Emily hesitated. “I-I’m not certain that I should be! I care for Gav—I mean, the earl. But being a countess terrifies me.” Emily suddenly dropped to her knees next to the Squire. “Grandpapa, I don’t know at all what will be expected of me—”
Morrow squinted at her from beneath bristling silver brows, eyes the same color as his deceased daughter’s and his young granddaughter’s crystal orbs. Emily’s eyes had no sparkle in them. Instead, they appeared clouded by anxiety and trepidation.
“Child, is that what’s worrying you?”
“Yes. I s’pose it is.”
“Then don’t fash yourself, gel.”
The old man’s raspy voice sounded kind and consoling—nothing like the time she first met him.
Morrow went on. “Listen closely to what I tell you, eh what?”
Emily nodded, watching her grandfather’s face.
“Did you know your mother, Grace, was raised to be a fine lady? Your grandmother, Mary, was born into an aristocratic family, and she wanted her daughter to grow up that way, too. Grace…well, she married a man more to her liking. But by all that is holy, you, my dear, are a lady. I won’t allow you to think otherwise. Never believe you are not good enough to be Leathem’s countess. Or his wife. You are, because he believes that you are, or he wouldn’t offer to make you one!”
Emily sighed audibly. “But I was his ward’s governess…and…”
“So what?”
“Well…I…” She dodged meeting her grandfather’s eyes, then hesitated and said, “But I should like to know something else, Grandfather.” Her blue eyes held his. “I heard you disowned my mother. Did you? And if so, why? Was it because she loved my father? Or was it simply because he had no title and was a lowly born cooper?”
The old squire sat back farther in the chair. He drew a deep breath into his lungs before replying to Emily’s question. “I loved your mother, child. And yes, much of it was because I didn’t think your father was good enough for my Gracie. I wanted her to marry up, not down. I wanted her to marry a gentleman, a peer, not a common tradesman.”
The Squire seemed to pull himself together. “Your mother broke my heart when she ran off with John Dancy. I didn’t…couldn’t…forgive her because of my own reasons. It almost killed my Mary when I sent Grace away. Even after I realized the pair were in deeply love and bound together. Years later, I thought about what happened and what I’d done. I never should have done it. I made a terrible mistake. By then it was too late to forgive and forget. I suffered every day since.”
Henry’s rheumy, blue eyes peered deep into Emily’s as if pleading for understanding. “Your grandmamma never forgave me. She pined away for our only child…until I lost her, too.” The old man’s eyes had flooded with tears, light from the hearth glistening inside them beneath his thick, gray eyebrows.
He is sorry for what he did, and I’m glad I can forgive him.
“Of times I watched my mother with tears in her eyes, Grandpapa, when she gazed into the far distance. I think she was sorry, too, because of the misunderstandings between you. Not because she didn’t love my father, because I know she did. And I know she loved you and Grandmamma as well. I believe she knew she had hurt you both by running away."
“So much of that was my fault, child,” Squire Morrow continued sadly. “I was hidebound and damned stubborn, so full of my own consequence that I wanted my Gracie to wed someone higher with status. Not John Dancy. I wanted her married to someone like Leathem.”
“But my parents loved one another, Grandpapa, and they were happy, I know that, even though they argued. But they always made up the next morning.” Emily finished her words with a sad smile.
“Well, my dear, I’ve said my piece. And I believe the earl has more to say to you. Just remember that I want you to be happy and safely settled. Then I’ll be content. If this is not the kind of life you want or the person you don’t wish to marry, you must tell me now. But I strongly suggest that you pay close attention to what Leathem has to say. He seems rather fond of you.”
“Grandpapa, whatever the earl told you…I don’t want him forced to marry me.”
“Forced to marry you? I think not! He never mentioned any such thing. He offered you a rather odd marriage proposal, but I believe he truly wants you as his countess. Leathem is a noble gentleman, my dear. Because of it, he will keep his part of the bargain whatever it is.”
“That’s what he told you?”
“Not exactly.”
