The Duke's Bride: Book 5 (The Clearbrooks)

by Teresa McCarthy

  “You do realize,” he continued. “This is just a minor distraction in our marriage. Frankly, it won’t affect us in the least.”

  “Oh?” she said, taking a seat. “We will go on as if nothing has happened, then?”

  His eyes moved hungrily to her lips. Her heart turned over as the air between them crackled. She fidgeted in her seat, feeling rather warm.

  Goodness, she thought. The man was more powerful than she realized. And she had been married to him for years! Or at least she thought she had been married! But that was the point, was it not?

  She frowned just as he turned and grabbed his snifter of brandy. He was distancing himself from her again. Her stomached turned. How long was this going to continue?

  “That’s entirely correct,” he said, his smile a bit wooden. “Pretend it never happened. We have the weight of the king behind us, and a valid date on the license. Not to mention my family and friends.” He took a sip of his drink and turned to her, as if they were discussing a dinner menu. “When I return, we can speak more of this. But tomorrow, we must wed. Then I am off to France.”

  She looked up, her eyes flashing. “I think not.”

  He put his drink to his lips and halted. “What?”

  She brushed her hands over her gown. “I believe I will not marry you. At least, not now.”

  He laughed. “I do not think you understand, sweetheart. Let me explain. We are not legally married. Therefore, we have to marry again. Don’t know how the license was brought to the attention of the king. He wouldn’t tell me. But Jane, there is no question of our remarriage.”

  She lifted a delicate brow and smiled sweetly. “Well, Your Grace, I suppose you shall have to woo me again.”

  Roderick spurted the brandy from his mouth. “W-what?”

  “Woo me again, dear man.”

  He slapped the brandy glass onto the table. Black eyes impaled her. “I will not woo my wife in order to marry her. Besides, I am off to France, if you have forgotten.”

  “Ah yes, government matters. And who is this Devereaux person? His name does sound familiar?”

  Roderick’s face turned dark. “It is none of your concern. But this marriage is! We are to be wed tomorrow!” There was an edge to his voice she had only heard when he was ready to box someone’s ears. But he would not take a finger to her, and he knew she knew it.

  She batted her eyes at him and lifted her chin. “But you just admitted it. I am not your wife. Therefore, anyone may marry me, is that not so?”

  “That is not so.”

  “I believe you have your information mixed up, Roderick. If I am not married, anyone may marry me. And therefore, if I want a child, I can have one with whomever I choose.”

  Every muscle in Roderick’s powerful form seemed to stiffen. His face turned red with fury. His eyes darkened to a dangerous black. And the corner of his mouth began to twitch.

  She blinked in innocence, waiting for him to explode. She wasn’t disappointed.

  “This is not a matter of discussion,” he said harshly. “And I do not find it amusing either.”

  “Neither do I.” She rose from her seat, glared at him, then started for the door. “If you want to marry me again, you had better woo me.”

  “I cannot woo you in less than twenty-four hours,” he yelled.

  She glanced over a delicate shoulder. “Well, then, until you return from France, you may dream about wooing me then.”

  His face turned a darker crimson. “Where the devil do you think you are going?”

  “I am packing my things and then off to Hemmingly.”

  “You will marry me tomorrow, madam. I forbid you to go.”

  She turned slowly around and put her hands on her hips. “I do not care for that tone, Roderick. In fact, I do not care for your edicts. I do not like you telling me, where I should go, what I should do, and whom I should see. I shall do what I want, since I am now a single woman again. You, of course, are invited to visit me at Hemmingly, after your return. Perhaps then, you can use your dukie ways and woo me into your arms, and ask me to marry you. And maybe, I will say yes.”

  He blinked as if no one had ever spoken to him like that before. “I will not follow your skirts like some young buck, madam. I am no puppy-eyed youth!”

  His condescending tone pushed her over the edge.

  “I do not believe it too much to ask to be wooed before I marry,” she snapped.

  “Thunderation, Jane! Have you lost your mind? Society will blacken your name.”

