Savage Destiny (The Hearts of Liberty Series, Book 1)

by Phoebe Conn

  "How many people know of your marriage?" he asked.

  "The chaplain who performed the ceremony, and the two soldiers who served as witnesses, but I asked them to keep our wedding a secret until you'd been informed," Ian explained. "We've not told anyone else. Have you?"

  "Certainly not," John quickly denied. "Lieutenant Tyler and Randolph O'Neil helped us look for you, but when I found the note you'd left with Andrew, I told them Melissa had been taken ill and gone home."

  "You lied to them?" Melissa asked.

  "Of course, I lied to them," her father scoffed. "Do you think I'd brag about the fact you'd run off with a soldier?"

  "I am an officer, sir, not a common foot soldier."

  "I'll agree. There's nothing common about you, Lieutenant, not from your bright red hair to your total lack of regard for my daughter's reputation."

  "I have the highest regard for your daughter's reputation, but must I remind you that I'll not allow you to criticize my wife?"

  John waved aside Ian's feisty defense. "You're a virile young man. May I assume having the marriage annulled is no longer an option?"

  "Father, how could you?"

  "Hush, Melissa. It's Ian who has to answer."

  For an instant, Ian wished there were bloodstained sheets he could flap in his father-in-law's face. Instead, he squeezed his bride's hand more tightly, and replied with a knowing smile, "We're legally wed."

  "Where did you spend the night?"

  "In the green guest bedroom," Melissa volunteered.

  "My God!"

  Rachel reached out to pat her husband's arm. "Please don't shout, darling."

  Astonished, John eyed his wife with an incredulous glance. "This is a sad day for the Empire, if Ian is a fair sample of the King's officers!"

  "It was my idea," Melissa rushed to explain. "We wanted to be here to speak with you today."

  John mumbled a string of unintelligible curses before regaining what little hold he had on his composure. "Outside of this room, there are only three men who know of your marriage. Is that correct?"

  "Yes," Ian agreed.

  "Then you will tell them to maintain their silence, and we shall simply announce your engagement," John said. "After a suitable interval, you'll be wed in a proper ceremony, and no one need ever learn that it is your second wedding, rather than your first."

  Not having expected such a reaction, Ian was taken aback for a moment, but then he turned toward Melissa, and spoke before she could object. "You know I'm concerned about what people will say. I think we should give your father's suggestion serious thought."

  Melissa had a major objection, and she didn't mince words in voicing it. "As my father so tactlessly asked, we are husband and wife, Ian, and I may have already conceived a child. Our elopement may cause a stir, but it will be minor compared with my marrying you in a few months when my condition might be noticeable, and the subsequent birth of our first baby occurs prior to our nine-month anniversary."

  John Barclay fixed his daughter with a piercing stare. "Is this the real reason you and Ian were in such a great hurry to wed? Are you already with child?"

  Overwhelmed with guilt, all color drained from Melissa's face, while Ian objected violently to that insulting question. His courage bolstered her own, and she felt no need to even hint at the truth. After all, she was only a week overdue now, and surely that wasn't time enough to confirm a pregnancy. "Ian is a gentleman, Father, and he has always behaved as such with me. In fact, our elopement was my idea, not his, so you mustn't blame him."

  "I blame you both for not having more sense," John complained.

  An uncomfortable silence ensued, and it was Rachel who finally broke it. "We can plan the wedding for a month from yesterday. Then if you should have a child eight months later, we'll say he's four weeks' premature. A month isn't really sufficient time to plan a wedding, but since Byron was born just nine months after your father and I were wed, I don't think we should gamble on having the luxury of more time. Perhaps we can say that you anticipate being transferred elsewhere, Lieutenant. That's certainly plausible, isn't it?"

  "Yes, if the situation in the Ohio Valley worsens, I could easily be assigned elsewhere."

  "I think we should discuss this in private, Ian," Melissa urged. "It's too important an issue to decide in haste."

  "Unlike your wedding!" John reminded her.

