Her Devilish Marquess

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “Good.”

  “You haven’t had any bad coughs?”

  “No.”

  Mrs. Boyle smiled. “He hasn’t. He’s only had the occasional cough, but it’s been very manageable.”

  “Since that’s the case,” Derek began, “I want to try a different prescription. This one will be less potent. If this makes his cough worse, let me know at once, and I’ll get him back to the one he’s currently on.”

  “That’s wonderful news.” Mrs. Boyle hugged her son. “You may go.”

  As Alexander left the room, Derek said, “I recently moved my things to a new townhouse. I’ll write my address down so you have it in case you need to alert me about his health.”

  With a nod, she gestured to the desk. “Help yourself.” While he did, she added, “Chloe said you inherited the title of a marquess.”

  “Yes, I did,” he replied as he wrote the new address on the parchment. “My brother had an unfortunate accident, and the Good Lord took him before his time.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s never easy to lose someone you love.”

  He kept quiet and turned his attention to writing the prescription. Often, he wished he could feel something over losing his brother. Despite their differences, they had been brothers, after all, but he didn’t feel anything. It was strange to experience such apathy for another person, and it was getting harder and harder to play the role of the mourning brother.

  Society had many expectations. Those expectations were the reasons there was so much hypocrisy, especially among the nobility. The middle class was right to make fun of them.

  Stifling a sigh, he finished the prescription and handed it and the new address to her. “Life goes on,” he said.

  “I suppose being a doctor, you’ve seen your share of heartache and death,” she replied.

  Fortunately, it was at this moment Chloe arrived with her two-month-old son. He turned his attention to her and bowed. “Lady Reddington, it’s a pleasure to see you. How are you and your son, Clifford?”

  “We’re doing well, thank you,” Chloe replied.

  “Splendid!” Mrs. Boyle held her arms out. “I was hoping you’d bring my grandson.”

  “I wouldn’t dare come here without him.” Chloe gave him to her mother then glanced at Derek. “Helena won’t be able to attend your wedding. I’ll be there instead.”

  “Is she doing all right?” Derek asked.

  “She’s fine,” Chloe assured him. “It’s just that since she’s close to giving birth, she’d rather restrict her activities.”

  “As long as she’s doing well, that’s the important thing.” She bit her lower lip in a way that indicated she was having a hard time not asking him what was on her mind, so he pressed, “Is there something you’d like to ask me?”

  Chloe’s gaze went to the chairs near the window.

  “Your mother didn’t go through the trouble of providing something to eat and drink just to have us say hello.” He smiled. “I’m sure she was hoping we’d discuss how things went when I met the lady you helped the duchess match me up with.”

  With an excited cry, she clapped her hands. “You don’t mind telling me?”

  He chuckled. “Not at all. It’s the least I can do for all the work you and your friends went through. I’m very pleased with the match.”

  Chloe’s face beamed with pleasure. “You are?”

  “I am. Miss Everson is a lovely lady, and I’m looking forward to the marriage.”

  “In that case,” Chloe took his arm and guided him over to the chair, “tell me everything.”

  Derek glanced at Mrs. Boyle, who probably would have been shocked by her daughter’s bold action had she not been preoccupied with cooing at her grandson. Derek, however, didn’t mind Chloe’s openness.

  If only more people would just come out and say what they wanted, the world would be a better place. There’d be no guesses. There’d be no misunderstandings. Things would be much simpler. Happy to oblige her, he sat down and told her all about the afternoon he spent with Miss Everson.

  Chapter Six

  Danette shifted from one foot to the other in her bedchamber. The day of the wedding was finally here, and she couldn’t bring herself to go to the drawing room where the small ceremony would be held. What if Derek decided not to come? She didn’t think she could live down the horror of being rejected three times. Two had been hard enough.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to go down and see if he’s here?” Regan asked.

  Danette almost shook her head when she remembered her lady’s maid was still putting flowers in her hair. The flowers had been her mother’s idea. Her mother had said the yellow flowers would bring good luck. “Yellow is a happy color,” her mother had said. “That means this will be a happy day.”

  Stupid superstition. Danette didn’t know why her mother had to be so hopeful about everything. It was hard enough to face the day as it was without her mother’s continual optimism.

  “I’m going to see if he’s here,” Regan said and headed for the door.

  Gasping, Danette hurried after her, ignoring her lady’s maid’s protest as she did so. She grabbed Regan’s arm. “No. You can’t.”

  “You have to find out if he’s here sooner or later,” Regan reminded her.

  “I know, but I don’t know if I can do it right now.”

  “Danette, everything will be fine. I saw Chloe’s carriage pull up to this very townhouse a half hour ago. She wouldn’t be here if the wedding wasn’t still going to happen.”

  “Maybe she’s waiting down there to tell me bad news. I haven’t heard anything from Derek since that day he came to visit.”

  Regan let out a frustrated sigh. “That was only last week, and you said the visit went well.”

  “I thought it did, but he hasn’t said anything to me since. He hasn’t even sent a missive.”

  “Malcolm didn’t even want to meet me before the wedding, but he showed up and made his vows. At least Derek took the time to meet you.”

