To Tempt a Dashing Lord

by Lucy Langton

  “Perhaps I already know how handsome I am,” he retorted, causing her to chuckle as the dance continued.

  “Pride does not suit you, Lord Kingston,” she said in passing.

  “I am not prideful, my dear. I am simply proud to be your husband,” he said once they came back together. Catherine beamed at Marcus, wondering if she could ever feel happier than she did in that moment.

  The night seemed to pass in the same fashion. Between the dances they would visit with the other guests in attendance. They tried to thank everyone who had come such long distances to attend the ball.

  Catherine received many compliments for her gown and what a lovely match she made for the earl. No one mentioned her brother or her poor reputation, so it pleased Catherine no end to receive so many wonderful compliments.

  When she could, Catherine steered Marcus away from Lord Whetstone or her brother. She was sure that either one of these men wouldn’t be ideal to speak with. Catherine reasoned that by tomorrow morning both gentlemen would be making their ways out of the manor and on to their normal lives.

  She would have nothing to do with Lord Whetstone for as long as she lived, and until her brother changed his life around and reclaimed the family fortunes, she would not speak to him, either.

  All in all, the ball was everything Catherine had imagined it would be. She enjoyed the conversations with the guests she spoke with, she felt lively next to Marcus for the entire evening and getting to share it with Lady Evergreen was the cherry on top of the whole evening.

  Though she had despised spending so little time with Beth, she thought that it would be all worth it by tomorrow afternoon when she’d be able to hold her baby girl once more and not have to worry about them being exposed.

  As the night extended into the late hours, dinner having been eaten with elegant dishes based on English and French classics, Catherine was looking forward to getting a full night’s rest.

  Though she was certain Marcus would want to take her to bed once more, for his hands were often on her throughout the night in the most subtle of ways, Catherine knew that she would want to get plenty of rest so she and Beth could spend the entire following day together once all the guests had departed. She was anxious to show her to Lady Evergreen, since Beth had continued to grow so quickly.

  “I shall never forget this night,” Marcus said as they walked together, his balance a little uneasy from the amount of wine and brandy he had drunk that night. His cheeks were rosy red from the dancing and drink that was frequently poured and served. Catherine had refused most of the glasses of wine and therefore still had a very steady head.

  “I don’t think I shall, either,” Catherine replied. The guests had all departed or had retired for the night. The servants were busy doing the minimum work for the evening to right the house. The rest could be done in the morning.

  “Will you come to warm my bed this evening, my dear?” Marcus asked as they entered the west wing and walked towards their bedchambers. His words were slurred, and Catherine couldn’t help but giggle.

  “Tomorrow night, perhaps,” Catherine said. “We both need some actual rest.”

  “But who needs rest when there is so much I want to do to your body?” Marcus said as he whispered loudly, and Catherine did her best to shush him in case anyone overheard their conversation.

  “That is enough of that, kind sir,” Catherine teased. “You need your rest or your head shall hurt by morning.”

  “Don’t mother me, Catherine. I know what I can handle. And I know what I want to handle right now,” Marcus said with a laugh when he failed at speaking sternly. Catherine just shook her head with a smile on her face as she led Marcus to his bedchamber. She motioned for his valet to come forward and assist the earl with getting ready for bed. But before she let him go fully, she kissed him on the lips.

  “I had a most amazing night, Marcus. Thank you for hosting a ball for me,” Catherine said.

  “Of course, my dear. I only wish to see you happy. Good night now,” Marcus said as he began to hiccup. His valet led him by the shoulders into his bedchamber, and Catherine sighed deeply as she made her way to her own bedchamber.

  When she stepped inside her room, she was startled to see that Denver was sitting in a chair by the fireplace, the room lit with candlelight. The moment she entered the room, he placed his finger to his lips to quiet her. She wasn’t sure if she should be furious that he was in her room, or simply listen to what he had to say.

  “I will be gone first thing in the morning. Therefore, I wanted to have a toast with you,” Denver said as he bent down and picked up two small crystal flutes of red wine and then approached Catherine with them. “You are truly a wonderful woman, Catherine. I know our parents would be proud of the young lady you have become.”

  Catherine took the flute of wine and looked at it for a moment before looking at Denver. She smiled, thinking he was being rather kind to her. It might have been because he had been able to stay in the type of luxury he hadn’t been used to in some time because of his financial situation. Either way, it was nice that he was putting in the effort to really be nice to her after all.

  “Thank you, Denver. I know things have been very tense between us ever since our parents were killed in that accident. But I hope this means you’re willing to do what is right to fix the mess you are in,” Catherine said.

