The Bride Who Got Lucky

by Janna MacGregor

  The dawn light seemed to fill his eyes with an energy that made them luminous. She stared, unable to say a word.

  “He confessed more, Emma.” Her name on his lips resonated like a vow. “His whole life was centered on my mother. When he lost her, it destroyed him.” He grimaced as he hesitated. Sadness crept into his handsome face, and her heart stuttered in protest. “He couldn’t love anyone else without her. He didn’t know how … which left me … alone.”

  She squeezed his hand in reassurance, hoping he’d feel the love she had for him. Hearing a parent say they didn’t have room in their heart for you would level her. But Nick didn’t falter, proving his own strength was astonishing.

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered thickly.

  In silence, he sat consumed by his thoughts. He shook his head as if awaking from a bad dream. “I realized all the while he was confessing his own emptiness and sorrow, that you were correct. I couldn’t love you the way you deserved unless I became whole myself. The wounds I carried inside never healed. I became an expert at ignoring the pain.”

  An unrestrained anguish ripped through her at the thought she’d caused him additional distress at her demands. “Nick—”

  “Shh, listen.” His fingers touched her lips. “I’m not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m changing. I’ve taken steps to do what’s right.” He took a deep breath before slowly releasing it. The lines around his eyes relaxed, and his unhappiness seemed to diminish. “I met Howell last night with a loan to repay Aulton. It makes little difference if Aulton survives or not. I don’t want some heir crawling through his rotten woodwork, waving the settlement agreements with some obscure contingency that demands Miss Howell’s hand in marriage or payment of the twenty thousand pounds. She’s free of him, Emma.”

  The shock of his statement caught her off guard, and she simply stared.

  “I’m not completely reformed.” A rakish smile tugged his lips. “Howell has to pay me back at a healthy rate of interest, and I’m holding his best racehorse as collateral.”

  Her pulse leapt wildly at the news. He’d done what she’d asked of him. He’d committed to her and believed in her. She hurtled herself into his arms, raised her lips to his, and sealed this moment between them forever. She loved him with a vibrancy that would never dim, and she had little doubt it would grow bolder and stronger each day they shared with each other.

  “You’re filling the empty spaces within my heart, Emma. Never doubt that.”

  The carriage came to a sudden halt. The movement caused her to pitch backward, but Nick held her tight in his embrace, not letting her fall. He swept her into his arms and deposited her in his lap. After a brief swipe of his lips against hers, he turned his attention to the carriage window.

  The dawn cast a pink glow that covered the empty field before them. A low patch of early morning fog still clung to the ground, refusing to release it. The cloudy wisps resembled lost souls created in the past during other desperate duels.

  A group of men nervously milled around a figure she immediately recognized as Jonathan by his halting gait. She reached for the door, but Nick grabbed her hand.

  “We stay inside. Sykeston knows you’re coming. Aulton doesn’t. It’s safer for you. No one needs to know you’re here. Do I have your agreement?” The silkiness in his voice didn’t hide the resolution in his request.

  With a nod, she trained her gaze on the men next to Jonathan. The remaining slips of fog were burning away. The sun would rise within minutes, and the day would begin with bloodstains painting the ground.

  “Isn’t it illegal to duel to the death?” She narrowed her eyes in a desperate attempt to recognize their faces. “Who are those men? Is that my father?”

  “Those men are the ones who care deeply that justice is attained for Lady Lena.” He drew near, his cheek touching hers as he pointed toward the men to the far west. “Next to Sykeston is William. He’s acting as the earl’s second. Next to him is McCalpin. Pembroke is talking with the Duke of Langham and the Duke of Renton. All three as members of the House of Lords will insure that Sykeston isn’t tried for his actions today.”

  Her body stiffened in shock. “Your father is here too?”

  He drew her closer. “They’re all here because Lena matters and you matter. You’re a fiercely determined woman who they admire and want to support.”

