The Viscount Meets his Match: A Regency Romance

by Raven McAllan

  “Oh, how perfect. What did he say?”

  “I don’t think he knows. I made sure none of the transactions led back to me until everything was signed and secure.”

  “I like it. So now you have land.” She appeared pleased at the outcome so far. “Plus loyal workers.”

  That gave him courage to continue. “I had land anyway,” David said. “The first thing I did when I came into my inheritance from my grandfather was to use some to buy a small country estate called Caldborough, in Yorkshire. It is big enough to enable me to learn how to manage lands and people but not so large as to draw attention to myself. Even though, to all intents and purposes, the absentee landlord is a Mr. David. My staff there are loyal and do not mention my comings and goings. A petty attitude concerning my sire maybe, but I had no intention showing him I was not all rake.”

  “Good. He sounds a perfectly horrible man. The sort who would pull wings off of butterflies and whip children…” She gasped and David cursed. He knew he’d paled.

  “He did, didn’t he? The…the bastard,” Josephine said passionately. “How I wish I could give him a taste of his own medicine.”

  How tempting it was to say, ‘Marry me and you will.’ But that would be unnecessarily cruel, and David understood it was no longer his reason for wanting Josephine as his wife.

  “The last time he tried, I broke his whip and suggested I might do that very thing if he attempted such an act again,” David said quietly. “He never did.”

  “The last time? Oh, David. I wish you hadn’t given him one more chance.”

  David shrugged, pleased she called him by his given name. He’d do his best to ensure she continued to do so. “I refused to stoop to his level. Because, you know, for all he was so full of his own worth, my father never attempted to listen to me, believe in me or allow me to be shown how to manage the dukedom. So Caldborough, with the guidance of a good estate manager, and Simmons, my man of business, became my education. So much more satisfying than university. Strange to tell, Caldborough has a short common boundary with Midham. Typically, my father never attempted to discover anything about his new neighbor and it was when I was not an unwelcome and unmentioned son, but still his heir. You know? I waited to see what he would say when we met. It never happened.”

  “But you want to marry and guarantee the dukedom? Why, when there is no love lost between you?” She sounded confused. “Why not just protect your people?”

  “It is my heritage. My duty and my future. I love every inch of it all and I owe it to my people to make certain they are safe. To do that, I must secure the future of Midham. I can’t do it alone. I want a wife to stand by me, to be part of me and to help me continue the line. What do you say? Will you be that person?” He held his breath. It was oh so clear to him that they could make it work. Why was it not the same to her?

  Chapter Eight

  It all made so much sense. Not enough for her to agree to be his wife but, she owned, at least enough to see how they got on over the next few days, and do it without prejudice. For, much to her surprise, the idea of a husband who wanted a wife as an equal partner—or as equal as could be—appealed more than any other idea if marriage ever happened. Her problem was to decide whether it was better than the single state that had been her goal for so long. Plus fathom out if what she wanted was truly what he desired. Then came the knotty question of deciding if it were at all likely to happen. So much depended on trust, and that had to be determined via the head, not the heart. Josephine was honest enough to accept the sticking point would be his attitude toward his—and, if they married, their—children.

  “I can understand that you do not wish to do it alone.” Josephine was tired and, she admitted, confused. So much to think about, and so little time to do it. Four days left. Four short days when they had to act like friendly acquaintances and also learn everything there was to know about each other. It wouldn’t be easy. “If I can’t get my parents to let me go to Northumberland when we leave here, I’ll be in Brighton,” she said, apropos of nothing. “Where will you be?”

  “It depends. On whether you think we might have a future.” David grinned but she saw the stress in his eyes, the weary shadows on his face, and understood how much the last minutes had taken out of him. He had shared his family’s awful history, and had to hope she was honorable enough not to spread it.

  “My plans are adaptable,” he added.