  She lifted her chin. “Let them blacken it then. The ball is in your court, Your Grace. You know exactly what I want, and that’s all there is to it.”

  “I won’t grovel, madam! And I certainly won’t bow to your edicts. I will not do that for anyone! You are playing a dangerous game, madam, and I don’t like it!”

  A game? This was no game to her! This was her life.

  Hot tears rushed to her eyes. “Oh, Roderick! Why do you have to be so…so dukie!”

  His eyes widened in disbelief when she ran from the room.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jane took a dinner tray in her bedchambers while Roderick took his meal in the dining room with his brothers and Jared. The other ladies, backing Jane, dined in the nursery with the children.

  Clayton forked a piece of his beef into his mouth and turned a pointed gaze toward Roderick. “Carry the woman over your shoulders. That’s the only way to do it.”

  Roderick’s lips thinned as irritation spurted through his veins. He picked up his wine glass, and tipped the sweet red liquid down his throat. The last thing he needed was his younger brother giving him advice.

  “No doubt, that is exactly how you married Briana,” he said sarcastically. “And by chance, have you double-checked your marriage license? Perhaps that is not legal either.”

  Clayton blanched. “By Jupiter, it’s legal! Agatha saw to it. Ain’t saying the problem is going to be solved in a day, Roderick. But devil take it. I think it best you apologize to Jane and do whatever she wants. There was a day when you would do just that. You loved that girl like there was no tomorrow. I see no reason you cannot humble yourself and get on your knees and beg her to marry you.”

  Roderick slapped his hand against the table, shaking the water goblets. “I did get on my knees! In front of the king, I might add! And I fail to see why my brothers wish to give me advice. Advice, might I add, that is not wanted.”

  Jared dabbed his napkin against his lips and mumbled a curse as he swung his head Roderick’s way. “I do not like seeing Jane in pain. With her past health problems, I believe you have been rather harsh with her.”

  Roderick glared at him. “King George, you too!”

  “Yes, me too!” Jared growled. “Wed her tomorrow morning and let it be over with. By Jove, Jane needs closure before we leave! And, the devil! I do not take pleasure in heading off to France with a partner who has only half a brain!”

  Roderick had informed his brothers about the mission earlier and of the danger involved. In case there was any retaliation, they needed to know, especially if it involved the safety of their families.

  “You act as if you were still her guardian,” Roderick snapped, his fiery eyes shooting daggers at his friend.

  “If she is not married, then yes, I am still her guardian!”

  Stephen shook his head. “Jane is at least twenty-three, Jared. No guardian can make her decisions now.”

  Jared shot a curt glance across the table. “No matter. Roderick must marry her.” He turned toward Roderick, threw his napkin on the table and narrowed his eyes into a fierce scowl. “I do not care how you do it! But, by Jove, do it!”

  Roderick leaned back in his chair. Jared was wild with rage. This was the last thing he needed before they went to France. They needed to be a team. “Since she was your ward, you know exactly how stubborn she can be.”

  Jared raised his dark brows. “Stubborn? And you are the king of calmness, I suppose?”

  St
ephen swallowed a sip of wine. “I have a feeling you are not listening to her, Roderick. Jared is correct. You can be quite dukie at times.”

  Roderick shot from his seat. The thought of Jane not being married to him set his nerves on edge, and these addlepated ninnies were not helping in the least!

  “I think I will say good night,” he roared. “Because if I continue to listen to this blabber, I may fight the lot of you. And for your information, I will not plead my case with my very own wife!”

  “That’s just the point,” Jared snapped. “She is not your wife!”

  Agatha broke into the room and all the men stood. “Jared is exactly correct!” she announced, darting a pointed glance Roderick’s way as she closed the doors behind her.

  Roderick turned beet red. He did not have to take this. He thought the lady had left the premises. Muttering a curse, he turned to leave when her parasol shot out, stopping him.

  “Have a care,” he growled, looking up. “You, madam, just missed my eye!”

  The older lady lifted a stern brow. “Sit down!”