  “Did you do this—” Her voice broke when she understood all that her husband had accomplished last night.

  He nodded. “I spent last night meeting with your family and convinced them they had to be here today in a show of support for you.”

  All the men in her life stood together to defend Lena’s honor. Her husband had given her the proof that her pursuit to help Lena and other women was important. Proof that women like her were valued.

  Her heart swelled, stealing her breath. She tried to wrestle with the unruly beast, but it was pointless. She had no control over it anymore. She’d given it to Nick. “I love you,” she whispered.

  A tear streamed down her face. With the slightest touch, Nick kissed it away. “I’ll love you until the end of my days and beyond.”

  She closed her eyes in a desperate attempt to gain control over the trembling inside. He kissed her hand and then her wrist.

  There was more to say, but the battle between the two men had started. William met with Aulton’s second to inspect the pistols. With solemn respect between the parties, the seconds delivered the pistols to the duelists who stood back-to-back to each other. One of the other men presiding over the deadly drama waved a white silk tie, indicating it was time to start.

  Aulton and Jonathan started their death march until approximately forty feet separated them. Emma had counted twenty paces apiece.

  The two combatants turned and stared at each other. Each raised his weapon. The air thickened as if to slow their motions. Time stood still. Silence blanketed the area. The birds ceased their chatter, the wind quieted, and the only sound that broke the dead air was the simultaneous cock of the pistols.

  As if desperate to flee the upcoming massacre, a host of sparrows shot straight into the sky. A red silk cloth dropped to the ground. Two cracks from the respective pistols broke the stillness, the reverberations of the gunfire echoing through the field.

  She hadn’t realized it, but she’d grabbed Nick’s hand and squeezed, all the while watching this macabre ritual of honor play out. She clenched her eyes and prayed. Let it be over. Let Lena and Jonathan be free. If there truly was justice in the world, Aulton would be dead.

  She never saw herself as bloodthirsty, but today proved there were dark depths about her own soul she didn’t even recognize. She accepted them as if an old friend had visited. She may go to hell, but she wanted Aulton dead.

  She opened her eyes. One of the surgeons ran from the side to attend Aulton, who’d fallen to the ground. Jonathan stood tall without a mark on him. She battled the urge to recoil from the horrific scene on the field.

  Aulton’s surgeon shook his head as he examined the body that lay on the ground. As a modicum of respect, he placed Aulton’s greatcoat over his body.

  All her grief and sorrow escaped with a shuddering breath, closing her throat and robbing her of speech. Emma closed her eyes and fell against Nick. He cradled her in his arms and rocked. He whispered words of comfort, but she couldn’t concentrate on anything as she wept for her friend and the horror she witnessed today.

  It was finished. Lena was truly free now.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  In the hurried minutes after Aulton’s death, Nick helped Emma out of the carriage. Her father and the Duke of Renton had come to inquire after her.

  “Puss, it’s over,” her father whispered as he bent to kiss her cheek. “I want you to meet—”

  “My father,” Nick offered. “The Duke of Renton.”

  The duke took her hand and raised it to his lips, and she was struck by how much her husband favored his father.

  Dist
raught, she couldn’t answer as a numbness infused her body. Nick stood close with his arms wrapped around her waist as if he’d not let her go. Never had she been more thankful for the intensity of his support as she had in the aftermath of the duel. The heaviness in her limbs and the ache in her chest made it impossible to think of anything else.

  She’d expected an onslaught of remorse would weaken her, and the view of Aulton’s lifeless body on the field might destroy her. Remarkably, the satisfaction of his ultimate punishment created a slow catharsis. After all the months, it was finally over.

  Jonathan waited until Aulton’s body was removed before he carefully made his way over to her. He bent low to her ear. “Thank you, Emma. Because of you, I have my satisfaction.” He stood back, and his brown eyes gleamed. “Mary Butler and her mother are at my home in Portsmouth.”

  All she could do was nod.

