by Jane Charles
What were they about?
Clay turned to her. Her heart began to pound. Suspicion tickled at the back of her mind but Elle was too afraid to give it full thought for fear of disappointment.
He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. “Eleanor Westin,” he began. “You have stolen my heart. I didn’t think it was possible to love anyone.”
Matthew, the third brother, snorted. He was also the vicar. Were vicars supposed to snort?
“It would do me a great honor if you would consent to become my wife.”
Her bothers gasped. Leigh giggled.
Had she heard him correctly? “I beg your pardon?”
“He botched it,” John called.
“We should leave them alone. This is a private matter and I am sure Clayton doesn’t wish all of us looking on,” John’s wife chastised.
“Because everyone minds their own business in your family,” John shot back.
Elizabeth colored then bit her lip.
“Shush you two,” the vicar chastised and lounged back in a chair and watched Elle and Clay.
“I said, I love you and wish to marry you,” Clay repeated.
Tears stung her eyes. She heard him and understood him, but couldn’t comprehend. He wanted to marry her? Loved her? It wasn’t possible. “Why?”
He flung his head back and groaned. Then took a deep breath and spoke. “I don’t know. I just do. I need you in my life and if I have to repeat this again in front of my brothers I will be most put out with you.”
“You never even indicated this is what you wanted.”
His face colored. There had been plenty of opportunities but not once had he mentioned marriage or love.
“I wanted to wait until I had you here.”
“Why?”
He leaned in toward her and spoke low. “I was afraid you would say no. I also hoped you would not reject me in front of witnesses.”
The giggle bubbled up.
“Don’t laugh,” he said under his breath.
“How can I not, you fool.”
His eyes widened and they bore into hers.
“How can you imagine I would tell you no? I never dreamed you would ask. In my secret heart I hoped, yes, but I didn’t dwell on it.”
He relaxed and a smile began to form on his lips. “You care for me then?”
Tears escaped from her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. “Care for you? I love you.”
Clay didn’t give her a chance to say another word but grasped her to him, taking her lips with his, ignoring everyone else in the room. Just as he started to deepen the kiss, Clay was yanked away from her and Lady Acker took her arm and led her toward the door.
“Where are we going?” All of the females surrounded her.
“To get you ready for your wedding, of course.”
“Today? Now?”
“Yes,” Clay called back as Jordan pressed a glass into his hand. “I have a Special License and my brother is a vicar. I am not about to give you a chance to change your mind.”
Lady Acker pulled her from the room, but Elle called over her shoulder. “Wait. I haven’t reached my majority.” She pushed her way back into the room. “What if grandfather finds out, or denies the marriage?”
“Then I will threaten him.” A grim smile came to Clay’s face. “Your grandfather enjoys his position in society. He will not want anyone to know that he gave his granddaughter to the likes of Wilkes.”
A chill ran down her spine at the thought of the man.
“He tried to marry her off to Wilkes?” Jordan asked with disbelief. “Is Stanhope mad?”
“Grandfather did seem to know how he was.”
“Every gentleman in society knows how he and his friends are, which is why they only have each other as friends and nobody worth their salt would allow a marriage, let alone a courtship with the man,” Clay confirmed.
“I never heard anything about him while I was in London.”
Clay shook his head. “There are certain things that will never be discussed amongst the ladies. That is one of them.”
“Elle,” Drake said. “Clay will take care of your grandfather if necessary. Go get ready for your wedding.”
Her eyes met those of her dearest friend. He would not be here, agreeing to this, if he didn’t think it was right. “I think I will.”
*
She did say yes. Elle was going to be his wife.
Jordan clapped him on the shoulder and drew him to the sideboard where John and Matt waited. Their glasses were refilled and the brothers watched him, almost with speculation. John grinned first. “I never thought I would see the day.”
“Nor I.” Matt shook his head, perhaps still not believing what he was seeing.
“I’m still waiting to see if this is some kind of madness,” Jordan added.
“It is not.”
“What of lust and love and father’s rules?” Jordan questioned.
“You can have them in a marriage?”
“You aren’t married yet,” Matt warned. Of all his brothers, Matt would be the most disbelieving. He was taught piousness at his father’s knee. It would take the right woman for his brother to break the chains that held him in such a tight hold of what was right and wrong. Except, they were father’s right and wrong and not from Biblical teachings. Did Matt even recognize the difference?
“I plan on having both, without the marriage.” Jordan grinned shamelessly.
Clay chuckled. The ladies loved his brother, regardless of their age. One day Jordan would fall and it would be hard. Clay wanted to be around when it happened.
