“Have we?” Jane asked Lady Trayton, recalling what the lady had done to Emily.
The woman batted her long lashes and took a seat beside Jane. “We met years ago. I was Miss Susan Wimble then. Your guardian and I were to be married. But alas, there was a hitch in the plans, and I wed the Earl of Trayton instead.”
Jane rose from her seat, hoping Emily didn’t walk their way. “Ah, yes, I seem to recall your name.”
Lady Trayton stood, following Jane’s lead. But the hard glitter in the lady’s eyes made Jane put up her guard.
“Indeed,” Lady Trayton replied harshly. “Then I assume you know the duke and I go way back as well?”
Jane lifted her chin, recognizing a challenge when she heard one. The comment had shocked her, but she would not give this lady the satisfaction of knowing that. “I am his wife. You are not. I believe that explains the matter.”
Lady Trayton gave a light chuckle. “Ah, the lady has claws, does she? And I thought you a meek little thing.”
Jane felt her temper flare. “You will have to excuse me. My husband and I have the next set. He will be looking for me.”
The lady blocked her path. “You little fool. Looking for you? I hear the duke had to defend your honor in the card room. Even Captain Argyle came to your aid. It’s all over the ballroom by now.”
Jane struggled to comprehend what she was saying. “What?”
The lady patted the dark ringlets fringing her forehead. “Come now, Duchess. All of Bath knows you have eyes for the handsome captain. It’s not as if the duke pays any attention to you these days. He knows you cannot give him an heir. Society is not stupid.” The lady let out a pitiful laugh. “Goodness, everyone knows how this game is played. You cannot be such a simpleton, can you?”
Jane swallowed the bile climbing up her throat. “I think you have said quite enough.”
The lady’s expression turned hard. “Do you? Oh, here comes Lady Emily to your rescue. How wonderful that you have all these companions flying to your aid. Well, I suppose it’s time I should take my leave. But truly, my dear, do not believe for one minute that I am leaving the duke in your little hands. He has always been fond of me.”
Lady Trayton smiled and let her callous gaze travel from Jane’s bosom to her slippers. “La, the duke does prefer his ladies on the voluptuous side. But good gracious, Duchess, the excessively plump side is not the thing at all. At least not for him.”
Her cruel laugh was like an arrow to Jane’s heart.
“Well,” the lady drawled, turning her back on Jane and walking away. “May the best woman win.”
Before Jane could gather herself, the lady had sailed off into to the sea of people crowding the dance floor.
“Why in the world was she talking to you?” Emily asked in an irritated tone as she strode up to Jane.
Jane’s heart felt crushed. “She, uh, knows Roderick, I believe.”
“Oh, Jane, don’t let her fill your head with lies.”
Jane turned to Emily and forced out a smile. “Why in the world would I do that? Roderick loves me.”
Emily smiled. “That’s right. He may be the most pig-headed of my brothers, and the most proud, and the most arrogant, and the most conceited and—”
Jane put a gentle hand on Emily’s arm, stopping her. “I see your point. But if you don’t mind, I would like to leave.”
Jane managed another smile. If Lady Trayton had been truthful about what had transpired in the card room, it was obvious Emily had yet to hear the news. And at the moment, Emily’s back was to the crowd, but Jane could see people starting to look her way.
“I can leave with you,” Emily said, looking concerned. “I can send word to Jared and Roderick that we are leaving.”
Jane’s bottom lip trembled. “Oh, here comes Agatha.”
Agatha came up beside them. Music floated in the air, but even the dancers were sending sideways glances in their direction.
Emily frowned. “What on earth is going on?”
“I will tell you in the carriage,” Agatha said impatiently. “But we must remove Jane from here as soon as possible.”
Emily nodded, her face grim. “I see. Someone has been talking.” She took Jane’s arm.
Jane felt tears burning the back of her throat.
“Come, Jane,” Agatha said, taking her other arm. “I will send word to Jared and Roderick. They can come along later.”