Just then, Gavin tapped on the parlor’s door, wedging it open a tiny bit.
“Squire Morrow, I believe it is my turn. I wish a few minutes alone with your granddaughter.”
“I was about to leave, Leathem.” The Squire turned to Emily. “Here now, give your old Grandpapa a helping hand up, gel.”
Emily assisted Morrow up as he grabbed for his cane and struggled to stand up.
“Will someone show me to my room, Leathem? My old bones need to rest for an hour or so. By the way, when is supper served?”
“Seven o’clock, Squire,” Gavin responded with a grin.
“Well, then, I shall see you both later, eh?” He cackled under his breath as he hobbled across the carpet toward the hallway door. “And, Leathem,” Morrow said over his shoulder, “you had best explain yourself to my granddaughter. I haven’t yet granted you my full approval."
Gavin watched as a footman assisted Morrow up the central stairs to his bedchamber.
The earl then shut the door to the parlor and flipped the key in the lock and turned to face Emily.
*
Emily remained standing in front of the hearth after her grandfather left and faced Leathem across the width of the parlor. He stood with his back against the thick, oaken door.
“I have more to say to you, Emily—”
She raised a hand to interrupt him. “And I want to know what you told the Squire about us.” Her tone was sharp-edged, sounding to her own ears.
Gavin drew in a slow breath, a minor frown wrinkling his brow.
“What about us?”
Emily ducked her chin and stared at her hands clasped in front of her. “Don’t tell me you don’t know what I mean, Leathem. When you…when we…made love in the glade yesterday.”
“Why would I tell your grandfather that?” he drawled, a mischievous tone lurking in his words.
Emily’s chin snapped upward this time to meet the earl’s worldly glance straight on. “Answer me this, Leathem. I believe y-you made love to me in the Blue Boar, too.” She shook her head as if dismissing any forgotten images from her mind. “And you kissed me more than once on the Duke of Carlisle’s balcony.”
“At the Duke’s party I only began to think about making love to you,” he explained. His lips quirked up one corner of his mouth.
“Ohhh…you—”
“Forget about those maidenly histrionics, my dear. What you say is quite true. But, as I recall, you never protested. As a matter of fact, I believe you liked what I did. If not, you must tell me. Are you quite unhappy that I made love to you?”
She wasn’t going to answer that. Instead, she said, “All right, Leathem. But Wilma told me—”
“Heavens! I would like very much to hear what Lady Porter told you.”
Emily huffed in a short breath. “Well, if you must know, Wilma said older men like you—those who marry young and are unhappy because of it—usually don’t marry again unless they need—”
Wiping a half smile off his lips, Gavin interrupted her. “Need what? What else did Wilma say, Emily, about older men like me?”
“Wilma said you probably offered me a bargain marriage because…” Emily swallowed hard. “Oh, never mind. I would rather not say anything more.”
Gavin approached Emily like a panther stalking his prey, halting less than a foot away from her. Faltering, she took one step back, her light blue eyes looking wary. Then she realized she was too close to the hearth. The low fla
mes warmed her backside, but she couldn’t move forward because Leathem stood too close, his dark eyes staring down at her.
“Does Lady Porter like what Harry does to her? Like the things I did to you yesterday?”
Gavin reached out and ran a caressing fingertip across Emily’s cheek, sliding it lower and along her bottom lip. He pressed down until her mouth fell open. Before Emily could say anything, he dipped his head and covered his open mouth with hers. His tongue plunged behind her teeth. Emily didn’t stop him; she never had willpower enough to stop him. She surrendered silently to his ardent kisses and caresses when one of his big hands slid high along her torso and captured a breast. A knowing thumb rubbed across a nipple already anticipating his touch.
“How about this?” Gavin whispered. He nipped at an earlobe and pushed his wet tongue inside her ear. “Did she tell you about that? Does it give you the shivers when I do that?”
