But since the guards all knew of Edwin’s presence, he wouldn’t get away with it. He’d be tried and hanged, almost certainly. That, too, would affect Clarissa.
And not just her. It would expose his sister to yet another scandal, a worse one than anything their cursed younger brother had fomented. Yvette was finally happy; he refused to ruin that for her and her new husband.
Besides, there was another solution to this dilemma, one that would nip all of Durand’s machinations in the bud. But it would take a bit of time to put his plan into place. So, as much as he wished to throw the count’s threats back in his face, he must be cautious.
“I need a few days to think about it.” Edwin practically choked on the lie. Though it was a necessary one, he loathed implying that he’d ever consider capitulating.
Durand narrowed his gaze on Edwin. “Why?”
Edwin shrugged. “That should be obvious. If I withdraw my offer to Clarissa, she could—and probably would—have me charged with breach of contract. So I must consult my lawyer about the likely outcome of such a charge and what it might cost me financially. I must also consider which scandal would damage my family more—the revelation of my father’s secrets or the sudden refusal to marry a woman I’ve publicly proclaimed as my fiancée. Then there is also the matter—”
“Enough. I take your meaning.” Durand scrutinized him closely. “You really are a cold man sometimes, Blakeborough. I threaten to take away Lady Clarissa, and all you can think about is how it will affect your purse.”
If Durand thought so, then at least Edwin was managing to shield his true feelings. “I like to think I’m practical. As you say, Clarissa and I aren’t in love—but that doesn’t mean I’m unaware of what effect giving in to your demands could have on my life.”
The count seemed to consider that. “Fine. You can have two days. But I expect your decision at the end of the day after tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” Edwin affected the bored tone typical of a lord of his rank. “Now, since this conversation has grown tiresome, I’ll leave you to your cigars.”
“You can show yourself out, I suppose,” Durand said.
With the merest of nods, Edwin calmly left the room.
But inside he was seething. It was all he could do to contain his fury until he was safely in his carriage and away. Father, a spy for the French. His gut twisted into a knot at the very thought.
Though it did explain so much. Why Father had always been so inattentive to his family. Why, when Mother was dying, he’d continued his jaunts to London. And why Edwin had never noticed any signs of opium intoxication on the few occasions Father was home. Had he ever even used opium? Or had he just gone to the opium den for his French masters?
The other thing he didn’t understand was why. What could possibly have made Father wish to involve himself in such affairs? Some fondness for his French relations? It didn’t seem plausible.
But the documents had clearly been written by Father. It wasn’t just his handwriting—it was his manner of speech, his use of certain words. And Edwin didn’t dare turn to anyone for advice, for fear the news would get out and the family’s name be dragged through the mud.
There was only one way out of this. Clarissa wouldn’t like it, but he must do his utmost to convince her to marry him by special license before he met with Durand again. Short of telling her exactly what Durand had found out about his father, of course. She was skittish enough about marrying him; if she knew there was a small chance she could be cut off from society, she would dig in her heels.
And this must be handled quickly. Even if Durand was bluffing about his threats to expose Father’s spying, the very fact that he was so adamant about marrying Clarissa was cause for alarm. The Frenchman might even attempt abducting her. Plenty of men did that with heiresses.
But not on Edwin’s watch. He would see Durand hang before he let the bastard harm one hair on her head.
Twelve
Shortly after sunset the next day, too early to dress for dinner and too late for a nap, Clarissa lounged about her room. Should she wear the lace pelerine or the net fichu with her dinner gown? Edwin was unlikely to care either way. As long as her attire was presentable, he probably wouldn’t even notice.
No, he only noticed when her bosom was half-bare.
Her eyes narrowed. Very well, no pelerine or fichu at all. Because tonight she wanted to make him notice her—to make him see her for herself, with all her flaws. To make him understand that she really wasn’t the sort of woman he wanted to marry.
Although that hadn’t worked last night. It had only made him randy, something she would never have expected of the staid Edwin. And if she flaunted her bosom at him, he might look at her with that piercing stare that made her shiver all over, and then she would forget her purpose. Which was to very kindly but firmly refuse to marry him.
Yes—that was her plan and she must hold to it, no matter how much he growled in that oh-so-enticing rumble that half negated whatever he was saying. Even if he took her aside privately and gave her one of his luscious kisses that went on and on and on. Even if Mama, in her foolishness, left them alone again, and he tried to kiss his way down into—
Fichu. Definitely a fichu. And while she was at it, perhaps a nice suit of armor to keep him from being tempted and her from giving in.
A clatter sounded against the French doors that led out to her balcony. What on earth? Another rattle sounded. And another.
Hurrying out onto the balcony, she peered into the garden below, which was faintly lit by the gaslights from the mews in the back. And there, dressed far too informally for dinner, was Edwin.
She gaped down at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I need to talk to you privately. Now. It’s urgent.”
“Then come in the front door like a civilized person and ask for me.”
“I can’t. I don’t want your mother involved. I don’t even want the servants to know I’ve been here. Come down. We can talk in the garden.”