Jane held her head high as they moved through the crowd toward the carriage. To her disgust, Lady Trayton was standing near the door, conversing with Lady Horatio and Lady Philomena.
“So sorry to see you are feeling unwell, Duchess,” Lady Trayton replied with a wicked gleam in her eyes. “I do hope you feel better soon.”
Jane said nothing, but Agatha stopped and told Emily to take Jane outside. A few seconds later, Agatha joined them in the carriage.
Jane stared out the window, feeling her heart tightening with pain. “I don’t want to talk about.”
Agatha let out a sigh as the carriage started rolling down the street. “Very well, then don’t ask me what they said after my parasol accidentally poked them in the ribs.”
Emily’s head jerked up. “You didn’t?”
Agatha smiled. “I did.”
Jane gaped at the older lady, then burst out laughing. “Oh, Agatha! What will people say?”
Agatha chuckled. “What will they say indeed?”
After Roderick returned home from the ball, he headed straight to his study, locked the door, and drank to his heart’s content. He rarely abused his brandy, but tonight, he brooded over Lord Garette’s tasteless remarks and Jane’s quick departure, both of which had set the gossips on fire. Confound it! There was no doubt in his mind that Jane had heard the story about what had happened in the card room.
After a few hours of staring into an empty hearth, he decided to go to bed. He strode upstairs and froze when a small whimper sounded from Jane’s bedchambers.
His heart squeezed. He opened the door to their connecting chambers and saw her blond curls peeking out from her pillow. The scent of some new perfume filled his nostrils as he walked softly into the room. A slight snore made him smile. Had she been dreaming?
He stopped and gazed at her. When had she become so beautiful? Not that she wasn’t beautiful before, but after all she had gone through, there was something about her now that looked almost heavenly.
He watched in silence as she whimpered again, then turned on her back. But as he hovered over her, the captain’s words came back to haunt him. If she were not married, I would sweep her off her feet and make her mine in no time.
Roderick’s face hardened. Captain James Argyle had best keep his hands off his wife if the man wanted to live.
But blast it all, he thought grimly. How long could he go on like this? He adored his wife. He was more attracted to her now then before they were married. And Jane wanted a baby.
He closed his eyes and ran a frustrated hand over his face. It was a volatile combination. He wanted Jane alive and well. Yet, at what price was he willing to pay? They fought constantly. But he had to be strong for the both of them. When Cecile had died, it had been because he—
“Roderick, is that you?”
Two sleepy blue eyes blinked up at him. His heart gave a skip. He sat on the edge of her bed and kissed her cheek. “It’s me, sweetheart. Who else could it be?”
She smiled. “I was dreaming we had a little boy and we named him Augustus.”
Roderick frowned. She would never have children, yet she would have been such a good mother. Perhaps, in time, they could adopt. After his brothers produced an heir.
He tapped her nose with his forefinger. “Ah, Augustus sounds like a Roman Emperor.”
“Hmmm,” she said, mumbling, stretching her hands overhead. “I wish you would kiss me.”
Roderick stared at the connecting door to his chambers. What harm could one little kiss do? He hungered for this woman. He yearned for her.
“Oh, Roderick.” She wrapped her arms around him. “I missed you so.”
Roderick inhaled the sweet scent of her and felt his brain turn to mush. Her soft skin pressed against his cheek. Her warm breath whispered along his neck. There was no help for it. His defenses were weakening. But this was his wife. He had every right to love her.
He slipped a hand to the nape of her neck, feeling the softness of her curls. “Ah, Jane. I missed you too.”
“You never danced with me,” she said against his ear. “I wished you would have stayed beside me all night.”
He could tell she was still half asleep. “Forgive me. I thought you were entertained by others.”
Tears leaked from her lids onto his chin, and his heart felt as if it was slammed against a brick wall. He pulled her against him. “What is it, sweetheart?”
