It's All About the Duke--The Rakes of St. James

by Amelia Grey

  “Perhaps she will tell me today what it is you have done. Can you think of a time you might have offended her?”

  Many times.

  “I probably said something, Justine. You know I’m not always as discreet as I should be. And the Season has me weary.”

  “Ha!” Justine said. “Who could be weary of balls and dinner in beautiful homes? Going to parties and dancing with gentlemen will be a part of your life from now on. You’ll get used to it.”

  Marlena smiled at Justine’s enthusiasm. She couldn’t think of any man but Rath. Just the thought of continuing to go to parties and dancing with gentleman she had no desire to dance with was almost more than she could bear. And, every morning she woke wondering if it would be the day she received notice that Rath had turned her guardianship over to someone else.

  “I do wonder why the duke hasn’t been over,” Justine said absently. “You haven’t heard from him, have you?”

  “No,” she said, and she didn’t believe she would. “I see your carriage has driven up. You don’t want to be late for the duchess’ house.”

  “No, no. If you get lonely while I’m away, you can always play the piano or work on that garden scene you’ve been stitching for weeks now.”

  “It’s finished,” she said sadly. “I hated for it to end. Perhaps I’ll start another.”

  “Parties, my dear girl. Tea parties, card parties, and even those walks in the park you enjoy so much when it’s freezing. Now that the weather is better and warmer, you must get out and do more.”

  “I will,” she said softly. “I will have to.”

  After Justine left, Marlena sat down at her secretary and pulled out paper, quill, and ink. She might as well get started.

  As winter ends, spring begins. Gone are the barren trees, snowy landscapes, and frost-covered ponds. And when spring ends, summer will begin. So it is with life and so it is with scandal sheets.

  The loud clank of the door knocker made Marlena jump. Tut started barking like a fiend. Then she heard Mrs. Doddle’s footsteps. “Mrs. Doddle,” she said quietly as the woman passed by the doorway.

  “Yes, miss?”

  “Whoever it is, send them away. I am not accepting callers this afternoon.”

  “Yes, miss.”

  Marlena went back to her work. It begins and it ends. I must say good-bye.

  She didn’t like that. So she started again. The Season always brings us new gossip, and the first column of Miss Honora Truth’s Weekly Scandal Sheet has what will be the biggest gossip of the Season. This will be the last one.

  Marlena looked at that and laughed.

  “Well, it appears you haven’t missed me.”

  Marlena’s heart jumped to her throat and she almost stumbled over her chair rising at the sound of Rath’s voice.

  “I didn’t mean startle you.”

  He looked so handsome standing in the doorway in his dark-blue coat, camel-colored trousers, and those boots that made him look ten feet tall. Holding Tut again. The little dog was trying to lick his chin. It wasn’t fair that Tut loved him, too. She wanted to run to him and throw herself into his arms, but that couldn’t happen. No matter the cost, she couldn’t give him what he wanted. She wouldn’t give up Mr. Bramwell.

  She looked down at her scandal sheet. Her chest tightened for a second or two, and then she realized she didn’t have to hide it from him anymore. He knew. She put the quill in the stand and said, “Perhaps you’ve decided to make a habit out of startling me.”

  “I wouldn’t want to do that.” He put Tut down.

  Marlena squared her shoulders. She was doing her best not to let her mind run wild with thoughts of why he was there. She waited for him to tell her, but all he did was stare at her. Had he given her guardianship to someone else? Had he told Lady Vera about her? Had he told everyone?

  “What can I do for you?” she finally asked.

  He walked into the room and stood before her. She felt she should move away from him, but being so near was too tempting. “It’s good to see you, Marlena.”

  She turned away from him to stare out the window. She’d just thought the same about him but she wasn’t going to admit it.

  “I thought you might like to know a few things that I’ve been doing,” he said.

  She looked back at him. “That depends on what it is. I’m sure there are some things you could tell me that I wouldn’t care to hear.”

