by Marie Force
“I have only just begun to express my love for you.”
She reached for his free hand and brought it to her lips. “I must be the luckiest woman in all of England. Perhaps all the world.”
“I am surely the luckiest man.” Her smile faded, and her eyes shifted away from him.
“What just occurred to you?”
“I fear it can’t last. Nothing this lovely and perfect can possibly last.”
“Of course it will last. We will laugh and love and live together and bring children into the world and live to be old and gray and never stop laughing and loving.”
“You are so certain.”
“I have never been more certain of anything in my life.”
“You make me believe it is possible.”
“It is entirely possible.” Turning the compress, he pressed the warmth against her.
“I must leave you now to obtain the special license we will need and to make arrangements for our nuptials.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“Several hours. I will hasten to return to you with all due speed.”
“I don’t want you to go. I fear you will leave and you won’t come back. Somehow I will lose you.”
He caressed her soft cheeks. “Is that what happened with Ian?”
Her small nod tugged at his heart. “His brother Giles invited him to go riding, and he promised he would be back before tea time.” She focused on the curtain billowing over the open window but was far away, lost in her memories. “I waited for him. I didn’t have my tea because I wanted to dine with him. It got dark, and still I waited.”
“How did you learn about the accident?”
“Giles came. I could see right away that he had been crying.”
Derek gripped her hand. “It must have been a terrible shock.”
“I didn’t believe it. They had to take me to him, so I could see for myself.”
“Catherine,” he whispered. “I am so sorry.”
She turned her gaze on him. “It was a very long time ago.”
“That kind of pain never goes away entirely.”
“You seem to know all too well.”
“I lost my parents when I was very young.” The words were out of his mouth before he remembered that he hadn’t planned to tell her Derek’s story. He was wading into dangerous territory here.
Her eyes softened with sympathy and concern. “What happened to them?”
“They were in a carriage accident. Their horses were spooked by a gunshot. I take comfort in knowing they died in each other’s arms.”
“Who cared for you?”
“My grandmother, uncle and aunt, though my aunt has been in poor health for many years.”
“But you missed having a family of your own.”
Her perception sliced through him, cutting him to the quick and loosening his tongue. “I was a twin.”
She gasped and tightened her hold on his hand. “Oh, Jack.”
“I never knew him. My brother, I mean. He died at birth.”
“But you’ve always missed him.”
He stared at her. “Yes. How is it possible to miss someone you never even knew?”
She brought his hand to her lips and kissed each knuckle. “He was a part of you.”
“All my life, I have had an aching, empty hole inside me that nothing could ever fill.” Brushing a light kiss over her lips, he added, “Until now.”
She still clutched his hand. “If I let you go, do you promise to come back?”
“I promise to come back. As soon as I can.” Derek got up to find his breeches and pulled them on. “In the meantime, I brought books and food.”
“You brought me books.”
He held his shirt against his chest. “Is that all right?”
“That is the nicest thing you could have done for me.”
“You are very easy to please.” Derek finished dressing and sat on the bed to put on his boots. “I find it difficult to leave you.”
“I will be right here waiting for you.”
“In that case, I shall go and hurry back.”
“Please do.”
He bent down to leave her with one last kiss. “My whole life, Catherine,” he said, caressing her cheek, “has led to you. I will be back.”
Chapter Ten
Derek, Hercules and Sunny emerged from the wooded thicket just as two men on horses turned away from the manor and headed down the long driveway. “Whoa, boy.” Derek brought Hercules to a halt, so he could watch them depart. They had gotten past the guards he’d positioned on the property, a realization that filled him with fear for Catherine’s safety.
He waited until they were farther down the lane before he spurred Hercules forward, bypassing the stable on the way to the main entrance. He swung down off the horse and took the stairs two at a time while both horses looked on.
Rutledge met him at the door. “Oh, Your Grace. Thank goodness you are here.”
“Who was that?” Derek asked, even though he already knew.
“Lord Lindsey is searching for his missing fiancée.” Rutledge’s wise old eyes surveyed Derek. “Judging from his description, she bears a striking resemblance to Lady Catherine.”
Derek swore under his breath. “What did you tell him?”
“That no one meeting her description has been here.”
“Good. Thank you.” Derek paced the foyer, his heart racing as he realized there was no time for a special license. They had to leave right away for Gretna Green in Scotland where they could be married under less restrictive rules. Derek rattled off a list of what they’d need, and asked Rutledge to see to the carriage.
He thought of Catherine, waiting for him at the cottage, and of Lindsey being so close by. “When everything is ready, send the carriage to the cottage. I can’t leave her there unprotected. Not when he’s nearby.”
“Very well, Your Grace.”
“Hurry, Rutledge. I need to get her out of here. Tonight.”
“I understand.”