He was right. She shivered. Sensation rolled through her. She couldn’t breathe normally. When Gavin lightly pinched an aroused nipple between his thumb and index finger, she gave an audible gasp. “Ohh, God, Gavin…please—”
“Darling girl, don’t worry. I know exactly what you need,” he chided, a worldly smile stretching his lips as he peered into her crystal gaze. “I knew what you wanted yesterday. It took you a while to make up your mind, didn’t it? But you are going to marry me, sweeting. You can’t deny me any longer. You’re mine. I made certain of that.”
Dark eyes glowed fiercely behind the thick, ebony lashes. “I’ll tell you…just listen, sweetheart, hmm?” He kissed the tip of her nose and moved away a little. He gave her a boyish grin.
Emily’s poor heart thumped hard beneath her ribs; she had no idea what he planned to say.
“I want us to be together, Emily. Every single day.” He paused. “And especially, every night. So you must agree with me now, Emmie, because I can’t let you go after we made love.”
Hearing him using her friend’s childhood nickname and what he was hinting at, a new hope made a wide path to her heart.
“Say you will be my countess. Better yet, say you’ll be my wife. I don’t want our marriage to be ‘convenient’,” he went on. “I’m here to love you whenever you want me to—morning, noon, or night—as long as I have the stamina to make you happy.” He chuckled wickedly. “In our bed…on a picnic blanket or anyplace else you name.” He winked at her. “Do you know what I’m saying, dear heart?” He bent and nuzzled his nose in her hair.
She barely nodded, captured by his hypnotizing words.
“I promise I’ll make you happy. And I shall be eternally grateful if you consent to be my wife, and my countess. It doesn’t matter if we are here at Four Towers or Fielding House, I want you with me, at my side, in my bed…each and every night.”
He waited for her response. When she said nothing, he said, “Must I seduce you again? Or do you believe what I’m saying is sincere?”
Emily grabbed a handful of his ebony curls and yanked Gavin’s head down to hers to devour his mouth. Pulling in a breath, she cupped Gavin’s smooth cheek with disarming tenderness. Her eyes shone with a light so warm that they glowed like a beacon. “When Lili decided not to come out,” she murmured, “I was sure you would withdraw your offer. In Surrey I only agreed to help you launch her debut, and then…”
Gavin took Emily’s chin in strong fingers and smiled down at her. “My darling girl, I thought at first we would only need agree to a business agreement.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead, adding tiny kisses that closed her eyelids. “Desire, my love, the powerful kind I haven’t felt for years, soon devastated me. I had to make you mine, because all at once it made sense. Can you believe that? I never thought I needed someone…someone to love…and someone who’d love me back. When I realized it was you I needed, I had to do something about it.”
Oh, God! He does love me!
“Love was an illusion that I never believed in. An unrealistic fantasy. I was a damned fool for twenty years until you came into my life and changed it, making it better without even trying. No woman ever did that, so I think I fell in love with you on the day you walked into Fielding House for an interview. I didn’t know it then, but I fought my feelings even after I offered you a marriage bargain at the duke’s house party. Not until your damned uncle pressed a knife against your neck did I realize how much I needed you in my life. At that moment, if he had hurt you, I would have killed Dancy with my bare hands.”
Emily’s blue eyes filled with tears as she clung tightly to Leathem. “Gavin, even I didn’t know how much I loved you. Not even that day in Mr. Grafton’s office,” she whispered against his cheek.
It was all the invitation he needed. Gavin kissed Emily’s trembling lips again and held her even tighter, the lush weight of her breasts pressed against him. Desire whipped through him, undercutting his self-control. He drove his tongue deep into her waiting mouth, again and again, her essence a soothing balm after suffering twenty years of unrealized loneliness.
“God, sweetheart…” Gavin groaned. “I love you so much.”
Then, without thinking, he went down on one knee and captured one of her hands. “That marriage bargain…you know I proposed it for all the wrong reasons. And I never properly asked you to marry me. But I am doing so now. “Emily Dancy, will you do me the great honor of consenting to be my wife? To love and cherish you for the rest of our days together. And while you are at it, dear heart, I know you will make me the happiest man on God’s green earth if you say yes now!”