  “That’s true, but I don’t believe I have anything like that to say to you today.”

  Her heartbeat increased even though she didn’t want it to. “Very well. Would you like to sit down?”

  “No. I’d like to walk in the garden with you, if you don’t mind. Do you have a shawl nearby? It’s not very cold out today.”

  “Yes, right over here.”

  Marlena picked up her gray woolen shawl and was going to put it on her shoulders but the duke grabbed hold of it and insisted on helping her with it. She smelled his shaving soap, and her stomach jumped. She prayed he wouldn’t touch her. She didn’t need or want any more of his touches to think about and dream about. She had too many memories right now.

  Tut followed them down the steps and into the back garden. The grass and shrubs were showing their spring green colors and the sky had patches of blue among the stormy looking gray clouds.

  “I see some buds but no flowers are open yet,” Rath said.

  “Soon,” she said, walking beside him, holding on to the ends of her shawl as if they were some kind of lifeline for her. “But surely you didn’t come here to see my small garden.”

  “No.” He stopped as they neared the bench along the yew hedge, and so did she.

  “I wanted to tell you that everything is now in motion for Mr. Portington to open a museum. Members of The Royal Society have inspected some of his extraordinary relics and are eager to get started helping him prepare a building.”

  Her heartbeat increased again. “And you and the other two rakes are still going to finance it?”

  “Yes, and we have others who want to join us as well.”

  “I’m pleased.” She looked away again, finding it difficult to continue to look into his dark eyes. She didn’t want him to see how much she loved him, wanted him, and wished things could be different between them.

  “There is one other thing I wanted to tell you about Mr. Portington.”

  “All right,” she said, wishing she could stop the jittery feeling in her stomach.

  “I mentioned to him that this museum would be a great legacy to leave to his son.”

  “He doesn’t have one,” she said.

  “I know. He told me. He considers his wife very delicate, and he hasn’t pursued children fearing for her frail health and taking to her bed at times.”

  “Yes,” Marlena said confidently, “but she takes to her bed because he spends his monthly allowance on odd things and she’s afraid he will never come to her bed and give her children,” Marlena declared and then immediately clamped her mouth shut. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  He smiled and her heart and her hands warmed. What was he doing smiling at her when she was so distraught at losing him she was telling him about Veronica’s private life?

  “It’s all right, Marlena. You are not telling me anything I don’t already know.”

  “You know?”

  He nodded. “And I wanted you to know that Mr. Portington is now very much interested in having a son or daughter to leave his museum to.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. “Really? You know this.”

  “Straight from his mouth.”

  Marlena was so happy for Veronica she wanted to hug Rath and kiss him, and tell him how much she loved him. But she remained as stiff and stoic as she could under the circumstances.

  “That is welcome news.” Her throat felt tight. It wasn’t easy to hold in the emotions she was feeling. “I thank you for letting me know.”

  “Now I have some news that I don’t think you or Mrs. Portington
will approve of, but it’s not the first time I’ve done something that others disapprove of.”

  Her heart started pounding in her ears. This was it. What was he going to do to her for writing the scandal sheet, the book, and for not telling him about Mr. Bramwell? She could handle it. Whatever it was.

  “That can be said of most people, Your Grace. Just tell me what it is.” And put me out of my misery.

  “I offered Mr. Bramwell and Miss Everard my carriage-and-four to elope to Gretna Green. They left about five hours ago. At this point, it would be impossible for anyone to catch them and stop their marriage.”

  The breath left Marlena’s lungs but she managed to whisper, “What!”

  “I know it was rather presumptuous of me. And I didn’t do it for Mr. Bramwell, but for Miss Everard. I felt it the right thing to do under the circumstances.”

  “What circumstances? There are no circumstances that would warrant that. He is a tradesman. He’s—”

  “In love with Miss Everard. I have no reason to like the fellow, but she does. I did it for her.”

  She grabbed hold of her the ends of her shawl. “I’m not one given to the vapors but I think I have to sit down,” she whispered.

