of the house the moment a new contract had been signed, and there was no way Jed could risk her father’s suspicions by coming back to speak to her.
She’d think he betrayed her. The thought had nearly killed him these last few days. He’d held onto a flicker of hope that perhaps after these weeks of enforced intimacy during which they’d gotten to know one another so very well, she might give him the benefit of the doubt.
Maybe she would even have faith in him, though she did not know his plan.
But the sight now of her skirt slipping out of view dashed the last of those hopes.
She believed that he’d abandoned her, choosing money over loyalty, his own greed over her best interests.
It shouldn’t surprise him—it didn’t surprise him.
But it still hurt.
He pushed that pain aside as he made his way slowly away from her home, feeling the distance between them grow as if it was a physical ache.
For the second time in his life he was at a low point—a crossroads. And for the second time, his fate seemed to rest with Miss Eliza Beaucraft. But this time he knew what needed to be done, just not how to do it.
How could he get through to Eliza to explain if she did not wish to see him?
As always in times of need, his feet seemed to steer him toward his family. Or rather, the carriage that would take him to them.
His siblings were still at Roxborough Manor, though Collin and the twins ought to have left for home by now. But his sisters, his brothers-in-law, and perhaps most importantly Mary Beaucraft, would still be there if he left now.
Much later that same day, Jed cupped his head in his hands as he was bombarded with questions.
A Gentleman's Gamble (Devilish Lords Book 3) Page 11