He leaned up on his elbow to look at her. “You understand me like no one else ever has. If only there was a way for us to be together,” he said as he brushed a strand of hair from her face. “If only you had been born in her place instead.” He sighed sadly.
“Why does it matter, Lucas? Put her in the past. You have me,” she said, smiling tenderly at him.
“I wish I could, but we need her, Maggie,” Lucas said, kissing his naïve angel.
“Why? Why do we need her?”
“Because, Maggie, I…,” he hesitated in order to add drama to what he was about to say. “I am bankrupt, Maggie,” Lucas finished, trying to sound ashamed. It was a lie, but everything about him was a lie. “Nobody knows, though, except you now, and I would like to keep it that way,” he paused before letting out a sigh. “It feels good to tell someone.” He smiled at her as though he’d just unburdened a giant weight.
“Oh, Lucas. I am so sorry,” came the sympathetic reply.
His mind’s eye smiled. So far everything is going as planned. “It’s not your fault my father was a fool and made poor investments. Anyway, the point is we need Allana because of her dowry. It is the only way for us to live together comfortably. I cannot bear the thought of not having anything to offer you.” She melted under those words. This was too easy.
“But how are you going to marry her if she is still planning on marrying the Earl?” Maggie asked innocently.
“She may be planning on marrying the Earl, but her heart still belongs to me,” Lucas began. Now to plant the seed. “Maggie, my love, I am going to tell you something the Tananguard household is trying to keep a secret.”
She looked at him curiously.
“The night of the horse accident, Allana was on her way here.”
Maggie gasped in shock.
“Yes, I know. It is shocking, but it’s true. She was running away, Maggie, running to me because her father and brother are forcing her to marry. The marriage is not her choice. She doesn’t love him. She is still in love with me. She wrote to me weeks ago, telling me she feared the Earl would ask for her hand in marriage, asking me to come home as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I arrived too late. The engagement was already official. So I sent a message, telling her to meet me in the garden late in the night. We were going to run away and elope. Our plans were foiled, though. Connor found her missing and came after her. Connor and I fought, hence the bruises and cuts on my face. Allana couldn’t bear it, and in her upset state, she pushed her horse to run through the south hills. Those hills are dangerous even in the day, let alone at night. And that is the true story of her accident. That is what they are trying to hide. If Cunningham found out she was running away to be with me, he may call off the wedding,” Lucas finished.
“So she still loves you?” Maggie asked sadly.
“Yes, and that means I still have a chance to make her mine, even if she does marry the Earl. It will just take more time,” Lucas replied.
“Make her yours?” Maggie asked, growing rigid and pushing away from him.
“For her dowry, my love. Nothing more,” Lucas insisted. He had to watch his tongue!
“Of course.” Her tone was hurt and cold.
“Maggie, my love, I want you to know she will never mean anything to me. Her title and land are all I want because those are what we need. You are where my heart truly lies,” he lied. “If I could, I would marry you, but you know it is not possible. My aunt would never allow it. Not in the financial crisis I am in.”
“But why? Why can’t we just be happy together? I do not need money or land. I just need you,” she said with all of her heart.
Again he almost regretted the lies he needed to tell her, but just almost. He’d done this kind of thing too often over the past ten years to really care much about Maggie’s feelings.
“I cannot do it. I’ve already told you, I cannot stand the idea of not being able to offer you something,” he said to her passionately.
She looked away sadly.
“But we can still be together. Once we have what we need, I will send her to London to live, and you and I can live here together…you as my mistress.” That truly wasn’t a bad idea, but it would have to be Maggie he sent to London.
“But Lucas. I just don’t know how I feel about that,” she replied softly.
“I know, love, but it is the only way for us to be together,” he said as he caressed her face.
“I…I suppose you are right.” She looked so crushed.
Lucas kissed her softly to ease her pain and soften her for the next part of his plan.
“There is one more thing I need you to do in order for this to work,” Lucas began. She looked at him in puzzlement. “Take a position at Westbrook.”
“What? Why?” she asked frantically.
He smiled apologetically at her, “I need someone there, and you’re the only person I trust.”
“But how do you know the Earl will take me on?”
“It has already been arranged. You start next week.”
She looked at him in dismay.
“Please, Maggie. It is the only way for us to finally be together.”
“How will this help us be together?” she asked defensively. She was sitting now. The shock of this news had brought her out of her relaxed position, causing her to practically burst off of the bed.
“I need you to spread the truth of Allana’s feelings for me. The Earl has to hear she does not love him in order for him to let her go. He has to know she comes to me for comfort, and he especially has to know it was me she was running to the night she was hurt. If he realizes this, he may not even marry her. But if he still marries her, there is still the hope he will do the unthinkable,” Lucas said with conviction.
“You mean divorce?” Maggie whispered as if the word itself was cursed and forbidden. “But won’t that strip her of her dowry?”
“Not necessarily, not if he gets an annulment. So we have to try. Do you understand?” Lucas asked.