He glanced back across the room. Tobias, Ethan, Benjamin and Jamie set side by side on the settee. Stair steps, though not in as close to age as he and his brothers. Clay remembered being the age of Tobias, the oldest brother, protective of the others. He could only pray he was a better father figure than his own father had been.
His throat tightened. What if he made the same mistakes? What if he made their life miserable? What if he ruined the lives of his own children, if he and Elle were blessed with any? A cold sweat broke out on his brow. He wasn’t ready for this. What was he doing?
John put his arm around Clay’s shoulder and pulled him away from the group. “I know that look.”
“What?” Clay pulled at his constricting cravat.
“Fear.” John laughed. “I am sure I looked the same.”
“She deserves much better.”
“I am sure she does,” John agreed. “As does Elizabeth. But, we are the gentlemen they want so what are we to do?”
He was right. Elle loved him and wanted him. With her he was a better man.
Clay glanced at the clock on the wall. How long would they be?
Giggling could be heard from the stairs. Leigh and Madeline walked into the room, silly grins on their face. Next came Lady Acker. She paused and looked around. “Drake, Eleanor waits for your escort.” Acker left the room.
“Vicar Trent.” She nodded toward Matt. “Please take your place. Bentley, you too.”
Matt picked up his Prayer Book and stood in front of the empty fireplace with Clay to his left. Which brother should stand as his witness? He did not want to choose one over the other. He refused to do so.
John pushed Jordan forward. “I’ve done this and I think you could use some experience standing at the altar, so to speak.”
Jordan glared back but took his place beside Clay.
Lady Acker stood to Matt’s right and would serve as Eleanor’s witness.
Clay turned toward the door and waited. When Elle entered on Acker’s arm the breath left his body. In a matter of moments her hair had been arranged so that ringlets fell about her shoulders. She wore a pale yellow ball gown, the one she had been wearing when he first noticed her. The fine silk hugged her breasts and fell to the ground, masking the curves he knew so well. Soon, very soon, she would be his.
Chapter 29
Certainly it was time for the children to
go to bed. The sun had set and Clay was anxious to retire. He and Elle had been married four hours already. They said their vows, enjoyed a celebration dinner and then she set about getting her family settled. This was not how he anticipated his wedding night. He wanted to retire an hour ago, but the boys wondered why he wanted to sleep so early.
Elle met his eyes and lifted an eyebrow in question. Minx. She knew he couldn’t tell them the truth. Nor would he embarrass her by dragging her away in front of his family, though he visualized tossing her over his shoulder and disappearing at least a dozen times in the last hour.
He glanced over at the children playing on the lawn. Jamie yawned. Thank goodness. Soon they would all be put to bed. Elle must have been of the same mind because soon she started gathering the children together. “We’ve all had a long day. Upstairs with the lot of you.”
It would still be another hour before she was his. Clay poured another drink. It was going to be bloodiest long hour of his life.
“I have news,” John said quietly.
Clay glanced around. They were alone. “Go on.”
“Adele is no longer in Paris, or France, and neither is Julia.”
“Where are they?”
“Possibly England, or Scotland.”
Clay’s eyes bore into John’s. “They can’t come home.”
“I know. I am still looking.”
Clay gave a quick nod as Eleanor appeared at the door. Her eyes sought his. She didn’t enter the room, but winked and left again. He set his glass down. Tonight he would forget about Adele, Julia and everything in his past. Instead, he would focus on his future, and the person who figured most prominently was calling him to bed.
More titles from Jane Charles
A Gentleman’s Guide to Once Upon a Time Series
His Impetuous Debutante
His Contrary Bride
His (Not so) Sensible Miss
The Wiggons’ School for Elegant Young Ladies Series
To Walk in the Sun
To Love a Governess Series
Sacked – Regency Short
Handfasted – Regency Novella
Ruined – Regency Short
The Betting Season – an Anthology
Landing a Laird
Coming Soon – A Season to Remember – an Anthology
Devil in Her Dreams
About Jane
Jane Charles has lived in the Midwest her entire life. As a child she would more likely be found outside with a baseball than a book in her hand. In fact, Jane hated reading until she was sixteen. Out of boredom on a long road trip she borrowed her older sister’s historical romance and fell in love with reading. She long ago lost count of how many fiction novels she has read over the years and her love for them never died. Along with romance she has a passion for history and the two soon combined when she penned her first historical romance. What turned into a hobby became a passion, which has been fully supported by her husband, three children and three cats.
Jane can be contacted at: [email protected]
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