Grimstoke looked appeased. "Indeed. Now, it would be best if you took your leave, my lord. I will wait for Violet to bring the shawl and then Miss Garland may return to her bedchambers."
Clayton gave Briana a curt bow. "Until tomorrow, Miss Garland."
With a throbbing pain in her breast, Briana watched in shock as her intended left her alone with their angry host, alone with her tumultuous feelings, alone with her broken heart.
Chapter Sixteen
Briana wanted to tell Agatha everything that had transpired with Lord Kingsdale and Lord Clayton, but when she sat by her godmother's side early the following morning, she saw how weary the lady looked and thought better of it
"You should never have given me laudanum," Agatha said groggily.
Briana brushed a gray lock from the elderly lady's forehead.
Agatha's lips pinched into a scowl. "You knew they were doing this to me, child. How could you?"
Briana lifted a brow. "I wanted you to heal. I know that you would have tried to move around the first day we came here. As long as your head injury was not grave, laudanum was the only solution. I did tell you about it yesterday, but I don't think you remembered."
"This is a dangerous mission, Briana. You cannot follow leads by yourself. If I had my way—"
Briana gave her a wry smile. "I know. I know. You would have me home with Mama. But I did discover that Lord Grimstoke has a favorite writing box he keeps in the library. Violet told me it has some kind of secret drawers. I believe this may be the lead we have been looking for."
Agatha shook her head. "I have a writing box back at Hemmingly. Was given to me by my father. Has a secret compartment as well. It's unlikely something is hidden there. Too easy by far. And there is something else."
Briana waited. "What?"
"That gown, child. It looks like one of Emily's."
Briana frowned. She was wearing a gown of pale blue silk, with white ribbon along the edges. It was the plainest of what was left in her wardrobe, and still, it was lovely. "I think it is Emily's. Or at least it's from the same dressmaker. Emily didn't like my drab colors, so she switched my clothing before we left, hoping I could attract some interesting gentlemen."
Gray eyes twinkled. "Couldn't very well tell her why you wanted to blend in, now, could we?"
Briana smiled. "No, I guess not. She meant well."
Agatha yawned, and Briana knew the lady was desperately trying to focus her thoughts. "You know, dear, the more I think about it, the more I believe the source is someone in Grimstoke's family. Could very well be Violet. The specifics about this case are too exact."
"Violet? Why would she give her father away? I cannot imagine her doing that, and in such a secretive way. I admit the source is providing Whitehall with rather detailed information, but Violet? It just isn't something she would do."
"Well, child, I could say the same about you in this instance."
Briana sighed. Agatha was right No one was exempt from doing something unusual or out of character. Anyone could be the enemy, even someone as innocent as Violet.
Heartsick about the previous evening, Briana realized she had to disclose everything to Agatha. "I probably should have spoken to you first about the writing box. I tried to open the drawers, but... "
Agatha straightened. "Someone suspects you?"
Briana threw a frustrated hand over her eyes. "No, it's just... well, it was all so innocent, you see. It happened so fast... I mean, we were alone ... and then he kissed me... and then Grimstoke demanded we marry."
"Grimstoke? The cad! The man's already married. Why, I'll have the scoundrel in chains by the time this is done!"
Briana lifted her head and gave the lady a hesitant smile. Dear, sweet Agatha. "Not Grimstoke. Lord Clayton."
Agatha eyes froze on her face. "What?"
Briana could feel her cheeks turning pink. "Lord Grimstoke found us together. While I was in the library examining the writing box, Lord Clayton happened to be lounging in the shadows. He was there before I entered. I didn't see him until it was too late."
"Too late for what?" Agatha snapped fiercely. "And what about that kiss you mentioned?"
Briana stared at the bedpost. "I... well, you see ... after I danced with Lord Kingsdale—"
"What in the blue blazes does that man have to do with this?"
Briana's eyes shifted back to Agatha. She had never seen her godmother so agitated.