  Ian chose to ignore that ill-tempered outburst. "Will you excuse us, please?" he asked.

  John rose and gestured toward the door. "Certainly, take all the time you need. We'll wait dinner for you. After all, we don't want to compound the problems of one hasty decision with another equally foolish choice."

  Ian helped Melissa to her feet. She glanced toward Alanna, and knew by the hurt she saw in her cousin's expression just how upsetting their elopement had been for her. "I'm sorry," she whispered as they passed by her chair. "I would have told you our plans had there been time, but it was all very romantic and spontaneous."

  Alanna nodded, then looked toward her uncle to see if he had heard Melissa's apology. When he looked away, she knew that he had, but it didn't appear as though he would offer her an apology of his own. She understood his preoccupation with Melissa could be blamed for his shocking lack of manners, but that didn't make her feel any better.

  Because they had enjoyed previous walks down by the river, Ian led Melissa along the path that crossed the lawn. "At least your father didn't try and shoot me," he teased. "I'm taking that as a good sign."

  "Let's not make light of our situation," Melissa begged. "It isn't in the least bit funny."

  "I'm sorry if my attempt at humor was misplaced." By the time they'd reached the river's edge, Ian's mood was as serious as hers. "Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not sorry that we got married," he assured her, "but you know I wanted you to have a big wedding so all your family and friends could be there to celebrate. I think we should agree to your father's plan, and keep our elopement a secret. A month isn't an unreasonable amount of time for us to wait to live as man and wife."

  While Melissa knew that a month might not seem like long to him, she dared not give him any reason to doubt the child she feared she was carrying was his. "I believed you to be a man of integrity, Ian."

  "Only believed? You don't believe it still?"

  "Not when you'd hand me back to my father, as though you regretted taking me for a wife."

  "I'm doing no such thing."

  Melissa knew she was pushing him, but she couldn't help herself; "If you'll deny we're wed, then that's precisely what you're doing."

  Melissa wore such a heartbreaking look of rejection, Ian instantly pulled her into his arms. "No, all I'm doing is attempting to set everything right: to see you have a proper wedding, and to make a better impression on your parents. Please consider my side for a moment, Melissa. I don't want your parents to despise me for the rest of their lives. I don't want to be an outcast, who is ignored at every family gathering and treated as though I don't exist.

  "If I can win your parents' approval by merely agreeing to marry you again in a month, then I'm willing to do it. We needn't be apart. In fact, I'll make it a condition for our consent to your parents' plan. I'll insist upon spending the nights here with you, but for propriety's sake, I'll return to town before dawn. Will that make you happy?"

  His promise to spend the nights with her was all Melissa needed to be swayed to his point of view. She waited a long moment to make him believe she was silently debating the issue, however, and then looked up at him and smiled. "Yes, if I don't have to wait a month to actually be your wife, then I'll pretend we're only engaged, because that's the best choice for you. I do so want for my parents to love you, too."

  "Did you really think I could stay away from you for a month?"

  "Well, I'd certainly hoped not, but I'm glad that you don't intend to promise my father that you will."

  "He'll never get that kind of promise out of me." Ian sealed his vow with a kiss, to
ok her hand, and started back toward the house. "Let's suggest we make our plans over dinner. I'm so hungry, I can barely stand."

  Melissa felt queasy rather than eager for food, but she smiled, relieved that Ian had proved to be as thoughtful a husband as she had hoped, she actually began to look forward to planning a formal wedding. She was smiling as they returned to the parlor, but not for long.

  "Because I want what's best for Melissa," Ian told the Barclays, "I'll agree to marry her again in a month's time, but I'll not forgo the privilege of being her husband until then. I want to spend the nights with her here as often as my duties permit, but I'll return to Williamsburg well before dawn, so our engagement will appear suitably chaste. If that's not agreeable to you, then Melissa will leave with me now, and there will be no second wedding."

