“John, what in the world are you doing here?” She pulled back to look at him, holding him by his upper arms. She noted the strength in them. Goodness, it seemed he'd grown considerably in the last few weeks since the wedding.
“I...um...” He swallowed and then looked about as Michael came trotting into the circular.
“John?” he asked as he dismounted. “Is everything all right? We weren't expecting you.”
“No, no, everything is fine,” he assured them, shifting his gaze back and forth from Beth to Michael. “That is, well...”
A silent moment passed between John and Michael, and Beth suddenly felt very left out. Clearly, Michael understood the meaning in John's look, for he abandoned his questioning.
“Come stable the horses with me,” he said to John. “Mrs. Kerr, perhaps you could see to refreshments for all of us?”
“Oh, of course!” the woman shouted and then bustled into the house.
Beth watched the scene, feeling like an outsider. What the devil was going on here? Michael and John were walking away, whispering as they went, and Beth's blood began to boil.
“Michael!”
Her husband turned to regard her with a perplexed look. “Yes, darling?”
Now what was she supposed to say? What about me? What am I supposed to do? Please don't forget about me! Goodness, that sounded childish. She was a grown woman, and she knew what was expected of her. She would be a dutiful wife and sister and wait for them in the drawing room.
As they stared back at her, she realized that patience was not her best virtue, and it never would be. Blast them both; they would not shut her out of this conversation.
“I'm coming with you.”
They exchanged another glance, leaden with meaning, as she stalked across the drive to them.
“Perhaps it would be better if I spoke with Michael alone, Lizzie,” John said sheepishly.
“Perhaps it would be best if you just told us what this is all about right now!”
“Beth, calm down—”
“Beth?”
“It's my pet name for her. Do you like it?”
“It's different, but I suppose it suits her.”
“Stop!”
Both men turned to look at her. Clearly, they'd momentarily forgotten that she was standing there. She growled low in her throat and clenched her fists. Why did men insist on being so high handed? And when did Michael and her brother become those kind of men?
“Darling, why don't you go wait in the drawing room? We'll only be a few minutes.”
Ha! And in those few minutes, John would tell Michael whatever the hell was going on and then she would get the watered-down version, no doubt. She was not about to let that happen.
“Mr. Kerr!” she called across the drive.
The old man had just made it up the front stairs and had his hand on the doorknob. “My lady?”
“Beth, no, we will stable the horses-—”
“Would you mind terribly walking the horses to the stable?”
“You're crossing a line here, Beth,” Michael growled in her ear.
She ignored him.
“Lizzie, please, this is a rather...sensitive subject.”
Beth whirled on her brother and fixed him with a stony glare. “I am your sister!” she hissed. “Sensitive subjects should be discussed with me first. You hardly even know Michael!”
By this time, Mr. Kerr had arrived to take the horses and both men looked as if they were going to have her for lunch. If she weren't so furious, she might have been frightened of the fury in their eyes.
“Now,” she said, trying to add a bit of levity to her voice. “Let us all adjourn to the drawing room and talk about this like grown adults.”
Another threatening growl came from her husband, and yet another silent look passed between him and her brother. Then, before she could say a word, they flanked her and grabbed her by the elbows. Unfortunately, she was facing the opposite direction, so she ended up being dragged, rather unceremoniously, across the drive, up the stairs, past several servants and into the drawing room where they deposited her onto a sofa.
They both stood over her, Michael fuming, John looking more put out than angry. She was about to open her mouth to say any number of things that were running through her head: How dare you manhandle me like that! or Now that you've proved yourselves complete barbarians, let us sit down and talk this through. But Michael interrupted her.
“You,” he said through heavy breaths, “will sit right here until we return.”
Beth wanted to shout at him, to tell him that he couldn't tell her what to do, but his expression was enough to make her keep her mouth shut. Perhaps she had gone a step too far, gainsaying him in front of a servant and John. Even in her lowly, wifely position, she expected to be treated with more respect than she'd shown him in the last few minutes.
Blast, but she hated when he was right!
Even more, she hated being left out of a matter that involved her brother. He was her family, not Michael's!
Accepting defeat, she crossed her arms over her chest, flopped back against the sofa, and watched as the two men stalked from the room.
Twenty-Three
“What is this all about?” Michael asked as he ushered John through the door and shut it securely behind him. “And keep your voice down if you don't want your sister to hear. No doubt she'll be listening at the door.”
“Right, well...you see, the thing is...”
Michael let out a hefty sigh. This was going to be a torturous afternoon if John didn't get on with it. “Look, whatever it is, you can tell me. I'm an impartial party. We'll come up with a solution together, all right?”
John nodded, still looking a bit skeptical, but he finally launched into his story. “I've been dismissed...from Oxford.”
Michael's jaw dropped. “Dear God...I mean, go on.” He waved his hand at the boy, trying to remain calm. What in God's name was he supposed to do with him now? He'd been expelled and then fled, surely without a word to anyone, to Scotland. Bloody hell.