Emily sniffled, watery tears filling her eyes.
Gavin jumped to his feet. “Blast it, Emmie, don’t cry. No tears. Just say yes.”
Seconds later, Emily threw herself again into his arms. “I was never a watering pot, truly, but—”
“Just tell me yes, Emmie! Marriage bargain or not, you must know I love you! How could I not love you, my sweetheart?"
“Oohh, Gavin! Yes! Yes!” She gulped the words out, feeling happy tears making wet paths down her cheeks. “I love you, too, so very much. My hero. My wonderful, handsome, white knight!”
“Thank God for that,” Leathem whispered, kissing her again quickly. “You’re mine!”
“But—”
“But what? You can’t change your mind now.”
“I won’t. I simply needed to know you felt the same way I do, Gavin. But I may need some help.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know how to be your wife. But I need you to teach me how to be your countess.”
Gavin emitted a long, deep breath, tightening his hold on his betrothed. “Not to worry, sweeting. You are going to bedazzle London’s Polite Society with your beauty and your charm and your courage and genuine pluck will do the rest.”
“Then, my lord, I’ll be your wife first…then a bit later as your countess!”
Epilogue
“Oh, Harry, I crossed my fingers hoping everything would come about, and now it has! I’m thrilled and so happy!” Normally, Wilma should be jumping up and down like a giddy schoolgirl, but she suppressed her girlish enthusiasm knowing she was increasing. However, she could still squeal with childish joy, the air in the Mayfair town house filling with her exuberance.
When she finally calmed down, Wilma asked, “Harry, do read me Leathem’s letter again!”
“Of course, m’dear. Let’s see…hmm…the earl writes-
The Hon. Viscount Porter, Lord Harry Porter & Lady Wilma Porter
Should you find yourselves stunned, the following announcement will notify you that Miss Emily Dancy has made me the happiest of men by agreeing to be my countess. It is therefore my earnest desire that you, Lord Harry and Lady Wilma, shall accept my rather sudden invitation to act as witnesses at our nuptials four days hence at Four Towers in Wrotham, Kent.
Harry guffawed and winked at Wilma before continuing. “Leathem’s a few years older than I, but listen to what else the old boy wrote.”
Awaiting your favorable reply, I look forward to your gracious and speedy acceptance as witnesses at our nuptials.
Yours,
Gavin Fielding
Earl Leathem
Four Towers, Kent
“How wonderful now that my dearest friend will to be a countess. How grand! How spectacular! Oh, Harry, we must start out to Kent as soon as possible. Emily may need help with…oh, I don’t know what she may need, but I want to be there with her. Cancel any and all of our current commitments, dear. And do hurry to write a reply to Leathem with our acceptance. Tell him we shall be there with bells on! Oh gracious! I wouldn’t miss this for the world!”
* * * *
Emily had written to Lilianne a day after the wedding, explaining what occurred when she and the earl left Oxfordshire. Gavin also wrote his aunt, expressing disappointment that Lydia and Lilianne couldn’t attend the ceremony since it took place almost on the spur of the moment. Lady Parcells wrote back, adding her good wishes as she hobbled about in Oxfordshire, grumbling although she had use of a cane by now. Lydia never once mentioned a trip to London next spring or Lilianne’s debut in the several letters that passed between Oxfordshire and Kent over the intervening months.
After the nuptials, the earl and countess wished a speedy farewell to Wilma and Harry Porter when the pair left the Four Towers.
“I hope my dear Harry won’t suffer an apoplexy,” Wilma said to Emily, chuckling.
Less than three month’s along, Wilma’s pregnancy was scarcely noticeable. "Both of Harry’s sisters had an easy time birthing their babes, but…” Wilma winked at her childhood friend. “I suppose it is different when it is your heir is waiting to be born.”
They had watched Lord Harry experiencing anxiety attacks each time his wife made strange noises as he jumped to her side to make sure all was well.
Emily smiled. “Your husband is a dear man, Wilma. You are lucky to have him.”
The Marriage Bargain Page 34