“Yes, I suppose so,” she replied.
“Then you’ll go?”
She stared silently at the floor, not answering.
“Maggie, please.”
She sighed reluctantly. “Very well.”
“It will be worth it in the end, my love. I promise.” It would be worth it for him in the end, but he doubted it would be much different for Maggie. “Now listen closely. I have some important instructions for you.” He pulled her to him and began whispering in her ear.
“Really?” she asked. “Where?”
“I cannot show you now. There are too many people about the manor. Come back tonight, and we will spend more time together before you have to leave. Then I will show you everything,” he finished.
She nodded in agreement.
Everything was falling into place as he had planned. Now he just needed to get back to London and spread these same rumors among his peers. Either way, Lord Declan Cunningham, the Earl of Westbrook, would hear of his intended’s infidelity. He would push her away and into the arms of a forgiving Lucas.
Lucas smiled wickedly as he imagined Allana crawling back to him, begging him to love her. Yes, everything was turning out just as he desired.
The next day Lucas left for London.
Chapter 22
Declan was tired. He’d been trapped in meetings for two weeks and was growing weary of all the arguing. They were going in circles. Connor had been right. The meetings had been called because of the threat of an uprising from the commoners. The commoners were fighting for their rights: the right to vote, the need for better living conditions, and the right to be treated fairly. Parliament had been called to discuss what acts needed to be taken toward them. But the members of Parliament were fighting each other. Some wanted change, others were content to simply do nothing, and many simply wished to squash the rebellion and continue as before. The arguing had gone back and forth, gradually working against the commoners. It was baffling. These were their people. Keep
them healthy and content, and keep production healthy. How could Parliament refuse to at least try to compromise? Declan shook his head in disgust. It was all too maddening to listen any longer. He closed out the voices and thought of Allana.
He hoped she was healing well. There had been no messengers sent for him. Nothing to tell him her condition had worsened, so he gathered all was well—or at least as well as could be expected considering what had happened to her. He hadn’t wanted to leave her when he’d learned of it, but what could he do for her when they wouldn’t let him even see her? It was probably better that he’d left. She could heal properly without him, and she wouldn’t feel embarrassed with him seeing her in such a weakened condition. Stubborn, prideful woman.
He sighed within. His heart ached for her. It had taken many inner arguments, and he could ignore his feelings no longer. He was in love with her. These past two weeks without her had been hell for him. It had been such bliss in her presence. He shouldn’t have left! But he’d had to, and now he was in London, attending these ridiculous meetings where nothing was being accomplished. At least his other business had been attended to.
He’d met with investors while here as well. Those had been his main reason for coming to London. He probably could have been excused from Parliament, but he hadn’t wanted to postpone his other business acquisitions. He wanted those taken care of before his wedding, not after. After, he wanted to focus on his new bride. He pictured her soft skin and tender lips, but most of all he thought of her lovely, green eyes and the sparkle they held when she looked at him. He was truly looking forward to seeing her again and holding her in his arms.
After the long Parliament meetings, he normally returned to his London home for the evening, declining offers of dinner and drinks from fellow nobles. He didn’t care to socialize outside of business, but after today’s meetings were adjourned, he finally accepted an invitation to a small social gathering at Lord Philip Jefferson’s home. Declan hadn’t intended to, but something Jefferson said had caught his interest.
“I hear you are marrying again and to the young Lady Tananguard. Were I you, I might consider otherwise. I have heard some things that are not in her favor. However, I’m not one to judge. Wed her if you would. Don’t allow for foul play. Show her you are not a man to be trifled with. And above all, do not allow her to make a fool of you,” Jefferson had said.
Declan was so shocked, he hadn’t been able to reply.
“I see I have overstepped my bounds. Forgive me. Come to my home for dinner tonight. I insist. There will be a small gathering of people, and I would be delighted if you would join us.”
How had Lord Jefferson known Declan was betrothed to Allana? And what had he meant by his comments? The man knew nothing of Allana—no one in London should—yet something was being said about her that was unfavorable. It was alarming. Declan had been the center of gossip when he was married before, and he hadn’t liked it. Now to find out he might be again, as well as Allana, disturbed him very much. He had to discover how people knew about the marriage and what rumors were being spread.
Thus, he accepted the invitation and found himself ascending the stairs to the Jefferson home, feelings of apprehension storming within. What would he learn tonight from these people?
Dinner went well. There were about twenty people in attendance, consisting of both ladies and lords. Declan didn’t notice anything unusual about the way people behaved around him either. After dinner, the piano forte was played and some danced while others formed small groups and gossiped. He stood by a group of men with an evening drink in hand, keeping his distance yet appearing to be part of the group. Finally, he was rewarded with information.
“Cunningham, I thought you hated these affairs,” a voice said casually from behind.
Declan turned to find Lord Michael Thomson, a man he was not particularly fond of, eyeing him curiously. Declan had not seen or spoken to the man in over two years. “I don’t hate them. I simply choose not to attend every function I’m invited to.”