  Josephine considered how best to answer him. “I promised to consider your offer,” she said slowly. “And I will do. But I will not be pushed into making any hasty decisions, one way or another. I will take these few days to deliberate whether I think there is any reason for us to take our friendship further. Then I will no doubt have more questions.”

  David inclined his head. “I suppose I can’t ask for anything more.”

  “No, I suppose you can’t.” She yawned and put her hand over her mouth. “Oh, goodness, I’m sorry. How crass. In my defense, it is late, I have a lot to process, and…” She trailed off. “And I need to think.”

  “Then I will leave, and I will meet you here each night before we retire. Just in case you have more questions that need answering to help you make up your mind, or at least point you in the right direction. First, though…” David tugged her to her feet and took two steps closer to her so they were almost touching. He grinned, a cheeky, devil-may-care twist of his lips that made his eyes sparkle.

  “David Suddards, you are not to kiss me.” Her skin tingled. That was happening a lot these days. It was a peculiar sensation, almost as if someone were tracing a pin lightly over her body. It was neither good nor bad, but indicated that her body was alive and waiting…if only she could make her mind up for what.

  “Why? You need to discover how much you like it. Then you can tell me if there is room for improvement.”

  He was incorrigible. Try as she might, Josephine couldn’t find it in her heart to be downright rude. “No. Go away, now. I can’t think when you are so close.”

  “Good. Don’t think, just feel.” He moved closer, put his lips to hers and, as she relaxed, teased his tongue into her mouth.

  Never mind thinking, she now knew what that deb meant about her heart stopping. Josephine’s gave a pitter-pat and missed a beat as his arms went around her waist and he caressed her. Even over her gown, she fancied, his fingers seared her skin. She moaned deep in her throat and she oh so tentatively let her tongue mesh with his. It was agony and exciting. Arousing and worrying. Nevertheless, it was so easy not to think, but just to let her senses take over. Josephine relaxed against him and into their kiss.

  David tensed as she leaned against him. He tore his mouth away. “Sweet lord.” And moved back in to kiss her once more.

  She exulted in the agonized groan he gave. She, wallflower Josephine Bowie, she with, according to her papa, nothing about her to attract a man, affected this man in the way he affected her? All thought of whether she was being fair or not vanished as David slowly gentled the kiss and moved back an inch.

  She felt the loss like a blow. When he lifted his head, his breath as harsh and uneven as hers, the loss of his heat so close to her was as if someone had opened a window to let cold winter air in. Josephine sighed. “Why did you stop?”

  “I forgot you are an innocent,” he said wryly. “It could have been oh so messy, not to say unfair, to take you deeper and then to get to a point where to stop myself making love with you would have been nigh on impossible. I promised I wouldn’t take advantage of you, and I intend to keep that promise.”

  “Even if at some stage I want to go further?” she asked, amazed at her temerity and her lack of anger at his frank words.

  He really wants me. But how, and why? That is the crux of the matter.

  “Even then, if you do not have my ring on your finger. I am no seducer of innocents.”

  “Just a seducer of your wife-to-be?” The dichotomy intrigued her.

  “Not even then…” David sighed. “Well
, maybe then. But we’re not at that point, are we? Not even near.”

  A rake with morals? But then, he had admitted his reputation was far from the real him. “True. Therefore you stopped?”

  David nodded. “Therefore I stopped.” He kissed her nose. “Now, do you need help with your buttons or laces?” He winked. “That is one part of a rake’s duties I excel at. It’s on page three of the rake’s notebook. After how to make extravagant gestures. I ignored that…and how to check for escape routes. I took extra note of that page, although I swear I never had cause to use it. The unlacing now… That is another story.”

  Josephine couldn’t help the heat that rushed into her cheeks and she shook her head as she laughed. He was incorrigible and this unforced, natural side of him appealed to her more than she cared to admit. “No, thank you. I wore this dress on purpose. It buttons up the front.”

  David examined those closures and clapped his hand to his forehead. “That is a dangerous thing to say.”

