If It Takes A Scandal (Marriage by Bargain Book 4)

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  He scooted over.

  She settled beside him.

  “Do you play?” he asked.

  “Yes. I started when I was four. My father insisted that I learn to play because it’s important for a lady to entertain the guests at dinner parties.”

  “Are you good?”

  “Yes, but the truth is, I didn’t care much for it. My friend, Anna, loves to play. If there’s a piano nearby, she wants to play something, and she’s very good. She says music can express emotions better than words can.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a fun reason to play,” Reuben said.

  Not surprised by his lack of enthusiasm, she chuckled. “I suppose it’s what the music means to you. Sometimes music can be a source of comfort when you’re sad.”

  “It can also make you want to dance when you’re happy,” Daphne spoke up from where she was sitting.

  Unaware Daphne had been paying attention to what they were saying, Candace glanced her way and smiled. “Am I right in assuming that you prefer something light and fun?”

  Daphne nodded. “I do.”

  Candace expected as much. Daphne had a way of brightening the room whenever she was in it. It only made sense that she would prefer music that was lively.

  “Reuben,” Daphne began, “why don’t you play the piece you were working on last winter? It was a nice upbeat one, and it’s more suited for your age.”

  “I want to do this one,” Reuben said. “I want to play it perfectly before Corin returns to London.”

  So it was just as Candace thought. Reuben was hoping to impress his older brother. Even if she didn’t care for Corin, she couldn’t help but be touched by how much Reuben wanted to please him.

  “I’m familiar with this piece,” Candace told Daphne. “Perhaps I can help him with it.”

  Daphne indicated her consent, and Candace turned back to Reuben.

  “I have an idea,” Candace said. “What if I played the piece first? You can watch the way my hands move. Then we’ll go back and do it together, but we’ll take our time with it. You were going slowly over the notes, and that is a good thing to do when the music you’re playing is new.”

  Candace caught Daphne’s smile and knew she had said the right thing to make Reuben feel more confident with the music. Candace turned her gaze to the book in front of her, gave a quick scan of the notes, and then started to play.

  It was odd that the familiarity of the music should offer her a sense of peace. She didn’t think she’d ever enjoy playing the piano. She had only played it to appease her father and, later, Ian. It had seemed to be one of the few things she could ever manage to do right. Because of that, she hadn’t touched a piano after Ian’s death.

  In this case, she was playing for Reuben and Daphne, and that made the process…enjoyable. She had no idea that playing for someone who wasn’t critical of her could be a pleasurable experience. And for a moment, she understood why Anna enjoyed this as much as she did. Candace didn’t think it would ever be her favorite pastime, but maybe she could find enjoyment in it.

  When she finished the music, she sat back and exhaled.

  “You played beautifully,” Daphne told her.

  Candace, appreciating the compliment, smiled in pleasure. “It comes from years and years of practice.”

  “I had hoped Corin would come to play as well as you just did, but after a few years of playing, it became apparent he had no real interest in it. I think he only played it to please me.” Daphne paused then added, “Now that I think about it, he does a lot of things just to please me. He is a very good son. He’s done a lot to help me and Reuben since his father died. I appreciate everything he’s done for us. We wouldn’t be as well off as we are now if it hadn’t been for him.”

  “I’m sure Corin knows how much you appreciate him,” Candace said.

  After a moment, Reuben asked Candace, “You don’t mind teaching me how to play this piece, do you?”

  “I don’t mind at all,” Candace replied. “It’s better than sitting around and doing nothing all day.”

  “Usually, Reuben plays outside when the weather is warm,” Daphne said.

  “I play the piano mostly in the winter months,” Reuben told Candace. “I can’t play outside when it’s cold. I get sick easily.”

  “I think he plays it because he’s bored,” Daphne said. Then with twinkling eyes, she added, “I have a nagging suspicion that the only reason he’s playing right now is because he wants to finish that piece before Corin leaves.”

  “It’s true,” Reuben admitted. “Candace, will I be able to play this piece without making any errors before Corin goes back to London?”

  “I can’t promise that you’ll play this without making any errors,” Candace replied, though she knew it wasn’t what the lad wanted to hear. “Even with all of my experience, I make errors. In fact, I made one while playing just now.”

  Daphne’s eyes widened. “You did?”

  She nodded. “The trick is to keep on playing as if you didn’t make an error. Then hopefully, no one will notice.

  Daphne chuckled. “That’s a sly move. I never would have guessed you made a mistake if you hadn’t come out and told us. I thought you played the piece perfectly.”

  Candace looked at Reuben as she gestured to his mother. “That’s what I mean. Our goal will be to get you playing the piece so well that if you do miss a note, no one will be the wiser.”

  “I hope I can do that,” he said.

  Noting his apprehension, Candace smiled, hoping to encourage him. “I believe you can do it. You’re an intelligent lad.”

  She honestly didn’t think Corin would mind if Reuben did miss a note or two while he played. From what she had seen, Corin genuinely cared for his brother. Reuben could probably mess up every single note and Corin would praise him for it. If there was nothing else she liked about Corin, she did like how kind he was to his mother and his brother. A single week at this estate had showed her that much about him.