“I did something rather...unsavory, some might say. But the truth of the matter is things like this happen every day and I just happened to get caught. And by that horrific excuse for a man, James Froggenhall, no less. He's hated me since we first started Eton, though I can't imagine why. And he, of course, told his sisters—silly Julia and her even sillier sister, Jane—who, in turn, told the rest of the bloody town. It's ridiculous when you think about it.”
“I'm sorry, John, I'm not quite following. What the hell are you talking about?”
A sheepish expression passed over John's features and he dropped his eyes to the floor. “I was carrying on an affair with an older woman—”
“How much older?”
He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Twenty years,” he mumbled into his hand, though Michael heard him loud and clear.
“Good God.” Michael took a moment to process the information. That was quite an age difference, but he still failed to see how such a thing could get one expelled from college. Unless...”Who was this woman, John?”
Silence. Clearly, though he'd traveled over a week to seek help from Michael and Beth, he was not going to give up the information without a great deal of prodding.
“Forgive me, John, but it's been a long day and my patience is running a bit thin. You either tell me now, or I will shove you back in your carriage and—”
“All right, I'll tell you!” He ran tense fingers through his golden hair and rolled his shoulders, like a pugilist warming up for a fight. “Her name is Mrs. Caruthers. Evangeline Caruthers, as in—”
“Professor Caruthers, teacher of Greek philosophy.” That was it. Michael knew he promised to be impartial, but for God's sake! “You had an affair with a professor's wife?” Michael shouted into the room.
John tried to shush him. “Please, I really don't want Lizzie to know what happened.”
Michael was sure it was too late for that. He m
arched to the sliding door of his study and pulled it open. There on the other side, trying to make a quick escape, was his wife. Of course, she wasn't nearly quick enough, and Michael had her by the scruff in a matter of seconds. She turned wide eyes and a bright red face on him.
“I'm sorry, Michael. Please don't be angry with me.”
“Hah! It's not you I'm angry with, my dear. You were right where I expected you to be. It's your reprobate brother who deserves all my wrath right now. I'm sure you heard.”
Beth nodded. “You may let go of my dress now.”
“Oh, sorry,” he said, relinquishing his hold. “Did I hurt you?”
“I'm fine,” she assured him as she righted herself. “I don't blame you for your reaction. I'd like to throttle him myself.”
Michael stepped to the side and swept his arm in an arc. “Be my guest,” he said, and then watched as his wife swept past him through the door.
***
Beth could hardly contain her anger as she stormed into her husband's study. An affair. With a married woman. With a woman married to one of his professors. Twenty years his senior!
Perhaps she should ask Michael to restrain her. And to remove all sharp objects from her sight.
John's head snapped up as she entered the room, a look of pure terror marring his baby face. Good heavens, he was a baby! What was he doing dallying with an older woman like that?
“Lizzie, please, I can explain,” he pleaded as she marched to him.
“You can explain having an affair with a woman twenty years your senior, who is married to your professor? You can explain getting kicked out of university? You can explain fleeing the country without a word to mother and father and showing up on my doorstep?”
By the time she ended her short line of questioning, she had her brother pinned against the window. Despite the fact he was at least a foot taller than she was, he cowered like a frightened puppy.
“Where else was I to go?”
“Home, John!” she shouted, her voice strained with exasperation. “You should have gone home. Mother and Father must be horribly worried about you. I’m sure the school has informed them of your dismissal by now.”
“And then what?” John pushed his way around her, his puppy-like fear giving way to frustration and indignity. “Father would never have allowed me back home after what I’ve done. The disgrace to the family would be…will be…substantial. I thought if I came here first…”
Beth bit down on her tongue, trying to calm her frayed nerves. It wasn’t worth getting so worked up over. He was here now, and they had to come up with a solution. He’d come to her, seeking refuge. That was something. He trusted her enough to travel over a week’s journey to seek her council.
Well, not hers really. He’d been hell-bent on not telling her in the first place. This thought threatened to boil her blood again, so she decided it was best not to dwell on it.
With a deep breath, she turned to see her husband standing in the doorway, his shoulder propped against the threshold. Their eyes met and she suddenly had the overwhelming urge to curl up in his arms and cry.
Goodness, what would she do without him? She drew her strength from him, she now realized. And just then it was his quiet encouragement that calmed her nerves.
She drew in her breath and turned back to her brother. “Fine,” she said, her voice quiet. “You may stay here—”
“Oh, thank you, Lizzie,” John interrupted with a sigh.
“But not as a guest,” she finished.
Her brother’s expression quickly dropped from relieved to panicked. And she couldn’t blame him. He should be terrified of what she had planned.
“If you think,” she began, keeping her voice low and calm, “that you will be lounging about all day, living in the lap of our luxury, you are sadly mistaken.”
“Lizzie, what are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about what you’ll be doing while you’re here. Where you’ll be living.”