  She glanced down at his lower body and blinked. Was that bulge what she thought it was? “So it seems,” she blurted before she could stop herself. Oh my. Where is a hole to hide in when you need one?

  David followed her gaze and shrugged. “Ah, well. That is what banter and kissing does. A rake would ask what you intend to do about it. Be thankful I am no longer a rake. I will pretend it isn’t there. Hard, but still.”

  “Hard? Oh yes. Oh my, oh… Enough.” She put her hands to her heated cheeks and closed her eyes. What on earth had she said? My damn talk-first, think-later mind.

  David roared with laughter. “Oh, love, you really did drop yourself into the mire there, eh? I’m sorry to tease you, but to think you noticed enough to discover that is indeed a positive thing for me to dwell on.”

  She had to get a grip on her wayward emotions. “Perhaps, but my answer is still no, thank you.”

  “Spoilsport.”

  “Maybe so, and now I intend to spoilsport even further. Good night, David.” She made flapping gestures with her hands. “Go to bed. Your bed.”

  “Organizing woman. I’m going… Before I forget, do I knock on your door to make sure you are ready to ride? Help you find your way to the stables?”

  “As I suspect you will go via the breakfast table, I think not. I’ll see you in the stable yard. Now shoo.”

  He shooed.

  * * * *

  The morning was fresh with a hint of a warm day ahead. Perfect for riding. Lydia and James were ahead of her as she walked briskly across the cobbles, which led from the side door to the stables. They turned as she approached the yard. Several equine heads showed over the half doors of their stalls, and more than one animal whinnied a greeting. Josephine drew a deep breath. Weird or not, she loved that aroma of horse and straw.

  “No David?” James asked in an innocent, butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-his-mouth way, as Josephine greeted him and Lydia.

  “I suspect he is at the breakfast table,” Josephine said with a smile. “But as I haven’t seen him, I wouldn’t know. Do you mean you didn’t partake before you came here?”

  James blinked as Lydia blushed. “Ah, no. I thought I’d work up an appetite. I did beg a pasty from the chef though. Apple at one end and meat at the other. Known as a clanger, and very tasty it was.”

  “A clanger?” David had joined them without Josephine realizing. “Singular? Chef’s last job was in Bedfordshire where the clanger originates. He’s made them Godmama’s favorite. And it seems yours, James. A pasty indeed. Make that four. I was lucky to commandeer the last three. Here.” He passed one each to Josephine and Lydia. “Just to stave off the pangs. Are we ready?”

  Josephine smelled the enticing mix of herbs, apple and pork and salivated. She took a healthy mouthful of warm, buttery pasty, nodded and swallowed the food. “Delicious. I agree with your godmama. Ah, look, the grooms are about to bring out the horses.”

  The clatter of horseshoes on the cobbles showed she was correct. Within five minutes, the pasties were consumed, and after a brief discussion, each of them were comfortable and mounted on horses to suit them. The four rode out of the stable yard and toward a long, low, nearby hill and some crags just beyond it. Josephine hung back a little while she got the measure of her horse. It had a soft mouth, which she didn’t want to spoil by excessive tugging on the reins because she wasn’t in command. She was a good rider—sadly not a very awake one at that moment.

  Truth to tell, she hadn’t slept that well, her mind full of all the new information she had assimilated with regards to David, and she wasn’t at her most alert. The evening had brought more questions than it answered. She stifled a yawn and blinked to try to wake up. Her mount, a spirited filly called Ruby, would no doubt unseat her if she didn’t pay attention. Not what she wanted.

  “If we head toward Wylane Crag and come back via Stern Hill that should be perfect,” David called as they trotted in single file around a field of crops. “James, you lead along the track until we reach open ground. You know the way. If we ride at a sensible pace and don’t stop too long to look at the view, we might reach the village in time to have a drink before we head home and be back in time for a late breakfast or luncheon or whatever Godmama chooses to call it today.”