  William, who stood by her side, brought her into his embrace. “Em, it’s a good day for all of us. Because of you, I have my friend back.”

  Her reckless tears returned with such force she had trouble seeing. William kissed her cheek, then immediately returned her to Nick, who encircled her with the steel bands of his arms. Once again, the turbulence in her world calmed.

  McCalpin pressed a kiss to her cheek, and for a brief moment, she left the safety of Nick’s arms for a hug. He pulled her tight. “I’d do anything for you, Em.”

  Her brother released her and turned his attention to Jonathan and Will. While they conversed, Alex took her hand and squeezed. “Emma, we love you,” he whispered.

  She looked into his gray eyes, the ones that reminded her of a spring storm, and squeezed his hand in answer. She loved them all, the wonderful men in her life.

  Finally, after what had seemed like hours, she and Nick left the bloody field for home. Numb, she sat on Nick’s lap as he cradled her in his arms and murmured soothing words until they arrived home. When the coach stopped, he swept her into his arms and carried her up to his room. After a click of the lock, he gently deposited her on his bed.

  His attention never left hers as he undressed her, then he followed suit and closed the curtains around the massive bedframe. He joined her in bed and pulled her tight against him. There was no greater shelter from the horror of the day than his body wrapped around hers. Desperate, she took full advantage of his strength. As she cried for all she’d lost, the full extent of her stubbornly held sorrow became a flood she couldn’t control. Nor did she want to.

  In his infinite love and grace, Nick gave her refuge, and she let her grief go as he rocked her in his arms. There were no words, but her heart knew he had done it all for her. With one last shuddering sob, she finally released a last good bye to Lena.

  Captive in his arms, she found the peace to heal and drifted off into a slumber she didn’t even know she needed.

  * * *

  Emma opened her eyes and found Nick studying her with such tenderness it stole her breath.

  “How are you?” His fingers brushed away a curl that had fallen in her eyes.

  “Exhausted, but happy.” Without a hint as to what she should say or do, she simply stared at him. In that singular moment, she understood with an abrupt clarity everything required of her. “Nick, I never—”

  “Let me.” He pressed his finger to her lips. “There’s so much I have to say.”

  His teeth grazed her lower lip, seeking her touch, showing her a vulnerability she’d rarely seen in him before.

  “Yesterday started out to be the worst day of my life. I thought I’d lost you because I couldn’t see what I was doing to myself. My selfish need to prove that I was better than my father and Howell almost cost me everything—you.”

  With his words, a new fervor hit her full force. She loved him with everything she possessed.

  “I couldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t let you go so easily.” The honesty in his eyes opened a place deep inside her heart. “Em, I said I loved you yesterday,” he whispered. “But I truly didn’t understand what it meant until you left the bank. I sat stunned with no thought as to how I could win you back. Before, I thought if I protected my heart, I’d be happy. But you showed me what an empty life that was. I didn’t want to be the person who experienced love only on my terms. I realized I’d miss all the glorious wonders it offered. You made me understand that if I wanted to be a man who could love, I had to learn that in turn, I deserved love.”

  He stole a kiss in that moment. It was a fleeting touch, but one filled with such heartfelt emotion, she took an involuntary gasp.

  “In matters of the heart, I’ve learned there are no rules. You have to trust your instincts and be prepared for the fall.” His hand cupped her cheek. “I’m finally ready.”

  Once again, her incredible husband surprised her.

  “I’m finally ready to give you everything—all my faults, weaknesses, wealth, my body, and my heart. Because then you have everything that I am. Do with it what you will, but all of it is yours.” He took a deep breath and smiled. “You made me understand what it is that makes a life worthwhile. Give me a chance, and I’ll make our life worthwhile together.”

