To Tame a Viscount (Reformed Rakes Book 2)

by Jenn Langston

  “As I said, Whedon wanted me to pose as a client to show his sister exactly how dangerous it was to be in the world without a man’s protection. In his defense, he didn’t tell me to take her innocence, but he didn’t tell me not to, either.”

  “Why?” Simon ground out. “Why go through such lengths? I was under the impression that it was her brother who had insisted she leave his house in the first place.”

  Leyson laughed. “The man may have threatened her, but he never expected her to actually leave. He’d always planned to use her as a tool to siphon money out of some lord and rid himself of his stepmother in the process. Regardless, the viscount never paid me because I didn’t make it far enough before I was caught. Then, your wife had me banned from the place, and had my reputation tarnished.”

  Hating every bit of this information, Simon narrowed his eyes. “Then, when you saw her again, you thought you’d enact some revenge.”

  With a shrug, Leyson ran a finger along his glass. “I am a mere man. And, in truth, it was mostly to get back at Whedon. I actually enjoyed seeing her for the first time in front of him. Pretending not to know who she was as Whedon’s face turned purple was quite enjoyable.”

  Although Simon would love to celebrate any discomfort on Whedon’s part, he could only think of what Kaylee must have felt in that moment. Clearing his throat, he tried to refocus. It wouldn’t do to cause bodily harm to the man who was supplying him this necessary information.

  “Then, you warn me off, why? Because you haven’t ruined her yet?”

  Leyson closed his fingers around the glass angrily. “No. I made the same mistake twice. Whedon promised to settle the debt, double it actually, if I could encourage you to look elsewhere. And, again, the man refused to pay me.”

  “Well, I am a man of my word, and your debt has finally been settled.” Simon pushed past the fury threatening to break free of his body. “I thank you for seeking me out, and I’ll expect you to never approach Lady Washburne in the future.”

  Leyson bowed his head. “You have my word.”

  “I’ll also have you know that Whedon will pay for this.”

  “I will hold you to that.” Leyson stood. “It was a pleasure doing business with you. Should you require my services in the future, you know where to find me.”

  After the man left, Simon sat there for a long time just staring ahead and trying to make sense of all the new information he had accumulated. All this time his solicitor hadn’t been able to come up with anything to help him out of the situation with Whedon, but he had everything he needed now. It was just a matter of how to use this without Kaylee finding out. She’d been hurt enough, and he’d be damned if he let anything else happen to her. After all, she was his wife, and he loved her.

  The realization sent waves of joy and torment spinning through his body. He loved her, and she thought he was in love with another woman. Not to mention, his time with her was limited. His life had turned into one big mess. And, he feared there was very little he could do about it.

  Chapter 15

  Kaylee walked around the townhouse, her heart low in her chest. Yesterday, after her horrible discussion with Simon, she’d climbed into the carriage only to discover she had no one to turn to. She certainly couldn’t go to Amelia with her current troubles, and neither Regina nor Constance would approve of her decision to use Simon for a temporary marriage.

  Never before had she felt so alone. In the end, she had returned to the townhouse after riding around the city, and Simon had been gone. Knowing she had driven him from his own home had only compounded her guilt.

  “My lady?”

  The sound of the maid’s voice had Kaylee jumping. “Yes?”

  “Your presence is requested in the second sitting room.”

  Confused, Kaylee ran a hand over her arm. “The room overlooking the garden?”

  “Yes, my lady.” The girl smiled in understanding.

  Although Kaylee didn’t want to give the staff any reason to believe there was any strife between the lord and lady of the house, she couldn’t walk into this blindly. Not to mention the fact that she couldn’t face Simon right now. Probably not ever again.

  “Who has requested my presence?” Kaylee attempted to keep her voice mildly curious.

  Concern passed through the girl’s eyes. “I’m not sure, my lady. It was Miss Gina who asked me to locate you. The young misses might be planning something and need your assistance.”

  Kaylee smiled, although a rock settled in her stomach. She had secretly hoped it had been Simon asking for her. “How wonderful. Thank you.”

  Once the girl left, she made her way to the room, wondering what her sister-in-law had needed from her. Although, she had no idea what to do about Simon, that was no reason for his siblings to suffer. They had every right to believe matters between her and their brother were just as they should be.

  Taking a deep breath, she put on a happy face, then entered the room and froze. Simon stood there, watching her with a cautious face. Had Gina sensed discourse between them and set this up? The idea turned her stomach. She couldn’t handle his sisters being involved.

  “Where’s Gina?” Her voice emerged emotionless, and he winced.

  “She won’t be joining us. I requested that she ask you to come here, nothing more.”

  Unease sent a shiver over her skin. She wasn’t sure if she should be pleased or not by his ploy to get her to come to him. Clearly, he didn’t expect her to want to arrive should he ask for himself. That didn’t give her a good feeling about their future. She bit her tongue. They had no future. She needed to keep reminding herself that.

  “I see. Well, I’m here. What did you want to talk to me about?”