Her soft body felt so right in his arms. She wasn’t as slim as was when they were first married, but he didn’t care. However, he felt ill knowing she was eating to ease her sorrow, and confound it all, he didn’t know what to do for her.
Her hand reached up to comb through his hair, awakening every nerve in his body. “I just missed you,” she said in a silky voice. “That’s all. Love me, Roderick. Please love me.”
Her sweet plea almost brought him to his knees. His hands moved down her back in a gentle caress. He could not believe this amazing woman was his wife. He would walk to his bedchambers in a minute, he told himself. Just one more minute.
Her small arms encircled his waist, and he closed his eyes, feeling as if she had gouged out a part of his heart with her request. Yet in the back of his mind he didn’t know if he would come back from France alive. Whitehall had mentioned he and Jared would be moving targets for Devereaux’s son, but the man had to be found.
His wife turned and slid trembling fingers over his collarbone. In the moonlight, her tearful blue eyes sparkled like diamonds, making his heart clench.
“I love you,” she whispered. “I will always love you.”
Her small gesture of unconditional love was enough to send him over the edge. With a groan, he slipped in beside her. “Ah, sweetheart.” He kissed her with a passion that sent his senses spiraling into another world.
He would hold her for just a little longer, then leave. He had missed her too much.
But when her lips pressed against his ear, all thoughts of leaving her leapt from his brain. Her tender touch made him ache for her. He needed this. Needed her. Needed to know she was his. Forever. And in the next few minutes, he found himself lost in a world of loving his wife, with no thoughts to the outcome. He loved her, as he had never loved her before.
Chapter Seven
Jane woke the next morning with a smile on her face. She had dreamt that Roderick had slept beside her, that he had loved her last night, and it had been wonderful.
She turned from her pillow, hoping her dream had been real. A musky cologne tickled her nose, and she felt alive for the first time in months. Surely, he must have noticed the change in her body. Her hand reached for him, and her head jerked toward the crumpled quilts.
The bed was empty.
She fell against her pillow and wanted to weep.
“Oh, Roderick,” she sobbed. He had been there. But he had left before she had awakened. When they were first married, there were days when he would never leave her side. Now, he drifted in and out of her life, thinking nothing about it. Was this how it was to be the rest of her life?
She swung her legs over the bed and took in a shaky breath. She would conquer this. He wanted her. Surely, he still loved her. He must have noticed that something was different about her. Perhaps, he realized she was with child and could not understand why she had not told him. But she had told him! He had not listened!
Her gaze strayed to the diamond stickpin on her nightstand. Her heart gave a little skip. He had been there!
Still clad in her dressing gown, she bounced out of bed and ran across the room, opening the connecting door to their chambers. It was locked. She smiled. Silly man!
She banged her fist against the wood. “Roderick, open this door at once.”
“Deuce take it, woman, can’t a man sleep?”
Hope fluttered in her chest. “Open up. I need to speak with you.”
The door swung open, and she flew into her husband’s arms. “You love me, don’t you?”
Roderick’s lips were grim as he set her aside. He was clad in a pair of buckskin breeches and his chest was bare. He had not been sleeping at all when she had knocked. Was he brooding because he didn’t love her anymore?
“I have always loved you,” he snapped. “What a ridiculous question.”
She frowned, feeling the iciness between them return. Perhaps he still didn’t realize she was with child. “Whatever is the matter?”
She felt her tummy and laughed. “Oh, you think I have put on a few pounds? Well, I have an answer for that. In fact, I think you will like it. Not that you have listened to anything I have said before, but—”
“I forgot myself, Jane,” he said, interrupting her.
Her heart dropped. “What?”
He turned and grabbed a shirt from his wardrobe.
She frowned as she stared at the muscles rippling along his back. He was ignoring her. He was ignoring everything that had happened between them.
“You must know that I am leaving for France soon,” he said in a causal tone, as if he had not touched her at all last night. “I spoke to Jared, and it seems we are to leave today. To, uh, look for that land we talked about. Whitehall has asked us to look into it.”