  “I love you,” she whispered. He stroked her face with his fingers, and his gaze softened like a caress. “When I believed all was lost, you proved differently. You’ve taught me that marriage to you is the greatest gift I’ve ever received.” She swallowed the tears and took a deep breath for fortitude. “You’ve given me everything I ever desired in life—a man who saw the true me and still loved me for it. I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

  He eased closer and gathered her in his arms. His mouth took hers in a kiss of devotion and intimacy that allowed their hearts to meld together, each strengthening the other.

  They’d experienced passion and romance together. But, now, with each heart bared to the other, the promise of a life filled with love and joy was before them.

  Any lingering shadows that surrounded them would be swept away forever in the light of their love. She was determined to make him happy and give him the life he deserved.

  “Love me,” Emma whispered.

  Nick covered her, the warmth of his body more comforting than she’d remembered.

  “Always,” he answered.

  He trailed his hands in a gentle path from her hip to her breast. The touch ignited a searing path of yearning in its wake.

  “Nick,” she murmured.

  “Hmm?” He sucked her nipple into his mouth.

  She arched into his touch, desperate to have more of him. “I never answered your question yesterday.”

  His tongue circled the taut tip, and she whimpered. With his hard body keeping her anchored, he drew back and regarded her.

  “Yesterday, you asked how I slept the night before.” She pressed a kiss to his chin and whispered, “I don’t like sleeping alone either.”

  His eyes glimmered with such brilliance that it reminded her of the ocean beset by sunlight. “As your husband, I can promise you that’ll never happen again,” he whispered as he kissed the side of her mouth.

  “Never?”

  “Ever,” he whispered. “I need your brightness beside me. My life before you was a solitary existence. I was a nomad trying to find a place to belong. Then you appeared. A brilliant star in the night sky. I followed your path and you brought me home.”

  Epilogue

  Three months later

  Langham Park

  The snow that now blanketed the ground had made a surprise appearance last night. A welcomed guest, the frost’s influence could be felt as far as the eye could see. It magnified the peaceful quiet of the park while the brilliant white created a canvas too beautiful to disturb. Even the squirrels had surrendered their ritual scampering dances to protect the serenity of the landscape.

  Emma studied the letter from Miss March Lawson in hopes she’d misread what her friend had related. The words stung like a kiss from the winter wind. She glanced about the park trying to make sense of how such
a thing could have happened.

  The scrunch of footsteps meeting the fresh layer of snow drew her attention to the pathway. Her husband’s long stride cut the distance between them. She tilted her lips at the sight. With his gray greatcoat and tall black beaver hat, his fine figure commanded her attention. She’d never tire of the sight.

  “Lady Somerton, imagine finding you here at our special bench?” He took his hat and hit it against his thigh to remove the thin layer of flakes that had fallen on the fur when he passed under an overhanging tree branch. He dipped close and pressed his lips to hers. “Hmm, fresh-air kisses taste the best.”

  Though the air was cold, it wasn’t uncomfortable, but the heat from his body permeated her black velvet cloak.

  “Come sit for a moment and take in the beauty.” She patted the seat.

  Nick slid beside her and pulled her close.

  “What?” The intense look on his face was somewhat disconcerting. “Do I have jam on my chin?”

  With his gaze never leaving hers, he shook his head. “I’m taking in the beauty.” He leaned close and stole another kiss. “The beauty of my wife.”

  “Stop.” Her cheeks heated with his words. “You’re going to start something, and we need to go in soon.”

  He caressed the back of her neck. Before his lips touched hers again, he whispered, “Then let’s go inside.”

  His sinfully rich voice could make bees leave their hives on a day like today. She certainly didn’t have any greater willpower against his allure.

  “I received a letter from March. I’d asked her to help me in the management of the bank, but she declined.” Emma clutched the letter tight. She couldn’t believe what she’d read. “What’s your opinion of fratricide?”

  Nick laughed and pulled her close. “What’s William done this time?”

  She shook her head. “Amazingly, it’s McCalpin. March informs me she can’t help with the bank. She must work on her brother’s estate, at least until the sheep are sheared. Do you know why?”