  Rath took hold of her arm and walked with her over to the bench.

  “Are you all right? You’re not going to faint, are you? Do I need to get the smelling salts?”

  “Oh, heavens no,” she whispered as she looked into his eyes. “My cousins would disown me if I ever fainted. It’s just that you don’t know Veronica. She will take to her sickbed over this and she may never get out.”

  “Mr. Portington knows. He helped me plan it.”

  “What?” She gasped. “He did that to his wife?”

  “He thought it was the right thing to do, too. He will tell her wife tonight and will take care of her while she adjusts to this news.”

  Rath was smiling gently at her. She felt limp, like a ball of yarn that had been rolled out. Wait—something wasn’t right.

  The day brightened as the sun came from behind a cloud. Marlena looked deeper into Rath’s dark eyes. “How did you know about the two of them? Eugenia faints every time she sees you.”

  “No more secrets, no more distrust or worries between us, Marlena. They paid me a visit and told me everything.”

  Marlena rose from the bench. “Everything? You—that he—”

  “Everything,” he said, taking hold of her shoulders. “Bramwell admitted he started the rumor at White’s.”

  Marlena gasped but Rath kept talking. “Eugenia helped me see that, even when a young man thinks he’s just having fun with a young lady, there can be consequences for bad behavior that can last a lifetime and sometimes affect others. Men should always be careful what they say and how they treat a lady.”

  She looked down at his hands on her arms, and he slowly removed them. “So you didn’t try to strangle him when he told you he was the one who started the rumor?”

  He smiled. “I did. But only for a few seconds and my hand was only around his neckcloth and not his throat. He wasn’t harmed.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “But there something else I have to tell you.”

  Every time he said that her heart jumped and her stomach squeezed.

  “I really don’t know if I can take any more news from you. And Justine will probably return shortly.”

  “No. I asked Esmeralda to ask her over and keep her all afternoon.”

  Her breath leaped. “You planned that?”

  He nodded. “I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time alone with you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a copy of her book.

  “I wanted to return this.”

  She just looked at it and that feeling of pride made her stand a little taller. She had written a book and had it published. And it had sold very well. Maybe she’d done one thing right.

  Marlena managed a little smile. “I told you it wasn’t necessary to return it, but since you never read it it’s just as well. I can give it to someone else.”

  “But I did read it.”

  She met his gaze. She wasn’t quite sure she believed him. “You did?”

  “I told you I would.”

  “I guess you finally found the time,” she answered, feeling miffed that if he had read it, it had taken him this long.

  “I admit that, when I first saw the book, I thought it drivel.”

  Well, that was about as blunt as a person could get.

  “And then I decided I wanted to read it and think on the things you alleged in your book before I got back to you about it. I wanted to talk with others about it. I wanted to know if a man was, indeed, a rake if he touched a lady inappropriately as you suggested in your book. I wanted to know if a man was, indeed, a rake if he had a card game with his friends rather than a ride in the park with the lady he was interested in, and many of the other things that you state.”

  Had he really done that? Talked with others about what she’d written?

  “Whom did you ask? Your friends? The rakes?”

  “Various people, including friends who are now happily married and no longer rakes, Lady Sara and Lady Vera, Esmeralda, Loretta, and Eugenia.”

  Eugenia, too?

  Marlena was suspicious of him. What was he getting at? She didn’t even know why he was telling her this. That he’d read it was enough.

  But pride made her ask, “What was your conclusion?”

  He smiled. “You were very brave to write the book, Marlena. I hope every lady reads it and knows how a gentleman should treat her and that she will stay away from rakes like me.”

  The sun was warming her back and sparkling in the duke’s eyes. He was chasing away the gray clouds in the skies and in her heart. “You have never been a rake to me. You have always been a gentleman.”

  “Even the last time we were together in your bedroom, here in your house? You know I planned it for us to be alone together.”

