Ruined by the Earl (Marriage by Deceit Book 3)

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  She scowled at him. He knew she meant to dissuade him. Other gentlemen, like Lord Waxman, would have been dissuaded. They might have even been dismayed by her lack of enthusiasm for the marriage.

  But not him. He found her all the more exciting for it. A lady who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind was exactly the kind he had hoped to end up with one day.

  “You are no spineless chit,” he told her, keeping his voice low enough so others wouldn’t hear. Then since she stuck her chin out and narrowed her eyes in what could only be construed as a challenge, he added, “I happen to love that about you.”

  Disappointment crossed her face.

  “Sorry, my dear, but I’m not anything like Lord Waxman. If you are a flower, as he put it, you must learn to think for yourself in order to bloom.”

  “Are you done upsetting my sister yet?” Malcolm asked, stepping between them.

  Logan knew her brother hoped he’d back away, and on another day, he might have. But he wasn’t inclined to give in to her brother’s whims today. He’d gone through with the duel, and that was enough. It was Melissa who stepped back, giving Malcolm more room to assert himself.

  “Your sister and I were enjoying ourselves,” Logan said.

  “Liar,” she replied.

  Logan noted the spark of defiance in her eyes and thought her quite charming. What a bed partner she’d make!

  “I don’t like the look on your face,” Malcolm said with that all-too-familiar frown of his.

  “What look?” Logan asked.

  “The look of a predator,” Malcolm replied.

  “I didn’t realize there was such a look.”

  “You know very well there is.” He glanced around to make sure no one was listening to them. “We’re both gentlemen. You think I don’t know what’s going through your mind?”

  “Well, I’m certainly not thinking of challenging you to a duel.”

  At this, Melissa gasped. “You will do no such thing,” she told Logan. “Ever. He’s my brother. I’d rather slit my own wrist than go through the rest of my life without him.”

  “I know,” Logan replied, his voice soft. “Which is why I’d never do anything to harm him.” He turned his gaze back to her brother. “I understand how important family is.”

  Melissa relaxed, but Logan could tell Malcolm wasn’t satisfied. There would probably be no pleasing her brother. So why try?

  “I don’t know about anyone else,” Logan began, patting his stomach, “but I’m famished. I barely made it through the ceremony. Come along, my sweet angel.”

  He extended his arm in Melissa’s direction, but she crossed her arms. “I’d rather be shoved off a running horse.”

  “She’s made her choice,” Malcolm muttered and pushed him away. “I’ll escort her.”

  There was a cry of alarm from Melissa’s mother, and her father ran over to them. “Malcolm, you will stop this at once. It’s a day to celebrate,” the father said.

  “Celebrate?” Malcolm gestured to her clothes. “You call this celebrating?”

  “Marriage is a wonderful institution,” the father said. “You will watch your temper. Do no harm.”

  Malcolm groaned under his breath.

  “Melissa, you’ll let your husband escort you to the wedding breakfast,” her father told her.

  With a grimace, she slipped her arm around Logan’s. “I’m only doing it because I don’t wish to embarrass you and Mother.”

  “You showed up in a black dress, my darling,” Logan replied. “They’ve been embarrassed already. But, if going with me to the wedding breakfast eases your conscience, then I’m more than happy to oblige you.”

  She opened her mouth, probably ready to protest, but he stepped forward, escorting her past her brother, glad her father wouldn’t encourage any more foolhardy actions her brother had in mind. This marriage was going to be a good thing for her. He couldn’t make her brother understand it, nor was he interested in doing so. His focus from this point forward was going to be on convincing her she married the right gentleman.

  ***

  “I married the wrong gentleman,” Melissa whispered to Helena and Chloe as the few guests mingled after the wedding breakfast.

  She glanced at Logan and her father who were across the room, talking and laughing with Helena’s husband. Malcolm was nowhere to be found. Her mother had left early, claiming the choice in Melissa’s clothes ruined her appetite.