“Please ask one of the footmen to see to Catherine’s horse Sunny. Return her to the stables.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
After stopping in his study to grab his pistols and ammunition, Derek sprinted out of the house and swung up onto Hercules as a footman led Sunny to the stables. Almost as if he understood his master’s urgency, the horse took off at a run to the cottage. Every minute it took to cover the short distance felt like a year to Derek. What if Lindsey hadn’t left the estate? What if he and his henchman had ventured off the road and discovered the cottage? What if he got there and she was gone?
“Hurry, boy. Please hurry.” With the horse giving him everything he had, Derek held on tight to the reins and gave him his head.
When the little cottage came into view, Derek jumped from the horse and took off running. Oh God, the door was open.
“Catherine! Catherine!” He tore into the house. It took no time at all to discover she wasn’t there. “No, no. No, God, please.” His stomach surged with revulsion as he imagined what she might endure at the hands of that monster. “Catherine.”
He ran back into the yard just as she emerged from the garden carrying an armful of wildflowers. Derek blinked her into focus, not sure if she was real or a dream. Either way, he ran to her. Only when she was crushed to his chest with her sweet fragrance and that of the flowers invading his senses did he believe she was real.
“Jack! What is it? You’re back so soon!”
Overwhelmed with relief, Derek could barely breathe, let alone speak. Still holding her, he focused on pulling air into his lungs.
She drew back from him and raised her hand to his face. “What is it?”
“Lindsey.” A breath that resembled a sob shook his body as he tried to gather himself. “He’s been to Westwood Hall looking for you.”
The flowers dropped to her feet, and the color drained from her face. “He can’t find me.”
He swept a hand over her lo
ng hair. “He won’t. We’re leaving. Tonight. We’ll go to Gretna Green and be married right away. Once you’re my wife, he’ll have no claim on you. You’ll be safe. I promise.”
“He’s a powerful man. If you cross him—”
“I am not the slightest bit afraid of him. We will be legally married. He won’t be able to touch you.”
“I haven’t any clothing, certainly nothing I can be married in.”
“We’ll go through the dowager duchess’s belongings. I’m certain there will be something you can use.”
“I can’t use her things. They don’t belong to us.”
“The duke wouldn’t mind. He would want me to use everything at my disposal to protect you.” Derek tugged her hand to lead her into the house. “We have to hurry, though. Something brought the viscount here today, so he must know you are in the area.”
He kept a firm grip on her hand until they were in the bedroom. In the closet, he found a carpetbag and was grateful he’d insisted that his grandmother’s things be kept exactly where she had left them. For years, he’d intended to clean out her belongings, to make the cottage available to one of his employees, but he’d never been able to bring himself to actually do it. Maybe he’d somehow known that one day he would need to borrow from the past to enable the future.
He found shifts and stockings and several gowns that looked as if they might fit Catherine passably. In the back of the closet he located several more dresses that he dragged out to examine more closely. Between a burgundy velvet evening gown and a yellow day dress was an antique lace dress. “Oh, look! I’ll wager that this was her wedding dress.” He held it up to get a better look. “What do you think?”
Derek turned to find Catherine sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands tightly clasped in her lap, her face devoid of color. “Darling, what is it? Do you not like the dress? You don’t have to wear it if you do not like it.” He reached for her hand, which was icy. “Catherine?”
“You don’t have to do this,” she said softly.
“What don’t I have to do?”
“Marry me. Just because we had relations doesn’t mean—”
He silenced her with a kiss. “I want to marry you. I want that more than anything. I’m not just doing this because of Lindsey.”
She looked up at him. “You’re not?”
“Cat, I love you. I want to sleep with you and wake up with you and have children with you and talk with you and eat with you and be with you every day for the rest of my life.”
“You’re sure?”
He sat beside her, put his arm around her and brought her head to rest on his shoulder. “Unless you don’t want to marry me.”
“Of course I want to marry you.”
Derek closed his eyes tight against the surge of emotion. “And you won’t be sad not to have your family there?”
“They’re caught up in the Season at the moment.”
“We can do it again later.” Derek told himself they would do it again when she knew exactly whom she was marrying. Right now, all that mattered was her safety. That she would also be solving his biggest problem was of little concern to him when stacked against her safety. “You can invite anyone you want to our real wedding.”
She forced a smile.
“We have a long trip ahead of us.” He held up the lace dress. “Shall we take it?”
“As long as you are sure the duke won’t mind if we borrow his grandmother’s clothing.”
He tipped his head to kiss her. “I’m quite certain he won’t mind.”
Catherine wanted him to ride in the carriage with her, but Derek was leaving nothing to chance. With his pistols loaded and one of them lying across his lap, he and Hercules followed the carriage. Derek eyed every bush and tree, expecting Lindsey to come bursting through the brush line at any moment, demanding that Derek turn Catherine over to him. The very thought of it made Derek’s skin crawl.
By the time they stopped at an inn to have a meal and acquire a new team of horses, Derek was ready to snap from the strain. His every muscle was on fire after hours of sitting rigidly in the saddle, and his eyes burned from the trail dust as well as from barely blinking in his vigilance.