Land? How stupid did he think she was?
She sank against the bed, a four-poster walnut frame that had been handed down from three hundred years of Clearbrooks. “Today?” she replied, her voice losing her enthusiasm. “I thought—”
He slapped a hand against his thigh. “Well, you thought wrong.” The hostility in his voice sliced her heart in two.
She stumbled to stand and held onto the bed. “What are you saying?”
There was a knock on the door, startling them both.
“What the devil?” Roderick grabbed the handle and whipped the door open.
His butler stood before him. “Your Grace, may I have a word with you.”
Jane stood behind Roderick, peeking out from behind him. What in the world was his butler doing here at this hour in the morning? The man rarely ever knocked on the bedchamber doors. It usually was a footman or the valet.
The older man’s bushy brows went up a notch when he detected Jane standing in her husband’s bedchambers, half dressed.
Well, she was his wife, was she not?
“Is there something wrong,” she asked, lifting her chin.
The butler grinned. “Nothing at all, Your Grace. Nothing at all.”
Roderick grimaced at he glanced over his shoulders. He shifted a surly gaze back toward his servant. “Then why the devil did you knock on my door at this ridiculous hour, man?”
The butler’s face reddened as he took another look at Jane. “It seems, uh, we are to have a visitor, Your Grace.”
“A visitor?” Jane frowned. “Who would be visiting at eight o’clock in the morning?”
The butler gulped. “’Tis the king, Your Grace. Uh, not visiting now, but later this afternoon. I just received notice and thought I should relay the information to you directly.”
Roderick’s eyes widened. “The king! Why the devil is he coming here?”
The butler swallowed visibly. “I have no idea, Your Grace.”
Roderick dismissed the man and started pacing his chambers. “Devil take it! This sounds ominous.”
Jane put her hands to her hips. “Perhaps he is hoping to ask you for money. I think he spends extravagantly. His coronation is supposed to be outlandish.”
Roderick spun around. His shirt was
still open, baring his muscular torso. How many times had she placed her head against that chest, listening to the beat of his heart? Feeling the safety of his embrace? Knowing his love was meant for her and her alone?
She lifted her gaze to meet his blank stare and wanted to weep. He had slighted her this morning as if she were nothing to him. Was Lady Trayton her competition now?
Roderick scowled. “Be careful what you say about the man. Our king can say and do just about anything he wants. In fact, he may be here because of my visit to France. The visit is of a delicate nature.”
Jane’s eyes widened. “Delicate nature? Ah, yes, forgive me. It’s not Whitehall looking for land now, it’s George IV. How dimwitted can I be? It all makes perfect sense!”
Roderick clenched his teeth. “Very well, it is more than land, and that is all I am going to say.”
“I fail to see why you cannot include your wife in your dealings with Whitehall and your reconnaissance missions.”
His jaw dropped.
She shook her head, not caring what he thought about her knowledge of his doings. “Never mind. But I will tell you this. Since George the III died and the Prince Regent took his place, our country has never been the same. That man has used England’s money to his heart’s content. His marriage is a shambles, and truthfully, Roderick, I don’t like him.”
Roderick’s lips thinned. “I will ask you once again to curtail your opinion of our king for the safety of yourself and the family.”
She shrugged. “I am not stupid.”
“No, but you do tend to voice your opinion more than most.”
She could not fault him there.
“The point is,” Roderick continued, “there is always a reason when the man comes calling. I am becoming more disturbed about this visit by the minute.”
She saw his face soften and walked toward him, wrapping her hands about his waist. “Well, darling, as long as I have your undivided attention, I thought I would tell you my little secret.”
He looked down at her. She smiled up at him. Flames seemed to dance in his eyes.
She rested her head against the cool skin beneath his shirt and tightened her hold. “As I was saying—”
The Duke's Bride: Book 5 (The Clearbrooks) Page 9