  John clenched his fists at his sides. "You claim to want what's best for my daughter with one breath, and then deny it in the next. This is my house, Lieutenant, and I'll not allow you to use it for trysts!"

  Ian nodded slightly, and then offered Melissa his arm. "Shall we go then, dearest?"

  Without a second's hesitation, Melissa slipped her arm through his. "I'm sorry, Mama. I know you would have given us a lovely wedding, but we're already married, and can't agree to live apart."

  Rachel turned to her husband. "She's right, John. They are married, and allowing Ian to visit her here isn't condoning trysts. That word doesn't apply to a married couple."

  "Rachel!"

  "I don't mean to appear disloyal," Rachel assured him, "but Melissa is Ian's wife, and shouting won't change that."

  Alanna moved to her aunt's side. She dared not enter into the argument, but her gesture made it plain whose side she favored. When her aunt responded with a determined smile, she was certain her uncle would soon be forced to give in. With four of his family against him, he would be exceedingly foolish not to.

  "I'm hungry," he announced instead. "Let's have dinner and talk about this later."

  Ian shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, but I wouldn't feel comfortable sharing your food, after you've ordered me out of your house."

  John regarded his son-in-law with a darkly menacing stare. "You have more courage than sense. You realize that, don't you?"

  Ian squared his shoulders proudly. "I married your daughter, sir. That ought to be proof of my intelligence."

  "What does your father do?"

  "He's one of London's finest barristers, sir."

  "You're misplaced in the military, Lieutenant, when you've obviously inherited your father's skill at argument."

  "Is that meant as a compliment, sir?"

  It was Ian's disarming grin that dissolved John's objections to his plan. "All right," he finally agreed. "You may stay here if you must, but I'll expect you to keep your word and be out of here well before dawn."

  "You have my word on it, sir."

  "Good." John gestured with flourish. "Now let's have dinner together, and try to speak in a courteous fashion while we do."

  "It will be no problem at all now, Papa," Melissa assured him. She left Ian's side to give her father an enthusiastic kiss, and then nearly skipped into the dining room on her husband's arm. Everything was going to work out beautifully, she just knew that it would, but she still didn't feel much like eating.

  * * *

  By the time they retired to the guest bedroom that night, Melissa was so exhausted, she could barely see. Ian, however, was in high spirits. He drew her into his arms and danced around the room, before pulling her down beside him on the bed.

  "It's going to be difficult to keep our marriage a secret," he confided, "but at least I can brag about our engagement. That will have to do for now. What kind of a ring would you like? I'd buy sapphires to match your eyes, but if you'd like rubies or emeralds, just say so."

  "You needn't buy me an expensive ring, Ian. I know your salary isn't generous, and we'll have a great many expenses when we set up housekeeping."

  Ian frowned slightly. "My family isn't poor. In addition to being one of London's finest barristers, my father is also one of the most successful, as was his father before him. We have more money than many of the men who sit in the House of Lords. I chose the army because I craved adventure, but there will probably come a time when I'll join the family law firm. Would you like to live in London?"

  Ian had saved Melissa from a fate too ghastly to contemplate, and she would have agreed to live with him anywhere. "London would be very nice," she replied.

  "You'd rather stay here in Virginia though, wouldn't you?"

  "Only if you would."

  "You needn't be so agreeable, my love. You can tell me the truth."

  Melissa flinched slightly at the mention of that word, but she didn't hesitate to confide the truth of her feelings in this matter. "My family is here, so yes, staying here would be nice, but your family is in London, and you shouldn't have to give them up for me."

  "I haven't given anything up to marry you," Ian assured her. She had bathed and washed her hair that afternoon, and he removed her cap to free her golden curls. They smelled like sunshine. "You didn't answer my question about your ring. Do you want a sapphire, or not?"

  Melissa had never considered the question and needed a moment to do it properly. "Because I wear so much blue, a sapphire would be very nice, thank you."

  "I'll buy you a ring tomorrow then. Now, let's not waste another minute of tonight."