  His sigh was heavy. “I know you regret marrying me, and I can’t change that, but I still hope we can move past it. I want you to be happy.”

  She turned her face away from him. How could she look at him? She didn’t deserve to be happy. Even after she’d made him miserable, here he was trying to give her everything. It wasn’t fair.

  In truth, he deserved a divorce and the freedom to marry who he wanted. She’d spent half the night agonizing over this decision. After having promised herself nine months with him, the selfish side of her didn’t want to lose that.

  “And, what of your happiness?” she whispered.

  When he didn’t respond right away, she spared a glance at him. The look on his face didn’t encourage her. He appeared broken. She’d done that. It was all her fault. How could she fix this? A sob lodged in her throat. An annulment was the only thing she could come up with.

  “I will be happy once you have achieved that state.” His voice was raw.

  Knowing what she had to do next would cost her dearly, she steeled herself against the pain. “That’s not the way this works. I should have made sure you didn’t have another woman in mind before proposing my plan. Since this failure was mine, I see no option but to request a divorce.”

  Fury darkened his eyes. “Absolutely not. You agreed to give me nine months. I will not allow you to escape so easily.”

  “Why not?” she demanded, feeling her own anger mounting. “Don’t you realize what this means for you? A divorce now will free you to marry Lady Amelia before she is claimed by another. I can right this wrong if you let me.”

  He stalked toward her, but she held her ground. “As far as excuses go, that one is rather weak. You are going to have to do much better if you want to get away from me.”

  Narrowing her eyes, she lifted her chin. “I disagree. You wanting to marry someone else is a perfect reason for dissolving this marriage.”

  “Let me make this very clear for you. I don’t want to marry Lady Amelia. At one time, she was someone I’d considered, but I left her house to go to you that day.”

  She swall
owed, not sure if she could believe him. “But, you didn’t have a choice but to marry me. I didn’t give you one. She didn’t get one either.”

  He put his hand over her mouth. “Stop it right there. I had a choice, as well as plenty of opportunities. I could have offered for Lady Amelia countless times, but I didn’t. I offered for you, and in the end, it was you I married. Now, I’ve made my choice, and so did you. So, for the next nine months, you’re mine.”

  The way he said it sent fire through her veins as her hopes soared. Could it be that he truly wanted to be married to her? The thought was unfathomable. She tried to dull her rising joy lest she be disappointed in the end. After all, he continually mentioned the nine month deadline. Likely, he was simply concerned over his father’s will.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “I am yours.”

  The smile he gave her reached right into her chest.

  “Since we have that settled, there is one more matter of business we must attend. Arranging you to meet me in this room had a purpose. For too long, it’s sat underused and unappreciated. That’s going to change. From now on, it’s yours.”

  She sucked in her breath, taken aback. “Mine?”

  He ran a hand down her cheek, the gesture almost loving. “Yes. I think you should have a painting studio with a view to inspire.”

  Stunned by his generosity and thoughtfulness, she merely stood there, gawking at him. How could this be possible? She had married the most wonderful man in the world. Her heart swelled, expanding in her chest and causing tears to spill from her eyes. How could she give him up in a little over eight months?

  “Does that not please you?” Worry crept into his voice. “There are other rooms to choose from. Just tell me which you’d like and—”

  Forcing herself out of her shock, she launched herself into his arms. He caught her and held her tight. She reveled in the feeling of being in his arms.

  “I love it. Thank you.”

  She pulled his face down and gave him a searing kiss, hoping to communicate all of her love in that one action. Although she could never tell him how she felt, she could show him every chance she could.

  He pulled back from her much too soon. “Are you certain? Do you truly like it?”

  Laughing, she ran her hands down his chest. “Why don’t you go close the door, and I’ll show you exactly how much I like it.”

  ~ ~ ~

  “I can’t think of anything else to tell you, Simon.” The exasperation in Gina’s voice couldn’t be mistaken. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do here, but she married you, so I think you can stop trying to win her over.”

  Letting out a long breath, Simon nodded, although he didn’t agree with his sister. It was true that he’d made significant progress with Kaylee, but every time he was with her, he could tell she was holding back. Here they were, mere weeks into their marriage, and it was as though she were already preparing herself to leave him. The thought alone infuriated him.

  “Of course you’re right,” he agreed. “However, I don’t get the feeling that she’s happy here. All I’m asking is that you talk to her and tell me what she wants. What would bring her contentment with her life here?”

  Gina pursed her lips. “She’s been helping Wendy play the pianoforte, and it seems like she’s been enjoying that. Maybe if you give her something to do with music? I just don’t know. I can try to help, but I don’t see what you are seeing, and I don’t think you have any reason for this.”

  “Just try.”

  After mumbling something under her breath, Gina left the room. Simon sat back in his chair and rubbed his temples. Kaylee had seemed rather pleased by his gift of the painting studio yesterday, but this morning it was as though they had taken a step back again. At this point, he was at a complete loss. He couldn’t spend every second reassuring her, nor could he make her fall in love with him.