Alone in the garden? Not likely. The very idea made a thrill course down her spine. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m in my dressing gown.” She turned for the door. “Come back for dinner—that’s soon enough to talk.”
“Very well. I’ll just have to come up.”
What? She rushed back to the balcony in time to see him scaling the tall, spindly beech that rose too far away from her balcony to be of use to him.
“Edwin!” she hissed. “Stop that at once! It won’t hold your weight.”
He ignored her and kept climbing.
She watched with her heart in her throat. “What do you mean to do? Leap through the air? It’s too far!”
If she raised an alarm, that would put an end to it . . . but something held her back. Curiosity? His expression of grim determination? Her worry that if anyone came out and distracted him, he might fall?
“Edwin,” she whispered as he reached the level of her balcony. “Oh, do be careful. Don’t even think about jumping.”
Already, visions of his body broken on the garden paving stones below haunted her. But curiously, he kept climbing. The tree started to bow with his weight, and he shifted to the side nearest her balcony. When it bowed even more, she had to bite back a scream.
Then the tree bent just enough to set him down right before her.
When he released the beech, it sprang back into place. Then he dusted off his hands and trousers, as if he climbed onto balconies so deftly every day.
She wanted to throttle him. “Are you mad? You could have killed yourself!”
He blinked. “Nonsense. I knew precisely what I was doing. I calculated the circumference and height of the tree against my weight and the pull of gravity, and figured it would be fine.”
“Figured!” She poked him in the chest. “If you had figured wrong, you would have broken your n
eck!”
He grabbed her hand, his eyes glittering in the faint candlelight from the room. “You were worried about me.”
“Of course I was worried about you!”
“Then you should have come down,” he said very matter-of-factly.
“I would have, if I’d known you’d turned into a reckless fool overnight.”
He curled his fingers around her hand. “I was a boy once, you know. We learn to climb trees with our mother’s milk.” He tried to tug her close. “I was fine. Really.”
She snatched her hand free, her heart still thundering in her chest, and walked back into the room. Edwin, climbing trees. Who would have thought it?
As he followed her inside, she snapped, “So tell me. What was so all-fired important that you had to risk your life to speak to me alone?”
“Durand was here last night.”
That halted her in her tracks. With her throat tightening, she whirled to face him. “What do you mean?”
“Down the street. He was watching the house.” The deadly seriousness in his tone confirmed the truth of his words. “I confronted him, and he gave me an ultimatum.”
Her stomach began to churn. “What sort of ultimatum?”
A muscle worked in Edwin’s jaw. “Either I call off our engagement by tomorrow evening, or he’ll reveal some unsettling secrets about my family.”
“What secrets?”
“I’d rather not say. But they would essentially destroy whatever credit Yvette and I have in society. We would be outcasts.”
Yvette? It had something to do with Yvette? And him, too. Oh no. “If that happened, you wouldn’t be able to find a wife,” she whispered.
“Precisely.”
A hard lump stuck in her throat. She considered prodding him to reveal what secrets Count Durand was holding over him, but if they were enough to make him this alarmed, they had to be bad. Which meant he wouldn’t talk about them with her. He never revealed such things to her. Why, she wouldn’t even have known about how uncaring his father had been toward the family if Yvette hadn’t told her.
Edwin wasn’t the sort of man to open his past to anyone, even a woman he contemplated marrying.
And it probably wouldn’t change anything if she knew. “Well, then, it appears you have no choice.” She swallowed hard. “You must end our betrothal. Or better yet, I’ll jilt you. Honestly, I never intended to marry any—”
“You’re not listening, Clarissa.” Stepping closer, he fixed her with a bleak glance. “He wants me to end things because he wants you to have no recourse but to marry him.”
“That’s absurd,” she said, though a frisson of fear skittered down her spine. “I always have a recourse. I will simply jilt you. It will make things difficult for you, I know, and I’m very sorry for that, but at least—”
“That won’t work, damn it. Don’t you see? He doesn’t mean to give you a choice! He was lurking in your street just last night. He’s obsessed with having you as his wife. If you continue to refuse him, one day he will simply abduct you and carry you off to Gretna Green. Or worse, to France. He could get away with it, too. Diplomats are immune to all charges except murder.”
Slowly the reason for his sense of urgency sank in, along with a hard knot of anger at Durand. “But why is he obsessed, drat it? Why does he want me? I don’t understand him!”
“You’re a beautiful woman, full of vibrancy and good humor. Who wouldn’t want you?”
The delicious words startled her. They weren’t at all like him, which made her suspicious. “This is not the time to be trying out your newfound skill at compliments. There are plenty of women like me.”
“Not as many as you’d think.” Glancing away, Edwin rubbed the back of his neck. “But I’ll admit that his fixation with you goes beyond the pale. I can only assume that by wedding you, he hopes to gain access to something he wants.”
“Like what?”
He huffed out a breath. “Bloody hell, I don’t know. I wish I did. Perhaps Warren is wrong about his wealth. Perhaps he lost it at the gaming tables.”