  “Maybe I said or did something to upset him without meaning to.”

  “Danette, he’s a doctor. Maybe he wanted to meet with all his patients before this wedding so he’d be able to set aside time to get to know you for the next couple weeks. That was Malcolm’s plan. Gentlemen who are committed to their work are busy. They don’t spend all their days at a gentlemen’s club gossiping and playing games.”

  “You’re right.” Danette wiped her palms on the skirt of her gown. “I did say that.”

  Regan’s expression softened. “I know it’s hard, but it’s not going to do you any good to keep expecting bad things to happen.” She hugged her. “I’m going to check on things downstairs, and I will come back with good news. Let your poor lady’s maid finish getting you ready, all right?”

  Danette nodded and went back to her lady’s maid. Her friend and mother were right. She needed to stop seeing the worst in everything.

  Regan had just put her hand on the doorknob when someone knocked from the other side. After giving a slight jump, Regan laughed and glanced at Danette. “I think your anxiety is affecting me.”

  Danette grinned at the joke but remained still so her lady’s maid could finish putting the flowers in her hair.

  Regan opened the door, and Danette heard Chloe from the hallway. “Mind if I see how the bride’s doing?”

  Danette indicated it was fine to let Chloe in, so Regan moved aside and waved her in. Chloe was smiling. That was a good sign. She wouldn’t be smiling if Derek had decided not to go through with the wedding. But even as she told herself this, she held her breath and waited for Chloe to speak.

  “You look beautiful,” Chloe told her, glancing her up and down. “Derek will be pleased when he sees you.”

  “So he’s here?” Regan asked on Danette’s behalf.

  “He’s been here for about twenty minutes,” Chloe replied. With a smile at Danette, she added, “He’s very happy with the match.”

  “I’
m not surprised,” Regan said. “You, Helena, and Melissa did very well with me. It stands to reason you’d do well with Danette, too.”

  Chloe’s face beamed with pleasure as she turned back to Danette. “Helena wanted to be here, but with her being so close to giving birth, we thought it best for her to stay home. I hope you don’t mind that I’m here instead.”

  Mind? Why would Danette mind? As long as Derek was here, that was all that mattered. And more importantly, he was looking forward to being married to her. What could be better than that?

  “When is she due to have the baby?” Regan asked.

  “It can be another week or two, but the baby will be here soon.”

  “How exciting. I remember how wonderful it was to hold Leonard for the first time. Danette, just wait until you feel a baby move inside you, and then you get to hold him or her in your arms. It’s one of the best things about being a lady.”

  “I agree,” Chloe added. “It is. Are you expecting yet?”

  “No, not yet,” Regan replied. “But I think Leonard will enjoy having a little brother or sister when the time comes.”

  “He will,” Danette interjected with a chuckle. “Then Malcolm can explain how to properly use money with chess pieces to someone else for a change.”

  “He uses chess pieces to teach a child about money?” Chloe asked, glancing at Regan.

  Regan laughed. “It’s adorable. Leonard is more interested in what the pieces look like than he is about attaching monetary meaning to them.”

  “Let me guess,” Chloe began, “the Queen is the most expensive piece?”

  With a nod, Regan said, “You guess right. The Queen must be protected at all costs.”

  “It’s hard to argue that a lady is the most important thing a gentleman should worry about,” Chloe mused. “It seems like Malcolm’s learned a great deal about being a good husband.”

  “If only all gentlemen learned that,” Danette said.

  Chloe turned to her and gave her a reassuring smile. “Oh, you have no need to worry about your intended. He knows the value of a good lady. I have no doubt you two will be happy together.”

  Danette suspected Chloe was telling her this in hopes of easing her nerves. And it worked. Danette felt much better. She had thoroughly enjoyed Derek’s visit. He had struck her as a kind and sincere gentleman, but it was still nice to hear Chloe speak of him in such a good light.

  Danette’s lady’s maid went to get a hand mirror and gave it to her. “Is there anything else you wish for me to do?”

  Danette inspected her reflection and then let her gaze drop to her gown, finally taking note of the soft yellow color that was a close match to the flowers in her hair.

  Her mother had picked the dress. Since Danette had picked the others that led to a broken engagement, she figured it was best to let her mother do it. Her mother had picked yellow, saying it not only complimented Danette’s complexion but that it was also a color of hope. And, apparently, luck. Derek had shown up. More than that, he hadn’t told anyone he couldn’t go through with the wedding.

  Danette handed the mirror back to her lady’s maid. “You did a perfect job.” Just as she had the last time Danette attempted to wed someone. This time, however, really was different. This time, she would be married by the end of the day.

  “It’s about time you came around,” Regan said, picking up on Danette’s change of mood. “I’m sure everyone is eager for the wedding breakfast, so let’s get downstairs.”

  Picking up the edge of her gown so she wouldn’t trip, Danette followed her friend. As they left the room, Danette caught sight of her mother, who was waiting for them by the stairs.

  “You weren’t waiting here for long, were you?” Danette asked her mother, not hiding the surprise in her voice.

  Her mother shrugged but smiled. “I thought it’d put your mind at ease if I didn’t go into your bedchamber. You might be afraid you’d end up with another broken engagement since I was with you last time.”