She could feel the warmth of her husband at her back all of a sudden. He put a hand on her shoulder and patted gently.
“You will serve while you are here—”
“Serve?” John repeated, his tone scoffing at the mere thought of a service position.
“Yes, serve,” Beth repeated, with more force this time. “And you will live in the servants' quarters—”
“What?” His pale eyes turned a stormy shade of blue. “Damn it, Liz, I’m next in line for an earldom! I can’t serve!”
“You’ll watch your language or I’ll put you out on the street without another thought,” Michael interjected. “I can’t imagine the gutter is a place for a future earl to be seen either. At least here you will have a warm bed and provisions.”
Beth turned to her husband, warmed by his sudden defense of her. He didn’t smile at her, but she felt the admiration in his gaze.
“Your sister’s offer is generous and will buy you time while things simmer down in London. If you don’t wish to accept her offer, then I wish you luck on your journey back to Town.” He took her gently by the elbow. “We will give you time to think it over.”
Twenty-Four
“This isn't fair at all, you know?” John complained as they climbed the stairs to the servants' quarters.
“Well, I'm sure your professor didn't think it was all that fair that his wife was canoodling with one of his students. I'm sure Mother and Father won't think it's fair that they must bear the brunt of your disgrace. And I certainly don't think it's fair that I'm now charged with looking after you when I'm practically still on my honeymoon.”
“You don't have to look after me, Liz,” John countered with a scoff. “I'm a grown man. I just need a place to stay until the scandal blows over.”
“And here you are,” she replied, turning to face him. “John, I know what you're accustomed to, and I know this will be...different, to say the least. But I can't, in good conscience, let you get off scot free in this situation. You've inconvenienced a great number of people, and I think a dose of your own medicine is in order.”
“But—”
“No!” Beth held up her hand to stop him from continuing. “Not another word, John. If you don't like the arrangement, then you may leave.”
Her brother's nostrils flared as his anger mounted. Obviously he'd thought to change her mind once the initial shock had worn off, but Beth would not be swayed.
“Fine,” he said at last. “I will leave in the morning.”
Beth couldn't deny that his declaration hurt a little. Though the circumstances were awful, she liked having him there. She had hoped they would be able to spend a little time together before he left. But she knew she couldn't keep him there.
“If that is what you want—”
“Lady Wetherby?”
Beth swung around to find Bonnie standing on the landing at the end of the corridor. Only Bonnie wasn't looking back at her. The girl’s eyes were focused intently on John, and she tucked her chin coyly to her chest as she gave him a bashful smile. Beth turned to her brother, who stared back at Bonnie with just about the silliest grin she had ever seen.
Oh, good heavens! Now I will be forced to act as a chaperone!
“May I help you, Bonnie?”
Bonnie blinked and then snapped to attention. “Mrs. Kerr wishes to see you, milady. She would like to discuss the evening meal, seeing as your brother is here and all.”
“My brother will not be dining with us,” Beth blurted out, though she didn't know why that was important in the moment.
Both Bonnie and John stared at her, their expressions curious.
Finally, John said, “Perhaps Bonnie could show me to my room, since you're required downstairs? As long as it's no trouble.”
“Ah, I don't think—”
“It's no trouble at all, milord.”
“Well, perhaps I should—”
“You go on, sis.”
And just like that, the two of them linked arms and turned
their backs to her. Beth stood speechless as she watched them saunter slowly down the hall, their heads bent close as they whispered to one another. This was not good. Not good at all.
***
“What on earth am I going to do with him?” Beth muttered as she lifted her teacup to her lips.
“Do?” Michael asked as he stepped into his wife's bedchamber. She blinked up at him as he continued. “I thought you came up with a quite a plan already. Living in service for a spell should do him some good. Then he can figure out his own bloody course.”
“Michael!” Beth turned wide eyes on him. “How could you say such a thing? He is my brother.”
“Yes, well, brother or not, he's not a child. He's a man now and he needs to act like one.”
“Says one of the two most depraved lords the ton has ever seen.”
Michael leveled his wife with an incredulous stare. “You don't fight fair, you know?” He poured himself a cup of tea and took a chair opposite her. “But let's not quarrel over this anymore. We have more important things to discuss.”
“Oh?” she asked, her brows tilting up in question.
Michael stared back at Beth. His beautiful, strong Beth, and realized he didn't want to discuss a damned thing with her. He set down his teacup before taking a single sip and moved to sit beside her on the settee. She was flushed from her close proximity to the fire and her hair was slightly askew from their afternoon at the loch. She'd never looked more beautiful.
He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand and Beth gave a little shudder before he lowered his lips to hers. Her lips were warm and soft, and Michael felt his groin tighten in response.
“Perhaps we could finish what we began on the boat this afternoon,” he ventured in between nibbles of her bottom lip.
Bedeviled Bride (Regency Historical Romance) Page 14