  Melissa turned her attention back to Helena and Chloe who sat with her near a window. “I suppose I should feel guilty for wearing black.”

  “Nonsense,” Chloe said. “Even as scandalous as it is, it gave most of us a good chuckle.”

  “It made the wedding memorable, that’s for sure,” Helena commented, her lips curling up into a grin. “And if I dare say so, I think it pleased the groom immensely.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Melissa replied. “It’s not fair. My actions should have had the desired result.”

  “Which was…?” Helena asked.

  “Which was for the groom to be horrified.” She glanced at Logan, once again, and saw him sipping brandy as he listened to her father. “As you can see, he’s not horrified at all. In fact, he seemed very pleased with my choice in clothing.”

  And for the life of her, Melissa didn’t understand why. Sure, he’d rambled on about how she was being her own person and proving no one could tell her what to do. But he had to know she wore black in order to reject him. He couldn’t possibly take that as a compliment. Nor could he sincerely be pleased about it since she’d done this in front of everyone. She’d made him a laughingstock. So really, why couldn’t he act upset? It’d be the decent thing to do.

  “Some gentlemen,” Helena began, “prefer ladies who present a challenge. I suspect your husband is excited by it. You won’t be easy to win over.”

  “It makes no sense to me,” Melissa said. “This incident will probably show up in the Tittletattle tomorrow.”

  “Oh, undoubtedly,” Helena agreed. “And though it wasn’t your intent, it probably makes you that much more enchanting.”

  Melissa shook her head in disgust. Helena was right. Logan did find her that much more intriguing because of the way she responded to him. “What’s wrong with him? Any normal gentleman would have run the other way.”

  “Maybe it’s because you didn’t throw a book at him,” Chloe teased.

  Despite the situation, Melissa giggled. “It’d be a sight, wouldn’t it?”

  “Too bad there are no books on hand,” Helena said.

  Too bad, indeed. But even if she did throw one at him, he’d probably like it. In the past, he had handed her one for that very purpose. Melissa’s laughter died down, and she sighed. “I don’t know how I’m going to spend the rest of my life with him.”

  “Forget the rest of your life. I’d be more concerned about tonight, if I were you,” Helena said.

  “Why? What’s going to happen tonight?”

  “Nothing if your husband is anything like mine,” Chloe commented.

  Melissa recalled how insistent her mother was that she talk to her about the wedding night. Maybe she should have stayed and listened, even if her father was right there.

  Making sure no one was nearby to hear them, Melissa leaned forward and whispered, “Is there something awful that’s going to happen?”

  “It’s not awful,” Helena said. “Well, not with a gentleman who is respectful toward a lady’s sensibilities.”

  Melissa frowned. Was respectful toward a lady’s sensibilities? This didn’t sound good. In fact, it sounded like a warning. “What exactly does Logan plan to do?”

  Helena glanced at Chloe who shrugged. “I wouldn’t know,” Chloe said. “The lady’s time of month was upon me on my wedding night. My husband went to India the next day and hasn’t been back since.”

  “Oh dear,” Helena replied. “I don’t know how much to explain, especially here with all these people.”

  Melissa
didn’t like the sound of this. “Is it really so awful people can’t speak about it in public?”

  “No, as I said before, it’s not awful,” Helena assured her. “But it is a private matter.”

  Melissa wanted to ask her for more information but noticed Logan left the gentlemen and turned toward her. Just what she needed. He was ready to leave. There was no way she was going to find out what Helena knew about the wedding night now, and given that her mother had left, there was no talking to her either. No. This was something she’d have to discover all by herself this evening…unless…

  She glanced at Chloe. “If a lady is in that time of month, will a gentleman insist on a wedding night?”

  “You’re going to have to do it sooner or later,” Helena said. “You might as well get it over with.”

  “But let’s say that I am,” Melissa pressed. “No one consulted me on whether or not I’d be in a delicate condition when the wedding took place.”