  Danette wished she could tell her mother she didn’t give herself over to such superstitious nonsense, but her mother knew her too well. She’d never believe the lie. But still… “I heard the marquess came a half hour ago.”

  “Yes, I got a chance to talk to him,” her mother said.

  “I don’t understand. If you talked to him, why didn’t you come and see me?” She gestured to the open door of her bedchamber.

  “Because Lady Reddington was on her way to see you,” her mother replied. “I assumed you’d feel much better hearing it from her.”

  Again, her mother was right. Just as Regan had been right. How was it possible they knew her better than she knew either of them? She didn’t think she could ever figure them out so well.

  “It doesn’t matter, does it?” her mother continued as Regan and Chloe went down the steps.

  “No, it doesn’t.” Danette offered her mother a smile and hugged her. “Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so predictable.”

  Her mother tucked Danette’s hair behind her ears and patted her cheeks. “Your husband will like not having to guess what you’re thinking. It’s a cause of frustration to many gentlemen when they can’t figure their wives out.”

  Well, that was one way of looking at it, Danette supposed.

  “Come. Let’s not keep the groom waiting.” Her mother slipped her arm around hers and guided her down the steps. “It’s a shame your father isn’t here to see this day. He had hoped to see you wed before he passed on to the next life.”

  “I know.” When they reached the bottom of the stairs, she asked, “Do you think he might be watching us right now?”

  “I’d like to think so.”

  Danette would, too, which was why she decided she’d envision him stopping everything he was doing and looking down from Heaven. She often wondered what people in Heaven did. Did they attend balls and gather together to talk like so much of the nobility did? Or did they choose to spend their time working? And if they did work, what would someone do for work up there?

  Her mother squeezed her arm. “Danette?”

  Danette turned her attention back to her mother. “I’m sorry. I got distracted.”

  Her mother chuckled. “You may daydream later. Right now, we need you here.”

  Her mother’s words, though laced with humor, weren’t all that fair. Danette didn’t often give herself to such thoughts. She did spend most of her time in the moment, or at the very least, in a good book.

  Chloe stood at the doorway of the drawing room and waved for Danette and her mother to come over. “Everything’s ready.”

  Danette took a deep breath and forced her feet forward. This was it. She was finally going to get married! Holding her breath, she followed Chloe and her mother into the room.

  ***

  Regan almost believed her friend wasn’t going to show up to the drawing room since she’d taken so long, but she finally walked through the doorway. Regan thought she made a beautiful bride and was glad she could witness her friend’s special day.

  She was even gladder to see that the new Marquess of Dodsworth was none other than the one gentleman in London who had the courage to stand up to the Ton. And as if that alone wasn’t enough to commend him, he was also the one she’d seen take off his shirt in the middle of the Duke of Rumsey’s ball and shouted London had more hypocrites than rats infesting it. Well, to be fair, she couldn’t remember exactly what he’d shouted. She’d been too busy staring at the nice muscles on his chest. The doctor did much more than tend to patients. He did physical labor, or at least he had at some point in his life.

  “Why didn’t you tell me Dr. Westward was the one who creates a lot of scandals?” Malcolm whispered in her ear.

  She forced her eyes off the gorgeous doctor so she could look at her dear husband. “I didn’t realize he was the one who did all those things to upset people,” she whispered in return.

  “How could you not know? I thought you delighted in scandals?”

 
She shot him a pointed look. “I’ve made it a point to stop all that after we married.” When he seemed appropriately contrite, she added, “I remember him now that I see him, but I forgot he was the one who did all that. With Frederick’s death and helping Leonard mourn his passing, it just got pushed to the side.” She shrugged. “You can’t blame me for not remembering exactly who he was. It was years ago when he did that.”

  And if he had looked that good without a shirt on back then, who knew how he looked now? Danette had suddenly become one of the most fortunate ladies in all of London. On this very night, she was going to get the chance to see what most of the ladies fantasized about, even if they were too polite to say so.

  Malcolm frowned. “I don’t like the way you’re looking at him.”

  Heat rose to her cheeks. She never should have stared at the doctor too long. It did no good to do such a thing, especially with her husband right next to her. Not that she would ever do anything to hurt either her friend or her husband. She’d do well to not even let her mind stray to that evening at Rumsey’s ball.

  She took Malcolm’s hand in hers and squeezed it. “There’s only one gentleman I want, and that’s you.”

  “When we get home, I’ll make you forget all about him.”

  The promise of making mad passionate love made her heart leap in anticipation. If there was one thing Malcolm excelled at, it was lovemaking. Perhaps letting her gaze linger on the doctor hadn’t been so bad after all.

  “I demand you watch your friend instead,” Malcolm whispered in her ear.

  Regan couldn’t help but smile. Her husband, for all his preoccupation with making money, could be incredibly sweet when he was jealous. “You’re the only one I want,” she assured him and squeezed his hand again.

  The two remained quiet during the vows, and Regan, considerate of Malcolm’s feelings, kept her gaze on Danette, who was glowing with the pleasure of new love. The ceremony went smoothly, and soon, Danette was the Marchioness of Dodsworth.