  “I was never unwilling at any time. I knew exactly what I wanted, and I wasn’t disappointed.”

  “May we go back to a conversation we were having that day?”

  No, she didn’t want to. She was liking the way she was feeling now. Not how she was felt when he was angry and she had to say good-bye to him.

  “That depends on which conversation it was.”

  He smiled and laid her book on the bench behind him. He gently moved his hands around her waist and pulled her up close. Marlena felt herself leaning into him, and he moved still closer to her.

  “I believe I had said I love you and I want to marry you, but you never gave me an answer.”

  “I believe we had some very strong unresolved issues between us that seemed unsurmountable.”

  “We did.” He moved his face closer to hers. “But your friends, the ones you would not betray, came to your rescue. I’m glad they did. They took all the blame.”

  “That doesn’t absolve me. When I said my love for you was pure, I meant it, but my life is not guilt-free. I have written gossip, true or not, about people I’ve never met. I am not blameless, Rath.”

  The corners of his lips lifted. “Neither am I. I am a rake. I liked what I read from Miss Honora Truth between the pages of your book. You have done a good service for ladies, but I’ve decided I want Marlena between the sheets, not Miss Truth between the pages.” He pulled her tighter to his chest and looked deeply, seriously into her eyes. “I want you to marry me, Marlena. Help me be the gentleman my father always wanted me to be.”

  Marlena’s heart swelled. She had thought she’d no chance at happiness if Rath was out of her life. Now she had him, the man she loved asking her to marry him. The man she would honor above all else.

  She could hardly breathe, let alone speak, but somehow she managed to whisper a yes. And then a stronger, louder, and happier, “Yes!”

  Rath pulled her tighter. “You know I would have had to force you if you hadn’t said yes.”

  “Because you are a rake.
”

  He shook his head. “Because I know I can’t live without you. And—” He hesitated.

  “And what?” she asked, suddenly fearing his answer.

  “I need someone to make sure my gardener takes care of the grounds of the Rathburne Estate.”

  She laughed. “Are they large grounds?”

  “You can make them bigger if you want,” he answered.

  “Then I think I should like to go there someday.”

  “After we’re married, or before,” he asked with a teasing grin.

  Marlena laughed. “After, of course.”

  Rath caught her up in his arms and sealed their promise with a kiss so passionate Marlena felt she was melting in his arms.

  He was warm and strong.

  Whack! Whack!

  “Hellfire!” Rath let go of Marlena and turned just in time to see Mrs. Abernathy’s parasol ready to strike him again.

  “Justine, no!” Marlena exclaimed, trying to move between her cousin and Rath. “What are you doing? Put that down before you hurt someone.”

  “I will not let him ruin you, Marlena.” She held her weapon up as if ready to go after Rath again. “You may be his ward but you are my charge and in my care. I will not let him lead you astray and leave you shamed and disgraced.”

  “But he’s not.”

  “Let me explain, Mrs. Abernathy,” Rath said.

  “What is there to explain?” she said, her eyes bulging. “I know what you were doing. It’s shameful what you’ve done. Pursuing me like you did, feigning interest in me. And only because you wanted to get your hands on my innocent Marlena. I won’t have it!”

  “No, no, he didn’t,” Marlena argued. “I won’t let you accuse him of something that’s not true.”

  “Because you don’t know, dear girl. You couldn’t see past his handsome face and charming ways.”

  “You are not being fair, Justine.”

  “Please, Marlena,” Rath said, “let her have her say. She needs to say this.”

  “Yes I do, and I will. I saw you two walking in the garden together at your house. And later how you tried your best to get her alone. Oh, yes, I was aware of that. I saw the way you held her when you danced at the ball. Her first dance that should have been with the gentleman Lord Henry. Oh, yes, I was aware of it all. And today, I was very suspect when the duchess invited me to tea and not Marlena. I knew you’d had a hand in it and I was right. You are her good friend and that you would involve her in your schemes is deplorable.”