  Helena sighed. “No. No gentleman is going to insist on going through with the wedding night if his wife is indisposed.”

  Perfect. This would give Melissa time to find out what to expect. Then she could decide whether or not she’d ever let Logan have such a night with her. The gentleman was a cad. He forced her into the marriage, thereby ruining her chances with Lord Waxman.

  Most likely, he wouldn’t care whether or not she wanted to have a wedding night with him. But there were some things he wasn’t going to dictate for her, and this was going to be one of them. If she didn’t want to have a wedding night, then she wouldn’t. And there was nothing he could do about it because, unlike the wedding, her father wasn’t going to hold her to this. As Helena said, it was a private matter. And private meant private. No one would know if she went through with it or not.

  Logan reached her. “I’m anxious to get you alone, my sweet.”

  “To do what?” she asked, not daring to stand up.

  “To show you your new townhouse, of course. Your father has already arranged for your things to be taken to my residence. Wasn’t that nice of him?”

  “But I don’t want to go,” she said.

  Her father came over to them and took her by the arm. “It’s time for you to go to your new home, Melissa,” he gently told her.

  She tried to think of an excuse that would allow her to stay longer, but she couldn’t come up with one. And since her father was tugging on her arm, she knew she had to go, whether she liked it or not.

  “We’ll visit you soon,” Helena promised.

  Well, at least there was that. It was a small comfort, but it was one all the same. Giving Helena and Chloe a reluctant nod, she let her father lead her to Logan’s carriage to face her new life.

  Chapter Eleven

  “My lady,” Logan told Melissa as the carriage came to a stop, “it is my pleasure to welcome you to your new home.”

  Then, in a very bold manner, he leaned toward her, ready to kiss her cheek. Melissa gasped and ducked so that his lips almost landed on the small window. She wiggled around him and opened the door before the coachman could do it.

  Relieved she avoided the horrid kiss, she released her breath. Why did being married have to be so difficult for her? Chloe got married, and her husband ran off to India. Why couldn’t Logan do the same?

  Logan came over to her, smiling as if she hadn’t just spurned his advances, and took her by the arm. “I’m glad you’re excited about your new home. It warms my heart to know my bride is anxious to begin her new life with me.”

  She scoffed, but he led her up the steps that took them to the front door.

  “No need to open this one yourself, my lovely flower,” he said. “The footman will do it. It’s what I pay him for.”

  “With my family’s money,” she muttered.

  He patted her hand. “Which is now ours, thanks to our most blessed union.”

  She rolled her eyes. What was wrong with him? She’d made it a point to embarrass him right in front of everyone by wearing black, and he was acting as if she’d paid him a high compliment.

  The footman opened the door, and it was with great reluctance she stepped into the place that would now be her prison. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lady,” the footman said, offering a bow.

  “Indeed,” Logan whispered in her ear. “Because of our money, we can afford his salary.” To the footman, he asked, “Have her belongings arrived?”

  “Yes,” the footman replied. “Everything came during the wedding.”

  “Splendid,” Logan said then looked at her. “I’ll show you to your bedchamber.”

  Digging her heels into the rug to stop him from dragging her up the stairs, she asked, “Why?”

  “I thought you’d like to know where you’ll be sleeping.”

  “No. I don’t. I’m not tired. In fact, I’m wide awake.”

  He seemed to consider her words then said, “I was going to take you to the market, so you could buy some items to make the bedchamber uniquely yours.”

  “Uniquely mine?”

  “I didn’t have anyone decorate it. Oh, there are sheets and blankets. I did the basics. But I figured you have a certain way you’d like to decorate the room. You should at least go up to see it and change your clothing.” He glanced at the footman. “Has her lady’s maid settled in?”

  “Yes, my lord,” the footman replied.

  “Excellent.” Wrapping his hand around her elbow, he gently led her to the steps. “Everything is ready for you, my delicate snowflake. I’ll let you check the state of your bedchamber and wear a dress more suited for shopping. I happen to like the color black. It’s my favorite, in fact, but I don’t think others will share my enthusiasm for your fiery spirit.”