Only the sight of his betrothed could calm him and remind him of why they were making this journey to Scotland. This time tomorrow she’d be his wife, for better or worse. That thought settled his racing heart as he ducked his head into the carriage to see to Catherine.
“Jack, honey?” She brushed the hair from his brow.
“You’re so tired. Why don’t we stay here tonight so you can get some rest?”
He shook his head. “We have to keep going. I’m sorry, my love.”
“Whatever for?”
“Certainly no woman dreams of a wedding that requires hours in a carriage and no time for a decent bed in which to rest.”
Her lips fluttered with amusement. “I believe every woman would dream of running away in the night to marry a handsome man who thinks of her safety before his own comfort.”
“You flatter me, my lady.”
“I adore you, kind sir.”
Derek smiled and swore his heart did a full somersault in his chest. “In that case, let me feed my fiancée while the stablemen see to the horses.” He extended his hand to help her from the carriage. Her fingers closed around his, and she gazed up at him with a look of love that reminded him of why they were doing this. Was it really only three nights ago that he’d stood in a stuffy ballroom despairing of ever finding exactly what he now had with her?
His stomach ached when he thought of the deception that stood between them, threatening everything. Hopefully, by the time she learned whom she had really married, Derek would’ve made himself essential to her. Even if she were furious, she would still be his wife.
Ushering her into the cozy inn, he told himself everything would be just fine. It had to be. The alternative was no longer imaginable.
Arriving in Gretna Green early the next morning, they went directly to the home of the local magistrate. While Catherine changed into his grandmother’s wedding dress, Derek pondered the surreal aspects of this momentous day. All his life, he had been groomed and prepared for the moment he would take a wife, begin his family and ensure the continuation of the dukedom. He’d expected that once he chose his bride, the banns would be read and a wedding would occur a month hence in the stone chapel where generations of Eagans had been baptized, married and sent to their final reward.
Never had Derek imagined a five-minute exchange of vows in a dark room without even a ring to give his new wife. The room might have been dark, but a glow of love and excitement surrounded Catherine. Listening to her vow to love, honor and obey Jack Bancroft, Derek realized he would’ve given everything he owned to hear her pledge her undying love to him, Derek Eagan, the Duke of Westwood.
The very minute they returned to Westwood Hall, he would rectify the ring situation. The other situation, however, would be far more complicated to rectify. In the meantime, Derek ensured that Catherine signed the register before him. Once she moved to the parlor where the magistrate’s wife was pouring tea, Derek signed his real name next to hers and then stood there staring at their two names, filled with relief and satisfaction and dismay, before joining his wife.
Catherine let loose with a lusty laugh that settled him. She looked over at him just then, beckoning with her sweet smile and an outstretched hand.
As the very sight of her calmed the storm brewing inside him, Derek went to her and took the hand she offered. For the first time since he had lost his parents so suddenly, he felt whole again. The empty places within him had been filled, and there was nothing, nothing at all, he wouldn’t do to keep her by his side for every one of his remaining days.
“What is it, my love?” Catherine asked, looking up at him a short time later as they prepared to leave the magistrate’s home. “You’re tight with tension.” Adding a coquettish smile, she said, “You aren’t already regretting your hast
y marriage, are you?”
He brought her hand to his lips. “I will never regret my hasty marriage.”
The comment was rewarded with the bright smile he’d come to crave. “Tell me, my dear husband, will we have an equally hasty honeymoon?”
Gazing down at her, Derek’s blood boiled with lust at the look of blatant desire he saw on her lovely face. “The honeymoon shall be so hasty that if you blink, you might just miss it.”
Catherine laughed, and he covered the hand that clutched his arm so tightly. “I definitely do not want to miss it.”
Derek swallowed hard as anticipation and desire all but took his breath away. His coachman had taken charge of finding a suitable place for the newlyweds to spend the night—nothing fancier than an estate manager might be able to afford—and the man was waiting for them when they emerged from the magistrate’s residence. After offering his heartfelt congratulations to the newly married couple, the coachman led them down a side street to a cozy inn that he said came highly recommended. Since being alone with his new wife was Derek’s top priority at the moment, he slipped his man a guinea and patted him on the shoulder. “Check in with me tomorrow afternoon.”
“Yes, Your—”
Derek scowled at him.
“Mr. Bancroft,” the man mumbled before he scurried off, no doubt to find a pub in which to spend the tip.
The innkeeper was so delighted to welcome the newly married couple into his humble establishment that Derek suspected his man had informed the innkeeper of his true identity. “My wife would enjoy a hot bath after our long journey,” Derek said, delighting in saying “my wife” for the very first time.
“Right away, sir.” The man sent him a conspiratorial wink and grin to let him know he was in on the secret, forcing Derek to scowl at him, too.
In a matter of minutes, a bevy of maids had appeared, carrying a large metal tub and steaming pots of water, while Derek wished he’d instructed his man to find a place with actual plumbing. He’d gotten spoiled having it at home.
Watching the goings-on intently, Catherine nibbled her bottom lip and pulled the pins from her hair, sending ropes of blond silk cascading down her back.