  “I’m going to miss my brother when he’s gone,” Reuben said, staring at the keys in front of him.

  “I’ll miss him, too,” Daphne told him, “but you have to remember he has a lot of work to do in London. It’s not easy running an estate, and your father, God rest his soul, wasn’t very good at managing money. Corin has sacrificed a lot to provide for us. We’ll have to make every day count while he and his wife are here. It’s a wonderful gift to have both of them with us.”

  Candace’s face warmed at the lady’s words. While she was enjoying her time with Daphne and Reuben, it was still uncomfortable to remember she was here as Corin’s wife. She could only hope that discomfort would ease as the weeks passed.

  “I’m glad you and my brother are here,” Reuben added. “I like you.”

  Turning her gaze to Reuben, she smiled and rubbed his back. “I like you, too. You’re a very pleasant gentleman to be around.”

  His smile widened then he looked at the keys in front of them. “Will you teach me how to play the song now?”

  With a nod, Candace gestured for Reuben to put his fingers on the keys. “We will start slowly.” Then she proceeded to guide his fingers along the keys.

  ***

  If Corin hadn’t heard the entire conversation for himself, he wouldn’t have believed it. His mother had paid him one of the highest compliments he’d ever heard anyone give to another person. All this time, he had assumed he hadn’t been doing things to her liking, that somehow, deep down, she had felt he wasn’t adequate as a person.

  But the truth was, she was proud of him, and he had to observe Candace to find that out. Now, as he stood just outside the drawing room doors listening in as Candace and Reuben played his favorite piece on the piano, his heart warmed at knowing his mother did think well of him after all.

  Reuben stumbled on one of the notes and paused in playing the piece.

  Candace patted his shoulder. “Remember what I said. You just keep on playing. Besides, you can’t
expect to get it right the first few times you play it, even if you are taking your time with it. The more you practice, the better you’ll get.”

  Corin had no idea his brother struggled so hard to impress him. He needed to tell Reuben how much he appreciated him, but he would have to do it when they were alone.

  “My lord,” the butler whispered, “may I do something for you?”

  With a jerk, Corin turned to the servant. He should’ve expected one of the servants to catch him snooping around sooner or later. Ignoring the heat in his face, Corin said, “No, I’m fine. I was getting ready to go in.”

  So as not to further arouse the butler’s suspicions, he hurried into the room.

  Candace and Reuben stopped playing, and Reuben hopped to his feet.

  “You don’t have to stop playing on my account,” Corin said.

  “Yes, we do.” Reuben went over to him, an excited smile on his face. “I’m working on a surprise for you. I don’t want you to know what it is until it’s ready.”

  Ruffling the lad’s hair, he said, “That’s very kind of you. I look forward to finding out what it is. In the meantime, would you like to go fishing?”

  “Can we do it before my lessons?”

  “Yes. We’ll go after we eat.”

  “Can we go right away after we eat, or do I have to wait for a while?”

  “We can go right away. All we do when we fish is sit. You won’t be pushing yourself too hard.”

  “It’s a perfect day for fishing,” his mother spoke up. “I think you two will have a splendid time.”

  “We will,” Corin replied. “I always enjoy getting a chance to spend time with Reuben. No one could ask for a better brother.”

  Reuben beamed at Corin’s words, and Corin was glad he had chosen to extend the compliment to him. He would have to find other ways to let the lad know how much he meant to him.

  “Is everyone ready to eat?” the butler asked.

  “I think so,” Corin’s mother said as she rose to her feet. “Candace, are you ready?”

  With a nod, Candace stood up and walked around the piano.

  Corin had gotten used to seeing Candace wearing one of his mother’s gowns, so he blinked in surprise when he saw her wearing a brand new one. He had forgotten that his mother was a skilled seamstress. In fact, before marrying his father, making clothes had been her profession. She had not been the daughter of a wealthy gentleman nor had her father possessed a title. She had been among the working class, but his father had fallen in love with her and married her anyway. Corin supposed that, for all his father’s faults, picking a good wife had not been one of them.

  But the observation did little to distract him from how lovely Candace looked in her new gown. As loathe as he was to admit it, Candace was a very attractive lady, and the gown only accentuated her breasts and hips. Corin didn’t make it a habit of noticing such things. His mind was often occupied with the pursuit of increasing the financial well being of his estate.

  With all the monies in the ledger accounted for, however, he was starting to find himself with nothing to do except notice small details like what a lady was wearing. And he definitely appreciated how Candace looked.

  “Corin?” his mother called out.

  Afraid his mother knew exactly what he was thinking, he quickly took his gaze off of Candace and looked at his mother. Putting on what he hoped was an innocent expression, he asked, “What do you need?”

  A knowing grin turned the corners of her lips up. “Why don’t you escort Candace to our morning meal?”

  Corin thought about protesting, but considering the kind words his mother had said about him, he figured he would do whatever she wished. “All right.” His attention went to Candace. “Do you mind if I escort you this time?”