“If it’s just about money, there are any number of heiresses who would happily marry a French count on his way to great success as a diplomat. Why insist on marrying a woman who clearly despises him?”
“He doesn’t seem to believe you do.”
“Then he’s blind, deaf, and dumb,” she said stoutly.
“Or he doesn’t care how you feel. Right now, it hardly matters what his reasons are. It doesn’t change the fact that he has both of us trapped.”
“Not you.” She sank onto her bed. She was tired of dealing with Durand, tired of the up-and-down, of being sure he was out of her hair only to have him show up again. “You must protect your family and take his bargain. I’ll jilt you, and Mama and I will keep to the house until Warren is home. Then he can handle Durand.”
“The way he’s been handling him?” Edwin’s face darkened. “You know damned well Warren might not be back for weeks. I am not leaving you alone to be abducted by that bastard.”
“So what exactly are you proposing? That he drag you and your sister—and her new husband—through another scandal while you nobly hold down the fort until Warren returns?”
“No. I have another plan.” He strode over to look out the balcony door. “You and I should marry right away. Tomorrow morning, first thing. I’ve already obtained a special license, so I’ll come to take you riding in the morning and we’ll go straight to the church. Your mother allowed us to go in the phaeton with only my tiger before, so that will work. We needn’t even involve her in the wedding, since you’re of age and don’t need her permission. I’ve already spoken to my parish priest—”
“Wait, wait, stop it!” She jumped up from the bed. “Marry? How does that keep Durand from revealing your family secrets?”
He faced her, the shadows throwing the sharp planes of his face into harsh relief. “Once we marry and he loses any chance to gain you, he’s lost his weapon. Divorce is nearly impossible to obtain, even for a man of my stature, so he can’t make you his bride. That would leave no reason for him to spill my family secrets, other than a fit of pique, since it won’t achieve his original aim. Even Durand isn’t stupid enough to risk his own career in diplomacy to spread slander about an English earl just to vent his temper.”
Lord. What a plan. “I’m not so sure about that. As long as we don’t know why he’s—”
“I’m not just rushing into this, if that’s what you think.”
“I think you’re quite mad.”
He reached into the pocket of his frock coat and pulled out a folded sheaf of papers. “I had my solicitor draw up a marriage settlement this morning.” Setting it on the bed, he added, “I think you’ll find it more than generous, but take some time to look it over tonight. If it doesn’t meet with your approval, we can go to his office first thing so you can dictate any changes before we head to the church.”
While she was flattered that he trusted her with legal documents—most men wouldn’t believe a woman could even read them properly—this was all moving rather quickly. “Edwin—”
“If you want to involve your mother, I understand—but she’s not very good at keeping secrets, and Durand absolutely cannot know of it until it’s done.”
“I don’t care if Mama is involved, but—”
“Our marriage needn’t be a typical one, you know.” His throat moved convulsively. “If you prefer to live separately, we can do that once we’re sure that Durand is no longer an issue.”
“Which would make it a trifle hard for you to sire an heir, and I don’t—”
“Obviously, I’d prefer that we bear children and raise them together as husband and wife, but if that doesn’t suit you—”
“Curse it, Edwin, enough!” She seized his hands. “What doesn’t suit me is your giving up your e
ntire life to protect me.”
His eyes widened. “I’m not. You know I’ve wanted a wife for a long time.”
“But I’m sure you would prefer to choose one for yourself. Not be bullied into it by some madman.”
“He didn’t bully me into marrying you. He attempted to bully me into not marrying you. I’m the one who came up with the idea of marrying right away. I did it with my eyes open, so you needn’t worry about that.” Lifting her hands to his lips, he kissed each one with that slow care that never failed to make her blood run hot. Then he added, in a guttural murmur, “And you must admit that we’re attracted to each other.”
Given the furious beat of her heart just now, she could hardly deny that. But it made no difference. “That’s not the point. There are things about me that you don’t know, things that you wouldn’t like, things that—”
“I am not leaving you to that bastard!” When she started, Edwin modulated his tone. “I will not stand by and do nothing while he tries to ruin your life. And if we’re married, he won’t act—I’m certain of it.”
“You’re calling his bluff. I see that. But what if it isn’t a bluff?”
“Then you’ll be forced to suffer the scandal along with us, but I honestly don’t think it will come to that. And at least I’ll still be protecting you from his attempt to have you. We can face him together as man and wife.”
Man and wife. Her heart twisted in her chest. When Edwin was being noble, she wanted to scoop him up and kiss him forever. But he wouldn’t stay noble. Not once he learned about her past. “It’s not fair to you,” she said. “Making you risk scandal for your entire family to protect me. I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering. It isn’t the same.” He searched her face. “We can have a decent life together, you know. Muddle our way through things. And if we’re unhappy, we can have separate homes. Margrave Manor is already next to my estate. You could go there, raise our children there. As long as I’m always part of their lives, I would be content.”
The Study of Seduction Page 14