  “Tis a matter for another day, Catherine. For now, let us drink and toast to your future as Countess,” Denver said as he clinked his glass against hers and began to drink. She did the same, drinking the small amount in one swallow. She thought it tasted a little funny, but wondered if that was only because it had become warm. She wasn’t sure how long Denver had been waiting for her.

  “Now, I am tired and should really get ready for bed,” Catherine said as she handed Denver the glass and went towards her bed to pull the servant’s cord. But as she began to walk, she became very dizzy. She gripped one of the beams on her bed that made up the four-poster.

  “Are you alright?” Denver asked, setting the glasses aside and coming to her aid.

  “I don’t know. I just feel awfully dizzy right now,” she said. “Send for my lady’s maid.”

  “Here. Let me help you into bed first,” Denver said, guiding Catherine onto the bed as her vision started to swim with black spots.

  When she heard a soft knocking on the door, she assumed that Denver had pulled the servant’s cord and that her lady’s maid had arrived. At this point Catherine had closed her eyes to push out her spinning vision. It was only when she heard another male voice in her room that she lifted her head and opened her eyes to see if it was Marcus.

  Catherine began to panic when she spotted Lord Whetstone in her bedchamber. She started to breathe heavily as she tried to sit up and push herself up against her bed. She reasoned that Denver would protect her from this vile creature, but she felt so very weak that she had a hard time moving her body at all.

  “There’s no point struggling,” Lord Whetstone said as he rounded the bed and came closer to Catherine. “The drugs are working well on your slim body.”

  “Denver, help me,” Catherine pleaded as she tried to focus on her brother. But all she saw was a figure slipping out of the door, making her wonder if her brother had left her to this man. Was it he who had drugged her? Was this the deal her brother had made with the devil himself?

  “Get away from me,” Catherine said as her head snapped back in the direction of Lord Whetstone as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “Don’t worry, Countess. I am not interested in spoiled goods. However, I will make you pay for ruining me at that dinner party. It’s been so hard to prey on young ladies since then,” Lord Whetstone said.

  “What are you going to do with me?” Catherine said, her eyelids dropping as her body screamed at her to sleep. She tried to fight it off the best she could when she knew danger was so close, but she was losing the battle with her mind and body.

  “I shall do to
you what you did to me,” he said, his voice cold. It was then that Catherine fainted, despite the panic in her heart.

  Chapter 18

  As expected, Marcus woke with a headache. He knew instantly when he awoke that he had drunk too much the night before. He only hoped that Catherine would forgive him for when he appeared rather lazy for the rest of the day while he waited for the pain in his head to go away.

  Regardless, Marcus got out of bed and pulled the servant’s cord, needing to freshen up and see all the guests off for the morning. Then, he’d get to spend the rest of the day with his family.

  Just the thought of having a real family that he loved and adored filled Marcus with enough motivation to get ready that morning. He had his valet pick out a simple outfit for the day, the need to show his superior status no longer relevant with each passing moment. All the guests would be wearing their traveling clothes anyway, which were rather simple in design.

  Marcus had just stepped out of his bedchamber after drinking a strong cup of tea when he saw Lord Hall walking in his direction. He waved at him before making his way towards him.

  “Good morning, Lord Kingston. I was on my way out and was hoping to say goodbye to my sister before I did so. Do you happen to know where she is?” he asked.

  “I suppose your guess is as good as mine. I have just stepped out for the morning. Do you try her bedchamber?” Marcus asked.

  “No. Even though she’s my sister, I didn’t want to intrude in her private space,” Lord Hall said sheepishly.

  “Come now. Let’s go find out then. She’ll want to see you off, I’m sure,” Marcus said as he crossed the hallway and knocked on Catherine’s door. He waited a moment before knocking again. This time, when the door gave in, he became concerned and decided to open the door the rest of the way.

  As he stepped inside Catherine’s bedchamber, his heart seemed to stop. There, in her bed, she lay tangled in the sheets, the covers having been tossed to the floor. Her hair was tossed over her shoulders as her limps were entangled with another man’s. As Marcus peered at the two of them, he noticed that the man was Lord Whetstone.

  “My God,” Lord Hall said as he followed Marcus into the room. The sound of his voice seemed to wake Catherine as her face scrunched together. She opened her eyes slowly, and it seemed to Marcus that as she realised who was in her bed, she screamed loudly as she scrambled out of bed, pulling the covers from the floor up to cover her nakedness.

  “How could you do this to me?” Marcus asked, his voice rising in anger.

  “What? What is the meaning of this?” Catherine stammered, her head snapping towards Marcus, and then to her brother. “How did this man get into my bed?”