  Devil take it! He was a duke, and this lady was telling him to take a seat? What had happened to the sensitive soul earlier today? The lady had all but cried her eyes out in front of him for worry over Jane.

  “I am taking my leave,” he replied, standing tall, giving everyone in the room a glare that could freeze water. “The rest of you may gossip about today’s happening. But Hell’s teeth! I have had just about enough!”

  Agatha jabbed him in the stomach. “Sit down, you fool. I have something to say.”

  Roderick’s eyes widened in shock. “Madam, you have once again attacked a peer of the realm.” He would never have guessed that this lady had shown a softer side earlier. Blast it all. She was a dictator!

  A smothered laugh came from Stephen. Roderick glared at his brother.

  Agatha ignored them both. Her stern gaze swept over the gentlemen. “You have all been in reconnaissance, so I shall ask every one of you to keep this conversation to this room. You know of the situation that Jared and the duke must tackle.” She glanced over her shoulder at Roderick. “I suggest you stay. I have received more information that may alter your plans.”

  Roderick’s eyes narrowed. The cool look in Agatha’s eye told him she had more than a little information. His stomach curled into a knot as he took his seat.

  He gave the lady an authoritative glare. “A suggestion, madam, is workable. A command, is not.”

  Agatha stared at him, and dash it all, he thought he detected a twinkle of laughter in those gray eyes. “Touché, Your Grace.”

  She let her knowing gaze settle on the rest of the gentlemen. “This assignment that Roderick and Jared are attempting is more serious than we ever dared to imagine. Devereaux’s son is gathering an army, and if we do not stop him in his tracks, we may have another war on our hands. More unnecessary deaths. And more strife between the two countries. However, we believe that once the head of the snake is cut, the rest of the body will fall.”

  “What are you saying?” Roderick asked gravely.

  Agatha frowned. “I am saying that you and Jared must leave tonight. Time is of the essence. We have detailed information about Devereaux’s whereabouts, but he could move at any time.”

  Roderick’s body stiffened. Thoughts banged against his brain. Tonight? What about Jane? And what about that blasted captain? Did he dare leave his wife unmarried? Ha! His wife unmarried? That didn’t even make sense.

  He felt all eyes upon him. A taut silence filled the room with only the ticking of the mantle clock ringing in Roderick’s ear.

  “No wedding, you are saying then?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

  Agatha shook her head sideways. It was as if she would not look at him. What was she hiding?

  “Not now,” she said. “You cannot afford to lose any time.”

  Roderick frowned, thinking about Jane. He hated to leave things as they were, but there was no other way. He told himself he would be back in two weeks at most. At that time, Jane would be more understanding, and the wedding would be quick and legal. Two weeks was nothing, he told himself. Nothing at all.

  Jane could travel to Hemmingly and avoid the gossips and Society. But the thought of her and the captain together drove him insane. Captain James Argyle had best stay away from his wife, because if the man dared to marry her before he returned, Roderick would kill him.

  King George, he thought grimly, he had to remember she was no longer his wife! Plague take it! He was losing his mind. Jared was correct. He had only half a brain. The other half belonged to Jane.

  Chapter Thirteen

  A month later, Jane found herself strolling about Hemmingly grounds, wishing with all her heart she had not left Roderick with such anger between them. A warm breeze flitted across her face while robins chirped in the nearby trees. Beside her yellow daisies peeped out from the ground. It was such a beautiful day, but she felt wretched.

  She was no longer married to the love of her life. How stupid she was to have made such a fuss. She wondered if he still loved her. Had he ever loved her? And what about Cecile? Did he wish for another wife who could give him an heir? Would he come home alive?

  She frowned and put a gentle hand to her stomach. Oh, what a mess! She was with child and had no husband. But she was not the only one to blame. Why did Roderick have to be so stubborn about everything?

  She could not even write to him. His whereabouts were secret, and even if Agatha knew something, she was not telling her.