"He lured me into the gardens and we argued. I knew he was not right in the mind and I fled. My bodice was slightly ripped during our altercation and my pearls were loosened. The necklace gave way while I was in the library. So when our host saw Lord Clayton and me together, um, kissing, the man assumed the worst."
Agatha's eyebrow shot up. "Indeed."
"But marriage, Agatha! He demanded I marry Lord Clayton."
Agatha paused. "And so you must. Lord Clayton can ride out the storm, but you will be ruined. Grimstoke will not let this pass. He is an eccentric. One never knows which way he will turn, but once he announces his intent he rarely backs down. I don't like saying it but this can jeopardize everything you have worked for, even that women's shelter."
Tears filled Briana's eyes. "Oh, Agatha. What shall I do?"
"What? Does that scoundrel refuse to marry you?"
"No, and that is the problem. He has been looking for a convenient bride for some time, and he stupidly asked me to marry him when I attended the Elbourne ball."
Agatha pursed her lips but said nothing.
"I told him no, yet last night I believe he compromised me on purpose."
"Oh, child. Lord Clayton may be a bit of arrogant, but he is a gentleman. I would never believe him or any of his brothers of forcing a woman to marry him."
Briana shot out of her chair. "But I don't want to marry him! I don't want to marry anyone!"
"Where is he now?"
"I don't know. Maybe on his way to obtain a special license. Maybe he did it already. I just don't know."
"All the way to London?"
She shrugged. "All I know is that the archbishop is staying in the nearby village. If Clayton can't obtain the license there, I'm sure he would ride to London. Either way I'm sunk."
Feeling miserable, Briana paced about the room, too restless to sit. "Don't you see? It's all too easy. He is only following what duty dictates. He wants a convenient wife to place in the country while he gallivants about Town. I won't have it."
"Who said you had to listen to him, my dear? Why cater to a man's whims? If he has a fondness for you, the world is yours to command."
Briana stared at her godmother. Did Lord Clayton care for her a little? Could he love her just a bit? Or was her heart wishing for things that could never be?
"You think he has a certain fondness for me?"
Agatha swept the covers aside and swung her legs over the side of the bed, swaying a bit. "Does a king have a crown?"
Briana hurried toward her. "Don't get up. I beg you."
Agatha scowled. "And when is this wedding to take place?"
"If Lord Clayton obtains the license, Grimstoke is determined we marry today."
Agatha opened her eyes wider. "To satisfy our host's sense of propriety and to stem the gossip, I suppose. Not that marrying by special license will do that, but I vow your fiancé will have something to say about that."
"He wants it known that we had planned our wedding a long time ago."
Agatha gave a nod of approval. "Good thinking. An affair of the heart. You were swept away with passion and wanted to get married without the fuss of all the parties and whatnot. Your families will be thrilled."
"My mother will be overjoyed. Except for our mourning period, she has pursued Lord Clayton ever since I can remember." Briana raised her fists to her cheeks. "It is all so humiliating. I cannot go through with it."
"Yes, you can. You love him, do you not?"
"I don't want to marry him."
"That doesn't answer my question, y
oung lady."
Briana's fists fell to her sides. "Yes, yes, I love him! Is that what you want to hear? But what does that matter? He will let me down like all the other men in my life. Papa turned on Clarice and let her die. The man who got my sister with child let her die. Even Alistair was a disappointment. I have learned my lesson, Agatha. I cannot marry Clayton. I cannot."
"Because you are afraid," Agatha blurted out. "Do you want to end up like me, child? Do you want to be an old maid because you were afraid to love? Is that what you want?"
Hot tears flowed from Briana's eyes. "I didn't mean—"
Agatha waved her hand. "I made my mistakes years ago. I vowed never to love a man again, and you know I stayed true to my promise. But I never tried, Briana. I never gave myself another chance. It was a mistake I will not let you make. Besides, the lieutenant left you for war and duty; that is a different matter entirely.