  As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. While her mourning clothes were shocking enough at the wedding, she didn’t dare push her luck. No doubt, there was more than enough gossip to keep the Ton satisfied for the rest of the Season. Even Helena and Camden’s scandal didn’t get all the attention theirs did.

  She lifted the hem of her dress and proceeded up the stairs with him. “I’m not tired.” Then, for emphasis, she added, “At all. I won’t be going to bed.”

  He seemed amused by her words. “The thought didn’t even occur to me.”

  “It didn’t?”

  “Of course not. We need to buy things for your bedchamber. You are a lady, after all, and ladies enjoy decorating rooms to their liking.”

  It was hard to argue this point, so she didn’t.

  “By the way,” he continued as they reached the top of the steps, “I want you to know you can get whatever you want. This will be your special day.”

  “How generous you are with my father’s money,” she replied.

  “Your father is a very generous person. He provided very well for us and our future children.” When she sighed, he added, “I assure you I won’t be reckless with the money. I’ll be a good steward with it. You’ll never lack for anything.”

  “Except the husband I wanted.”

  Melissa thought this might upset him, but instead of looking offended, he stopped in the hallway and turned to her with a grin. He tapped her nose before she had time to shift away from him.

  “I love your wit,” he said. “Truly, I do. You keep me on my toes. You’re a much better wife than I dared hope for when I kissed you. We’re going to have a wonderful marriage.”

  She frowned. “Doesn’t anything upset you?”

  “Nothing you can say or do will upset me. I know you’re afraid this marriage is going to be a miserable one. But in time, you’ll understand you couldn’t have done better than me.” He gestured to the room closest to them. “This is your bedchamber.”

  Curious, she looked into the room. As he said, the room was bare except for the necessities. There were no touches of comfort at all, excluding her vanity and clothes.

  Logan’s lips brushed her cheek, and she gasped, putting her hand over her cheek and facing him so he couldn’t ge
t away with stealing another kiss. The one he’d stolen at Lord Roderick’s ball had been bad enough.

  He winked at her. “You have no idea how much pleasure my lips can bring you, my adorable rose petal.”

  “I could never enjoy one of your kisses.”

  “Oh, you will. There will even come a day when you’ll be initiating one.”

  She got ready to tell him what she thought of that ridiculous idea when she caught sight of her lady’s maid. Remembering her manners, she closed her mouth and went into the room. Ladies did not speak so boldly, and they certainly never spoke out of anger. It was nearly impossible to remember her upbringing whenever Logan was around. He was a terrible influence on her. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be speaking like a lady of ill repute.

  Thankfully, he didn’t come into the room. Since her lady’s maid was coming, she didn’t think he would. Even a cad wouldn’t try anything in front of an innocent bystander. She held her breath and watched him as he stood in the hallway. He didn’t break eye contact with her right away, and he was grinning at her as if this whole thing pleased him immensely. For the first time since she became aware of him, she had the urge to throw a book at him. The only reason she didn’t was because the lady’s maid had entered the room. Well, that and the fact that there was no book to throw.

  Be a lady, Melissa. Don’t stoop to his level.

  Repeating the words to herself, she told the lady’s maid, “Please close the door.”

  “I’ll do it,” Logan said. He blew Melissa a kiss. “Until we see each other again, my heart shall pine for you.” Then he softly shut the door.

  Melissa snorted and threw off her hat. “He’s unbearable.”

  “I think he’s rather sweet,” her lady’s maid said.

  Melissa couldn’t believe this was the same woman who’d tended to her needs ever since she was young. “It’s all a show, Deb. He isn’t being sincere.” Then, under her breath, she added, “He doesn’t have a sincere bone in his body.”

  “If he’s insincere, then I’ll take it,” Deb replied with a hearty laugh. “If I was younger, I’d be delighted to be married to a gentleman who knows how to lie so well.”