  “Don’t play dumb with me, Catherine. You clearly slept with Lord Whetstone and now are ashamed for being caught,” Marcus hissed with rage.

  “I would never do that to you, Marcus,” Catherine said, tears coming to her eyes as she staggered towards him, still clearly drunk from the night before. His loud voice must have caused Lord Whetstone to wake because he stirred then and raised his head from the bed. Once he saw Marcus, he quickly pulled on the sheets to cover himself.

  “Seems we have been discovered, my dear,” he sneered, his eyes focused on Catherine. “Our night of passion has come to an end and I shall never have a need for thee again.”

  To Marcus’ surprise the earl stood from the bed then, and, gathering the sheet around him, walked from the room as though nothing of consequence had happened. Marcus was so appalled and shocked that at first he didn’t know what to do or say.

  “Please, Marcus. You have to believe me. I have no idea how this happened or why he was in my bed. But I would never sleep with that monster,” Catherine said, sobs coming to her throat.

  “I will not entertain your lies any longer, Catherine. I don’t know what your history is with that man, but I know there is history. And it seems like I judged you too soon. You’re not the woman I fell in love with,” Marcus said as he focused his eyes on her once more. His heart was breaking into a million little pieces as the reality of the situation dawned on him. His wife had cheated on him the same day he had confessed his love to her. And he’d never loved a woman before.

  “No, this is not what it seems. I don’t even remember anything from last night besides our last dance together,” she said, trying to come to Marcus then, but he refused to take her into his arms. He turned his back to her as she tried to wrap her arms around him.

  “Take your sister and go. I don’t believe in divorce, but I will not have a harlot in my house,” he said to Lord Hall. The man looked surprised, but then he nodded his head as he grabbed hold of his sister and pulled her away from Marcus.

  “Please, Marcus. Don’t do this. Don’t send me away from Beth,” Catherine pleaded as she cried.

  “It’s for the best. After all, I wouldn’t want my niece to get any wrong ideas as she grew older,” Marcus said, his eyes on the carpet. He couldn’t look at her without crying himself. But he did see that she had crumbled to the floor as she sobbed, repeating over and over again that he needed to believe her.

  But Marcus had seen it for himself. Shaking his head, he left her bedchamber and crossed the hallway to his own. The moment he was inside he locked the door behind him and knelt on the floor as though he could no longer hold up his body. Tears streamed down his face as he slumped over on the floor, his fists hitting the ground over and over again as anguish flooded his body.

  “Why? Why did you do this to me, Catherine?” Marcus wept as grief overcame him. He tried to squeeze his eyes shut to keep the tears from flowing, but they still leaked from his eyes as his mind pictured what he had walked in on. He knew that he would never love another woman like he had Catherine. For the rest of his days, he’d become a shadow of who he had been, knowing that the one person he’d let into his heart had destroyed him in the end.

  ~*~

  Catherine’s world had been flipped completely upside down. She had woken with a start, terrified of what she’d woken to. Seeing Lord Whetstone so close to her in bed was a complete nightmare. Then, to see Marcus standing in her room, looking completely shocked, had made the situation even worse.

  No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember a thing from the night before. All that came to mind was her dancing with Marcus and thinking how lovely the ball had been. But after that, her mind was completely blank. Through her sobs, Denver helped her dress and pack a bag. He assured her that a little bit of space would help things.

  “How did this happen, Denver? How did he get in my room? I would never sleep with that man?” Catherine asked him, repeating the words over and over as she was properly dressed.

  “I don’t know, Catherine. I just don’t know,” was all Denver would say. He was quick to pack her trunk with the things she would need. Then, he led her from her bedchamber.

  As soon as Catherine stepped out into the hallway, she had an overwhelming urge to throw herself at Marcus’ bedchamber door and beg him to believe her. She didn’t want to leave the manor. She didn’t want to leave him, and she certainly didn’t want to leave Beth.

  She had been without her daughter for so long that she craved holding the child and caring for her as normal. But just as she went to step towards his door, Denver got in front of her and began to instead usher her down the hallway, the sounds of Marcus’ cries now audible in her ears.

  She wept the entire time it took for them to walk down the hallway and down the stairs. Catherine no longer cared who saw her crying openly. She passed Lady Evergreen but didn’t go to her. When she passed the nursery, that seemed to be the hardest part of walking away from the manor.

  Outside in the courtyard, amongst all of the other carriages with guests leaving the manor, was a stagecoach. Denver placed her trunk on the back with the others and then helped her inside. Once the door was closed, Denver rapped his knuckles against the side of it, signalling that they were to be off.