  Candace didn’t seem all that enthusiastic about it, which he understood, but she let him take her by the arm. His mother took Reuben’s hand and left the room. Not knowing what to say, Corin opted to remain silent as he and Candace followed them.

  Up to now, Candace had been nice to his mother and Reuben. She had certainly been pleasant to them as he’d listened in on their conversation moments ago. However, a part of him still hesitated to accept the fact that he might have been wrong about her. He wasn’t sure why that should be the case.

  Maybe it was because he had been cautious all of his life. He never was the kind of gentleman who rushed into anything. He liked things that were predictable. Marrying her had not been predictable at all. Even so, he did like what he had learned about her over the past week. He supposed that was a promising start in following the advice the book had given him. He had to take things one step at a time. Just as he’d learned from picking a sound investment, there was value in patience. And as it just so happened, he was a very patient gentleman.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Keeping his promise, Corin took Reuben fishing when they were done eating, and it took less than thirty minutes for Reuben to catch a fish.

  “Well done,” Corin said as he helped Reuben take the fish off the hook. “This is bigger than the ones you caught the other day.”

  “It’s not as big as what you catch,” Reuben replied.

  Corin was surprised by his brother’s comment, but it only went to prove how hard he was trying to impress him. “Reuben, it’s not the size of the fish that matters. It’s the process of catching. You’re skilled with a fishing pole.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes. Reuben, why do you doubt yourself?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, it seems to me that no matter what you accomplish, you don’t think it’s good enough. Take this fish for example.” Corin held it up. “It’s a fine fish. This will be good for tonight’s meal. Why aren’t you happy with this?”

  After a moment, Reuben shrugged. “Because it’s not as good as the fish you would get. You do things better than I do. I want to be like you.”

  With a sigh, Corin set the fish down in the basket, settled onto the grass, and patted the spot next to him.

  Once Reuben was sitting, Corin put his arm around the lad’s shoulders. “I wish you wouldn’t try to be like me. I’m not as perfect as you seem to think I am.”

  “Yes, you are,” Reuben said. “You ride horses faster than anyone I’ve ever seen. You catch fish bigger than anyone else around here. You know so much about money that Mother is always talking about how intelligent you are. Mother says if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have a place to live right now. Everything you do turns out well. You never fail at anything.”

  As much as the words pleased him, Corin shook his head. “We all have things we’re good at. We also have things we’re not so good at. Reuben, you have some wonderful qualities that I lack.”

  Reuben’s eyebrows furrowed. “Like what?”

  “Like your ability to get along well with people. For instance, what do you think of my wife?”

  “She’s nice. I like her.”

  “And from what I’ve seen, she likes you, too. You just met her a week ago, and already, I can see that the two of you have formed a friendship.” A friendship that, even now, he didn’t have with her. “What made you trust her?”

  “I like the way she talks and acts. She has good manners.”

  “A lot of people have good manners when others are around, but that doesn’t mean they’re worthy of someone’s trust.”

  “I don’t know why I trust her. I just know she’s a good person.” He paused then added, “I think she’s been hurt in the past.”

  Eyes growing wide, Corin focused on what he was saying. “Has she said anything to you about being hurt?”

  “No. She doesn’t have to. I feel the sadness in her.”

  Was it possible that Reuben was right? Was Candace sad underneath it all? Was she hiding something painful?

  Now that he thought about it, his mother had warned him that he needed to be careful with Candace. Granted, his mother had been referring to the bedchamber
, which was why he had dismissed her words. Even so, she had been trying to warn him.

  His mother had said Candace’s first husband had been cruel to her. She’d said that Candace was afraid to be intimate with a gentleman and that Corin must be gentle with her when he finally consummated the marriage. If Candace’s first husband had hurt her, then it must have had something to do with their intimate life.

  If Candace had been telling his mother the truth, if she hadn’t been resorting to manipulation in order to gain his mother’s sympathies, then it stood to reason that she would never try to have her way with him in the den at Lord Edon’s ball. If that was the case, she really had slipped and touched his penis by accident.

  And, if that was true, then it meant the scandal really had been Stephen’s fault. Oh, Celia had had a part in it. Stephen never would have come up with the scandal on his own. He would have had other things he’d rather be doing. But given what Corin knew about Stephen, it was very possible that Stephen caught Candace by surprise and threw her at him.

  “Do you like Candace?” Reuben asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

  Corin turned his gaze back to his brother. “I’m not sure what to think of her. Unlike you, I don’t trust easily.”

  “Why is that?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve always been cautious around people I don’t know.”

  “You can trust Candace,” Reuben said. “I know it.”

  He studied his brother’s face, and it really did seem to him that Reuben did know it. It was something he was so convinced of that he would probably bet his life on it. “If you’re right, then you have a way of knowing things that no one can explain.”

  “Is that bad?”

  “No. It would be an admirable strength. And it’d be one that I don’t have.” He squeezed his brother’s shoulders affectionately. “Reuben, I want you to know that you’re an important part of my life. I know I don’t see you a lot. I spend way too much time in London. Somewhere along the way, I forgot what really mattered in this life. Money has its place, but I lost sight of my family. For that, I apologize.”