  She had to think positively. Her body was much bigger than a month ago, and when Roderick returned, he would have no doubt about her condition. But she was certain without Mrs. Hobbs help, this baby too would have been lost too. She felt the baby kick and smiled. Roderick could not, would not, forbid her from seeing the lady.

  “A penny for your thoughts.”

  Jane turned. “Oh, Captain, you surprised me.”

  The man put his hands behind his back and walked beside her. “Forgive me for startling you. I did not want to do that. Not in your condition.”

  Jane laughed. The captain looked quite handsome in his neat blue jacket and starched shirt. But she caught a flash of pain in those pale green eyes, making her realize the man was not all he seemed. Her heart hurt for him.

  She patted her belly, smiling back at him. “It is amazing, is it not?”

  The captain pursed his lips in thought as they walked along the grounds. He gazed up at the sky, his face looking rather soulful. “A miracle, Jane. Every life is a miracle, I believe.”

  She halted, wishing she could help him. “I do have the appearance as if I am going to have a child now, do I not?”

  The captain’s head turned to her, his face red.

  Jane giggled. “Oh, forgive me. I know it is not quite proper for me to speak about this to a gentleman who is not my husband, but you have been such a wonderful friend.” She touched his arm. “If it were not for you and Mrs. Hobbs, I do not know what I would have done.”

  The captain swallowed uncomfortably and tilted his head toward Hemmingly’s overgrown maze. “You do not have a legal husband, Jane. I hate to remind you of that.”

  Jane pulled her hand back to her side. “Forgive me. I forgot myself.”

  The captain heaved a sigh. “There is nothing to forgive. I would never hurt you. But you must think of the child. You have not heard anything about Roderick then?”

  “Just a letter from Whitehall, telling us he will be longer than expected. I think Agatha knows more, but if Roderick were—”

  She could not finish the thought. Her stomach knotted with dread. Roderick was not dead. He could not be!

  “And there you have it,” the captain said. “What if he does not come home? What will you do then?”

  Jane started walking again. She could not think about that. She stumbled.

  “Easy there,” the captain drawled, grabbing her elbow and setting her right.

  His tend
er regard for her burst the bubble of security she had created around her heart. She put her hands to her face, trying to hold back her tears. “I do not know what I will do if something happens to him. I have no idea why I was so determined, but I thought he would not let me see Mrs. Hobbs, and he had been so…so like a duke! But I could not face losing this child. I was torn. He was stubborn and arrogant. And I was stubborn and hurt. But I cannot lose him! I cannot!”

  The captain led her back to Hemmingly Hall, his soothing words trying to calm her. “I would marry you, Jane. If something happens to Roderick, I would be honored to have you as my wife. I would take the child as my own.”

  Tears brimmed in Jane’s eyes as she regarded the kind man. “That is very gallant of you, sir. But my heart belongs and will always belong to Roderick.”

  He patted her hand. “Sometimes things in life take turns we do not expect. I suspect God has some plan. But it is beyond me how He takes one life and gives life to another.”

  She looked at him in silence. It was almost as if he were telling her something.

  He chuckled. “Well, blast it all. It is a beautiful day. Let us not dwell on the what-ifs. Knowing that stubborn duke of yours, I have to believe he is combing the entire countryside…um, doing what he has to do.”

  She narrowed her blue eyes, suspicion gnawing at her brain. Agatha had told her the captain had done some work for Whitehall too. But what? Agatha had obviously informed him about the reason for Roderick and Jared’s quick departure.

  “Are you involved in anyway, Captain? I mean, I know the rest of the family has been in some type of reconnaissance during the war, and there is just something about you...”

  The captain’s emerald green eyes narrowed and he looked away. “Let us just say, I have put in my time for England and leave it at that.”

  “Hmmmm, I see,” she said, her lips twisting. “A man of mystery.”

  They walked a bit more and were just outside Hemmingly’s doors when Jane took a seat on a nearby bench. “My belly seems as if it is about to pop.”

  She giggled and watched beneath hooded eyes as he clasped his hands behind his back again. He did that, she mused, when he felt uncomfortable. The man needed a good woman.