  James waved his crop in agreement and cantered down a bridleway toward the hill with Lydia following him. David slowed to a walk, and as the bridleway opened up a little, stopped until Josephine caught him up. “We might as well enjoy the peace for a moment or two. And let those two work out their problems.”

  “They have problems?” Josephine let her horse keep pace with David’s larger, more powerful mount. “I thought they were just friends.”

  “To be honest, I’m not sure they are even that now,” David said thoughtfully. “A year or so ago, I was certain we’d have a betrothal between them. Then all of a sudden there was a frosty silence if I mentioned either of them in the other’s company. I know Jamie is keen, but Lyddie is keeping her own counsel.”

  “Then let them work whatever it is out by themselves,” Josephine suggested. “There is nothing worse that well-meaning people interfering when you’re trying to solve a problem,” she said in a pointed manner. “Especially one that might involve the emotions.”

  David shot her an intrigued glance. “As you are?”

  He had her there. “In a way. Although I dare say my parents are wary of saying too much.” At least she hoped so.

  “So me trying to press my suit isn’t counted as meddling? Thank goodness for that.”

  They navigated round a tree that split the bridleway and began the steady climb to where the dark craggy outcrop of rocks was silhouetted against the blue sky. Happy now her horse was under her control, Josephine risked a quick look at him. “Did I say so?”

  David appeared so startled, he let his hands drop, and his horse broke stride. For the few moments it took him to get it back under control, Josephine enjoyed the knowledge that she had the capability to surprise him. He swore under his breath and gentled the horse until once more it was in step with hers. Then he laughed.

  “I suppose I deserved that.”

  “I think so. Although I’m sorry if I’m impudent. I couldn’t help myself. You sounded so smug.”

  “My own fault then, so I will change the subject. Look, you see the darker shadows on the crag?” He pointed with his crop to where a pattern of light and shade stood out. “Caves. Not only on the crags themselves, but also under them. Caves and potholes. The area is riddled with caverns. I spent many an hour exploring them as a youth. I’d go off with a couple of local lads, two or three candles and a tinderbox and a ball of string. We were convinced that there had to be Blue John around here, and were going to prove wrong all the experts who insisted it is only in close vicinity to Castleton, and thus make our fortune. We never did, of course, but we had so much fun trying. We’d tie the string to something at the entrance and explore as far as we could. You know, until we came to the end of the string.”

>   Josephine shivered. “How unpleasant. I can think of nothing worse than being underground in the dark. What if the string broke or the candles went out? What then?”

  “We were lads. We didn’t think of things like that. It was an adventure. We’d come out filthy, strip off and wash in the stream and go home starving and happy. I adore Lady F., and my time with her each summer was something I looked forward to from the moment I returned to school until the time I arrived back at Tansy House. Here I was just David, not the heir to Midham who had to try to learn, with no help from his parents. Just David doing what young boys should do. Riding, hiking, fishing…simple things that give the most pleasure.”

  To hear him speak so naturally about how he’d spent his youth was enlightening, and information she relished. “And your companions?”

  “Will Bonsall and Bert Killer,” David said in a reminiscent tone. “Now both respectable adults. Will is head groom for Godmama and Bert, head gamekeeper. I confess we still meet up for hunting and fishing.”

  “And caving?”

  He laughed. “On occasion. Although we mark our way with chalk and nicks in the rock these days, as well as stronger string and lanterns. We might be adventurous, but age and responsibilities have tempered it somewhat.”

  “It sounds perfect,” Josephine said wistfully. “I was generally ignored and left in the care of my governess. Oh, she was lovely, and did her best, but my parents didn’t pay much attention to me or welcome visitors and so I suppose I was not encouraged to make many friends. Until I went to school to learn to be a lady, at much too young an age, I admit I was lonely. But, if nothing else, it showed me I could be happy with my own company, and that it was best never to rely on others.”