  A knock at the door halted his depressing thoughts. To his surprise, he found Weston waiting to be granted entrance. Typically, his cousin let himself in as if he had every right. This break in his normal behavior as well as the serious look on his face was curious and didn’t give Simon a good feeling regarding this visit. At the moment he was dealing with enough and not anxious to add any more trouble.

  “Weston, please come in. Can I offer you a drink?”

  His cousin’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “No. I’m here so we can talk.”

  As the man entered the room and sat with his back straight in the chair, Simon had to fight a groan. This was not what he needed right now. But, this was exactly how his life decided to go lately. No matter what he wished, he was destined to experience difficulty in every fashion. He took a deep breath, he would deal with this just as he had everything else.

  “That doesn’t sound particularly good. What is going on?”

  “I wish to rescind my request for your sister’s hand in marriage.”

  Shocked, Simon’s jaw dropped. “This is quite a surprise. What happened to change your mind?”

  “Nothing. I just wanted to let you know so you would be aware that you are free to offer your blessing to another, should they request it.”

  The lack of feeling from the man who supposedly loved Lana angered Simon. He clenched his fists. Had he been wrong to grant his blessing to Weston in the first place? No. He couldn’t have been mistaken. Something had happened between the two of them, and exactly as Simon had done with Kaylee, Weston was giving up on Lana. That couldn’t be allowed.

  Simon crossed his arms. “In that case, I deny your request.”

  “Deny my request? I have asked for nothing.”

  “On the contrary. You are asking to be released from your obligation to Lana. I’ve denied it. If you don’t wish to pursue her, that is your choice, but I will not be offering my blessing to anyone else.”

  Fury presented itself in a shade of purple on Weston’s face. “You can’t do that. She deserves to be married. To have a house to run. A husband to care for her.”

  “I agree, but there is nothing I can do about it.” Simon let out an exaggerated sigh. “It’s my burden as her brother to take care of her through this difficult time. In the end, who knows, she may enjoy being a companion for my wife.”

  A strangled sound escaped Weston’s throat. “Why are you doing this?”

  Turning serious, Simon leaned forward to look directly at his cousin. “Because my sister deserves someone who cares enough to fight for her. So far, you’ve been the only one who has tried this hard, but you are far from done. Your part is not yet over. If you do, in fact, care for her, you need to push through this to the end.”

  Weston slammed his hands on the desk as he stood. “You don’t understand. She doesn’t want me. She told me that. Word for word. There is nothing more I can do for her.”

  “You’re wrong. Kaylee had rejected my suit as well, but now she’s my wife.”

  “Only temporary,” Weston shot back.

  Simon cringed as the reminder sent a jab of pain through him. He knew that, only too well.

  “I’m sorry.” His cousin quickly sat back down, his fury significantly diminished. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m just frustrated. Lana has pushed me beyond my limit.”

  “Women are frustrating, I know, but you can’t give up on her. Before I left for Scotland, my sister had decided upon having you as a husband. You need to think back and discover what the turning point was.”

  “Don’t you think I’ve done nothing but agonize over that? I can’t seem to figure it out.”

  As his cousin raked his hand down his face, Simon realized the man resembled him a short time ago. The sight of his cousin’s torment affected him to his core. That feeling still swam in the pit of his own stomach. Simon couldn’t handle the idea of another good man reliving this pain. Although hi
s relationship with Kaylee wasn’t in a good place at present, Weston needed him. He couldn’t deny that. Nor could he deny the sick feelings churning through him from what he’d been going through with his own wife.

  “I may be able to help you. Don’t worry. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  ~ ~ ~

  “That’s very good,” Kaylee praised, loving the ability to teach again. “You have improved so much in the past few days.”

  Wendy’s smile was magnificent. “I’ve always loved to play, but the tutors I’ve had haven’t been very patient with me. You are very good at this.”

  The compliment had Kaylee’s cheeks burning. The girl had no idea it had taken her years of practice. Teaching Wendy had come naturally, and was good for both of them. For once since her marriage, Kaylee felt useful. Although she had taken over running the house, she knew her position was temporary so she felt as though her every decision was wrong, or that she should seek out permission. In truth, it had become tiresome to feel like an outsider each and every day. But, at the pianoforte, she was at home.

  “Are you well?” The concern in Wendy’s voice made Kaylee smile.

  “Of course. My mind was simply wandering. I do enjoy teaching you to play.”

  Wendy tilted her head to the side and eyed her critically. “Are you happy?”

  Caught off guard, Kaylee stood and walked from the piano bench. Gina, too, mentioned this very subject to her the other day. “Why do you ask?”

  “I like having you for a sister, and I would hate to think you are unhappy with your life here.”

  Keeping her back straight, Kaylee maintained eye contact with her sister-in-law. “I’m perfectly content. There is no reason for you to worry.”

  “That’s not the same thing, and you know it. What happened? When you arrived here such a short time ago, you were practically glowing with love for my brother. Your story was so romantic, Gina and I were planning our own romantic elopements, but this isn’t what we want for ourselves or for you.”