"He may have promised you something, but that is only human to choose between two goods. You must trust again. You must. And if you won't look at this for yourself, look at it as serving your country."
"What do you mean?"
"If you marry Lord Clayton, all suspicion that you were in the library searching for clues will be lifted. You were meeting your fiancé in a clandestine place, planning your nuptials. If the enemy is about, all presumption you are involved with the mission, or me, will be behind you. You will be safe."
Briana sank onto the bed, knowing Agatha's words held some truth. "This is not something I wished for. If I have to marry him, I will, but not on his terms. I will not be kept in the country like some forgotten relative. I will stay in Town when I want and where I want."
Agatha hid her smile. "You might get away with that. But when you are married to the man, he will have a say in what you do with your future plans, especially with your women's shelter."
Frowning, Briana looked up, intending to speak, but Agatha raised her hands, stopping her. "I have seen him with Gabrielle. He is not unreasonable. The man has a gentle side. If he did not, I would never allow this to go through."
A deep heaviness centered in Briana's chest. "I will have the stipulations of our marriage written up before we marry."
Agatha's brows lifted. "Usually a relative does that for you. Perhaps if I stepped in—"
"No, all I want is his promise in writing that I may do what I wish—or I will not wed him."
"But if he refuses, not only will the mission suffer but so will your reputation, child. Think of your mother."
Briana rose from her chair, frustration clawing at her brain. "Well, what can I do? He doesn't love me!"
Agatha closed her eyes. "You must make him love you, Briana. I know he has a fondness for you. It will take time, but I believe you two will get along quite nicely if you try."
Briana blinked back her tears. "A marriage of convenience based on fondness. What a horrid future."
Agatha gave her a pitying look. "There are many paths you can choose, child. There is the path of least resistance, where you allow your relationship to flounder until you cannot stand to look at each other anymore, or the path of action, where you make a decision to gain your husband's love and make a good life for yourself. Some women will never have a chance with a husband like Lord Clayton. The man has a heart. He just needs a little prodding from you to find it."
Briana pulled a pillow from the bed and pressed it against her chest. "You think so?'
"Am I ever wrong?"
Briana laughed, watching her godmother's eyes gleam with mischief. "I am not about to answer that."
"I hate to bring up our true reason for being here, my dear, but we must address the facts."
Briana sobered, her thoughts flying back to the Prince Regent. "I will marry today, if that is what I must do."
"I think it for the best. If only I had been with you—but that is neither here nor there. I am able to hobble around a little bit. So the next chance we have, you can return to the library with me. We will search for the missing piece of this puzzle together."
"No. If we have to make a quick escape, it will be too dangerous for you. I am thinking perhaps the carriage incident was not an accident after all."
The lady patted Briana's hand. "Perhaps. But I do not think anyone believes you are involved."
"You may still be in danger."
"Maybe, but it might be nothing at all. Only our imagination. I do not think anyone intended to kill me. If they did, I would be dead by now."
Goose bumps popped out on Briana's skin. "If anything should happen to you ..."
"Fustian, child! I will beat the enemy senseless. That is, if I find another parasol worthy of my efforts."
Briana's laugh became a stream of steady tears. "Oh, Agatha," she said, giving the woman a heartfelt hug. "I do love you so."
Clayton found himself pacing the gardens behind the ancient gazebo, waiting for Briana to respond to his summons. He hated meeting in secret, as if they had done something wrong, but he wanted some privacy. Their crazed host had been hounding him like he was some unruly schoolboy about to bolt, and it took every ounce of willpower for Clayton not to hang the man by his toes on the nearest chandelier.
Confound Grimstoke! The man had visited Clayton in his chambers, making certain the special license had been obtained and that Clayton was going to fulfill his part of the bargain by marrying the lady in question.
In addition, the odious man had stopped Clayton in the hall only minutes ago, verifying the time everyone would be meeting at church. However, Clayton knew the man was only double-checking to make certain Clayton was still in the vicinity.