“Of course,” the other man said. He paused, “It was tragic what happened to your lady wife all those years ago.”
“It was two years ago, Thomson. Do not pretend you don’t remember that,” Declan said coldly. The bastard had only claimed Rebecca’s child as his own on one drunken evening. It was one of the reasons Declan disliked him—he was rash and easily offended.
“Ah. I see an apology is in order. I was drunk. I never actually bedded your wife, but I knew—as much as every man here did—the child she carried was not yours. You angered me, and I reacted poorly. And I apologize for that,” the man said.
Declan was not one to hold a grudge, and the apology sounded sincere. Besides, what the man said was truth. Rebecca’s unborn child had not been Declan’s and most everyone knew it. How that woman had humiliated him! The least she could have done was be discreet in her actions. He should have gotten an annulment the moment he found her with another man, but it would have ruined her family’s name and any good fortune which had come to them since Rebecca’s marriage to Declan. Her family did not deserve that. “Apology accepted.”
“Thank you.”
The men stood in silence for a moment.
“Is it true you are to be married again?” Thomson asked casually.
“Yes, it is,” Declan replied.
“To Lady Allana Tananguard, correct? She has never been to London, never entered true society,” Thomson added.
“Correct, but she is as much a lady as any here,” Declan said.
Thomson eyed him. “Are you certain? There are rumors she is not a maid. Hoffman courted her, you know.”
Declan’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Not a maid? She’d tainted herself unknowingly just by allowing that scum to court her. “Yes, I knew he did, but I don’t believe he took her maidenhood,” Declan said in Allana’s defense.
“I see.” It was said without merit. He didn’t believe Declan’s words.
Declan clenched his jaw tightly. “Rumor or not, I still plan to marry her”
“I don’t blame you. I understand her father offered you quite a dowry to wed her.”
Declan laughed lightly. At least he tried to make it light. “It was a tempting offer, yes.”
“It must have been more than tempting for you to ignore her faults,” Thomson said.
“Her faults?” Declan asked. “I didn’t know you were acquainted with her.”
“I’m not, but I have heard,” he replied.
“And what is it you’ve heard?” Declan asked.
Thomson laughed quietly. It seemed he did not want to draw anyone else’s attention. “There is no need to play the fool, Cunningham. It’s well known already. Your lady is in love with Hoffman, and you her land. There is no shame in that.”
Declan did his best to remain calm. He refused to show the shock this news caused. He even chuckled lightly.
“She must be a beauty too if Hoffman was willing to settle for her. It was fortunate Tananguard discovered them when he did.”
Declan frowned. “Discovered them when he did? This I have not heard.”
Thomson’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Surely you have.”
“No. Please, enlighten me,” Declan said, trying to remain calm. Would this be another piece to the puzzle Declan had been trying to put together since the Tananguards first proposed the marriage to Allana, or would it simply be more hearsay?
Thomson eyed him. “Very well. How was your lady’s health when last you saw her?”
“Why? What do you know?”
“I know she was injured.”
“And?”
Thomson laughed quietly. “Not and, Cunningham, how. That is what you really want to know—the how and why.”
“And you’re going to tell me,” Declan stated. This was going in a different direction than he had anticipated. He’d expected to hear something about what had occurred between Allana and Lucas before Declan entered her life, not something that had just
recently happened.
“Are you certain you wish to hear what I’ve heard? It is simply speculation, you know,” Thomson answered.
“I wish to hear. Now tell me.”
“Very well. I’ve heard she does not wish to marry you, but her father is forcing her hand. She tried running away to be with her lover. They were meeting late in the night to elope to be more specific. Her brother discovered the plot and intercepted them before they could flee. She tried to run anyway and was injured when her horse lost its footing. That is what I’ve heard.”
“And her lover would be Hoffman, of course,” Declan supplied without amusement.
“Of course,” Thomson said. He took a sip of the wine he held.
“Interesting.”
“Yes it is. Will you still wed her now with such a rumor spreading?”
“I will. After all, you said it was merely speculation,” Declan answered.
“Indeed I did.”
Declan nodded. “Very enlightening conversation. If you will excuse me, I believe I will be going.”
The other man shook his head and chuckled lightly. “You do not like this news.”
“Of course, I don’t. It causes doubts, and doubts are never beneficial,” Declan answered. This news caused too many doubts and answered too many questions such as why Allana was out before the sun had risen and how she’d fallen. Connor’s story had seemed to be missing elements, and Thomson’s story filled in those elements.
“Yes, doubts are a burden, especially when one is engaged to be married to the one the doubts are focused on,” Thomson agreed. “I am sorry, Cunningham. I shouldn’t have told you.”
“I demanded it,” Declan said matter-of-fact. He had demanded it, and now he was suffering from it.
“Perhaps, but had I realized it may cause you troubles, I may not have told you. I didn’t think you actually cared for the woman. However, I believe I was wrong on that account.”
The Lady and the Earl Page 20