  Ian slid off the bed, and took Melissa's hands to pull her to her feet. "I'm certain I'll do much better helping you to undress tonight."

  "Oh wait," Melissa begged as she backed out of his embrace. "I'll need another nightgown. The one I had on last night was stained so badly I had to throw it out."

  Ian looked puzzled for a moment, but then understood what she meant, and believed that when he had made love to her, the nightgown had been soiled rather than the bed. He brushed her request aside. "You won't need a nightgown tonight, anymore than you did last night. Now come back here, and I'll help you out of your gown."

  "But I'll need something to wear in the morning, after you're gone," she reminded him.

  "Wear your chemise."

  Relieved by how easily she had been able to refer to the stained nightgown, Melissa ceased to argue. Very pleased with herself, she turned her back and lifted her hair out of his way. His fingertips brushed her nape, and she shivered slightly. As always, he was very gentle and sweet, but she stopped him when he reached her chemise.

  "Now you must help me," he suggested.

  "What? You can't reach the buttons on your shirt, or unhook your belt buckle?"

  "No, I'm much too tired to undress myself tonight."

  "You certainly don't look tired. How's your headache?"

  "It was gone by mid-afternoon, but I still need help in getting undressed."

  "You can at least remove your boots, can't you?"

  Ian shook his head. "That would be much too taxing for me."

  "You scarcely look incapacitated, Lieutenant."

  "Humor me."

  A teasing wink convinced Melissa to do just that. "Sit down, and I'll help you with your boots. After all, I can't have you sharing my bed while wearing them."

  "I agree. That would be ruinous to the linens." Melissa gave his right boot a hearty yank and then, remembering Alanna was directly below them, she set it down carefully rather than dropping it, and reached for his left. "I think you must be very spoiled."

  "Terribly." Ian waited until she had peeled off his socks to stand. "The buttons on this shirt are so tiny, I have difficulty finding them."

  "I don't recall your ever being this clumsy, Ian."

  "It's the strain of marriage, madam. It will do that to a man."

  "How tragic. It's not permanent, I hope."

  "It could be, if I don't receive the proper care."

  Melissa had his shirt unbuttoned now. His chest was covered with crisp red curls, while Hunter's golden bronze skin had been hairless. Why had she again thoug
ht of him? she wondered. Hunter was gone, and he ought to have been forgotten. She reached up on her tiptoes to kiss Ian. When he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her close, she relaxed against him.

  "How marvelous," she exclaimed. "You've recovered from your clumsiness."

  Ian stepped back and made an ineffectual pass at his belt buckle. "No, I'm still all thumbs. You'll have to keep helping me."

  Melissa unfastened the buckle. "I may be able to help you undress tonight, but you'll have to dress yourself in the morning."

  "You'll not get up to help me?"

  "There's no reason for me to wake up before dawn."

  Again Ian pulled her close for a kiss. "I'll give you one then."

  Melissa slipped her arms under his open shirt to hug him. His skin had an inviting warmth, but still no magical tingle. She rested her cheek on his chest for a moment, but when she closed her eyes, Hunter's bright smile flashed in her mind. Startled, she clung to Ian all the more tightly.

  "I know you enjoy making me laugh, Ian, but we are going to be all right together, aren't we?"

  Ian stroked her hair lightly. "Of course, we are. We're a perfect match." Intent upon proving that, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bed. The linens were fresh, and he lay her down on them before turning away to douse the lamp. Despite his earlier protests, he had no difficulty removing his pants. He would not have forced her to look at him nude, but he could not help but feel that she must be curious about how men are made. She did have brothers, but that did not mean she had ever seen them without their clothes.

  He lay down beside her, reached for her hand, trailed her fingertips down his chest, over the taut muscles of his stomach, and then lower still. She didn't try and pull away, which rather surprised him. "That feels good. Leave your hand there," he whispered.

  Melissa felt him grow hard, but it was no surprise to her. She caressed him lightly, and then pulled his hand between her legs. "It feels good to me, too," she explained. "You showed me last night."