Clayton lifted his gaze to the blue sky and closed his eyes. Dear God, what am I to do now? He would rather Miss Garland consent to marriage than force her into it. But their host had made it abundantly clear he would not back down. Lord Grimstoke would not tolerate a scandal under his roof.
Clayton stared at the back of the aged gazebo and grimaced. What a pompous ass. A few months ago he'd seen Grimstoke at a masquerade with a lady who was definitely not his wife. But that was the way of the ton—as long as one played along with Society's rules, it was all right.
Clayton seemed to recall that it was last year when Grimstoke had been so foxed he'd lost a grand sum of money to the Prince Regent. But the devil of it was, Society didn't look down upon that either. Men won and lost at gaming tables all the time.
Yet why was it that Society still made women suffer most in times of disgrace? Clayton's fingers curled into his palm. Dash it all, he was not about to let a woman suffer because of him.
From the look Miss Garland had given him yesterday, he wondered if he would have to drag her to her wedding. Nevertheless, he had obtained the special license, and in less than an hour he was to set out for the tiny church two miles away.
It didn't help matters that stories were already circulating about Miss Garland's disappearance last evening. She had stood out like a princess in her fashionable gowns of silk and lace.
Though she wasn't a conventional beauty, she was a pretty little thing. But to Clayton, it was more than what she wore that fascinated him. Perhaps it was the way her eyes laughed when she played with Gabrielle. Or maybe it was the way she carried herself when no one seemed to be looking. Or was it the way she cared for the people she loved, like that mother of hers? Or was it partly her desire to help those poor women in need?
He wasn't sure what it was, but she definitely had him hooked. And it didn't help his disposition any when she wore those striking gowns, drawing his attention and that of every other gentleman in the room like flies to porridge.
Could it be love? Yes, he thought wryly, it could be just that.
He smiled. There was a chance this could work out better than he'd expected. Love wasn't so bad after all. He realized now that he had never truly loved Serena. With her, it had been a selfish kind of worship. But to love Miss Garland ...
He almost laughed out loud. With her, it would never be a marriag
e of convenience, because there was nothing convenient about Briana Garland at all. He had given himself permission to love again, and by Jove, it was a wonderful feeling.
The rustle of fabric turned his head. A head of shimmering auburn curls came into view, and a grin pulled at the corners of his mouth.
Miss Garland had changed from the blue silk he had caught a glimpse of this morning. She probably thought she was clothed more demurely, but the lady looked irresistible, dressed in a light green gown scooped at the neck, revealing her creamy white skin. And Gabrielle was right. The lady resembled a fairy with her luminous green eyes and freckled nose. She was adorable.
"Good afternoon, Briana."
She halted a few feet from him. Black circles surrounded her eyes, making him feel guilty as hell. "I have not given you leave to call me by my first name, my lord."
He suppressed a laugh. The woman had spirit.
"Are you laughing at me?" she snapped.
"We've known each other for years, not to mention you are my betrothed. That gives me some right to use your Christian name."
Her chin rose a notch. "If you think marrying me will give you all rights, you are sorely mistaken."
He frowned, wondering if she thought him as cruel as Kingsdale or even her father. "You think me a tyrant? Is that how you see me?"
"No," she said, dropping her head and kicking a pebble off the path. "But I don't like this. I don't like being forced."
"You think I like it?" he asked, remembering her words that she thought he had planned the entire scene. "Contrary to what you may believe, I did not plan this."
"But you wanted a wife. You already made your intentions known to me at the Elbourne ball. You are the son of a duke. It's clear to me and everyone else in Society that if your brothers do not provide an heir, you must."
The pain that flickered in her eyes squeezed his chest. Did he dare tell her the truth? No, his disclosure of the will might send her flying back to London, reputation or not.
"Indeed, you are correct. I needed a wife and I have my reasons."
The Convenient Bride (The Clearbrooks) Page 18